ASK THE HANDYMAN : Low on Hot Air? You May Need Bigger Furnace

Q: For the past three winters we’ve had a problem with our furnace. Our master bedroom doesn’t heat up enough on cold nights, yet all the other rooms get warm very quickly. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of obstruction to the forced air vent, and windows in that room have been caulked and sealed so many times they’re almost airtight. I’d like to solve this before the weather changes.

J.W., Costa Mesa

A: “There are a lot of possible causes and you might need someone to come out and check your system,” says Betty Linton of P&M; Plumbing and Heating in Santa Ana. “It could easily be that the furnace you have isn’t powerful enough. It may be working as hard as it can to get hot air into the room but its output may not be enough. Figure on needing an 80,000-BTU furnace for 1,500 square feet of space.”

Q: Sometimes when I turn on the hot water in my house it comes out “dirty,” kind of grayish-brown. I would suspect the water heater, but it’s only 5 years old. Is there anything else I should check?

S.B., El Toro

A: “In all likelihood, the water heater is causing the problem,” says Rod Albright of Albright Plumbing & Heating Supplies Inc. in Los Alamitos. “It could be a chemical reaction when the hot water hits the pipes coming from the heater, or it could be caused by the buildup of sediment. You need to drain your water heater occasionally to get rid of the sediment. You don’t need to empty the whole thing--just hook the drain plug up to a hose that runs outside and drain it until the water runs clear.

“What happens is that the sediment builds up on the bottom and if it gets too high it begins to circulate in your pipes. The problem is also common in older water heaters in which the glass lining has eroded. There’s also a device called an anode rod that may be affected by chemicals in the water and could alter the water. Anode rods can be replaced and doing so will extend the life of your heater.

“Make sure the discoloration isn’t occurring when you turn on cold water faucets as well. If that’s the case, it would probably be some bad pipes within the house that need to be replaced.”

Q: We have a dual, 4-foot-long fluorescent light fixture in our kitchen that’s developed a problem. For some reason, both bulbs only light at the ends. We’ve tried several types of bulbs but they all give the same result.

C.E., Corona del Mar

A: “It sounds as though the ballast has failed,” says Sean Stalmer of Allstate Signs and Lighting in Huntington Beach. “If you’re sure the lamps are good, then it’s got to be the ballast, especially if you’re talking about a simple fixture for the home with nothing else wired to it. Check with a local hardware store to see if they carry the one you need.”

Q: My old wooden garage door is working fine now, but that’s because the weather’s still warm. When it gets colder, the door will stick in the frame as it’s being lowered by the opener. Then the return system kicks in and springs it back up. Why does this happen?

E.K., La Mirada

A: “When it happens again, check and make sure it’s not the opener,” says Gary Gerth of Gerth Garage Door Co. in Orange. “Usually the opposite occurs. Cold weather will make the door take in moisture and gain weight so it closes easily but it has a harder time rising.

“You might take another look at the opener. They’re lubricated with a special grease that’s impervious to all kinds of weather. But sometimes a homeowner will use any old grease on the rail to quiet it down. When the weather cools, the household grease may stick and make it difficult for the opener to work properly.”