Could Your Home HVAC System Be Making You Sick?

Indoor air quality is something that is important for your and your family all year. However, the winter months leave us with the dilemma of spending the majority of time inside due to cold spells that can get brutal. The quality of the air within your home can be bad enough with all of the hair, dirt, dust, pet dander and germs that may be circulating even before you add in a potential gas leak from your furnace. A toxic mixture of indoor air can be costly, and it should be tackled head on. These are some of the best steps that you can take to make sure that your family can enjoy air that is as fresh as possible.

Particle Counters

These counters are able to take a sampling of your air and give you a reading of the overall purity. The results may be tracked for up to 30 days to give you a readout on the instances of dust mites and dander that are in the air and if you are taking the right methods to reduce them. Your home air conditioning unit or furnace will cycle these allergens all day long, so limiting them is crucial.

Gas Detectors

While it is important to monitor any allergens in the air, you need to also pay attention to the presence of gas. Any faulty oven or furnace can emit carbon monoxide or even leak gas into your home, which can have deadly results. A good monitor will cost you about $50, and it just plugs into a wall electrical outlet. This tool can give you a digital reading of the carbon monoxide or methane concentration in your home, sending out a shrieking noise whenever there is a potential threat.

Sensors For Temperature And Humidity

These sensors are great for any homeowner to have to give more detail on the air quality within the home. Another temperature reading can always be handy if you have a potential issue with your thermostat malfunctioning, as it can lead to higher utility bills. Understanding your humidity levels in the home can also be good for either hot or cold weather seasons. Lower humidity in the winter can dry the throat and skin while causing damage to your woodwork. Excessive humidity in your home can lead to condensation, which may turn into mildew and mold that can cause breathing issues.

Mold Test Kits

Large mold growth on drywall that is out in the open in your basement may be easy to detect, but this is a toxin that may not always be visible. Mold kits will help you to gather samples for testing for a wide range of mold and allergens. Some kits will also include options where you can send the sample to a lab for further scanning by a professional.

Audit For Indoor Air Quality

While many of the air quality kits on the market are reliable, there is not going to be anything that measures up to a professional audit of your home air quality. They offer specialty equipment for the testing of your air, and they will work on inspecting your basement, duct work, furnace, attic and any other potential issues that can arise in your home or apartment.

Having poor indoor air quality can lead to a wealth of serious health issues, so it is always best to make sure that you are doing all that you can to ensure your HVAC system is not making you sick.

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Warning Signs of Drains in the Calgary House That Need Servicing

Warning Signs of Drains in the Calgary House That Need Servicing

Drains all throughout the house can sometimes get clogged. There are times when you can fix these clogs yourself, and there are times when you need to call on a professional drain cleaning service. Whether your kitchen, bath, tub or washroom has a problem, the drains will often give off various warning signs that they need professional drain cleanings. Here is what to look for:

Toilet Drains Slowly

Toilet drains can clog up with paper towels, wipes and other materials that cannot pass the drain easily. For occasional clogs, you can usually remedy the situation by using a plunger. If the problem returns following your use of the plunger or it starts draining slower or backs up, you need to contact a professional drain cleaner for help.

Kitchen Sinks Back Up

Kitchen sinks get a lot of use. You should be careful not to let grease, coffee grinds or any other debris go down the drain. Even with caution though clogs can occur because of how often these sinks are used every day. You might try to use a drain cleaner on your own for backups, but if this does not help and the clogs continue always contact a drain service.

Sewer Clogs Occur

Sewer drain clogs are not things that you can clean out on your own. The signs they give off are visible and can include seeing solid matter enter a shower stall floor or the bottom of a tub. These things can be health hazards so always contact a professional for drain service immediately if you see any of these signs.

If the toilet starts making gurgles or bubbles come up from the bowl, it is clear that there is a possible sewer line back up. This needs to be handled by the professionals.

Overflowing Drains

Often, in laundry rooms, the drain on the floor will get clogged and cause flooding. If you can, remember to clean out your dryer lint filters thoroughly. Lint is a common cause of floor drain backups. These issues are also something you need a plumbing service to fix for you. The plumbers will usually need to snake the drain to get it back into working order.

Floor drains are also found in some bathrooms and garages. These, too, can be subject to clogs which will result in floods on the floor. As soon as you notice the drain is not letting water out properly, call your local plumber for help. This could be a sign that solid debris is getting into the pipes. The plumber will clean the drain screen and also use a snake to open up the line.

Drains are an important part of your home. If any signs are noted that they are not functioning properly, do your best to resolve the issue. If the problem persists or is connected to floor drains or sewer lines, make sure to contact a professional drain cleaning service in your area to fix the problem, so it does not get worse.

Please feel free to contact furnace-repaircalgary.com if you have any questions.

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Troubleshooting Common Air Conditioning Issues And Remedies

Calgary Homeowners:Troubleshooting Common Air Conditioning Issues And Remedies

Like most people, you love to come home to a house that is the perfect temperature, especially on a hot day in the summer. There is something quite magical about cool air that hits your face when you walk through your front door. But, what do you do if you walk in the door and the magic does not happen because the air condition system seems to have failed? These are some common air conditioning problems and possible remedies that can help.

Your system is running, yet the house is not cold and the air coming out of the unit is lacking pressure.

It is very likely that this is the result of an air filter that is dirty. All air conditioning systems will need lots of air to get the cooling process going. An air filter that is dirty can shut down the air flow of the unit. To see if this is the cause, you should take the filter out and see how the system can run without it. If you notice that the air flow gets stronger and the air is getting cooler, you will know that the dirty air filter was your problem.

Always make sure that you are cleaning out your air conditioning filters, which can be done on a regular household routine or maintenance schedule. When you buy a filter for your air conditioner, it should say how long it will be before they should be replaced. Dirty filters can be the number one issue of air conditioning problems.

The unit will shut off and on repeatedly.

There may be a problem with the air flow to the unit becoming blocked if you have a unit that is based on the outside of your home of it could be a blocked evaporator or condenser line. Try to remove any tall weeds, grass or brush that grows around the unit, making sure that there is no debris like tree branches or wet leaves that are collecting around the unit. These things can be the culprit for a number of air conditioner issues when they get bad enough.

Central air conditioning does not seem to be working at all.

Check out the electrical breakers on your system, checking the master switch on your unit itself. If these are all set to on, take a bit of a closer look at the emergency disconnect, checking to see if it seems as though there is residue or rust on the outer portion oft he switch that may be an indicator of corrosion. Never attempt opening this cover on any electrical device if you do not have explicit knowledge of the safety procedures surrounding electricity and working with it. If you do these things and the unit is still not working, you may need to call an HVAC technician or electrician to take a look at it.

A general rule of thumb with HVAC troubleshooting is always to take care of the problems by looking for obvious fixes that may include debris around the unit, dirty filters, and connections. If these things are not able to correct the problem, you will have to schedule an appointment for service with the professionals.

You can always reach out to us at Furnace Repair Calgary if our tips don’t do the tric for you.

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Radiant Heating In Calgary

Radiant Heating Calgary Options

The perfect home heating system is one that delivers even, comfortable warmth while keeping energy costs down. Not every system excels in both of these areas. A lot of homeowners in Calgary are getting excellent results from radiant heating systems.

Before deciding whether or not radiant heating would be a good fit for your own home, you’ll need to learn more about how it works and what options you have with radiant heating equipment. It’s also a good idea to find out how radiant heating stacks up against traditional furnace-equipped heating systems. Fortunately, you can find a lot of the information you need right here!

How Radiant Heating Works

Radiant heaters rely on infrared light to spread warmth through your home. As you might remember from science class, infrared light is common (the sun emits vast quantities of it) but not visible to the naked eye. Infrared light heats every surface it strikes (skin, clothes, etc.) through the heat transfer process known as conduction. This is why standing in direct sunlight is warmer than standing in the shade. Objects that absorb radiant heat and become warmer than their environment subsequently release that heat into the space around them. This leads to an even distribution of heat energy throughout the home.

Different Kinds Of Radiant Heating

There are several different ways to introduce radiant heat to your home. The most common radiant heating systems rely on wall or ceiling panels or directly heated floors.

* Radiant Floor Heat

Radiant floor heating systems are classified according to the mechanism they use to heat up the floor. The two common choices are electricity and hot water – systems using the latter are known as hydronic heating.In electric radiant systems, electric cables are included in the floor assembly of your home. Because of the relatively steep cost of electricity, this is only an affordable way to heat your home if the following conditions are met:

* You have thick floors (e.g. concrete) which will hold in heat for up to 10 hours

* Your local utility company discounts electrical power consumed during off-peak hours (i.e. time-of-use billing)

Electric radiant floor heating is sometimes a good choice for heating an addition to your home. Installing such a system may be more cost-effective than extending your existing heating equipment to cover the new area.

Hydronic floor heating systems are highly popular due to their greater economy. They heat up your home’s floors by circulating heated water through tubes beneath your finish flooring. The head required is suppliedby a boiler. Increasing or decreasing the temperature of the water and its flow allows you to control the temperature of each room in your home independently.

* Radiant Panels

Radiant panels are made out of conductive metal – typically aluminum – and attached to the walls and/or ceiling of your home. As with floor systems, radiant panel heaters can work with either electricity or hot water. The potential for hot water leaks tends to discourage most homeowners from using hydronic panel heating; this makes electrical radiant heating the option of choice in most homes.

Of course, electrically-powered radiant heating panels are relatively expensive to operate. This is why they’re often used to supplement a more efficient heating system.

Radiant heating panels operate via line-of-sight, meaning that the closer you are to the panel, the warmer you feel. Ceiling-only systems are sometimes criticized because they make your head and shoulders feel warmer than your lower extremities.

Radiant Heating Benefits

* Immediate Response

Radiant heaters deliver immediate heat energy as soon as they’re switched on. Because most other heating systems rely on air conduction, they can take quite a while to raise the ambient temperature of a room to comfortable levels. Radiant heaters, by contrast, reach full operating temperature in just minutes.

* Few Allergy Problems

In a conventional forced-air system, warm air is circulated throughout your home. This spreads around dust, pollen, and other light particulate matter that might have collected in your furnace and ducts. Because they transmit heat via infrared light, radiant heaters do not degrade the indoor air quality of your home. This makes radiant heating especially attractive to families with significant allergy issues.

* Affordable Operation

A properly designed radiant heating system can lower your heating costs by as much as 50 percent. Because forced-air systems rely on moving air around, they require ducts. Radiant systems do not. In a conventional heating system, tremendous amounts of hot air – and energy – are lost in the ductwork.

* Lower Water Temperatures (Hydronic Systems Only)

Radiant heating systems use a lower, more efficient water temperature than baseboard heaters or steam radiators. Because they diffuse heat directly into the people and furnishings of a room, they do not need to expend energy heating up the air.

* Virtually Invisible

Radiant heaters have incredibly small footprints. Floor heating systems are entirely invisible, and wall and ceiling panels can easily be concealed in most ordinary room finishes. Unless you point out your system to guests, no one will be able to tell that your home is equipped with radiant heaters.

* Silent

Radiant heaters do not rely on noisy moving parts like blowers or fans.

* Low Maintenance

Because radiant heating systems operate on closed loops, they’re never exposed to dirt and dust. Unlike forced-air ducted heating systems, radiant systems never require cleaning.

Picking The Right Radiant Heating

Installing radiant floor heating can be extremely expensive if you’re retrofitting an existing home. From an economic standpoint, radiant ceilings are the cheapest way to enjoy the benefits of radiant heating.

Radiant panels are tremendously flexible. They respond quickly, and they can be controlled individually to fine-tune the temperature in the room. Installing radiant panels is a straightforward and fast process.

While hydronic radiant floors (HRF) are more expensive to install, they offer considerable advantages when it comes to long-term operating costs. They also perform exceptionally well in rooms where occupants might be barefoot (e.g. bathrooms).

Summary

Radiant heating systems make an excellent choice for meeting either primary or supplementary heating needs. Although initial installation costs tend to be high, in the long term a properly-designed radiant system offers you considerable savings. This is why Calgary homeowners are incorporating compact, efficient radiant heating into more and more homes.

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Maintenance Tips For Your Kitchen Drain

Your kitchen sink gets used regularly, and the majority of your meal preparation takes place in the kitchen, and so does a lot of cleaning up. With that being said, it’s fair to say that kitchen sink goes through a lot of abuse, especially when you consider how many things go down it, which includes grease, veggie trimmings and other solids, which can all build up and leave your drain clogged. Lucky for you, there are a few drain maintenance tips you can take into consideration. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your kitchen drain running the way it should.

• Prevention- The first thing you want is to take preventative action, so nothing will cause your drain to become clogged. For starters, never pour hot grease down the drain, even if you think it’s convenient, and use a jar to place the grease in and then throw it out when you can. If you cut veggies or fruit in the sink, then use a colander or a drain screen because you don’t want the trimmings to go down the drain. If enough trimmings go down, they may end up clogging your drain, and you will have to take steps to unclog it.
• Hot Water- Believe it or not, but hot water can do your drain some good. Let’s face it; eventually, there will be grease or food getting into the drain line, but once per month you can pour some hot water down it. Don’t use boiling water because this may cause damage to the seals between the drain fixtures and the seals, and make sure you pour the water down slowly. If there is a little bit of grease in the sink, then the hot water should loosen it up. If you just let grease build up, then this can cause problems in the long run. Using hot water may help do the trick.
• Clean The Trap- There is a trap under your kitchen sink, and if you look at the U-shaped part of your sink, then there will be two connections on the side. These connections can come apart, and once you take them apart, you can clean the trap. You should do this now and then because this will ensure that too many solids don’t build up over time.
• Drain Cleaner- If your drain isn’t draining as fast as it should, then use a natural drain cleaner, which you can make from the comfort of your own home. Simply mix a little bit of baking soda and vinegar and then pour it down the drain. Let it settle overnight and then when you wake up the next day; you can run a little bit of hot water. After you do this, you should see an improvement.

Those may seem like basic kitchen drain maintenance tricks, but they can come in handy. If you want to keep your drain running properly, then make sure you perform the above tips. The last thing you want to do is take no action because eventually, you may run into a serious issue that could have been prevented in the first place.

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The Main Benefits Of Central AC Systems

There’s not worst than being stuck in your home during the hottest days of summer and not having air conditioning. You will become angry, sweaty and you may have issues falling asleep and staying asleep. You can avoid all of those things by adding AC to your home, and this is why you should consider having a central air conditioning system installed. With that said, here are a few of the key benefits that central air conditioning offers opposed to other types of AC systems.

1. Space Considerations- Central AC systems don’t take up a lot of space, which is why a lot of people like them. Much of the system is hidden in floors, outside of the home or in the walls. You don’t have to worry about them taking up a lot of space on any of your floors of your home.

2. Air Quality- You can improve the quality of air in your home by installing a central air system. Central AC systems contain an air filter somewhere in the path of air circulation, and this can filter out dust, pollen, pet dander and various other irritants. The end result is you being able to breathe easier in your home. If you want better air quality in your home, then install an AC system.

3. Efficiency- Central air systems are very efficient at making air cooler within a short period of time, and they don’t use a lot of energy. A few years ago this wasn’t the case, but the technology that powers it has come a very long way over the last 15 years. Today, they are very efficient and work very well at cooling down the areas their designed to cool down.

4. Convenience- You won’t have to turn a central AC system on and off, which makes them very convenient and all you have to do is figure out what you what the temperature at. You set the thermostat and then the system will run itself, and you just have to let it do its job. Once the temperature has been achieved, the system will automatically turn itself off and then back on in order to maintain the temperature.

5. Energy- As previously mentioned, central AC systems are very efficient. They can save you money in the long run because you won’t have to keep running them to keep your home cool. During the down periods, they won’t be using energy.

6. Cooling Volume- The cooling volume is good, too. In other words, certain rooms won’t be left cooler than other rooms. You might be surprised at how great the cooling volume is when you install a central AC system.
As you can see, there are numerous advantages of having a central AC system. All you have to do now is find the right system for your home and then have a professional install it. Just make sure you take the time to find a good AC system because it’s important to get one that will meet your home’s cooling needs.

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Furnace Repair Calgary Promise One Hour Callout Time As Winter Approaches

Furnace Repair Calgary Promise One Hour Callout Time As Winter Approaches

Summary: Furnace Repair Calgary want to ensure homes in Calgary aren’t left freezing by broken

furnaces, and have pledged a one-hour callout time for customers who need their furnace fixing fast.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Fall is here, and winter is coming, bringing with it falling

temperatures and an increasing dependency on furnaces for homes and offices to

stay warm throughout Calgary. These furnaces come in for almost constant use

through the winter months, and this wear and tear can lead to unfortunate

breakdowns. This can leave people freezing in no time at all, making rapid

response a huge advantage for people stranded without heating. Furnace Repair

Calgary already operates a 24/7 emergency callout service, but is now pledging a One Hour Callout

Time to customers.

The new guarantee ensures that a qualified furnace engineer will be on site within an hour of the

original call, ensuring that the repair can be undertaken as quickly and effectively as possible. All

technicians have a broad and deep knowledge of every major furnace brand and model, together

with fully equipped vans carrying all tools and spares.

The one-hour callout guarantee ensures that people won’t be left stranded in the cold when their

furnace breaks down, and is part of the company’s ongoing promise to provide the best customer

experience possible at the best prices in Calgary. Indeed, the company (http://furnace-

repaircalgary.com/) even offer a price match promise, so individuals can get the best experience at

what they can be sure is the lowest rate.

A spokesperson for Furnace Repair Calgary explained, “Furnace Repair Calgary is committed to

helping people get the best from their heating, ventilation and cooling. As well as our one-hour

callout times for repairs, we also recommend individuals book a service for their furnace, as we can

quickly identify potential problems and prevent them for a fraction of the cost, as well as optimizing

performance so people get a more efficient burn, saving them money for the months to come. We

look forward to helping more people than ever this winter.”

About Furnace Repair Calgary: Furnace Repair Calgary specialize in heating, cooling, and ventilation

(HVAC). Their technicians can repair, replace or enhance the efficiency of any furnace or air

conditioning unit used in homes or offices throughout Calgary. The company has a 24/7 emergency

callout service together with a one-hour callout time guarantee for individuals whose furnaces have

broken down.

For more information please visit: http://furnace-repaircalgary.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Furnace Repair Clagary

Email: info@furnace-repaircalgary.com

Organization: Furnace Repair Clagary

Address: 106 420 2nd Street Southwest Calgary, AB T2P 3K4

Phone: (587) 317-7098

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