Life happens. Sometimes appliances – including air conditioners – just conk out for no rhyme or reason. Whether it’s a power grid outage, a faulty wire connection, or a plummeting meteorite just happened to crush your outdoor condenser unit. The reason why an air conditioner stops running in the middle of a heatwave matters little; what does matter is finding a way to alleviate the discomfort that sweltering temps bring. When hot spells roll in, HVAC companies get swamped wit

Have you ever stopped and pondered all the conveniences we utilize every day, seemingly with the touch of a button? You turn on the faucet and instantly water appears. You tap a few keys on your laptop and suddenly your video conferencing with someone on the other side of the globe. With a turn of the ignition, a car can transport you distances in one day that 200 years ago might’ve taken weeks. And then there’s air conditioning; without it, places like Las Vegas or Phoenix m

Tornado season arrived right on cue this year. Sadly, the first deadly tornado of 2019 touched down on March 3rd in Alabama. History shows that peak tornado season begins in March and ramps up through July. But tornadoes have been recorded literally every month of the year and in almost every state. According to NOAA statistics, an average of about 1,200 tornadoes each year spawn in the U.S. While you can’t be absolutely certain one will spawn near you, it’s a good idea to be

Smart appliances are everywhere. We use them for everything. There are now smart refrigerators, smart trash cans, even smart litter boxes! I’m beginning to feel like Elroy Jetson. So, I wasn’t surprised when I came across a few articles in various tech publications that were touting the latest generation of smart air vents being manufactured. Full disclosure: we ran a blog about these gizmos a couple of years ago, but has our opinion changed after reviewing the latest models?

If you’re like me, maybe you don’t have time to jet to a yoga class. I have a jam-packed schedule and have to plan my laptop-based yoga sessions around it. For the best workout, I require two things: the absence of family members pointing and laughing at me and a temperature that doesn’t leave me so cold that I hurt myself. Not to mention (but I’m completely mentioning), it’s a bummer when I get to Shavasana and I’m too chilly to fully relax. The argument for warmth in yoga i

Recently a friend of mine whose opinions and recommendations I value — on anything from movies to marriage to motor oil — told me he had just had his home’s air ducts cleaned. In fact, he couldn’t stop raving about it. He claimed he’s never breathed easier, the air is fresher and he regrets not doing it years ago. I politely nodded and tried to change the subject. Working in the HVAC industry, I’m no stranger to the debate on duct cleaning. Debate? Yes. The fact is, empirical

Bat-proof your home to protect yourself and our winged friends. Does the sight of a bat send shivers down your spine? Or are you thrilled knowing that a single brown bat, one the most common bat species in North America, devours 1,200 insects an hour? Hopefully, you’re in the second category. Be a bat lover! Bats get a bad rap. Not one of them has ever actually been found to be Dracula. And our only flying mammals eat so many insects that they’re essential to controlling the

What follows is just a sampling of some of the funnier HVAC “hiccups” that we’ve come across on the web in the last few months – unless, these particular systems belong to you (in that case, we apologize.) Enjoy! Fail #1 Courtesy of hvac-hacks.com Why bother to fix a problem when you can just warn the next guy to proceed with caution? Fail #2 Courtesy of hvac-hacks.com We’re not sure if this is actually an HVAC system or post-modern art. Fail #3 Courtesy of hvac-hacks.com Qui

In the midst of a prolonged arctic blast, the problem of a furnace that will not turn off is certainly preferable to the specter of a furnace that will not turn on. However, a furnace that doesn’t stop-and-start, or cycle, is problematic. While it’s certainly plausible that your furnace is perpetually running because it’s simply not able to supply the heat demanded by the thermostat, continuous operation of a furnace over a protracted period causes undue strain on the machine

For most of us, whenever we feel even the slightest tinge of temperature discomfort, like automatons we seem pre-programmed to reach for the thermostat and dial-in quick relief. This shouldn’t be our default tactic in warding off the winter chills. There are easier and cheaper means of keeping cozy, rather than throttling the furnace, while Jack Frost is up to his dastardly deeds. In terms of winter home comfort, a furnace is the go-to weapon in your arsenal for warmth, preve