Tag Archive for professional

Kate Miller | September 12, 2012
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Home Flooding: Keeping Your Family Safe

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When I was a kid, the house my family was living in was over 50 years old and had a foundation that invited rain water indoors. We would get anywhere from a few inches to a few feet of water in our basement at

least once a year, and the cleanup was always a gigantic family project. Once the water was pumped out, we would gather up carpet squares and lay them outside to dry while my parents bleached nearly every surface. After consulting with a waterproofing company and constantly replacing the sump pump, we realized that our best bet would be to move.

Flood Safety Tips for Your Home and Your Family

However, there are thousands of homes that undergo the same type of flooding year after year and never do anything to stop it. Repeated flooding can cause thousands of

dollar worth of damage, but the damage it can cause to material things is nothing compared to the damage it can do to the health and safety of your family. Due to the risks that flooding can create, we have compiled a list of safety tips that every homeowner should keep in mind should the flood waters begin to rise.

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Category: Helpful Tips, Home Repairs, Home Services, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | September 7, 2012
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Water in the Ducts: Cleanup

All week we have been talking about how water gets into the duct work beneath the home and how to repair the problem once the source of the water is eliminated. However, your job is not done yet! The presence of water in your ducts can create quite a mess and cleaning up that mess is the last step especially if you are going to continue to use those ducts for heating and cooling in your home.

NADCA and EPA Recommend Duct Cleaning

Water and moisture help create the perfect environment for mold and bacteria growth. When these contaminants are growing in the ducts, they can be circulated throughout the entire home! Both the National Air Duct Cleaners Association and the EPA agree that a duct cleaning should be performed in the event that the ducts are exposed to water. They tell consumers this because they know the damage that mold can do to the health of your family and the safety of your home. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Furnace, Insulation, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | July 19, 2012
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Licensed Plumbers Only!

There are some home disasters that simply cannot be repaired without professional help. Plumbing problems tend to fall under this category, and when it comes to sewage backups into the home, you definitely want a pro in to help eliminate the blockage and to get your home back in order. Unfortunately, the plumbing industry has fallen prey to the tactics of less scrupulous companies and the homeowners are typically the ones who suffer the most from their deception.   There are many questions you should ask your plumbing contractor before you hire then on to do repairs, but the most important questions should be: “Are you a licensed plumbing contractor, and do licensed plumbers perform your repair work?” Failing to ask these questions could end in you paying much more money for much less quality.

Drain Technicians are NOT Plumbers

If you were to flip through the phone book right now, some of the most well known “plumbing companies” would be guilty of hiring non-licensed technicians to perform their plumbing jobs. By calling these employees “drain technicians” they are able to get away with performing plumbing jobs without having to be properly licensed. To the unknowing homeowner, the drain technician looks like a plumber, but there is in fact no guarantee that this person has had any real training. There is not a licensing process for drain technicians in Illinois and therefore, companies that hire these technicians are responsible for their training. Most of the time, these companies will churn out employees that are better salesmen than plumbers. This is not the kind of person you want messing around with your plumbing system. Read more

Category: Consumer Protection, Home Services, Plumbing, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | June 26, 2012
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Maintaining Your Air Conditioner’s SEER Rating

Air conditioners have a variety of features that are designed to attract a homeowner to the benefits of the system. These days, the air conditioner’s SEER rating is often a major selling point because of the recent emphasis on the importance of energy efficiency. The system’s SEER rating is a representation of the unit’s energy efficiency. The higher the number, the greater the energy savings will be when the system is in use. However, this number can be easily lowered if the unit is not installed or cared for properly. If you want to get the most out of your cooling investment this summer, you must take extra care in choosing your contractor. Making the wrong choice could seriously impact the energy efficiency of your new air conditioner.

Installing the Air Conditioner

Installing a central air conditioner is much more difficult that simply hooking up a few lines. It takes real skill and understanding of how air conditioners work in order to get it right, and choosing a bargain basement contractor or local handyman is not likely to get you the expertise the unit needs. From sizing the system to balancing and charging the unit, any mistakes made could impact the energy efficiency of the system for the life of the unit. So, unless you want to pay more every month in cooling costs, we suggest that you do some research. Find out how your company trains their technicians and what kind of guarantees they have to ensure your satisfaction and a job well done. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Contractors | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 5, 2012
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Thermostat Problems: Setting the Differential

Have you ever felt like the temperature the thermostat was reading wasn’t the actual temperature that it was in the home? Many homeowners will find that the temperature in their home fluctuates between uncomfortably hot to uncomfortably cold as the furnace or air conditioner cycles on and off. This could be caused by a number of problems, but for many, the issue can be traced back to the thermostat. Either the thermostat is placed in an area of the home that doesn’t represent the most accurate temperature for the home overall, or the differential is set inappropriately.

Thermostat in the Wrong Place

If the thermostat is exposed to some other factor that can affect the way it reads the temperature it could cause the thermostat to turn off the heating and cooling systems inaccurately. Direct sunlight, being installed on an exterior wall or being placed too close to a supply vent can all affect the way your thermostat controls the heating and cooling units. Check the position of your thermostat and if you feel it is being exposed to any factors that can add extra heat or cold to the thermostat, have the unit moved! Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Furnace, Heating | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | February 13, 2012
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The Only Way to Diagnose Your HVAC System

So there you are minding your own business going through your daily routine when suddenly the furnace decides to call it quits. You fiddle around with the thermostat and check the filter but there aren’t any blatantly obvious problems to address. Unfortunately, it is not really a convenient time for the furnace to break down and you don’t want to spend your hard earned money on a technician, so what do you do? Most people will start by scouring the internet for tips, and other may call a company to get some advice over the phone. The only problem is that no matter what you won’t be able to get a definitive solution to your problem.

Trial and Error Diagnosing

Telephone conversations and internet searches are not even close to what a trained technician can tell by actually physically looking at your furnace. Many companies won’t even give you a diagnosis over the phone because they know they cannot be sure. The last thing they want is for you to run out, buy the wrong part, install it, and find out that it wasn’t the solution to your furnace problem. Furnace parts can be very expensive and the whole point of doing the repair yourself is to save money. Don’t throw your money away on the wrong parts or cause more damage to the furnace than there already is. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Heating, Money Saving | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | December 7, 2011
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Cleaning and Organizing Your Garage

As the temperatures continue to drop, it is only a matter of time before the snow begins to fall. Those of us that have been using the garage as a dumping ground are going to find it very difficult to fit the car in with all of the other items in the way. Leaving the car out in the snow is not an option unless you want to dig your car out every morning before work. The only real solution is to get that garage cleaned and organized, and why not make improvements that will allow you to keep it that way for good?

3 Steps to Organization:

  • Sorting: The first step towards creating a cleaner garage is to look through and organize the things that are currently occupying this space. Assess which items you want to keep and which can be thrown out or donated. You will be surprised how many things you are holding onto that you haven’t used in years! Create two distinct piles: what you want to keep and what you want to go. Once you know what you are going to need to store, you are one step closer to a clean and organized garage.
  • Permanent Storage: There are two ways to tackle garage storage. You can either do it yourself or enlist the help of a professional. Slapping together wire shelves that can be purchased at nearly any hardware store is easy enough for most people to handle on their own. All you need are some plastic storage containers to place on the wire shelves and you are set to store the items you want to keep. For a more polished and professional look, you may want to consult a contractor. Professionally installed cabinetry, wall hangers, and work stations can truly transform your garage. These jobs are more complex, and if you are going to be hanging or storing heavy objects, you are going to want to make sure that these storage solutions are installed correctly! Read more
Category: Helpful Tips, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | October 17, 2011
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Do It Yourself or Call a Pro

“Do it yourselfers” have the best intentions at heart. They want to be hands on when it comes to taking care of their home and they want to save a few bucks along the way. For some projects, a homeowner truly can save some money by manning the work on their own, but for others, attempting them without professional experience could be disastrous. Knowing when the home repair is out of your league may be hard for some, but not assessing this possibility could cost you more than a little extra cash when you have to call in a professional.

Electrocutions and Floods

My father was one of those “do it yourselfers” that didn’t know the limits of his abilities. Many times, he would attempt a project with little more knowledge than that which he gained from a book. Sometimes he got lucky, but once he started messing with the electricity and the plumbing, things got ugly. It wasn’t until he electrocuted himself a few times and flooded the upstairs bathroom that he called a professional. I’m sure many of you are reading this thinking that you or someone else in your home fits this description of a determined “do it yourselfer,” but I am here to encourage you to take a step back and assess your limitations. Read more

Category: Consumer Protection, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | October 12, 2011
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Taking Your Boiler Out of Hibernation

Boiler owners across the nation are getting their systems ready for the winter season. Many have already have their yearly maintenance checks performed, but if you haven’t allowed the unit to run for several hours, you could be missing a common problem that could disrupt your comfort once the really cold weather begins to set in. The typical cleaning of a boiler doesn’t involve this particular system check, and unless you have had this problem before, you may be baffled as to the cause. The problem usually manifests itself as one or two radiators or baseboards that just don’t get hot. Everything may look like it is running properly, but before you run out and start replacing the radiators you need to bleed your boiler first!

Why Don’t My Radiators Work?

When you shut down the boiler for the summer, some systems, especially older units, will develop air pockets. These gaps in the water flow cannot pass through the boiler and therefore, the water in that part of the system will not be heated and the room that the radiator or baseboard is in will not get warm. You have to eliminate these air pockets and the way to do this is by bleeding the system. Read more

Category: Boiler, Heating, Maintenance | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Raymond S- HVAC Specialist | September 5, 2011
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Spots on the Ceiling, Moisture in the Attic

The last time you painted your ceiling did you notice spots around the outside walls? Those spots are usually an indication that the insulation in the attic is starting to loose its R value, and condensation may be the source of your problem.

Attic Insulation and Year Round Condensation

During the summer and winter the poorly insulated attics will accumulate condensation. In the summer this moisture can leak into the lower level ceilings of the home once it soaks through the insulation, and it could also become a source of mold growth. Once wet, insulation is useless and no longer carries an r-value. In the winter this moisture becomes frost in your attic that further diminishes the effectiveness of what little insulation you may have up there. This situation can be corrected by adding blown in insulation to your attic. This blown in insulation will help to minimize future spots from occurring on your ceiling, but more importantly it will help cut your heating and cooling bills. Read more

Category: Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Insulation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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