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How To Test Indoor Air Quality For Mold

February 18, 2021

Mold spores are a dangerous contaminant that can cause numerous health issues, including things like asthma attacks and severe allergic reactions. You should not take this invisible threat to your family’s health lightly. If you worry about the possibility of mold spores impacting your home’s indoor air quality, you should take action at once to detect and eliminate mold spores. How to Detect Mold Testing for mold is a relatively simple process. Many retailers sell home mold testing kits, which allow homeowners to conduct their own testing. While this may seem like a good DIY project, calling in a pro is a better alternative. Home testing can be tricky as you move from one location to another. Once you test in an environment that is likely to have mold, such as a basement bathroom, it is easy to transfer mold spores from that area to every other area tested, leading to false positives in other locations. can ensure your testing is valid and provide you tailored solutions for your Solon, OH, home. Areas likely to contain mold include: Inside basement walls (behind drywall) Behind your refrigerator Below sinks Inside walls with plumbing lines Inside ventilation ducts Under any flooring that...

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How Does A Variable Refrigerant Volume System Work?

January 5, 2021

While most people have a basic understanding of how heating and air conditioning systems work, few have heard of variable refrigerant volume systems. This type of heating and cooling system is highly efficient and can allow you to set various rooms in your building to different temperatures. The technology behind the system is complex and has been around since 1982. Understanding VRV Technology Most heating and cooling systems have a simple on and off switch and will produce the same amount of warm or cool air, regardless of the conditions. VRV systems work by having several individual units installed in various zones of a building. They are all hooked up to a main outdoor unit. When one of the indoor units needs to heat or cool, it will request refrigerant from the main unit. By having all of the indoor units running individually, it’s possible to fine-tune the temperature of a space. Cool a Building Efficiently VRV systems are much more energy-efficient than traditional heating and cooling systems. Because you won’t heat or cool spaces that don’t need attention, you’ll be able to reduce the overall energy use in a building. Some VRV systems can detect if a room is...

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Are Electric Furnaces Energy Efficient?

December 14, 2020

When you’re searching for a heating system for your Solon, OH, area home, an electric furnace is an affordable option. These systems are ideal for homes without a gas connection. They’re also a good choice if you want a low-maintenance heating system. Here are three features of electric furnaces that make them energy efficient. 1. No Flue In a gas furnace, up to 30% of the heat is lost to waste gases dispersed through the flue. Because electric furnaces don’t burn fuel, they have no flue. The lack of a flue means there’s no wasted heat sent to the outdoors. No flue also means fewer parts to go wrong, repair, or maintain. 2. Variable-Speed Motor New electric furnaces offer variable-speed motors. These motors work at the lowest capacity needed in order to blow warm air across the electrical resistance heating panel. By operating at a lower speed for a longer period of time, they ensure a more consistent temperature in your home and reduce energy usage. 3. Convert Nearly All Input Energy Into Heat Furnace efficiency is measured with the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers. The AFUE...

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Why Furnace Safety Checks Are Important

November 18, 2020

When you have a technician tune-up your furnace, one of the most important things they do is make sure it’s operating safely. By doing so, they’re helping to keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning and fire hazards. A technician will check several things to make sure your furnace is operating as it should. Test Gas Levels The technician will use a combustion analyzer to determine how clean your furnace is burning gas. It measures oxygen and carbon monoxide levels produced by combustion. They use these measurements to improve the performance and safety of your furnace. Cleaning Flame Sensor Your furnace has a flame sensor that determines when the flame should be on. The technician will make sure it’s clean and working properly so your ignition system won’t be stressed. Prevent Overheating Your furnace has a control safety switch that turns it off should it begin to overheat. The technician will trip it to make sure it resets and it’s working correctly. is a company in Solon, OH, that performs furnace tune-ups. The technician will thoroughly inspect your system to make sure it’s operating safely and efficiently. Heat Exchanger Inspection There’s a heat exchanger in your furnace that separates...

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Making the Decision to Repair or Replace your Furnace

October 21, 2020

It’s that time of year again! Time to think about how much we depend on our furnaces/boilers to keep us warm in our homes during the winter months. Did you know that the average furnace will run 2500 hours per year to keep you comfortable in your home? To put this in perspective, it’s like driving your car for 24 hours each day for100 straight days. Without a doubt, your furnace works very hard for many months. What if your furnace were to break down? At KW Lang Mechanical, Inc./Stovicek Heating and Cooling we have been servicing and installing all types and brands of HVAC equipment since 1927. The decision you make regarding repair vs. replacement should be made based on the age of your existing equipment and the cost of the repair. Furnaces from yesteryear were very simplistic and you can count on them lasting 25 years or more – there were not a lot of parts to break. Today’s furnaces are much more energy-efficient and provide better comfort – the drawback is that they will not last as long as the more simplistic furnaces of the past. A similar comparison would be a car from the 1950s or...

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Should You Cover Your Air Conditioner After Summer?

September 20, 2020

Summer is coming to an end and winter looming in the distance. Thus, you need to prepare for a change in seasons as a homeowner. Check the doors and windows of your home. Clean the gutters as you prepare for the falling seeds and leaves. Additionally, ensure you change the filters of your air purifier ad cover any unprotected water lines. Subsequently, check the air conditioner. It is vulnerable, and you are not sure whether to cover it or not. Here are some things to consider when making the choice. Designed for the Job An outdoor air conditioner is designed as an all-weather device. Once it’s operational, the airflow around it should not be impeded since the AC transfers heat from the inside of your home to the outside. Covering any airflow routes will complicate the unit’s ability to function. Wait until you’re sure you won’t be using it to cover the unit. Leaves and Seeds The falling of flowers and seeds characterizes the fall season. Ventilation slots in the air conditioner are located at the top. Thus, some debris from the trees can get into the AC and form moisture, which can corrode the AC. Large nuts like walnuts...

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The Dangers of Reusing AC Filters

August 11, 2020

In order to save some money, you may try to clean off your HVAC’s air filter and reuse it. This is not worth the possible money that it may save you. Here are four reasons why it may be counterproductive to try to reuse an air filter. A Backed-Up Filter Can Damage Your HVAC A dirty AC filter can place your HVAC system itself in jeopardy. You can never quite clean and reuse air filters well enough. As a result, the filter may pile up with debris on its second usage. When that happens, it could damage the HVAC system, which has to work even harder to do its job with a dirty filter. It Can Contribute to Indoor Air Pollution Reusing an AC filter will also pollute the air inside your home. There will still be old particles in the filter, and these will get recirculated in your home as the HVAC blows air. If you have allergies or any type of respiratory condition, they will be aggravated by the dirty air that you are breathing. A Wet Filter Gets Moldy There are several different ways that you would try to clean a filter to reuse it. One is...

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Recommended Thermostat Settings for your Home

July 15, 2020

A commonly asked question about thermostats is what is the best setting. The temperature should be comfortable for your family, but you also want to save money on your energy bills. Here are some guidelines about what temperature you should set your home’s thermostat to. Cold-Weather Setting In the fall and winter, you should set the thermostat to 68 degrees when your family is home. This setting is a great balance between comfort and energy savings. When you’re away from your house, set the thermostat 10 to 15 degrees lower. You should keep the temperature of your residence between 60 and 65 degrees at night for optimal sleep conditions. You can save around 10% on your energy bills by reducing the temperature on your thermostat for eight hours each night. Hot-Weather Setting You should set your thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer when you’re home. If you’ll be leaving for four hours or longer, raise the temperature setting by 10 degrees. The smaller the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the more you can save on your energy bills. When you set your thermostat higher in the summer, every degree you set it higher saves you about 2% on...

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How To Save Energy Dollars in the Summer

June 16, 2020

Most people expect to pay more on their energy bills during the summer, as they consistently use their air conditioning system when the temperature continues to climb. However, there are things you can do to keep summer energy bills down, and many of them require little to no money. Here’s how to save some money this summer. Use Your Thermostat Wisely It feels great to come home to a cool house after spending time outside or working out. You won’t enjoy paying inflated energy bills, though. You can save almost 3% in cooling expenses for every degree you set your thermostat above 72 degrees. You should set your thermostat higher when you’re going to be away from home. If you buy a smart thermostat, this will happen automatically. Cooling an empty residence is costing you money while providing no benefit. Keep the Sun Out You should utilize your curtains and blinds, especially on the south side of your house. The sun beating through your windows dramatically increases the temperature in your home and, thus, the amount you spend on air conditioning. Closing the blinds costs nothing but a few moments of your time. Use Your Ceiling Fans Ceiling fans make...

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Tips for Healthy Air at Home

May 13, 2020

Having clean air in your home is very important, and it’s associated with a variety of long-term health benefits. While most people believe that air quality is natural and not easy to change, there are actually ways you can improve your air quality. Here are three tips that anyone in the Cleveland area could follow to have healthier air in their home. 1. Replace HVAC Filters The first line of defense to help keep your air clean is to replace the HVAC air filters in your appliances. The air filters are designed to keep debris, dust and other particles out of your HVAC unit and ducts. This will not only help to protect the unit and prevent damage, but it will also lead to better overall air quality. Ideally, you should replace these filters at least every three months, but the frequency varies based on the equipment and type of filter. 2. Clean the Outside of Your HVAC Unit If you have an air conditioner that is positioned outside on the ground, it tends to be a spot for leaves, dirt and other debris to accumulate. It’s important that you remove this debris on a regular basis. If you do...

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