MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — Fall is the time to think about closing up your home, but this means a greater risk from carbon monoxide gases as well as furnace and dryer related fires.

Each winter, sadly, there are newsworthy deaths resulting from house fires. Stories of very sick people, often the elderly or children, also seem to pop up as temperatures drop. These are often because of CO leaks from not only the home furnace, but any gas-burning device.

6 COMMON SOURCES OF CARBON MONOXIDE

• Gas furnaces
• Gas water heaters
• Portable generators
• Idling automobiles
• Kerosene heaters
• Wood or gas fireplaces

CO poisoning doesn’t always result in death or an emergency room-level illness. Often, symptoms appear as though you have the flu, migraines, disorientation or dementia. What the home may need is fresh, clean air.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas created by burning. When fueled appliances are poorly maintained or improperly vented, leaking CO builds up over time in a person’s bloodstream because it’s in the air you breathe. CO doesn’t just “work itself out” by going for a walk outside, either.

Home Comfort Experts wants builders and homeowners to know there is a difference between the hardware store CO detector and a professional-grade CO monitor.

A CO detector will not alarm until it has detected between 75 to 100 ppm in the air you breathe for a full hour — at which point many in the household may already be feeling symptoms.

A professional-grade CO monitor, available for installation by Home Comfort Experts, continuously monitors the smallest CO levels in the home starting at five parts per million, alerting you before problems exist.

Monitors are the best way to go to protect your family from CO poisoning.

Additionally, homeowners should preschedule a dryer vent cleaning to prevent dryer fires, a key cause of house fires.

In the meantime, a precision furnace tuneup and safety inspection will look for furnace failures and keep you toasty warm all season. Also, at the time of your visit, ask your technician to check your water heater.

If you have any questions about how a carbon monoxide monitor can help keep your family healthy and safe, please contact us at callhomecomfort.com

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — Indiana and Michigan are at record rain levels this year leaving the air, ground — and possibly your basement — feeling clammy and damp.
Many homeowners purchase a small dehumidifier from a big box store and are disappointed they don’t make the moist feeling go away.
A store-bought dehumidifier may claim to remove up to 70 pints of water a day, but in reality, they remove closer to 30-35 pints. It’s not bad, but they only remove water from the room they are in, and unless you install a drain, require you to constantly dump them out.
A better bet is a whole-house dehumidifier ducted into your HVAC system.
A professional grade dehumidifier can pull up to 130 pints of water from your home every day. They are installed with drains and a thermostat-like device so you can set your whole home at, say, 45 percent humidity (below 50 percent is ideal for summer weather) and it will run until your whole home reaches that point, shut off on their own and turn back on if humidity rises due to cooking, a shower or an open window.
In addition to comfort issues, humidity can cause breathing and allergy problems.

Click here to learn more about whole-house dehumidifiers.

Humidity levels above 50 percent can breed dust mites, mildew, and mold, triggering allergies or other health problems.
Plus, high humidity often causes homeowner to turn down their air conditioner temperature, say, from 78 to 75 degrees.
Every 6 percent increase or decrease in relative humidity in a home feels like 1 degree Fahrenheit change.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every 1 degree you lower your thermostat creates 5 percent savings on your energy bill.
Consequently, if you lower the relative humidity in your home by just 18 percent, you can raise the thermostat 3 degrees and feel exactly the same.
If the thermostat is set at 78 degrees, rather than 75, the air conditioner won’t run as much, saving wear and tear on the equipment and money on your energy bills. That 3 degree setting could equal a 15 percent savings each month.

Click here to set up a free in-home estimate today.

As we all hope for the rain to stop, we know the result when warm weather finally comes will be soggy basements and that wet-feeling outside for a long while.
Even on a normal year, a home gains 4,000 pounds of moisture just from the air. It then sheds that moisture in the winter, causing your furniture, flooring, woodwork and drywall to expand and contract.
Getting a whole-home dehumidifier even in the best of years, makes a lot of sense.
A reputable HVAC company will offer a number of dehumidifying solutions for large and small spaces, starting with a thorough inspection, measuring your space, windows, moisture level and more to develop the best solution to keep you in home comfort every day, all day.

If you have any other questions about how dehumidifiers can help keep your family comfortable, please contact us.

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH, IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — If you are a homeowner in our area and notice you are dusting more and more to keep your home clean, there may be a reason.

Your home may be circulating bacteria, fungi, smoke, lint, animal dander, dust and dust mites, pollen, cooking grease and other contaminants through your heating and cooling system.

Homes are built much tighter than in previous eras, so families don’t experience air leaks in or out – especially in winter. The downside to modern efficiency is homes becoming a petri dish for bacteria and viruses, making family members, particularly those with allergies, asthma or respiratory illness, sick.

In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found indoor air is as much as 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. And allergy and asthma experts estimate that nearly half of all illnesses are caused by poor indoor quality.

Improving the air quality in your home can keep those upcoming springtime allergies at bay.

1. The first and best thing you can do is install a high-efficiency air conditioner with a whole-house dehumidifier. Less moisture equals less bacteria and mold growth.
2. Next, a quality air purifier will help keep indoor air clean and fresh. For example, hospitals use HEPA air purifiers to maximize sanitary conditions. These air purifiers can keep out: Dust, dust mites, bacteria, animal dander, pollen and mold.

Home air filtration systems are an easy and economical solution and there are many types of products on the market. Ask your HVAC professional for options.

3. An additional step is adding an ultraviolet (UV) air disinfection system to your air purifier system to maximize home air quality. These ultraviolet light rays kill even more unwanted organisms such as as viruses, bacteria and fungi that live in the air.
4. Another great strategy for clean air in your home this spring is getting your ducts and dryer vents cleaned.

Home Comfort Experts uses highly trained technicians and state-of-the-art machinery to eliminate construction debris, dust mite feces, pet dander and even finds small objects that have fallen into ductwork over the years.

The Benefits of Clean Air in your Home:

Combat seasonal allergies.

Stop sickness from spreading to your family.

Neutralize smoke from wood stoves and even cigarette smoking.

Remove unpleasant odors.

Trap dust and airborne allergens from pets.

Contact Home Comfort Experts today. We work to ensure your home is comfortable at all times. Tell us the challenges you are facing and we will design a solution that resolves your issues while fitting into your budget. Be sure to ask about our other specials and learn more about our financing options. www.callhomecomfort.com

Remember Home Comfort Experts is YOUR source for cooling, air quality and plumbing news! We can help!

Call to set a time for your reporter and photographer to ride for a few hours in one of our clean vans to see the inside of furnaces, duct and dryer vent cleaning, UV light germ-killing equipment and other highly visual HVAC events. 574.255.4600

Every year, our team of HVAC technicians from Home Comfort Experts are asked the same question: Do I need to put a cover on my air conditioner? If you are concerned about rodents getting into your unit or other disasters befalling your AC, we fully recommend purchasing a home AC cover.

These covers are designed to protect your air conditioner’s vital components throughout the entire winter season, ensuring that it will be ready to go once the temperature rises in the summer. Air conditioners are considerable investments that can last over 15 years if properly maintained. An AC cover can protect your investment during the months it is not operating.

Learn why you should cover your AC this winter and how you can prevent damage to your cooling system.

4 Ways AC Covers Protect Your System

Learning how to cover an air conditioner is rather simple and offers numerous benefits to homeowners, so there’s no doubt you should consider this protective measure. Not only does the cover protect your system from intruders, both living and non-living, but it can also expand its lifespan and maintain its aesthetic appearance.

1. Wards of Animals

When you cover your air conditioning system every winter, you are protecting the complex system from getting damaged by various wrong-doers. For starters, during the cold months, rodents like mice, rats, squirrels, and other small mammals will take shelter in your AC unit to protect themselves from the harsh weather conditions.

While intruding into your cooling system, the rodents could chew or claw at wires or other components, resulting in the need for air conditioning repairs. It’s best to cover your AC unit and ward off these critters to avoid damage to your system.

2. Prevents Mold & Mildew Growth

Along with preventing animals from loitering inside the unit, an air conditioning cover will protect the insides from snow, rain, and other nasty storms. While modern AC units are designed to withstand inclement weather, an air conditioner box cover will holistically block out harsh weather conditions.

By blocking out the rain and snow, a cover also prevents the risk of mold and mildew growing inside your unit. If there is mold in your system, it can be distributed throughout your home, leading to a number of health issues for you and your family. Covering the top of the unit will ward off these risks.

3. Lowers the Chances of Rust & Corrosion

Along with lowering the risk of harmful mold and mildew from growing in your air conditioning system, an AC cover also helps lower the chance of your unit rusting. While modern AC units are designed and built to withstand years of harsh precipitation, many components within your system can become corroded due to the weather.

Rust and corrosion not only compromise the structural integrity of the system, but can also impede its efficiency, potentially causing costly damages. Investing in a durable and weather-resistant cover serves as a proactive measure, preserving the exterior of the AC unit and ultimately contributing to its sustained performance and durability.

4. Keeps Leaves & Other Debris Out

Rain is not the only element of nature that can harm your outdoor AC system. If leaves, flowers, twigs, nuts, or any other debris gets into your system, it could cause irreparable damage to various components. Imagine a twig interfering with the motor of your unit: this can cause the unit’s efficiency to seriously deteriorate, leading to expensive repairs or a necessary replacement.

If there is a large air conditioner cover on your unit, you’ll notice how easy it is to keep your AC clean and free of potentially dangerous accidents. Investing in a cover can help lower your need for air conditioning maintenance and expand your system’s lifespan.

Additional AC Maintenance Tips

Are you looking for other ways to ensure the reliability of your air conditioning system for years to come? Our technicians recommend having your unit inspected and maintained every year. During these routine services, our experts will clean, tune-up, and refurbish your AC system, thereby expanding its lifespan.

Our air conditioning maintenance specialists will thoroughly examine your unit, locate any weak points, and fix them all during one quick visit. We know how important your AC system is, which is why we work hard to protect your investment.

Purchase a New Air Conditioner Cover Today

We at Home Comfort Experts put a high priority on your HVAC equipment, which is why we have designed and released various products to enhance your systems’ performance. We offer a branded air conditioner cover designed to keep your unit clean and safe throughout the entire winter month. Take a look at our HVAC accessories today to purchase one of our covers.

Want to learn more about covering your air conditioner? Contact us today at Home Comfort Experts to speak with one of our experienced technicians. We’ll listen to your questions and concerns and help you with all of your air conditioning needs in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan.

Have you noticed your showers don’t stay hot the whole time you’re in there? Could be your water heater is nearing the end of its life cycle.

Here are the top four ways to know it may be time to replace:

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE — Dryer fires, started when a spark from your gas or electric clothes dryer hits built up lint, causes $35 million in property loss each year according to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Our technicians are in about 150 homes throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan every day and they see a lot of dangerous situations,“ said Brian West, Home Comfort Experts General Manager. “Often homeowners don’t realize how blocked their dryer vent is. All it takes is one spark to devastate a family.”
FEMA cites failure to clean the lint trap as the cause of 34 percent of these fires.
“That’s a simple preventative measure homeowners can take,” West said, “Clean the lint trap out after every load of laundry.”
Unfortunately, cleaning out the trap isn’t always enough, he said. Small bits of clothing lint gather along the vent as the hot air blows outside. That lint builds up over time. Dryer vents can be anywhere from three feet to as long as 15 or 20 feet, making it difficult for homeowners to clean from just past the lint trap all the way outside.
“If you notice your clothes are taking a really long time to dry, that’s a sign the vent is clogged, which could lead to a fire,” West said. “Another sign is if lint is shooting out into your yard.”
Fortunately, professional equipment exists that allows us to thoroughly clean and check the line, connections, gas and hoses surrounding your laundry appliances, he said. “We can get into every cranny. Just give us a call!” West said.
“We include a dryer vent inspection for free with a furnace or air conditioning tune-up, but since we got this new equipment, people have been calling us out just to take a look at their dryers.
Each winter local news reports at least one house fire that was the result of smoldering lint, West said.
“It breaks my heart, because it could have been prevented with a simple check,” he said. “We’ve forgotten how important this equipment is in our home is and that it can be dangerous to us if we don’t maintain it. It’s one of the reasons I went into this business. Who knows how many fires we’ve prevented over the years.”
Go to callhomecomfort.com/dryervent for more information.

Remember Home Comfort Experts is YOUR source for heating and plumbing news! We can help!

Dryer fire or carbon monoxide story? Broken furnace? Frozen pipes? Home Comfort Experts can provide industry-level information on your HVAC stories in a timely matter. We are a locally and family run company providing service to St. Joseph and Niles, Mich., from LaPorte to Fort Wayne and as far south as Rochester.

Call Amanda to set a time for your reporter and photographer to ride for a few hours in one of our clean vans to see the inside of furnaces, duct and dryer vent cleaning, UV light germ-killing equipment and other highly visual HVAC events.

Home Comfort Experts is a plumbing, heating and cooling company serving residential homes throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest, Michigan. It is locally owned and operated and emphasizes employee training of nearly 200 additional hours each year. All technicians are drug and background tested and expected to perform at above-standard levels, leaving homes clean and customers informed. Additionally, Home Comfort Experts offers financing to make the purchase of an efficient system affordable for the families we serve.

It’s odorless, colorless, and dangerously lethal. Carbon monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer because it’s so difficult to detect. More than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Even though it’s extremely dangerous, there are still several ways you can safeguard your home and protect your family from an accidental poisoning. Here are some facts about the gas and information about how to take action now to protect your family.

Carbon Monoxide Facts

• More than 20,000 Americans visit the hospital each year for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

• Carbon monoxide can be found in stoves, generators, fireplaces, water heaters, vehicles, and furnaces

• Carbon monoxide is typically vented outside of your home when the above pieces of equipment are properly ventilated

Related Read: Signs You Need a Furnace Tune-Up

Tips to Protect Your Home & Family from Carbon Monoxide

• Make sure you have working CO monitors installed in several areas of your home.

PURCHASE A CO MONITOR HERE

• Test your CO alarms once a month

• Make sure you know what sound your CO alarm makes when it’s set off

• If your CO alarms do sound, make sure everyone inside the home gets to a place where they can get fresh air, preferably outside. Call the fire department quickly.

• Never start your car to warm it up inside of a closed space like a garage. Always move your car outside first

• During and after a snowstorm, make sure that vents to your dryer, furnace, and stove are clear of obstruction

• Open your damper in your fireplace for proper ventilation

• Gas and charcoal grills can produce CO, so only use them outside

Call Home Comfort Experts to install working carbon monoxide detectors in your home while we are there for your annual furnace tune-up or other air conditioning and heating service. With the long winter months ahead, we will all be spending more time indoors and we want to make sure you and your family are safe in your Michigan or Indiana home. Call us at (574) 255-4600 today.

Carbon Monoxide kills hundreds of people each year and injures many more. Like oxygen, CO enters the body through the lungs during normal breathing process. It competes with the oxygen by replacing it in the red blood cells, thereby reducing the flow of oxygen to the heart, brain and other vital organs.

Common Sources of CO:

*    Gas furnaces, water heaters

*    Portable generators

*    Idling automobiles

*    Kerosene heaters

*    Wood or gas fireplaces

Educate yourself and family on the sources:

*    Have appliance installations done by

professionals

*    Have your appliances checked regularly

by professionals

*    Clean chimneys and flues annually

*    Open windows when a fireplace or wood burning
stove is in use

PURCHASE A CO MONITOR HERE

Symptoms of CO poisoning:

*    Low Level Exposure(less than 35 PPM):

*     Flu-like symptoms and can have significant

long-term health risk if untreated

*     High Level Exposure(More than 35 PPM: less than
70 PPM):  Severe throbbing headache, drowsiness, confusion, fast heart rate

*     Crisis level Exposure (More than 70 PPM):
Unconsciousness, convulsions, cardio respiratory failure, death.

Installation of a CO Monitor:
*    Always have 1 monitor in or near the bedroom you sleep
*    Install 1 on every floor of the house
*    Install at eye level
*    Place out of reach of children
Do not install:
*    Outside the living area
*    In or below a cupboard
*    Directly above a sink or cooking appliance
*    In a damp or humid area
*    Anywhere that it would be affected by drafts
*    Where dirt or dust could block the sensor
*    Where it could be turned off

The sensor life of a Co detector or Monitor is 3-5 years. There is a difference between a standard detector and low level monitor. A Co detector may not alarm until 70 PPM to 400 PPM depending on brand. A low level monitor will display at 5 PPM and start to alarm at 15 PPM>.

If you own a programmable thermostat, congratulations: You’re on your way to saving energy. These devices can help you significantly reduce your household’s energy consumption.

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