Posts Tagged ‘cost’

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New Year, New Home!

January 25th, 2012

The beginning of a new year is usually taken a symbol of new beginnings, and maybe 2012 can be a year of new beginnings for your home. We all have our to- do lists and if you haven’t done much to make that list shrink odds are it is just getting bigger. These problems are not going to solve themselves, and we need to be honest when it comes to our limits as amateur handymen and women. Take a moment to assess your list or sit down and compile one if you haven’t done so already. Don’t just look at what you think you can handle, consider everything that goes into a job before you ever take it on. Over reaching could increase the cost of the repair and hiring a handyman pro may be a better option.

Consider This Before Tackling a Repair:

  • Time: Many of the jobs on your list will take more than a day to complete, especially if you have no experience with the repair. Many of us only have a couple days on the weekends to work with when it comes to finding time for these repairs, and if you don’t have the time, you need to accept that you are never going to get these jobs done on your own. The pros will be able to check many of those repairs off your list in one day!
  • Tools: Another aspect of performing repairs in the home is the supplies that are needed to complete the job. Many of us don’t have power tools, painting supplies, and other basic tools of the trade, and renting or buying them could make doing the repair on your own pointless. Consider all of your costs before taking on a job by yourself. » Read more: New Year, New Home!

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Posted in Contractors, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services, Plumbing

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Don’t Turn Off the Furnace!

December 28th, 2011

As you head out the door this holiday season to visit family and friends for an extended period of time, there is one crucial mistake that you must not make. Do not turn off the furnace. Many homeowners are looking for any way to save money, and you may assume that since no one will be home to need the comfort of the furnace, it won’t matter if it is shut down for a few days. However, you would be wrong! Leaving the furnace off during winter puts your home at serious risk for water damage, but it can be prevented!

How Your Pipes Will Freeze

When the furnace is turned off completely, the home has no protection against the elements. All you need is one extra chilly night to surround your home and suddenly you will have frozen pipes around the house. Within hours the temperature will begin to warm as the sun rises and those pipes will begin to thaw. The ice will have expanded the pipe and could have caused cracks that compromised the integrity of the pipe. As it thaws, water will begin to force its way through and the pressure may cause the pipe to burst! » Read more: Don’t Turn Off the Furnace!

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Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Home Services, Insulation, Money Saving, Plumbing, Safty

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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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Lennox Furnaces Stand the Test of Time

October 3rd, 2011

People are always asking, “Who is the best HVAC manufacturer?” There really isn’t a straight forward answer to that question because no matter who made your furnace, it will not be its best without proper installation and yearly maintenance. With that said, we recently dealt with a customer who was very satisfied with his Lennox furnace. He had scheduled a serviceman to check over the system for the season, and though it was found that the unit needed to be replaced, the customer couldn’t have been happier with what he had gotten out of his unit over the years.

37 Years of Service

            This customer’s Lennox furnace was installed back in 1974. This made the unit 37 years old, and when you consider that the typical furnace will last 20 to 25 years, this unit truly did stand the test of time. When we asked about the history of the unit, the customer was proud to tell us that over the years he only had one minor repair done to the system. The thermocouple was replaced about 15 years prior, and when you consider the number of expensive things that can fail on a furnace, this one low cost repair was truly remarkable. » Read more: Lennox Furnaces Stand the Test of Time

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Posted in Contractors, Furnace, Heating, Maintenace, Value

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“Do it Yourself” Air Conditioner Damage

August 10th, 2011

There is nothing wrong with doing home repair jobs on your own, but if you don’t know what you are doing, you could end up with a bigger problem that you had before. Many homeowners are finding out the hard way this summer that certain “do it yourself” air conditioner repairs should have been left to the pros. One of these repairs in particular involves the air conditioner’s coil and years of neglected maintenance.

Clogged Coils

Leaving the air conditioner without a proper cleaning for years and years will eventually lead to problems with the cooling in your home. Most homeowners notice that the air conditioner just isn’t quite keeping up with the heat, and will contact an HVAC company to investigate the issue. Lack of maintenance can cause many issues, but a common one is a dirty coil. The coil in your air conditioner’s condenser is responsible for removing heat from the air that will be circulated through your home. When this coil becomes laden with dirt and debris buildup, it can’t absorb heat from the air as easily and will therefore not allow the home to cool down as efficiently. » Read more: “Do it Yourself” Air Conditioner Damage

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Posted in Air Conditioning, HVAC Repair, Maintenace

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An Emphasis on Noise Reduction

August 8th, 2011

When looking for a new air conditioner, many homeowners focus on the obvious first. Energy efficiency and cost are the top two concerns on the buyers mind, but once you have narrowed down your choices in these categories, you will probably still have a few different systems to choose from. How will you choose? Well, we suggest you take a look at the sound levels produced by each of the systems on your list of choices. Excessive noise from the air conditioner condenser has become something that many of us simply tolerate. However, with the technology available today, you don’t have to put up with a noisy air conditioner any more!

The Lennox XC 21

To better explain how technology has changed to make air conditioners quieter, we searched for a unit that was virtually silent. We found the Lennox XC21. This beefed up air conditioning system offers the buyer a 21.00 SEER rating and the high return you will receive on this purchase every month in the form of energy savings will defiantly make up for the extra cost. This unit wasn’t all energy efficiency and savings though. It also had many perks that contributed to its ability to operate quietly. » Read more: An Emphasis on Noise Reduction

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Information, Value

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Suffering Without Central Air

August 3rd, 2011

I finally got a chance to talk to a new neighbor of mine. Since
they moved in a few months ago I’ve seen him take his garbage out a few times, but today I got a chance to meet and talk to him. My curiosity got the better of me and I asked him why their windows were always open. His reply floored me. They didn’t have central air conditioning. I asked what was keeping them from getting an air conditioner installed. He said it was because they had hot water heat and they didn’t have any duct work in their home. He then answered my next question before I could get it out and told me that they couldn’t get window air conditioners because of the size of their windows. My reply was: it doesn’t matter!

You Can Get Central Air Conditioning Too!

Most homes that don’t have preexisting duct work can get a central air conditioning system installed for a reasonable price. The procedure is just a matter of putting an air handler in the attic to circulate the cold air and running flexible ducts to each of the rooms. There is no major carpentry or drywall work involved at all. » Read more: Suffering Without Central Air

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Contractors, Information

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What’s All this Talk about SEER Ratings?

July 18th, 2011

SEER ratings seem to be the deciding factor these days when it comes to replacing the air conditioning system, but few actually understand the concept of this energy efficiency rating system. So, I’ve been surfing the web to see what everyone was saying about SEER ratings, and I found that most people are talking a lot about the differences between a 10 SEER and 13 SEER air conditioners. What they don’t explain, at least to my satisfaction is what that means as far as how much you will save per year in the Chicagoland area.

Calculating Watts Per Hour

First off, a 10 SEER air conditioner gives you 10 BTU’s of cooling per watt hour of electricity. 13 SEER air conditioners would give you 13 BTU’s per watt hour. What does that mean? Basically, if you have a 3 ton air conditioner rated at 36,000BTU, it is assumed that at a 10 SEER this unit will use 3,600 watts in an hour. This would mean that a 13 SEER AC at 36,000 BTU would use about 2,770 watts in an hour. That would equal 830 watts of electricity you are saving per hour of run time. Its all a bit technical, but the difference between the watts use per hour between each unit determines how much you could save. » Read more: What’s All this Talk about SEER Ratings?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Money Saving

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Too Small to Keep Up

July 13th, 2011

Sizing an air conditioner for your home can be a tricky task if you do not know what you are doing. A mistake of choosing either too big or too small a unit can end in disaster, but more often than not, homeowners that try to buy a new air conditioner without the assistance of a trained professional purchase a unit that is too small for their home. Why is that? Well, a smaller system will typically be cheaper than a larger one. Everyone is looking for ways to cut costs these days, but the installation of a new air conditioning system is not an area you can afford to make drastic cuts. Doing so and making a mistake could cost you more in the end than hiring a professional and having a system properly sized.

Comfort

Air conditioners are designed to cool only a limited number of square feet. When a unit that is undersized for a space is installed, it encounters many problems. Since the unit is designed to cool a much smaller space, it will have to run for a longer period of time in order to meet the temperature set on the thermostat. The thermostat will not trigger the unit to shut off until this happens, so your unit could have cycles that are several hours long. In some cases, the home never gets to the desired temperature and rooms that are furthest away from the system receive little to no cool air. » Read more: Too Small to Keep Up

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Contractors, HVAC Repair

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Is Your Cash Flying Out the Window?

July 5th, 2011

I just left a service call that left me totally amazed at the lack of attention some people pay to their electric bills. The homeowner in question had a nice home in a nice neighborhood. Everything seemed normal until I tested the current draw on his air conditioner. What I found was truly shocking! His air-conditioner was robbing him blind. What do I mean by that? I mean that the air conditioner was using almost double the electricity needed to cool his house!

Paying Double

The only question I had for this customer was, “How long have you been paying double on your electricity bills?” The homeowner was confused and honestly couldn’t tell me how long this had been going on for. He just attributed the change in cost to the rising cost of energy in this country, and paid off his bills without ever questioning the extra expense. This has got to be the best reason for tuning up your air-conditioning system. A well tuned system will save you money, but more importantly it can alert you to an electricity thief living in your own home. » Read more: Is Your Cash Flying Out the Window?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Money Saving, Value

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