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You might be tempted to pretend the weather’s not getting chillier. It can be a little gloomy, accepting that summer’s over and buttoning your house up for the winter. But school is in session, the Halloween decorations have been in stores for weeks, and it’s time to make sure you’ll be all set when it comes time to turn on the heat.
How can you make sure your heating system will be ready for the winter? By scheduling an appointment for annual heating maintenance.
HVAC systems that use a network of ducts to conduct heated and conditioned air are extremely common and have been for half a century. It’s a great way to get air that’s the exact temperature you want all throughout your home. But every good thing comes with some risks or downsides. According to the US Department of Energy, “ducts that leak heated air into unheated spaces can add hundreds of dollars a year to your heating and cooling bills.” Even if you had that kind of money, you could surely think of better ways to spend it.
What can be done to repair HVAC duct leaks? How did your ducts sustain damage to begin with? If you understand the causes, you might be able to prevent duct leaks from happening in the future.
Air quality outdoors has been a concern on many of our minds lately, as smoke from the Canadian wildfires drifts all the way south to us.
But how much do you know about indoor air quality? Indoor air is often more contaminated than outdoor air, but we don’t get air quality warnings about that with our weather forecasts.
We’d like to tell you a little bit about indoor air quality: how it’s contaminated, how air purifiers improve it, and how cleaner air can improve your life.
Did you know that it’s not just spies in the movies using tiny cameras on long lines these days? Plumbers are doing it, too! You might hear it referred to as video pipe inspection or video drain inspection. We can even take a look as far down as the sewer line that carries all your wastewater away from your home.
Why do people need their drains inspected with video cameras? What circumstances would indicate that you should have it done?
Here are some details on how to know if video drain inspection is just the thing your plumbing needs.
The ductwork in your home might not come to mind when you’re thinking about the maintenance and repairs that might help make your house the comforting sanctuary you want it to be. After all, ducts are in your walls and attic, not in plain sight, and you know what they say: out of sight, out of mind. But there are some reasons why you should keep your ductwork in mind. Read on to find out how to gauge the well-being of your ducts, and what to do if there is a problem.
Are you ready for this? The #1 way to prevent major furnace repairs is through timely professional maintenance! Yes, it really is that simple. Routine furnace maintenance can help prevent up to 85% of the repairs your system may ever need in its lifetime. We’ll get into the “how” and the “why” of this below, but the most important thing you need to know right now is that investing in furnace maintenance is more about just a heating service. You’re investing in longer equipment life, less costly operation, improved efficiency, and most of all, your household’s safety.
Read on as we dive into why professional and timely maintenance is so important.
There are some things that are staples in American homes that household members hope they’ll never need—but when they do need them, they’re grateful they have them. Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, whole-house generators, fire extinguishers … these are just a few! And up there at the top of the list is the sump pump, essential in preventing water damage due to flooding that can come from stormy weather or even a plumbing mishap.
Of course, even though you hope you’ll never need it, this doesn’t mean you can ignore the sump pump. A sump pump should be tested at least once a season, and ideally after every time it gets used. Standing water within a crawlspace or basement is a major problem. It can severely damage the foundation of your home, rotting away wood and creating other hazards. For instance, it can raise the humidity level and encourage the growth of mold and mildew.
So testing the sump pump to make sure it’s always ready is essential to protecting your property. But how do you do this? Read on!
One of the most popular questions we get as HVAC professionals is how homeowners can improve their system’s efficiency in a way that it will cost them less to run their air conditioners, without sacrificing comfort. Considering how uncomfortable it can get outside during our summer seasons, this is a perfectly reasonable question.
And we have good news! First off, there are a number of services you can have done that will help your air conditioner perform better, plus prevent repairs. Take maintenance, for example. Annual (or biannual, if you have a heat pump) tune-ups will ensure that your system works as efficiently and effectively as its meant to for as long as it’s meant to.
You can also help improve AC efficiency by performing a couple minor maintenance tasks on your own, like changing out the air filter and making sure the outside unit of your air conditioner is free of debris that can impact airflow. Here are a couple more things you can do that you might not have considered:
When you first read the title of this blog post, you might have thought, “Wow, they’re going to tell me how to install an air conditioner? What a great way to save money!”
That’s not our goal here. In fact, trying to install a central air conditioning system on your own could end up costing way more than you were planning on spending, both with the initial purchase of your air conditioner and in the long run.
This is because an improperly installed system might not be sized correctly to begin with, meaning you won’t have an efficient system, and it could even break down quicker than it would otherwise. No, we’re sharing the steps of professional air conditioner installation with you so that you understand how important it is that you hire a pro for this job. Read on to learn more!
Without the right equipment and know-how, it can be hard to detect a plumbing problem. Most of your plumbing system, after all, is hidden from view, and the problems that occur start off subtly. This is a huge part of the reason we recommend scheduling preventing maintenance at least once a year.
It’s also a good idea for homeowners to familiarize themselves with the warning signs that their plumbing system is showing signs that something is amiss. This way, if a problem happens between maintenance sessions, you can spot it and call for professional repairs right away. Keep reading to learn more about these signs.
