Boiler Maintenance.

For a long time boilers have been one of the most popular types of home heating systems, and for good reason. Boilers are well known for their even, consistent heating performance as well as their great durability and lifespan. With an appropriately sized, professionally installed boiler you can expect years of efficient comfort in your home. Like the other various types of heating systems you must take certain steps to guarantee the continued operation of your boiler. Scheduling maintenance will help you ensure that your boiler keeps working at maximum potential.

Ideally, you should be scheduling maintenance annually, prior to each heating season. Getting this maintenance done before your boiler goes to work for the season is beneficial for several reasons. First and foremost, routine maintenance is the best way to keep a boiler operating as efficiently as possible. When a qualified professional inspects, evaluates and tunes every component of your boiler you can expect maximum efficiency, and that means lower energy bills.

Preventive boiler maintenance also helps reduce the risk of possible damage to your system from standard use. Even small problems can amount to serious trouble if they are let go for too long. When you schedule annual boiler maintenance prior to the heating season you can resolve any problems without experiencing any downtime to your comfort. Don't wait for a problem, skipping annual maintenance can cause unnecessary damage to your system and puts your comfort at risk.

So if you need boiler maintenance, repair, or any other Heating or Cooling work done, give us a call today.

Heating Repair Preparation

Say your heating system broke down, it happens, it's no fun, but it's important that you and your family are prepared for the situation when it arises. Once you've scheduled the repair with one of our qualified technicians there are a couple tips you should follow to prepare for the service.

Stay Warm!
Break out the sweaters and heavy blankets. Don't let a busted heater make you more uncomfortable in your home than is absolutely necessary. In the event that it's still cold out, it'll be up to you to keep warm while the repair process takes place, we'll try to make it quick!

Clear the Area.
Make sure that your boiler and/or furnace is as accessible as possible for the technician. Having things piled around the system is a generally poor idea anyway as it can negatively affect operation and create a hazardous environment. Safety, efficiency, and convenience for the technician; what more reason could you need to clean the area around your heating system?

Uncover the Registers and Grills.
If you used a forced air distribution system to heat and coll your home go around and move any furniture that make be blocking the registers/vents and grills. Having everything easily accessible and ready to go makes it easier for the technician to get in, fix it, get out and let you get on with your comfortably-heated life.

If you've got a busted heater and are still at the 'scheduled the repair' step, or have any other HVAC problems or questions, give us a call today!

Improve Your Heat Pump Efficiency

Maintaining the high efficiency of your heat pump correlates directly into lower energy bills all year-round. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that up to half of a typical monthly energy bill is the conditioning of the air in your home. To reduce the cost, annually maintain these 3 components of your heat pump system:

Airflow

Typically the airflow should be set through the air handler to deliver between 400 and 500 cubic feet per minute (CFM), however as time goes on the amount you're getting can drop. Once the CFM has fallen to 350 or lower you're losing efficiency. Aside from normal wear and tear, poor airflow can be caused by dirty air filters, which you should be monitoring and changing on a monthly basis.

Poor airflow may also be the result of inadequate return registers or from simply closing the doors in your home. Check each room to make sure none of the registers are blocked. If the members of your household prefer to have their doors closed, make sure their room is not part of the return air system. If it is, you can consider asking an HVAC contract to help balance the supply and return airflow to improve the efficiency of your heat pump.

Ductwork

Ductwork losses can lower the efficiency of your system by as much as 30 percent if the insulation is inadequate or leaking. Periodic inspection or professional testing for leaks can save you a considerable amount of money and maybe even improve your indoor air quality, as leaks can spread pollutants from unconditioned areas of your home.

Refrigerant

Adequate refrigerant levels are essential for the continued operation of your heat pump. Either too high or too low will lower your systems efficiency. The only way to measure it to get a professional in to test for the precise recommended pressure, fix leaks, and add more or less refrigerant to get it operating at maximum efficiency.

Need someone to take a look at your heat pump, or have any other HVAC related problems? Give us a call today!

Does your house stink? Simple Fixes to Common Odors.

A smelly house can be a problem no matter where you're from. Here are some common odors and the steps you can take to remedy them.

Moldy or Musty Odor
Excessive moisture can cause mildew or mold to form. Molds and mildew have distinct foul odors, but more importantly they can bring serious breathing problems for individuals with conditions such as asthma and COPD. You don't just want to handle the smell in this case, you need to handle the source. Check your home for leaks and repair them, and make sure the mold is sufficiently removed. If you can't take care of it yourself definitely hire a professional. Don't let mold get out of control!

Adding a Dehumidifier for your HVAC system can act as an effective preventive measure. Also ensure that your bathrooms and kitchen have exhaust fans that are properly vented to the outside. After you've bathed, make sure you run the fan for 10 to 15 minutes to clear the air of excess humidity.

Dead Animal Odor
If your home smells like a dead animal, there might be a dead animal in your home! Even in the most well maintained of homes a small animal can find a way in and burrow to a hard to find location to die. Best thing you can do is try to find it and remove it and sanitize the area. If you can't find it you'll have to wait for it to degrade naturally and the smell will disperse over time; in the meantime however do your best to cover the smell with an air cleaner. Thoroughly search your home for places where small animals may enter, and patch them immediately.

Bathroom Stench
Pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl to eliminate sewer smell. Just pour it in, let it sit for 5 minutes, then scrub. Make sure your bathroom exhaust fan is powerful enough to remove odors; if it isn't then what is it good for?! Get one that works!

If your air quality isn't up to snuff, you're interested in a dehumidifier, or you have any other HVAC related issues that you think we can help with, give us a call!

Have you changed your filters recently?

It's easy to forget that your filters need changed, but doing so makes a big impact on your your indoor air quality. But before you get in the habit of regularly changing your filters you should familiarize yourself with the MERV rating system and which rating is best for your home.

MERV stands for the "Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value", and it's numerically rated from 1 to 16 based on the level of pollutants they are capable of trapping. You'd think that you'd always just opt for the highest MERV rated filter to minimize pollutants in your home, but the higher the MERV rating the more dense the filter, which will reduce air flow from your HVAC system causing units to overwork themselves in order to heat/cool your home. So it's important to know what the rating levels are capable of and to determine what's best for your home, especially if you or your family members suffer from allergies or sensitivity to other pollutants such as dust or pet dander.

The air filters typically found at a home improvement store are MERV 1 to 4. These ratings are appropriate for typical household use. Filters at these ratings trap most pollens, dust mites, spray paint dusts, carpet fibers and more basic pollutants.

But maybe you use a few aerosols in your home such as hair spray or fabric protector, in which case you may want to opt for a MERV 6 or 7 filter to handle the particles before they compromise your indoor air quality.

If you've got pets or your smoking inside, a MERV 8 to 11 may be what you need to keep animal dander and tobacco from affecting your air quality.

Anything 12 and higher can trap the most minuscule of particles. Only people who must maintain the most hygienic of environments typically opt for filters of this level. For example, hospitals utilize between MERV 13 and 16 rated filters, which can trap even a sneeze from circulating.

It's up to you to decide what's best for your home, but we can help! Give us a call today for all your HVAC needs.

This doesn't look safe...

There are better (and safer) ways to heat your home. Call us today for furnace installation, repair and maintenance!