6 Furnace Sounds That You Should Never Ignore

Fuel-combusting heaters rarely offer whisper-quiet operation. After months of sitting dormant, the furnace in your Mesa, AZ, home might start up with an audible humming sound. It may even make several banging or clanging noises as your ducting undergoes heat-related expansion and contraction. Many noises are a normal and expected part of furnace operation, especially when they’re unobtrusive and have always been around. However, if you hear metal-on-metal grinding, loud booming, or persistent screeching or rattling, you should turn your furnace off and seek help from a professional. The following are six furnace noises that homeowners should never ignore. 1. High-Pitched Shrieks If you haven’t had your furnace tuned up in a while, there’s a good chance that it has loose, worn, or missing parts. After all, these heaters are subjected to a lot of stress during the heating season. Dramatic temperature fluctuations, constantly moving parts, and fast-moving air all take their toll. When furnaces shriek during their heating cycles, it’s often an indication of: Worn or slipped fan belts Loose or damaged bearings Jammed fan blades Insufficient lubrication During the annual furnace maintenance service, professionals will lubricate all moving parts. They also inspect and replace missing and broken components...

View Article

Top 10 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality This Winter

Improving your Mesa, AZ, home’s indoor air quality this winter will have a tri-fold effect: it makes the air in your home healthier to breathe, improves your overall comfort, and makes it easier for the heating system to heat your home. If you want to enjoy these benefits, use this guide on the top 10 ways to improve indoor air quality during the winter in combination with advice from a certified HVAC technician. 1. Ensure Proper Ventilation Proper ventilation is particularly important for ensuring good interior air quality. It enables the replacement of filthy, stale indoor air with clean air from outside. This aids in the diluting of indoor contaminants such as allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon dioxide. Proper ventilation is also important for avoiding toxic gas buildup, like radon and carbon monoxide, and even improves the safety and health of a building’s inhabitants, particularly their respiratory systems. 2. Seal All Air Leaks If your home has any cracks or crevices in its structure, the air outside will make its way into your home. This not only pollutes your home’s air but also makes it harder for your heating system to heat your home as the cold winter...

View Article

Methods for Preparing Your HVAC System for Colder Temperatures

As the temperature outside starts to drop in the Mesa, AZ area, it’s time to prepare your HVAC system. Every homeowner wants to avoid their heating system malfunctioning when the temperatures outside are chilly. Preventive maintenance and routine service in the late summer to early fall can ensure your HVAC equipment is running efficiently and smoothly all winter long. Scheduling Routine Maintenance While there are a few maintenance tasks that you can take care of on your own (like changing out your furnace filter), you’ll want to bring in the professionals once per year for a routine service appointment. An experienced technician will inspect all the various components of your HVAC system, determining if there’s anything that needs to be cleaned, repaired or replaced. A lot of wear and tear on your HVAC system takes place from one year to the next. Very minor issues can arise, eventually leading to major problems. It’s important that a professional can spot these issues and fix them before they lead to a catastrophic breakdown that is expensive and time-consuming. Not to mention, properly maintained heating equipment tends to run more efficiently, saving you money on your monthly utility bills. You may get more...

View Article

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Sized AC For Your Home

Choosing the right air conditioner size for your home is important, given the high price tags for these appliances and the ongoing expenses involved to operate them. An undersized AC unit will struggle to cool your home adequately, leading to discomfort and increased energy bills, while an oversized unit can lead to inefficient operation and higher upfront costs. To strike the perfect balance, homeowners need to consider various factors when choosing the best size AC unit for their home. Understanding the Importance of Proper Sizing Before delving into the specifics, it’s important to understand why proper sizing is crucial. A properly sized AC unit ensures efficient and effective cooling while maximizing energy savings. Oversized units tend to cycle on and off more frequently, leading to “short cycling,” where the unit doesn’t run long enough to effectively remove humidity from the air. Undersized units, on the other hand, will run continuously without adequately cooling the space, leading to unnecessary wear and tear. Calculating Cooling Load One of the fundamental steps in choosing the right AC size is to calculate the cooling load of your home. Cooling load is the amount of cooling power required to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature under...

View Article

5 Tips for Improving Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality This Summer

Poor indoor air quality and indoor air pollution are problems that plague virtually every home and all other buildings. The EPA estimates that the air inside most buildings contains three to five times more pollution than the air outside the building. In extremely hot climates like Arizona, indoor air quality is generally always much worse during the summer since most people tend to keep their AC constantly running and their windows always closed. Part of the reason for this is that cooking and many of the cleaning products you use give off various pollutants. Many of the building materials in your home and even your furnishings and electronics also continuously emit potentially harmful chemical pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Whenever your home stays closed up without fresh air coming in, the concentration of all of the pollutants continues to rise. The good news is that there are some simple solutions that can help improve the air quality in your home so you and your family can stay healthy and breathe more easily. 1. Only Open Your Windows When Necessary Arizona luckily doesn’t have as big of issues with pollen or mold spores in the outdoor air as other...

View Article

7 Summer HVAC Tips to Stay Cool and Save Money

As summer temperatures rise, maintaining a cooler home becomes a necessity. Consider some of these summer HVAC tips from the pros at to help you stay cool and save money. 1. Prioritize an Air Filter Change For air to flow efficiently throughout your home, it’s important to replace your AC’s air filter regularly. Professionals recommend changing the air filter once every three months, while others recommend changing the air filter as often as once a month. The more often you change the filter, the better the air flows. When the air filters trap excessive dirt, allergens, and contaminants, it’s harder for the HVAC unit to pump air throughout the home. The filter is meant to collect dirt so that it doesn’t float through the air and compromise the indoor air quality. However, without proper cleaning or replacement, the filter isn’t as efficient. When the HVAC unit works harder to pump clean air through the system, this increases the energy bill at the end of the billing cycle. Keep costs as low as possible as you maintain a better quality of air by changing the air filter on a designated schedule. 2. Get a Professional Inspection While some home improvement projects...

View Article

Staying Cool When It’s Extremely Hot

The summer of 2021 was brutally hot in many places. In 2022, it wasn’t much better. Temperatures regularly rose over 100F (38 C) in many places where such temperatures were unheard-of. Climate control is essential in these situations. Indeed, that kind of heat can be life-threatening for many folks, including seniors, those with underlying medical conditions that are susceptible to the vagaries of heat, or even just individuals who experience heat stroke. There are several ways that you can “beat the heat” even during extreme heat. At , we can help you stay cool even during the worst heat waves. Read on to find out more. Central Air Upkeep Central air conditioners need love too. You should have yours checked at least every two years if not every year. In Mesa, Arizona, where we all experience powerful heat every summer, we can provide you with exemplary service that will keep your central air purring contentedly. We give free estimates on such upkeep and repairs, and if you don’t happen to have the cash on hand or room on your credit card to pay for it all at once, then we offer financing options on approved credit through Wells Fargo. The...

View Article

Get Your HVAC Ready for the Hot Weather Ahead

With the arrival of warmer temperatures and the sun shining more intensely, it’s time to consider preparing your HVAC system for the upcoming summer months. The right preparation and maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your home cool and comfortable. It can even help keep energy bills in check! From checking your air filters to scheduling a maintenance appointment, these simple steps can ensure your HVAC system is in tip-top shape and ready for anything this summer brings. Clean Your System One of the most essential steps in preparing your HVAC system for hot weather is to clean it thoroughly. Over time, dirt, dust, and debris accumulate in the system, reducing efficiency and potentially causing breakdowns. In addition, dirty HVAC systems can circulate contaminants, allergens, and other harmful particles throughout your home, which can have adverse health effects. Cleaning your HVAC system ensures that it runs efficiently, effectively, and safely to improve indoor air quality. The process of cleaning an HVAC system typically involves several steps. A professional HVAC technician will start by turning off the power to the system and removing the access panels to inspect the interior components of the system. They will then clean the...

View Article

How to Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter

Your HVAC system’s air filter plays a critical role in keeping your system operating efficiently. However, filters are often neglected, which can not only reduce your system’s efficiency but also cause additional repairs and cut away your system’s service life. Use this guide to learn why it’s important to change your HVAC system’s air filter, how often to change it, how to choose the right filter, and how to complete the change, whether your filter is located in the air handler or behind the grill for a return vent. Effects of Neglected Filters Air contains a wide variety of contaminants that can clog and damage your system if they’re allowed to flow into it. Air filters pull many of these contaminants from the air as it enters the system. However, that means that they will eventually clog, restricting the airflow the system gets. The restricted airflow into your system will initially reduce your system’s heating and cooling efficiency, increasing your energy costs. Less airflow through your system also prevents the system from transferring the amount of heat it’s intended to during a normal cycle. For a traditional heating system, this means trapping heat inside the system, potentially causing it to...

View Article

12 Common Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality is a critical factor in promoting health and safety. Poor indoor air quality can contribute to numerous health problems, including headaches, fatigue, allergies, and asthma. It can also make the air downright unpleasant due to stuffiness and odors. While there is a wide range of sources of poor indoor air quality, some are particularly common. By understanding and addressing these 12 common sources, you can take steps to ensure the air inside your home is as clean and healthy as possible. 1. Cleaning Products Household cleaning products often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause serious indoor air quality problems. Common products, such as air fresheners, furniture polish, oven cleaners, and floor waxes, can contain VOCs. When using these products, it’s a good idea to open your windows and to use fans to allow the fumes to ventilate outside. Consider switching to all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products, which are safer for your indoor air. 2. Cooking Fumes Burning food, frying foods high in oil, and boiling sugars release oils and particles that can pollute your indoor air. Even if you can’t see or smell the fumes, they can settle on walls and furniture and become an indoor...

View Article