One of the important indoor air quality installations that we handle for homes in Chicagoland is a whole-house humidifier. During the winter, moisture freezes out of the air and often leads to air with less than 30% relative humidity—too dry for comfort. When the humidity is this low, it adds an unpleasant edge to the already cool temperatures because heat can leave the body quicker. It also allows for the quicker spread of illnesses and can create damage to wooden and painted surfaces.
ServiceMax Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Wilmette’
Do You Need a Humidifier in Winter Because of the Furnace?
Sunday, October 23rd, 2016The Great Fall Furnace Replacement Debate
Monday, September 26th, 2016Last week we wrote about the importance of maintaining your furnace each fall. This week, we’re turning to a more extensive version of furnace maintenance: replacing a furnace with a new one. A time will come when continuing with regular tune-ups and scheduling repairs are no longer the best option for a furnace. We’ll look into whether this is the fall when you should arrange to have a new furnace installed.
Why a Dirty Outdoor AC Coil Is a Problem
Monday, August 29th, 2016We’ve recently written about some of the more common issues that an air conditioner may face as the end of summer approaches. All the stress of the previous months of outdoor heat can add up to a malfunctioning cooling system—even if the system received professional maintenance. We’re going to take a closer look at one of these late-summer problems in this post: the dirty outdoor condenser coil.
Fixing a Hard-Starting Compressor in an Air Conditioner
Monday, August 1st, 2016The hardest-working part of your air conditioning system is the compressor. You’re probably familiar with the sound it makes—it’s the whirring noise that you hear each time the AC starts the cooling cycle—and it’s essential for providing the comfortable environment in your home during hot days. The compressor is a pump that places refrigerant under pressure to turn it into a hot gas so it will circulate through the system, moving heat from the inside to the outside. Basically, if you don’t have a working compressor, you don’t have an air conditioner.
Did You Know? Some Interesting Facts about Air Conditioning History
Monday, July 11th, 2016Residential air conditioning is so common now that it’s easy to take it for granted, or think that there isn’t anything interesting about the unit the keeps your home comfortable during the summer days and nights. However, the electro-mechanical air conditioner has been around for more than a hundred and ten years now, and it’s racked up some interesting stories during that time. Below we’ve listed a few of the more intriguing pieces of AC history and the ways that it changed the country.
UV Air Purifiers Can Help with Your Air Conditioning This Summer
Monday, May 16th, 2016An indoor air quality solution that we often install in homes is the UV air purifier. This device safely eliminates bacteria and microbes, including harmful viruses and germs, from the air within a home. The ultraviolet radiation of the UV lamps in the purifier disrupt the cellular functions of organic pollutants without needing to resort to any chemicals that can have negative impact on air quality.
Replace Your Old Water Heater with a Tankless Water Heater
Monday, April 18th, 2016No water heater will last forever, no matter how well-constructed it is or how much regular maintenance and care it receives. Eventually, the contact of water and metal as well as the wear on components such as the circulator pump and the heat exchanger will make the system so repair-prone that replacement is the best option. It’s better to have this job done soon… or you could end up losing the water heater entirely.
What Does the ENERGY STAR Label Mean on ACs and Heaters?
Monday, March 21st, 2016If you’ve purchased any type of appliance or electronic device in the last couple of decades, you’ve more than likely heard of the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect our climate through superior energy efficiency.
What Happens During Standby Generator Maintenance?
Monday, February 22nd, 2016If your home has an automatic standby generator, it’s essential that you schedule annual maintenance for it. After all, what good is an emergency generator that will see to your home’s electric needs during a power loss if you can’t count on it to actually work when the time comes? Regular generator maintenance is like and insurance policy for an insurance policy, essentially.
Keeping the Outdoor Cabinet of Your Heat Pump Clear
Monday, January 25th, 2016If your home uses a heat pump to provide for its comfort throughout the year, you need to take special care of it to make sure it continues to work efficiently—especially during the winter. Modern heat pumps have better energy efficiency during cold temperatures than older one, but improper care can quickly alter that. Something to pay close attention to is how much clearance the heat pump’s outdoor cabinet (the compressor) has.