8 Ways to Clean a Furnace or Heat Pump

If you’ve noticed low heating efficiency or a change in the sound of your furnace or heat pump, it may be time to clean it. Dirty furnaces and heat pumps require more energy to operate, which can lead to breakdowns. Below are eight tips on cleaning your furnace or heat pump and maintaining its efficiency. 1. Inspection Before Cleaning Before you can begin cleaning your furnace or heat pump, it’s essential to inspect it to determine if it needs any parts replaced. Your technician can perform a thorough inspection of your unit by checking its dust collector, air filters, and oil filter. Based on the results, the technician may recommend replacing any parts that have reached their lifetime limit or are dirty and inefficient. 2. Clean the Condenser The condenser is the part of your heat pump or furnace that transports heat from the house to the unit. First, it’s essential to clean around the outer sides of your casing, which is located in a room like the garage or basement. When this part of your unit is dirty, it can cause air leakage, resulting in lower efficiency and more energy use. If you need to clean the condenser in...

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Why Do Heaters Smell Like They’re Burning When First Turned On?

Although you might not know that winter is around the corner, some smells will remind you. While for some people it’ll be the smell of pine trees and dinner in the oven, for others, it’ll be the burning smell when they turn on their heaters. This burning smell is a concern for many homeowners in San Antonio, although it’s avoidable. Thus, you shouldn’t be worried. Here’s all you need to know about the burning smell from your heater and how you can avoid it. A Burning Smell From Your Heater If you reside in San Antonio, you’re aware that the weather all year round is conducive and that a heater is not necessary. Thus, once you turn off the heater during Fall, you’ll turn it on during Winter. When the heater is not in use, dust will settle on the equipment. Hence, once you turn on the heater in your home, the fine layer of dust on your heater will first burn off. Therefore, the burning from your heater that you smell once you turn it on is that of burning dust. Is the Burning Smell Normal? This burning smell is a normal and natural phenomenon that occurs in every...

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Tips for Conserving Heat in Winter

The winter is fast approaching, and temperatures can get ridiculously low, especially in San Antonio, TX, making your living space unbearably cold. This means your HVAC system will likely work longer and use more energy than usual, contributing to a sharp rise in energy bills. The situation is even worse with poor heat conservation efforts. This winter, combat the chill with these tricks from . Install a Smart Thermostat A smart thermostat is a crucial solution for cold weather and will help you save up to 30% of your heating cost. This thermostat learns your schedules and preferable room temperature and then saves the data. Using that information, it adjusts itself accordingly every time you are in the home.​ The thermostat has sensors to detect the presence of people in the home, so it can avoid overworking and unnecessary temperature fluctuations. If you are not comfortable with the current temperature settings, you can easily adjust them to your liking through your smartphone. With a smart thermostat, you can zone your home accordingly to avoid heating rooms that are not in use. This feature helps you save money and conserve energy to heat only required rooms. If you are deliberate about...

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Space Heater Safety Tips

A space heater in San Antonio is a helpful item that can take that chill out of the air in certain rooms of your home. While they’re effective, they can also be dangerous. Thirty-two percent of house fires in the United States each year are caused by space heaters, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While some fires occur because of a faulty unit, there are steps that you can take to reduce the risk of a house fire when you have a space heater around. Don’t Leave Your Space Heater Plugged In When Not in Use A space heater must be turned on, and it must be plugged in for it to run. Many people choose to turn the unit off when they’re done with it, but they leave it plugged in for convenience the next time they want to turn it on. Taking that extra step to unplug the unit can provide you with extra safety if the switch wasn’t completely turned to the off position or the unit is malfunctioning. The Location of Your Space Heater Is Important Positioning your space heater in the right location decreases your risk of a fire. You should always have...

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Take Control of Your Winter Heating Bills This Year With These Tips

Winter is an expensive time of the year for people who have inefficient heating systems. Some people spend upward of $500 on their heating costs every month during the winter, and it can be frustrating when you know that you should be able to heat your house for less and be comfortable at the temperature that you choose. Thankfully, there are a few techniques that you can use to reduce the amount of money that you spend every year on your heating costs. Open Up the Shades If you’re interested in a completely free way to partially heat your home, consider opening the curtains and lifting the shades. The sun is a completely free source of warmth, and when you open up the draperies, you’ll spend a lot less money on heating because you can get the heat from the sun without any charge. When the blinds are up, the heat can get inside the house, and you can simply lower the shades when the sun goes down, which will reduce the amount of energy loss that you experience. Assess Where You Need More Insulation Most people understand that you need insulation in the attic, but you might not realize...

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How to Test for AC Efficiency

The San Antonio heat is no joke. Therefore, making sure that your air conditioner system maintains its efficiency should be a top priority. Doing so will save you money down the line. In addition, it will prevent many issues associated with wasted energy. Luckily there is a way to prove that your energy efficiency is fine with nothing but a thermometer. There are also other ways to help you determine the likelihood of having AC efficiency. How to Judge Efficiency There are several things about your AC that are the standard. Anything below these standards is a sign that something isn’t operating correctly within your system, and your energy efficiency will likely take a dip. If you notice you lack in any of these areas, immediate maintenance is needed to avoid further money loss. Reasonable Bills The most common indicator of your energy efficiency is the amount of money you spend on energy. If you have kept track of these numbers, you will notice any changes or irregularities. Taking the days into account that you purposely used more energy than usual to cool your home, there should be no large jumps or gradual increases in your bill. In these cases,...

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Noisy AC? Try These Tips

A noisy air conditioner can ruin your sleep or your party, but there are many reasons why your unit might be making more sounds than you would like. Additionally, some of the sounds could be signs of other problems that you need to address so that you do not have bigger issues down the line. Other noises might be completely normal for your model, while some could indicate that you should get a new unit altogether. The following are some of the sounds that you should be aware of and how you can quiet your air conditioner. Problems With the Ducts First of all, you might hear a hissing sound if you have problems with your duct system. If you have a hole or crack in your ducts, you might start to hear hissing sounds as the air flows through those parts of the system. If there are holes, your AC system is not working efficiently, and this can lead to expensive energy loss. You can fix the holes and cracks, but you can also use insulation to further soundproof your home from the noises. Holes and Obstructions in the Drain Line Your air conditioner has a way of collecting...

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How To Keep My Home Cool Without Air Conditioning?

Not all households have state-of-the-art air conditioning systems. Additionally, saving a dollar or two on electricity bills is an excellent way to keep your finances checked. Though it might be tempting to crank up the AC during the hot summer, sometimes, it’s a great idea to improvise and keep your home cool through other means. The following are examples of simple tricks you can use to keep off the heat. 1. Switch Your Fans to Rotate Counterclockwise Ceiling fans have two rotation direction settings: clockwise and counterclockwise. During summer, you can switch the settings of your fan to rotate counterclockwise. This pushes the cooler air down. Typically, a clockwise rotation during winter helps to distribute heat in your home. It’s a good idea to switch the direction of your fans from clockwise to counterclockwise when you start preparing your home for spring. 2. Use Curtains to Block Out the Heat Generally, you can help prevent your house from heating up in the summer by blocking out the sun using blackout curtains. Drawing your curtains during the brightest and hottest part of your day will keep the sun out. These curtains are specially made with heavy material that absorbs the light...

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How Candles Affect Indoor Air Quality

Candles help enhance a room’s atmosphere. Nonetheless, some candles emit particulate matter, which pollutes the indoor air. Candle soot will tamper with the beauty of your San Antonio home, and it will also affect your home’s ventilation. The market is flooded with different candle designs, but excessive use can expose you to polluted indoor air. The majority of people tend to add scented candles to their dining room table. The candles create a relaxing, intimate, and elegant statement. However, they are also a health hazard. The information below will help you understand how candles affect indoor air quality. What Are Candles Made Of? For years, medical professionals have been researching the effects of candles on people. The human body tends to react negatively whenever the air is polluted. In the marketplace, you will come across scented, aromatic, and paraffin candles. These candles are made of paraffin wax, and there are other instances where paraffin wax is mixed with different wax types. Every time you burn a candle, carcinogenic toxins are produced. Toluene, acrolein, soot, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzene are some of the carcinogenic toxins emitted. The toxins released by paraffin candles are identical to the toxins from burnt diesel fuel....

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Who Invented Air Conditioning?

The sizzling-hot summers in San Antonio, TX, will have you reaching for your home’s thermostat to crank up the AC. You might be surprised to learn that air conditioning has only been the norm in houses for about 60 years. Earlier, people had to use fans, swamp coolers or simply leave their doors and windows open for air circulation. Read on to learn about who invented air conditioning, some of the earliest types of air conditioning systems and what types of air conditioning inventions may be in store for the future. Willis Carrier Willis Carrier is widely regarded as the father of air conditioning. In 1901, he worked for an engineering firm. One of the clients was a printing company. It had a chronic problem with too much humidity. The moisture caused paper to get stuck. Carrier was tasked with solving the company’s problem. He invented a machine that was powered by electricity. This machine lowered the humidity in the client’s manufacturing facility. An unintended side effect of the dehumidification was a reduction in the room’s temperature. Carrier patented his machine in 1902. In 1915, he and his co-workers split from their employer and founded the Carrier Corporation. Carrier Corporation...

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