Author: dpdinc

One of the biggest questions City Wide hears every year is: When should I turn on my air conditioner? As we know in the Kansas City area, the weather really starts to heat up in early May once we start getting rain the humidity ramps up.

The problem is most people wait until that first really hot day to turn on their air conditioner. Usually the best time to turn it on for the first time is when you really don’t need it yet. In this area we know that we will always get a 70 degree day either in March or April. And this year, we’ve really had a few warm days that qualify.

So why do it early? Because a large bulk of air conditioner issues happen when you first turn it on for the season. And if yours happens to break, there is less demand at that time and our service department can get to you earlier. If you wait until that first really hot day, demand really picks up and it may be more difficult to get to your home.

Before you turn it on, we would just offer a little advice:

1. Make sure you have a clean filter in your furnace. A dirty filter makes your system work a little harder because it restricts air flow. And restricted air flow can lead to your air conditioning system freezing up.
2. Wash out your air conditioner. A dirty air conditioner can cause the same issues because you don’t have proper air flow through your air conditioner. It also puts more load on the electrical components as well.

If you are not comfortable doing either of those, contact the office at 913-384-6006 and we would be happy to do that for you!

It’s the time of year in Kansas City where the leaves change color and the weather gets cooler. It also means that homeowners start to turn on their furnaces to take the chill out of the morning air.

It also means that homeowners also need to be aware of carbon monoxide, which is a hidden danger capable of causing harm to them and their families.

So, What Is Carbon Monoxide & Where Does it Come From?

Carbon Monoxide (or CO for short) is a colorless, odorless gas.  It can be produced from a variety of sources:

• Furnaces
• Gas Fireplaces
• Stoves
• Automobiles
• Grills
• Lanterns
• Generators

Carbon Monoxide can build up indoors and cause a multitude of issues: headaches, dizziness, confusion, nausea, and even death. So it’s important that homeowners in Kansas City are aware of how you can prevent these issues.

How Can You Prevent Carbon Monoxide Issues in Your KC Home

There are a few things homeowners can do to prevent CO poisoning in their homes:

1. Install a CO detector in your home. EVERY home should have a detector where it will wake you up if it sounds. The most common detectors are either battery operated or plug into an electrical socket. If battery operated, change the batteries every year when you change the batteries in your smoke detectors.
2. Have your heating system inspected every year. A simple furnace tune-up can check for carbon monoxide coming from the system.
3. Inspect the venting from your gas appliances on a regular basis. Over time your vents may develop rust or other issues, and proper venting ensures the carbon monoxide leaves your home.
4. Never burn charcoal indoors.
5. Never use a gas stove for heating your home.
6. Don’t use a generator inside your home or garage or less than 20’ from a window.
7. Have your chimney inspected every year to make sure there is no debris blocking the openings.

If your carbon monoxide detector alarm ever sounds or if you start to experience symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, leave your home immediately and contact 9-1-1.

Carbon Monoxide is an issue that needs to be taken seriously. Much like all homes should have smoke alarms, they should also have working carbon monoxide detectors.

If you have any questions, contact City Wide Heating & Cooling at 913-384-6006.

There are a lot of companies you can call for heating and cooling service in the Kansas City area. All of them offer basically the same things: maintenance plans, repairs, and new installations.

But how do you choose which one is the best for you? There are a couple of things you can look for in evaluating the best heating and cooling company for your family.

Are Their Technicians Paid On Commission?

A trend in the heating and cooling industry these days is to go to a Selling Technician model.

What this means for a customer is that the service technician dispatched to your home is paid based on what repairs they can find. They are then paid a commission for selling you that repair. In some cases the technician can even sell you a new system, and those commissions tend to be higher because of the cost of new equipment.

This can happen during a maintenance visit (that you have already paid for) or a demand call (where your equipment is broken and needs a repair).

City Wide Heating & Cooling does not pay their technicians a commission. The reason for this is it incentivizes the technician to look for something that may not be broken just to sell you a part.  City Wide’s philosophy is to offer an honest assessment of your system and present options that work best for you and your budget.

Is The Company a Family Owned and Operated Company?

Kansas City has a lot of great heating and cooling companies that started as family owned businesses. But eventually companies may change ownership, so that family feeling tends to disappear as time marches on.

City Wide Heating & Cooling has been family owned and operated since 1949. The family is still involved on a daily basis, and if you ever need a new system you will have one of the owners coming to your home to talk about your options.

Is Customer Service Just Words Or A Way of Life?

Every company declares “Our Customer Service is the best and we will provide a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee”. But are they willing to stand behind those words and stand behind their customer all of the time?

City Wide has built their reputation on making sure their customers are the most important thing. Because they are!

A company does not survive for over 70 years without caring about the service they provide and the happiness of the customer who makes it all possible. This philosophy has always been the driving force behind this company and always will.

The next time you need service, give City Wide Heating & Cooling a try. We would love to be your heating and air conditioner provider in the Kansas City area!

“Craftsman” is a word that is rarely thrown around these days. In a world where folks shop online and are always searching for the cheapest price or the most reviews, sometimes the quality of products and skill level of contractors may not be the most important thing.

George Ninemire has always been the exception to that thought process. A true craftsman in every sense of the word, he concludes an incredible career that saw him leave his mark in many homes and businesses in the Kansas City area. City Wide Heating and Cooling is pleased to announce the retirement of George Ninemire after a 35 year career with the company.

George grew up in the Kansas City area, and after high school spent 4 years of active duty in the United States Air Force. He was a jet engine mechanic, and they had a hard and fast rule – if you lost a tool nobody goes home until that tool is found. The idea being that a tool left inside a jet engine could be catastrophic for the pilot.  That is where he learned the importance of being thorough and meticulous.

He entered HVAC Trade School soon after that, and spent a few years with various companies in the Kansas City area.

He joined City Wide Heating & Cooling in 1986. He began his City Wide career working with Ted and Chris Duval installing replacement systems in residences throughout the Kansas City area. In 1998 he started working with Doug and Nick Duval in the Sheet Metal Division. This group installed ductwork and systems for both residential and commercial customers, so George was able to expand his level of expertise in all phases of heating and cooling development.

In 2008 he stayed with Doug Duval and starting focusing mostly on residential heating and air conditioning systems, and has worked on this side of the business through 2021.

George had a certain way of doing things: you do things right the first time. But he also took things further – George wanted things perfect and nothing but the best. He not only did this for the customers but he also did this for himself – it HAD to be perfect. Anything less than that was not good enough.

He learned these traits from his grandfather and father. Both men were mechanically inclined but also preached the right way is the only way to do things. George also attributed this to his German heritage, where perfection and pride is a required tenet of life.

George leaves an incredible legacy of work that is present in many homes and buildings in the Kansas City area. If you have a George Ninemire installation, you have a work of art. Everything always aligned perfectly. Everything was nice and level. Everything was symmetrical so when you looked at it you knew it was done well. George has always been a craftsman and always will be a craftsman.

City Wide Heating and Cooling is proud to have George as part of our company for 35 years. He will be missed, but in his time here he has also been able to pass a piece of his knowledge to other installers in the company.

We wish George well in his life of retirement. Congratulations…and thank you George!

It’s time to get the furnace maintained in your Kansas City area home. With winter approaching quickly, keeping your heater running is really important. But have you ever wondered what actually happens during a furnace tune-up? Read below to find out!

A Standard Furnace Tune-Up Checklist

The furnace in your home has a lot of components that are checked for safety and functionality. During your yearly furnace maintenance these are the common areas a technician will check:

• Ignitor. Modern furnaces have electronic ignition, and over time that ignitor can start to wear down. Replacing these before they fail keeps your furnace firing on the coldest days.
• Heat exchanger. The technician also checks the heat exchanger, which heats up when the natural gas fires in the combustion chamber. This is also where dangerous flue gases pass through when in route to your furnace flue. Over time that heat exchanger can weaken and crack, which can then cause a carbon monoxide issue. The technician will always run a carbon monoxide test on the system.
• Blower motor. The tech will check for amp draws on the motor, and check the electrical connections of the motor itself. In addition, they will check for noises and vibrations that might indicate pre-mature failure.
• Safety switches. Your furnace also has limit and safety switches that will shut down the furnace if it gets too hot. Those switches are checked to make sure they are working properly.
• Gas piping. The technician will also check the gas piping around the furnace to make sure there are no leaks.
• Flue venting. The flues are checked to make sure they are drafting properly and that there is no visible damage that could hinder the flue gases from leaving the home.
• Burner assembly. The tech also checks that the burners are releasing the gas cleanly and efficiently. They also clean the burners as well.

In addition, there a few other things the furnace technician will do during a standard maintenance:

• Humidifier. If there is a humidifier on the furnace, they change the humidifier pad and make sure it is on and operable.
• Furnace filter. Changing the filter is one of the most important things for your furnace. It helps keep the heater clean, which means the blower doesn’t have to work as hard.
• Dampers. If your home has dampers in your ductwork, the technician will make the adjustment from Summer to Winter so your air flow is maximized for the winter season.
• Drain lines. The technician will also clean the drain lines for your humidifier and your high efficiency furnace if applicable.

Contact City Wide Heating & Cooling at 913-384-6006 the next time you need service. We provide furnace tune-ups in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, and all cities in between.

With Covid-19 running rampant in the Kansas City area, people are staying in their homes more. With winter approaching, there are some things you can do to your heating and cooling system to help filter the air.

There are a couple of different systems that can work at eliminating airborne germs and viruses in your home. Both of these systems work in conjunction with your furnace and air conditioner system and are designed to work with the fan running all of the time.

Electronic Air Cleaners Provide Whole-Home Filtration

An electronic air filtration systems works with your heating and air conditioner system to constantly filter the air in your home. This type of system captures and kills 95% of the larger particles in the air by utilizing an electric field in your filtering system.

This system also inactivates 99% of select airborne germs and viruses that includes:

• Coronavirus
• Influenza
• Common Cold
• Bacteria That Causes Strep Throat

An electronic air cleaner then takes those particles and they get captured by a MERV 15 air filter. This enables the system to also reduce pet dander, pollen, dirt, and other particles.

Air Purification Systems Clean Your Air

This type of system is installed in conjunction with whatever filtering system you have in your Kansas City home.  This is an air scrubber system and is installed in your duct system above the furnace. It utilizes a couple of technologies to purify the air:

• PX5 technology consists of UV light energy combined with a 5-metal, quint-metallic core to scrub the air. This core reduces viruses, odors, pollutants, smoke, mold, bacteria, and VOC’s.
• Bi-polar ionization system, which uses positive AND negative ion technology that gathers the small particles together so they can be filtered out.

This system was tested against Covid-19 in a hospital setting by putting masks worn by Covid patients in a room for two hours with this technology.

After two hours the pathogens were removed, while masks in an untreated room showed no improvement during the same period.

In addition, this type of system has shown the ability to reduce other pathogens such as MS-2 Bacteriophage and Staphylococcus Epidermidis.

Contact City Wide Heating and Cooling for more information regarding filtering the air in your Kansas City area home.