DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog : Archive for November, 2014

Will Thanksgiving Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

Thursday, November 27th, 2014

We’ve all heard it before: you feel so sleepy after a Thanksgiving meal because of the main event: the turkey. For years, people have credited extraordinary levels of tryptophan in turkey as the reason we all feel the need to nap after the annual feast. But contrary to this popular mythology, tryptophan is probably not he largest responsible party for your post-meal exhaustion.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means it’s something that our bodies need but do not produce naturally. Your body uses tryptophan to help make vitamin B3 and serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that sends chemicals to the brain to aid in sleep. But in order to get this essential amino acid, we have to eat foods that contain it.

Turkey has somewhat high levels of tryptophan, but so do many other foods, including eggs, peanuts, chocolate, nuts, bananas, and most other meats and dairy products. In fact, ounce-for-ounce cheddar cheese contains a greater amount of tryptophan than turkey. In order for tryptophan to make you feel sleepy, you would have to consume it in excessive amounts, and serotonin is usually only produced by tryptophan on an empty stomach.

The truth is, overeating is largely responsible for the “food coma” many people describe post-Thanksgiving. It takes a lot of energy for your body to process a large meal, and the average Thanksgiving plate contains about twice as many calories as is recommended for daily consumption. If anything, high levels of fat in the turkey cause sleepiness, as they require a lot of energy for your body to digest. Lots of carbohydrates, alcohol, and probably a bit of stress may also be some of the reasons it feels so satisfying to lay down on the couch after the meal and finally get a little bit of shut-eye.

If you feel the need to indulge in a heaping dose of tryptophan this year, go ahead! Turkey also contains healthy proteins and may even provide a boost for your immune system.

Here at DuAll Heating & Cooling, we hope your Thanksgiving is full of joy and contentment this year. Happy feasting!

Tags: Thanksgiving
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What Types of Contaminants Can Hurt Your Indoor Air Quality?

Monday, November 17th, 2014

Many homeowners may think that the air quality in their homes is significantly better than outside. A house is sheltered, after all, and circulates its own air rather than taking it from outside. What may surprise them, then is the revelation that indoor air quality can actually be quite poor. There are a number of common indoor air contaminants that can provoke allergies, make you sick, and even prove fatal. Here is a list of the most common contaminants.

Animal/Insect Dander

If you have a cat or dog, you know about the absurd ability they have of shedding large amounts of hair all over the place. Along with hair, they also shed dander, which is comprised of groups of skin cells similar to dandruff. Dander causes strong allergic reactions in some people, and is actually the source of cat and dog allergies. This problem can be made worse by forced air heaters and air conditioners, which serve to propel the dander throughout the house.

Just like common house pets, insects shed dander as well. Insect dander is often small bits of exoskeleton, and provokes a similar allergic response when inhaled. Unlike pets, these insects often lurk in the ducts themselves, giving their dander a much wider reach when the A/C or heating is turned on.

Bacteria/Viruses

Bacteria and viruses are also quite common airborne contaminants within a home. These microscopic organisms can survive and thrive in all sorts of unlikely places, including the ductwork of your home. Their most common form of entry, however, is often on or in a person that has been outside. When that person coughs or sneezes, the germs are scattered into the air and are able to infect others.

So, what are you supposed to do about these contaminants? Well, there are a number of air filters and purifiers on the market that are designed to remove these contaminants from the air. We recommend using one or more of them to improve the air quality in your home.

If you need to install an air purifier in your home, call DuAll Heating & Cooling. Our experts provide indoor air quality services throughout Naperville.

Tags: Indoor Air Quality, Naperville
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3 Signs that You May Need Commercial Heating System Replacement

Monday, November 10th, 2014

Winters in Illinois can be tough. For your commercial enterprise to thrive during this chilly time, you need to have an efficient and effecting heating system to maintain a comfortable indoor environment. Although regular maintenance and prompt repairs will help keep your business’ heating system operating, eventually an aging heater will reach a point where the best option is to retire it and have professionals install a new one.

Below are three warning signs of a commercial heater that is coming to the end of its life. If you suspect you may need commercial heating system replacement in Bollingbrook, IL soon, contact our specialists at DuAll Heating & Cooling right away. We will help determine if it’s time for a replacement and handle the installation work if it is.

3 ways to tell that you may need heating replacement

Continually rising bills: A single spike in your company’s heating bills may indicate that the system requires repairs. But if the bills keep rising each month, and no amount of repairs or maintenance can stop it, you probably have a system that is too worn down from the decays of age. It is more cost-effective at this point to retire the heater and have a new, energy-efficient model replace it.
Constant noisy operation: Is the sound from your heating system creating a disruption inside the work place? Loud operation is an almost certain sign that the heating system requires repairs, and if this has become the norm rather than the exception, you should consider having the whole system replaced. These sounds usually come from components that are too worn down to work well any more.
High repair costs: Take a look at the bills for the repairs the heating system has needed over the last two years and tally them up against the cost of replacing the system. If the cost of any single repair is half the price of putting in a new heater, then it is costing you far too much to keep the system running. Call for heating technicians to examine the heater and give you a more definite answer about your best path going forward.

Our team of professionals stays up-to-date with the latest developments in commercial HVAC technology, so you will know that your new heating system is state-of-the-art. Put our experience to work for your company.

For the finest quality commercial heating system replacement in Bollingbrook, IL, call on the NATE-certified technicians at DuAll Heating & Cooling today.

Tags: Bolingbrook, Commercial Heating System Replacement
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