Is indoor air treatment right for you?
Well let’s look at why you may want to consider indoor air treatment for your living space.
Ever heard of that “new car smell”? Some people love it and some people can’t stand it. Or how about the nice clean smell of freshly installed carpet. Wait do people still install carpet or has hardwoods won out as the preference? Anyway hear I go again on a ramble. Those lovely and some what accomplished smells are what we affectionally call VOCs. Just a fancy way of saying volatile organic compounds.
I am going to assume that most of you reading this post have heard of this term by now. But to some it may be a new term, so since this is a place of education some of you will need to bare with me as I attempt to educate people on the topic of indoor air quality as it relates to VOCs.
VOCs are extremely toxic and harmful
Wow, thats a big statement, right? Well did you know that VOCs are linked to a range of health problems, including some very serious diseases. Some health effects include kidney damage, liver damage, damage to the central nervous system (including the brain), as well as more minor complaints like headaches and eye, throat and nose irritation. This is by no means a scare tactic but a way to inform people. Even simple things that we do on a daily basic can be effecting the health of our families. An example of that would be, the common air freshener or candle that we light to “freshen” the air. Little things like that can be really toxic.
Now I am not suggesting that we all go out and rip up the carpets and trash all the beautifully expensive candles that we have collected over the years. But we need to understand that because of the way technology and building codes have changed we are sealed up tight as a button in our homes. All in the name of saving energy. Which is a good thing-but there is a consequence, no fresh air.
Below is a list of indoor air quality facts. Courteous of RGF. http://www.rgfairpurification.com/indoor-air-quality.html .
Indoor Air Quality Facts
- People spend 75-90% of their time indoors
- Exposure to airborne contamination is considerable.
- 50% of all major office buildings have contaminated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC). If not properly maintained, they are a hotbed for growth of molds and bacteria.
- Each person inhales over 3,500 gallons of air each day. Children inhale more particles for their size then adolescents or adults.
- Polluted air causes 94% of all respiratory problems.
- More than 31 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, about 1/3 are children under 18.
- About 40,000 dust mites, a common household allergen, can live in one ounce of dust.
- An estimated 10-15% of the entire population may be allergic to cat or dog dander.
- A person sheds up to 700,000 skin flakes per day.
Two types of Indoor Air Methods:
Before we go any further we need to stop here and take a look at the two main methods use today to clean the indoor air.
Air Filtration and air purification. There is an industry rule of thumb: “If it is alive you have to kill it.” “If it is dead you have to trap it.”
What is the difference between air filtration and air purification? Well, let me explain:
Filtration-Is the collection of particles ONLY. This does not purify the air.
Air Purification- These are products that actually break down the VOCs into their simpler parts leaving clean air or “purified air”. (UV Light.)
Look for the next blog post to learn ways you can improve your own air in your home.
So you just purchased your first central heating system. You have a pretty new shinny box on the wall that controls your comfort. This is easy right, no big deal. You can just tell it to turn on and away you go. Well that may last you a few months, even a few years if you are lucky. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Or does it? The average heater when installed properly should last you about 20 years. But when you fail to give it annual attention and a little love now and then, you never can tell when it may fail you. What most installers fail to tell you is how to properly maintain your new system so that it will be worry free and do its job well. It’s really not that complicated if you are taught a few basic things. After all you have spent your hard earned money to make sure that you are warm and cozy when the weather outside is frightful so don’t worry, Sherlock is hear to teach you the basic so your not left in the cold.
Step One:
If you didn’t choose to add a programable thermostat when you had your furnace installed, now might be the time to consider changing that outdated mercury thermostat to something 21st century. But why do I want to do that? Good question, glad you asked. Your home heating and cooling system can account for up to 50% of your monthly utility bill. So a great low cost fix for that is to install a programable thermostat so you are only heating your home when you want to. So if you are a nine to fiver and are gone all day, you are not going to want to worry about keeping Fred the goldfish warm during the day. Well I guess we can leave that decision up to you. But I think you get the point.
Step Two:
The single most important step is to set a reminder- or better yet have Sherlock remind you to change your filters on a regular basis. This is one of those steps that you can not forget to do, just like flossing your teeth. You will suffer the consequences if you forget to do this. Having a clean filter is key to persevering the life of your new furnace. Along with keeping your utility bills at bay. It is something easy to do. We recommend that you change the filter once a quarter or once a month if you run your fan on a daily basis. Another tip that we encourage our customers to do is when you change your filter make it a habit to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
Step Three:
Manufactures recommend that you have your system tune-up and cleaned annually to insure that your system is operating at peak performance. Let us a offer a few reasons that you may want to consider a routine maintenance. 1. It is a low cost way to insure that you have heat when you want it, the problem with most system is that it is out of sight out of mind. Why is that such a bad thing? Well let’s just use an example that we encountered this past winter. A current customer of ours call us up to assist with, well how do we say this nicely- okay I’m at a lost for words, a rat problem- I know not something you want to mention to your dinner guest, but it can happen to any of us. She had her house tented and treat for rodents. When she return to her home she did what so may of us do on a cold winters night. She turned on her furnace and noticed an interesting smell, within a few hours her furnace had caught fire. The exterminators had forgotten to remove her new house guess. That’s right you guessed it, a rat had made a home in her furnace and it had caught fire. This sweet unsuspecting lady had almost burnt down her house. Needless to say she called us right away and we were able to help. But it set her Christmas list into a whirl. Point is it’s always better to have your furnace check annually.
These few simple and easy steps can save you a lot of money and headaches. Question please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions.
Energy costs are increasing dramatically. Here are a few inexpensive energy-efficient measures, you can use to reduce your energy bills by 10 to 50 percent and at the same time save energy and reduce air pollution.
Control Indoor Temperatures:
You can save as much as 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10-15 percent for eight hours every day. Reduce daytime home heating temperatures in winter to 68 degrees F or lower.
Many of the following tips lead to energy efficiency in summer as well as in winter.
•When you leave the house for more than four hours set the thermostat back to 60 degrees.
•When you go on vacation, set the thermostat back to 55 degrees.
•Reduce nighttime temperature 5 to 8 degrees or more.
•During the day, open draperies and roll up shades on windows that face south, east, and west to receive direct heat from the sun in winter.
•Place furniture so that it does not block heat registers or outlets.
Control Air Leaks: Energy lost through air leaks can be decreased.
•Caulk cracks around doors, windows, foundation, and the fireplace.
•Close door of attached garage in winter.
•Close the flue when fireplace is not in use.
•Weatherstrip doors and windows.
•Lock your windows so they seal tighter.
•Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans only when necessary.
•Seal unused doors and rooms.
•Insulate ceilings, walls, floors and basement walls adequately.
•Install storm windows and doors.
•Use plastic tightly sealed to the inside of window frames.
•Select a heating system properly sized for house.
•Seal leaks in ductwork.
•Insulated all ducts in exposed areas.
•Maintain heating and cooling equipment in good operating condition.
•Keep air filters clean to make it easier for forced air systems to operate.
•Arrange with heating/cooling dealer for yearly maintenance.
Manage Your Equipment Wisely
•Reduce the amount of hot water used.
•Insulate hot water pipes.
•Maintain a setting of 110-120 degrees F on water heater thermostat. Refer to your owner’s manual for proper setting. If in doubt, test the temperature of water coming from the tap. Note: If your dishwasher does not have a booster heating element, keep water heater temperature at 140 degrees F.
Repair leaky faucets, especially hot water leaks.
