Climate Masters Blog: Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category

How Do UV Germicidal Lights Protect My Home?

Friday, June 27th, 2014

If you’ve installed a whole-home air filtration system, you have most likely seen for yourself how clean your indoor air is. Air filtration systems are great, particularly for allergy sufferers, but what about germs and viruses? One of the best ways to manage biological pollutants in your St. Augustine home is with the use of UV germicidal lights. UV lights can eliminate biological microbes from your air conditioning system with incredible efficiency, helping to make your indoor air as clean as possible.

What Are UV Lights?

Used in hospitals, food processing plants and other places that come into contact with biological pollutants, UV lights are light bulbs that produce c-type ultraviolet wavelengths to destroy the DNA of different types of germs, including viruses, bacteria, mold and mildew spores and fungus. UV germicidal lights can kill over 99% of any micro-organisms in the air, making them extremely effective in destroying many particulates that may be in your system.

How Do UV Lights Protect?

The first way, as described above, is by killing the vast majority of bad microorganisms that can be in your indoor air. Other benefits include:

  • Stopping mold and mildew growth
  • Eliminating odors
  • Destroying volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Changing Lamps

UV germicidal lights do require replacement to be effective. When used in conjunction with your air conditioning system, the recommendation is to replace the lights every 2 years, even if the lights are still working.

Dust

While UV germicidal lamps can kill micro-organisms on dust, they cannot filter it out like an air filter or air purifier can.

Light Up Your Health with UV Germicidal Lights

Having truly healthful indoor air can be great for everyone in your home, especially younger children, those with respiratory issues and allergy sufferers. UV germicidal lights can be powerful, and if not installed properly, may not be as beneficial as they should be; this is why we recommend using trained professionals for your UV germicidal light installation in St. Augustine.

Whether you want to add UV lights, or explore other upgrades to your air conditioning system, schedule an appointment with Climate Masters today and work with our trained experts.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on How Do UV Germicidal Lights Protect My Home?

How Duct Cleaning Benefits Indoor Air Quality

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014

“Regular duct cleaning? Is that really necessary?” This is something people often ask when they hear about duct cleaning services. It’s an understandable reaction, since it’s difficult to see the inside of the ventilation system in a home and know the level of dust and dirt contamination inside.

But duct cleaning is necessary every few years, and in some cases every year. It will help you keep a cleaner house. It will reduce airflow friction along the ducts so your HVAC system won’t overwork and drain money. It will prevent debris from entering the cabinet of your AC or furnace and create repair needs. And, perhaps most importantly of all, it will raise the quality of your indoor air.

Cleaning ductwork isn’t a job you can perform on your own; it requires specialists with pro-level tools. For duct cleaning in St. Augustine, FL, call up Climate Masters and our indoor air quality team.

Duct cleaning and indoor air quality

How serious is the quality of your indoor air? The U.S. EPA has identified it as a major health threat. Most U.S. citizens spend 85% of their time indoors, and when you consider how much of that time is inside their own homes, the quality of the air there is of great importance. Since most houses have an effective seal against the outside air in order to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures in winter and summer, there is little fresh air circulation.

Here is where duct cleaning plays an important part. Inside your home, your HVAC system circulates air throughout the rooms, and it will pick up dust, dirt, and other contamination and draw them through the return air vents into the ducts. In this sealed environment, the pollutants will begin to build up and then blow out into your living spaces, lowering the air quality. Skin and eye-irritation, asthma, headaches, and cold and flu-like symptoms are common problems due to low indoor air quality. People with allergies are especially hard hit.

But with regular cleaning of your ducts, you remove one of the major reservoirs that collect the contaminants that cause these troubles. It’s difficult to access the interior of ductwork, and the dirt and dust inside is hard to remove—unless you have professionals take on the job. Using power vacuums and agitation equipment, duct cleaning specialists can make your ducts almost like new.

How often you need to have your ducts cleaned depends on your house and living situation. If you have pets or if people with allergies live in your home, you should consider having cleaning done every year. Many homes will benefit from it every other year. Consult with a duct cleaner about the best schedule for you.

To start right away with duct cleaning (how long has it been?) call Climate Masters. We have the tools and the skill to give you a great duct cleaning in St. Augustine, FL.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on How Duct Cleaning Benefits Indoor Air Quality

Why Duct Repair Is Necessary

Friday, March 21st, 2014

Most homes have forced-air system for their heater or air conditioner—often both. With the exception of ductless mini split heat pumps, forced-air systems distribute their heated and cooled air through a set of ducts that lead to vents into rooms. Ductwork can sometimes develops breaks and gaps along their length, and when this occurs it’s necessary to call up a professional duct repair service to seal up any leaks and restore the ducts to their original condition.

We need to emphasize the necessary part of that last sentence. Repairing broken ducts isn’t an option, and you can’t decide to just “live with” a few gaps in your ventilation system. We’ll explain why you need to schedule professional duct repair in St. Augustine, FL as soon as you sense that something has gone wrong with the ductwork in your home.

Climate Masters has the skilled indoor air quality technicians with the right equipment to take care of fixing your ducts so you won’t encounter any of the problems listed below.

Problems That Broken Ducts Cause

  • Heating/cooling system inefficiency: Ducts are designed to form a tight seal along their entire length, from the HVAC system all the way to the ducts. This maintains the air pressure necessary for the flow of the heated and cooled air from the system. Gaps in the ducts will cause a drop in air pressure and loss of temperature. This will not only reduce comfort, but it will place a strain on the HVAC system that will result in higher bills. (In fact, one of the first warnings people receive that they have ductwork breaks is a sudden spike in energy costs.)
  • Dust and dirt infiltration: Breaks along ducts will often open onto closed and unused areas of a home, such as the gaps between walls and crawlspaces. These areas contain large amounts of dust, dirt, and residue left over from construction, and this will be drawn into the ventilation system. This can lead to damage to the heating and cooling system, and it will also cause a drop in the quality of the indoor air. If the air entering the ductwork is humid, it can contribute to the growth of mold and bacteria.

Damaged ducts will rapidly cause a deterioration of your comfort, a rise in your bills, and the many problems that can come from low indoor air quality (which are especially troublesome if there are people in your home with allergies).

Thankfully, duct repair is usually not a difficult task for professionals. Using metallic tape and mastic sealant, ductwork repair specialists can fix up the leaks in the network and return everything to normal in your home.

Don’t try to make repairs yourself, and don’t grab for the duct tape! (Duct tape isn’t meant for ducts anyway.) Call Climate Masters and schedule an appointment with our quality experts in ductwork services in St. Augustine, FL.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Why Duct Repair Is Necessary

Reasons to Install a Dehumidifier in Your Furnace

Friday, February 28th, 2014

Florida is infamous for its high humidity, and if you’ve lived here for even a single season you’ll understand why. Humidity causes more than discomfort; however, it can cause problems throughout your home. With the heating installation of a dehumidifier onto your furnace, you can help remove the moisture from the air the furnace circulates through your home—a “whole-home humidifier” solution to your troubles from Florida’s muggy climate.

Having a dehumidifier installed isn’t difficult: you only have to call Climate Masters and ask about our dehumidifier installation in St. Augustine, FL. Our indoor air quality specialists will be glad to tell you about your options and schedule a professional installation that will take care of your home’s humidity problems.

Why Install a Dehumidifier? Here Are a Few Good Reasons:

  • Increased comfort: Humidity makes a house feel stuffy and uncomfortable. Whatever the temperature in your home, humidity will cause you to find it hotter than it should be because the moisture that condenses on your skin releases extra heat.
  • Prevent mold and mildew: High humidity inside a home will promote the growth of mold, mildew, and other bacteria, often in places you can’t see such as your vents. All these pollutants can lead to health troubles like nausea, dizziness, breathing problems, and flu-like symptoms—especially if they are growing in the ducts connected to your furnace. They also will damage building material and create musty, unpleasant odors. A humidifier on your furnace will help keep these contaminants from growing inside your home.
  • Prevent damage to furnishings: High humidity leads to such damage to your home’s décor as peeling wallpaper, warping floor boards, wet spots on the floor and ceiling, and damaged furniture finishing.
  • Alleviation of other health problems: Aside from the issues with mildew, high humidity can contribute to trouble sleeping, asthma, and increased problems with allergies.

You Need a Whole-House Dehumidifier

Although you can purchase portable dehumidifiers for single rooms, these are only useful to combat mild problems in part of the house. To effectively reduce the humidity throughout your home, without making the air too dry, you should have a professional install a whole-house dehumidifier onto your furnace. Make sure you have the dehumidifier serviced annually so that it works its best.

The indoor air quality specialists at Climate Masters are dedicated to helping you have the most comfortable and safe home environment possible. Call them today to talk about a heating installation in St. Augustine, FL that will help you control high humidity.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Reasons to Install a Dehumidifier in Your Furnace

3 Reasons to Call Duct Cleaning Professionals

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Most homes have ductwork installed for their HVAC system. Even if you use a boiler to heat your home, you probably have a central air conditioner for warm weather that requires ductwork. Because ducts remain mostly hidden from sight, it’s easy to forget that they require regular professional cleaning to keep them free from the dust and other contaminants that can start to develop inside.

Here are 3 good reasons that you should call duct cleaning professionals. And you do need professionals, since accessing your ducts and providing the right level of cleaning and vacuuming power isn’t something you can achieve on your own. Call Climate Masters for any ductwork services in St. Augustine, FL that you need.

1. Increased heating/cooling efficiency and reduced power bills

When ducts begin to develop a layer of dirt and other debris along their inner lining, it increases the airflow resistance. Ductwork designers try to create ducts that have the least amount of friction possible against the flow of air, but dirty ducts interfere with this. As airflow drops, you’ll not only receive less effective heating and cooling, your HVAC system will need to work harder—and that means higher monthly power bills.

2. Increased indoor air quality

The U.S. EPA has identified low air quality as a major health concern in the U.S. On average, you probably spend 85% of your time indoors, and more than half of that time will be inside your home. To keep the air quality of your house at its best, you need to have clean ducts that won’t blow out dust, dirt, dander, pollen, hair, or other pollutants that can cut into air quality.

3. A cleaner home

All that dust sent out from the vents of your HVAC system will do more than lower your air quality. It will also make your house dustier and dirtier in general. If you discover that no matter how much you sweep, clean, and dust, the dust comes back right away, then you probably have a dirty ductwork system.

At Climate Masters, our professionals in service on ductwork in St. Augustine, FL care about your indoor air quality, and we care about the efficiency of your heating system.

Continue Reading

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on 3 Reasons to Call Duct Cleaning Professionals

This Is How Your Ducts Are Cleaned

Sunday, January 12th, 2014

Duct cleaning service in St. Augustine, FL is an important part of the regular maintenance on your home. Cleaning the ductwork helps improve your indoor air quality, keeps debris from entering your HVAC system, and reduces the resistance to airflow so you get efficient heating and cooling all year.

Duct cleaning requires the work of trained specialists. It is difficult for a non-professional to access the ducts to properly clean them, and the tools involved are too expensive and complex for amateur use. You can’t just use a commercial spray cleaner and dust mop for this job—and you shouldn’t try to climb into your ducts, no matter how often you’ve seen it done in movies and TV shows!

Professionals are only a phone call away: Climate Masters offers complete duct cleaning services, as well as duct sealing, repair, and replacement.

How professionals perform duct cleaning

Duct cleaning varies depending on what sort of contaminants need removal. At the basic level—clearing out dust and dirt—ductwork involves the use of special high-powered vacuums. The vacuums have long hoses that can snake up into the vents along your ducts. They place whole sections of the ductwork under negative pressure. What this does is dislodge ground-in dirt that would otherwise be too difficult for the air suction in the vacuum to remove. Once the dirt has been loosened, the vacuum can draw up the debris.

To get at contaminants that are even tougher to remove, duct cleaning specialists make use of powerful rotary brushes on long hoses. These brushes loosen dirt without causing damage to the walls of the ducts.

Another useful tool for cleansings ducts are non-toxic sanitizers and deodorizers. These cleaners can eliminate a number of bacterial pollutants inside your ducts without leaving behind a dangerous residue that will waft out of the vents afterwards. This step will help make your ducts almost as fresh as when they were new.

For serious cases of microbiological growth, such as mold (a common problem in Florida’s humidity), duct cleaners can install UV germicidal lights, which destroy the cellular structure of biological contaminants and help prevent their return.

Schedule your duct cleaning today

How often should you have professional duct cleaning? Although ducts will begin to gather dust at different rates, we suggest you schedule cleaning at least annually. If you have noticed signs that the ducts are seriously dirty (dust spreading throughout the house, a spike in energy bills due to the HVAC system, an increase in allergic symptoms) you should have the ducts cleaned as soon as possible.

Let Climate Masters take care of your duct cleaning in St. Augustine, FL. Our range of indoor air quality services will make sure your ductwork receives the treatment it needs.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on This Is How Your Ducts Are Cleaned

What Causes Duct Problems?

Friday, December 6th, 2013

Your ductwork, although hidden from your sight over most of its length, is a crucial part of the comfort you receive from your HVAC system. Unless you have a ductless system in your home, your air conditioner requires ducts to work, and most likely your heater does as well. If you want to get the most comfort from your AC and heater, you need to have ducts free from serious problems.

When you need duct repairs or cleaning, contact Climate Masters, where we offer comprehensive duct cleaning services.

We will help you keep good care of your ductwork in St. Augustine, FL.

Common causes of ductwork problems:

  • Corrosion: Corrosion occurs because of metal comes into contact with air and water. Unfortunately, the wet Florida climate means that moisture can enter ductwork and start the spread of corrosion. The biggest threat from corrosion is that it eats away and the metal of the ducts and causes it to begin to flake apart, leading to breaks. Breaks will cause an increase in dust, as well as a drop in air pressure that will have a large negative impact on your heater and air conditioner.
  • Microbacteria: Another common problem in Florida’s climate is moisture that leads to the growth of molds, fungus, and other bacteria on the inside of ductwork. These biological pollutants can weaken the ducts, and also pose a threat to your indoor air quality. You will need professionals to use mold remediation techniques, such as UV germicidal lights, to eliminate such infestations.
  • Other construction work/amateur repairs: Ducts often receive damage during construction work unrelated to the ductwork. Remodeling and whole-house rewiring are just two home improvement projects that can accidentally lead to your ducts developing breaks. In a similar way, if you rely on amateur repairs for your ductwork, or you attempt the repairs yourself, you can end up with ducts that are misaligned or poorly connected.

Call ductwork professionals

Your ducts are both difficult to access and arduous to clean and repair. It requires trained duct specialists to handle the task of sealing cracks (no, duct tape won’t do the job) and getting out deeply ingrained dirt, corrosion, and bacterial pollutants.

If you think you have problems with your ducts, get on the phone right away and contact Climate Masters. We will inspect your ductwork and zero in on what issues need to be addressed. Whether you need replacement duct installation, UV germicidal lights, or just a cleaning, Climate Masters can give your ductwork in St. Augustine the care it needs. Make sure to ask us about the FPL (Florida Power & Lighting Company) rebate that you may qualify for.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on What Causes Duct Problems?

Fun Facts About Ductwork

Friday, October 11th, 2013

We rarely think about the ducts in our home since they’re so often out of sight, but their importance cannot be underestimated. For homes in St. Augustine, ductwork is as integral a part as the plumbing or electrical wiring, providing a hidden “passageway” for conditioned air from your HVAC unit to reach every corner of your home. Ducts require periodic cleaning, and must be repaired when fissures or leaks develop, but without them, our heating and air conditioning systems couldn’t do their job.

Here are some fun facts about ductwork that you may not have considered before.

  • Ductwork comes in different types of materials. Traditional ducts are made of galvanized steel, while newer ones are made of flexible plastic “flex duct” and/or rigid ductboard surrounded by foil.
  • Ductwork is vulnerable to extremes of heat and cold. If left uninsulated in a warm areas or in a spot with a lot of sunshine, the air inside can be warmed: reducing the effectiveness of your air conditioning system. The same principle applies to ducts in cold parts of the house when attempting to heat your home. This is why you should always place your ductwork in conditioned space within your home and/or use insulation to keep the temperature inside the ducts constant.
  • Leaks can sometimes spring up in the duct system because of external damage, wear and tear along the fittings, or pressure exerted when the HVAC system is being used. The leaks can pull dust and debris in from outside the HVAC system, as well as costing your efficiency and making it harder to condition the air in your home.
  • Cleaning dirty duct systems can improve the quality of your air, as well as giving a technician a chance to examine the ducts for leaks and schedule a time to seal them.

Beyond fun facts about ductwork, the experts at Climate Masters can handle St. Augustine ductwork services of all varieties. From repairing leaks to cleaning ducts, we help you keep them in ship shape, allowing you to make the most out of your HVAC system. Call us today and let us show you what our trained professionals can do for you.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Fun Facts About Ductwork

Why Should I Get Duct Cleaning Before Winter Is Here?

Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

If you have ductwork in your home, it usually serves two purposes: channeling cool air most of the year, and channeling warm air during Florida’s brief but often unpredictable winter season. Ducts are carefully sealed along their length to prevent loss of pressure during normal operation. But as a consequence, dust and other debris that can collect inside will begin building up. Just running your air conditioner during the summer doesn’t clear out these pollutants—it will probably draw in more, especially if you’ve neglected to change the air filter once a month.

Winter is right around the corner, and you may already have a large amount of dirt and other contaminants sitting in your ducts. Before you start using those ducts to circulate heat, get them cleaned out. Call Climate Masters to get thorough duct cleaning in St Augustine.

But wait, you may be thinking, how bad can dirty ducts really be? The truth is that contamination in your ducts poses health risks, and also contributes to lowering your heater’s efficiency and causing dust to circulate throughout your home. Getting your ducts cleaned will benefit you in numerous ways.

According to the EPA, low indoor air quality is a major health concern in the US, where people spend a large amount of time inside. Breathing poor quality air can lead to respiratory problems, eye irritation, and sleeping difficulties. People with allergies are especially sensitive to poor quality air. A furnace or heat pump blowing dust, pollen, and dander around your home contributes enormously to reducing its air quality. Most worrying of all are biological pollutants that form in the dark of ducts. All of these can be fixed with thorough professional cleaning.

The other benefits of getting your ducts cleaned before winter are improving heating efficiency, reducing the strain on your heater, and keeping dust from settling around the house.

You’ve probably seen action movies or thrillers where the hero had to crawl through air ducts to escape the villains or spy on them. Fun… but you don’t want to try to crawl through ducts in real life, and you couldn’t do much good if you did. You should hire professional duct cleaners to do the job of getting the dirt out of your ductwork. They’ll use special tools and access your ducts without causing damage.

Climate Masters has performed duct cleaning in St Augustine FL for so many years that we can get your ductwork clean in no time at all. Contact us before your furnace or heat pump turns on for the winter.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Why Should I Get Duct Cleaning Before Winter Is Here?

When Is The Best Time to Hire a Duct Cleaning Expert?

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Ducts are one of those hidden components of your household that quietly make life better for everyone in it. They branch out from your air conditioning or HVAC system, moving cool air in the summer time and warm air in the winter to every corner of your house. In most cases, they’re composed of sturdy materials and perform their jobs without a fuss. But over time, dust and debris can build up inside of them, necessitating a duct cleaning. In St. Augustine, FL, duct cleaning services are also necessary to deal with bacterial growth, created when moisture gets into the ducts and made worse by our sultry Florida weather.

So when is the best time to hire a duct cleaning expert? Usually when signs of dirty ducts become apparent.

Because ducts are usually located in out-of-the-way spots like the attic or inside your walls, you rarely notice when things start to go wrong. Look for subtle yet telltale signs of dust entering your household. If family members suffer from allergies, they may have attacks more often than normal. If your house seems to have a hard time staying clean, no matter how many times you dust it, there may be trouble. If you detect a strange odor coming from the ducts, there may be bacterial growth that needs to be dealt with. In the most extreme cases, you may detect a reduced air flow coming from your vents: signs that build-up has gotten so bad in the ducts that it’s interfering with their ability to circulate air.

Whenever you detect those signs, it’s best to hire a duct cleaning expert as quickly as possible. A trained service operative will undertake a duct cleaning with courtesy and professionalism: treating your home with the utmost care while providing solid, reliable cleaning for the ducts themselves. The results should not only improve your air quality, but may illuminate larger issues such as leaks or breaches in your ducts that could cost you money in higher electric bills. In St. Augustine, FL, duct cleaning services are provided by the trained experts at Climate Masters. If you’ve decided that now is the best time to hire a duct cleaning expert, give us a call. You’ll be glad you did.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on When Is The Best Time to Hire a Duct Cleaning Expert?