Tuesday Tip | Kent HVAC Contractor

July 6, 2010

Be careful in the heat

Filed under: Heating News — Tags: Air Conditioner, Heat Pump, Safety, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 3:46 pm

We have finally hit summer! Has anyone else been jonesing for some sun like I have? I stepped outside a little bit earlier today and could feel my Vitamin D stores replenishing. However, with the glorious heat also comes a lot of danger if you aren’t careful. We consulted the Regional Public Information Network (www.rpin.org) for some safety tips from the Red Cross to keep you and your loved ones safe in the next week. If you don’t have air conditioning or a heat pump, you will especially want to pay attention to the following list.

How to Prevent Heat-Related Illness

Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing (light colors reflect away some of the sun’s energy) and plenty of sunscreen. Wear a hat or use an umbrella to help shield you from the sun.
Carry water or juice and drink frequently, even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body. Make sure to check on youth and elderly to make sure they have enough fluids.
Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increases metabolic heat.
Avoid using salt tablets unless directed by a physician.
Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do something physically demanding, try to do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually between 4:00 and 7:00 a.m. Take regular breaks to cool off.
Stay indoors as much as possible.
Be vigilant about water safety if headed to a pool or beach. Never leave a child unattended near water and keep lifesaving gear handy.
Watch for signs of life-threatening heat stroke. The person’s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.
Signals of heat stroke include hot, red, and usually dry skin, changes in consciousness, rapid, weak pulse and rapid, shallow breathing.
If you or someone you know experience symptoms, call 9-1-1 or your local EMS number. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body by wrapping wet sheets around the body and fan it. If you have ice packs or cold packs, place them on each of the victim’s wrists and ankles, in the armpits and on the neck to cool the large blood vessels. Watch for signals of breathing problems and make sure the airway is clear. Keep the person lying down.
Don’t forget to protect your pets.
Limit exercise to the coolest part of the day, typically early in the morning. Even in the coolest part of the day, watch for signs of trouble. Glassy eyes and frantic panting indicate a dog needs help.
Make sure your pet has constant access to shade and an endless supply of cool, clean water.
Never leave a pet in a car – even for a few minutes.
Be vigilant for signs of heat stroke, which is deadly for pets. Symptoms include sluggish and non-responsive demeanor, bright red and/or dry tongue and gums, vomiting or diarrhea and/or unusual breathing patter, heavy panting, or high heart rate. If your pet displays these symptoms, get emergency medical attention.

Coming up later this week… Air Conditioning and whether it is right for you.

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March 16, 2010

Tuesday Tip: Chimney Sweeping

Filed under: Maple Valley HVAC Contractor — Tags: Chimney, Fireplace, Safety, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 12:56 pm

Chimney cleaning, or “sweeping,” can be a messy task, but it’s important because buildup of soot can lead to intense and dangerous chimney fires. Fire safety experts at the National Fire Protection Association say that you should have your chimney checked or cleaned once a year. We still have a few months of heating left, so you still have time to do it before the season is over.

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March 2, 2010

Fire Safety Tips

Filed under: Heating FAQ's — Tags: Auburn Heating Repair, Carbon Monoxide, Gas Furnace, Heat Pump, Safety, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 5:43 pm

Did you know that heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires each year? You can prevent them by following these tips from the National Fire Protection Agency:

Portable space heaters need to have a 36-inch clearance between them and anything that can burn. They also need to be turned off every time you leave the room or go to bed.
Only use a licensed heating contractor to install new furnaces or heat pumps in your home. They will be able to install them with the correct ventilation according to code, which will prevent fires.
Do not use your oven to heat your home
Have your wood & coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and furnace or heat pump inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned as often as is suggested.
If your power goes out, avoid using candles. Use flashlights instead.
Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room.
Test your smoke alarms monthly and install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside of each sleeping area.

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February 23, 2010

Flu Prevention

Filed under: Maple Valley HVAC Contractor — Tags: Filters, Health, Indoor Air Quality, Maple Valley Heating Repair, Tuesday Tip, UV Light — Angie @ 10:49 am

We’ve had some glorious warm weather here lately, but its starting to get cold and rainy again. People are going to be hibernating indoors again and the cold and flu will have more of a chance to spread. We have definitely been hit by it here at AAA Heating & Air Conditioning this winter, and wanted to share some Tuesday Tips to help stop the spread of germs.

As simple as it seems, avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick is the number one way to stay healthy. And if you are sick, do everyone a favor and stay home from work or school. Believe us, they will thank you.

Always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have a tissue nearby, use the crook of your elbow, not your hands. If you use your hands, you will spread the germs much more readily than if they were captured in your elbow.

Wash your hands frequently. This is a good practice in general, but during the cold season, it is even more important. You will stop the spread of your germs to others and prevent the spread of their germs to you.

Avoid touching your face at all. Our skin does such a great job of protecting us that germs have to find a way in somehow. The mouth, nose, and eyes are all hot spots that germs love to gain entry.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy diet, and keep your stress levels down. The immune system is compromised by a lack of sleep, improper nutrition, and high stress levels. When your body has to concentrate on combating those problems, it has less ammunition for colds and the flu.

Ensure that you are changing or cleaning the filters on your furnace every couple of months. If you have someone with a compromised immune system or someone who often gets sick living in your house, you might want to consider a UV light. They are often installed in doctors office and hospitals to ensure that all of the bacteria in the air is killed as it is being circulated through the building.

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February 2, 2010

Tuesday Tip: Don’t Heat Home With An Oven

Filed under: Heating FAQ's — Tags: Auburn Heating Repair, cold weather, Kent Heating Repair, Renton Heating Repair, Safety, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 10:49 am

If you furnace stops working, DO NOT use your oven to heat your home. This practice is extremely dangerous and can start fires. One Washington family learned this the hard way when their landlord told them that the furnace wasn’t working so they had to use their ovens. The open oven started a fire, and as KOMOnews.com reports, a grandmother was killed with two of her granddaughters.

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January 19, 2010

Tuesday Tip: Vegetation & Grass

Filed under: Heating FAQ's — Tags: Air Conditioner, Auburn Heating Repair, Heat Pump, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 2:38 pm

If you have a heat pump or air conditioner, make sure that you keep the area around it free from debris like grass and bushes. If vegetation is allowed to grow too close to the unit, it can impede its operation.

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December 8, 2009

Tuesday Tip: Extreme Cold

Filed under: Heating FAQ's — Tags: cold weather, condensate pump, Gas Furnace, Kent Heating Repair, thermostat, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 2:28 pm

Right now we’re in the middle of a stretch of extremely cold weather in our area. Step outside your front door and you instantly want to head back where you came from! In this cold weather, it’s important for you to keep a few things in mind about your heating system:

1) To maintain a comfortable temperature within your house, you might want to consider keeping your thermostat at one temperature during the coldest days & nights. If you turn down the temperature when you leave your house or go to bed, it will take much longer than normal to bring it up to a comfortable level when you return.

2) If you have a 90% or 95% efficiency gas furnace, check those condensate lines! Sometimes they can freeze up, causing minor flooding or your furnace to shut off entirely. You can thaw any frozen lines simply with a hair dryer. If you want any help, give us a call at 253-630-9224 and we can walk you through it over the phone.

3) Make sure all of the registers are open in your house. It’s a good idea in this extreme cold to have them open even in rooms you don’t use so that the house heats evenly and you prevent the possibility of mold growing in a damp room.

4) Do you have fresh batteries in your thermostat? Sometimes when people don’t have any heat, it’s a simple matter of changing the batteries in their thermostat.

Bonus Tip: If you celebrate Christmas and have a fresh Christmas tree, you will want to make sure that you close any registers next to the tree. If you have warm air blowing on the tree from an open register, it can dry it out and become a fire hazard.

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December 1, 2009

Tuesday Tip: Check Before Calling For Service

Filed under: Heating News — Tags: Kent Heating Repair, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 12:49 pm

Is your furnace, heat pump or air conditioner not working? Check these three things before calling for service and you might be able to fix it on your own!

1. Is your thermostat set with the proper settings? In the winter it should be in Heat or Auto mode. If you have cooling in the summer, it should be in Cool or Auto mode.

2. When was the last time you changed your filters? If it wasn’t within the past 3 months, a clogged filter might be tripping the safety switch and shutting off the unit. You can test to see if the filter is the source of your problem by taking the filter out and cycling on the system. If it turns on and runs normally, a clogged filter might have been your problem. If the filter was indeed clogged, the furnace may be in similar shape, so call to schedule a Precision Tune Up ASAP.

3. Do you have power to the unit? Check the breakers to make sure they haven’t tripped for any reason. A tripped breaker may have been caused by a faulty part, so call us after resetting it for further instruction.

If you have gone through these checks and your unit still isn’t working, give us a call and we can schedule a technician out to your house to perform a thorough diagnostic check on your system.

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November 24, 2009

Tuesday Tip: Filter Changing

Filed under: Heating News — Tags: Filters, Kent Heating Repair, Tuesday Tip — Angie @ 1:02 pm

Make sure to change or clean your furnace air filters every 2-3 months to ensure proper air flow within the furnace itself. Dirty filters will restrict air movement, which can cause your unit to overheat and shut itself off.

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