Full Show 1-3-2026: Banging Water Heaters and Damp Air Ducts, Oh My!

·39 min·2 clips

Record the thump on your phone next to the attic water heater and send it to the plumber before they arrive.

1. The Home Improvement Show's January 3, 2026 episode on Louisiana's Big 870 is a shortened two-hour broadcast, cut by a press conference, that answers listener questions on moisture, ductwork, water heaters and electrical safety. 2. Paul answers the home improvement questions, and Courtney handles real estate, including a tip tied to her partners at Home Buy Louisiana, who buy fixer-uppers around New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 3. The core thread is moisture control, following the prior Saturday's indoor air quality show, with Paul saying to "solve the moisture source" before fixing symptoms like cupping floors or mold. 4. Courtney's tip asks listeners to assess inherited, rental or unaffordable properties in 2026 and set goals for repair, sale, refinance or hiring a property manager, while Paul adds that sharing goals out loud creates "accountability." 5. Answering Peggy, Paul says vapor from a crawl space can cup flooring and rot subflooring, and recommends carpet with padding, travertine, marble, granite, brick pavers or some tile because they let vapor pass, and he points to Schluter's Detour product for slabs. 6. For a raised-house cooktop question, Paul says venting under the home is "not a good idea," and recommends ducting through an exterior wall rather than the roof to avoid an extra roof penetration. 7. For the Covington water heater that thumps after showers, Paul suggests a licensed plumber, a phone recording and a model-number photo, and he later adds a listener's point that loose or unstrapped supply pipes could be the cause. 8. On double filtering, Paul says a return air intake that is "grossly undersized" with a high-MERV filter can hurt the fan motor, refrigerant charge and utility bill, and can draw dusty attic air through duct leaks. 9. He recommends Allen have a licensed electrician inspect everything from the meter pan to the service panel and outlets in an older family house, and he tells Harold that mold on the plenum bottom may be remediated and encapsulated rather than replaced. 10. Suited to Louisiana homeowners with moisture, HVAC or older-wiring questions.

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