December 1986 Table of Contents

Features
A Contractor's Guide to Asbestos

By Gerald L. Wykoff. Sooner or later, every renovation contractor will run into this menacing material. Be prepared in your contracts and company policies. Read more

In Search of Simple, Low-Cost Ventilation

By Steve Loken. If you build tight houses but aren't in love with air-to-air heat exchangers, there must be a simpler solution. This Montana builder has been experimenting. Read more

The Chimney Safety/Heat-Loss Dilemma

By Charlie Page. How do you seal and insulate around a chimney flue? The codes conflict and the experts disagree on how to handle this critical detail. Read more

Tuning Up New Heating Systems

By Harris Hyman. If you think that a new, engineered heating system is going to work flawlessly from the day it's installed, you're in for a surprise—and a callback. Read more

Update on Plastic Plumbing

By Richard E. White. Before plastic plumbing makes any inroads into residential water-supply systems, the manufacturers wi ll have to come up with a better joint system. Read more

Letters
Q&A
On The House On The House

Vapor 'Barrier' Paints, Is Superinsulation Overrated? Gravity Loops, Energy Fortune-Telling Read more

Design
Building With Style: Why I Prefer Hydronic Heating

Why Mr. Tully prefers—egad!—hydronic heating. Read more

Business
Legal
The Legal Column: The Right to Know

How right-to-know laws affect you. Read more

Energy
Restoration
Callbacks
Case in Point: A Failing Furnace Mystery

A condensing-furnace failure. Read more

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