2016

Condenser coils get a lot of abuse thanks to their position on the outside of your house. Plants can encroach, the sun can heat them up, and dirt and grime can coat them. To put in perspective how important it is to take care of your coils, consider this: dirty coils can reduce your AC efficiency by up to 30%. Rather than pay too much to keep your home cool, you should take steps to keep your coils running properly.

Whether you've moved into a new home or you've just had a new air conditioning unit put in, it's important to take care of the overall system so that it works well and you don't waste money on preventable repairs. Here are four common mistakes to avoid so your home stays cool and your wallet stays fat. Turning the Thermostat Too Low As the temperatures rise, your tolerance for the heat may plummet.

While an AC unit can cool a house down, you end up paying a lot of money to do so. In fact AC units are one of the most expensive home appliances to operate. If you want to save money on your cooling costs, you need to find passive cooling strategies that will help to keep your home cool without costing you money. Metal Roof When you set out to stop heat gain, you need to think about how heat gain gets into your home.

Ensuring that your restaurant has proper air quality is important. Smoke, grease and other things can all affect the air quality in the kitchen and dining area, which can affect both your employees and your customers and make your restaurant a less-than-pleasant atmosphere for everyone. Luckily, following these tips can help you improve indoor air quality. 1. Keep Your Commercial HVAC System in Good Shape If you do not keep your commercial heating and air conditioning system in good condition, you can't count on it to do a good job to filter and improve the air in your restaurant.

When you are determining what sort of equipment you will use to heat and/or cool your home, you have two basic options based on the design of the system. Option one is a central heating or cooling unit. The second option is a mini-split system. You can further break down heating systems into the categories of furnace and heat pump and cooling systems into the categories of AC unit versus heat pump.

Have you recently received your air conditioning bill? Summer has just begun and you may be beginning to remember just how costly it can be to run an air conditioning unit. If you are looking for ways to reduce your cooling costs, you likely already know that turning your air conditioning unit up a couple degrees will decrease your cooling costs, as will using curtains or blinds to keep the sun out of your home.

Installing an air conditioner is often a difficult but necessary thing to do, and as a result, mistakes are often made. Here are some mistakes people often make during installation, including what you can do to avoid these mistakes when installing air conditioners in a hurry. Wrong Unit for the Room When it's blistering hot in a particular room, it's tempting to install whatever air conditioner is available that seems to fit the room.

Putting a home on the market can be a big step, especially if it's a buyer's market. In order to make a home as desirable as possible, many homeowners decide to make improvements before putting it on the market. This can be as simple as a new coat of paint on the walls or as complex as a full scale renovation. One thing that homeowners should take a look at before selling is the furnace.

If you are looking for a new air conditioning solution for your home, central air conditioners and window air conditioners are likely the first options that will come to mind. Here is a comparison of central air conditioners and window air conditioners to help you make an informed decision about the right air conditioner for your home. Installation If you are looking for an air conditioner with easy installation, window air conditioners are a good choice.

According to Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the United States, with approximately 3,500 deaths occurring and over 10,000 individuals requiring treatment each year. The trouble with carbon monoxide is that people cannot detect it on their own. It has no odor and is not visible to the eyes. This is why installing carbon-monoxide detectors is so important.

If you are buying AC units for a commercial facility, size is only one concern. In order to keep your cooling costs low, you need to make sure that your AC units are properly sized to keep your building cool. But, all other conditions being the same, a low efficiency AC unit will cost more money to run than a highly efficient unit. Thus, you need to know how to recognize a highly efficient unit when you see one.

Many homeowners wait until an issue arises before calling out any professionals to their home to check their furnace. However, doing preventative maintenance can help you avoid having to make more expensive repairs later and can save your family from potentially having to go a number of days without any heat during the winter. Here are four specific reasons to have your furnace checked before winter: Avoid Safety Issues:  Over time, cracks can develop in your furnace.

Even in this day and age, many homeowners have at least one window air conditioning unit. It may be in that small room with no ductwork, or you may still not have central air in your home. Although central air generally offers better cooling, you can take steps to make your window unit more effective. Fans You may be reluctant to use a fan with your air conditioner, but you shouldn't be.

When you come across a plumbing problem in your home outside of regular business hours, it's important to be able to assess whether you can wait to call a plumber in the morning or even on the weekend or whether you need to find a plumber who offers 24-hour service. Some plumbing issues won't worsen over time, while the severity of others can dramatically increase if they're left for even a few hours.

With summer coming on, you are probably thinking about how high your cooling bills are going to go. Generally, the higher the temperatures outside, the higher your cooling bills. So what can you do to help keep those bills down while still staying cool? Dark Curtains One thing that you can do is hang dark curtains in all your windows, especially those that get the most sunlight. If you make sure that they stay closed, the dark curtains will block the sun's light and stop radiant heat from heating up your house.

HVAC systems are usually installed by an HVAC contractor. However, if you believe that you are a very handy person, you might wish to save some money by installing your HVAC system yourself. However, if you do not know what you are doing and if you do not have the tools and equipment necessary to perform the work, there are many mistakes you can make that can potentially cost you much more money than you would save.

Heat pumps are an alternative home heating option that work to heat your home during the winter by moving hot air from the outside of your home into the interior. In the summer months, they will vent out hot air from the interior of your home and bring in cool air from the outside. This unique method of operation provides higher energy efficiency and year round comfort levels when compared to traditional central heating and cooling units.

Is your air conditioning system in need of repair? If so and you have already solicited the services of an HVAC contractor, you may be wondering what you can do in the meantime. Your first priority is likely to stay cool, especially if you have someone living in your home who is sensitive to heat. The following suggestions can help you get through your uncomfortable experience. Turn the AC off and use the fan setting.

With the summer heat, you may be thinking about installing AC if you have a home without cooling or your air conditioner is down for the count. Conventional wisdom may be to have a force air system installed, but this can be costly and take time. If you want to have cooling quickly, there are other options such as ductless AC. Here are some options to consider when you need an AC installed as quickly as possible:

Air conditioning is a lifesaver on those hot, muggy, summer days. But when your air conditioner stops working, what do you do? Before calling an air conditioning repair service, try one of these troubleshooting tips: Check for power If your air conditioner is totally dead and nonfunctional, it may not be getting power. Check your circuit breaker and flip the switches for the air conditioner off and back on again. Be sure the switch at the circuit is in the on position.

A great way to be more environmentally friendly and to reduce your energy bill is to install a solar powered water heater. Using solar power brings up the questions of what kind of solar panels you will use to power the water heater. You will need to select between models that use a flat plate or tube designs for the solar panels. Know the advantages and disadvantages of each one to help you decide which is best for your needs.

Are you in the process of moving to a new place? Are you hoping to avoid any plumbing issues once you're moved in? While not every plumbing issue can be avoided, the response can dictate how severe it winds up being. Here are some important things to know before you're faced with a flooding basement, or worse: Choose a plumber now: Some people set aside choosing a plumber until "later," only to have "

When warmer weather is approaching, you want to get your home ready by making any upgrades you need to keep your home cooled as efficiently as possible. Follow the tips in this article to cut down on those up and coming cooling expenses. Replace worn weather stripping and thresh holds Check the weather stripping around your doors and windows. If it shows signs of excessive wear, then you are going to want to replace it.

Your walk-in freezer is vital to your business. You need it to work properly in order for your business to function. You can help avoid emergency repairs, which often result in the loss of perishable food, by properly maintaining the freezer. Fortunately, as long as you know what you need to do to maintain a walk-in freezer, the process is simple. Monitor the Temperature Daily It's important to monitor the temperature inside your walk-in freezer on a daily basis, because if the temperature begins to fluctuate, it could indicate that there's a problem with the freezer.