It is important to understand the various myths about heating and cooling. This is because some of these myths can actually be damaging to your system. It is important to ensure that you take the steps to understand these myths about heating and cooling. This will protect your system and improve the temperature regulation inside of your building. Here are a few incredibly common myths about heating and cooling that you need to learn to maintain a comfortable environment inside of your home.

Closing Vents in Unused Rooms will Save Energy

When you don’t use a room inside of your building, you likely think that regulating the temperature within it will be a waste. However, you can’t simply reduce your energy expenses by closing the vents or keeping the door shut. This is essentially just putting an obstacle in the way of your system’s air flow. This just puts additional pressure on your system, which often causes leaks. When the system overcompensates for closed vents, it is far more likely to become damaged or wear down more quickly.

Space Heaters Can Resolve Cold Spots

Cold or hot spots throughout your home mean that your HVAC system isn’t cooling or heating the building as it is intended to. Using space heaters when there is a cold spot in the building is essentially putting a band-aid over the problem, rather than doing anything to fix it. There are many issues that can result in uneven cooling throughout your home. It may indicate that your insulation needs assistance or that there is a leak in your system. It is a better option to ensure that the issue with your HVAC system is resolved, rather than using a space heater to temporarily resolve the problem. It is also important to note that the longer a problem goes without being repaired, the more likely it is that the initial issue will escalate. It is important to contact a professional when you notice uneven cooling throughout your home.

Maintenance isn’t Important

Maintenance is a service that is often overlooked until there is an actual issue with the system. It is crucial to ensure that you regularly provide maintenance to your HVAC system. This will help to extend the lifetime of your HVAC system, which helps to reduce regular repair and replacement expenses. This helps to prevent issues with your system that can cause an incredibly uncomfortable environment. With regular maintenance, you help to ensure that your system continues to work as efficiently as possible, which can reduce your energy expenses.

Bigger is Better

When you choose a furnace or air conditioner for your home, it will be extremely important to ensure that you choose a unit that is the appropriate size for your property. Bigger furnaces or cooling units won’t necessarily be more effective. There are many issues that can occur when you install a cooling unit or furnace that is too large. This is because a unit that is too powerful will turn on and off in short bursts. This causes the system to undertake much more wear, which leads to issues cropping up more quickly. When you have a system that is too small, it won’t be capable of regulating the temperature within the property. It is important to work with a professional to ensure that you choose the right sized unit for your property.

Filters Only Need to be Changed Yearly

It is important to change your air filters far more frequently than once each year. You need to change your air filter every 90 days in order to keep your system in good condition. However, it is also important to keep in mind that there are some aspects that may require you to change your air filter more frequently. For example, if there are individuals with respiratory issues that live within the home or pets that shed, the air filter may need to be changed more frequently than 90 days. You also need to regularly have air ducts cleaned by a professional, such as our team at Fresh Ducts.

Oversetting the Temperature Leads to Faster Regulation

Many people are under the misconception that setting the temperature too high or too low will ensure that the system will heat or cool the room more quickly. However, this isn’t the case. The system generally only functions at one speed. When it is trying to cool or heat the property, it will turn on, but it won’t do more than that. When you overshoot the temperature in an attempt to get it to regulate more quickly, the machine will have to work longer. This increases your energy expenses and places more wear on the system.

The Location of the Thermostat is Unimportant

It is a common idea that the thermostat needs to only be located in a convenient area. However, the thermostat has a huge impact on the regulation of your HVAC system. It reads the temperature inside of the building, which is why it needs to be in a place that will provide accurate readings. Due to this, the thermostat should not be in a location that will impact the temperature in that specific spot. This includes places like near vents, in direct sunlight, or by ovens and stoves. Hallways also often have a different air flow than other rooms inside of the building, which is a reason you should avoid putting thermostats in the hallway.

It is important to understand common heating and cooling myths in order to protect your system and the atmosphere within your home. When you don’t understand these myths, it is far more likely that damage will occur to your system. It is similarly important to ensure that you have your air ducts cleaned regularly in order to improve the efficiency of your system and the air quality within your home. Our experienced team at Fresh Ducts can help to provide this service, which will go a long way toward improving the condition of your duct system. To learn more about the services that we offer, contact us at Fresh Ducts today!

As the temperatures remain more consistently in the triple digits, it is possible that your home isn’t staying at a comfortable level. When your HVAC isn’t effectively cooling your home, there are many issues that could be the cause behind your insufficient cooling. In many situations, minor fixes are all that is necessary in restoring your home to a comfortable temperature. Here are a few reasons that your HVAC isn’t effectively cooling your home.

Windows and Doors are Open

Though this may seem like a very obvious solution, many people don’t think of this when their home is uncomfortably warm. When you have a window or door open in your home, it will be unable to efficiently keep the cool air inside of the home and the hot air outside of it. An HVAC system will have a very difficult time keeping a building cool when the windows or doors are open. If your HVAC system isn’t keeping your home as cool as you want, you should first check and ensure that all of the windows and doors of your property are closed.

Supply and Return Vents Closed or Blocked

When the supply and return vents are blocked, whether by furniture or simply because they are closed, they will be unable to move air throughout the property. This makes it extremely difficult for an HVAC system to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. It is important to ensure that these vents are open and clear to allow the air to distribute through your home efficiently.

Thermostat Set Incorrectly

Though this may seem like another obvious solution, it is important to check your thermostat when your HVAC system isn’t effectively cooling your home. Ensure that the thermostat is set to cool and that the temperature is set below room temperature. If it is set correctly, it is also possible that your thermostat is malfunctioning. It is important to keep this under consideration when your HVAC system isn’t effectively cooling your home.

Try a System Reset

Sometimes all that an HVAC system needs to function effectively is a basic system reset. Some HVAC systems are equipped with a red reset button that will simply reset the system. This can help to fix simple issues before you have to engage in more intense troubleshooting.

Refrigerant Issues

Any HVAC system requires refrigerant in order to efficiently cool a home. When the HVAC system has insufficient levels of refrigerant, it will cease to cool the home effectively. It is also important to ensure that any component of the HVAC system that deals with the refrigerant is intact and functioning. The refrigerant is an incredibly important component of maintaining a cool home in the hot summer temperatures.

Basic Maintenance

Every HVAC system needs basic maintenance to remain in good condition. Providing the appropriate maintenance can go a long way through extending its lifetime and ensuring that it continues to operate as intended. If the HVAC system isn’t effectively cooling the home, it is highly likely that it hasn’t obtained the appropriate maintenance necessary to keep it in good condition. Ensure that you stick to a maintenance schedule in order to protect your HVAC system and ensure that it can effectively cool your building, even throughout the extremely hot summer temperatures.

Inadequate Insulation

A property that doesn’t have sufficient insulation will be unable to keep the cool air inside of your home. No matter how good your HVAC system is, it is unable to heat the outdoors during the summer! It is crucial to ensure that your home maintains sufficient insulation and is able to keep the cool air inside of the building. This can go a long way toward keeping your building at a comfortable temperature throughout the year, especially in the summer and the winter.

Improper Installation

Ensure that you work with an expert team when you have your HVAC system installed. When the HVAC system isn’t installed correctly, it will be unable to work correctly. A professional company can help to reduce the likelihood of improper installation and keep your HVAC system working far more effectively.

Wrong Size of HVAC Unit

It is important to ensure that your HVAC unit is the appropriate size for your building. An HVAC system that is too large will be unable to efficiently remove humidity from the building, which can cause heat to remain in the building. An HVAC system that is too small will be unable to meet the demands of cooling your property. It is crucial to ensure that your HVAC system is the right size for your building.

Clean the Air Filter

A clean air filter is an important part of keeping your HVAC system in good condition. When an air filter becomes clogged, air will have a difficult time penetrating through the surface. Air filters should be cleaned regularly and also need to be replaced on a regular basis. This will go a long way toward improving efficiency and ensuring that it is still able to regulate the temperature of your property.

Clean the HVAC Interior

Dirt, dust, and debris can put excessive wear on your HVAC system. It is important to ensure that you regularly clean the interior of your HVAC system in order to prevent substantial issues.

Check on Ductwork

The ductwork system of your property is critical in efficiently moving cool air throughout your home. If your air duct system is leaky or is laden with dust, it will likely cause the HVAC system to be inefficient. Having your HVAC system and air ducts thoroughly cleaned can go a long way toward finding issues, as well as extending the longevity of your system. These steps can help to keep your home cool throughout the summer months. Your air ducts also require appropriate maintenance to stay in good condition.

Regular cleaning is extremely important for your air ducts and HVAC system. Having them cleaned regularly can help to prevent issues and keep your HVAC system functioning effectively. If your HVAC system isn’t effectively cooling your home, it is possible that you need to have the system cleaned. To learn more about our duct cleaning services, contact us at Fresh Ducts today!

It is crucial to ensure that your air ducts are cleaned on a regular basis in order to protect your air ducts and improve the quality of the air within your building. When you have your air ducts cleaned on a regular basis, you will be able to ensure that they are protected and far more efficient. At Fresh Ducts, we offer excellent air duct cleaning services to improve the environment inside of your building. Here are some things that you need to know about how often you should clean your air ducts.

The Importance of Air Duct Cleaning

Air duct cleaning goes a long way toward protecting personal health. Without regular air duct cleaning, harmful particles will circulate through the air of your building. This will ultimately detract from the health of those that regularly breathe in the air. Regular air duct cleaning can also help to increase the lifespan of your air duct system, while simultaneously preventing the possibility of substantial issues. Air duct cleaning can help to improve the efficiency of the air duct system, as well as helps to reduce your heating and cooling expenses.

What Builds Up in your Air Ducts

It is crucial to understand the various particles that can build up in your air ducts. These are the particles that you need to have cleaned from your air ducts on a regular basis. Dust and dust mites are common particles that will circulate through the air without effective air duct cleaning. Pollen and pet dander also build up in your air ducts. Without the appropriate cleaning, allergy symptoms are highly likely to get worse. Other common materials that build up in your duct system include mold spores, fungi, feces or remains of pests, bacteria, viruses, chemical pollutants, and tobacco smoke. When you clean your air ducts, you help to remove these particles from your air duct system.

Improve your Air Quality

Without the appropriate cleaning, these harmful particles will circulate through the air in your home. This can lead to many additional health problems. For example, dust in the air can cause inflammation in the sinuses. This can cause an increase in the likelihood of sinus infections. Allergy symptoms and respiratory infections are also increased when you don’t regularly have your air ducts cleaned. Dirty air ducts can also trigger asthma attacks, so it is especially important to keep the air ducts clean in a building where an asthmatic individual lives.

How Often you Should Clean your Air Ducts

Most experts recommend that you have your air ducts cleaned generally every 3 years. However, there are many factors that may increase the frequency in which you should have your air ducts cleaned. For example, older homes likely need more frequent cleaning, especially if their filtering systems are less effective. Buildings with pets often need to have air ducts cleaned more regularly. It is also important to have your air ducts cleaned more regularly if an individual that lives in the home has allergies or a long-term respiratory illness. Homes that have problems with excessive amounts of dust often need to have their air ducts cleaned more frequently. When there is a home where a smoker regularly smokes inside, you should have your air ducts cleaned more often.

Other Times to Clean your Air Ducts

There are other situations in which you may want to clean your air ducts that aren’t simply a routine schedule. For example, when your pets are shedding excessively, like in the summer months, you may want to have your air ducts cleaned. You should also clean your air ducts when you move into a new home, especially because you don’t know when the last time was that the air ducts were cleaned. It is important to clean your air ducts when you have built a new home. Construction often lets debris and dust circulate through the building, which can settle in the air vents. You should also clean your air ducts after you have completed a remodeling project for the same reason.

If you have had chemical irritants spread throughout your property, you will want to have the air ducts cleaned. Pay attention if you have severe allergic reactions whenever you are at home. This may indicate that it is time to clean your air ducts to protect your health. You should also have your air ducts cleaned when they are clogged or if you notice an unexpected increase in your heating and cooling costs. You may want to obtain air duct cleaning after the summer, when there is likely an increase of dust in the duct system.

Signs that you Should Clean your Air Ducts

Understanding the signs that you should clean your air ducts will go a long way toward ensuring that you have them cleaned often enough. Pay attention to any build-up of dust around the vents of your building. You also need to regularly check the filters of your air ducts. If you notice excessive debris around the filter, it is likely that your air ducts need to be cleaned. Obviously thick dirt, a musty smell, or visible vermin infestations are additional signs that you should clean your air ducts.

Changing your Air Filters

Though it is important to regularly have your air ducts cleaned, it is also important to regularly change your air filters. Air filters should be changed every 1 to 3 months, depending on many factors inside of the building. Replace them more regularly if you have pets or experience regular allergy-related symptoms.  

It is crucial to have your air ducts cleaned on a regular basis in order to improve the quality of the air inside of your building. This can go a long way toward protecting your health and the level of comfort within the building. Here at Fresh Ducts, we offer an array of services to clean the air ducts of your property. To learn more about how often you should clean your air ducts or to obtain our air duct cleaning services, contact us at Fresh Ducts today!