Monday, June 1, 2009

Springtime HVAC Maintenance and Upgrades

      Well spring is finally here, the birds are singing, the trees are again putting on their summer best and soon we'll all be hopefully enjoying the best that summer can offer, regardless if it's golf, tennis, swimming, fishing (my favorite) or whatever it is that puts a smile on your face.It maybe nothing more than a summer BBQ but whatever it is get out there and do it.
      Summer is also the time when we need to start thinking about creature comfort in our homes, the time to maybe consider some kind of upgrade to make next winter more comfortable and maybe save a few bucks doing it in the process. It could be something as complex as a complete overhaul of an outdated heating system, maybe installing a new woodstove and chimney, or possibly something as simple as installing a auto setback thermostat.
      Maybe something like a bypass humidifier, a HEPA air filtration system, or even a Heat Recovery Ventilator, these are all products that are out in the world with the intent of helping you towards a goal that we all want more of, comfort. If you're in the HVAC industry then of course this is a great way to enhance your sales while giving your customer more of what they contacted you for in the first place. If you are the end user then of course you want to be more comfortable, healthy, and get the most bang for your heating, ventilation and air conditioning dollar.
      Some of these products are more important than ever just because we are putting in better doors and windows and putting more insulation in our structures than ever before, this is good from the point of making the most out of every dollar we spend to control our enviorment, however the downside is the air in our homes is certainly not changing over as frequently as it used to, the end result being we are not getting as much fresh air through natural infiltration as we used to, therefore we need to look at other means of either getting fresh air without throwing away heat or at least finding ways to process the air in our homes to keep it healthy.
      This is definitely the time to get ready for next winter, many qualified people have time to go over these type of projects with you this time of year, if you wait until fall they quite often find themselves overburdened just trying to give their customers the basics, never mind the frills that make a house a home. So the next time the blackflys chase you inside and away from the garden maybe that is the time to think, "Am I as ready as I want to be?".