MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH, IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — Indiana and Michigan’s severe weather often leads to an overloaded electrical grid. Meanwhile, frequent wind events or car accidents can knock out power for hours or days.
For many, electricity is a necessity. Without it, water cannot pump, food spoils, the Internet is lost, and mechanical systems that protect your home fail, presenting a dangerous situation, especially during severe storms.
11 Types of People Who Need a Standby Generator
- Anyone on oxygen. In fact, some insurance companies help pay for medically necessary generators.
- People in rural areas that frequently lose power.
- People on well water, reliant on an electrical pump.
- People with an electrical water heater who cannot go without hot water.
- People who need their home security system or electric stove to always work.
- Homeowners with a lot of stored food (e.g. hunters with a freezer full of meat, breastfeeding moms storing milk.)
- Home businesses that cannot survive without computer and Internet access.
- The elderly or other temperature-sensitive people.
- Anyone with medical needs dependent on equipment or extremely good air quality.
- People for whom a loud hardware store generator is too inconvenient to fuel and start or too small for their home. Or they are concerned about theft and the CO exhaust of these types of generators.
- Homeowners who never want to be without power.
A whole-house, standby generator connects directly to your gas line and can be monitored remotely, just like a wifi thermostat. When your power goes out, these modern generators kick on in an instant and run much more quietly than generators from years ago.
Whole-house generators need professionally checked once a year: oil changed, spark plugs examined and a general look-over. Much of the monitoring, however, is done automatically. In fact, many models run a daily check on themselves without the homeowner even being aware.
When researching generators, look for 4 qualities:
- Quiet and non-intrusive.
- Enclosed and aesthetically appealing outside your home.
- Remote monitoring and control.
- Capable of running on clean burning propane or natural gas.
A reliable company, such as Home Comfort Experts, will have expert technicians who can size the right generator for your home, given the parameters of your location.
If you have any other questions, check out our generator page here. Or sign up for a free estimate at callhomecomfort.com.
How do your kids handle really hot summer days? Do they want to stay indoors, enjoying the air conditioning and spending all their time playing with electronics? Or if you don’t have air conditioning, do they just sit around doing nothing because it’s too hot?
Help your children use the hot weather as a positive inducement to have fun. Fun and physical comfort don’t require air conditioning, electronic games or computers. It just takes some old-fashioning approaches to enjoying the “good old summertime” that you just might enjoy doing with the kids.
Related read: Summer is Here: How are Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke Different?
Make Your Own Icy Treats
There is nothing like a cold and delicious treat on a steaming hot day, but if you're like most parents, you may worry about what your kids put into their bodies. Many of the frozen treats you buy in stores have more chemicals than real ingredients. But making your own cool, healthy treats is easy to do. Cut fruits like pineapple, peaches, apples and berries into small pieces. Skewer a piece of fruit on a wood stick and place one in each section of an ice cube tray. Pour your favorite fruit juice, flavored seltzer or other liquid over the top and freeze until set.
Travel to Water
If you want your kids to stay cool and have fun, plan a trip to some water. Among kids’ top choices are water parks. By the time you go down all the slides and thrill rides and splash in the pools, you'll feel cooler than ever before. You can also check your city and surrounding cities for community pools. Many cities sell family passes that let your family stop by every day during the summer. Or head to a local lake or state park with a beach and enjoy swimming the natural way.
Play Under the Sprinkler
Every kid likes to play under a lawn sprinkler. Sprinklers that look like cartoon characters are available, but we doubt they’re more fun than the strictly functional item you probably have in your garage. And if you don’t own a real sprinkler, you can make a play-worthy one for a fraction of the price. All you need is a sharp knife or a pair or scissors and a two-liter plastic soda bottle. Rinse the bottle clean and poke small and large holes around the sides. Stick the end of your garden hose into the bottle, secure it in place with duct tape, and turn the water on high.
Plan a Water Fight
Kids also love water fights. Have the children invite their friends over, and give each an inexpensive water gun. Or you can also pick up a package of balloons to make water bombs that you fill at the sink or the outdoor spigot. This is a particularly fun activity for days when the temperature rises and no one wants to stay inside.
Staying cool this summer is easy. You and your kids can beat summer heat and have plenty of fun while you do it.
Related read: Will Your A/C Make it Through the Summer?
After you’re done having fun on a hot summer’s day, you still have to come indoors, where air conditioning can make your home a lot more comfortable. Home Comfort Experts is a family run company that specializes in providing expert HVAC service and maintenance throughout northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. Our goal is to provide comfort with a 100 percent guarantee of satisfaction. We’re headquartered in Mishawaka and Fort Wayne, Indiana, and you can reach us through our website.
Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan has its fair share of thunderstorms during the summer months. It also feels the cooler, crisper Canadian air that cold fronts occasionally bring in. Nevertheless, we are no stranger to a humid continental climate.
In fact, the combination of high temperatures and elevated humidity may result in heat exhaustion and heatstroke among locals. Both are heat-related conditions, but they are not the same thing.
Heat Exhaustion is a Preventable Heat-Related Condition
Heat exhaustion often occurs because of exposure to high temperatures and humidity combined with strenuous physical activity. Dehydration and overdressing may trigger the condition.
Symptoms include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, faintness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, and a rapid pulse. When you experience any of these symptoms, take some time-off to rest, move to a cooler area, and drink a cool beverage. The condition is preventable as long as you stay cool and dehydrated. But visit the doctor if symptoms do not subside or if they get worse.
A Heatstroke Is the Most Serious Heat-Related Condition
A heatstroke may occur because of prolonged exposure to a hot environment or because of strenuous physical activity in high temperatures. Dehydration, excessive clothing, and alcohol consumption may trigger the condition.
Symptoms include high body temperature, altered behavior or mental state, racing pulse, rapid breathing, flushed skin, nausea, and headache. You may simply take a rest in a cool area when experiencing heat exhaustion, but a heatstroke requires immediate medical attention. The latter may cause long-term damage to organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, making it a more serious condition.
Nobody can control natural temperature and humidity, but you can address it in your Indiana or Michigan home by installing an air conditioning system to keep the house cool and to minimize the risk of heat-related conditions. If you already have a system, call Home Comfort Experts to tune up your air conditioner and reset it to factory-like conditions.
Winter is known for many things, especially keeping us stuck in our homes due to bad weather! It can be frustrating when rain, ice, or snow forces us indoors. But it shouldn’t be! There’s plenty to do to keep you and your family members occupied—you can even have some fun! Here are some suggestions:
Board Games
Do something the whole family can join in on: board games. Sure, they may be old-fashioned and don’t come with as many bells and whistles as that Wii or Blue Ray player. So what? These games have been around for decades. There must be something good to them.
Monopoly isn’t only fun because it lets you buy real estate, collect rent, and build hotels—all while you try not to go broke—it also teaches some good lessons in risk, investing, and managing money. For something a bit less challenging, try Candy Land, which has been the first game many children have played for more than 50 years. Colorful characters and whimsical places take children through a journey of magic and fantasy. What better activity for a bad day? Some of our other favorites include Bobble, LIFE, Jenga, checkers, chess, Clue, and Apples to Apples.
Winter Cleaning
All right, enough fun. Now it’s time to get down to some work. Do you have a closet you’ve been meaning to clean out, but never find the time to tackle? There might be a perfect day this winter to clear out clothes you haven’t worn for more than a year—or from two waist sizes ago. But don’t throw away your unwanted clothing—make a pile and when the snow clears, donate them to a local charity. Hey—for most people the donation is a tax deduction. After you’ve organized your closet, get to the basement or garage. Look, we know it’s not going to be fun, but would you rather do it today or on a bright, sunny spring day?
RELATED READ: Tips to Breathe Easy in your Home this Winter
Movie, TV Marathon
You deserve some vegging out on the couch watching that show or movie you’ve been dying to see. If you have always wanted to watch Lost or Mad Men but have missed too many episodes to keep track of what’s going on—this is your chance. Make a snack or two, shut off the phone, pop the DVD into your player and start at the first season’s first episode.
Maybe today is the day to watch a movie you’ve been meaning to see. Sure, your cable company might have plenty of films on-demand, but check out the American Film Institute, which lists the top 100 movies. When you’re done with those Netflix wrappers, make some origami. Yes, that’s right, origami. There is a website that shows you how—it’s aptly named Netflix Origami.
Read, Read & Read Some More
You know that stack of books on your nightstand that you say you’ll get to one of these days? Well, today is that day. You don’t need any great supplies or exertion of personal energy to read. You can even do it in bed.
Maybe it’s finally time to tackle that self-help book or romance novel. Why not read more about Wall Street and the recession, or maybe some fiction about the secret meanings of all the buildings in Washington, D.C.? It might be freezing out, but with a good book you can easily pretend to be on a warm, tropical beach. And, of course, if you have run out of some good books to read, don’t worry—there are plenty of good stories online to digest.
RELATED READ: 3 Steps to Winterizing your Home
Cook, Bake & Experiment
You might not be able to make it out to the grocery store to pick up vanilla or chili powder—but don’t let that stop you. Take out a cookbook and start experimenting: chocolate-chip cookies for the kids or a new soufflé? How about turning that old standby meatloaf recipe into something with a kick?
Cooking can either be a great solitary escape or a fun family activity. Nothing is quite as comforting as a good home-cooked meal on a gloomy day. Just dust off one of your cookbooks and—depending on how long you are stuck at home—go through it page by page.
Do Your Taxes
Yeah, we don’t want to do them either. But before you know it, April 15 will be here. Plus, if you are getting a refund, why not get that cash now? Maybe you can use the extra money to buy a really nice Valentine’s Day gift—or, perhaps, a new, more powerful snowblower. Just as with cleaning out the garage or your closet, would you rather do it now—or in April?
We care about how you're handling winter, rest assured you can count on Home Comfort Experts to put you on the right track. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 or click to find out how we can help you today!
The holiday season is supposed to be full of cheer and joy. Unfortunately in places like Mishawaka, South Bend and the surrounding areas, it’s also the season that the frigid cold temperatures wreak havoc on our homes. Things like frozen pipes that burst can create loads of drama and headache for homeowners during the holidays. Here are Home Comfort Experts’ tips to prevent this horrid problem from happening in your home.
Keep Your Home at 68 Degrees or Higher
When it comes to your thermostat make sure you don’t set it too low. Setting your thermostat much lower than 68 degrees can put your pipes and your home in danger. Lower temperatures in your home can leave some of the pipes in the outer walls of your home susceptible to frigid temps, which could cause frozen and burst pipes. If you’re having a problem keeping your home comfortable and well heated this winter, make sure to get a furnace tune-up with the experts at Home Comfort. We’ll make sure your furnace system is operating at peak efficiency.
Make Sure Your Michigan or Indiana Home Is Properly Insulated
Your thermostat isn’t the only way to safeguard your home from freezing temperatures in the winter. Proper insulation also plays a huge part in keeping your home comfortable and in working condition. Inadequate insulation in the exterior walls of your home and in your attic or basement can leave pipes exposed to the cold.
Shut Off Water Supply Valves to Washing Machine if You’re on Vacation
Many homeowners who’ve experienced frozen or burst pipes had it happen while they were away from their homes for an extended period of time. This makes the problem even more dangerous because it usually means your burst pipes are leaking water into your home for longer until it is noticed, causing a lot more damage. If you’re leaving your home for an extended period of time, it might be wise to shut off the water supply valves to your washing machine and other large appliances that consume water in your home.
Call Home Comfort Experts for a plumbing inspection this winter and protect your home from the worst.
When it comes to reducing our energy consumption, we don't always know where to look. We may be sending part of our bank accounts out the door, windows, flue or attic. There are various was to determine how to best increase our energy efficiency. One way is by having an energy audit.