dpdinc, Author at City Wide Heating & Cooling

March 17, 2017

Why It Is Smart To Turn Your AC On Before You REALLY Need It

Setting air conditioner thermostat for KC home. If you are like most homeowners in the Kansas City area, you turn your air conditioner on the day your house really starts to warm up. Some people even try and wait as long as possible to try and save money on their cooling bills.

While there is nothing wrong with either of these, it IS a good idea to turn your air conditioner on BEFORE you really need it. And here is the main reason why:

Make Sure Your Air Conditioner Still Works

A large majority of breakdowns of air conditioning systems occur when they are first turned on for the season. So you want to know this BEFORE the outdoor temperature gets really hot.

That way you can get your air conditioner serviced and repaired early – before the mad rush of air conditioning season.

So When Do You Turn Your AC On? Good Question.

Before you turn the air conditioner on in your KC area home, make sure of the following two things:

Check your weather. In this area, make sure the outdoor temperature is above 65 degrees and has been for about 3 days before you turn on the AC.
Check your furnace filter to make sure it’s nice and clean. If it is dirty, replace it!

And if you are uncomfortable changing your filter or are worried about turning on your air conditioner, schedule preventive maintenance on your air conditioning system. A simple AC tune-up can make sure your system is fully cleaned and operational before the season.

City Wide Heating & Cooling can answer all your air conditioner questions for your home in the Kansas City area.

January 24, 2017

Not Enough Humidity in Your Home? Add Some!

Humidifier helps with dry skin in KC homes. How many times have you walked across your Kansas City area living room in the winter, touched a door knob, and shocked your finger to the point where it makes you jump back a little bit?

And then, 20 minutes later you do it again. But why does this happen, and what can you do about it?

Humidity BAD in Summer, but GOOD in Winter

Your home is dry. When winter comes along, the humidity that we feel all summer goes away. The dry air that is outside is also inside as well. Consequently, you start to build up the static electricity that causes that “shocking” experience with your door handle.

But a dry home also causes other issues. Your wood floors or furniture can start to crack because the wood starts to dry out over the winter.

Your skin starts to become itchy and your sinuses start to get dry because there is no moisture in the air to keep you comfortable. This can lead to all kinds of issues with your health.

Dry air also feels colder. As we know from summer, humid air makes us feel warm. So the question is, how do you fix all of these issues?

Install A Humidifier In Your KC Area Home

A whole-house humidifier is the answer to your prayers. A humidifier hooks up to your furnace and your thermostat and adds the proper amount of moisture to your home to alleviate the issues that you face with a dry home.

A humidifier can make you feel more comfortable AND save you a few bucks on your heating bills. When you feel warmer, you tend to turn the thermostat down a degree or two. On top of that, you should see less static shock and skin that feels more comfortable.

A humidifier can be installed in just about any home. You can install a humidifier in Overland Park homes, older homes in the Waldo and Mission Hills area, and everywhere in between.

Add one today, and take “charge” (get it) of your comfort this winter!

January 11, 2017

Why It’s Never Too Late To Have Your Furnace Tuned-Up

Furnace tune-up photo in KC In the Kansas City area, most homeowners turn their furnaces on for the first time when that first cold night shows up in the September or October time frame. If you are like most people, you don’t really worry about your furnace. You only care if it is keeping you warm and toasty.

But, it’s a good idea to have it checked once in awhile. Like a car, a furnace is a mechanical device, and here are a few reasons WHY you need to have it maintained.

Furnace Tune-Ups Save You Money

A furnace that is maintained on a regular basis will actually run better. This is because the technician will clean the system and replace the filter. When a furnace is cleaned, it will actually run more efficiently. This will save you money on your utility bills over the long term.

Furnace Maintenance Can Also Keep Your Family Safe and Sound

As furnaces age, they also get wear and tear on the internal parts. This could lead to gas or electrical issues that can be discovered ahead of time during routine maintenance.

The technician will also check to make sure there isn’t any deadly carbon monoxide being produced and released in your home. A simple yearly check can keep your family warm and safe.

Your Furnace Will Also Last Longer

When you perform regular maintenance on your heating system, you keep it clean and running efficiently. Because it’s not having to work as hard, it can actually last longer than a furnace that has been poorly maintained.

This saves KC area homeowners money in the long term because you aren’t having to replace that system as often.

Any time of the year is a good time to get your furnace maintained. City Wide Heating and Cooling always has technicians available to make sure you are safe and comfortable in your Kansas City area home.

27May

May 27, 2015

Too Much Humidity in Your Home? Don’t Sweat It.

All homes in Kansas City need humidity control. In the winter we need to add humidity, but in the summer, we need to remove it. Daily activities, such as cooking, cleaning and showering can add as much as 25 pounds of moisture to your home every day. In our area, your air conditioner is responsible for removing humidity from your home.

The problem with this is we get days that aren’t really hot but have high humidity. We are really going to see this in the coming weeks with all the rain we have had in this area. If your thermostat is set to kick on the AC at a certain set point, your home may build up humidity until that happens. While an air conditioner will help (they remove humidity as a byproduct of the cooling process), once your set temperature is reached your AC will turn off, but there still may be humidity in your home.

Signs Your Home Has High Humidity

You have trouble sleeping due to clammy skin or stuffy air
You lower the temperature in an effort to get rid of the stuffy feeling
Your floor or other surfaces feel sticky or sweaty
Your basement feels damp
You are concerned with mold or mildew growth in your home
You have musty odors in certain areas of your home
You see condensation on your water pipes
You see wet stains on walls or ceilings
Wood floors or wood trim warps
Someone in your family suffers from allergies

High Humidity Is Bad for Allergy Sufferers

If you, or any member of your family, suffers from allergies, high humidity can worsen their symptoms. Overly moist air can encourage the growth of mold and bacteria. Dust mites also thrive in moist conditions. These are three of the worst allergy offenders in your home. Removing the humidity will help lessen or remove these allergy triggers.

Whole-House Dehumidifiers

City Wide offers whole-house or central dehumidifiers. We can install an Aprilaire central dehumidifier that will remove humidity from your home. We have a solution for every size home, from the compact 65-pint unit for apartments, townhomes, and condos to the 135-pint unit for homes up to 4,000 square feet. The Aprilaire whole-home dehumidifier is installed as part of your home’s heating and cooling system. It works in conjunction with your air conditioner, or independently as needed, to remove the ideal amount of moisture to solve the above problems. But not so much that your home becomes too dry.

If your home suffers from any of the symptoms above, give City Wide Heating and Cooling a call and ask about our whole-house dehumidifier installation. Call us at (913) 384-6006 or (913) 236-5555.

19May

May 19, 2015

Top 3 Ways to Keep Your AC Running this Season

Your air conditioner is getting ready to start working full time to keep you cool this summer. But what have you done for your air conditioner lately? We depend on our AC to keep us cool on the hottest of days, but there are some things you can do to help it get ready.

The air conditioner experts at City Wide Heating and Cooling have created an AC Prep Checklist to make sure your air conditioner is ready to do battle against the Kansas City heat. Follow these tips to give your AC a fighting chance.

Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips:

Give it some room – Make sure nothing is within one foot of your air conditioner. Trim back any trees or bushes around your outdoor AC unit. Your air conditioner needs air to circulate through the outdoor coil, so if there are obstructions in the way it has to work harder. This leads to earlier breakdowns and a loss of efficiency. Don’t plant any plants within a few feet of your air conditioner.

Give it a bath – Rinse off your AC unit to clean off dirt & dust that has accumulated over the months it spends outside. Make sure the power is off to the air conditioner, either by flipping the breaker on your electrical panel or removing the disconnect on the outside electrical box. If you are not comfortable with this, call a professional to handle it for you. Do not use any chemicals or soap when rinsing it. Don’t use a pressurized nozzle or turn the hose on full blast. Just rinse any dirt, leaves, or debris off of it. And, once you are done, let it dry for 30 minutes before turning your air conditioner back on.

Replace your filter – Make sure your indoor air filter is clean so your entire air conditioning system can work as efficiently as possible. Your furnace blower is responsible for blowing that cool air around your house, and a dirty filter makes it work harder. This leads to higher utility bills and a potential for earlier breakdowns.

Help Your Air Conditioner Help You

Your air conditioner is a machine designed to do one thing – keep your home cool. If you want to get the most out of it, these simple tips will help keep it running at peak efficiency. If you have any questions about air conditioner maintenance, give the heating and cooling experts at City Wide Heating and Cooling a call and one of our AC technicians will be happy to help. Call us at (913) 384-6006 or (913) 236-5555.

15May

May 15, 2015

City Wide’s Ultimate Guide to Residential Air Filters

I don’t know about you, but I personally have a mental block when it comes to my furnace air filter. I put reminders on the calendar. There are apps for your smart phone. But I still find myself saying “When was the last time I changed the air filter?” Being in the business, I know the importance of replacing my air filter regularly. As I answer daily service calls from customers with no heat or cooling, the first question I ask is “When was the last time you replaced your air filter?” and quite often the answer is “I don’t remember”. Air filters are part of the regular maintenance that keeps your heating and cooling equipment running efficiently. This got me thinking maybe I can help by putting it all in writing, so I created The City Wide Ultimate Guide to Residential Air Filters. Here you can learn how air filters work and why they are needed, and what we recommend so you can decide was it best for your personal indoor air quality.

Why Do I Have an Air Filter & How Does It Work?

Air filters are installed on the air intake side of your furnace. Their main purpose is to filter the air going into your furnace to keep particles from damaging your equipment. Dust, hair, pollen, etc. are captured in the air filter when the blower is running. Capturing all this “gunk” is great for your living environment, but if that filter is not changed regularly that “gunk” will clog the filter and restrict air flow to the furnace/AC causing them to shut down. So the long and short of it is your air filter:

Extends the life of your HVAC unit
Keeps energy costs down
Maintains healthy air quality
Avoids extra repairs, service, and parts expenses

What Type of Air Filter Do You Have?

One-inch Filters – One-inch filters are the most basic filters you can buy and come in two types. They are the cheapest of the options but the least efficient.

One-inch Fiberglass – these are the filters we all remember from years ago. They are flat and look like colored plastic spider webs in a cardboard frame. These filters are great to keep your cat from getting into your furnace but won’t stop most small particles. These should be changed every 30-60 days.
One-inch Pleated – these are the upgraded cousin of the oldies but goodies. They are a pleated material that is supported by chicken wire to keep its shape, surrounded by a paper frame. These filters will stop most standard particles in your home. These should be changed every 30-60 days.

Four, Five and Six-inch Filters – These filters can vary widely by manufacturer. Some are the same as the one-inch pleated filters just bigger. Some have special electrostatic coatings to attract more particles. All of these filters will last longer because they have more surface area to collect “gunk”. Make sure, if you choose this option for your home, you ask questions and do your research to make sure you are getting the best option for your home and the most bang for your buck. These filters should be changed every 6-9 months.

Electronic Air Cleaners – These are an older technology that is being phased out. With these you wash a filter cell every month with mild soap and water, let it dry completely then replace it in the unit. Some systems have carbon filters that need to be replaced every 3-6 months.

What Are MERV Ratings? Why Should I Check It?

A MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating is a number ranging from 1 to 16 that shows the filtration value of air filters. The higher the number, the better the filtration. MERV ratings are used to rate air filters on their ability to remove dust, pollen, mold spores, bacteria, etc. from the air.

Most one-inch air filters only have a MERV rating of between 1 and 4. While inexpensive to buy, they do NOT do a good job of filtering the air. They will not stop particles smaller than 10 microns. (A human hair is about 70 microns in diameter.) Filters with MERV ratings of between 5 and 8 will catch particles as small as 3 microns. Filters with a MERV rating of 9 to 12 will stop particles in the 1-3 micron range, and these filters are a great choice for homeowners who want the best particle control possible. The most efficient filters have MERV ratings of 13 to 16 and will stop particles as small as .3 microns.

City Wide’s Air Filter Recommendations.

There are several different kinds of air filtration to choose from, each having its own characteristics. Here is a quick breakdown of what we recommend to our customers:

GOOD – one-inch pleated air filter – MERV 8 – can be purchased at any hardware store, should be changed every 1-3 months.
BETTER – four-inch pleated air filter – MERV 8 – can be purchased at our office or online through some suppliers, should be changed every 6 months
BEST – Carrier Air Purifier – MERV 13-15 – reduces allergies, captures & kills 96% to 99% of the airborne germs & viruses in your home.

If you have questions about the care or maintenance of your filters, or want options for your home air filtration, give City Wide Heating and Cooling a call at (913) 384-6006 or (913) 236-5555. Be sure to check out our website for special deals and promotions!

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Author: dpdinc