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Posts Tagged ‘Air Filters’

Will Air Filters Create Trouble for My Air Conditioner?

Monday, October 16th, 2017

pleated-air-filterYou may have heard about the problems of low indoor air quality in many homes. These aren’t alarmist warnings: the EPA has determined that poor IAQ in buildings is a significant health hazard across the country. In fact, the air inside a building—and this includes your cozy, happy home—can be as much as three to four times worse than the air outside.

One of the basic solutions to poor IAQ for a home is to remove harmful particles moving through the ventilation system with a set of air filters. It takes special filters dedicated to air quality improvements for this job. But this raises a concern that the filters may end up making the air conditioner’s job harder (and eventually the heater’s job). Is there any truth to this?

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Why Indoor Air Quality Is Crucial During the Winter

Monday, November 21st, 2016

Poor indoor air quality in a home can be a problem any time of the year. A fact of modern homes is that they are built to be more airtight than ever before, which makes them easier to efficiently heat and cool. There’s little chance for heat to escape during cold weather or for it slip in during hot weather. But this sealing means less fresh air moving through the rooms, and subsequently a drop in indoor quality.

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Is the Air Filter on My AC Enough for Good Air Quality?

Monday, June 20th, 2016

We write often about the importance of the air filter in your HVAC system. It protects both the air conditioner and the furnace from damage due to dust, dirt, and other debris that may flow through the return air ducts. Changing this filter regularly is an essential part of maintenance.

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Why It Is Good to Use an Upgraded Air Filter All Year Long

Monday, October 12th, 2015

With the cool weather and even some frost, most people who suffer from seasonal outdoor allergies are out of the proverbial woods. If you upgraded your home’s air filter during the warm months to help alleviate the symptoms of allergy sufferers, you shouldn’t replace your upgraded air filter with a lower quality one. Why not? Let’s first take a look at what makes an air filter more effective.

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What’s the Difference between an Air Filter and an Air Cleaner?

Monday, August 17th, 2015

If you’ve made the decision to improve your indoor air, you’ve made a good choice; now you have to decide exactly how you want to accomplish it. With so many indoor air quality products available for your HVAC system, it can be hard to tell which type of product will be best. Two popular and effective options are air filter systems and air cleaners. Let’s take a look at how these two products differ.

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How To Change an Air Filter

Friday, January 4th, 2013

Air Filters in your Heating and Air Conditioning system need to be changed regularly (ideally every three months). It is simple and easy to do! The life of your Heating and Air Conditioning system depends on regular maintenance and basic care. Just like an oil change for your car, regular filter changes keep your system running clean, providing the best quality air for your home or business. Give the experts at Comfort Flow a call for more information or to have someone come out for maintenance or repair. Check out the easy tutorial from one of our techs in the video below:

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How Air Cleaners Work in Cottage Grove

Monday, November 5th, 2012

At Comfort Flow Heating we know that the quality of the air in your Cottage Grove home is every bit as important as the temperature. That’s why we offer a great line of air cleaners to help you get and maintain the highest air quality possible in your home. There are a few different types of air cleaners on the market, and of course there are many different concerns about the air in your home that you may have. If you’re wondering which air cleaner is best for your specific concerns, call the indoor air quality professionals at Comfort Flow Heating today. We’re happy to share our knowledge and expertise with you to help ensure that you have clean, pure air to breathe in your home. Here is a basic rundown of the air cleaners available today.

Mechanical Air Filters

Mechanical air filters are the simplest air cleaners out there and are the kind that most people are likely familiar with. As air passes through a mechanical air filter pollutants are trapped on a filtering material. A drawback of mechanical air filters is that the particles they are designed to trap often settle before they reach the filter.

The efficiency of mechanical air filters is measured on the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) scale. This scale ranges from 1-20, with 20 being the most effective rating. HEPA filters fall into this category with ratings between 17 and20, but at this level of efficiency so much airflow restriction is caused by the mechanical filter that they are generally not used in residential systems.

Electronic Air Cleaners

If you are looking for additional, more high tech ways to remove pollutants from the air in your home there are many electronic options to choose from. Some, such as electrostatic precipitators, use electrostatic attraction to trap pollutants. They give particles an electrical charge, and a collector plate with an opposite charge attracts and traps the pollutants. An ion generator works in much the same way, though without the collector unit. In this case the charged particles simply adhere to surfaces in a room, removing themselves from the air.

If you are concerned with biological pollutants such as allergens and bacteria you may want to consider the installation of UV germicidal lights in your Cottage Grove home. These devices use safe amount of ultraviolent radiation to destroy biological pollutants unaffected by other air cleaners. This adds another element to the purity of your air.

If you have more questions about the types of air cleaners available in your area or the operation of any of these devices, call the indoor air quality experts at Comfort Flow Heating. We’ll make sure that the air in your home is as clean as possible.

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Eugene OR Tip: Essential Heating Maintenance Tasks

Monday, October 8th, 2012

Just like your vehicle, performing regular maintenance on your heating and air conditioning system is absolutely necessary. Not only can this keep your heating and cooling system working as efficiently as possible, it can also extend the life of your equipment—both of which can save you money.

In Eugene, OR, it is generally recommended that before each new season you perform regular maintenance on your heating and air conditioning system. For example, after your air conditioning system has sat dormant for during the winter, you should perform some regular maintenance on it before you start running it all the time in the summer.

Here are some of the tasks that we think are essential to keeping your heating and air conditioning system working properly.

Inspect refrigerant levels

Making sure that you don’t have too little or too much refrigerant in your system will make sure that your heating or air conditioning system is operating properly. If you notice that your refrigerant level is too low or too high, adjust it as necessary. Consult your owner’s manual for the correct amount of refrigerant necessary for your particular unit.

Remove Debris

If you have an outdoor unit with a door or hinge that opens, make sure the unit isn’t clogged with leaves, dirt or other organic material. This can cause the unit to vent improperly and can also be a fire hazard.

Check Drains, Refrigerant and Condensate Lines

Making sure that the fluids in your heating system are flowing properly is crucial to proper operation of your unit. Check any drains or drainage lines to make sure that your unit is disposing of condensate efficiently. If you have an outdoor compressor, you should also check the associated tubes for wear or damage.

Check Fan Blades and Motor

For indoor units like a furnace or outdoor units like a ductless mini split, you should check the blower or fan motor for any obvious signs of damage or wear. For outdoor units, make sure there isn’t anything obstructing the fan or if there is damage to any of the blades.

Check Burner, Ignition

For indoor furnaces and heating systems, make sure that your burner assembly is clean and operating properly. Also, check your ignition system to make sure that it isn’t obstructed or dirty.

Clean Air Filter

Many houses have air filters in the return air duct of their heating system. These filters make sure that any dust or dirt that is in your ductwork doesn’t get recirculated into your home’s air supply. Many filters you can just slide out of the unit and replace. Check your owner’s manual to see which size or model of filter is appropriate for your heating unit.

If you would like to know more aout how to properly maintain your heating system or if you would like to schedule a visit with one of our heating experts, then contact Comfort Flow today!

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