The HVAC system in your Ingram, TX home does more than heat and cool your living space. Your furnace and air conditioner also play a hand in improving your indoor air quality (IAQ) and regulating your humidity. However, in some environments and households, basic HVAC humidity regulation is hardly enough. The following are five signs your home needs a dehumidifier. 1. Wet Windows, Doors, and Drywall If your doors, windows, and drywall are frequently coated in condensation, there’s far too much moisture in your indoor air for your HVAC system to handle. When outdoor humidity is high, humidity inside your home is bound to be high as well. Whenever indoor humidity exceeds the ideal level of 40% to 60%, every solid surface could have a beady sheen of “sweat”. 2. Mold Patches and Musty Odors Consistently wet drywall, baseboards, and flooring create the perfect conditions for mildew and mold. Along with visible patches of these growths, you may notice pervasive, musty odors. 3. Blistering, Peeling Paint Bubbling, bulging paint is usually a sign of a roof leak. As water fills the space behind latex paint, it creates large, noticeable pockets. However, paint that’s peeling and blistering at both the upper...
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Upon receiving alerts about extreme heat in the weather forecast, it’s customary to spend more time indoors. However, the effects of extreme heat can impact your indoor experience. Learn more about the ways that extreme heat affects indoor air quality and how to combat it. 1. Mold Growth Whether someone is constantly opening the front door or there are numerous openings in the ductwork, extreme heat can impact indoor air through mold growth. Extreme heat often comes with a higher level of humidity. It’s not uncommon for extreme heat to be followed by intense thunderstorms. When you combine extreme heat and storms, humidity becomes more consuming. As humidity is comprised of heat and moisture, these two elements help mold spread and thrive. Mold tends to spread in dark spaces first. Unfortunately, this can make it harder to detect. In preparation for potentially extreme heat, make sure the ductwork, cracks, and openings are completely sealed and closed off. Use a dehumidifier in spaces that tend to be susceptible to mold growth. When the air conditioning runs with a dehumidifier, this helps to make the indoor air drier. 2. Rain and Pollution In addition to watering plants and contributing to the planet’s...
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Few things feel as good as walking into a cool air-conditioned home during the hot summer months in Ingram, TX. However, that pleasant feeling can be quickly offset by a large energy bill or, worse yet, a repair bill because the air conditioner was running too long. How Long Should You Run Your Air Conditioner? First, it’s good to distinguish between when your air conditioner is actively running and when it is just on. Your air conditioner can be set to keep your home at 70° all day. However, if the temperature inside your home never breaks 68 degrees Fahrenheit, your air conditioner will spend very little time being active. Conversely, if the thermostat is set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but your air conditioner cannot lower the temperature below 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it will overstress itself, running endlessly. As a general rule of thumb, your air conditioner should only run actively for between 15 and 20 minutes at a time. If your air conditioner is running for between 15 and 20 minutes, but you do not feel a change in your home’s temperature, this could indicate that the air conditioning unit needs an AC repair or is not the right...
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Summers in Texas can be brutally hot, increasing homeowners’ energy costs. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to reduce your energy consumption and lower your utility bills. 1. Check for Air Leaks Whether it’s caulking around windows, weather-stripping doors, or using a foam sealant to insulate around your foundation, you can reduce the amount of air leaking into and out of your home. These efforts will help keep heat out and cool air inside, reducing how hard your cooling system needs to work to keep you comfortable and reduce utility costs. 2. Install a Programmable Thermostat Installing a programmable thermostat is a practical way to reduce your energy consumption. You can program it to automatically adjust the temperature higher when you and your family are outside of your home. Having a professional upgrade your thermostat will reduce how much your cooling system runs, saving you money on energy bills. 3. Ensure Regular Maintenance of Your AC Unit Air conditioners can become inefficient for various reasons, including clogged filters, dirty coils, and low refrigerant levels. Experts advise that you should have your air conditioner tuned up before each summer. Having an HVAC professional service your cooling system will help...
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The wrong size AC can lead to higher energy bills, inadequate cooling and even system damage. Understanding how AC sizing works along with other factors will help you purchase the best AC unit for your home. 1. Consider the Size of Your Home The square footage of a house impacts how well an AC system works. To properly cool a home, you need an air conditioner with enough BTUs (British Thermal Units) to cover the square footage. Generally, the larger the area, the more BTUs you will need. Consult an HVAC professional to help you figure out how many BTUs you need to cool your space. 2. Consider the Climate When considering the climate where you live, it is important to take note of the various environmental factors that affect cooling efficiency. Temperature, humidity, and air circulation all play a role in determining how well an AC unit will perform. In addition to these factors, you should also consider the type of insulation you have along with the size and placement of windows. These elements can impact how efficient your AC will be at cooling your home. 3. Consider the Type of Unit There are different types of AC systems...
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Coils are one of the most essential components of an HVAC system. They provide critical functions, such as cooling and heating, transferring heat energy from one place to another, and controlling air pressure. As such, it is important to keep your coils clean to ensure the best performance from your system. Here are some of the reasons why coil cleaning is so important. Improved Air Quality Dirty coils can restrict air flow, leading to poor indoor air quality and increased dirt and dust particles in the air. All this debris in the air can cause allergies, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses. Clean coils allow for proper air filtration, improving indoor air quality and reducing the risk of respiratory illnesses. Increased Efficiency Dirty coils are less efficient at transferring heat, meaning they require more energy to function properly. This translates into increased energy costs and decreased efficiency of the entire system. Clean coils allow for better heat transfer, improving system efficiency and reducing energy costs. Better Performance Dirty coils can cause a decrease in the performance of the HVAC system, including slower heating and cooling cycles, increased noise levels, and reduced air pressure. Clean coils can help to increase system performance,...
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Your furnace is one of the most parts of your home, but it can be prone to problems if you don’t take proper care of it. A dirty air filter can cause many issues with your furnace, from poor performance to costly repairs. Here’s what you can do about it. 1. Reduced Furnace Performance A dirty air filter reduces the amount of air that can pass through the filter, impacting your furnace’s performance. This reduction in airflow causes your furnace to work harder than usual to keep up with the demand for warm air within your home. As a result, it will have shorter cycles, run more frequently and use more energy than usual. Not only does this reduce its efficiency, but it can also cause unnecessary wear and tear on the components of your furnace. 2. Safety Concerns A dirty air filter is also a safety hazard because it restricts airflow so much that combustion gases cannot vent properly from the system. This increases pressure within the unit and may cause carbon monoxide (CO) buildup in your home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can cause serious health risks if inhaled in large quantities. Installing CO detectors in...
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While wintertime can bring a nice break from the scorching hot summertime weather, it can also bring along with it some nasty dry skin. This is due to the fact that cold air is naturally low in humidity and will pull moisture out of the human body. Fortunately, you can banish your wintertime dry skin by installing a home humidification system. How Does a Home Humidifier Work? A home humidifier works to introduce humidity into the air inside your home. These systems come with the convenience of being able to set a desired relative humidity level for the inside of your home, and your system will work to reach that level. Most experts recommend setting your indoor humidity level between 40% and 60%. How Will This Reduce Your Dry Skin? When the weather is cold, the air will extract moisture from any source that it can find. One of the most common is your body since the human body is made up of 60% water. When you have a home humidifier installed, it will introduce moisture into the air, so the air won’t naturally try to get extra moisture from other sources, like your body. When the air inside your...
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The weather in Ingram, Kerrville, and the surrounding areas can get cold, and the last thing you want to deal with during the cold season is a faulty water heater. Read on to learn some easy ways to prolong the lifespan of your water heater. Keep It in Check Your water heater will serve you longer when you keep it properly maintained. It’s advisable to get the tank regularly inspected for breaks and leaks. For on-demand heaters, get the components checked and any underlying issues resolved immediately. Ensure the heating element, burner, and thermostat stay in functional condition. Stop Overheating Your Water Heater Overheating your water heater often shortens its lifespan. If you have a chronic habit of letting your water heater overheat, it will lose its ability to withstand high temperatures over time. Keeping the heater temperatures above 120 degrees will affect its performance and may even cause untimely failure. Change the Filters Often Changing the heater filters regularly eliminates harmful sediments that could accumulate in the tank and the pipes, leading to corrosion. Changing the filter also prevents rust damage and elongates the useful life of the water heater. At Trade-Mark Air Conditioning, we offer water heater repair...
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Getting a new HVAC system installed in your Ingram, TX home is a big deal. It’s also a major investment in your home’s comfort and overall value. Homeowners worry that they’ll damage a new system if they don’t get it off to the perfect start in their home. To put your mind at ease, here are the facts about HVAC break-in periods. What Happens After an HVAC Installation? On the day of your HVAC installation, one of our expert technicians will arrive at your home with everything they need to complete the job. They’ll begin by removing your existing system if you have one. Then, they’ll prepare the installation areas both inside and outside your home. After that, they’ll install your new HVAC system. When your new HVAC system is all set up, our technician will run it through a series of tests to make certain everything’s in working order. After that, you can turn on your HVAC system and use it as much or as little as you wish. So, There’s No HVAC Break-in Period? There’s no special procedure you’ll need to follow and no break-in period to worry about. Modern HVAC systems arrive at your home ready for...
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