An All-Around Great Idea

Logic. Intelligence. Prudence. Practicality. Fear. These are among the guiding qualities that people rely on when they decide to maintain their furnace. It’s a smart decision because it preserves an investment and assures continued comfort in cold weather. And it also protects against very real dangers, such as carbon monoxide leaks.

But what makes this idea even better is when you can bundle all of the above (energy savings, less repairs, safety checks, longer equipment life), plus additional discounts, priority service and twice-a-year tune-ups on your heating and cooling system. That’s what’s called a maintenance agreement program, and it one-ups the good idea of a tune-up into a great idea.

To learn more about the value of making routine maintenance a part of your seasonal routine, contact us today. Just call or email, and we’ll take care of you!

Sources of Pollution in Your Home

There could be a problem with the air you’re breathing. With airtight construction prodded by energy-efficient building practices over the last few decades, homes are less likely to exchange air as quickly – meaning the natural ventilation from times of old now no longer allows for the routine exchange of air between inside and outside. That means what’s inside your home stays inside your home, including the pollutants that collect over time. What’s more, because Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, these pollutants are potentially reaching right into your family’s breathing passages.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are several common pollutants found in homes these days. They include:

Combustion Pollutants – Gases or particles that come from burning materials, major residential sources of combustion pollutants are improperly vented or unvented fuel-burning appliances such as space heaters, wood stoves, gas stoves, water heaters, dryers and fireplaces. Common combustion pollutants include carbon monoxide (CO) which is a colorless, odorless gas that interferes with the delivery of oxygen throughout the body. Carbon monoxide causes headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea and even death. Additionally, nitrogen dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that causes eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath and an increased risk of respiratory infection.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – These are chemicals found in paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, varnishes and waxes, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment, moth repellents, air fresheners and dry-cleaned clothing. VOCs evaporate into the air when these products are used or sometimes even when they are stored. VOCs irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and cause headaches, nausea and damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some of them can cause cancer.

Asthma Triggers – These include mold, dust mites, secondhand smoke and pet dander. Asthma triggers cause symptoms including coughing, chest tightness, wheezing and breathing problems. Molds produce spores that float in the air, land on damp surfaces and grow. Inhaling or touching molds can cause hay fever-type symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rashes. Molds can also trigger asthma attacks.

For peace of mind on any of these pollutants, contact us today for an Indoor Air Analysis. Just call or email, and we’ll take care of you.

Making Routine Maintenance a Part of Your Seasonal Routine

You know the old sayings. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” “Better safe than sorry.” “It takes one to know one.” Well, except for that last one, these statements of experience can easily be applied to home maintenance – and, in particular, maintenance on your home comfort system.

In the height of winter, for example, your heating system will be undergoing strains that were unheard of just a few months earlier. And your system is taking notice.

If it hasn't been finely-tuned already, there’s a likely lapse in efficiency. If it isn't ready for heavy duty action, the intense operation could be shortening its lifespan. And if it hasn't had a safety check, an invisible, odorless but very real danger could potentially be building in your home through a carbon monoxide leak.

These are among the reasons we recommend routine maintenance on your furnace. Routine is the key word here. Or regular, if you prefer. The point is that maintenance is ongoing. Continual. At set intervals.

You get the idea – routine. It’s simply a part of the change in seasons: maintain the furnace for winter use, the air conditioner for summer use, and preserve comfort, energy efficiency and safety all year long.

It’s not hard to see the benefits of routine maintenance – and being part of a maintenance agreement program makes these benefits even easier to achieve.

With a maintenance agreement, you get twice-a-year tune-ups, discounts on repairs, priority service – in addition to the perks of maintenance itself. And since you know it’s twice a year, you’re establishing a routine that will pay off in energy savings, longer equipment life, safety and better comfort for years to come.

To learn more about the value of making routine maintenance a part of your seasonal routine, contact us today. Just call or email, and we’ll take care of you.

It’s All in the Timing…

When is the right time to make a good decision? Anyone who has a responsibility toward others – whether in parenting, work situations, sports or whatever – knows that decision-making and the right timing aren't separate issues. We want our influence to be one that helps bring those two factors close together.

Just to make up an example: it would be silly to cook a divine meal with carefully selected dishes AFTER the guests you intended to serve had already left for the night, hungry and grumpy. So you’d advise your teenage budding chef to prepare in advance – establish the menu, secure the groceries, allow time for preparation. Then everyone would enjoy and be satisfied.

In a similar vein, let’s think in terms of your home comfort. After it’s seen some years, your furnace will need replacing. You know that, we know that. And there are many sound reasons – comfort, energy savings, no repair bills, etc. – that this decision will be a good one. But the question is: when will you make this good decision? After a problem occurs at an inconvenient time (and some in your household are uncomfortable and grumpy), or before a problem occurs?

We recommend before. And if you’ll read more here, “Why Isn’t the Furnace Coming On?” we’ll tell you why this is the right time for a good decision.

What’s on Your Maintenance Checklist?

Routine maintenance on your home comfort system is important for many reasons: it saves on energy, preserves and lengthens equipment life, reduces the need and expense of repairs and provides a safety check to ward against indoor air dangers, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

But what exactly does routine maintenance involve? According to ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, your maintenance checklist will typically include the following:

Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.

Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.

Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increase the amount of electricity you use.

Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.

Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to ensure that the system starts, operates and shuts off properly.

Heating Specific

Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.

Is that Sniffle from a Cold? Or from Your Indoor Air?

With so much time spent indoors during winter, illnesses common to the season can be easily spread among friends and family. Yet, sometimes it’s not another “person” who is the cause of your runny nose, headaches, fatigue and eye irritation. Instead, the culprit may be the pollutants that are building up in the air you breathe.

When indoor air is of poor quality, it can impact your health in ways that mimic other types of respiratory ailments, such as colds or the flu. So during this season where people spend more time indoors, they’re not just spreading germs from person to person. With windows and doors tightly closed to keep in warm air, homes are also trapping pollutants inside. And people are breathing in the pollutants that are piling up.

What could be causing all of this bad air? Common sources of indoor pollutants include:

• Building materials, including flooring, carpeting and paint
• Cabinetry or furniture made of pressed wood
• Household cleaning products
• Central heating and cooling systems
• Humidification devices
• Radon
• Air fresheners
• Combustion sources (oil, gas, kerosene, coal and wood)
• Personal care products (hair spray, nail polish, fragrance)
• Materials used for hobbies (glues, epoxy, paint strippers)
• Pesticides

If there’s not enough air exchange – meaning indoor air is exchanged for outdoor air on a frequent basis – pollutants build up. In fact, the EPA says that indoor air can be 100 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Need fast answers to help make your home more breathing-friendly? We’re just an email or phone call away. Schedule a Indoor Air Review or just call! We’re here for you.

What’s the Big Deal About Tune-Ups?

Maybe you've heard the old saying: “If it ain't broke, don’t fix it.” That’s the theory that you shouldn't go tinkering where there isn't a problem because you might end up creating a problem that you didn't have in the first place. Many times we’d agree – but not when it comes to a tune-up on your heating and cooling system.

A tune-up is not about fixing what isn't “broken,” but it’s often about finding a potential trouble spot before it becomes real trouble. And it helps maintain the life and efficiency of your system so that it’s less likely to break down at a most inconvenient time (say, in the middle of a cold winter’s night).

Here’s more scoop on why tune-ups are high-value, low-investment home maintenance and how a diagnostic tune-up can pay for itself in multiple ways:

• A comfortable home is a good thing, but it’s not necessarily a sign of energy efficiency. You could have an undetected problem in your heating system that is increasing your operating costs. A tune-up can find that problem, improve efficiency and, ultimately, save you in the long run.
• Tune-ups lengthen the life of your equipment – and push back for some time the need to invest in a replacement system.
• When a manufacturer warranty calls for regular maintenance, a tune-up will fulfill that requirement – protecting your investment in your system.
• You’ll save on repairs – because tune-ups make the need for repairs less likely.
• You’ll save on energy. As furnaces are tuned up, they operate more efficiently and help you hold onto more of those energy dollars you’re spending to stay comfortable.
• For safety’s sake, a tune-up will enable a trained tech to detect potential dangers, such as life-threatening carbon monoxide leaks.

Schedule your tune-up today. Just call or email, and we’ll take care of you.