Ask This Old House

Refinishing cast iron radiators

Richard helps a homeowner with several cast-iron radiators in need of stripping and refinishing. They remove the radiators and take them to a local refinishing shop where an expert uses a sandblasting chamber to strip off the old paint. He then spray-paints each radiator to look as good as new.

Installing a standby electric generator

Kevin heads to St. Louis to help a homeowner who has complained about frequent power outages. She explains that the outages can last for several days at a time. In the backyard, an electrician and his crew are preparing to install a backup generator that runs on natural gas. The generator will run half of the home's circuits during a power outage. Once the crew decides on a location for the generator, they prepare a gravel base for the unit. They then use a skid-steer loader to dig two trenches, one for the electrical wires and one for the gas supply. The crew then installs a new electrical sub-panel with an automatic transfer switch. The transfer switch senses power outages and starts the generator, supplying electricity to the designated circuits. The final gas and electrical connections are made and the installation is complete.