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Since most everyone is interested in saving energy and thereby saving money, having a home or business zoned is a logical and effective means of doing so. This sounds great but…what is zoning? That is a great question!

Zoning a building means to take a complete HVAC system and make it modular rather than having it as a mono-system. To simplify this description, think of a pie: the pie as a whole is a mono-system but if that pie is cut into numerous pieces, it becomes modular.

Many years ago, when home heating systems involved coal burning furnaces and later when those coal burners were converted over to burn natural gas, the house was heated by gravity feed (hot air rises and cold air falls) and the heat was regulated by opening or closing wall or floor vents. This type of heating system could be considered as zoning in the strictest sense of the word but continually changing the vents in every room manually, to produce the comfort desired, could be laborious to say the least.

Well, things have changed and gravity feed furnaces are a thing of the past…at least in most homes. Forced air systems are now the predominant HVAC system used in homes and this type of system can really make a home hot and cold at the same time. As an example: My home is a 2-story home built back in 1938. It is a very solid structure and it originally had a coal fired gravity feed furnace that was converted over to natural gas. In the early 1980’s an 85% efficiency forced air furnace was installed, but…the original thermostatic control was retained. This means, the whole house does not need to heat up before the thermostat is satisfied that the structure is warm enough. This results in the second floor being too cold while the first floor is fine, but only for a while and then the furnace kicks in again and overheats the second floor. My home is called a mono-zone heating system, it is an all or nothing system. Needless to say, this type of system is very inefficient and does not product the comfort level that most people desire.

The primary way to produce an efficient heating and cooling balance within a structure is to make a structure multi-zoned. This means that each room in a structure can have its own temperature control for its area. Needless to say, this can alleviate many arguments over control of the heating and cooling. There will always be someone who thinks it is too cold or too hot and can never, seemingly, be pleased. However, if each room can control its own environment, then there is a greater chance for everyone to be pleased with the temperature settings.

As a further example, any 2 or more-story building will have heating and cooling extremes particularly during certain times of the year where there are external temperature extremes (summer and winter). Let us use the summer as an example; since heat rises, the upper floor or floors, of a multi-storied structure, will be hotter than the lower floor or floors. When winter occurs, the same problem remains, the upper floors will always be hotter than the lower floors and there will be no balance in the temperatures. These circumstances require separate heating and cooling controls to regulate the temperatures of these areas or in other words…zoning.

Zoning means to take a whole and break it up into various areas. Most homes have a single thermostatic control to manage the entire home. In most circumstances, this arrangement performs well enough, however, if the home is a larger home, a single thermostat will not comfortably suffice for comfort control of the home, unless the thermostat is capable of zoning control.

If you have a smaller home, the necessary heat to keep the home comfortable is easily maintained because the home is small. A larger home with a single non-zoning thermostat will require a lot more heating and is not good on energy use. Think about this; you are downstairs in the finished basement and you turn the heat on to warm up the basement. In a short enough time, the basement is comfortable, but the first floor will be a bit too warm compared to the basement and the upstairs will be very uncomfortable. By that same thinking, the upstairs being comfortable will make the basement a bit too cool for comfort. By zoning the home with thermostats for each zone, more precise control of the heating system will be practicable.

Now the number of zones will depend on the desired amount of control the home owner desires. A minimum of 3 is recommended but the actual size of the home is a better determiner of how many the home requires for maximum comfort levels. This same zoning idea with multiple zones applies equally to any business large enough to need zoning.

Zoning can save money by allowing different areas to control their needed heating requirements instead of having the heater going full blast to satisfy one area at the expense of another area. You do not have to heat up an entire home or other facility to obtain the comfort level required. Save money and zone that structure! Be well!!

Humidity, for most of us, is that very annoying thing that turns great summer days and nights into an awful hot and gooey time of trial. I do understand that for some folks, humidity in the Summer is no big deal, but for most of us, it is no fun at all! That is the Summer, but in the Winter, humidity is something we all, if we require heat to stay warm, must absolutely have. Humidity can actually increase the feeling of warmth by retaining heat within the moisture in the air. Dry air, such as the air provided by a forced air furnace, is not capable of retaining heat for an extended length of time. This accounts for the constant on and off of the heating system in the house/ apartment. Add moisture to that dry air and you change the density of the air and increase its ability to retain heated air particles.

A whole home humidifier is attached to the main furnace and introduces vaporized water particles into the heated air that are then moved throughout the home through the duct system. That humidified air is now more capable of retaining heat than before humidification and this in turn keeps the home warmer for longer, meaning the furnace does not have to keep coming on. Remember, every time the furnace comes on, it is using gas to heat the air passing through it, so you are paying for the gas being used as well as the electricity to run everything. This does not take into account the amount of wear and tear on the whole system by its constant coming on and off.

Something little know and recognized is the loss of moisture in a house during the Winter months that causes the paint in the house to dry out, crack and begin to chip. Dry house air can have a dramatic effect on the condition of human skin by drying it out; it can also cause a severely dry sinus system which can result in bleeding from the nose while you sleep or when you wake up or both. A house without humidity is similar to a desert climate and can cause the same effects.

The simple purpose behind all of this, without belaboring the point, is to show the need for whole-house humidification is not something that is optional but it is essential for a home. I personally have lived for years without a whole-house humidification system and my house has paid the price as I also have with my health. Getting a house humidified is not rocket science nor is it expensive but the benefits from doing so are very, very worth the effort. Be well!

Air-borne pathogens are present in every home and work area regardless of the efforts to purify the air in those locations. Multiple air filters can be used to clean the air and are, to a certain degree, successful. However, there will always be certain pathogens that are not going to be stopped by filters due to the small size of the pathogens. These pathogens can be stopped by Ultraviolet (UV) light.

What is Ultraviolet light?

Ultra-violet light is a small part of the total light spectrum from the sun and can be subdivided into 3 parts:

UV-A is the most common and makes up approximately 94% of the total amount of ultraviolet light reaching the earth. UV-A causes wrinkling of the skin as well as prematurely age the skin.

UV-B affects the top layer of skin and causes most sunburns, it also damages DNA and is strongly associated with increases in skin cancer.

UV-C is the smallest part of the UV light spectrum but also the most dangerous in that it can kill living organisms and cells. Fortunately for life on Earth, our atmosphere blocks 100% of all UV-C that radiates from the Sun. UV-C can be artificially produced and utilized for air purification purposes.

Uses for UV-C in Air Filtration and Purification.

Unrestricted UV-C used in any sort of an enclosed environment, home or work, would be very dangerous. However, controlled UV-C, as in being used within an enclosed area such as heating and cooling ductwork, can be very beneficial to the home or work environment. Since UV-C is so detrimental to any living organism, any organism passing through the UV-C light will be eliminated, such as spores, molds, germs, bacteria, Covid and any other organisms in the air flow through the ductwork.

Questions:

Is a UV-C light in my ductwork better than using a filter?

This is a good question and the answer is: No. A UV-C light needs to be used in combination with a filter to obtain optimum results. An activated charcoal filter with a HEPA filter and the UV-C light in the ductwork would eliminate most airborne pathogens in an enclosed environment over time but this would be a “top of the line” setup. A simple pleated filter in combination with the ultraviolet light would meet the needs of most people as well as being less expensive.

Can I install an ultraviolet light in my own ductwork?

Unless you are very adept at mechanical skills, I would have to say: No. This is an item that needs to be tied into the HVAC system of the structure and involves wiring into an electrical source,  not to mention having to cut a hole in the metal ductwork to insert the light.

Do I really need an ultraviolet light in my HVAC system?

Actually: No. Most people can get by perfectly fine without a UV-C light in their ductwork, but…there are also those who will benefit greatly by having all pathogens eliminated in their particular environment. These folks may be highly susceptible to illnesses and need the services of UV-C. A simple 2-inch pleated filter will suffice for most people, but it really depends on high much filtration and air purification do you desire as opposed to how much you need. The area you live in can be a great determiner of the level of filtration you need.

Real Life Filtration Example:

In southwest Detroit there are a number of steel plants that have tall exhaust stacks for their furnaces. The exhaust is expelled through these stacks and floats over the nearby city of Wyandotte but does not drop pollutants on Wyandotte. Instead, those pollutants fall out of the atmosphere over the city of Riverview, Gibraltar and areas south of Wyandotte. Folks in Wyandotte can use minimal air filtration (2-inch pleated filter and maybe an activated charcoal filter for odors) while those further “downriver” really need more filtration (any combination of an electronic air cleaner, 2-inch pleated filter, activated charcoal filter, HEPA filter) because the airborne pollutants in the air can end up in the homes and businesses of “downriver” folks. For most people, this problem may mean little to nothing, but for some, it can cause serious problems on account of their health.

The whole point, simply put, is: everyone needs air filtration to one extent or another. Be well!

Try this scenario on for size: You have just gotten a new furnace or air conditioner or some other atmospheric conditioning improvement to your living space. Great! There usually is a new thermostat that comes with the new items, but as you look at the new thermostat your eye starts to twitch and your blood pressure starts to climb. Then you start sweating and all of this is on account of the thermostat which can do everything for you including going to work for you, drive your car for you and bring about World peace for you.

However…how the heck and tarnation do you program this stupid thing???? Ahh, here is the instructions and…oh crap! They are a nightmare to figure out. Never fear for you have a friend who is an electronics guru and they come over, stand in front of the new thermostat and, and, and…they start getting the eye twitch, higher blood pressure, sweats and then they get the shakes. They have officially short-circuited and now you have to slowly glide them away from the “Thermostat from Hell” and take them to another room and give them some tea and crumpets to calm them down.

In the mean time that evil item on the wall, “The Thermostat”, just looks down at you positively defying you to do anything with it. But you are not giving up and will triumph somehow. You call the installers who put the evil item on the wall and they very graciously explain how to program the item. You get some of it and you go back over the instruction booklet and your confidence grows only to have it dashed to pieces as the programming attempt fails miserably and the evil item on the wall just glares at you.

This is a scenario that is very, very common and usually happens some time after the installers have left and are not immediately available to program or reprogram your thermostat. A question may arise, “If this thermostat is so difficult to use, then why is it being used?” This is a very good and logical question. Most thermostats are programable to allow the owner to set the thermostat to come on at various times and thereby increase the comfort level of the customer’s domicile. However, not everyone wants a programable thermostat, some just desire a simple on/off thermostat. Some systems can get by with a simple thermostat that has a digital readout, a heat on/off, air conditioning on/off and a fan on/off. But this is for a very simple system.

Well, the problem with this is that some heating and air conditioning systems are so complex that they will not function to their fullest capabilities unless they have a thermostat that can do everything and then some. As an example, I was recently sent to one of our customers who had an amazing heating and cooling system put into her home. It was just incredible and it was what she wanted, but it did require a thermostat that was a computer on the wall. I have never seen a more complex thermostat in my life. It had a 10-inch color screen and level after level after level of menus that would be used to control the heating, cooling and everything else it could do. It was a complex thermostat and it was not something the customer liked due to its complexity and she felt somewhat intimidated by it. After a few months, she called and needed someone to come out and set the level of humidity in the house because she could not find how to do it. We did get things worked out for her but we could not replace that thermostat due to the extreme complexity of her entire system. All of the high-tech “goodies” required that thermostat (control panel) to run everything.

This was an extreme case and not common, some folks do get a programable thermostat of varying complexity and get along fine with it. But many folks have trouble even with these thermostats…why? Most of the complaints and requests for help are received early on in the life of the system when the customer is not familiar with the system and therein is the key to the problematic programable thermostats.

We make sure that every thermostat does come with an owners-manual, but even then, the manuals can be a little confusing. The key according to our experience is, as the thermostat becomes more familiar, the “terror” of the thermostat declines at a continuous rate. The programable thermostat can be a wonderful money saver as well as a great convenience by turning on or off your heat or air conditioning as you desire when you desire. It just takes a little time to get used to it and then it is no problem.

To break everything down to its simplest form…there is a thermostat for every need and skill level, after all, it is not rocket science. Be well!

As we approach that time of years when we gladly say GOODBYE to winter and the cold that accompanies it, we turn our expectant hearts to our pools! We have the covers pulled off; the heater is prepped; the water level brought to the correct level; the pump checked for operation; the filter readied for its job; the valves all checked and finally we are ready…or are we?

At this moment with everything seemingly ready to go there is the matter of various pool chemicals needing to be put into the pool in order to balance the water chemistry. Ah, there I said it! The magical combination of words that completes the and initiates the pool season…water chemistry. This is a simple task but it can be a daunting task for many pool owners because most pool owners do not know exactly what chemicals their pool needs nor how much of what chemical to use. For many owners, the pool professional saves the day by tending to all the chemical requirements of the pool. They open the pool and provide all the services necessary to start enjoying the pool. Now you can enjoy your pool, right? Yes! As of now the pool is ready, but what about a week from now or a couple of weeks or a month or a couple of months from now?

What many pool owners do not know is that pool chemistry can go from perfect to a lot less than perfect in 24 hours, so worry about a month or more from now need not be at the top of the concern list. I will state at this point that I am not saying the pool professional is neglecting their job by the pool going chemically unbalanced. I am saying that pool chemical requirements can be drastically different from one location to another in less than 10 miles. Various types of industries (steel plants, power plants, factories, heavily trafficked highways, etc.) can all put dirt, dust particulate matter into the air, even if it is now seen, and this can end up in your pool, which in turn can make your chemistry go out of balance.

If you are skeptical about my claim, let me give you an example or two to clarify my statements. First off, I have been working on pools heaters and pools in general for about 22 years with the same company and have seen some amazing pool problems in those years. Anyway, here is the example: The company I work for is a warranty service station for almost all of the pool heater manufacturers and we do all kinds of other work as well.

We received a warranty service request from a customer in June of 2008. I head on down to the customer; we discuss the problem from the customers point of view and then I start doing my examination. His heater was leaking very badly and I had an idea what it might be…his heat exchanger. I remove the heater sheet metal covering and sure enough, it was the heat exchanger and it was really bad. There were pin holes all over the heat exchanger. I showed the customer and he was a bit surprised until I told him how the holes could possibly happen.

One of the prime causes and actually the main cause is incorrect pool chemical balance. I pulled out my test strips and tested his pool water. As I was looking at the strip, he told me his sister-in-law had been swimming in the pool and her hair turned green. I looked at him and said, “What?”, he said yeah, she just swam for a while in the pool and by the time she was done, her hair was a shade of green. I was shocked and he said he was not kidding, he also added that she was a “bottle-blond”. The reading I had for the water in his pool was a PH level of 2.4, however, the water itself was clear as crystal and absolutely beautiful, but it was literally a strong acid. For a base of comparison, tap water has a PH of 6.5-7.8 generally. Anything below 6.5 is considered an acid and the acid in your car battery has a PH of 0.5. So, his pool water was nasty!

I know this is an extreme case, but when pool chemistry is out of balance, such as when PH is not in the neutral zone of 7.2-7.8, bad things will happen to the whole pool system. If the PH is too low, there will be a chemical reaction with any metal contacting the water. There will also be a reaction with the cement (marsite) surface of the pool. I will not get into the actual chemical reaction that takes place (ion exchange with atoms of the material and the water) but will say that the effects are not in the best interests of the pool owner.

By the same token, if the PH is too high, the water becomes too alkaline and can cause a calcium buildup in the system which can plug the tubes in the heat exchanger, plug other items that have small sensing holes in them, and gum-up the valves with calcium deposits.

The point behind this is simply to point out the need to keep pool chemistry in balance. I have pointed out the need for PH balance and alkalinity balance but there are other balances required as well (chlorine, calcium hardness, salt level, etc.). In other words, the whole pool chemical balance is a package that needs to be maintained. Samples of pool water can be brought to a pool specialist for analysis or the pool owner can use “test strips” to get an idea of how in or out of balance their pool water is. Test strips are, perhaps, the most efficient way to keep track of the chemical balance and are approximately 92% correct. There is a lot more that could be expressed about the chemical concerns of a pool, but this will suffice for now.

Concerning using salt to add chlorine to a pool, this is a good way to maintain the proper chlorine balance since it does it automatically, but more on this in another article. Be well!

Hot water is a wonderful commodity and also an expensive one at that. If you take a look at your standard water heater you will see a large water tank that has heating elements in the unit (electric water heater) or burners underneath the unit (gas water heater) and these heating apparatuses keep the water in the tank at a preset temperature. This is all great and good but what if you do not require any hot water? It does not matter because the heating apparatus will still keep the water at a certain temperature.

This constant heating of the water comes at a cost because a hot water heater is designed is to keep the water inside the tank heated all the time. If you rise in the morning, use the water from the hot water heater, and leave for work to return home many hours later, that hot water heater has been keeping the water in the tank…hot, even though you are not there to take advantage of the hot water. Think of all the gas or electricity that is being used to heat the water for no reason since you are not there. Add the energy costs for the small amount of time you actually use the hot water and suddenly that hot water is ridiculously expensive.

Now, wouldn’t it be great if you could have hot water when you wanted it and not have to deal with the constant heating of a tank of water that you only used sparingly and thereby wasted a lot of energy as well as cash to pay for that energy? Of course, it would be great! Hot water when desired for a fraction of the cost of the water from the tank type of hot water heater is not a future fantasy, it is available today and is called a tankless hot water system.

The tankless hot water system consists of heating elements (usually gas burners), a heat exchanger to transfer the heat from the heating elements to the water, various safeties and all the necessary control systems. It is a very compact system, usually attached to the wall and does not take up even half of the same space that a standard sized hot water tank would take up.

The key element of a tankless system is its cost savings over a tank type water heater. According to www.energy.gov, “For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand (tankless) water heaters can be 24-34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. They can be 8-14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water, around 86 gallons per day.”

There is one rather obvious drawback on a tankless water heater system…the initial cost, which is greater than the cost of a standard tank water heater system. But…a tankless system will last longer than a tank system, and it will also have lower overall operating costs due to its greatly reduced amount of energy use. Most tankless systems will last longer than 20 years but a tank system lasts between 10-15 years.[1] Longevity is not the key feature of a tankless system but energy cost savings is the key.

Part of the energy cost savings is in the lack of a pilot light that is constantly burning fuel and even if the heater is not heating water at any particular time. Nonetheless, that pilot light is costing money to have burning. A tankless system does snot use a pilot light to ignite the water heater but does use a direct ignition with ignites the incoming gas as the gas is coming into the burner area. This eliminates the energy costs of a standing pilot light. While it is true that the constant pilot light under a water tank will heat the water in the tank to a certain extent and hence not waste the energy of the pilot, it does waste that energy in that you may not be using that hot water tank at that moment.

Just for a moment, think of how much hot water do you need from your hot water heater when you are at work, away from the home driving, cutting your grass, shopping, on vacation and etc. The obvious answer is, “I do not need it.” In that case, then why do you need to be paying for the standing pilot to heat the water in the tank or when the water temperature in the tank drops to a certain level and the main heater burners come on to heat the water back to where it is preset to stay at? Another obvious answer is, “I should not have to pay for that.” Why pay for something you are not using? You are constantly paying to heat water in a tank system even when you are not using it.

A tankless system eliminates these energy cost by only heating water as it is required and not having a big ole water tank sitting there getting heated all the time either by the pilot heating it or the main burners heating it. When you do get a tankless system, be sure to get a newer system that does not use a pilot as some of the older tankless systems formerly did. Over time, a tankless system will pay for itself in energy savings compared to a tank system. Be well.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/tankless-or-demand-type-water-heaters

Many folks need a sump pump because of a high water table where their home or dwelling place is located. There is a sump well in their basement and the pump is place at the bottom of the sump where water will accumulate and it needs to be pumped out by the pump. A pipe system is attached to the pump to remove the water from the sump and this water is usually pumped into the primary house drain or pumped outside.

If you have the pump cease operation, the sump will fill with water and then it will overflow and flood your basement. There is no need to discuss how bad this could get because it is obvious how bad this could be.

What needs to be watched is when the pump does not appear to be moving the water out of the sump with the same efficiency that it previous had. This could mean a couple of things; the pump may be semi-plugged by some kind of debris; the pipe coming out of the pump may be blocked or the pump is going bad due to age or some other sort of malfunction. I need to add that there is also a check-valve located in the pipe coming from the pump. This could also be plugged or not allowing the flow of water due to its being seized up.

All of these things need to be watched. Give them a check once a month or more, depending on how often the pump comes on. There are some sumps that have a slow trickle of water coming into them and others that seem to have a constant flow, it simply depends on what you have. There are a couple of other minor items that could cause sump pump trouble but the ones delineated already are the big problems. But like I said, just keep an eye on things and you will be ahead of the “game”. However, if the pump does quit on you, you can replace it by yourself if you are just a little handy with tools. But if you are not or just do not have the time to do the work yourself, give us or another company a call and we will gladly fix the problem for you. We have many, many years of experience in doing sump repairs. The job is not that difficult but sometimes you just want to have it done by a professional which also comes with a warrantee.

You may get a thought about, “What pump should I get? The same one or a larger or smaller one?” If you decide to do the job by yourself, get an exact replacement because it will make it a simpler job to perform. If you decide to have a professional do the job then they will make the determination and get the appropriate pump for the job.

Another thing to consider is, “Is this covered by my home owner’s insurance?” The answer to this is, yes. This is something that is not expensive and definitely is covered, which can take a mental load off your mind, in case you were wondering. Contact us if you have any questions. Be well and stay dry!

Imagine if you will, you are sitting around enjoying yourself and watching television. Just as the plot of whatever story you are watching rises to the point of highest interest…the power goes out and does not come back on. Anger and anguish as well as disappointment have taken control of your emotions. You have just entered an area both of space and time. You have just entered into…The No Power Zone!

What can you do about a “no-power” situation? For most folks, they just have to sit it out and wait for the power company to restore power…however long that takes. If it happens in the Summer, you can get through the heat but if it is in the Winter, it can be very difficult to survive in the cold. It should also be noted that in both temperature circumstances, people will die. Heat and cold can kill people who are susceptible to temperature extremes (weak health, aged, etc.). For those of us who could be considered as in good health, temperature extremes are just plain uncomfortable. It should also be taken into account that things requiring refrigeration can be lost during a power outage (frozen foods, medicines, etc.) and replacement costs for these now unfrozen items can add up. If you own a business, no power can mean no customer service and no income. If you own a market…you could lose all your refrigerated food and it could cost you your business. Think also about basement sump pumps or well pumps.  Without power, your basement can flood or you cannot get any water for your home or business. Also, in the Winter, with no power and no heat as a consequence, water pipes can freeze and burst. Needless to say, having no power with the way our society lives, just does not work. We need power!

At this point you might be thinking, “Well, what can I do about this? I cannot make the power company do their work faster. I am stuck until they are done…am I not?” This is a great question and the answer is; You can do something and no, you are not stuck! You can generate your own power…if you have an Standby Electrical Generator for your home or business.

Simply put, a Standby Generator is a natural gas or propane powered electric power generator that can power your home. The generator is tied into the electrical system of your home and within seconds of power company power going out, your home generator kicks in automatically. You do not have to do anything to turn it on, because, for example, if you were away from your home and power went out, you could not turn the generator on, but with it being automatic…you are covered.

There are different sizes of power generators for all sizes of homes and businesses but all meet the needs of the home or business. A generator system consists of an engine which powers a generator, which sends power to an automatic transfer switch, in your building, which switches between the power company and your generator. The engine and generator are contained in a single enclosure ranging in size from a small desk 10kilowatt size up to a large conference table 100kilowatt size and up to small pick-up 350kilowatt size. In other words, there is a size available for every home/ business and every need.

As for maintenance, generators generally need to have an oil change after every 50 to 100 hours of use. Hours of use means how long it was used continuously. For example: If you have a generator running for 2 days straight with no time being off, you will need to change the oil at 50 hours of use. Off and on use to just make something to eat and to warm the house up and then shut the generator off for the night is considered as intermittent use and is not putting a strain on the generator system. Overall, generators are very easy to use and a blessing to have around when the power companies cannot provide power to your home/ business.

Now comes the heart of the matter: Can I afford a Standby Generator? The answer to this is…yes! These units are not that expensive and provide a great deal of mental comfort by knowing your home is not about to run out of power and everything you need to have functioning will remain functioning. Payments are more than acceptable but the key thing is the needs of you, your family and or your business being met. Be well!

Under appreciated and sometimes completely neglected, a smoke detector leads a lonely life. It sets on its base attached to a ceiling waiting for a call to action, and it waits and waits and…you get the picture. This little item is the ultimate “bench sitter”. It must patiently wait for its turn to be used, since it is good for nothing else but detecting smoke. However, it is very, very good at what it does because what it does can save someone’s life.

A smoke detector is not an expensive item nor is it a large item but it most definitely a needed item in every home. An argument can be made for, “Why bother with a smoke detector when I can smell smoke and deal with it?” Actually this is not a bad argument, as we all have an ability to smell smoke but there are times when you may not smell the smoke prior to it being firmly established as a fire and then it may be too late to save your home but you will save your life and your family. But what if everyone is asleep and you are awakened by the smell of smoke or maybe not awakened by the smell of smoke? Either one of these circumstances can produce an event no one wants!

Suppose there is no fire and the requisite smoke, why should I waste money on something I will not use? Let me ask a few questions at this point: Have you ever seen a smoldering fire? Have you ever seen a fire that has not gotten to the point where it is actually giving off smoke and flame, but is still a fire? Certain fires, prior to actually bursting into flame, can sit and smolder, giving off toxic and deadly gases that are not detectible by the human olfactory nerves (the nose system). These types of fires can kill just as dead as fires with lots of smoke and visible flames. Every home whether it is a house, and apartment or any other sort of domicile, all have items contained therein that when exposed to enough heat, will give off toxic vapors and eventually ignite. A perfect example of this is certain painting items, gun cleaning fluids left on cleaning rags, various household chemicals used in combination with cleaning rags. These are just a few items that can make life a bit more difficult, but the point is simple, a smoke detector will detect smoke even if you cannot see or smell it because of certain airborne particulates that the smoke detector is particularly sensitive to and will react to.

A smoke detector is very cheap life and property insurance and protection and are available at any location that sell hardware items, plus it is very simple to place in a home. It just requires a couple of screws (they come with the smoke detector) or some double-sided foam tape (also available at the hardware location). Next, you install the battery (it comes with it) and you are done. Be safe and be well!

Introduction:

Proper sizing is a “catch-all” wording that covers the correct sizes of heater, air-conditioner, ductwork, venting and exhaust for the heating and cooling system of any home or business. The reason for proper sizing is to permit the optimal flow of air through whatever structure is being heated, cooled or ventilated. Incorrect sizing of any of the components of the overall system can result in obstructed, decreased and generally inefficient flow of air (heated, cooled or treated) throughout the structure, thereby resulting in discomfort for the occupants of the structure.

Purpose of Proper Sizing:

Air and water are very similar in that they are both fluid because they flow. If you take a funnel with a half inch neck and try to pour 5 gallons of water down that neck, it will spill all over because the ability of the neck to handle the amount of water flow into the neck is less than the ability of the neck to receive the water flow. Air reacts in exactly the same way. There must be a correctly sized heater flowing air into a correctly sized air ducting system in order for the flow to be received by the duct system without it back-flowing. If the system is too restrictive to the amount of air being pushed into the system, the air will flow backwards into the heater and out the sides of the heater. This is not good in that it will cause the heater to go into safety shutdown.

A reverse problem is having too great a size of ducting that causes a severely reduced flow below what the ducting being able to handle a far greater amount of air flow into the duct but there is a lesser amount of air being pushed into the ducting which results in not enough actual air pressure in the ducts to heat or cool the structure. Imagine, if you will, your own home. There are certain heating/ cooling vents that seem to put out more than some other ones. Perhaps it is the first-floor vents that really do a great job but the second-floor vents just do not seem to put out what the first-floor vents are putting out.

The key to even heating/ cooling air distribution is air velocity. Maintaining a consistent air velocity will allow for all the air vents to pass the same amount of air and thereby maintain overall comfort levels within the structure. This necessarily consistent velocity is accomplished by a steady reduction in the size of the air handling ductwork which allows the air to flow at a steady rate throughout the home or work area.

Questions:

My house has great heating/ cooling on the first floor but not on the second floor. Is there anything that can be done about this? Yes, but within bounds. It all depends on the accessibility of the ductwork. Some of the ducting could be replaced or restricted to increase flow in another area of the ductwork and thereby level out the system as a whole. It is best to contact a professional for advice.

My system used to work great but now the air flow is a lot less than before…why? If airflow from a vent is not what it used to be, firstly, check the air filter, perhaps it needs to be changed or cleaned. This is most likely the cause, however, if after cleaning or changing the air filter air flow is still not what it formerly was, the blower could be dirty or there may be a restriction in the ductwork itself. Operating a heating/ cooling system without a filter will clog up everything in the air flow eventually. There are other items that may cause this flow reduction but again, it is best to have a professional take a look.

My system never worked good even when the house was new. What can I do? In a circumstance like this, there is a possibility the air system was incorrectly installed or engineered. This is a problem that must be looked at by an air flow system professional.

I want to add an addition to my home and tie it into the existing heating/ cooling system I currently have. What do I need to do or watch out for?

This is a very good question because it will take into account all of the air flow system. As we have discussed earlier, flow balance is very important because you do not want areas where you have no air. The entire system would need to be analyzed because it will need to be modified to meet the new demands placed upon the system.

As an example: My mother had a single-story addition build onto her house and the builders simply tapped into the end of the existing ductwork of the house to provide heating/ cooling for the new addition. There was good flow at the end of the old duct but the addition never was warm when it was cold out, neither was it cool when it was hot out. There was never enough pressure for the addition because you cannot simply cut some new lines into the existing ductwork and expect everything to function perfectly. All it succeeded in doing was to unbalance the existing ductwork.

Final air-flow note: Air-flow and ductwork is a science and not something to be “cobbled” together. Certain air pressures are needed at certain areas of the system for the system, as a whole, to function correctly. Additionally, a properly functioning system saves money and saves wear and tear on the components of the system. Be well!