Posts Tagged ‘hvac’

The Value of Using High Quality Furnace Filters In Your Home Heating Unit

August 11th, 2009

by Jim Samposzi

Heating and cooling are essential to homes and more important to the human beings inside. There are areas that are frigid more often and parts of the world that are warmer for longer in a given year. Therefore, homes around the world rely on some form of hot and cold for different seasons of a given year. Depending on the state someone lives in, that person might need to warm up, or might need to cool off. Some regions have an even split of cold and hot throughout the year.

Regions like the southeast part of the United States, for instance, depend on air conditioning for a better part of the year. Although people living in this region may incur a big utility bill, these individuals rely on these units to stay alive. Because of this almost every home that is built or rented include central air that flows throughout the home. Further up the hemisphere, others rely on heat for a majority of the year. Whatever the location, a furnace requires a clean filter.

Air filters filter out air particles and other harmful particles so that they cannot reach the internal components of the unit. If dirt, small particles, and junk finds its way into the main part of the air conditioner, it can break down. In addition, it is important to replace these filters on a regular basis, as laid out inside the owner’s manual for the unit, to provide the best performance of the air conditioner. Failing to change the filter can increase the electric bill , in short, because the air conditioner must work overtime to cool the house down. Not swapping out the filter periodically, can yield a unit that no longer works!

This changing of the filter doesn’t only shield the unit from dust, it also helps humans against allergies. Some types of filters out there in today’s world say they can reduce the allergens in the air of the home. Some say that the air inside is twice as allergenic as the air outside. With this lowering of indoor air quality, manufacturers are making out well by offering cleaner air filters.

Because of the many furnace filters available, the price can vary. Some manufacturers lay claim that they’re the best. However, the truth is that the perfect filter does not exist. Some are of better quality than some of the others but they cannot block everything from the air. Furthermore, these filters, and usually, air conditioner filters, are sold in one month throw-aways and exist as three month disposables. Furthermore, there are permanent filters out there that can be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled.

It doesn’t matter where you reside, you’ll will need heating, cooling, or at times, half the year one and half the year the other. There are some parts of the western hemisphere, like California, that benefit from a steady climate all year long wherein it is never too hot, nor too cold. However, homes in these locations still need furnaces to be able to adjust if necessary. Again, this is dependent upon where one lives as to how much hot or cold is required. But, one thing remains, if you run a furnace, you have to change the filter regularly.

Jim is a gazetteer with over a dozen years of writing experience. Jim is presently engaged as a gazetteer with many well-known b2b portals and is considered the in house expert on air conditioning filters. Visit our great web portal for additional information on Furnace Filters and Furnace Air Filters.

Heat Your House Using A Wood Pellet Stove Next Winter

July 29th, 2009

by: Xavier Toolhausens

Warming your house can be rather expensive, especially when you live in a colder climate. Traditional electric-powered heaters and air systems can be very expensive to install and continue to cost a lot to run. However, there is an alternative way to get heat that is a substantial amount less and more ecologically sound at providing heat for homes. Pellet stoves are this alternative; they heat homes efficiently for little to no cost.

Pellet stoves use small pellets that are produced from recycled pieces of wood, or pellets. In addition, some types of stoves can use wood shavings and some of them, corn for burning. The pellets are placed into the stove, typically in the center, and are heated to produce a fire that can burn for more hours than most logs. Also, log capable pellet stoves are available to give the rustic look of natural burning wood.

Pellet stoves work like a fireplace wherein a fire is started to make heat that is then vented through the house. Some pellet stoves come standard consisting of a solid door to close the stove during incineration. But, there are also units that allow one to to look in at the fire. Typically, these types have a viewing glass in the stove to allow someone to look inside and see how many pellets are already burned. In addition, pellet stoves have a motor and mechanism for distributing the heat and clean the air before pumping it through the home.

Pellet stoves come in two kinds: top-fed and bottom fed. Prior to purchasing one, it is important to know the difference between them.

* Top-Fed Pellet Stoves – Top-fed pellet stoves take the pellets, or wood through the top of the container. This type of system has less of a chance of burning back though an increased of a chance of building up with ash and having clinkers (the chunks formed from cooking ash repeatedly). Top-fed stoves take better pellets to cut down on clinkers.

* Bottom-Fed Pellet Stoves – This form of pellet stove uses the pellets in the bottom drawer of the pellet stove. Because of this, consumers do not have to worry about clinkers and the stoves operate much cleaner. Also, bottom-fed pellet stoves do not take only premium pellets and generate heat with almost any grade or kind of wood. This type of stove has an ash pan that catches ash and provides easy removal.

Heating a home does not have to be costly. With the right pellet stove, you can begin the course of saving a fortune. Pellet stoves are said to pay for themselves after a short period of time. After the unit pays for itself, you as the consumer, can start to reap the rewards of having a less expensive and efficient mode of heating your home. Also, it is a wonderful feeling to know that you are using power from natural sources and saving our environment one home at a time.

Xavier is a columnist with over twenty years editorial experience. Xavier is presently engaged as a national correspondent for many well-known b2b portals and is considered the company guru on home heating ideas. Visit our great web portal for more information on Wood Pellet Stoves and Pellet Stoves.

Air Conditioning Filters And Indoor Air Quality

July 19th, 2009

The air conditioning filter that you buy is not only responsible for removing allergens, pet dander and other pollutants from your home but it can also impact the life of your air conditioner. An air conditioner with a low grade filter will not work at full efficiency. There are several types of air conditioning filters available in the market today so here are a few tips that will help you to choose the right one for your home.

HEPA air conditioning filters: HEPA or High Efficiency Particle Arresting Filter is very potent against allergens, smoke, dust, pet dander and other contaminants. It can effectively trap up to99.97% of the contaminants that are no less than 0.3 microns in size.

Standard air conditioning filter: These air conditioning filters are the most basic type of filters made from spun fiber glass and mounted on card board frames. They are not very effective against microscopic allergens and contaminants like smoke. Standard air conditioning filters can only remove harmful particles so they are the least effective of all filters. They can only remove 10% of the pollutants and they get dirty often. Since they cannot be cleaned the only option is to replace them every month.

Pleated air conditioning filters: The advantage of pleated air conditioning filters is their large surface area which helps to trap contaminants. These filters are made by folding filter material into pleats to increase the surface area. They can filter more than 35% of the pollutants from the air ion your home. Pleated air conditioning filters will cost you more than the standard filters but they are also more effective and durable. You will only need to replace them once every three months. The cost of these filters ranges between $5 and $20.

Electrostatic air conditioning filter: In this type of filter the medium used carries an electric charge that attracts the contaminants. There are two types of technologies that are used in electrostatic air conditioning filters. In the first one the material has an in built charge while in the other the charge is created by the movement if the air through the system. Electrostatic air conditioning filters are more effective than the other types of filters and can trap up to 90% of the particles. They also cost more with a price range between $30 to$100. These filters will need to be replaced every three months.

Electronic air conditioning filters: These are the most efficient of all filters and also the most expensive. But if you or your family members suffer from allergy problems, electronic air conditioning filters will be the apt choice for you. They work on the same principle as the electrostatic filters but they are far more effective. One of the problems of using electrostatic filters is that they hinder the movement of air inside the air conditioning system but electronic filters effectively tackle this problem.

The type of air conditioning filter that you choose should depend on the air quality on your house. Also regardless of the filter you choose if the coil of your air conditioner is not clean the filter can do very little. So, it’s essential to get the coil checked and cleaned at least once a month.

Also if you use an air conditioning filter beyond its lifespan you are subjecting yourself and your family members to various risks so it is best to follow manufacturer specifications and change the filters as often as required.

John Maltakiso is a technical writer with over 10 years editorial experience. John is presently working as a freelance writer with the fuzing.com portal and has become the resident expert on home air filters. Visit our useful website for additional information on Boair Filters and Air Conditioning Filters.