Archive for the ‘Comfort’ Category

How to Tell if Your Air Ducts Are Leaking in Coquitlam

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Air ducts are an important part of moving conditioned air throughout your home, when you are using a heating and cooling system. When these ducts are in good repair and properly sealed, your home is more energy efficient. If your air ducts are leaking, you are using more energy than necessary to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that most homes lose up to 20 percent of conditioned air through holes in air ducts or in ducts that were improperly installed.

There are a few signs that point to leaking air ducts. High heating and cooling bills are an indicator that you are using more energy than necessary to keep temperatures steady. If you have a few rooms that always seem to feel stuffy, you could have leaking air ducts. The location of air ducts can also predispose them to hole or leaks. If your air ducts are placed in a crawlspace, garage or attic leaks are more likely to go undetected.

Inspect your air ducts for signs of rips or holes that could allow air to escape. Tangled ducts or air ducts that are kinked typically have leaks, as well. Since air ducts are usually placed in out-of-the way spaces, it can be difficult to repair them yourself. If you wish to seal leaking air ducts yourself, place metal tape over any areas of damage. Always use metal tape instead of duct tape, which will not hold up over the course of time. Examine all of your air ducts where they connect to the ceiling, floors and walls to be sure they are tight-fitting.

A heating and cooling contractor can examine your home to let you know if your air ducts are leaking. A professional contractor will inspect all of the ducts inside your home for signs of damage. If any leaks are found, he may also seal them or adjust ducts disconnect ducts. Your contractor may also install insulation to any ducts in attics or garage ceilings. Finally, your contractor can examine your entire heating and cooling system to ensure it is working at maximum efficiency.

Posted in Air Duct Cleaning, Comfort, Energy Savings | Comments Off

We’re Grateful for Central Heating and Indoor Plumbing

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

The holiday season is upon us again – a time for celebrating with family and friends, and remembering our many blessings.

Of course, the most important of these are the love of our family and friends and the food that nourishes us. We hope these blessings are shared by all our customers.Baby Sleeping By Fire in a Comfortable Home With Central Heating

As the weather gets colder, we are grateful, too, for the comfort of our homes. It’s worth remembering that even the simplest of our modern homes are full of luxuries that people of centuries past could not even have imagined.

Take central heating, for example, which did not become widespread until the 20th century (although it was actually invented by the Romans). Here in the New World, early European settlers emulated the practices of the Native Americans, heating their homes with an open indoor fire and keeping out the cold with brightly-woven mats and furs. The houses stayed surprisingly warm during the winter (sometimes getting as hot as 90 degrees F, especially in the wigwams, which were better insulated than the colonists’ dwellings). But tending the fire was a tedious, time-consuming, dirty, and somewhat dangerous task – and as anyone who has ever made breakfast over a campfire will tell you, cooking three meals a day over an open flame was very challenging.

Indoor plumbing is another invention that early natives and settlers could not have imagined (although again, it had been invented long before by the ingenious Romans). During the long and arduous voyage to the New World, European colonists relieved themselves by sitting on shelves that jutted out over the sides of the ship; when they reached the New World, they simply went outdoors to do their business, even in the dead of winter. Even outhouses were luxuries in the early years. Baths were uncommon (sometimes a once-a-year event) and were not taken at all on board ship. When colonists did wash, they did so in a nearby stream or pond.

So, the next time you press a button on your thermostat to turn on the heat, or flush your toilet, or take a nice warm shower, or cook a meal on a temperature-controlled oven – give thanks!

We’re grateful for the opportunity to help you keep your home warm, safe, and comfortable. Our customers are one of the many blessings for which we are thankful – now and all year long.

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Posted in Comfort, Heating, Plumbing | Comments »

Thinking About New High-Efficiency Equipment?
It’s Good for the Planet – and Great for YOU

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

604-630-7747

Okay, so you know that your old heating and cooling equipment is lousy for the environment. But do you know just how bad it really is? To give you an idea: your old-fashioned hot water tank alone – all by itself – produces about half the carbon emissions of the average car! Add the emissions from your cranky old furnace and your noisy old air conditioners, and you’re really racking up the CO2.

Replacing your old carbon-belching heaters, air conditioners, and hot water heaters with new high-efficiency models is a great thing to do for the planet, no question about it. And installing new high-efficiency equipment will give you some serious bragging rights next time you get together with your environmentally-minded friends and neighbors.

But there’s more than that. High-efficiency equipment isn’t only good for the planet and your reputation. It’s also great for you.

Here’s how new high-efficiency equipment will benefit you:

A New High-Efficiency System Makes Your Whole Family Comfortable!

A New High-Efficiency System Makes Your Whole Family Comfortable!

  • You’ll save money. Heating and cooling is the biggest expense on your utility bill and may account for as much as half of your home’s total energy use. Upgrading to a new, high-efficiency heating and cooling system can make a big difference to your energy bills – you can save as much as $200 a year, depending on where you live.
  • You’ll be a lot more comfortable in your home. A new heating and cooling system will get rid of those annoying hot and cold spots in your house, and will properly remove humidity from the air.
  • You’ll have more enjoyable showers. A new, properly insulated water heater will offer more reliable hot water with less waiting, even in the middle of the winter.
  • You’ll breathe better – and your home will smell better. New systems can remove 95% of airborne dust, pollen, odors, tobacco, and cooking particles. That is a boon to allergy sufferers, and also keeps your house smelling better.
  • Your equipment will last longer. Old, inefficient systems tend to stop and start a lot, which is hard on the mechanical elements. A properly-sized high-efficiency system will run more consistently and last longer.

So, how do you know if your old equipment needs replacement? It’s simple. If your equipment is more than 10 years old and/or it’s not keeping your house comfortable, it’s time to talk to your HVAC contractor about replacing it with a new, high-efficiency model.

P.S. Don’t forget: your new high-efficiency equipment will work best with annual tune-ups and regular filter replacements! Our Milani Value Plan will start you off right with a 30-minute complete home inspection, and help you keep your equipment in top form with an 11% discount on all preventative maintenance.

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Posted in Comfort, Energy Savings, Heating, Indoor Air Quality, Milani Value Plan | Comments Off