Is Maintaining Proper Humidity Levels in Your Home Important?

April 17, 2018

Human beings spend close to 90% of their lives indoors. So why not start maintaining proper humidity levels to help keep your home comfortable? Relative indoor humidity is always higher than outdoors because of activities in the house such as cooking, washing, and bathing. The optimal humidity level in the house should be about 30% to 55%. If the humidity levels are higher or lower than this, there will be some negative effects. What happens when humidity levels are low? During winter in Louisville, moisture vanishes, and the air is left very dry. Low humidity levels can lead to difficulty breathing, bloody noses, sore throats, and cracked itchy, skin. Furniture and wood flooring also suffer in homes with low humidity. The lack of moisture can dry out the wood around the home causing it crack. Old homes tend to have relatively lower humidity levels compared to newer more energy efficient homes. What happens when humidity levels are too high? A high humidity level in the house creates an ideal atmosphere for growth of mold and bacteria in the house. It is common for the humidity level in the house to be higher in the summer. These can activate allergies and...

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What Is the Difference Between a Furnace and a Heat Pump?

March 22, 2018

Most homeowners are not sure whether to use a heat pump or a furnace to warm their homes when the cold season sets in. Knowing how each of the devices works could help in making the right choice. Here are the differences between the two as well as the best areas of application. A heat pump uses a refrigerant to transfer heat energy to the house. Therefore, it can be used for heating and lower the temperature at home. Heat pumps make use of electricity and have no other heat source that is used to condition air at home. The furnaces heat the home with energy drawn from fuel such as fuel oil, coal, wood, natural gas or electricity. Furnaces are only meant for heating the house but may share the vent system with the air conditioner. The source of fuel determines the efficiency and the cost of operating the furnace. Efficiency The old furnaces are known to be very inefficient and losing a high percentage of the energy they produce. However, with the new technologies in place, you can get furnaces which are up to 98 percent energy efficient. Any furnace of five years old is likely to be...

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How Do Heat Pumps Work?

February 8, 2018

Heat pumps give the most energy-efficient method to offer cooling and heating in many places since that consume heat sources that are renewable in the environment. They do function all temperatures to produce heat that is incessantly replaced by the sun. How Heat Pumps Operate Heat runs naturally from the higher to the lower temperature. Heat is also forced to flow to other areas by the pumps; this is through the use of a relatively small quantity of excellent quality motivation energy. Hence, there is the transfer of heat from the natural sources of heat, like the ground, air or water, or the synthetic sources. They can also be used as cooling systems. Here heat is transported to the reverse direction, from the submission, which is cooled, to the environment at a higher temperature. There are times when the excess heat that comes from the cooling will be used to meet an immediate heat ultimatum. The heat pump removes humidity and heat from the open-air during the heating process, the temperature is then transferred to the home. It is possible for the process to take place even when the outdoor degrees are at zero Fahrenheit; this is so because the...

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How to Keep Your Furnace Running Efficiently

January 18, 2018

There are two times per year a furnace runs the most: winter and summer. Given that we are currently in the middle of winter it’s a great time to learn about keeping a furnace running. No one wants a furnace to break down. Let’s talk about how to keep a furnace healthy at all times. Dirty filters, holes in an air duct, lack of maintenance — these are some of the reasons a furnace becomes less effective. Let’s break down each reason to learn about how to keep a furnace running more efficiently. Replace Your Air Filter Dust, grime, and other particles build up in an air filter over time. At some point, it becomes harder for air to flow through the filter. Once this happens, the furnace cannot distribute air as it would be able to with a clean air filter. Therefore, these filters should be checked for buildup every few months. Air filters are inexpensive and a vital component to the health of a furnace. Check for Holes Air leakage happens when there are holes present in an air duct. Homes shift over time. Therefore, air leakage can happen even if the air duct was properly installed originally....

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What Are Pros and Cons of Ductless Systems?

December 29, 2017

“To duct or not to duct? That is the question.” Deciding whether or not to use a ductless system is simple when you have the correct information to aid in your choice. Read on to find out the pros and cons regarding ductless systems. Discover when ductless systems are beneficial, and when they are less effective here. Pros of Ductless Systems Ductless system installation requires only the drilling of a small hole at the site of installation, which prohibits air leaks, which contributes to energy savings, which brings us to point two. Ductless systems are incredibly energy efficient. According to Energy Star, “about 20 to 30 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts.” This translates to higher energy bills for the homeowner. Ductless systems avoid this issue altogether, making them much more efficient. Installation of ductless systems may result in receipt of a federal tax credit and/or a local utilities incentive bonus as well. Ducted systems require duct maintenance, which adds expenses. They also require repairs eventually. These problems are avoided with ductless systems. Cons of Ductless Systems Cost – Ductless systems cost more on installation than do traditional ducted...

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How to Troubleshoot Your Furnace in KY

November 27, 2017

It is time for a furnace tune-up, and if you don’t have one yet, then it is time for furnace installation. Here are some tasks you can perform for yourself before you call for a furnace repair assistance. Check the Thermostat and the Furnace to Ensure That They Are On Sometimes your furnace may not be blowing air since the thermostat is turned off. Before you call a furnace repair expert, make sure that the temperature is set correctly. If you are not sure whether the furnace is on, try setting the thermostat to 5oC higher than the temperature in your house and see if the heater comes on. Make sure that the thermostat’s temperature setting is in heat mode instead of the air conditioning mode. If this doesn’t work, then proceed to the other furnace tune-up steps outlined below. Check the Circuit Breaker If you still haven’t found the problem from the first step above, the next furnace troubleshooting step would be checking its circuit breakers. Go to your home’s breaker panel and identify the circuit that controls the furnace. Sometimes, the breaker could be in an “off” state. Some electricians tend to do a shoddy job when it...

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What Causes Uneven Home Heating in Hikes Point

October 24, 2017

Have you ever noticed that one room is ten degrees cooler than the room across the hall? Uneven home heating is a common issue. The cause could be an array problems. Register Blockage Many do not realize that a piece of furniture has covered a vent. Or, even laundry piled near a heating duct will cause home heating systems to be affected by blocked-off registers.  The easy remedy is to move furniture so heat can flow with ease. Duct Damage Heating maintenance is required as winter approaches. In some cases, you will find damage to the duct system of your heating unit.  In most cases, you will need to contact an air/heating technician to repair the duct damage. Caulking is a band-aid to a larger issue of air flow. Discarding Dirty Air Filters It is best practice to change air filters on a regular basis. When a filter clogs and becomes useless, it causes uneven home heating. Often, no heat at all.  Part of heating maintenance is replacing your air filter every month or two so you do not find yourself cold in the depths of winter. Undersized Heating Unit You have changed the filter, cleared debris, and checked your air...

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Are Annual Furnace Check-Ups Necessary?

September 5, 2017

If you’re wondering whether you should you have your furnace checked out once a year, the short answer is yes. Even if your heating system is fairly new, it’s a good idea to have routine maintenance performed and if your furnace is 10 years old or more, yearly maintenance is a must. Here’s why: Most if not all furnace manufacturers recommend annual professional maintenance on their products, and some warranties even state that damage from improper maintenance will not be covered. It’s smart to protect your heating system investment with a yearly checkup that costs much less than a serious repair.   A professional technician can check and adjust components that most homeowners are not familiar with. For example, a good furnace checkup includes a blower wheel check and cleaning which requires the part to be uninstalled, cleared of debris, and reinstalled. Also, the blower motor needs to undergo an amp-draw test, which should be conducted by one of our professionals here at Air Comfort.   Yearly inspections of the wiring, drainage system, blower access door, and the vent system are vital to the efficiency and longevity of your heating system and could help you save big on future repairs....

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Why Tune Up Your Air Conditioning?

June 17, 2017

With summer here in and temperatures starting to heat up, it’s time to make sure your AC is up to speed. The best way to do that is to get an AC tune up. This is important because cooling and heating can account for almost half of a typical homeowner’s energy costs. Energy Star says that investing in an annual AC system tune up can help improve your unit’s efficiency and reduce your energy costs. Build-up from not cleaning your unit can reduce efficiency by as much as 5% a year – and that can really add up. When temperatures rise, too many people just turn on their AC unit without even thinking about it, even though they haven’t thought about cool air in months. Not only can this damage your unit and make it inefficient, it can cost you big over the long run. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish – the average cost of an AC tune up from a reputable AC repair company is only around $70. Here’s what an AC tune up and professional cleaning includes: -A thorough cleaning of condenser coils -Clean air filter -Inspect indoor coil if accessible -Check condenser coil and remove debris -A...

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The Importance of AC Maintenance

May 15, 2017

9 out of 10 cooling system failures are caused by dirt and dust. A light layer of dust on cooling coils can reduce your energy efficiency by 20%. This can be easily prevented with regular AC maintenance. Protect Your Investment The installation of your air conditioning and heating system is an investment, therefore you should do everything possible to minimize equipment breakdown. Planned maintenance not only assists in preventing unit breakdown to business-critical environments but also helps to improve energy efficiency. You will be rewarded with lower running costs, potentially a much longer lifespan for your unit, plus fewer carbon emissions. Two Maintenance Visits Annually AC unit, heat pump, and furnace equipment is not inexpensive and we always recommend that, following installation, you enter into a maintenance agreement with your installer. This normally involves two annual visits to your cooling and heating equipment by trained, certified technicians. A cooling system routinely maintained, provides a much higher performance and is much more energy efficient. Inspections During each technician visit, all functions of the systems are inspected, filters cleaned, operating pressures and controls checked and calibrated. Leak checks are carried out at least once per year and records are kept to show...

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