Mechanical H-C

By Joel Wensley Now that it’s officially furnace season, I’m going to talk about how to stay safe this upcoming winter season with the main topic being deadly carbon monoxide. I bet some of you have smelled a burning type of smell when you first fired up your furnace this season didn’t you? Carbon monoxide ya think? Nope. That’s just a dirty furnace that’s been sitting all summer long. With carbon monoxide, You can’t see it, smell it or even taste it, but it’s responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of … [Read more...] about Talking thermostats save money, make programming easy

This week I would like to show you what I think is a great product for those who are visually impaired or just need a little help when it comes to today’s modern technology: a talking thermostat. Not only does it announce the temperature when you press the adjustment buttons, but it also verbally walks you through how to program it so that you can lower your temperature at night and save money all winter long this year. Now, let’s take this a step further. Aside from the basic functions, this amazing thermostat will also tell … [Read more...] about Talking thermostats save money, make programming easy

By Joel Wensley Living in Michigan, we all know how it’s just plain wise to have the highest efficiency furnace possible. The bigger your house, the more heat you use, hence, the more money you save on heating costs. Now, what’s even better than that is having the government and the utility companies give you money back for saving money. Contrary to popular belief, the tax credits didn’t end … they just got a little smaller. But to compensate for that, the utility companies are kicking in to give you even more money back to … [Read more...] about Energy tax credits and rebates still are available

By Joel Wensley It’s bad enough to have outrageous heating bills during the heating season, but the real kick in the pants is to have a home that’s uncomfortable and unevenly heated as well. Here’s a way to save money and be more comfortable all at the same time. This is what’s called a two-stage furnace. It’s 95 percent efficient so it saves a ton on your gas bills and the best part about it is the way it helps to develop a much more even temperature throughout your entire home. Here’s how it works. When a regular furnace … [Read more...] about Two-stage furnaces can save a ton on your gas bills

By Joel Wensley Is the air in your home making you sick? It’s been said that indoor air can be up to 12 times more polluted than outdoor air, and since that’s where we are most of the time, well, you get the picture. But don’t worry, we can fix that. Today, I’m going to show you how to clean up the air in your entire home — and not just one room at a time. One of the newest advancements for air purification is the two-part air purifier and cleaner. It has a replaceable filter that you only change once a year, but it’s also … [Read more...] about Great indoors: Air cleaners can purify and kill viruses

By Joel Wensley Today we’re going to share a few tips on maintaining your refrigerator for longer life and a more efficient operation. Considering that it’s running 24 hours a day, a refrigerator has the potential to waste a lot of energy if not properly maintained. We’ll start at the door by checking the seals and the gaskets. Found on the refrigerator and freezer doors, gaskets are designed to seal in cool air and to keep out warm air, which is vital to the efficiency of your fridge. So it’s important to make sure that the … [Read more...] about Regular maintenance saves money, wear and tear on refrigerator

By Joel Wensley Here’s a convenience item and sometimes a necessity to have if you have a humidifier, central air or a high-efficiency furnace. If you’re tired of tripping over condensation plumbing lines that drag all across the floor to find a floor drain or a sump pump, you may want one of these instead. What I’m referring to is exactly what you’d think we’d call it: a condensate pump. This inexpensive little item will eliminate those potential toe stubbers and hip breakers by attaching directly to your furnace. The … [Read more...] about Inexpensive device can help to pump condensation up, out

By Joel Wensley You’ve heard it a million times before: It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Excess humidity can have a big impact on your home’s comfort and the health of your family. We all know that excessive moisture can be a bad thing, causing mold growth, breathing problems and even damage to the windows and wood in our homes. But other than running a single-room dehumidifier, what can be done? Your healthy solution is a whole-house dehumidifier. You heard right. This unit actually removes excessive humidity … [Read more...] about Whole-house dehumidifier a cool idea in summer heat

By Joel Wensley Having an old thermostat can cause wild temperature swings, an all-around uncomfortable home and can often cause your furnace to not work at all. This week, I’ll show you how to change that old thermostat so that you can save money by doing it yourself. First things first, let’s head down to the furnace and shut it off so we won’t have any problems by causing a short circuit. Now we can remove the old thermostat from the wall. Whether you have an old round thermostat or a newer digital type, most have an outer … [Read more...] about Change that thermostat

By Joel Wensley Yo, buddy! We definitely can’t blame that one on the dog. A rotten egg smell coming from our water faucets can happen for a couple of reasons. In this case, it’s happening when using the hot water only, so that means the problem lies within our water heater. Every water heater, whether gas or electric, has what’s called an anode rod inside it. These rods are installed, in a nutshell, to corrode away so that the water tank itself doesn’t. Since they’re usually made of magnesium or aluminum they corrode faster … [Read more...] about Insulation: It’s not just for wintertime anymore