Year-Round Benefits of an Energy Recovery Ventilation System With allergens and breathing issues on the rise, indoor air quality is more important than ever. Instead of constantly battling the heat or cold, your home can maintain the proper humidity levels with the installation of one product known as an energy recovery ventilation system. Often referred to as an ERV system by professionals, these impressive machines work all year round to improve the air quality and moisture in your home. Before hiring a company to install the system, learn how these systems actually work for your home and the benefits they can provide through every season. Dry Weather Winter Benefits in St. Louis, MO A long winter can bring a lot of dry weather outdoors, and that dry air can easily transition into your home. An ERV system will typically get installed in an attic crawl space. If your home does not have an attic space, then an area like a deep closet or basement will provide an ideal installation spot for the ERV system. While the system works two ways, in the winter, the main goal is to deliver a little moisture into the house and eliminate the need for...
View Article
How to Find the Best Indoor Air Quality Technology for Your Home The air quality in your St. Louis, MO home could be far worse than the air quality outdoors. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it’s likely two to five times worse. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. Whether you live near a busy freeway or have multiple indoor pets, advanced indoor air quality (IAQ) technologies can help. However, the key to optimizing IAQ improvements is finding the right one for your household. HVAC Air Filters: What They Can and Cannot Do All heaters and air conditioners have pre-installed HVAC air filters. Equipment manufacturers install these components to keep the interiors of furnaces, ACs, and heat pumps protected and promote long equipment lifespans. These standard, pre-installed filters collect larger airborne particulates like dust motes, hair, textile and carpet fibers, and pet fur. However, due to their larger mesh, many allergens and contaminants pass right through them. Thus, while they do provide limited air quality benefits, these benefits are hardly enough to meet the IAQ needs of most households. The Importance of Keeping Your HVAC Equipment Clean According to HVAC equipment manufacturers,...
View Article
The Importance of Commercial HVAC Maintenance To ensure that the air inside your commercial establishment is maintained at a comfortable temperature, and is free from all kinds of pollutants, every business owner should carry out periodic maintenance of their commercial HVAC systems. Periodic HVAC maintenance involves an audit of the environmental and energy systems of the building. HVAC experts identify comfort issues and analyze the equipment and operating procedures to offer cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions. There are several benefits that a business owner can seek from periodic maintenance of their commercial HVAC systems. HVAC Systems Survey and Financial Analysis Commercial HVAC system maintenance involves an audit of mechanical equipment and control systems. By gauging the condition, age, and repair status of the equipment, you can easily identify the problem areas, and plan and prioritize repairs. It also helps in better financial planning by offering a history of expenditures and projecting future outflows. By taking into account these factors, business owners are better able to prepare a budget. Solutions Once the heating and cooling company has identified all problem areas, they will recommend solutions that improve the comfort level and increase the energy efficiency of the HVAC system. The efforts are made...
View Article
4 Indicators Your AC is Due for Repairs Many people rarely think of their AC units until the weather becomes unbearable and the demand for air conditioning becomes indispensable. Some homeowners will often praise the vital role of a cooling system but won’t take the necessary steps to keep them in ideal working conditions. You must understand that air conditioners run on fault-prone components that need regular care and repairs. Even if you’ve got the most luxurious, top-tier air conditioner, you still need to watch for faults and failure signs. To save you the hassle of dissembling your AC unit every few months to check for defects, the following are the top four telltale signs of an AC system that’s due for repairs. 1. Erratic Cooling An effective air conditioning unit spreads its cooling power evenly throughout the zoned area. These units are accurately sized to the cooling demands of the target area. Therefore, it’s normal to question the performance of your air conditioner if it fails to distribute cool air throughout your home. In some instances, wrong thermostat settings may affect how air is distributed throughout the house. However, the leading cause of uneven cooling is a faulty AC...
View Article
Not every home in St. Louis is built to support a central HVAC system. If you live in a house with insufficient HVAC ductwork or absolutely no ductwork at all, you may be tired of relying on ceiling fans, standing fans, and inefficient window air conditioners during the summer months. Fortunately, ductless air conditioning provides the same reliable performance that central A/C systems do. These systems are flexible enough for meeting the needs of everyone in the home. They’re also easy to install. Keep reading to find out exactly how these relatively new options in home cooling equipment work. What Is a Ductless Air Conditioner? Also known as mini-splits or ductless mini-splits, ductless air conditioners have an outside compressor and multiple indoor air handlers. For every room or zone throughout your home that you want to cool, you’ll need to have a separate air handler installed. This configuration means that you don’t have to turn the air conditioner on in every room at once. Instead, building residents can selectively cool down the areas that they’re actively using. Each air handler has its own thermostat and remote. This makes ductless A/C systems an excellent choice for households with residents that are...
View Article
7 Ways Spring Weather Affects Your Indoor Air Quality Spring weather in St. Louis, MO can be a wild, unpredictable ride. With strong, gusty winds, ample rain, hail storms, and tornadoes, many residents aren’t eager to greet this often volatile season. Sadly, even when you’re nestled safely inside, there’s still the issue of greatly diminished indoor air quality (IAQ). The good news is that you have a far better ability to manage the environment inside of your home than you do the environment outdoors. The following are seven springtime IAQ concerns along with a few tips for mitigating them. 1. Dirty Air Filters, Vents, and Ductwork Spring in St. Louis often comes on the heels of severe winter weather and an extended cold season. It’s not uncommon for locals to see record-breaking snowfall in mid-March. When compared to locations with shorter and more temperate winters, this means far more strain on central heating systems. By the time that April arrives, your HVAC system is likely riddled with dirt, dust, pet hair, and other accumulated debris. If the weather stays cold throughout all of early spring, you may make the mistake of skipping or delaying your regular HVAC maintenance. One of...
View Article
Indoor Quality Monitors There are many contaminants inside your home such as smoke, carbon monoxide, pet dander, and dust that could make it uncomfortable and cause or worsen conditions like asthma and allergies. Research shows that indoor air pollution is sometimes higher than outdoor air pollution, and the World Health Organization states that approximately 3.8 million deaths annually are a result of indoor pollution-related issues. You can protect yourself by getting an air quality monitor to help you determine indoor air quality and understand how to improve it. What Is an Air Quality Monitor? Air quality monitors are electronic devices used to detect and measure the presence of tiny liquid and solid particles plus gases in your house or business that could be dangerous. Sometimes, the contaminants in your home or commercial building could accumulate. Without the monitor, you might not notice it, and it could eventually become a health threat for your family. Depending on the size of your home or business premises, you can choose a floor or tabletop model, a ceiling- or wall-mounted model, or a handheld, portable monitor. Wall or ceiling-mounted are permanent, and you can’t move them from room to room like the handheld or...
View Article
Spring AC Tune-Up The warmer seasons are just around the corner, and so is the need for your air conditioner. To avoid paying more in electricity costs, you’ll want to schedule your spring AC tune-up to ensure it is working properly. Consider the following benefits of having regular system maintenance and what you can expect during your maintenance visit with one of our experienced technicians. Lower Operating Costs One of the most important reasons to have your system regularly maintained is to keep it running efficiently. Your system experiences additional strain when it isn’t functioning properly. This increases the amount of energy needed to effectively cool your home, ultimately increasing your electricity bill. Keep costs low by keeping up with routine maintenance of your equipment. Reduce Preventable Repairs Along with increased energy consumption, lack of efficiency also means your system experiences excessive strain. For example, airborne contaminants that flow through your filter and settle on the equipment components restrict airflow through the system, increasing resistance on your circulating fan motor. The motor itself creates vibration, which slowly loosens the mounting hardware and electrical connections in the air conditioner. Both of these increase wear on the circulating fan motor. It can...
View Article
Maintaining Clean Indoor Air One of the healthiest ways to encourage air circulation in a home is by opening a window. By opening the windows on a daily basis, you’re able to eliminate the collection of stale smells and more. However, if someone in your household has allergies, you can’t necessarily open your windows every day. Even if a person doesn’t have allergies, you still probably don’t want to invite a ton of pollen or ragweed into your home. In order to encourage clean air during allergy season, consider the following tips. 1. Monitor Your Beds and Linens Statistics show that the average individual spends a third of their life asleep. If the average person is getting at least eight hours of sleep, this is a significant amount of time to be in one space. Knowing this, it’s important to prioritize a clean bed environment. After a long day, it might be tempting to climb in bed. However, it’s best to take a shower and thoroughly clean yourself. This helps you to wash off all of the dirt, debris and allergens you can’t always see. Change your linens on a weekly basis. Cover your mattress, pillows and your box spring...
View Article
Step-by-Step Furnace and Heat Pump Cleaning Did you know that you should clean your furnace at the start of each heating season? The fact is that repeating it sometime mid-year will also help with keeping your furnace operating at peak efficiency while also helping you to prevent any future problems. In addition, to keep it running efficiently, annual servicing by an HVAC professional is recommended. On the other hand, if your home has a heat pump, you should be cleaning your supply and return registers annually as well as straightening their fins if they get bent. You should also call in a professional service provider, like , at least once a year to inspect your blower, ducts, filters, and indoor coil for any dirt or other obstructions. Check Your Warranty First Before doing any repair or maintenance work on your own on any HVAC unit, read your warranty carefully. Many units require that maintenance is regularly done by a professional (and not by you) in order to stay valid. Others will state that, if you work on your own furnace without the right credentials, your warranty is also voided. These requirements vary by brand, age and type of service performed....
View Article
