Did you know that the quality of your indoor air can actually be worse than the outdoor air? This is especially true for humidity. Humidity is something we’re all too familiar with here in the summertime. It’s when there is excessive moisture in the air that it’s harder for us to cool off, since we can’t sweat. High humidity can even cause health problems.
The relative humidity in your home can quickly climb above 50% at this time of year, when it actually should be between 30%–50%. We’re going to talk about this more below, in addition to what it means for you and your health, as well as the health of your air conditioner. Remember, your air conditioner does have some dehumidification properties, but it’s not designed to effectively reduce your relative humidity level to where it should be.

Springtime is typically when we encourage homeowners to schedule annual maintenance for their air conditioners. This is a season when HVAC technicians usually have less crowded schedules since they’re responding to fewer emergency calls for broken down heaters or air conditioners, and therefore it’s easier to schedule this
Temperatures are still cool, but with spring officially here now is the time to start preparing for warmer weather. Part of this preparation is scheduling your air conditioning system’s annual maintenance appointment.
Have you ever been told by a plumbing professional that your boiler has been affected by boiler scale? Another name for it is boiler deposits. You might not be sure whether to take this issue seriously as it’s not blaringly obvious that something is wrong with your boiler. In fact, scaling in boilers is actually common.
When customers ask us what the best options are for new HVAC systems today, we are quick to suggest ductless heating (and cooling). The reason for this is how efficient and effective these systems are. Rather than operating through a network of air ducts connected to an indoor air handler, like a traditional central air conditioner or furnace, ductless systems have an outdoor unit to which you can connect up to four indoor air handlers. These air handlers are mounted up high on the walls of the rooms in which they are installed, and can be controlled independently of each other.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could completely avoid the need for
First, we’ll start off with a bit of good news—if you haven’t scheduled your heating maintenance appointment yet, it’s not too late. Sure, we recommend it in the fall, typically. The reason for this is that it gives you plenty of time to get ahold of a service technician and reduces the risk of an interruption in service. Ensuring that you have your heater maintained at least once a year (twice, if you have a heat pump system) will help it perform at its best, and is more important than what time of the year you have it done.
A cracked heat exchanger is one of those furnace issues that should not—well, cannot—be ignored. Not only is it something that most often happens to aging furnaces that are just about at the end of their lifespan anyway, a cracked heat exchanger is dangerous. It enables carbon monoxide—a tasteless and odorless, yet hazardous, gas—to make its way into your living space.
When you live in a climate as cold as ours gets in the wintertime, your heating system goes through a lot of stress. Make that double if you have a heat pump, which is already strained from keeping you cool all summer.
There are probably plenty of people out there who would be willing to service your heater, or any other home comfort appliance in your house, but that doesn’t mean they should. Many general handymen (and women) out there don’t actually have much experience specifically in the HVAC industry, and therefore will be learning by using your system as an example—which isn’t a comfortable feeling when you consider how cold our winters get. Do you really want your heater to be a guinea pig?