Posts Tagged ‘Lacey’

Seattle Air Cleaner Guide: All About Electronic Air Cleaners

Monday, September 10th, 2012

Electronic air cleaners are used to get rid of indoor air pollutants that can compromise your health and comfort. Ventilating your Seattle home by circulating fresh, clean air from the outdoors and using eliminating measures like air cleaners is the best way to get rid of these pollutants.

Air cleaners are capable of eliminating all kinds of particle pollutants. Electronic air cleaners use a process known as electrostatic attraction to get rid of particle pollution. In this process, polluted air is drawn into a section of the air cleaner dedicated to ionization. In this section, the particles obtain an electrical charge.

These charged particles then collect on plates that carry opposite charges to attract them. This electronic process is effective in purifying the air off most particle based air pollutants such as particles from combustion appliances such as stoves, tobacco smoke, dander, pollen and dust. They are also effective against viruses, bacteria, mold spores and dust mites.

The principle that electronic air cleaners work on is quite simple. It is a known fact in physics that particles with opposite charges are attracted to each other. Now, since pollutants don’t have any charge naturally, they are given an electronic charge as they are passed through the ionization section. This is where the plates with opposite charge come into the picture. The pollutants are attracted towards the plate which keeps them from escaping and lowering the quality of the air in your home. Electronic air cleaners can catch many things that normal filters will not. However, the best way to keep the working effectively is the same – make sure to keep the device clean and maintained. Electronic air filters will not only improve your home’s indoor air quality, but also help your heating and cooling system work more effectively.

For more information about ways you can improve the air quality in your Seattle home, give Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning a call today!

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Inspection and Testing for Indoor Air Quality

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Did you know that poor indoor air quality contributes to health problems in homes around the world, but very little is done to combate the health risks it creates? The air pollutants of homes cause 1.2 million people a year to die, and is the reason for countless illnesses.  Poor indoor air quality in Lacey does not pose as much of a threat to our health as in developing countries, but if homeowners continue to do nothing to improve their indoor air quality their long term health will be affected by exposure to air pollutants.  The first step towards a healthier indoor environment is a quick diagnosis from our HVAC technicians to assess the air flow, filtering system, and potential air pollutant contributors.

When to Call for Testing

If you suspect something is wrong with your indoor air, you should call for testing. What constitutes “wrong”? Here are some specific things to watch for related to your health:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Skin Rash
  • Eye Irritation
  • Nose Irritation
  • Throat Irritation
  • Respiratory Irritation
  • Cough
  • Chest Tightness
  • Respiratory Infection
  • Asthma
  • Allergic Reaction
  • Lung Cancer

When one or more of these symptoms recurs in your family without a clear cause that your doctor can diagnose, it’s a big warning bell that you may have indoor air quality issues to attend. When that happens, it’s time for testing and inspection.

Checking Your Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality problems frequently stem from a specific problem – either an entry point in your home where insulation fails or poor ventilation if the source is inside. The purpose of testing is to check for these problems and pinpoint specific ways to reduce the presence of pollutants and make you feel better.

Testing can be done for a number of pollutants including pollen, mold, mildew, bacteria, dander, dust mites, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, VCOs and other gases and bioaerosols. Specific testing will be done depending on the nature of your symptoms, the severity of the leak or exposure to that contaminant and the potential solutions your contractor considers.

If certain pollutants are found, filtration may not be enough to solve the problem – radon and mold especially require installation of new fans and air filters to reduce the effects of the excess air contaminants.  Please call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more.

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What Do You Have to Learn to Be an HVAC Tech in Lacey

Monday, April 30th, 2012

No matter how the style, usage and materials change in buildings, there will always be the need for heating technicians in Lacey, especially in the winter and AC technicians durring the hotter days of summer.  The wide variety and complication of systems requires certain knowledge to maintain and install them.

If you’re looking for a dependable and lucrative career, being an HVAC technician makes good dollars and sense.  As either a self-employed contractor or as part of a larger company, the business of heating, venting and air-conditioning homes, businesses and institutions is sure to be always available.

Areas of Focus

Depending on the interests of the individual, there are various ways to be involved with HVAC systems.  Some choose to participate only in the initial stages of designing, estimating and selling systems to the customer.  Others focus on the installation while still others are only involved with the regular maintenance and service of existing systems.

An independent sub-contractor may need to be expert in all areas of HVAC systems where a team of technicians can concentrate on their selected interests.

The Road to Certification

HVAC refers to many different kinds of systems powered by numerous different types of energy.  Improvements in the technology create an ever changing fast paced body of required knowledge.  Experience is the best teacher but cannot alone keep technicians up to date.

Most certification programs are based on three to four year apprenticeships combining on the job training with classroom lessons. In community colleges and vocational tech schools, a shorter period is required, only two years for an associate degree that teaches the basics of repair and maintenance as well as air conditioner installations.

No matter which way you choose, final certification is given by either the North American Technician Excellence program or the Air Conditioning Excellence Coalition.  With an official certification in the HVAC field, prospects for better employment and higher wages are nearly guaranteed.

What to Learn

HVAC systems are very technical and full of details.  Installation and maintenance of the systems requires many skills, including working with different kinds of piping, motors, pumps, compressors, ductwork, screens and filters.  You learn the difference between boilers and furnaces, refrigerators, coolers and air-conditioners.

There is so much variety and detail to learn that many individuals choose to focus primarily one or several areas instead of trying to be fully expert about all parts.  No matter the focus, an HVAC tech has opened the door to a satisfying career and steady income.  Please call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more.

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Asbestos and Indoor Air Quality in Lacey

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

As a Lacey resident you’ve probably heard how bad asbestos can be for the human body, but did you know it could be in your home right now, posing a potentially dangerous health risk to your family? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used for centuries as a flame retardant and insulator in homes and clothing. In the 1970s it was discovered that asbestos was not safe because of how easily it frays and enters the lungs. Workers and homeowners exposed to frayed asbestos have a much higher risk of a particular type of lung cancer called mesothelioma, which may not show up for years.

So, if asbestos is present in your home, careful testing and inspection should be performed to determine if it poses an immediate risk to anyone in your family.  If there is a slight risk for exposure to asbestos, or any indoor pollutant that should be inspiration enough to improve your home’s ventilation and air filtration.

Where Asbestos Comes From

Asbestos is most commonly found in homes built before 1978 in the insulation, acoustical material, fireproofing, or floor tiles. While home insulation is a common culprit, so too is the insulation placed around pipes and floorboards in the basement.

When the asbestos laden material starts to deteriorate or is damaged, it begins to flake or fray into the air, emitting extremely small particles that are easily breathed. High levels of asbestos in your indoor air are not necessary to expose your family to risk, though they do substantially increase that risk.  For these type of contaminates consider installing a HEPA air filter in your air ducts to capture some of these harmful particles.

What to Do If You Suspect Asbestos

It’s impossible to know for sure if insulation contains asbestos without testing. If you know for sure that there is asbestos and it hasn’t been disturbed, leave it alone. Asbestos is only dangerous when it breaks off and enters the air you breathe. So, the most common abatement technique is to cover it so it cannot get into the air supply.

Contractors are frequently required to carry asbestos removal certification that not only shows they are trained in proper techniques for covering it up, but that any removed asbestos is properly disposed of. If you suspect a problem with your insulation, even if you’re unsure what material it contains, call a contractor immediately for testing.

If testing shows that asbestos is present and it has been damaged, your contractor will recommend an abatement technique to either remove or cover that insulation permanently. Even if asbestos is left behind but is well covered, it should pose no future risk to your family.  Please contact Bob’s Heating and Air Conditioning to set up an indoor air quality test.

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The Room by Room Benefits of Ductless Splits AC for Seattle Homes

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Ductless splits air conditioners in Seattle are designed to eliminate the need for ductwork in a home where space is at a premium. Usually homeowners with older homes – those built before the 1970s – have very little space to work with when it comes to installing the ductwork a traditional central air conditioning system requires. These homes are often heated with radiant boiler systems and have window units to provide cooling in warmer weather. As a result, cooling costs can be extremely high each summer and the house usually isn’t comfortable during these months.

Ductless air conditioning offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the cost of installation is significantly lower than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning when you call for an estimate.

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Lacey Heating Contractor Guide: Which Fuel is Right for Your Home?

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Lacey homeowners all want to save money on household expenses and utility bills. We turn off lights when we leave the room, take shorter showers and make sure the kids don’t keep the refrigerator door open. These small habits help, but still we all want to save a little wherever we can, right?

One area where people are constantly looking for ways to save money is home heating. Everyone wants to be comfortable and warm in their homes, but that costs money, so homeowners are always on the lookout for the most effective and cost efficient way to keep the house warm.

What is the most cost effective fuel for home heating?

Is it natural gas, electric, fuel oil or propane? How about less conventional heat sources like wood or geothermal pumps?

We all wish there was one easy, all-encompassing answer to this question, like a heating magic bullet that would keep every family warm and happy for pennies on the dollar. Unfortunately, there isn’t. It depends on too many factors for any one solution to work for everyone.

Probably the biggest factor that plays a role in the cost of a particular fuel is its local availability. Resources are available differentially, so that while one option might be cheapest for a family of five in Andover, Massachusetts, the analysis is entirely different for a single person in Kearney, Nebraska.

What is the most cost effective option for you?

That is a better question, but still not one that is necessarily easy to answer.

To figure it out, you need to carefully analyze several factors:

  • Local availability (see above)
  • Local climate
  • Size of your home
  • Your family’s needs
  • Existing heating equipment
  • Your budget

Armed with this information, you can do a careful comparison and choose the perfect heating system replacement for you. For assistance you can use an online calculator to compare fuel costs, such as this one from the Energy Information Administration or this one from Hearth.com. Or, if all else fails, call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning for a professional assessment.

Comparing fuel costs and choosing the right solution for you may take some time, but the savings can be well worth it.

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Finding an Ozone Friendly Air Conditioner in Lacey

Friday, September 9th, 2011

We’ve heard about ozone depletion for almost 20 years as a major problem caused by a variety of chemicals we use almost every day in Lacey. Propellants in aerosols, certain cleaning materials and the refrigerant in your air conditioning system are all culprits in the depletion of the ozone layer. So when you purchase a new AC unit, you want to be sure you won’t continue to contribute to the problem.

What Causes Ozone Depletion?

The number one contributor to ozone depletion is chloroflourocarbons, the man-made chemicals used in air conditioners since Thomas Midgley, Jr. invented the compound in the 1920s. When these chemicals reach the stratosphere, the ultraviolet light from the sun breaks the compound down to its base components, including chlorine atoms which subsequently break down thousands of molecules of ozone before dissipating.

The earliest CFCs used in air conditioners were incredibly damaging to the ozone. But since legislation was passed to stop the damage and new technologies were developed, there are less damaging alternatives.

Specifically, the refrigerant R410-A is considered environmentally friendly in that it doesn’t cause ozone depletion. Some air conditioners still ship with the older refrigerant R-22, however, which has been linked to ozone depletion and will no longer be allowed in new products after 2020.

Which Products Can You Buy?

When searching for a new air conditioner, look for a system that uses only R410-A. On average, these systems tend to cost more money, but keep in mind that in less than 10 years, refrigerants for older R-22 models will become much more sparse while R410-A will be an industry standard.

Of course, while R410-A doesn’t cause ozone depletion, it isn’t necessarily 100% environmentally friendly. It is still an HCFC and it contributes in smaller ways to global warming. If you live in a low humidity environment, consider purchasing an evaporative cooler rather than an air conditioner. These systems don’t contain any coolant and can be powered by solar heated water. They are not as effective in high humidity environments, but for those in dry climates, they are less expensive and more friendly to the environment than conventional.

If you have questions about what will work for your home, talk to your local contractor.

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Freon and Load Capacity – How Are They Linked? A Question From Fircrest

Friday, August 19th, 2011

If you’re like most people in Fircrest, you probably don’t think too much about how your air conditioning system works. All you really need to know is that when you switch on the system, your house gets cooler. But if you’re looking to purchase a new air conditioner for your home, it’s a good idea to know how to select the right one to fit the space you’re trying to cool.

Air Conditioning Basics

Air conditioners use Freon as a coolant to remove heat from indoor air and transfer that heat outside. To do this, they cycle the Freon through a closed loop of coils. When the cold Freon enters the cooling coil of the air conditioner, it absorbs heat from the air passing by, thereby lowering the temperature of the air. That cooled air can then be transferred into your home and more warm air can be cycled past the cooling coils.

Air Conditioner Sizing

The more air your air conditioner can cool at once, the larger its load capacity. In order to keep a particular space cool, an AC unit has to have a large enough load capacity to accommodate that type of air volume. A unit that’s too small will obviously never be able to keep your room cool enough, but one that’s too big will have a similar problem.

The truth is that when it comes to air conditioner sizing, bigger is not better. It’s best to simply get as good an estimate as you can of what type of load capacity is ideal for the space you’re trying to cool and stick as close to that as you can.

Load Capacity and Freon

Of course, if you want your air conditioner to cool more air at a time, you’ll need more coolant. But simply increasing the amount of Freon in your air conditioner won’t make it cool any better. Freon is simply one of many elements that contribute to effective cooling. And the larger the entire system is, the more Freon is needed.

So more Freon technically contributes to greater cooling capacity, but it’s not enough to accomplish that all on its own. There is really nothing you can do to increase the load capacity of your air conditioner once it’s in place. So for best results, make sure you pick out an appropriately sized unit the first time around. If you need help deciding on the proper size air conditioner for your home, contact an air conditioning professional.

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Control Your Home’s Moisture – Humidity Is Key

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Most people don’t give a second thought to humidity until it is either much too high or uncomfortably low. And if you have a state of the art home comfort system, you’re probably comfortable inside all year long anyway. But there are several reasons to pay attention to the humidity level in your home and take action if you realize that it isn’t providing the comfort level you’ve come to expect.

Many problems arise from excess or inadequate indoor humidity levels. For instance, a lack of humidity causes your skin and nasal passages to dry and crack, which is obviously pretty unpleasant. But air that’s too dry can also make the symptoms of allergies, asthma and colds worse. Anyone in your home suffering from these conditions will be much more comfortable when the right level of humidity is restored. Another great benefit is that the indoor air quality will no longer contribute to longer and more sever colds and flus in the winter.

Too much humidity is a problem too, though. It promotes the growth of mold, which is a big contributor to indoor air pollution. Mold spores are a big time allergen. The more moisture there is in your home, the more mold there’s likely to be. High indoor humidity levels also promote the growth of dust mites, another major indoor air contaminant and allergen.
Of course, you probably have a great indoor air cleaner in place to get all of those contaminants out of your home’s air supply. But if the air inside your home is too moist or too dry, it can actually make it harder for the air cleaner to remove all types of contaminants. Not only are you putting a greater strain on your body and immune system, you’re asking your air cleaners to work much harder, which can cost you money in repairs and filter replacements.

For all of these reasons, it’s important to put in a humidification system to maintain the overall quality of your indoor air. Plus, a properly humidified environment is simply more comfortable to live in. A humidifier can easily be integrated into your current home heating and cooling system, so you don’t have to worry about high installation costs or equipment compatibility. All you have to do is sit back, relax and breathe in the fresh air that your humidification system makes possible.

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When Should You Replace Your Existing Heat Pump?

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Nobody wants to think about having to replace a home heating and cooling system. It’s a big job and a new system probably won’t come cheap – not if it’s worth buying anyway. But in the end, you’ll be better off replacing your heat pump sooner rather than later if you start noticing signs that it may be on its way out.

So what are these signs? Well, they’re actually pretty easy to recognize if you know what to look for. For instance, if your heat pump is suddenly making more noise than it used to, there’s a good chance that something’s going wrong inside. This may only require a minor repair, but if minor repairs like this become a regular occurrence, you should start seriously thinking about looking around for a new system.

The cost of even minor repairs will certainly add up quickly over time, and you’ll have to seriously think about whether it makes financial sense to continue to repair an older system rather than simply replacing it with a new one. Chances are that you’ll have to invest in a new one anyway, and the sooner you do it, the less you’ll have paid for repairs to a system you were just going to get rid of anyway.

Also, if you’re starting to notice humidity problems in your home or if some parts of your house are being kept warmer than others, it may very well be a sign that you heat pump isn’t working like it should. Again, this can sometimes be rectified with repair work, but especially if your heat pump is 10 years old or more, it probably makes more sense to replace it.

Another item to keep an eye on when you’re worried about how well your heat pump is working is your monthly energy bill. If you notice a sudden or even a gradual but steady increase over time that you know isn’t a result of an increase in energy prices in your area, you should suspect that your heat pump isn’t working like it should.

Even if it’s still keeping your home at a comfortable temperature, the fact that your heat pump is using more energy to do it is a sign that there’s something wrong with your system. Plus, newer systems are generally more energy efficient anyway, so you’ll be making up for the initial investment of purchasing a new system when you start paying even less on your monthly energy bills.

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