April 2020

Your HVAC System Can Help Reduce Indoor Allergies Do you struggle with allergies? Are you looking for some indoor allergy relief? Believe it or not, your HVAC system can help as it is responsible for the quality of your air indoors. Causes of Indoor Allergies As an allergy sufferer myself, I know how terrible it can be to have to deal with during allergy season. Spring time is generally when most people start to have issues, but allergies can be a year round deal as well when it comes to indoor allergens. There are multiple ways you can improve your indoor air quality. Believe it or not, your HVAC system can help you in this regard through the use of advanced filters and UV lights that are able to remove small allergy particles and dust mites. Some of the most common causes of indoor allergies include: Pet Dander We all love our indoor animals, but for some of us they can cause quite the problem with our allergies as well as our HVAC system. The dander from your pets fur can stay in the air for hours at a time, being blown all around your house and wreaking havoc on your allergies.  Mold Spores These babies aren't only bad for your allergies, but are bad for your health in general. Mold is prone to grow in damp, dark places such as basements or closets. Over time, the spores from any mold growth can become sucked into your HVAC system and...

Why Is My Air Conditioner Not Blowing Cold Air? The weather is finally warm and you go to turn your air conditioner on and nothing but warm air comes out. There are several things that may cause your air conditioner to not blow cold air. The best course of action if your air conditioner is not blowing cold air is to call a professional HVAC professional to come diagnose the problem. Attempting to fix something yourself can lead to an additional air conditioning repair being needed. However, here are a few items that could be causing the issue.   Dirty Filters   The first thing to check would be your air filters. One of the most common causes for air conditioners not blowing cold air is a dirty air filter. If your air filter is dirty or clogged, cool air flow is restricted and your air conditioner will not be able to properly cool your home. Letting your air conditioner continue to run under this circumstance can cause ice buildup to occur on both the outdoor coil as well as the evaporator coil. Continuing to run your ac system with ice build up can cause damage to the unit. Sometimes, something as simple as changing the filter will fix this issue.   Broken Parts Sometimes, this issue may be due to a broken part or parts on your condenser unit. One of the more costly fixes could be a failed compressor or indoor coil. If your outside condenser is not...

Pros and Cons of a Ductless HVAC System Is a ductless heating and cooling system right for you and your home? There are both pros and cons to using a ductless mini split system vs a standard heating and cooling system. Depending on the application, a ductless heating and cooling system could be a great addition to your home and improve its overall value. Pros of a Ductless Heating & Cooling System   1. Very Energy Efficient Ductless heating and cooling systems are extremely energy efficient compared to a standard HVAC system. Energy usage for these units is measure using a SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). Many of these units have a variable speed motor that can be adjusted based on need. Also, the Mitsubishi ductless system has an advanced inverter driven compressor that operates on a cruise control style setting. It ramps up only when needed then slows back down to conserve energy. With a ductless heating and cooling system, you are generally looking at 40% increase in energy efficiency compared to a standard ac unit!  Options include more than 30 energy star certified systems. 2. Flexibility in Usage One great benefit of a ductless system is their ability to "spot treat" certain areas of your home that are hard to heat and cool with your normal HVAC system. If a room is located far away from your central hvac system, the room may become hot in the summer and cold in the winter due to reduced air...

What Is the Best Way to Clean a Mini Split? Just like a normal air conditioner and furnace, mini splits require routine maintenance. Keeping your mini split ductless system clean is vital to its lifespan as it works all year round to heat and cool your home. Regularly scheduled maintenance is the best way to guard against expensive repairs that could arise when the system is not maintained. The frequency of cleaning required largely depends on how often you use the system and what kind it is (single zone, multi-zone, ceiling, wall-mounted etc.) Also, the overall efficiency of your system largely depends on how clean the unit is as well. A ductless system covered in dirt and other debris will not operate as efficiently and cost more in energy as opposed to a clean unit. There really is no substitute for having your mini split cleaned and inspected by a professional HVAC contractor, but here is a basic step-by-step process of how you can clean the unit yourself. 1. Make Sure the System Is Turned Off The most logical place to start the cleaning process is to make sure your mini split is turned off. For safety purposes, you will want to verify the power is off to the unit at the circuit breaker panel as well. Be sure to unplug any power cables that may be running from the unit as well. 2. Cleaning Materials Needed Having the right materials will making cleaning your ductless system much easier. Most...

How Cold Is Too Cold For My Heat Pump? Heat Pumps are highly efficient units but they do come with some drawbacks when the weather gets really cold. Heat Pump systems are highly efficient units but they do come with some drawbacks when it comes to cold temperatures. Will My Heat Pump Work When It’s Cold Out? This is a somewhat 2 part answer. The short answer would be yes, it will heat your home in cold weather. The tricky part is exactly how cold does it have to be before your heat pump just cant keep up? Let’s take a look. Heat Absorption Your heat pump heats your home by absorbing the heat in the outside air and transferring this heat indoors. It is basically working as an air conditioner in reverse through the use of refrigerant. This is great during heating season when there is some heat in the air for it to transfer, but when temps drop below freezing, the efficiency of your heat pump begins to suffer. This is why you have what is called “auxiliary heat” or “emergency heat” when you have a heat pump. This emergency heat comes in the form of a furnace inside your home (electric or gas) and it takes over for your system when it just can’t keep up anymore. Emergency Heat Source When the temps outside begin to drop below freezing, your thermostat should automatically switch from your heat pump to your auxiliary heat due to the loss of efficiency in it...

Why Is My Furnace Filter Getting Dirty So Quickly? Furnace filters can become dirty quite quickly depending on your home and living conditions. Your furnace filter is one of the most important parts of your HVAC system. Allowing your filter to become too dirty can result in your furnace short cycling or your AC to freeze up. Not only does the furnace filter help cut down on dust in the air, but it also helps protect all of the important parts of your furnace and air conditioner. Depending on your home and living conditions, you may ending up changing your furnace filter more or less frequently than others. If your furnace filter is getting dirty faster than usual, here are some things to check: Dust In Your Home Cleaning and dusting your home on a regular basis is a good way to extend the life of your furnace filters. It's advised to dust and vacuum your home at least once per week to cut down on the overall dust level of your home. Having your carpets professionally cleaned at least once per year is recommended as well as they are able to clean much deeper than a regular vacuum. Did you know that your carpets are the biggest filters in your home? Fan Is Set To "On" Instead Of " Auto" This setting is found on your thermostat. If you have the fan in your furnace set to "on", this means that the fan will run continuously until you turn...

Protect Your Air Conditioner From Thieves Your air conditioner holds some pretty valuable parts that many thieves would love to sell With the warm weather on its way, many people start getting their air conditioner's ready to go. But did you know your air conditioner can also be a prime target for thieves? Scrap metal is a big business and your air conditioner has many valuable parts that are worth money when sold. The most valuable being the copper lines that hold your air conditioners refrigerant. Here are some tips to keep your unit safe all year round. Security Lights Simple enough but also quite effective. Installing motion sensing security lights that illuminate the area around your air conditioner will put anyone who is trying to do something they shouldn't on full display at night. Adding these lights is also a simple way to increase the value of your home.  Lock It Up There are many different cages on the market that you can buy to secure your air conditioner. The highest quality cages are made of steel and have posts that are put in the ground in concrete to secure them. Be sure to take care of the refrigerant lines when installing the cage as cutting the lines could result in an expensive air conditioner repair. They have a lock on them that can be opened with a key to make servicing your air conditioner a breeze for your service technician. These cages aren't the cheapest, but compared to...

Spring Cleaning Checklist 2019  Spring is almost here! The warm weather, the outside activities, and of course the annual spring cleaning checklist. Here are 5 of the top things you and your family should be looking at this spring to help keep your home in good shape all year long. Clean the Dryer Vent A years worth of laundry will begin to build up a lot of dust and particulates in your dryer vent. It is a good idea to put this on your spring cleaning checklist and clean this out to prevent overheating fires. Did you know that a clogged dryer vent can cost you up to $3.00 more per load of laundry? It is also worth noting that new clothes tend to produce more lint than older clothes. Signs that your dryer vent might be clogged include: clothes taking longer to dry, the outside of the dryer gets really hot, the vent hood flap doesn't open, and it's been more than a year since the vent was cleaned last. Vacuum and Steam Clean Carpets During the winter, it is so easy to track in a lot of dirt and salt, which then gets transferred onto your carpet and other rugs. Professional carpet cleaning (hot water extraction) will help your carpets return to looking new and also vastly extend the life of them. Also, did you know that your carpets are the largest air filter in your home? Dust and dirt in the air will fall on the carpet and...

How To Minimize Dust In Your Home Here are some popular ways you can minimize the dust in your home. No one likes a dusty home. Dust is just one of many different airborne particulates. You can help reduce dust by dusting on a regular basis, but it seems to accumulate again quickly no matter what you do. Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize dust indoors. Have Your Carpets Cleaned Regularly Did you know that your carpets are your homes biggest air filter? They attract dust by the pound each year. This includes area rugs as well. Over time, dust particles, fibers from clothes and dead skin cells in the air fall to the ground and buries themselves in the carpet fibers of your home. By vacuuming regularly and having your carpets cleaned professionally (hot water extraction) at least twice per year, you are well on your way to cutting down on the dust levels in your home. Set Your Thermostat Fan To "On" By setting your thermostat fan to "on", your furnace blower will run constantly and filter the air in your home. You may think that this would be expensive to leave it running, but it's actually not. Blower motors are designed for long and extended periods of time. If you are really looking to save money on energy bills, have a variable-speed motor installed. These motors run at different speeds as opposed to just an "on-off" setting. Change Your Bedding Dust as well...

My Furnace Is Tripping The Circuit Breaker. What's Going On? The last thing you want to deal with on a cold night is a furnace that refuses to work. It's never fun to deal with a furnace that refuses to work on a cold day or night. If you've recently noticed that your furnace keeps tripping your circuit breaker when you go to turn it on, here is some background as well as possible causes. Electricity & Your Furnace Although your furnace may use natural gas, propane or oil to heat your home, it also needs a good dose of electricity to power all of it's electrical components. Some of the largest parts in your furnace that use electricity include the circuit board, blower motor as well as the gas valve. If you have an older furnace, it may utilize a standing pilot light instead of a electronic ignition source.  Most Common Cause: Stressed Blower Motor The most common cause for your furnace to trip your circuit breaker in your blower motor overworking itself. The blower motor can begin to overwork itself when air flow to the motor becomes restricted. One of the largest causes of this is a dirty air filter. If you haven't changed your filter in a while, be sure to check to make sure it's not overly dirty. A dirty filter can also cause your furnace to short cycle. Standard 1 inch filters should generally be changed once every 30 days. If you have a thicker...