How Often Do I Need to Schedule Duct Cleaning?

January 25th, 2021
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The ducts in your house are hidden from sight, so you won’t have a good idea about how much dust, dander, lint, and other debris builds up inside them over the years. To give you an idea, a six-person home circulates on average 40 lbs. of dust through the ventilation system annually. Plenty of that will stay on the duct walls, and the more that collects, the more dust it will catch. This eventually leads to ductwork with so much build-up that it affects the energy efficiency of the HVAC system and adds to the amount of debris and allergens blown out into the air.

Professional duct cleaning will restore the ducts to near-pristine condition and help significantly to improve the HVAC system. But how often does your home need this service?

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“Is My HVAC Air Filter Protecting My Indoor Air Quality?”

January 18th, 2021
woman-leaning-back-on-couch-looking-comfortable-in-her-home

The short answer to this is, “No.”

It’s not that the standard HVAC air filter hurts your indoor air quality. In fact, it does help a little. However, it’s not doing much to protect your indoor air quality, because that is not its purpose.

The air filter that comes standard with your HVAC system is actually in place to protect the system itself. It’s placed on the intake side, where your HVAC system draws in air. This prevents the system from sucking in dirt, dust, and other debris that can build up on its components and do the system harm. While it’s a very important component, it won’t do a whole lot to protect or help your indoor air quality in a significant way.

What will, then? A whole-house air purification system.

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How High-Efficiency Furnaces Work So Well

January 11th, 2021
gas-furnace

Heating and air conditioning systems have improved their energy efficiency vastly over the past 20 years. Today, the US Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR program certifies the most efficient of these systems, which sometimes perform at 40% greater efficiency than older models. 

The high-efficiency furnace is one of the big success stories in energy-friendly comfort. For many years, the standard efficiency of most furnaces was between 70 to 80% AFUE, meaning that 70 to 80% of the furnaces’ fuel source was converted to heat, the rest lost to exhaust. Today, there are high-efficiency furnaces that score higher than 95% AFUE. 

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“What Happened to My Water Pressure?”

January 4th, 2021
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Let’s say you’ve hopped in the shower on a cold winter morning only to realize that even though it’s warm, the water coming out of the showerhead doesn’t seem to be coming out at the same force that it used to. It could just be the showerhead, right? Limescale can certainly clog things up. That may be the case, but what if your faucets aren’t that powerful either? Well, then it appears you have a drop in water pressure.

If you ever have any questions about your plumbing system or why your water pressure dropped, you can always call us. In fact, you should call us in case you can’t find out what the issue is on your own. This isn’t a problem you want to ignore since it could mean you had a pipe rupture or a major blockage somewhere in your plumbing system. Read on to learn about some steps to take if you find yourself in this predicament.

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What You Need to Know About Heating Efficiency Ratings

December 28th, 2020
money-saving-house

Choosing a new heating system for your home requires balancing several different factors. One you’ll pay close attention to is the energy efficiency rating of the new heater. The number matters because you want to find a system that will save you money and help the environment with its performance. 

But energy efficiency ratings can be a bit confusing and people often are unaware of what a higher rating means. Below, we’ve provided some essential information to help you understand how ratings work for furnaces and heat pumps.

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Signs That It’s Time for a Plumbing Fix

December 21st, 2020
water-bursting-through-crack-in-pipe

Plumbing system problems can often be difficult to spot, especially without the right professional equipment and know-how about comprehensive pipe systems. Most of these pipes, after all, are hidden from view, and the problems that crop up are usually pretty subtle when they start.

For this reason, we recommend that our customers schedule preventive plumbing maintenance at least once annually. However, it’s also important to familiarize yourself with the warning signs that you do need a plumbing fix, even if you’re due for maintenance. The faster you detect a plumbing issue, the faster you can get it fixed, after all. So, what are these signs?

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Combating the Spread of Winter Illness With Air Purifiers

December 14th, 2020
virus-cells

This winter people are more worried than ever about the spread of illnesses inside their homes. Winter is traditionally a time when people are more exposed to colds and cases of flu because they’re spending a larger amount of time indoors in close proximity to other people. Additionally, many viruses and cold germs thrive in drier, colder environments, and these conditions contribute to dried mucus and sinus membranes that lower the body’s natural defenses. 

You do have options for improving the quality of your indoor air during the winter. There isn’t anything that can guarantee to stop the spread of all germs and microbes but using a professionally installed air purifier in Stockton, CA can significantly reduce the number of harmful particles circulating through your house. These same air purifiers can provide help against allergens and asthma triggers during the spring allergy season.

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Is It Time for a New Heater?

December 7th, 2020
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Are you about to enter winter with uncertainty about what kind of shape your heating system is in? We know that it’s sometimes hard to make the decision about when it’s time to replace an aging heater. Committing to a purchase like this and spending the kind of money it takes is no small thing.

You want to be sure that you don’t replace your heater before you actually need to. After all, wouldn’t it be a waste of money to make an upgrade otherwise?

Well, honestly, today’s heaters are even more efficient and powerful than systems made even just less than a decade ago. We’ve provided some signs below that it may, in fact, be time for you to consider a new heater.

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How the Right Thermostat Makes a Difference for Winter Efficiency

November 30th, 2020
remote-home-controls

What type of thermostat do you have to control the climate in your home? If you have a basic dial thermostat or one that uses manual sliders, that might seem like all that’s necessary. What’s wrong with going with something simple as long as it works? 

But the truth is that older thermostats can mean lower energy efficiency in your house, and we can use the coming winter as an example. There are many great options for new thermostats in Modesto, CA if you want to make the change to climate controls that help you cut down on energy expenditures in winter without missing out on comfort.

The Efficiency of the Modern Thermostat

Today’s thermostats can be extremely advanced: Wi-Fi “smart” thermostats take care of the work of keeping a home comfortable without much input from the homeowner. They can also be controlled from almost anywhere through their Wi-Fi connection: from a tablet, a computer, a smartphone. This makes them extremely convenient. But how do they make for better winter efficiency?

The EPA has made studies of the improvement in energy savings for homes that switch from manual to programmable thermostats. They found that on average a home reduces its energy usage over a season by 5–15%. Just going digital improves the precision of the thermostat, but programmability allows a homeowner to adjust temperatures automatically, even when they aren’t home, and to automate lowering the temperature at night when there’s less need for heat. Factor out basic human error with settings, and the improvement is significant. You can program the thermostat for 68°F during the day when you’re home and have it lowered to 60°F at night, or program it to come on a half hour before you get home. 

Now consider using an advanced smart thermostat. This type of climate control learns from your programming and your house so it can create its own changing program that matches your needs while maximizing energy efficiency. Smart thermostats even provide you with reports so you can see how much you’re saving. You’ll also add life to your heating system because there will be less strain on it.

There are also the environmental benefits of using improved thermostat technology. This is something we take seriously at Greenhart, because we want to help our customers save energy and also live greener. Thermostats reduce energy consumption, which helps the environment. They also do not contain any mercury like old thermostats, which is toxic to add into landfills.

Making the Upgrade

Something we want to caution you about: only professionals can install an advanced thermostat for an HVAC system. You cannot purchase one online and then attempt to install it, and you can’t have a professional install one you purchased yourself. The new thermostat must match the HVAC system. The advanced algorithms in the thermostat may damage older HVAC systems. Leave the job of selecting the new thermostat to the professionals so that you’ll have the ideal match between the controls and your heating. Our team is glad to help you find the best new climate controls so you can save money this winter and in every season. 

Look to Greenhart in Modesto, CA, for energy-saving options for your house. Live Green, Save Green!

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“Help! My Furnace Is Blowing Out Cold Air”

November 23rd, 2020
woman-hugging-pillow-looking-cold-on-couch

This is obviously a very concerning problem—getting cold air from your vents when you turn on your furnace. After all, that’s the absolute last thing you need when you turn on your furnace, whether it’s the first time this season or you’ve already been utilizing it on a regular basis. If your furnace has indeed started blowing cold air, the best thing you can do is give our pros a call!

We cannot definitively tell you in a blog post what’s wrong with your specific system, but we can speculate. There are a number of reasons that it may experience this issue. Please don’t try to fix it on your own, as you can do more harm than good, without ever resolving the actual issue. Read on as we uncover what might be going on with your heater while you wait for a pro to come for repairs.

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