Kate Miller | May 17, 2013
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How to Prepare Your Frozen Air Conditioner for Repairs

As summer weather moves in, many homeowners are finding out the hard way that their air conditioner needs repairs. For many, turning on the air conditioner for the first time did not bring comfort to a hot humid home, but instead brought a block of ice preventing proper operation. Ice on the air conditioner can be cause by a few different problems but no matter the cause, the result is an uncomfortable home. Having the system repaired quickly is your only option, but before the technician arrives, there are few steps you can take to aid in the repair process.

Prepare Your Air Conditioner for Repair

Thawing the system is your number one concern at this time as well as the prevention of irreversible damage. Follow these steps to make sure your air conditioner is as repairable as possible when the technician begins his assessment:

  • Shut the A/C Down: Running the air conditioner while it is frozen wont cool the home, will encourage further freezing, and could even damage the compressor beyond repair. Shut the unit down to protect it and to facilitate thawing of the ice. Read more
Category: Cooling, Helpful Tips, Repair | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | May 10, 2013
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How Humidity is Hampering Your Home Comfort

The biggest challenge facing many homeowners this summer is keeping their home comfortable at an affordable price. This is often difficult at best because we rely on air conditioning systems to provide this source of comfort, and their operating costs aren’t cheap. Before you give up and suffer through the heat, consider other ways that you can increase comfort while decreasing the workload on the air conditioner. Reducing humidity, the amount of moisture in the air, is one relatively easy way to do just that!

5 Ways to Reduce Humidity in Your Home

  • Turn off the Humidifier: Humidity is your air conditioner’s enemy. In order to create a comfortable environment, the air conditioner must first remove moisture from the air. When you are using the humidifier you add extra moisture to already humid air. This places a strain on the air conditioner wasting energy and decreasing comfort.
  • Maximize the Use of Fans and Vents: The kitchen and bathrooms have fans and vents for a reason. These are used not only to pump odors out of the home but also excess moisture! Leave the fan on while cooking and after showers to prevent extra moisture from building up in the home. Read more
Category: Air Conditioning, Air Quality, Cooling | Tags: , , , ,
Kate Miller | May 3, 2013
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3 Ways Your Leaky Roof is Destroying Your Home

Last week, a massive amount of rain swept through the Midwest, and now the Southeast is taking a hit as well. With all the rain, flooding is a major concern, but there are other areas of the home that can suffer from much more insidious damage. Roof damage from severe storms is an example of a problem that may not immediately make itself known in the home.

Leaky Roof Damage

You could have a leak in your roof that drips into the attic for weeks or months before the water reaches the ceiling of the floor adjacent to the attic and roof. However, not inspecting your roof for leaks and damage after major storms could lead to some devastating problems in the home.

  • Structural Damage: Wood, drywall, and many other building materials are easily compromised when exposed to water. That leak in your roof could expose your attic and eventually your home to costly structural damage. Read more
Category: Air Quality, Home Repairs, Home Services | Tags: , , , ,
Kate Miller | April 8, 2013
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Decorate Your Way to a Bigger Kitchen

For many, a small kitchen is often the motivating factor in searching for a new home. If the cramped space has you longing for a new home with a new kitchen, consider this! You don’t have to move in order to feel less cramped in your kitchen.  Instead, you can redecorate your way to a bigger kitchen by implementing a few of these tips in your home!

  • Back-less Stools and Arm-less Chairs: Fit more people at your kitchen table by replacing arm chairs with arm-less versions. Where you may have only been able to fit 6 people with arm chairs, you could fit 8 or more with this minor change. If you have an island or bar, eliminate the table all together and go with back-less stools. They tuck easily under the overhang on the island or bar. Read more
Category: Helpful Tips, Home Improvements, Home Services, Remodeling | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | April 5, 2013
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Know Your Roots: Invasive and Least Invasive Trees

If you have ever had the pipe lines rodded in your home due to invasive roots, you know what a hassle it can be. If you are lucky, the roots didn’t crack or displace the line. If you are not so lucky, you could find yourself dealing with regular sewage backups into the home until the source of the problem is removed. No one wants to cut down the trees around their home because of their invasive roots, but sometimes the problem become so severe that you truly do not have a choice if you want to have a functional indoor plumbing system.

Replacing Your Invasive Trees

So, if you find yourself forced into this situation, consider replacing your invasive trees with species that are far less likely to invade your plumbing system. Typically these are smaller trees that have a maximum height less than 20 feet. This is due to the fact that the root systems will be as wide as the tree is tall. The shorter the tree is, the shorter the root system will be, and the lower the possibility of experiencing root invasion in your plumbing system. Read more

Category: Helpful Tips, Home Improvements, Home Services, Plumbing | Tags: , , , ,
Kate Miller | April 1, 2013
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Are Household Cleaning Products Polluting Your Indoor Air?

The average person spends 87% of their time indoors either at home or at another indoor location. What happens when that time is also spent breathing in toxic air? The EPA has found that the air inside a typical home is anywhere from 200%-500% more polluted than the air outside, and the products you are using to clean your home could be to blame!

Many of us use toxic chemicals to clean the floors, windows, laundry, and other areas of the home that may become dirty with use. We wear protective gloves and masks to keep these substances off of our skin, but what are you doing to keep them out of the air you breathe every day? Read more

Category: Air Purification, Air Quality, Go Green and Energy Efficiency, Helpful Tips, Safety | Tags: , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 29, 2013
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Top Four Reasons to Seal Your Ducts this Spring!

Spring cleaning is a no homeowner enjoys but the results are worth the effort. Clearing out the old and making way for the new is a great way to rid your home of the winter blues, but why stop there? You can also rid your home of inefficiency, discomfort, and poor air quality by including the HVAC system on your spring cleaning to-do list. Having the air conditioner cleaned is an important step, but if you have never sealed your ducts, you could be missing out! This simple task has significant benefits, so consider these four reasons to seal your duct work this spring:

  • Improve Comfort: Do you have cold and hot spots in your home? These are rooms that never become comfortable even when the HVAC system is working at its best, and leaky ducts could be to blame. When there are gaps and leaks in the duct work, the heating and cooling cannot reach the targeted room effectively and comfort suffers. Read more
Category: Air Quality, Cooling, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Services | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 27, 2013
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Plumbing Problems that Promote Mold Growth

Mold is gross, and the last place you want to find it is in your home. This hairy, malodorous, and often destructive organism is no one’s favorite topic to discuss, but ignoring this issue can lead to major health concerns and even structural damage to the home. The plumbing system is often to blame for mold problems because it is responsible for transporting water all around the home. When water escapes the safety of the system it can quickly set up the perfect environment for mold to flourish.

Broken Sump Pumps

The sump pump is a vital component of the plumbing system in your home especially if you live in an area prone to floods. Every time it rains, your sump pump is responsible for pumping gallon after gallon of water away from your home. If your pump is not working properly, a flood may be in the near future, and flood waters often lead to mold growth in the basement or crawl space of your home. Read more

Category: Helpful Tips, Home Services, Plumbing, Safety | Tags: , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 22, 2013
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The 60-30-10 Rule of Decorating with Your Color Palette

Does the start of spring have you itching for a change? Have winter blues gotten to you? If so, making some changes around the home may be just what you need to bring some light into your life. Redecorating a room, or a few rooms, can do this for you and your home!

Implementing Your Color Palette

Not sure where to begin? Well, the first step is to choose your color palette. To make it easy and to guarantee a successful result, stick to three colors and then apply the 60-30-10 rule to the design of the room. What is the 60-30-10 rule? It is basically a rule that you apply to the color palette you choose and it dictates how much of each color you will use in the space.

  • 60% Dominant Color: This color is typically a neutral and it will be used as the main color in the room. This will likely be the color used to paint the walls. You don’t want to choose too bold a color for this portion. It will overwhelm the room and make it difficult to incorporate other colors into the room successfully.
  • 30% Secondary Color: Your secondary color doesn’t have to be a neutral but it isn’t the boldest color in your room either. This color may be used in the furniture, carpets, or other decorations in the room. You may even use this color on an accent wall to offset the neutral dominant color. Read more
Category: Home Improvements, Home Services | Tags: , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 18, 2013
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Reminder: Duct Cleaning Scams!

Wednesday March 20th is the official start of spring, and if you have checked your mail recently, odds are you have seen the sudden influx in duct cleaning advertisements.  This is the season for air quality improvement and having your air ducts cleaned is a realistic way to achieve just that! However, choosing the wrong air duct cleaner could be a disaster for your air quality and your wallet. We have warned you about duct cleaning scammers before, but with the change in season, we decided that a reminder was due!

A Review of the “Bait and Switch”

Scams often begin with an attractively low price. The coupon arrives in the mail and before you know it, you have found yourself on the phone with an illegitimate contractor scheduling a service. The crew arrives at your home and knocks about your HVAC system for an hour or so, and suddenly the price escalates. This is all part of a typical “bait and switch.” Read more

Category: Air Quality, Consumer Protection, Duct Cleaning, Helpful Tips | Tags: , , ,
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