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Should I Upgrade My Thermostat?

April 6, 2021

Many homes in Houston, TX, still have old thermostats. If you use a dial-style or analog thermostat, you’re missing out on a lot of convenient and money-saving features that new thermostats have to offer. When it comes to installing a new thermostat, you have two options. The first is a programmable thermostat. These have touchscreens and can save your temperature settings. Smart thermostats also have these features, but they offer even more. Smart thermostats connect to your home’s Wi-Fi and include an app for your phone. This allows you to use your smartphone to communicate with the thermostat when you’re away from home or if you’re at home and on bed rest. Consider these 10 reasons to upgrade your thermostat today. 1. Precision Control of Your Home’s Temperature Analog thermostats don’t offer precise temperature control. When you set one of these thermostats, it’s difficult to tell whether you’ve set the temperature at 70 or 72 degrees. With a programmable or smart thermostat, the digital interface allows you to tap on an up or down arrow to set the exact temperature you want. You can do this at different times of the day and days of the week. All programmable thermostats...

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How to Clean an Air Conditioner Filter

March 8, 2021

Air conditioner filters are often the most overlooked components in an HVAC system, yet they play a huge role in keeping debris, dust, and dirt away from your Houston home. As they improve the quality of the air you breathe, they can also get clogged with the same particles they trap from the surrounding. When the filters get blocked, the air conditioner is forced to work harder as it pumps the air through them. This not only incurs more energy costs but also shortens the lifespan of your system. Luckily, you can easily avoid these high utility costs while increasing the efficiency of your air conditioner by having the filters removed, assessed, cleaned or replaced every two to three months. Learning how to clean your air conditioner filters is a fundamental part of a regular maintenance schedule. How you do it plays a huge role in determining whether your HVAC system will function efficiently. That said, here’s how to clean your air conditioner filters: The Basics Before you learn how to clean the filters, it is important to remember that not every air conditioner filter can be cleaned. If the filters in your system have a cardboard frame or come...

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How To Test Indoor Air Quality For Mold

February 5, 2021

Indoor air quality plays a significant role in the health of people living or working within a specific residential or commercial building. Some experts argue that the quality of air in your home can be up to five times more polluted than the outdoors. As such, addressing the issue of air pollution within your walls has never been more important. Testing the quality of air in your Houston, Texas home is one of the easiest methods of guaranteeing your loved ones a safe living environment. Depending on the substance of concern, ways of testing air quality in your living quarters vary significantly. Some homeowners simply install an indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor —an appliance that constantly checks for pollutants in your home. IAQ monitors are extremely handy in ensuring that the allergen and asthma triggers in your house are properly eliminated. They are, however, not known by many people. Mold Testing Despite the greatness of IAQs, they fall short of detecting some substances. Some of the most common types of air quality concerns people contend with include the presence of mold, radon, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Mold is a common house pollutant that affects most homes found in damp...

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Will air purifiers help with mold?

January 21, 2021

You may not think about mold in your Houston home until you come across a small colony in your basement or under a sink, but this type of airborne particle requires prudent attention. Mold is not necessarily a sign that your house is not clean. In fact, mold spores are found in almost every environment. The spores can enter through cracks and gaps around windows and doors, and even through your heating and cooling system. Fortunately, installing an air purifier reduces the amount of mold inside your residence and lessens the chance of the spores finding a place to grow colonies. Types of Mold Found in Homes Black mold is the most common type of mold that corrects for homeowners in Houston and the surrounding areas. The scientific name is stachybtrys chartarum, and the mold has a dark green or black appearance. You will find black mold in areas that are constantly wet, such as under a leaking sink or on a wall with water damage. Black mold is linked to several health problems, such as allergies, breathing issues, and even lung damage. Other types of mold that we commonly find in Houston properties are: Penicillin, a bluish-green mold that...

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How Heat Pumps Heat Your Home in the Wintertime

December 18, 2020

Living in Houston, TX, or the surrounding area means that you’ll deal with some wild weather. Winter nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing, so you’ll need a heating system. The long, hot and humid summers mean that you also need an energy-efficient air conditioning system. With a heat pump, you get both. In moderate climates like Houston’s, heat pumps do particularly well at heating your home efficiently. Knowing how a heat pump is able to keep your Houston home warm during the winter months of the year could help you make an informed decision about which heating system to choose. Types of Heat Pumps There are three types of heat pumps: air-, water- and ground-source. An air-source heat pump transfers heat energy between the outdoor air and your home. A water-source heat pump uses a body of surface water, such as a pond, to transfer heat energy into and out of your home. Ground-source heat pumps, which are also called geothermal heat pumps, transfer heat between your home and a series of pipes that are buried at least 6 feet below the surface of the soil. Air-source heat pumps are the most common type of heat pump used in the...

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6 Ways a Zone Control System Can Help You Save on Cost

November 21, 2020

Cooling and heating a house requires a significant amount of energy that may cost a lot of money based on your requirements. As a result, most homeowners continuously search for solutions to improve energy efficiency at home. If you aren’t careful, your electric bills may shoot high, and your only option could be reducing your HVAC usage. Fortunately, if you want to enjoy excellent air quality without worrying about bills, you may want to install a zoning system. It’s a comfort unit tailor-made, especially for families with varying temperature preferences. Besides, you may need it if you have rooms in your house you don’t frequently use. The system can be a great addition to your home, and it provides the following cost benefits. 1. Lowers Your Utility Bills You’ll often have empty rooms in the house at some point in the day. A zoning system lets you choose specific parts of your home that require heating or cooling at a particular period. Therefore, your furnace or air conditioner doesn’t need to maintain a uniform temperature in these rooms continually. The system allows you to control the temperature in unoccupied rooms while maintaining the occupied areas’ comfort levels. For instance, in...

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5 Ways to Fix Home Hot Spots

October 21, 2020

When it’s hot outside and all you want to do is enjoy a nice, cool living space, the occurrence of hot spots can be a real frustration. As the name suggests, a hot spot is an area in the home that, for some reason, just doesn’t seem to cool off like the rest of the home when the AC is running. To alleviate these problem spots, consider the following five possible causes as well as their accompanying fixes. 1. Check for Duct Issues Problems with ductwork are a primary cause of many hot spot issues homeowners face. There are many possibilities when ductwork is to blame, but some of the most common issues that can cause hot spots include internal or external blockages, duct damage, filter issues or even faulty install work and/or system design. Some of these problems can be solved with relative ease, while some other issues such as poor design or install work can become more involved and expensive to fix. As a homeowner, you can do a few things to check that your ducts are working well and not contributing to hot spot issues. One step is to check for airflow at your vents. You can...

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How To Protect Your Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

September 20, 2020

While you may have heard about carbon monoxide poisoning, chances are you’ve assumed that it wouldn’t affect your home or family. However, carbon monoxide poisoning can happen in any home. Some behaviors put you at an increased risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, so it’s important to know how to keep yourself and your family safe. Follow these 10 tips for protecting your family from carbon monoxide poisoning in Houston, TX. 1. Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors Carbon monoxide detectors are an essential line of defense against carbon monoxide poisoning. Since you can’t smell, taste or see carbon monoxide, the alarm is the only way you’ll know it’s in your home. You should have a detector on every floor of your home. There should be a monitor outside each bedroom. The alarm should be loud enough to wake you out of a deep sleep. Gas-powered appliances, such as furnaces, should have a monitor 15 feet away from their location. Putting the monitor closer could result in false-positive alarms. Surprisingly, direct sunlight can cause a false positive alarm. Avoid putting the alarms in drafty areas or near doors or windows, which could cause false-negative results. 2. Check and Replace Carbon Monoxide Detector Batteries...

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A Beginner’s Guide to HVAC

August 8, 2020

When you own a house, heating and cooling are extremely important to living comfortably throughout the year. HVAC technology plays a vital role in keeping you cool in the summer and warm during winter. That’s why homeowners need to understand the essential elements of an HVAC unit. With this guide, you can stay informed about the system that keeps your home comfortable. What Exactly Is HVAC? This acronym stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and it is used to describe home heating and cooling systems. An HVAC system has three primary functions in your home. This system controls the air temperature and humidity in the room. Along with that, it maintains the indoor air quality. The different components of an HVAC system work together to create a comfortable home environment. HVAC Can Work As a Central System Many heating and cooling systems are classified as central or local. Central heating and cooling units are the most standard models in the country. This system produces cool or warm air in a centralized area and distributes it throughout the home. There are several types of systems that are considered centralized, such as packaged product systems or traditional split systems. Central systems...

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Checking for Air Leaks in your AC

July 14, 2020

When you turn on the AC unit in your Houston, TX, home, you expect that is it going to operate as intended. Sometimes it does not. The issue with the AC depends on the symptoms. If no cold air is being produced, your AC is most likely experiencing compressor issues. Another culprit that causes AC performance issues is leaks. Leaks can be felt, heard, or seen. To be 100% sure, a professional like the technicians at has to come into your home and run a series of tests. Here are some ways we check for leaks in your AC unit and how we can help. Missing Equipment Some leaks are caused by the equipment. If the panels are not secure or if there are missing grommets, there may be a leak caused by the equipment. A whole-home system that was not properly installed could lead to leaks, too. Those who would like to inspect the situation for themselves can: Double-check that all the panels and connections are properly secured Double-check that no screws are missing Repair any panels that are bent Repair any damaged seals Utilize Pergamum to temporarily stop a leak if you find it Double-check all equipment insulation...

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