Three Tips to Breathe Easier

It’s that time of year again. The trees are bombarding us with pollen and mold. With everyone spending so much more time indoors, it’s important to make sure that the air we breathe is safe and healthy. Unfortunately, even in the most comfortable of homes, indoor air quality can suffer from a variety of sources. From allergens to dust lingering around our living spaces, these irritants can have negative impacts on both our health and our day-to-day lives. In this blog post, I’ll share with you some tips for improving your indoor air quality so you can rest easy knowing that your family’s health won’t be compromised!

Regular Vacuuming – A vacuum with a HEPA filter is a must-have because it’s super effective at trapping dust mites and other allergens.

Vacuums with HEPA filters are effective at trapping dust mites, pollen, and other microscopic allergens lurking in carpets, rugs, and upholstery – three of the most common sources of allergens in your home. And not only does vacuuming get rid of bothersome allergens; it also helps reduce the number of germs and bacteria that may be airborne. More than just improving your health, you have the added benefit of a sparkling home!

Keep It Green – Add houseplants throughout your home. This adds a splash of color and helps filter some the air.

Keeping your home beautiful and your family healthy is easy with a few green additions. Adding houseplants throughout your living spaces helps to create a colorful environment and also improves the air quality in your home. Through their natural processes, houseplants are capable of filtering out harmful dust, emissions, mold spores and other pollutants that can wreak havoc on our health. Not only do they benefit our overall health and well being, but they add a gorgeous visual element that brightens up any room! Plants also make good friends! Right?

Clean Air Is Key- Invest in air quality accessories to help filter out harmful particles.

Investing in air quality accessories is an important way to ensure clean air in your home. High quality filters, air purifiers, and even ultra violet light systems can help to reduce the amount of harmful particles that are present in the air. This can prevent potential illnesses caused by breathing all that gunk like, mold, chemicals and other unwanted particles. Quality does come at a cost, but investing in these items will be beneficial for both you and your family’s health for years to come.

 

Having clean, healthy indoor air is important for your health and wellbeing. Implementing these tips; regular vacuuming, adding houseplants and investing in air quality accessories can help keep your home healthier and cleaner year round. Whether you decide to implement one or all of these ideas, it’s important to remember that clean air is key.

 

So if you’re ready to take the next step in home health, reach out to us. The smiles and education are free.

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Fun Fact: 70% of major repairs are the result of a minor problem that went unchecked.

 

Spring is here and that means spring cleaning for many people. You open the windows, air out the stale winter air, and do some vacuuming and dusting. But don’t forget about your HVAC system. When you’re spring cleaning the rest of your house, make sure you clean out your HVAC system, which has been working hard all winter long to keep you warm.

Your home’s HVAC system is essential to the comfort AND SAFETY of your family, and it can only do that if it is clean. Check out these tips to help you enjoy a safe and comfortable home this spring (and the rest of the year).

 

#1. Before you do any cleaning, make sure the power to your HVAC system is turned off.

That is most important for your safety. The last thing you want is to injure yourself. Even if you think you’ll be careful, it’s better to be safe; turn off your power as the first step any time you plan to work in or near your HVAC system.

 

#2. Remove the filter in your HVAC system and replace it.

Air is forced through the filter but that gets harder for your HVAC system to do if the filter is clogged with dirt and debris. Replace your filter at least once every 3 months. Only use filters high quality pleated filters.  Stay away from disposable fiberglass filters.  They tend to allow dirt to pass through. That dirt will stick to your evaporator coil, causing Inefficiencies and future breakdowns. Need more filters? Order them here!

 

#3. Look at your outdoor air conditioning unit.

Make sure that the unit is free from the debris that often accumulates around it during the fall and winter. Often, leaves and clippings will start to build inside the unit and at the vents.

 

#4. While you’re looking at you’re air conditioning unit, clean the fan blades and the coils (which can also pick up debris).

 

#5. Walk around the inside of your home and look at all the vents.

The ones that blow warm/cool air FROM your HVAC system and the ones that pull air into your HVAC system. Make sure both types of vents are not blocked so that air can freely get in. (This will not only ensure that you get clean fresh air throughout your house, it also helps you save money by keeping your HVAC system from doing too much work to draw in air.)

 

#6. Think about the last time you had your ducts cleaned.

If you can’t remember when it was done last (or at all) consider having a company to come out and clean them. All that dust and debris that accumulated over the years can be removed so it’s not recirculating into your home.

 

Summary

Springtime is here and that means spring cleaning and enjoying the freshness of a new season. When you clean your home this spring, don’t forget about the HVAC system. It has been working hard all winter and deserves a good cleaning and tune up… your HVAC system will run more efficiently and your family will be safer and more comfortable this spring!

Chances are, you don’t give much thought to the system that warms your home in the winter and cools your home in the summer.

And why should you? You leave it to the experts to take care of it for you; meanwhile, you focus on more important things in your life—like family, work, etc. As long as everything runs normally, you shouldn’t have to give it a second thought; just sit back and enjoy the temperature and air flow as everything works as it should in the background.

But what happens if it doesn’t work as it should?

With winter here, you don’t want to get cold or uncomfortable as you discover it doesn’t work. And if there’s an emergency, you want to be able to act fast to deal with it.

So, here are some tips to help you be “HVAC aware” this month… to give your HVAC system a little bit of love so it will continue to keep you and your family comfortable.

Tip #1. Let’s start with the word HVAC itself: It stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning, and it’s the name given to the entire system that heats and cools your home. It often includes your furnace, your air conditioning unit, as well as the ductwork that runs through your walls.

Tip #2. Find out what kind of heating system you have. Is it electric? Oil? Natural gas? (Note: even systems that run on oil and natural gas may also be plugged in to your home’s electrical system.) You should also know the brand, the year it was installed, and the company that installed it. Keep this information on the HVAC system but also keep it handy in a drawer somewhere else so that you can make a quick call to that company if you ever need more information in a hurry.

Tip #3. Find out how to turn your furnace and air conditioner off and on, including any switches ON the system itself as well as how to turn it on and off at your circuit panel. If there’s ever a fire, you’ll want to be able to turn off your HVAC system at the circuit panel if you can’t get to the system itself.

Tip #4. If your system is fed from a municipal supply (such as natural gas), learn where those pipes are and if there is a place to turn off the supply. If there’s ever a leak, know how to turn it off fast.

Tip #5. Look for exhaust pipes. Depending on your system, your HVAC system might use a chimney or an exhaust pipe. Keep these free from blockages. For example, make sure that leaves or snow don’t block up the exhaust pipe, and make sure that small animals don’t get into your chimney.

Tip #6. Even though you can’t see most of the ductwork, you can see the vents! Know where they are and see which vents blow OUT warm (or cool) air, and which vents take in air to circulate it back to the system. Keep an eye on these vents and keep them free from being blocked by furniture.

Tip #7. Know where the filters are. Different systems use filters in different ways. Those filters help to remove particles from the air that you would otherwise breathe. Clean those filters regularly and replace them regularly too.

Tip #8. Use all your senses to monitor your HVAC system. If it starts to sound unusual or smell unusual, take action right away. Turn it off and call an expert HVAC company and get their help.

Summary

Your HVAC system is an important system in your home and it works 24/7 to keep your family safe and comfortable. But if it suddenly stops working the way you want, your February can very quickly go from warm and cozy to cold! Use these tips to be HVAC Aware this month and throughout the year.

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Why Does Your Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping? Uncover the 3 Reasons

Your circuit breaker, those switches in your electric panel, protect your house from dangerous levels of flowing electricity. When too much power begins pouring through the circuit, the breaker will trip and cut off the dangerous current of energy. Here are 3 reasons why you will trip your circuit breaker.

 

1. Overloaded Circuit

Not all circuits are created equal. Older homes will likely have electrical panels which won’t be as prepared to handle the amount of power our modern appliances and devices use. Adding outlets to an already crowded board won’t solve the problem either. Often the cause of a breaker trip is that the circuit is overloaded with too much power from too many devices. Either we have multiple high-powered devices plugged into the same circuit, or we have too many smaller devices plugged in through various outlets or extension cords or outlet adapters with four to six new outlets attaching to two. Either way, there is too much power flowing through the circuit, and that is why your breaker is tripping.

 

2. Short Circuit

A short circuit is another common, yet more worrisome, cause of a tripped breaker. When a sudden surge of electricity comes through a circuit, your breaker will quickly shut off to stop the flow. A short could come from a particular appliance which is malfunctioning. You can discover this by testing a device of which you’re suspicious on multiple outlets. If you trip your breaker frequently when using your coffee grinder, unplug it and try it on another outlet elsewhere in your house. If the breaker keeps tripping when you use that particular device on multiple plugs, you have a faulty appliance.

If, however, your short is not device specific but is consistent with a particular outlet or light fixture yet is not because of an overloaded circuit, you will need to bring a professional in to inspect your outlet or wiring. It’s likely that there is faulty wiring going on, that wires which aren’t supposed to be in contact with one another are, or that there is damage in your system that needs repair or replacing. Have someone look at this as soon as possible.

 

3. Faults

Another kind of short circuit is called a fault. There are two types of faults, a ground and arc fault. A ground fault occurs when a hot wire touches a ground wire, or a surge of electricity comes into contact with the ground wire because of dripping water, metal or wood connection, and more which causes a high amount of power to flow and the breaker to trip. An arc fault is when sparks are happening at points in your wiring, and the electricity begins to cross over. There are systems designed to detect this, as well, and shut down the circuit. Both of these require someone to come and inspect.

 

For the Month of January 2023

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