Carbon monoxide is and natural gas are just that…natural chemical compounds that are all around us, including in our homes. And yet, these two particular compounds bear very close attention and monitoring.

Gas Leaks

Leaking gas can lead to asphyxiation (the inability to breathe leading to suffocation) and dangerous explosions. Luckily, commercial gasses, like the kind you use to heat your home and water, have a strong odor added to them for early and clear detection. If you smell a gas leak in your home, you need to act quickly.

• The most important thing to do for a gas leak is to get fresh air and get out. If the smell is strong and you are having a hard time breathing, leave your home as quickly as possible. If you live in an apartment building or near other homes, alert your neighbors so they can leave too. Then call 911 (or your local emergency number) and your gas company immediately to report the leak.
• Whatever you do, don’t do anything to trigger an explosion. Put out all open flames like matches, lighters, candles, or cigarettes that could set the gas on fire. Even an electrical current could start an explosion, so avoid turning any appliances on or off, including lights.
• If you cannot get out of your home, open doors and windows to air out the room. If you know where the leak is coming from and can shut off the gas supply, do so at once. Contact your local gas company immediately and let them know about the leak.
• Don’t go back inside until the fire department and the gas company give you the “all clear.” If you or any member of your family can’t smell or have difficulty breathing, contact both your physician and local gas company for assistance.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of death by poison in the United States, killing almost 4,000 people a year. It is one of the most dangerous poisons because often people don’t know it’s there until it’s too late.

Carbon monoxide comes from your furnace, boiler, hot water heater, oven, woodstove, fireplace or anything that burns fuel.

The best way to protect yourself and your family from carbon monoxide poisoning is to buy a hard-wired, low level carbon monoxide detector for your home. Air Temp offers and installs these because they are far more effective than those you can purchase from a home center or hardware store. The latter often don’t sound the alarm until damage has already occurred.

Here are some simple steps to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning in your home:

• Make sure your fireplace, chimney, furnace and gas water heater are inspected and cleaned yearly.
• Don’t block heating vents and external vents.
• Never use your oven or stovetop to heat your home.
• Never use gas fireplaces or space heaters as main heating sources (these are not meant to replace furnaces or central heating)
• Turn of ovens, space heaters, and other heating appliances before going to bed or leaving your home.
• Never use grills inside the home a closed space.
• Never keep a car running inside an enclosed space like a garage or shed.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can feel much like the flu. Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include: headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, weakness, vision or hearing impairment, and drowsiness. If you notice these symptoms and suspect that carbon monoxide is the cause, you should get fresh air immediately and seek medical help.

Another effective and immediate way to protect your home and family from CO and natural gas leaks is to schedule our home heating system tune-up and inspection service today. During the process, we’ll look for and take corrective action should we spot signs of even potential leaks. Click here for more information on what our service includes.

As always, we look forward to our next opportunity to serve you.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now

You can have the best home heating system in the world, but there are still more things you can do, very affordably, to cut your energy costs even more.

1. Add another Layer of Attic Insulation

Since the majority of homes built before 1980 are under-insulated, heat escapes through the ceiling, past the roof and into the atmosphere because of a lack of insulation in the attic. According to the Department of Energy, one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to cut heating and cooling costs – and make a home more comfortable – is to add more insulation in the attic. As a general rule, if you have less than 11 to 12 inches of attic insulation, you probably need more…especially in colder climates like here in Central Connecticut.

2. Turn on the Humidifier

If your furnace doesn’t have a built-in humidifier, use a portable unit in frequently occupied areas such as the bedroom and living room. The additional moisture will increase the “heat index” inside your home, making 68° F feel more like 76° F. The relative humidity in the home should be between 20 to 40 percent. To help avoid condensation on windows, lower the percentage as the outside temperature gets colder.

3. Warm Yourself before Heating the Entire House

Put on a sweater before turning the thermostat dial. Each degree you raise the thermostat on your heating system increases your fuel bill by 3 percent.

4. Install a Programmable Thermostat

Why heat the house when nobody is home? A programmable thermostat can automatically lower and raise your home’s air temperature when you are at work or sleeping. By simply turning your thermostat back from 72° F down to 65° F for eight hours a day, you can save as much as 10 percent on your annual heating and cooling costs.

5. Let the Sun Shine in & Replace the Windows

Open the window shades on the south and west side of your house during the day to maximize the warmth of the sun, and close them at night. If you, like half of American homeowners, have single-pane windows, consider replacing them with thermally efficient windows that use a special low emissivity (Low-E) coating on the glass that reflects heat back into the room during the winter months. Act soon to get a tax credit too!

Looking for ways to enjoy greater indoor comfort this winter at a lower total cost?  Then contact the professionals at Air Temp Mechanical today.  We have the answers you can live with…comfortably AND affordably.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now

The industrial revolution brought with it many benefits especially in terms of mass production and mechanization. But along with came air pollution.  Both outside and inside your home.  Today, as people across the country look to live greener and healthier lives, more and more attention is being focused on indoor living environments than ever.

While sealing the doors and windows will keep the polluted air on the outside it is not all that healthy an alternative because all the moisture in the air is also trapped in the space. This could make the environment irritable and lead to health problems as well. In order to keep the polluted air out and a healthy environment inside you can make use of dehumidifiers.

What is a Dehumidifier?

A dehumidifier can be a standalone unit that serves one area of your home at a time.  You can also purchase a central air conditioning with a built-in humidifier/dehumidifier or have one added into your existing system for whole-house relief.

Do You Need a Dehumidifier?

There’s a very good chance the answer is “yes.”  The first consideration is greater indoor comfort as no one really liked that sticky feeling that excess humidity brings with it.

Keeping the humidity in check will also control the other things that like humid areas – like mold, for example. Mold and mildew just love places with high moisture content, and you’re bound to find them growing on organic surfaces in humid areas. When you zap the humidity out of the air, you’re not just depriving mold and mildew of the water they need. You also disable them from releasing their spores, which can cause severe allergies.

Mold and mildew are likely to be your biggest problem when you live in a very humid environment. They cause more than their fair share of problems: their spores can trigger sever allergy and asthma conditions, they can damage or ruin the surfaces they latch on to, and they’re not very attractive.

Dehumidify These Spaces

Unless you’re getting a whole house dehumidifier, you’ll have to prioritize which rooms and spaces should get dehumidified in your home.

The first and most logical candidate is your basement or cellar. It has the combination of dark and damp that mold and mildew just love, so zapping out the humidity there is a big priority. Other places where you work with water, such as a laundry room, will also benefit a lot from having a dehumidifier installed.

Beside basement dehumidifiers , it’s also a good idea to install one in spaces where your family spend the most time.  There’s an obvious comfort benefit, and then there’s the health benefit of not having mold and mildew there to trigger allergic reactions. In the same vein, other ‘family rooms’ like your den or recreation room should also be candidates for dehumidification.

A Helping Hand from Air Temp Mechanical

As indoor air and home comfort specialist, we’re here to customize livable solutions…for one family at a time.  For answers to your questions about dehumidification or any other indoor comfort matter, we invite you to contact us today, or any time at all.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now

Winter is just around the corner so please don’t wait to the last minute to have your heating system maintained.

Air Temp provides quality Heating System maintenance programs in Connecticut. If you want to make sure your Heating system is ready for the winter then give us a call at 860-953-8888 to schedule our winter service partner plan. We serve all of Connecticut and provide heating and air conditioning service, maintenance and replacements.

Thanks,

Jeff Leone

President  of Air Temp

Now, Air Temp Defines and Explains SEER Ratings…in Plain English.

Guess who had the first central AC system in the country? It was the New York Stock Exchange, and they got theirs way back in 1902. The main users of AC in early applications were factories and print shops… and then movie theatres got into the act through the 30’s, using it as a selling point. Go to the movies and cool off!

For the rest of us, AC became widespread in the 50’s, both in cars and homes. Its widespread use changed the world, ushering in new construction possibilities, and a huge migration into the south. Think of Vegas with no AC… it wouldn’t exist!

Anyway, got Air Conditioning in your house? Here’s a number you need to be familiar with. It is called the SEER number. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, and it denotes how much or little electricity your air conditioning unit uses to keep you cool and comfortable.

Way back when… back in the days when electricity was so cheap we barely paid attention, air conditioning units were real hogs, with SEER numbers of 9 or less. In 1987, the minimum SEER number was upped to 10. And in early 2006, the minimum required by law was upped to 13.  Lucky for all of us, most central AC manufacturers produce unit well in excess of that number.

So, what does all this mean to you?  Sooner or later, your AC unit will need to be replaced. When it does, you have a once in a blue moon chance to make serious inroads into your monthly energy expense.  In fact, for every increase in SEER number, your energy efficiency will increase, on average, between 5-9%. Here’s the explanation on those numbers.

Some of today’s better models offer SEER ratings up to an astounding 23!  So, hypothetically, if you were to upgrade from a 9 SEER unit to one with a 23 rating, you’d save 70%+ on one of your biggest energy “consumers.” 

The new super-efficient systems use compressors that have been transformed from energy chow hounds to energy skin flints.  Sure, the higher the SEER rating the more the unit is likely to cost, but once you calculate the energy savings, it’s a good bet you’re going to want more vs. less energy savings…month after month, year after year.

If you’re ready to start shopping for a new unit now, contact Air Temp for honest advice, great service, plus exceptional home comfort knowledge and experience.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now

What you need to know about Indoor Air Pollution, and what you can do to control it.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside U.S. homes may be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and in some cases as much as 100 times more polluted. What’s surprising is that newer homes actually can test higher for poor indoor air quality.  In a rush to conserve energy in the ’70s, builders, architects, and designers started to build tighter homes with better windows and doors, thicker insulation, and took extra steps to seal out any potential drafts.

Well, the energy savings were pretty impressive, but at the expense of trapping Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) inside our homes. These fumes can stem from building products, furniture, animal dander, as well as indoor mildew and mold.

While it sounds funny, a drafty home is usually a healthier home. Other issues compounding matters is that more Americans than ever before suffer from severe allergies/asthma:  an estimated 57 million according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

And while an air filtration system from Air Temp Mechanical can make life much more pleasant and a lot healthier indoors, there are things you can do to help minimize the problems associated with indoor air pollution.

1. Keep your home as clean as possible.  Staying ahead of dust and dust mites can dramatically improve air quality.  Dusting window treatments, around window and door trim and out-of-reach areas helps even more.  But not just any vacuum cleaner will do.  Those that use a HEPA type filter prevent the dust from spewing back into your living space.  Also consider a bag-less vacuum to avoid the plume of dust that happens whenever you change a bag.



2. If you have a forced air heating system, have the air ducts cleaned and sealed internally.  Even newer homes can have more dust and construction debris inside the ducts than homes at least 10 years old.  By sealing the leaks, dust and dirt that can be sucked through the return line is reduced.
3.  Purchase better filters for your air handler and furnace.  Many of us have spun glass filters that cost about $1.  While these protect the blower motor they do virtually nothing to improve indoor air quality.  Upgrade to a pleated filter that captures smaller particles…some so small the naked eye cannot see.
4. Consider a whole-house air filtration system.Air Temp, we have several effective indoor air quality solutions, and the right one for your home.  To learn more, visit the Indoor Air Quality page on our web site.  Or, contact us today for an in-home assessment and proposal.  It’s free, and there’s no obligation.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now

Here are a few things you can do to help keep your central air conditioning system in top working order.

1.  First, if your outdoor unit or the system’s air handler isn’t working, check your breakers (or fuses) and adjust your thermostat (cooling control) up or down as needed.  If they still don’t respond, give us a call.

2.  Next, clean or change your filter regularly.  This simple step alone will help save money on your energy bill by causing your system to run less often.  That, in turn, will help increase the system’s life span.

Also, be on the look-out for ice buildup inside your air handler where the evaporator coil is located.  Can’t see any ice?  It could still be there.  Just put your hand on the metal case…if it’s cold to the touch, icing could be the cause.

This results in evaporator coil temperatures being at or below the freezing point which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).  Before calling Air Temp, try setting the thermostat point above room temperature to stop the compressor, thus allowing the ice to melt.  Depending on how badly the unit is iced up, 30 minutes should do the job and 1 hour is even better to ensure all ice is gone.

If the problem goes undetected for any length of time, a couple of things can happen:

• The evaporator coil can collapse or break. This requires a service technician to repair and possibly install a new coil.  This can be an expensive fix, especially for a problem that pretty easily be avoided.

• If there’s significant ice buildup, water can escape the air handler, work its way into your ceilings and walls and other unwanted places and cause some pretty serious damage.

3.  Check your fan blower for excessive slack or damage.  This can cause low air flow which, in turn, leads ice formation related problems.

4.  Wash your condenser coil regularly. Simply turn off your air conditioner and spray the condenser with a garden hose.  Also, keep shrubs weeds and flowers away from your condenser to keep the air flowing.

Of course, if your keep your air conditioning system long enough, sooner or later it will need to be repaired or replaced.  If and when that time comes, you can count on Air Temp to handle it all to your complete satisfaction, and for your greater peace of mind.

And don’t forget to contact us for annual system maintenance…another great way to you’re your system running better, longer, and more efficiently.

Phone: (860) 256-6550

Click here to schedule Service or Ask Questions Now