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...

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Should You Invest in a Heat Pump or Furnace?

If you’re building a new home or your existing home is due for a new heating system, there are many options on the market to choose from. Two of the most popular include a home furnace and a heat pump. Knowing the difference between the two will help you to better understand which one is best suited to fit the needs of your household. What Is a Furnace? Furnaces are the most widely used heating systems throughout the entire United States. A furnace can run on electricity, natural gas, oil, or propane. An electric furnace uses electricity to heat up a coil inside of the unit. Then, its blower motor will force air over the heating element to be warmed. Next, your ducting will deliver all that warm air throughout the various rooms of your home. If you want a furnace that is powered by natural gas, oil, or propane, it works via the combustion process. The actual fuel itself will be ignited by an internal system igniter. This combustion process creates heat which is forced through the ductwork in your home to deliver warm air to all of the different rooms. What Is a Heat Pump? A heat pump...

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Can You Actually Save Money By Using a Heat Pump?

There’s nothing like adjusting your thermostat and hearing your heating system kick on to help heat your home on a cool Mesa night. Unfortunately, every time you crank the heat up, your utility bill also increases. If you’re tired of paying high utility bills, the good news from is that other options are available. One option that many local homeowners opt for is a heat pump. Why do so many people choose this option, though? Furthermore, can a heat pump actually save you money, or is it just trendy because it’s one of the newest types of systems available? To answer these questions, check out this in-depth guide to heat pumps. Electric Furnace Inefficiencies Any time you’re dealing with energy transformation, you have to deal with the loss of energy. When energy changes forms from one form to another, you will inevitably lose some of that energy, making the process less than 100% efficient. In electric furnaces, though, you don’t actually lose too much energy when transforming electrical energy into heat energy. The heating elements are quite effective at slowing down the flow of electricity and heating up. The problem comes when you consider the fairly high cost of electricity...

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11 Things to Check If Your Furnace Won’t Work

There are several reasons why your furnace might stop working effectively. It can be difficult to troubleshoot and diagnose the problem without professional help. However, you can take some simple steps to ensure that your furnace is in good working order before calling for assistance. 1. Check the Thermostat The thermostat is responsible for controlling the temperature in your home. If it isn’t working properly, this could be a major reason your furnace is not functioning as intended. Check to ensure that the thermostat is set correctly; if not, adjust the desired temperature, and see if that solves the issue. Additionally, check any batteries within the thermostat (if applicable) to ensure they are still operational. You should also check that the thermostat is set to “Heat” or “On.” If it is set to “Off,” then your furnace will not be able to work properly. When it’s set to “On,” you can know that the thermostat is not the source of your furnace’s problems. 2. Examine Your Air Filter An air filter keeps dirt and debris from entering your furnace and clogging its components. After a while, this filter can become clogged with dust or dirt, which can cause your furnace...

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Possible Reasons Your Heat Pump Won’t Turn On

In hot, dry climates like Arizona, heat pumps are by far the most effective and energy-efficient way of cooling and heating your home. As with any other type of HVAC unit, a heat pump can potentially suffer from a variety of different issues that can affect how well it works or potentially cause it to not run at all. If you can’t get your heat pump to turn on, here are some common reasons this happens and how they can be fixed. Thermostat Issues If your heat pump won’t turn on when needed, the first thing you’ll want to do is check your thermostat. Make sure that you have the thermostat set to heat or cool and that the temperature is set to where it should be. You’ll also want to make sure that the thermostat isn’t showing a low battery alert. If the batteries are completely dead, nothing will show up on the thermostat display. The display will usually still work if the batteries are low, but they may still not have enough power to enable the thermostat to send the signal for the heat pump to turn on. If the thermostat is set correctly and the heat pump...

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Reasons to Call an HVAC Professional in Arizona for AC Motor Replacement

Do you have a malfunctioning air conditioner at your home or business in Mesa, AZ? Perhaps your outdoor AC unit is struggling or making strange sounds, or its fan blades are not turning. These are just three of the many potential signs indicating the need for AC motor replacement. An air conditioner has a lot of parts, but the motor is the heart of the unit. When your AC motor stops working, the heat in Mesa can make the environment in your home or business uncomfortable. Naturally, you want to get your air conditioner operating at full capacity again as soon as possible. That is more than enough reason to turn to the experts for assistance. Let’s look at some reasons why it’s a good idea to call an HVAC pro for AC motor replacement. The Proper Training and Skills An HVAC pro possesses the training and the skills to successfully replace an AC motor. One of the many steps of replacing an AC motor is removing the malfunctioning one from the unit. This involves disconnecting the appropriate wires and detaching the AC motor from the fan. A professional HVAC technician understands this process and knows how to do it...

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Possible Reasons Your AC Is Squeaking

Air conditioners aren’t always the quietest, and this is especially true for older units. However, while you will generally always be able to hear your air conditioner running, it shouldn’t make any loud noises like squeaking or squealing. If your AC is making any unusual or loud noises, it is usually a sign that something isn’t working properly, and you need to have the system repaired. With this in mind, let’s look at the most common AC issues that can cause squealing noises and what you can do to fix them. Belt Is Worn Out or Misaligned If your AC is making squealing noises, it may be that a belt is damaged, worn out, or misaligned. This is similar to the squealing or squeaking noises you often hear in older cars. While newer AC systems are usually direct drive, many older ACs are belt driven. The belt connects the motor to the fan and transfers the energy so that the fan spins whenever the motor is running. Depending on the age and type of AC, you may have a belt that drives the blower fan inside the building as well as another belt that drives the fan in the AC...

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HVAC Replacement: When Is It Appropriate?

If you live in a climate with frigid winters and humid summers, then you know an HVAC system is necessary. But how should you decide when to replace your HVAC unit? There are some factors at play such as the condition of your current HVAC unit, the age of your HVAC unit, and the environmental needs of your home. Due to wear and tear, existing systems will require replacing at some point in the future, but there is no reason to replace a system before it needs to be replaced. When your air conditioning unit or furnace breaks down more than it should, it is likely time for a replacement. There is no hard and fast rule for when a unit should be replaced. 1. Your HVAC System Is Old If you have had your system for more than ten years, then there is a good chance that it is no longer working at its best. The lifespan of an HVAC unit can vary depending on the unit type, but it typically lasts around 10-12 years. Technology keeps advancing, and equipment is now more reliable than just a few years ago. A system that is 10+ years old may not...

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Do Air Conditioners Contribute to Air Pollution?

In modern times, air conditioners are ubiquitous in homes, cars, and buildings. It is common to see shops and offices with the AC running at an all-time high during the summer months. Most of the power used for these HVAC systems comes from burning fossil fuels, which are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions that significantly contribute to global warming. Air conditioners help during extremely hot and humid summer weather. Anyone with a cooling system will be using it! As a result, the air-conditioner industry is big enough to be a significant contributor to the world’s energy consumption. They cool rooms by removing heat from them. The primary mechanism is heat transfer, where refrigerants in contact with a surface absorb heat when they evaporate from the liquid state to a gaseous state and absorb heat from the warm indoor air leaving it cool. However, it is also essential to look at the indoor pollution generated by the appliances in houses and businesses. Air conditioners have some of the greatest potentials for indoor air pollution. How Do Air Conditioning Systems Contribute to Air Pollution? There are various ways by which an air-conditioning system can contribute to air pollution. Energy Consumption Air conditioners...

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7 Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner Is Leaking

What could be worse than coming home to wet carpet? Well, in the case of an air conditioner leak, it’s the fact that your HVAC system might not be up to par. A properly maintained air conditioner should never leak water, but every now and then, things can go wrong. Whether your AC unit is old and has never been fixed or a new piece of equipment, the reasons behind an HVAC leak can range from quite simple to more complex. If you have a leaking air conditioner, it’s important to figure out the problem and fix it quickly, as a leaky AC unit can cause severe damage to your home. Here are seven common reasons behind an air conditioner leak that you should be aware of. 1. A Defective Pan Besides the coils and refrigerant, the inside of your air conditioner also has a drain pan that collects any moisture that may form in it. The drain pan usually has a one-way valve so that when the ductwork becomes clogged, water can move back up into your house instead of leaking into the garage or outside. If this valve is damaged or no longer there, it will make it...

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