Atlanta HVAC Guide: Green Your Home Ideas

Written By: triadmechanical.com
Energy costs and depleted supplies force us to consider alternatives to how we lived 20 and 30 years ago. This transformation of thinking is most prevalent in our homes.  Not only are the habits of our lifestyles under consideration, but the very structure of our homes as well.  From materials to furnishings, houses are being transformed.

Remodel versus New Construction

The amount of open land available for development is less than before, so creativity is being utilized to design more compact developments, concentrating homes into multi-family structures and creating communities with shared spaces.
If you need more square footage for a growing family, staying put by increasing the footprint or adding a second story is viewed as more green than starting fresh on a new plot of ground.  In either case, careful consideration to the materials and heating systems used can have a significant impact on the environment.

Changing Habits and Habitats

From acoutrements to the house design itself, each decision to change an appliance or upgrade the finishes has greener impacts, no matter the choice of color.  Something so simple as converting light bulbs from incandescent to longer-lasting and more efficient compact florescents (the twisty tube ones) is becoming required in many communities and saves serious dollars in utility costs.
Hot water heaters can be combined with the boiler to share the energy.  More energy efficient glass can bring in more solar heat and light and hold it there longer.  Bamboo flooring only takes five years to grow, but can last 60, allowing our supply of trees to replenish.  Getting an energy efficient air conditioner can lower you energy bills during the summer.

Greening Your Home

Transforming the colors on our walls with odorless zero VOC  paints makes the chore fun to do yourself (instead of smelly and causing a headache), satisfying a need to feel accomplished and useful.  Composting left-over food to nourish our vegetable garden contributes to the effort of awareness far more emphatically than just flushing waste out of mind down the garbage disposal.

3 Sounds You Need To Listen For

Written By: Westland Heating & Air Conditioning Westlake, OH 

Our homes in Westlake make weird noises from time to time. This is to be expected. But the furnace in your home might be a different story. If you start to hear certain noises it might be a good idea to call for furnace repair services. At Westland Heating and Air Conditioning, we’ve responded to countless calls for furnace repair service in Westlake. So that our customers can have a better understanding of their furnace, we put together a few of the most common furnace sounds that should cause trouble.

Squealing

If your furnace makes a squealing sound when you start it up, you should probably call for service. This isn’t a life-threatening problem, but it can be annoying. This happens when the blower’s belt or bearings have worn out. This can be easily fixed by a professional Westlake heating technician.

Rattling

If you hear a rattling sound when you turn on your furnace this a very serious problem. While it might be that some screws are loose on one of the covers, it can also indicate a problem with your heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in your furnace has two jobs: first, to heat the air going into your home and second, to exhaust the harmful combustion fumes out of your house. When the heat exchanger cracks, those dangerous combustion fumes, that can include carbon monoxide, are blown into your home. Call your local heating contractor immediately.

Rumbling

If you have a fuel oil furnace and you hear or feel a rumbling when you start it up, this could be another critical problem. The cause of this is unburned oil in the combustion chamber continuing to burn after the unit is turned off. This could also leak carbon monoxide into your Westlake  house.

Roaring

If your furnace erupts with a loud roaring sound, like when you fire up a welding torch, this is a very bad sign. It means that there is an uneven mixture of fuel and air.

Furnace Fixes for the Handy Homeowner

Next time your furnace shuts down, check these five fixes before calling your Denver HVAC company . This trouble shooting guide will help you to repair your furnace yourself. Troubleshooting your furnace problems is worth considering before making a call for furnace repairs. These steps will show you and explain how you can diagnose and fix common furnace problems. Only you know just how handy you are consider your abilities before performing these steps safely and properly.
Proper furnace maintenance is the best way you can prevent common furnace malfunctions from happening. Furnace servicing should be carried out at least once a year. Even if your furnace was was installed professionally there are times when it will cease providing heat. The reason for the furnace failure could be anything from an airlock in the fuel pipe, blocked fuel inlet, or a problem with the controls. The following explains some of the most common issues you can fix on your own.

1. Check for leaky or blocked ducts that diminish airflow
If your furnace is running but there are cold rooms in the house, check to see if the registers are open. Next take a look at the ductwork you can access without trouble. Look for space between sections of the ducts and branching areas. If you find gaps seal the sections with foil tape. Finally check for handles, these are dampers, coming from the ductwork if you find any make sure they are open.

2. Change filters
Old dirtied filters are a common cause of furnace issues. Dust and grim hamper airflow and if the filter is too dirty is clogs and the heat exchanger will overheat and shut off causing your house to remain cold. A dirty filter can lower the efficiency and lifespan of your furnace. When the heater is running but heat is not going into any of the rooms in your house it's time to replace the filter.

Your owner's manual will show where the filter is located and what it will take to remove it. Changing flat filters monthly will help increase efficiency. All filters should be checked monthly. Checking the filter should be done by holding it to a light source. If you can see the light clearly it is time to replace the furnace. Most pleated filters will be OK to use for up to three months however you should change them more frequently if you have pets.

Keeping Your Home Comfortable with Heating and Air Conditioning Services

Without a heater or air conditioner in a home, the people living inside it would have to deal with the warm and cold weather throughout the year. While having these systems is going to make a home more comfortable, they have to be taken care of properly. Air conditioners and heaters need to have regular maintenance in order to stay working well. Denver heating and air conditioning services are  affordable, easy to get and will ensure these systems stay working correctly for a long time. Without regular maintenance there are a lot of things that can break down and need repaired. Some of the most important services to get for heaters and ACs include:

What Inspectors will check for when Performing Heater Maintenance Services:
1.) Thermostat 
When a service professional comes over to inspect a heating unit, they are going to look for a number of different things. First of all, they will make sure the thermostat is in proper working condition. This is important to look for because an incorrect thermostat could be wasting a lot of money throughout the year. 
2.)Vents 
From here, they will check to make sure air is flowing properly throughout the home and that all vents are properly opened. They may also inspect the condition of the filters to make sure they are in good shape.
3.) Pipes/Lines/Lights
The service professional will also look at fuses, wires, gas lines and the pilot light to make sure everything is in good shape. Most homeowners are surprised to find that they need to get small repairs done in order to make their heating system more efficient. These small repairs can prevent future damage and actually save money in Denver heating. In fact, if a service person finds there is a hole in a gas line, they could save the life of a family!