Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category

Signs of Leaky Air Ducts in Your Home

Monday, June 20th, 2022
duct-sealing-with-caulking

Air leaks in the ducts are a serious problem for any home. These leaks cut into the energy efficiency of the HVAC system, lead to an increase in HVAC repair needs, and harm indoor air quality. Perhaps the worst part about duct leaks is that they’re tricky to detect. The ducts in a home stay hidden from sight behind walls and in the attic. 

Fixing leaking air ducts isn’t difficult for professionals like us. We use various duct sealing methods to locate the leaks and make the ductwork airtight once more. If you need your ducts sealed, we can take care of it. But how can you know if you need this service if you can’t see the ducts? We’ll look over the major signs that will warn you of leaky ductwork.

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What Can an Energy Recovery Ventilator Do for You?

Monday, February 28th, 2022

cool-house-hot-houseThe answer is: quite a lot! Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are special devices that professionals can install into HVAC systems to allow for better indoor air quality without the sacrifice of significant energy efficiency indoors.

Here is the conundrum that an ERV helps a homeowner face: The best way to enjoy fresher air in your house is to allow for more air circulation from outside. An influx of outdoor air replaces the stale indoor air and sweeps out numerous pollutants. But to bring in that outdoor air requires opening up windows and doors, and this isn’t ideal during the height of winter or summer. Opening up the house either brings in the heat (summer) or lets the heat escape (winter). An HVAC system must work overtime trying to maintain comfortable levels inside when the house is open like that, and this wastes energy.

How does an ERV help overcome this problem? We’ll get into that below.

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Types of Pollutants an Air Purifier Can Manage

Monday, June 21st, 2021

virus-cellsThere are several different types of indoor air quality solutions for homes, but the two most common are air filters and air purifiers. Air filters are effective at stopping larger particles moving through the HVAC system, such as dust, lint, and dander. Higher-strength filters can trap even smaller particles, but the stronger the filter, the more resistance it places against airflow. Most residential HVAC systems can’t tolerate filters this powerful, and this is where air purifiers are especially beneficial. 

Air purifiers don’t trap airborne contaminants in a mesh, but instead, create ionization fields or use UV lights to remove them. They can trap many of the pollutants that will slip through air filters, which is why we often recommend a combination of air filters with an air purifier in Cincinnati, OH for our clients.

If you’re curious about how effective an air purifier can be, below we’ll look at the kinds of pollutants it can mitigate in your home. This isn’t an exhaustive list, and not all air purifiers affect the same range of pollutants—please always rely on professionals when it comes to selecting and installing air purifiers.

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Special for Installing the Powerful iWave-R Air Purifier

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020

We know our customers are concerned about health in their homes now more than ever. We’re here to help, and right now we’re offering a special on the iWave-R air purifier: $750 with installation.

The iWave is one of the most powerful and effective residential air purifiers on the market, killing mold, bacteria and viruses that pass through it using an ionization process. It also reduces smoke, allergens, and odors from pets, cooking and VOCs, all without placing harmful ozone or other byproducts into the air.

Best of all, independent lab testing has proved that the iWave reduces a wide variety of pathogens in the air and on nonporous surfaces, including the novel coronavirus. 

Get in touch with us today to learn more details and to schedule installation service for an iWave-R air purifier.

Call Bartels Heating & Cooling “For a Comfortable Way of Life”!

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How to Get Control Over Humidity in Your House

Monday, August 31st, 2020

woman-before-fanLate summer is often when the worst heat strikes. It also is when humidity tends to rise and make the heat feel far worse, as well as cause a spectrum of other problems (mold growth, wood warping). If you are experiencing terrible humidity this end of summer, possibly worse than you’ve run into before, there are a few services you can look into to help with the problem. Below we’ll go over some of what may help you with getting humidity down to comfortable levels (approximately 45% relative humidity).

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Is Duct Sealing Really Helpful?

Monday, January 20th, 2020

duct-sealing-with-caulkingNot only is duct sealing helpful, in situations of major duct leakage it’s a necessity. Going without it means paying more to heat and cool your house, creating extra strain on the HVAC system, a shorter life for the heater and AC, unhealthy and poor-smelling air in the house, and other problems.

We know why people wonder about the usefulness of duct sealing. It’s because ducts are hard to see. This makes it difficult to visualize the ducts needing to have any repairs in the first place. When you see damage to a wall or dying grass on the lawn, it’s a signal to do something about it. The only warning signs you’ll have that your ducts are in trouble are second-hand issues that might be from other troubles. These include higher energy bills and hot/cold spots around the house.

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I Have Air Filters, But My Air Doesn’t Seem Any Cleaner

Monday, November 25th, 2019

woman-blowing-noseYou’re concerned about the indoor air quality in your house, and that’s a good place to start. IAQ in homes is often remarkably poor, four or five times worse than that outdoors. But if you have air filters to improve the air quality, why aren’t you noticing any positive results? If you’re still experiencing the same dusty air, the same number of allergens, the same coughing fits, etc., then something must be wrong—but what?

There are several possible answers to why you aren’t getting the results you want. We’ll look at the most common of them.

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Is the Filter in My AC Enough for Cleaning the Air?

Monday, August 5th, 2019

air-fliter-cuIf you’re asking this question, you already know that your central air conditioning system has an air filter. We hope you also know that this filter must be changed routinely so it won’t become excessively clogged. We recommend changing the filter for a clean one every one to three months to prevent the blower in the HVAC system from straining too hard and wasting energy.

To answer the actual question: No, the filter is not enough for cleaning your household air—because that isn’t its actual job.

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How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Health

Monday, June 12th, 2017

sick-woman-indoorsIn our industry, the term “indoor air quality” can have a lot of different meanings. Poor indoor air quality can affect a home in a lot of different ways. Excess humidity can make you uncomfortable, particularly in warm weather, and a lack of humidity can dry out your skin and even the furniture in your home. Poor ventilation makes the air feel stale, and leaks in the ductwork could raise your bills.

However, probably the biggest concern with your indoor air quality is health. The health of your family matters most of all, but you may be unclear of the impact of your home’s air. We have some information below. For a customized indoor air quality product for your whole home, reach out to our award-winning team!

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Is Your Air Conditioner Making Your Allergies Worse?

Monday, May 15th, 2017

AC-filter-air-filtrationHopefully, you know by now that your central air conditioner has a filter that you should be changing regularly. (And if you don’t, check out our blog for more information.) A clean air filter helps your air conditioner run properly, but it won’t necessarily filter out the allergens that make you sick. The standard air filter is designed for the purpose of protecting an air conditioner. It should provide some level of filtration, but it may not be what you need.

Is your air conditioner making your air quality worse? We’ll investigate that issue here, and let you know what you can do to get allergies under control, starting with your indoor air quality.

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