Helpful HVAC Holiday Tips for Homeowners

December 20, 2022

As the holiday season fast approaches, many of us are thinking about buying gifts and scheduling get-togethers. However, if you’re going to be having family over for this holiday season, then you’ll want to pay extra attention to your home’s HVAC system. Read on for tips that you’ll want to implement to keep everyone safe and happy. Change Your HVAC Filter When it comes to keeping everyone comfortable and healthy, your HVAC filter is a necessity. It works to filter out harmful airborne debris that could otherwise lead to adverse health symptoms. It’s highly recommended that you put in a replacement filter every two to three months to ensure that your family and guests are breathing in healthy air while inside your home. If you’re going to be having a lot of people over for a long period of time, you may want to consider upgrading to a better filter that is able to filter out more airborne particles. Put New Batteries in Your Detectors and Alarms If you have a furnace that relies on the combustion process to create heat for your home in the wintertime, it can also create harmful toxins. While these toxins should be vented outside,...

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Watch Out for These Common Winter HVAC Issues

December 20, 2022

While HVAC equipment is vital to keep everything in your home running, at , we understand that many of the most critical HVAC issues that will pop up occur in the winter. Those in Seattle and the surrounding areas know how brutal the weather can get in Washington. Here, we’ll take a look at common problems that can pop up. If you’re experiencing anything like this, don’t hesitate to contact us to have the professionals evaluate and alleviate your problems! Freezing Pipes Pipes freezing during the winter is a common occurrence once temperatures hit freezing. In particular, December, January, and February are the months when this is an infamous happening. Unfortunately, both a rapid occurrence of this and a built-up one will have the same harmful effect of bursting your pipes. Once your pipes have burst, you will have an even more major issue on your hands. A burst pipe can potentially damage the foundation of your home. If not mitigated immediately, you could face a significant problem that will devalue and destabilize your home. You should immediately call competent HVAC professionals if you experience burst pipes or expect them to burst. As a habit, leaving your water running slightly...

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Is Covering Your HVAC System in Winter a Good Idea?

November 19, 2022

The benefits of winter coverings for HVAC systems have long been a subject of debate. There are many valid arguments both for and against putting covers on outside heating and cooling equipment when the weather grows cold. Determining what’s right for the system that you use in your Seattle, WA home is essential. The following deals with everything you need to know about covering HVAC systems during the cold season. Heating and Cooling Equipment Types Are Important Given its large number of historic properties and due to its longstanding reputation for year-round rainy weather, Seattle is one location where traditional central HVAC systems aren’t exactly the norm. Many households have radiators and baseboard heaters, ceiling fans, and little else. To modernize older properties, a lot of homeowners have installed ductless mini-split air conditioners or ductless mini-split heat pumps. There are also a number of buildings that are still reliant upon old and inefficient window air conditioners for summertime cooling. With this in mind, it’s important to note that the value of using heating and cooling system covers varies from one equipment type to the next. For homes with central HVAC systems that provide both whole-house heating and whole-house cooling, covering...

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Here’s What to Know About Rain and Your HVAC System

November 14, 2022

Were you aware that rain can impact the functionality of your HVAC system? It’s not something that every homeowner realizes, so it might catch you by surprise if you find yourself needing a technician after a summer storm. Here’s everything that you need to know about rain and how it can affect your heating and cooling units. The Infrastructure of Your HVAC System Your HVAC system is composed of three parts: The outdoor units The indoor units The ducts or “ductwork” that run throughout your home All three parts must remain functional for your HVAC system to work. Even though they’re interconnected, however, they’re separate systems with individual components, and each can be uniquely affected by the rain. Your Outdoor HVAC System These are probably the HVAC parts that you’re the most familiar with since they’re so visible outside of your home. The most common is the air conditioner condenser, but you might see heating structures outdoors, too. Rain doesn’t generally damage these exterior HVAC units. They’re built to withstand the elements, so they’re heavy, durable, and made with waterproof metals like copper or aluminum. They’re more vulnerable on the inside since that’s where they store their electrical components, but...

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Reasons to Skip the Space Heater and Give an Energy-Efficient Heating System a Try

October 18, 2022

The approaching winter makes many Kirkland residents think about the steps they will take to keep their homes warm. In addition to being comfortable, a warm home is good for your family’s health, safety, and well-being. Two popular heating options are space heaters and forced-air heating systems that use a furnace. Which one is the best option for your home this winter? Is a Space Heater a Good Heating Option for This Winter? Electric space heaters have been around in some form since the late 1800s. They are compact, portable, and provide almost instant heating since they are designed to heat a small space. If you are looking at heating just one room, energy-efficient space heaters can cost as little as $0.10-$0.15 an hour to operate. These factors could make it seem like a space heater represents the best heating option for your home. However, there are other factors you should consider. You Can Only Heat Small Spaces Space heaters can only heat a small space. They were never designed to heat a large room or to be the primary source of heat in your home. While one space heater may only cost between $0.10 to $0.15 an hour to...

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Here’s How Different Weather Conditions Affect Your HVAC System

October 18, 2022

From storms to extreme temperatures, there are a number of ways that inclement weather can impact your HVAC system. These changes can be felt in every season, and they can sometimes build up over time and carry over into subsequent seasons. Here are just a few common problems that Mother Nature can cause for heating and cooling systems. High Winds High-speed winds can be present at any time of the year, and they can cause numerous issues with your HVAC system. Outdoors, they can cause parts of your unit to become loose and damaged; they might even lift away parts that aren’t securely attached. They can also blow all kinds of leaves, branches, and other debris around your pumps and vents. Indoors, the dust and other debris that winds sweep over your unit can impact your air quality, especially if they create a blockage. This is particularly common with air conditioner units that get clogged with dirt on their filters or evaporation coils. Not only do small contaminates get mixed in with your clean air, but less of that air reaches your home overall, making you fiddle with the thermostat and putting extra demands on your HVAC system. Lightning Lightning...

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Why You Need a Home Maintenance Plan

September 19, 2022

Homeownership requires hands-on responsibility when addressing maintenance issues on vital parts of the household. Prevention is always better than a cure which is true when it concerns your home’s state. A minor issue can become a more significant problem and be a real headache affecting expenses, insurance, warranties, and safety. It becomes difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to fix if something goes wrong. A home maintenance plan will cover all these issues and protect you against incurring breakdown costs. Here are some of the benefits a maintenance plan offers to your home. Regular Maintenance Home components such as boilers, HVAC, and plumbing require regular servicing with a scheduled service plan. It is relatively easy to forget these schedules, but having the right plan offers the best maintenance advantage and keeps track of all maintenance requirements in your home. Regular maintenance reduces plumbing leaks, clogs, cooling breakdowns, electrical faults, and water heating failures. The home systems work more efficiently, reducing energy loss and thus lowering utility bills. In addition, these maintained home systems would function longer and prevent costly replacements for an extended period. Reduced Emergency Fees Any home system, even when well-tuned, can still develop unexpected problems mainly due to extreme...

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A Complete Guide to Whole-house Generators

September 3, 2022

Power outages happen. They disrupt your daily life and force you to do things the old-fashioned way. If a severe enough power outage was to occur and last for a prolonged period, it could affect your family in a very negative way. There are many myths floating around about whole-house generators, and knowing the facts is important before deciding to install one. Increased Demand for Consistent Power Generators are a great, safe, and sensible solution for backup power. They’re a fairly recent addition to homes and have become popular due to increased natural disasters. Today’s homes have an increasing number of electronic devices, which means they need constant power. Preventing Water Damage in Your Basement Another benefit of installing an emergency power source is that you don’t have to worry about your sump pump backing up and causing damage in your basement if the power goes out for an extended period. When there isn’t any electricity, water can accumulate because it won’t drain properly without help from a pump. This can cause damage to all of the items stored in your basement and promote mold growth if left untreated for too long. It Keeps Food from Spoiling If there is...

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How to Keep Your Pets Safe From Electrical Hazards

August 17, 2022

If you have pets in your home, then you know how naturally curious pets tend to be. At any moment, your pet can turn an electric gadget into a chew toy, which may, in turn, lead to a serious electrical hazard in your home. Just like children, pets are unaware of the risks and dangers posed by the electrical devices, plugs, and wires within your home. Apart from causing an electrical hazard, pets may also be fatally injured through electric shocks resulting from playing with the electrical items in your home. So, how do you keep your pets safe from electrical hazards? Avoid Leaving Electrical Appliances On/Connected Certain electrical gadgets like heaters, irons, lamps, makeup mirrors, or fans are easy to forget to switch off when they are not in use. In case this happens and you accidentally leave the electric gadget connected to its power source, the end result could be hazardous to your pet when you are not at home. Therefore, the best way to protect your pet is by unplugging appliances or turning them off completely whenever the appliances are not in use. In addition to saving you money on energy bills, unplugging your appliances will also...

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Will Cleaning My Air Ducts Remove the Musty Smell in My Home?

August 10, 2022

We’ve all been there. You turn on the air conditioner, and within moments there is that odorous, musty smell wafting throughout the house. You would open the window, but it’s a blistering 95 degrees outside. You know the odor is coming from the air ducts, but you’re not sure how to solve the issue. So what can you do about it? If you’ve been experiencing a musty smell in your home, the chances are your air ducts need to be cleaned. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what might be causing the smell, how cleaning your air ducts can help remove it, and the benefits of having clean air ducts. We’ll also provide some tips on how often you should clean your air ducts and contact information if you’re interested in scheduling a cleaning. Keep reading for more information! What Is Causing the Musty Smell in Your Home? There are a few different things that could be causing the musty smell in your home. One possibility is that there is mold or mildew growing somewhere in your air ducts. This can happen if the ductwork becomes wet or damp, which can happen if there is a leak in the system....

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