The Cleanest Techs in Town
Pollutants like mold, bacteria, and pet dander can find their way into your home every single day. Together with poor ventilation and unbalanced humidity levels, these contaminants can adversely affect your family’s health.
How do you stop something you can’t even see? It’s really simple. Follow these strategies utilizing appliances from top-rated manufacturers like Lennox to improve the air quality in your home:
Eliminate the source.
Invest in an air purification system designed to be attached to your furnace or air conditioner. These systems promptly remove and destroy contaminants before they move around your home.
Filter the air.
Filtering the air carefully captures even the smallest contaminants, including pollen, viruses, and house dust. Ward off these particles that aggravate allergy symptoms and do away with pollutants wandering about your living spaces.
Control humidity.
Too much humidity promotes mold and mildew growth, while too little can irritate skin and respiratory passages. To keep it balanced for optimal comfort and health, install a humidity gauge to help you monitor moisture levels. You can also repair any leaks and sealing cracks that let air in and out freely.
Regulate ventilation.
A lack of fresh air can make air feel heavy and lead to humidity imbalances. Improve air circulation by opening windows and doors, or consider a ventilation system that exchanges stuffy indoor air with fresher, cleaner air from the outside.
Though summer is still a few months away, preparing for the scorching heat it brings can and should begin as early as today. One area you can start with is indoor temperature, specifically with your air conditioning system. You may not know it, but your home’s cooling system may already have underlying problems that may compromise your family’s comfort when summer arrives.
Begin by changing the filters of your air conditioning system. The filters are the ones responsible for your cooling system’s efficiency, and having them all clogged up with dirt affects its cooling capabilities, especially during the warm months of summer. Another thing you would want to check are the ducts which may already have some leaks.
Another way of maximizing the performance of your air conditioners this summer is to avoid overworking them today. You can do so by keeping your blinds or shades down during the day, or perhaps consider installing awnings that will give protection against the intense heat of the sun. Feel free to call a qualified technician or a maintenance guy from the company where you purchased your cooling system from, and have your units checked. If you bought from a trusted source and they say you need to replace something, do so immediately.
Keep in mind that it is better to worry about these things this early, not unless you want to sweat it out even further this summer.
When your air conditioner suddenly conks out, it is imperative to have it repaired as quickly as possible. This is especially so in the hotter regions in the country, such as in Houston or Las Vegas. Because of the important function of your AC units at home, it only necessitates that you choose a reliable and efficient repair service provider.
Expect to shell out some cash, so you might as well make sure that you’ll be getting the service that you pay for. Before calling up the repair company, the Better Business Bureau advises to do a bit of fact-checking first before committing to anything.
When looking at prospective repairmen, a customer should check on the company’s background and what they are licensed to do. A company’s reputation is a good barometer to whether they can do a good job or not. Secondly, you should check out their price and service package; part of the selection process is if the repair company can deliver a competitive price.
Next, a review of what the company’s warranty covers makes sure that any damage caused by their repairs would be handled easily. Finally, a customer should inquire about energy efficient air conditioning units. These units can deliver savings in the form of lower electricity bills and tax credits.
With these things in mind, take a good look at your prospective repairmen.
The air conditioning unit is an important appliance for Houston households, especially when the summer season finally kicks in. Temperatures in summertime can easily hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so the comforts of an air conditioning unit is a wonderful blessing.
However, a poorly maintained air conditioning unit can mean oven-like temperatures for everyone in the household. It is important that families take proper care of their AC units as they will extensively use them when the heat becomes too uncomfortable.
Ideally, it is good to check the condition of the AC unit before it is used lengthily. Even if summer is still more than three months away, it is better to ensure the condition of your air conditioning unit to prevent any mishaps from happening in the future.
First of all, the unit’s breaker should be checked. If the breaker has tripped, the unit will cease to function. The breaker will give the owner an overall idea of the condition of the machine. If the breaker has tripped, a professional should be called to confirm this, and the owner should contemplate on replacing the entire unit.
The thermostat should be properly functioning to provide the right amount of cold. The filter must be clean to help the unit run more efficiently. Any ice deposits in the unit should be melted off. Finally, clean the unit. Taking care of your AC system will assure you that there won’t be any hiccups once summer kicks in.
The water heater is one of the most important components of a home’s plumbing system. Without the heater, families would have to endure the frigid temperatures of unheated water in the morning. No one likes the rude awakening provided by unheated water.
It is due to this that proper care of the heater becomes all the more important. Doing some maintenance work on the heater will let the owner know about the condition of the appliance and at the same time, help keep the heater running for a longer amount of time.
The maintenance checks will depend on the type of heater that is present in the household. First of all, heaters of must be turned off before inspection. One of the most important components to be checked on a gas-powered heater is the flue. Make sure that it is properly draining out the air by lighting a match going up the flue.
Whether you have a gas or electric type of heater, the units should be tested for temperature relief. Put a bucket below the extension pipe and open the valve. An open valve should have water freely flowing out of the unit and a closed valve should prevent any from escaping.
Finally, it is important to ensure the cleanliness of the tank. Drain and flush the water tank to remove any sediment deposits in it. Be careful, as the water is scorching hot.
Dishwashers are one of the much-needed devices in every American kitchen. If you are in the market for a dishwasher replacement that’s very efficient and helps the environment, your appliance seller can encourage you to go for the best in the line. One of the most recognized models around includes the ADB1400PYS Tall-Tub by Amana Corp.
Washing
Reviews the ADB1400PYS will tell you that this is a product worth buying. The machine has normal, heavy, and one-hour wash cycle settings, manageable by an easy-to-read electronic console. Cleaning efficiency is enhanced with heated washing and drying, soil sensors to detect particles, and three filters.
Layout
The ADB1400PYS’ design allows for two sliding stainless steel racks, one on top of the other. The main rack itself has separate silverware baskets. A larger size also helps in washing items too big for regular dishwasher tubs.
Tech Support
The ADB1400PYS is one of the most effective dishwashers on the market. It includes a one-year warranty, with extension options included. A certified appliance repair specialist will also be on call for emergency repairs should the equipment get damaged somehow.
Current homebuilding trends require that a basement be part of the floor plans for all practical purposes, such as storage and being the main center for your home systems. However, the place does account for much heat loss, especially if it has passageways leading into the home or outside. While basements are cool and damp by nature, you can’t really count on it if you want the place to be safe for temperature-sensitive objects, hence the need to tap a professional to do the insulation for you.
Your preferred contractor will usually recommend setting up the insulation from within the basement if the house has long been finished. They will figure out the proper insulation values for the basement, depending on the furnace’s power source. For places like Texas, interior insulation is at R11, while the exterior insulation value is at R10 for electric furnaces and R4 for heat pump, fuel oil, and gas-powered furnaces.
Attaching the insulation to the basement wall is tedious. Your contractor’s crew will first set up polystyrene sheets to shield the main insulation frame against moisture. The materials for filling the insulation frame include batts, spray-on, or loose-fill insulation, which requires installing drywall as backing.
The dangers of an incomplete combustion is all too clear to the typical furnace owner. However, a perfect combustion, according to scientists, is next to impossible.
To start with, there are simply too many major and minor factors going on for a combustion unit to achieve a perfect burn. If it does, the process should yield water vapor and a limited amount of other byproducts. By nature, anything that runs on fuel will most likely leave residues such as soot, and emit gases like carbon monoxide in larger amounts.
If you want to make the most out of a furnace’s efficiency, you’ll need to get more of one vital ingredient, namely air. If perfect combustion is nearly impossible to achieve, you’ll just have to settle with the next best thing: a stable combustion. This can be achieved by allowing more air into the chamber, the surplus amount known as “excess of air.”
For natural gas furnaces, ideal combustion can be achieved with 10 percent excess of air or 10 percent more air than normal. The more air that mixes with the combustion process, the less of the gaseous end products can be produced. Doubling the amount of air cuts a natural gas unit’s carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent.
It may not be a perfect burn, but it’s better than leaving a sooty mess in the furnace. On top of that, you also reduce the amount of harmful emissions.
Many furnace owners say their furnaces refuse to start under really cold weather. This is attributed to the lack of heat the combustion process needs to fire up the furnace. The topic has been the focus of several discussions on online forums, in addition to piquing the interest of HVAC contractors and experts.
If this is the case, then you shouldn’t be looking at the furnace. The problem can be fixed if you check the fresh air intake instead, which is often mounted on the sidewall. It appears that the air coming into the furnace is just too cold to initiate combustion. Some owners manage to resolve the issue by placing their hand over the intake.
However, contractors can’t help but ask whether or not this is an abnormal issue. Furnaces, in general, seldom work with the amount of heat loss in the house. If the amount of heat loss isn’t equal or less than the heat load the furnace is designed to take, the furnace may switch on and off consistently and frequently.
Whether or not the hand-over-intake trick really works, a furnace that refuses to start in subzero weather can, at least, be attributed to heat loss. Without sufficient heat inside the house, the furnace can’t commence the combustion process. This is why furnace installation and insulation come hand in hand.
Houston is one the most humid cities in the Lone Star State, and the rest of America for that matter. The city’s relative humidity averages around 75% daily and peaks up to 90% on mornings, according to weather statistics. To avoid the consequences of excessive humidity to your health, invest on a trusty dehumidifier for your home. Here are just some of the health benefits of a reliable dehumidifier:
It’s more difficult to breathe fully and smoothly in muggy rooms. The dense amount of moisture indoors tends to impair smooth air flow through the respiratory system. Bacteria and viruses that can cause coughs and colds are also easily carried through humid air. Dehumidifiers reduce these high moisture levels for optimal breathing.
The body primarily depends on dry air to produce sweat and lose body heat. High humidity levels, which are a result of high temperatures, prevent effective sweating. Note that dehydration or heat stress and even heat stroke can happen in hot, humid climates. Efficient dehumidifiers consistently regulate the home’s humidity for effective body temperature regulation.
Molds and pests thrive in high-moisture areas. Allowing humidity to condense like steam on the home’s various surfaces makes plenty of room for molds to grow. Pests like dust mites, cockroaches, and fleas also thrive in humid environments. These insects and microorganisms can pollute the air and trigger allergic reactions, asthma attacks, and other respiratory infections. Trusty dehumidifiers are helpful in preventing the growth of harmful molds and nasty pests.
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