Did you know that a bath
fan has the capability to remove heat from the home?  Think about it for a
second, where are your bath fans typically located?  What happens to warm
air?  The warm air rises and hovers at ceiling level as the insulation
does it’s job to keep the heat in as your bath fan sucks it right out of the
house.  It is advised to only run bath fans and kitchen exhaust fans for a
short period of time to prevent the home from losing heat.

So when is it a good
time to run your bath or kitchen exhaust fans and for how long?  It is
always a good idea to run your bath fan when you shower or bathe.  The
effects of moisture trapped in a home is an easy way to breed mold, bacteria,
spores, polen etc. that could damage the home and affect your health.
Newer homes pose a greater risk for trapping moisture and all the fun things
that breed and grow from humidity.

Newer homes are a
perfect candidate for an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or HRV (Heat Recovery
Ventilator).  It depends on what part of the country you live in but for
the NW region of the coutry we use Heat Recovery Ventilators.  Energy
Recovery Ventilators actually pull more moisture out of the inside of the home
and run a higher risk of freezing up in our typically cooler
temperatures.  The job of the HRV is to bring fresh air into the home from
outside and send out the stale air from inside the home to the outside.
The most important benefit is the fresh air is brough to room temperature
before entering your home so it doesn’t fight the function of the furnace’s
ability to heat the home.  Our position is that installing one of these
HRV systems yourself if not recommended, let the professionals do the work for
you and make sure they back up their work with a parts and labor guarantee.

So to recap, a bath fan
when used properly can help extract moisture (and the nose hair curling bombs
that “Uncle Ron” left behind after enchilada night) but do little in
the way of exchanging the extracted air with fresh, room temperature air.
The HRV addresses both of those issues and actually prevents any loss of heat
that’s being produced by the furnace or heat pump.  In other words the HRV
isn’t fighting the function of the furnace.  Either way running the bath
fan for a short period of time can really help reduce the moisture in the home
that allows for bacteria to grow.

Call A-Temp Heating and Cooling, Inc. today @
(503) 481-6815 to schedule an appointment to have us out to quote a price on
installing new HRV’s or a more efficient and quiet bath

I love the statement: If your furnace was a car traveling at 45mph it would have traveled 126,000 miles this year.  If that doesn’t put it into perspective I don’t know what does.  In other words the furnace is the hardest working appliance in your home hands down.  For fun I checked the average miles that a semi truck drives in a given year and it was far less than 126,000 miles per year. 

Now on to my point, when the inevitable happens and your gas furnace, electric furnace, heat pump or air conditioner fails you call us and are asked how we can make you smile.  Then one of our smiling technicians arrives and has to deliver the bad news.  Having a broken furnace is painful, it’s uncomfortable, stressful and worst of all expensive.  It’s one thing to be told you have to spend money today but another to be reminded that it could have been prevented. 

HVAC systems are built and tested in a clean environment so naturally the manufacturer is going to recommend the gas / electric furnace, heat pump or air conditioner be kept clean.   The build up of dirt on most of the components on your furnace, heat pump or air conditioner will cause premature failure.  It’s very important to listen to the condition report from your furnace technician and to take their recommendations into consideration.  If you skip over getting maintenance done on your gas / electric furnace, heat pump or air conditioner expect it to fail. 

Fixing the problem before it has a chance to fail gives you two major advantages.  One advantage is that there is no surprise with the furnace going out at the worst possible time and no inconvenience on your day to day life.  The second advantage is the peace of mind of knowing you have a sound machine providing you with heating and or cooling.  We guarantee all of our parts for one year.  This is not a guarantee offered by the manufacturer of that part, it is A-Temp’s guarantee and we stand behind it.  If the part fails again within the first year we will not charge you to replace it.

How many of you need to set a reminder on your computer, calendar or personal communication device to get your annual tune up done?  How many of you actually look at that calendar or e-mail reminder?   Lastly how many of you act on that reminder before it gets shuffled aside and forgotten?  As a Comfort Club Member you will not need to worry about it, let us call and remind you when it’s time to tune up your equipment.  The tune up is included with every membership and you also benefit from discounts on diagnostic and repair fees as well. 

It’s no secret that breathing clean air is good for you.  Whether it’s free of cigarette smoke, smog, dust and skin particles or carbon monoxide, a breath of fresh mountain air is like milk, “it does a body good”.  Take into account your weekly housekeeping duties; dusting, mopping, vacuuming, dishes, laundry and the list goes on.  Now think about the things you can’t clean, your furnace and duct work which are the things that cycle air through your home.

Filters are a wonderful invention, your furnace only has one or two filters based on the application.  Those filters act as a “catcher’s mitt” for the things you don’t want to breathe.  To name a few: pet dander, skin particles, dust and the mites that can accompany it.  Filters work well when they are clean and changed regularly.

When a filter gets dirty it loses its ability to do its job.  Air takes the path of least resistance so once the filter can no longer allow air to pass through; it finds another way around the filter.  The next thing the air sees is the inside of your furnace, the blower and the duct work which begins to absorb all the dust and debris that passes the filter.  You may call us at 503-650-5014 and we will be able to help you clarify if you need to change your filter.

A proper duct cleaning will address your entire duct work system as well as the components in the furnace that move the air.  A proper duct cleaning is not rushed and an earth friendly, scent free sanitizer should be applied after the cleaning.  A machine that multi-tasks as a vacuum and a scrubbing brush produces excellent results.

Call today to schedule and appointment for duct cleaning if you haven’t had it done in the last 3-5 years or schedule a furnace tune up where we will inspect your ducts and give recommendations.

Automobiles are no different in regards to the suggested oil changes and routine maintenance.  Often we find the automotive industry as a similar comparison to the HVAC industry and more specifically gas appliances.  Hands down the busiest, most used appliance in your home is the furnace.  It coincides directly with the air you breathe and the various particles, dust, microorganisms, hair, skin cells and/or pet dander that are found in your home.   Build up of these particles in the furnace affect the performance no different than a dirty air filter will compromise the gas mileage on your car.

When gas is burned it leaves behind a residue that builds up over time and affects the efficiency of the unit.  The added weight of dust and debris on the blower will cause strain on the motor used to spin the wheel.  Dirty filters starve the unit of air and causes unusual high temperatures inside the furnace.  This is a result of running the unit and though some parts may take longer to get dirty, it’s inevitable.  Routine cleaning of these vital areas are crucial in the proper operation of your furnace.

Other tips for keeping a trouble free furnace that will heat your home all winter long would be to maintain a set temperature with no more than a 4 – 6 degree difference between the times when you are home and the times when you are not.  Keep all of your bedroom and bathroom doors open.  Allowing heat to get trapped in rooms will keep the home from being even tempered.  Make sure all of your vents are open so the whole house gets a chance to breathe so to speak.  Check your filters every 1 to 3 months and replace as needed.  Buy extra filters so you always have a few around.

It’s safe to say a properly maintained furnace will not only be more reliable but it will be cheaper to operate.  Do yourself and your equipment a favor and have A-Temp out for a Precision Tune Up and Cleaning for only $89 and learn about our guarantees that will keep you warm all winter.