What Is a Heat Exchanger and How Does It Work

November 1, 2023

There’s probably a lot that you don’t know about the heating equipment in your O’Fallon, MO, home. From your furnace’s electric ignition switch to its venting system, there are many important components working together to provide an even and consistent stream of heat. Among these is your furnace’s heat exchanger. Much like its name implies, the heat exchanger is where heat transfer occurs. Positioned just below the combustion chamber and the furnace blower, it has a major role in determining just how efficient and safe your furnace is. How a Heat Exchanger Works Heat exchangers are L-shaped metal shells with multiple internal and external tubes. This shell-and-tube configuration minimizes thermal energy loss during heat transfer. When your furnace burns or combusts fuel, the hot exhaust gases from this process leave the combustion chamber and enter the heat exchanger, where their heat is absorbed. As filtered air is blown across the exchanger, it collects this heat before entering your ductwork and being distributed throughout your home. Heat exchangers experience regular and significant fluctuations in temperature along with incredibly high levels of heat. Their all-metal design makes them excellent heat conductors. This also makes them resistant to temperature-related cracking. Cracked Heat Exchangers...

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Understanding the Furnace Installation Process From Start to Finish

October 19, 2023

Installing a new furnace in a home is a much more complicated process than most people realize. Removing an older furnace and replacing it can be time-consuming, but it can usually be completed in one day. However, it is always something that has to be done by a certified technician. You can’t just plug in a furnace, hook up the gas, and have it ready to go. There are a huge number of steps and tests that need to be done to ensure it operates safely and heats effectively. This guide will show you all of the various steps involved in replacing or installing a furnace so that you know what to expect during the process. Load Calculation Before installing a new furnace in a home, technicians will need to perform what’s known as a Manual J load calculation. A load calculation is essential as it enables them to accurately determine what size the furnace needs to be to heat the home effectively and operate as energy efficiently as possible. When performing the load calculation, technicians will take into account a wide variety of different factors including the home’s square footage and the climate zone. They’ll also need to measure...

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Energy Efficiency and Indoor Air Quality: Friends or Foes?

October 10, 2023

There has been lots of debate in recent years about the link between a building’s energy efficiency and its indoor air quality and whether you can really ever have high energy efficiency and high air quality at the same time. There’s plenty of evidence that directly shows that improved energy efficiency often leads to a decrease in indoor air quality. The good news is that it doesn’t always have to, as you can have a home that’s extremely energy-efficient without having to worry about air quality. In this guide, we’ll discuss the ways that energy efficiency and air quality are often related and what options you have for improving either one without having to sacrifice the other. How Improved Energy Efficiency Can Negatively Affect Indoor Air Quality Construction practices and building materials have vastly improved in the past few decades. These advancements have allowed modern buildings to be far more energy-efficient, which is obviously important for saving homeowners money and lessening the environmental impact of their homes. Unfortunately, the improved energy efficiency of modern buildings has also resulted in them having more indoor air quality issues. Older buildings aren’t poorly built per se, but most of them definitely aren’t all...

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How Indoor Pets Change Air Quality and How to Improve It

September 20, 2023

Our beloved pets bring us immeasurable happiness, but they also bring something else: a complex web of indoor air quality concerns. It’s no secret that pets come with a lot of love and a generous helping of pet dander. Dander consists of tiny skin particles, hair and other microscopic debris that pets shed naturally. While dander might seem harmless, it can become airborne and contribute to a variety of indoor air quality problems, particularly for those with allergies or respiratory issues. This is especially relevant as we use HVAC systems, which can circulate these particles and pet-related odors throughout our homes. How Pets Change a Home’s Indoor Air Quality Allergies, Asthma and Health Concerns For individuals sensitive to allergens, pet dander can trigger allergies and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Common reactions include sneezing, coughing, itchy or watery eyes and even difficulty breathing. If you or your family members experience these symptoms, your pets might be unwitting contributors. Odors and VOCs We adore our pets, but sometimes their unique aroma can linger indoors. This is not just about the obvious odors; pet urine and feces can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, impacting the overall indoor air quality (IAQ). These...

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Is It More Expensive to Run Heating or Air Conditioning?

September 13, 2023

No matter what time of year it is in O’Fallon, MO, you will probably need to run either your furnace or your air conditioner. Both of these come with increased utility bills, but which one will cost you more? Knowing the answer to this and how you can improve efficiency and keep your bills as low as possible is essential. The information also helps to ensure that your home is always comfortable no matter what type of weather Mother Nature throws at you. Does Heating or Air Conditioning Cost More? The short answer is that it costs more to heat your home than it does to keep it cool. In fact, it could take up to four times more energy to heat your home compared to keeping it cool. Exploring these reasons will help you to develop a plan to lower both costs. In general, your system has to work harder to keep your home warm in the winter than it does to keep it cool in the summer. Most people keep their homes between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit no matter the time of year. During the summer, temperatures may get 20 to 30 degrees above this. Because of...

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Tips and Tricks for Finding Your Ideal Sleep Temperature

August 14, 2023

Why Good Sleep Matters High-quality sleep is essential for your overall health and well-being. As you sleep, your body rests, rejuvenates, and repairs itself. Throughout this process, the human brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and regulates several bodily functions. While many people consider a good night’s rest to be at least eight hours, proper sleep is more than just a number. Doctors explain that a healthy amount of sleep includes uninterrupted rest, sufficient duration, and the proper progression through different sleep cycles. Quality sleep also plays a significant role in cognitive function, memory retention, and learning. By getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to improve your concentration, focus, and problem-solving abilities. On the journey to satisfying sleep, the temperature can change everything. The optimal sleep temperature plays a big role in your ability to achieve restful sleep. As your internal thermostat works to keep a stable core temperature during sleep, a sleep environment that is too hot or too cold can disrupt the process. Additionally, feeling too hot as you sleep can lead to night sweats, restlessness, and frequent awakenings, while excessive cold can lead to muscle tension and discomfort. The Science Behind Sleep Temperature Scientists point out...

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7 Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality With HVAC Technology

August 1, 2023

Did you know that the air outside of your O’Fallon, MO home might be cleaner than your air indoors? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the indoor concentrations of certain pollutants are up to five times higher than the concentrations outside. This remains true even when homeowners have high-performing and well-maintained HVAC systems. The good news is that there are several ways to reduce indoor air pollution with HVAC technologies. The following are seven of them. 1. Take Advantage of the “V” in HVAC HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Unfortunately, many companies and consumers overlook the “V” in HVAC. This is especially true now that the emphasis is on improving the efficiency of heating and cooling equipment by tightening home envelopes. Although having a tight home envelope prevents your heated and cooled air from escaping outdoors, an overly tight envelope also prevents fresh, outdoor air from flowing in. Excessively tight home envelopes keep toxins trapped inside and create stale, stagnant, and often unpleasant-smelling air. Buildings typically “breathe” through a process known as induction whereby indoor air seeps out through cracks and gaps in building materials and outside air replaces it. As you seal up openings around...

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Shine Bright: Can UV Lights Clean My Air Ducts and Vents?

July 11, 2023

The use of UV light as a cleaning mechanism has risen in popularity since the early 20th century. In 1903, Niels Ryberg Finsen received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work demonstrating that UV light treatment can have beneficial health effects. Since then, the use of UV light for cleaning has become widespread in hospitals, restaurants, and stores. Given the effectiveness of UV light for commercial buildings, it is understandable that many homeowners would like to use this technology to clean various components of their household HVAC systems. A look at the characteristics of a UV light system can provide insight on whether this solution can improve indoor air quality. What Is UV Light? Ultraviolet (UV) light is a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light. UV light is naturally present in the sun, and scientists later learned to harness the power of UV light to disinfect nonporous surfaces, water, and air. There are three types of UV light: UVA (also known as long-wave UV light) UVB (also known as medium-wave UV light) UVC (also known as short-wave or germicidal UV light) Of the three types, UVA has the longest wavelength and is the most abundant...

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12 Tricks to Ease the Heat and Sleep Comfortably in Hot Weather

July 3, 2023

No one loves sleeping in the heat. It’s just no fun when you’re tossing and turning all night, trying to get comfortable but unable to because of the unbearable heat. Not only is it a bummer for your sleep, but you can also feel pretty bad the next day. But don’t worry! With the help of air conditioning services and additional tips – we have you covered. Read along to come across some hacks that will help cool down your room and make for a restful night’s sleep. Here are some of our top tips for keeping cool. 1. Open the Windows When it’s hot outside, the best thing to do is open all the windows, and if you have access to them, a few doors too. This will bring in some fresh air to help cool down the room and make sleeping easier. However, if you have a lot of bugs in your area, it might not be the best idea to open all the windows. You can always open one window and blow the air around the room with a fan. 2. Use Ice Packs Ice packs are a great way to get cool. Keep them in the...

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How Does a Dehumidifier Improve the Quality of Air?

June 20, 2023

You view your home as your sanctuary, so it’s important to ensure the quality of air meets your desired standards. From your cleaning regimen to pets to your HVAC system maintenance, there are many factors that can affect the quality of air in your home. So, as you can imagine, it is important to become familiar with how you can achieve the best quality of indoor air possible. One method of improving indoor air is the utilization of a high-performance home dehumidifier. Along with other methods to achieve clean air, most modern HVAC systems include dehumidifiers to produce the best indoor air possible. Defining Indoor Air Quality Often referred to as “indoor air quality” or (IAQ), the quality of air within your home is an environmental factor that has a direct effect on the health, comfort, and overall well-being of its inhabitants. There are methods that help to improve IAQ, such as using a dehumidifier to increase the amount of high-quality indoor air. Signs of Poor Air Quality Many people spend the majority of their time indoors. This is especially true during extreme weather such as hot Florida summers or cold northern winters. Since you cannot see the air you...

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