Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ category

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Chicagoans Can Still Save Big on HVAC!

February 1st, 2012

The thick of winter in Chicago didn’t show up until January. For many of us the mild winter meant less use of the furnace and odds are the system really hadn’t been put to the test until the first big snowfall of this year. Now you may be faced with the need to replace that old furnace. For many this is their current predicament and they are kicking themselves for not acting sooner. The federal tax credits and rebates ran out at the end of 2011. Many homeowners have accepted the fact that they are going to have to pay full price, but wait a second! There are still substantial savings out there to be had, but you need to know where to look!

Two Ways to Save:

  • Gas Company Rebates: The local gas companies in Chicago, Nicor and People’s Gas, are still offering rebates on high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners. Replacing both units can get you up to $800 in rebates, and even if you can only afford to replace the furnace, you could still get up to $200 back on your purchase. Every penny counts and the savings could be enough to make buying that high efficiency furnace worth it.
  • Lennox Home Comfort Systems: If the furnace and air conditioner you plan to purchase are from Lennox Home Comfort Systems, you could stand to save even more! They are currently offering manufacturer rebates up to $1450! » Read more: Chicagoans Can Still Save Big on HVAC!

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Heating, Money Saving, Value

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Did the Clean Up Crew Miss a Spot?

January 30th, 2012

Remodeling projects and repairs leave a big mess in the home especially if the repairs involve drywall. Drywall dust and debris can get all over everything and if your contractors did not take the necessary steps to prevent making a mess, you could have this stuff all over your home and the clean up won’t be easy. You may think that they cleaned everything up but a few cycles of the furnace will prove that they missed a very big spot. The duct work and the furnace are probably filled with debris from your construction project and the only way to get rid of it is to have a professional cleaning performed.

HVAC Clean Up:

  • Duct Cleaning: Every time air circulates through the home it will pick up debris from the job that was done. This along with years of dust and other debris may be lurking in your HVAC reeking havoc on the air quality in your home. A professional duct cleaning will clear out everything that is inside your ducts and collect it safely outside the home for disposal. This will leave you with much cleaner air inside the home.
  • Heating and Cooling Systems: Now that the ducts are clean lets take a look at the furnace and air conditioner. Many homeowners use cheap fiberglass filters that do little to protect the furnace from the particles that flow through the air in the home. All of that construction debris may have found its way into your heating and cooling systems and it needs to be cleared out. A dirty furnace or air conditioner cannot do its job properly or in an efficient matter. You will end up wasting money on excess energy use that could have been prevented with a simple cleaning. » Read more: Did the Clean Up Crew Miss a Spot?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Purifier, Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Heating, Home Services, Maintenace

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Can You Afford to Go Green?

January 16th, 2012

When energy efficient home improvements first exploded onto the home improvement scene, many of them were excessively expensive. Yes, they offered beefy long term savings but not many homeowners could afford the initial investment that it took to have these improvements installed. Nowadays, things are different. Green improvements are more popular these days, and manufacturers are bending over backwards to give the consumer what they want. This results in the ability to go green on a budget. One of the bigger investments that you could make in your home is the replacement of the HVAC system, and most of the major HVAC manufacturers have put out energy efficient systems that nearly anyone can afford.

Get More than the Minimum!

Replacing the furnace or air conditioner with a high efficiency system could save you hundreds yearly on your energy bills, but to maximize the savings you need to upgrade to the highest efficiency unit that you can afford. In the past this meant going with the minimum efficiency requirements and right now that would mean that you would purchase an 80% efficient furnace. Just because you operate on a budget doesn’t mean you have to settle for the minimum standard. » Read more: Can You Afford to Go Green?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Furnace, Go Green, Heating, Information, Money Saving

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Wood Floors and Moisture Don’t Mix!

November 23rd, 2011

Many homeowners that are looking to add value and beauty to their home add wood floors to one or several rooms. This is a wise investment for many and could end up increasing the selling price of the home down the line. However, if you don’t keep these floors in good shape, it could have an opposite effect. Repairing wood floors is much more costly that simply protecting them from damage in the first place. Moisture and lack of moisture are a couple of your wood floors biggest enemies and unless you can maintain proper moisture levels in the home, you may find yourself spending more than you wanted just to maintain or repair this large investment.

Moisture Levels and the Changing Seasons:

  • Summer’s Moisture: The summer months in most areas of the states are plagued by extremely high humidity. This is the kind of moisture that can creep in between your floor boards and cause warping, discoloration, and rot. A fully functional central air conditioning system can remove this humidity from the home if used on a regular basis during the summer. You could also consider a whole house ventilation system coupled with a dehumidifier if you do not want to invest in central air conditioning. Either way you will be able to bring the humidity level down to a tolerable and safe level. » Read more: Wood Floors and Moisture Don’t Mix!

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Quality, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services

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Protect Your Air Conditioner from the Cold

November 7th, 2011

The cool nights mark the end of summer and signal the on coming winter. Areas of the United States have already experienced dramatic winter weather. We should use this time to consider winterizing our air conditioners. Allowing the air conditioner to go through winter after winter without protection could severely shorten the lifespan of the system. Snow buildup on the unit causes damage to the fins and water and ice cause rust to eat through your coils. Before you know it, you are replacing the air conditioner years before you expected. Giving the system a few minutes of your time every winter could prevent all of this, but you must winterize the system properly.

The Wrong and Right Way to Winterize

We have all seen a relative or a friend who wraps his air conditioner with a tarp like it was a Christmas present. The problem with completely wrapping your air conditioner like this is that the tarp will not allow moisture to leave the unit. Rust will begin to form on all the components within the air conditioner, and this may occur even fast than if you had just left the air conditioner alone all together! Winterizing your air conditioner takes a small investment, and all manufactures design and sell covers that custom fit their units. There are also a number of companies that make after market covers if you have trouble finding someone that sells a cover for your make and model. » Read more: Protect Your Air Conditioner from the Cold

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Posted in Air Conditioning, HVAC Repair, Maintenace

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Conserving Energy without Sacrificing Comfort

October 24th, 2011

More and more Americans are becoming energy conscience from both a conservation and a cost standpoint. A generation ago our grandparents would have sacrificed comfort to save a few dollars, but today’s modern family looks for better more efficient ways to keep energy usage and energy cost down. Most homeowners look for the products with the ENERGYSTAR logo when purchasing household appliances. You can find the ENERGYSTAR logo on items such as high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners also.

High Efficiency Furnace and Air Conditioners

Today’s furnace and air conditioner models conserve more energy which in turn leads to a lower cost on your energy bills. You no longer have to sacrifice comfort, and instead you can look for other ways to make your home more energy efficient. For the interior of your home, you can either buy a high efficiency furnace, or you could save a few bucks and just add attic insulation to your home. » Read more: Conserving Energy without Sacrificing Comfort

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Heating, Home Services, Insulation

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Customized Furnace Sales Pitch

October 19th, 2011

Most of us learn from the mistakes that we make. We do something wrong and then make a point to change something in the future to prevent a repeat mistake. Some homeowners, however, keep making the same HVAC mistakes over and over and it isn’t necessarily their fault. The problem lies with the HVAC contractor that installed the furnace and air conditioner in their home.

A Common Mistake

The salesman who recommended the unit that was installed fell into the all too common trap of recommending a unit based on the preexisting model that is in the home. For example, he recommends a 20,000btu furnace just because the furnace that has been heating the home for the past however many years is a 20,000btu unit. This can create problems if the old unit isn’t actually the right unit for the home. You deserve a customized sale that involves assessing your needs and the requirements of the home. » Read more: Customized Furnace Sales Pitch

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Consumer Protection, Contractors, Furnace, Heating

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Make Your Contractor Fight for Your Business

September 7th, 2011

 If you are one of the many homeowners that are currently looking for a new HVAC system you may feel like it is you against the HVAC contractor that diagnosed your unit as faulty. It would be easy to simply take them at their word and replace the system with whatever they have to offer, but wouldn’t you rather take control of the sale? Well, you can. All you have to do is get a few estimates. Many homeowners don’t want to bother with the hassle of having 3 different companies out for an estimate on a new furnace or air conditioning system, but not doing so could cost your hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars.

Taking Advantage of a Desperate Situation

The first way you loose money by not getting multiple estimates is by purchasing the unit right off the bat from the company that diagnosed the system as faulty. Many times the unit breaks down when we need it most and in our desperation for comfort we may agree to anything. Some companies will take advantage of this desperation and do little to nothing to save you money on your system. Instead, step back, take a breath, and give it some thought. Don’t jump into a sale without assessing all of your options. » Read more: Make Your Contractor Fight for Your Business

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Consumer Protection, Contractors, Heating, Money Saving

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What is that Gurgling Noise?

August 31st, 2011

Every now and then we get a service call from a customer stating that the furnace is gurgling. Strange but true, furnaces do make gurgling noises. When the condensation drain becomes partially or even completely blocked, a gurgling noise can sometimes be heard. Where is the water coming from that drains through this line? All furnaces rated above 90% AFUE produce condensation during the heat cycle. It is a natural by product of cooling combustion fumes. The other sources of water are the whole house humidifier as well as the air conditioner. Large amounts of condensation may be produced by the air conditioner, especially on very hot days.

Damage Caused by Condensation Leaks

Combustion condensation, air conditioner condensation and humidifier run off all drain into a condensate pump or a floor drain. These lines can become slow or blocked if the drain line is not cleaned periodically. The gurgling noise is a nuisance but a condensation leak because of a slow or blocked drain can be expensive. Water damage from a small condensation drain leak has ruined more than one hardwood floor in the past. Problems like this generally go unnoticed until it’s too late. After a floor starts to buckle or carpet starts to smell hundreds of dollars of damage has all ready been done. Let’s not forget if this condensation leaks or backs up into your furnace it can cause a catastrophic failure of the control board, motor, gas valve or any of the other electrical components it comes in contact with. » Read more: What is that Gurgling Noise?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Furnace, Information, Maintenace

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An Arrow in the A/C

August 29th, 2011

I have thirty five years experience repairing furnaces and air conditioners, and I had thought I had seen it all. However, this was the first time I saw an air conditioning condenser unit with a hunting arrow sticking out of it. Over the years I have seen air conditioners hit by cars, lawn motors and the occasional go carts/mini bikes, but I have never seen an air conditioner with a hunting arrow in it.

A Frantic Phone Call

From what I could gather from our frantic phone call, the customer said he left for work at 7am and returned home at 5 pm. His house was 89 degrees when he got home.  From that point everything got a little fuzzy. He said something about an arrow in his air conditioner and that his neighbor killed it. Deer season was coming up, but I really didn’t know what he was talking about. He was defiantly distraught, and his neighbors target practice was the cause. » Read more: An Arrow in the A/C

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Consumer Protection, HVAC Repair, Safty

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