Posts Tagged ‘Bartow’

Get Cleaner, Dust Free Air with Your Heat Pump: A Tip from an Auburndale Heating Contractor

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Dust is a common concern for Auburndale homeowners, especially if a child or family member has an allergy that is made worse by its constant presence. So, many people want to know if a new heat pump will help reduce the amount of dust in the house.

Technically, heat pumps don’t remove dust from the air. They are designed to provide heated or cooled air which is then circulated by an air handler through air ducts. In fact, if you don’t clean the air ducts properly and have your heat pump serviced regularly, your dust problem can actually get worse.

However, if you have the right heat pump and it is serviced on a regular basis, you can reduce the dust in your home by quite a bit.

Choosing the Right Components

The key to reducing dust with your heat pump is to choose the right components for your device. Heat pumps have a filter built into the device to keep sediment and debris out of the unit and the air that is cycled through your home.

An additional filter is placed in the air handler to reduce recirculation of contaminants in the indoor air. However, you can really enhance the dust removal of your home’s heat pump by adding an electronic or highly rated mechanical filter, such as a HEPA filter. This will remove a tremendous amount of debris from the indoor air (up to 99% of debris as small as 0.3 microns) and it works directly with your heat pump.

Regular Maintenance

As with any other part of your home, regular cleaning and maintenance is a must to ensure dust doesn’t become a problem. Specifically, you should have someone clean your ductwork which is a common source of dust as it recirculates and builds up over time. Vacuuming you ductwork will remove a huge volume of dust from your home, and ensure the air flow is even and comfortable.

Additionally filters should be changed or cleaned on a regular basis – something you can do yourself between annual maintenance visits. Clogged filters can actually introduce more contaminants to your indoor air if not dealt with properly. In either case, well maintained equipment and properly installed indoor air quality supplements will keep that dust level to a minimum.

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Worst Rooms in Your Aripeka Home to Collect Allergens

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Your Aripeka home may be a haven for allergens, and some rooms in particular are much worse than others. They are damp. They are warm. They often have garbage in them. These are the rooms that need especially close attention when trying to maintain air quality in your home.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are allergen havens for two reasons. They are filled with moisture, and without proper ventilation they will soon be filled with mold and mildew. Additionally, when not cleaned regularly they can house buildups of hair, skin, and other dust building residue that tend to trigger allergies.

The easiest way to handle this problem is to clean your bathroom regularly and make sure it is properly ventilated. Short of an exhaust fan in your bathroom, keep the door and windows open to help it dry faster.

Kitchen

Your kitchen produces allergens like mold and mildew due to the presence of garbage and fruit. It can also attract bugs and the dirt that accrues from people passing through constantly. Pets tend to eat in the kitchen, leaving behind dander. Additionally, plants and vegetables in the kitchen release pollen that circulates through your home to trigger additional allergies. Exhaust from cooking and smoke can also be a harmful allergen trigger.

The kitchen should be kept well ventilated and clean at all times. Check for any gaps in your insulation and have your exhaust fan and hood cleaned regularly to avoid backups of smoke or gas.

Allergens are everywhere in your home – with careful attention, however, you can stop them from affecting your family negatively.

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How Can I Be Sure My Home’s Air is Safe? A Question from Bartow

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

There are many ways to ensure your Bartow home’s air is safe to breathe, but the easiest is to have it tested regularly and to use proper filtration and ventilation. However, there are a lot of different filtration methods, so here are a few known to work best.

Air Filtration

If you have pets or a lot of plants, air filters are a great idea because they remove most of the larger particles that get into our air supply. This includes things like pet dander, pollen, mold, and other particles like dust. If you have allergies or someone in your home has asthma of any kind, this is the best way to be sure they don’t breathe anything they shouldn’t.

Air filtration is also very simple to install and inexpensive to maintain. Just be sure you opt for HEPA air filters. They are the best on the market and are certified to capture much smaller particles than any other filters, plus they tend to last quite a bit longer.

Air Purification

For big time air cleaning, you want to go with an electronic air purifier. These machines will actually ionize the air in your home to separate out smaller particles such as gas, smoke, or pathogens like bacteria and viruses. They can also capture some larger particles like mold and dust mites. The key to effective air purification is to use it in conjunction with a good air filter.

Also, consider the use of a good UV filter with your air purifier. UV filtration can be installed in your air ducts or vents to kill any unwanted pathogens as the air is circulated.

Cleaning

The final step is to make sure your air stays clean. Get detectors for big time contaminants like radon and carbon monoxide but also have your air quality tested every year or two to check for high levels of other contaminants.

If you have filters and ductwork, make sure they are cleaned regularly. Filters must be changed on schedule or they simply won’t work as intended. You should also maintain a powerful ventilation system that will keep a steady supply of fresh air coming into and out of your home. An energy recovery model is best to minimize heat and cooling loss from your comfort system.

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First Time Homeowners Checklist: A Guide from Dunedin

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Buying your first home, in Dunedin or Bartow, is an exciting time. You may feel a rush brought on by the immense independence of owning a home that is all yours. But a home is also an enormous amount of responsibility. As the owner, you are responsible for your own maintenance and repairs, as well as keeping the building up to code.

To make the whole undertaking a little easier, below is a checklist of tasks for the first time homeowner to use as a reference. It is not fully comprehensive, but it is a good start and a solid guideline of responsibilities to keep your home in tip-top shape. It is broken down by frequency of tasks to make it easy to refer to later.

Annually

Make sure you do each of the following every year. For tasks that should be done in the same season, try to combine in the same week or day so that you are on a consistent schedule that is easy to remember.

  • At the start of winter, check the caulking, weather stripping and other sealants around the house. Also check and clear your gutters and downspouts.
  • In spring, check the basement and attic for signs of water leakage or damage.
  • In the summer time, have your home and property checked for termites and other pest infestations.
  • When fall starts, get ready for the heating season by having your heating and ventilation system inspected. Have any repairs or routine maintenance done as needed.

Monthly

To keep your home comfortable and pleasant, there are some tasks that should be performed every month. These are generally simple, but still important.

  • Inspect AC and furnace filters. Clean or replace dirty filters.
  • Test smoke detectors and replace any drained batteries.
  • Vacuum carpets and make sure there is no debris in your furnace room.
  • Pour boiling water or white vinegar in drains to dislodge buildup.

In General

Lastly, there are some things you will want to do as a matter of good practice. Ask around to find good contractors. When you use one you like, keep track of his information in a dedicated file. Be organized. Keeping this checklist handy is a good first step on that front.

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New Filter Ratings – How to Evaluate Your Filter: A Guide From Bartow

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Every Bartow home has need of a handful of filters that provide with comfortable, affordable air quality and temperature control throughout the year. So, when buying a new filter or upgrading your current system to provide the right comfort level for your home, there are a few things to consider. First is the actual rating of your filters. Every filter is rated for a particular level of efficiency. The higher the rating, the more particles it catches, but also the more it will cost.

Air Filter Ratings

Air filters are rated with a number of scales but the only one that really matters is the HEPA filter rating. HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate absorbing. These types of filters are considered the best on the market. A HEPA filter comes with a number of options. The actual device that uses the filter will have an MERV rating that corresponds to how small of particles it can capture.

An entry level MERV rating is usually around 10 and will capture most major particles like dust, debris, dander and pollen. However, the highest rated HEPA filters have MERV ratings of 13 and can capture particulates as small as 0.3 microns 99.7% of the time.

Some filters are even capable of capturing viruses and bacteria, which are often much smaller than those other particles but can be caught in the debris field through the filter.

What You Actually Need

So, what does your home actually need? It depends largely on how much you need to filter out of your indoor air. Most HVAC providers can provide full testing of your indoor air quality and let you know if you need to target anything in particular. Most often, the contaminants you should worry about include dust, pollen and dander which mean a modest MERV 10 air filter is plenty.

However, if your air is filled with smaller contaminants like mold spores, a high grade HEPA filter is a must – not just for your comfort but for your health.

There are also other indoor air quality products you can get to supplement your indoor air quality system. These include air cleaners, UV germicidal lights to target airborne pathogens and humidity control devices to create the ideal environment in your home. Whatever you choose, know that it is possible to keep your family comfortable year round.

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Why Are Cleans Filters So Important to AC Efficiency? A Question From Bartow

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Air conditioners cost a lot of money to operate in Bartow – even more when they don’t work at 100% efficiency. So, it is important to perform the various regular maintenance tasks that ensure the system uses as little electricity as possible. The first thing on your list (and the easiest) is cleaning those filters.

Keeping Filters Clean

The Department of Energy’s Energy Savers website states that you can reduce your air conditioner’s energy consumption by as much as 15% simply by keeping the air filters clean. Why do they matter so much? Consider the nature of a filter.

The filter on your AC unit is designed to capture any dust, debris and sediment in the air supply. If that dust and sediment was allowed in, not only would it gum up the mechanical workings of the device, it would get into your ductwork and reduce the air quality of your home. So, filters are used to capture such things. However, when a filter gets clogged, the system must work harder to draw the air in. As it works harder, the motor turns faster and more electricity is used.

It takes very little to clog the filter of an AC unit, especially if it is running 24 hours a day for two or three months out of the year. So, it’s best to check your filters once every 30 days regardless of what type of filter you are using.

Which Filters to Check

The main filter on your AC unit should be checked along with any air handler filters and any air cleaner filters you have installed in your system. Another thing to consider is the condition of your home and the area around your outdoor condenser. If you have pets, lots of plants or your condenser is located in a dusty area, you may need to check and change those filters even more often.

Most filters are located along the return length of the ductwork – sometimes in ceiling ducts and walls, though they may also be located in your furnace’s air handler or inside the air conditioning unit. If you have window units or mini splits, the filters are frequently in the unit.

Clean air filters are important for your health, your wallet and the longevity of your AC system. Stay on top of them and you will save money in more ways than you might expect.

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Federal Energy Efficiency Rebates Explained: A Tip From Gulfport

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

You’ve probably seen the advertisements and heard the sales pitches all over Gulfport. Upgrade your furnace, air conditioner, or insulation and receive a federal rebate on your taxes for a percentage of the installation cost. The government is seriously invested in improving the energy efficiency of the country, cutting electric bills and helping people stay comfortable. Here’s a quick look at some of those rebates and how you can tap into them.

Energy Efficiency Credits

There is a standard tax credit of 10% of the cost up to $500 or a specific amount between $50 and $300 for any upgrade made to your existing home for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, insulation, roofs, or water heaters. These upgrades must be made on an existing home in which you currently live – rentals and new construction homes are not eligible.

Are the Tax Credits Worth It?

The big question is whether these credits are worth the investment in a brand new system? For the most part, it depends on your particular situation. If you have a 30 year old furnace and are planning on an upgrade anyways, why not take advantage of a nice rebate and get a more energy efficient system to go with it? However, if you just replaced your furnace three years ago and it works very well with a high energy efficiency rating, it might not be worth the investment.

Learn More

The Energy Star program run by the EPA contains detailed breakdowns of the 2011 tax credits, including what systems are eligible and how to go about claiming them on next year’s taxes. Learn more by visiting their official page.

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How Do I Check for a Dirty Evaporator Coil?

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The evaporator coil is an essential piece of your air conditioning system. It absorbs heat from air that passes over it, and that air then travels into your home to cool it. So if your coil is dirty or isn’t functioning properly, the cooling power of your air conditioning system is diminished. Fortunately, this problem is fixed easily by cleaning the evaporator coil. You can do this on your own or have a professional come in to take care of it.

Signs of a Dirty Evaporator Coil

The most obvious sign of a dirty evaporator coil is an overall drop in system pressure. As long as you know what constitutes a normal pressure for your system, you should be able to tell if the current pressure is below that level. If it is, a dirty evaporator coil is probably your culprit. You can also check the static pressure in your system to see if that is low, but this requires specialized equipment.

Even if you don’t notice any particular signs that your air conditioning system isn’t working properly, it’s a good idea to clean your evaporator coils once a year or so. This can help prevent any larger problems from developing in the future.

Finding Your Coil

Probably the hardest part of cleaning an evaporator coil is reaching it. Unlike your condenser coil, which is located in your outdoor condenser unit, the evaporator coil is found inside near the air handler or furnace. If you have the owner’s manual, there should be detailed instructions telling you where the coil is and how to safely access it.

Alternately, you can have an HVAC technician show you what to do the next time they come out to work on your system. Whatever you do, though, make sure that power to your AC unit is completely shut off before you start working on it. Once you’ve gained access to the coil, use a brush or vacuum attachment to remove any debris or sediment you find there.

The Importance of Maintenance

Cleaning your evaporator coil is only one part of the regular maintenance required to keep your air conditioning system in good working order for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of things you can do on your own, but it pays to have a professional come out once a year or so to check out the entire system and make any necessary repairs.

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Savings Found with Fan Coil Units

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

There are a lot of options on the market for your home comfort system, but not all of them are created equally. So, if you’re starting to research cooling devices, make sure you include every possible option in your search – you never know which one will turn out to work best for you.

One excellent cooling device is a fan coil unit. These are simple mechanisms, basically consisting of a fan and a cooling or heating coil. They can be installed in any type of building, from large commercial to residential, and are great for cooling all of those hard-to-reach places that traditional air conditioning systems just can’t reach.

Where the Savings Comes From

In addition to being extremely convenient, fan coil units are quite cost-effective as well. To begin with, their simple design makes them relatively inexpensive to purchase and install. In fact, they require very little labor when compared to just about any other type of cooling device, and that saves you a ton of money up front.

This is especially true if your home or building doesn’t have ductwork installed already. In fact, the largest chunk of the installation cost for a central air conditioning system is the installation of the necessary air ducts. But because they don’t require air ducts to provide you with temperature conditioned air, fan coil units carry with them a much lower installation cost.

But the savings don’t stop there. Fan coil units are also extremely energy efficient to run. That means they’ll keep your monthly energy bills to a minimum as they provide hours of constant cooling even during the hottest parts of the year.

Fan coil units also save you money on your cooling costs because you can control each unit independently of the others. Unlike a central air conditioner that will cool your entire home to a particular temperature, you can use a fan coil unit to cool only the areas of your home that are in use at the moment. That means that you’re not wasting energy to cool empty space, and that can add up to a significant savings over time.

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Save Money When Using Appliances and Home Electronics

Friday, April 1st, 2011

As you are looking around your home for ways to save money on electricity, it is only natural to linger on the big things like your heating and air conditioning systems. However, there is also a lot to be saved in other areas if you know where to look and how to go about cutting back. Both the type of appliances that you buy and the way that you use them will directly impact your total electric bill every month, so it is certainly worth paying attention to what you are doing and what you could do better.

For one thing, it is almost always worth it to go with an Energy Star certified appliance whenever possible. It does not matter if it is a coffee maker or a washing machine. Every little bit helps and so you will be setting yourself up for much lower electric bill over time when you figure total energy usage into all of your purchases.

Using power strips is also a great way to make saving on electricity easy. No matter what you do, many appliances will draw a small amount of power even when they are switched off. So as long as things like your laptop, TV and toaster are plugged in, they are draining energy whether you are using them or not.

Of course, you could just go around and unplug everything you are not using, but that can get pretty tedious. Plugging these types of appliances and home electronics into a power strip makes it easy to just cut their power supply completely when you do not need them. And switching them back on again is just as easy. You do not even have to go crawling around on the floor looking for the plug.

There are certainly many items that you cannot or do not want to unplug or completely cut the power to at any time. For appliances and electronics that fall into that category, simply make sure you turn them off completely when they are not in use. Many home electronics will automatically switch to a standby mode rather than shutting down completely and it is easy to forget they are still on. However, you will save a lot if you make sure to shut them down completely when they are not in use.

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