Glossary
The words on labels, valve tags and filter frames, in a sentence or two each. Terms are listed alphabetically.
- Air handler
- The indoor cabinet holding the blower, and often the cooling coil, in a heat pump or central air system.
- Anode rod
- A metal rod inside a water heater tank that corrodes first so the tank lasts longer.
- Backer board
- Cement or foam board installed behind tile in wet areas instead of ordinary drywall.
- Carbon monoxide alarm
- A device that sounds when it senses carbon monoxide, an odorless gas from fuel-burning appliances.
- Caulk bead
- The line of flexible sealant laid along a joint, such as where a tub meets the wall.
- Change of plane
- Any corner where two surfaces meet. Caulk goes here because movement cracks grout.
- Condensate line
- The small pipe that drains the water an air conditioner pulls out of indoor air.
- Dip tube
- The tube that carries incoming cold water to the bottom of a water heater tank.
- Door sweep
- The flexible strip on the bottom of a shower door that keeps spray inside.
- Epoxy grout
- Resin-based grout that resists water and stains and needs no sealer.
- GFCI outlet
- A ground-fault outlet, usually near sinks and tubs, that shuts itself off in a fraction of a second when current strays toward ground.
- Hygrometer
- A small meter that reads indoor relative humidity.
- Leak indicator
- The small spinning dial on a water meter that moves with any flow.
- Main shutoff
- The valve that stops water to the whole house, usually where the line enters.
- MERV
- Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, the 1 to 16 rating on filters for how well they trap particles.
- Penetrating sealer
- A clear liquid that soaks into cement grout to slow water absorption.
- Pressure-reducing valve
- A valve near the main line that lowers incoming water pressure for the house.
- Quarter-turn valve
- A shutoff that opens or closes with a 90-degree turn of its handle.
- Relief valve
- The temperature and pressure relief valve on a water heater, which opens if heat or pressure climbs too high.
- Return grille
- The large vent that draws room air back to the heating and cooling system.
- Sediment
- Minerals that settle on the floor of a water heater tank.
- Supply line
- The short flexible connector from a shutoff valve to a fixture or appliance.
- Supply register
- A vent that blows heated or cooled air into a room.
- Water alarm
- A battery device placed on the floor that sounds when it touches water.