DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog

When Are Air Cleaners Right for My Home?

July 9th, 2014

Deciding to install a whole-home air cleaner is a decision each homeowner has to make for him/herself. The best way to determine if an air cleaner is right for your home is to review the benefits of what an air cleaner can do for you and your property. DuAll Heating & Cooling has installed many air cleaners for Plainfield customers to great satisfaction; to see if a whole-home air cleaner is right for you, we’ll outline some information below to help you assess this.

What Is an Air Cleaner?

The term “air cleaner” is a generalized term for both air filters and air purifiers. Both clean your air, but each do it a little differently, and there are different types. The important item to note is that either one cleans your air far better than the filter that comes with your air conditioner. Why? The standard filter of your AC is there to filter the large particles of dust and dirt from your air conditioning system, not improve your air quality. Due to the wide weave of the standard filter’s fiberglass, this filter simply isn’t made to capture the small particulates of pollen, bacteria, viruses, etc., that a whole-home air cleaner is made to do. If cleaning your indoor air of these smaller kinds of particulates is what you need, it may be time to consider installing a whole-home air cleaner.

Types of Air Cleaners

There are several types of air cleaners available for whole-home use:

Mechanical Air Filters

Air filters have tight weaves of fiber acting as fine sieves that filter out particles as your air circulates. This filter uses the fan from your system to draw the air through the filter in order to purify it. The impurities remain on the filter, leaving pure air to continue on through your air conditioner. The finer the sieve is, the smaller the particles it can trap in the filter. These kinds of air cleaners can filter out such particulates as pollen, dust mites, mold, mildew and pet dander, just to name a few. The types of air filters available are:

  • Pleated – can remove up to 35-40% of particles
  • HEPA – can remove up to 99.97% of particles

Air Purifiers

There are 3 commonly-used types of air purifiers used:

  • Electrostatic – filters up to 90% of particles
  • Electronic – filters up to 95% of particles
  • UV lights – kills over 99% of particles

Both electrostatic and electronic air filters (also known as precipitators) use ionization to capture particles. Both of these purifiers electronically charge the pollutants in the air, such as allergens, but an electronic purifier will capture these particles on oppositely-charged plates. An electrostatic filter will also charge particles, but does not have a collection plate; rather, the charged particles will attach to other oppositely-charged particles, and collect on surfaces in your home.

UV germicidal lights destroy biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses by emitting UV-C light. This light destroys the DNA of the biological particle, disabling it from reproducing.

Is An Air Cleaner Right for You? Ask a Professional

An air cleaner in your air conditioning in Plainfield can help any allergy sufferers in your home, those with respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD, and help with overall indoor comfort.

To find out if a whole-home air cleaner is a good fit for your property, call DuAll Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our professionals.

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Denmark Also Celebrates the Fourth of July

July 4th, 2014

Maybe an elementary school teacher tried to trip you up with this test question: “Do other countries have a Fourth of July?” If the teacher had phrased the question as, “Do other countries celebrate the Fourth of July?” you would be less likely to slip up and answer “no.”

Except… and your teacher probably didn’t know this at the time… there is another country that celebrates the Fourth of July. They don’t celebrate a holiday that happens to fall on July 4 (there are quite a few of those spread across the globe), but the actually celebrate U.S. Independence Day.

That country is—Denmark.

Every July 4, in the Rebild Region in the north of Denmark, thousands of people gather in Rebild National Park to hold the largest Fourth of July celebration outside the U.S.A., an events known as Rebildfesten. This tradition has continued for over a hundred years now, starting in 1912. The origins of this unusual celebration is that in 1911 a ground of Danish Americans purchased the 140 acres of the parkland between the woods in Rold and the Lindenborg stream. The next year, they deeded the land to the Danish King and people of the country as a memorial to Danish Americans, under the condition that the place remain undeveloped, open to the public, and used to celebrate U.S. holidays. Today, the park also hosts a museum on the history of Danish immigrants to the U.S., housed inside a log cabin.

This display of solidarity with the U.S. is because of the country’s warm welcome of 300,000 Danish settlers who were among the earliest to migrate across the seas. The celebration continues as sign of the long friendship between the two nations.

Since its inception, the celebration has hosted famous speakers such as the members of the Danish royal family (the queen and princess both attended for the 100th anniversary), Walt Disney, Keith Carradine, and Richard Chamberlain. The festivities actually start two days earlier, but on the fourth is when the major parade is held (which marches over 3 miles from the train station) and the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra performs a selections of music from both countries.

Although we doubt you will be celebrating your Fourth of July in Denmark this year, we at DuAll Heating & Cooling hope you have a fantastic Independence Day.

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How Do Energy Recovery Ventilators Work?

June 27th, 2014

An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is a home comfort and efficiency innovation that helps you circumvent a serious problem that many houses face today. Because of the heavy heat and air sealing on modern buildings to protect their energy efficiency (excess heat cannot enter in the summer, and cannot escape in the winter), very little fresh air circulates through the indoor ventilation system. This leads to stale and contaminated indoor air that runs through the ductwork gathering dust, dirt, debris, and other pollutants that can affect your health.

By installing one of the energy recovery ventilators in Bolingbrook, IL available from DuAll Heating & Cooling, you can bring fresh air into your home without losing or gaining heat; in fact, you will conserve power and “recover” energy that would otherwise be lost. To find out how our technicians can set up an ERV in your home today, call our expert staff. They can answer all your questions about ERVs and other indoor air quality appliances.

The operation of an energy recovery ventilators

An ERV brings in fresh air through and outside vent and into the ventilation system attached to your heater/air conditioner. Then, through a process called counter-flow heat exchange, the ERV runs this outside air past the stale air from the inside of your home. Energy transfers from one to the other, and the stale air gets removed without you losing or gaining heat.

During the summer, the warm air from outside your house transfers its heat to the outgoing air from inside, cooling itself down in the process and making your air conditioner need to work less to lower its temperature. During the winter, the warm indoor air transfers its heat to the cold incoming outdoor air, and your heater will need to work less. Before reaching the indoors, the air from outside runs through a filter to remove any particles that might have come in with it.

A properly installed ERV will recover 85% of the energy of the outgoing air, and so not only will you have fresh air brought into your home and better health, you’ll also save money on your utility bills each month.

We must emphasize “properly installed.” You cannot select and put in an ERV yourself; it requires the work of indoor air quality professionals with experience working with air conditioners, heaters, and ventilation systems. You’ll find the necessary skills at DuAll Heating & Cooling.

Our NATE-certified technicians handle installation of energy recovery ventilators in Bolingbrook, IL and many other ways to improve your home’s air and energy efficiency.

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3 Reasons to Replace Your Thermostat

June 20th, 2014

Here’s a fact that many people don’t know about their heating and cooling systems: a good thermostat can make or break them. That small control unit on the wall is a lot more important than you realize. If you have a thermostat that doesn’t allow you to take full advantage of your HVAC system’s capabilities, or if it is malfunctioning, then you should look into having a replacement put in.

At DuAll Heating & Cooling, we handle many types of repairs for thermostats. But many times we recommend that customers leave the repairs behind and instead choose thermostat replacement in Plainsfield, IL. We offer a wide range of thermostat types from which to choose, so make us your first choice when it’s time to get rid of your old thermostat.

Here are 3 reasons to replace your current thermostat:

1. It is an old manual model

Does your thermostat have sliders and dials on it that came with your house? Then you are missing out on saving energy and achieving a higher level of comfort. Although manual thermostats can adequately perform their job of turning an air conditioner or heater on and off and raising and lowering the temperature settings, they cannot do so very precisely, averaging a 2–5°F margin of error, and that’s enough to make a significant difference in how much power the system uses and how comfortable you’ll feel. With a digital programmable model, you’ll have an enormous improvement in control and new ways to save energy.

2. You want wireless capability

Thermostats that connect wirelessly to the HVAC system are a new development that allows for a thermostat to be more freely positioned in a house. You won’t need to run new wires to fit it, and if you use a zone control system, it’s much easier to connect the multiple thermostats to each other. Many wireless thermostats come with remote control capabilities that give you a new level of convenience: adjust the temperature from across the room without getting up from the couch.

3. The thermostat was installed in the wrong place

One of the dangers of amateur installation of an HVAC system is the incorrect placement of the thermostat. If a thermostat is put in a location where it will pick up false readings (“ghost readings”) because of direct sunlight or drafts, or if it was positioned too far from the center of the house and therefore likely to read outlier temperatures, it will cause the heating and cooling system to behave erratically and wastefully. Have the thermostat replaced—and let a professional put the new unit in the right location.

A thermostat that is malfunctioning should always be replaced, but even one that is working fine needs an upgrade if it meets the above criteria. Never underestimate the power of a thermostat, or the benefits you can receive from a technologically advanced one.

DuAll Heating & Cooling is happy to assist you with your thermostat replacement in Plainsfield, IL so that the new unit goes in correctly and works as it should. Only trust this work to experienced professionals.

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Common Repair Problems with Commercial HVAC Systems

June 13th, 2014

The equipment for light commercial HVAC systems is more durable and sturdier than those found in homes… but that doesn’t mean they will experience any fewer repair issues. Commercial air conditioners, heaters, and packaged units must undergo much more stress than residential comfort systems, and that means they will need occasional service from trained experts.

Whenever you experience issues with your business’ heating or cooling system, contact DuAll Heating & Cooling for the service that will restore your workplace to the level of comfort your employees need and your customers/clients expect. We handle light commercial HVAC repair in Naperville, IL.

Here are a few common problems with commercial HVAC systems that our technicians encounter on the job:

Damage to the fan

The majority of commercial comfort systems are rooftop packaged units: all the components are housed in a single cabinet kept on the roof. Although the roof offers a large amount of isolation and therefore protection for the unit, it also exposes it to the elements. Debris can sometimes infiltrate the cabinet and cause damage to the large fans necessary for the heat exchange cycle. Loss of the fans will affect heating and cooling within the building and will require professional repairs.

Thermostat troubles

Even light commercial HVAC systems can use a complex series of thermostats and controls, far more intricate than those found in homes. Businesses frequently have zone control systems set up to allow different temperatures in different parts of the workplace, and errors with the thermostats can cause zones to lose conditioned air. It takes experienced commercial repair technicians to track down and figure out thermostat problems.

Insufficient heating/cooling

If air is blowing out of the vents, but it isn’t the expected temperature (room temperature instead of cooling or heating), you’ll soon start to hear complaints about it. The trouble may be in the thermostat, but it’s more likely a problem within the rooftop unit, such as a leak in refrigerant. If the rooftop unit is a heat pump, the problem could be a broken reversing valve, which will prevent the system changing form one mode to another.

The right time to call for commercial HVAC repair in Naperville, IL is immediately.  Our NATE-certified light commercial HVAC specialists are ready 24 hours a day to help keep your business at the right temperature.

As soon as you notice a change in temperature, hear loud sounds from the ductwork, or detect a drop in airflow from the vents, contact DuAll Heating & Cooling.

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How Energy Recovery Ventilators Improves Indoor Air Quality

June 6th, 2014

On average, people in the U.S. spend 90% of their time indoors, and that means the quality of the air found inside homes and buildings is vital for good health. Unfortunately, too few buildings have the proper ventilation to remove stale air, and the indoor air quality suffers as a result. The quality of your home’s air is probably much lower than it should be.

To combat this decline in air quality, you can open up your home to the outside through the windows and doors. However, this ends up breaking the energy efficient heat seal on your home, making it harder for you to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. During an Illinois winter, you especially don’t want to have windows and doors open!

But there’s a way to receive fresh outdoor air without energy loss and discomfort: have installation of energy recover ventilators in Bolingbrook, IL. Our team at DuAll Heating & Cooling is familiar with these helpful devices, and we’ll explain how they give you better indoor air quality.

How energy recovery ventilators work

Energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are installations in the ventilation network of your HVAC system that remove the stale air from your home—without losing excess energy, either too keep you cool or keep you warm. An ERV returns approximately 85% of its outgoing energy to the incoming fresh air.

Here’s how an ERV does this: The ventilation system runs to the outside of a home and pulls in fresh outdoor air. The ERV draws the stale air from inside the house and runs it past the incoming fresh air, and a process of heat transfer occurs between the two that is called counter-flow heat exchange. If the air from outside is cold, then the stale indoor air transfers its heat to it, helping you receive warm fresh air. If the air outside is warm, it will lose its heat to the colder air from indoors, helping you to receive cool fresh air.

So whether its winter or summer, you receive fresh outdoor air that has been conditioned to fit your temperature needs. This will also reduce the stress on your heating and cooling system.

An energy recovery ventilator is like having your home’s windows and door always open to fresh air—but without any of the inconveniences. In fact, you’ll save more energy than ever before.

Professional installation

ERVs are complex devices, and it takes professional installers to set them up so they fit a home’s HVAC system and ductwork.

Call the indoor air quality specialists at DuAll Heating & Cooling for fast and knowledgeable work installing energy recovery ventilators in Bolingbrook, IL. Our NATE-certified technicians are ready to tackle the job.

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3 Unique Qualities of Commercial Air Conditioning Systems

May 30th, 2014

The commercial world has different requirements for air conditioning (and heating) than the residential world. Businesses must remain appropriately cooled down to keep customers/clients happy and employees content and productive. These different needs for businesses mean that their HVAC systems are unlike those found in homes. And that means they need installation, repair, and maintenance work from technicians specifically trained on commercial systems.

For light commercial air conditioning in Romeoville, IL that will keep your workspace comfortable through this summer and many summers in the future, call DuAll Heating & Cooling. With the amount of stress that your AC may experience this season, you need to have technicians on which you can count… any time of the day or night.

3 qualities that make commercial ACs different

  1. Packaged unit design: The majority of commercial HVAC systems are packaged systems, unlike the split systems that most homes use. A split system has an outdoor condenser cabinet and an indoor evaporator unit. Commercial systems have both the condenser and the evaporator—along with the compressor and fans—placed in a single cabinet, which is usually located on the roof. This design and placement saves space for a business, makes the HVAC cabinet easier for a technician to repair without intruding onto the workspace, and helps reduce the noise level from the system. Some package units are also heat pumps, so they can provide heating as well as cooling.
  2. Size: There is simply no comparison between the size of a commercial system and a residential one. Even a large mansion won’t require the amount of cooling power that a small business space needs. This isn’t only an issue of space, but of the amount of people who need cooling. More cooling is required to accommodate more people, but also to overcome the amount of heat that additional people generate. Commercial air conditioners are vast compared to home systems, and have special requirements with which technicians must be familiar.
  3. Modular design: Commercial air conditioners are designed as separate modules, usually in 10-ton, 12-ton, 15-ton, and 25-ton units. This makes it easier to construct and move a large and powerful AC system. The main advantage of modular design, however, is that it allows a company to expand without needing to replace the entire air conditioning system. Technicians can increase the cooling load with the addition of a new module of the appropriate size. For businesses that intend to expand, this is a significant benefit.

Never trust your company’s comfort to amateurs or technicians without experience on commercial air conditioning in Romeoville, IL.

Let the experienced team at DuAll Heating & Cooling take on the job. We handle light commercial repairs and maintenance that will make sure your business remains a great place to work or visit.

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Do I Need a Dehumidifier in My Romeoville Home?

May 23rd, 2014

Summer brings not only heat, but also humidity. Because of the excess moisture in the air, the human body cannot sweat as effectively, and then means the body can’t release as much heat. The result is an increased sensation of heat that goes beyond what the thermometer shows.

Although there isn’t much you can do about humidity when you’re outside (a hand fan can waft away the heat envelope around you, but that’s about it), you do have ways to control it in your home. An air conditioner naturally removes water moisture from the air during the evaporation stage. Since ACs are not specifically designed as dehumidifiers, they have only limited use for this job. A much better option to beat heavy humidity is with a whole-house dehumidifier installed professionally in your AC.

If you think you’ll benefit from a dehumidifier in Romeoville, IL, contact the indoor air quality specialists at DuAll Heating & Cooling today.

Here are some signs that will tell you it’s time to get a dehumidifier:

You have to run the AC constantly to stay comfortable

Are you encountering higher electrical bills during the summer because the air conditioner needs to run all the time to keep you comfortable? Humidity may be responsible for much of this, making you hot an uncomfortable. An air conditioner can only do so much at removing humidity, so installing a dedicated dehumidifier will go a long way toward reducing your need to run the AC. You can often decrease air conditioning use by 50% with the right dehumidifier working for you (and it uses much less power than an AC, so it won’t skew your utility bills).

You are having problems with mold and mildew

The increase in humidity invites other problems. Thin layers of water moisture on surfaces and entering into cracks and fissures are breeding grounds for mold and mildew. Aside from looking unattractive and creating sour musty odors, these growths also release toxic spores into the air that can create flu- and cold-like symptoms. If you find mold and mildew growth in your home, it’s time to have a humidifier remove their source of growth.

Water damage is affecting your home

Moisture ruins most surfaces in home: wallpaper peels, pain blisters, wood warps, stains appear on walls and ceilings. Valuable precision objects, like musical instruments, can suffer irreparable damage. When water damage signs begin to show up, and it isn’t from a leaking pipe somewhere, you may need to combat the humidity with dehumidifier installation.

Make certain that when you opt for a dehumidifier that you have experts take care of the installation. They will decide the right size and type of unit to tackle your home’s space and specific problems. For fine work installing a dehumidifier in Romeoville, IL, call on DuAll Heating & Cooling. Our NATE-certified technicians will take good care of you.

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Repair or Replace: What’s the Best Step for My Air Conditioner?

May 16th, 2014

In the world of home heating and cooling, one of the perennial questions that customers ask is, “Repair or replace?” When an air conditioning system appears to be approaching the end of its service life, you must decide whether you should continue repairs or schedule a replacement installation. Which one is the best choice, both for your comfort and your budget?

There’s no simple answer we can provide you here, because we don’t yet know about the situation with your air conditioner. Perhaps a targeted repair from a skilled technician will give you a few more years of energy-efficient performance. Perhaps your AC is only a few weeks away from a complete breakdown and you need to act now before the hot weather arrives.

However, if you call us at DuAll Heating & Cooling, we can make the process much easier for you. One of our AC specialists will inspect your air conditioner to see if there are repairs that will help. If it turns out that new installation is the better choice, our experts will help you with excellent air conditioning replacement in Bolingbrook, IL.

What factors will decide between “repair or replace”?

  • System age: Central air conditioners will last, on average, between 10 and 15 years, depending on the model. Your air conditioner will have a manufacturer’s estimated lifespan on its cabinet. An air conditioner that is still a few years away from this estimate—and which has received diligent regular maintenance during its life—will usually respond favorably to quality repair work. On the other hand, an air conditioner that is older than its estimate should be replaced even if it is still outwardly capable of cooling a house down.
  • Energy efficiency: An air conditioner can still seem to work well, with effective cooling power, but if its components are wearing down to the point where the system will not recover, it will start to cost more to run. When determining if an AC should be retired or not, check if your cooling bills have changed over the last two years. Continually rising bills are a major red flag that repairs will not do any good.
  • Repair frequency: Since air conditioners need the majority of their repairs done during the last two years of their service life, an increase in the amount of repair jobs indicates a system is probably ready for replacement. Once it costs more than $500 a year to keep an AC scraping by, you should retire it.

The NATE-certified technicians at DuAll Heating & Cooling will help you find out the right path to take when it comes to your air conditioner.

We can perform skilled repairs and air conditioning replacement in Bolingbrook, IL—whatever you need. Call us today to beat out the summer heat.

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What to Expect with Duct Cleaning

May 9th, 2014

*DuAll Heating & Cooling no longer offers duct cleaning services. Take a look at our other indoor air quality services to find the best solution for your needs.

With the amount of contamination that can enter a house’s ductwork over the space of only a year, duct cleaning is a necessary step for protecting your home’s indoor air quality and keeping your HVAC system working efficiently. However, people often neglect to schedule regular professional duct cleaning because they imagine that it is a disruptive hassle.

We’d like to show you what you can expect from duct cleaning in Plainfield, IL when you call DuAll Heating & Cooling. As you’ll see, professional duct cleaning isn’t an arduous process thanks to the Roto Brush System that our skilled technicians use. There’s no reason to put off this important task any longer, so call our duct cleaning professionals today.

The duct cleaning process

Duct cleaning with the Roto Brush usually requires only a few hours of work and will not interfere much with your daily routines since the equipment necessary is small and creates only minor lewvels of noise.

After arriving at your house, the duct cleaning technicians will use special video cameras fed into the ducts to examine what areas have the heaviest dust, dirt, and other contamination. After this, the actual cleaning process starts.

The technicians will first remove the registers from your vents and wash them to make sure they do not contribute to lowering indoor air quality. Then they will send the Roto Brush into the ducts through the vents. A soft spinning brush on the long hose moves down into ductwork and agitates the pollutants along the interior of the duct without damaging the lining. The brush can fit into all sizes of ducts while still providing the same level of safe cleaning, and it can reach around corners and down through the ventilation network to reach all areas.

As the spinning brush action loosens dirt, dust, dander, smoke residue, and other pollutants from the duct interiors, a powerful vacuum attached to the Roto Brush suctions up the loose debris and runs it through a HEPA filter to catch even the smallest particles.

Once the Roto Brush stage is finished, the technicians will treat the ducts with an anti-microbial that is environmentally safe and commonly used in hospitals. This will eliminate the last of the contaminants and leave no residue behind in your ducts.

Not all duct cleaning is equal

The above process is not the only way that professionals can clean your ducts; there are more intrusive methods that involve cutting holes into an HVAC system to reach into the ducts and using enormous power vacuums. But at DuAll Heating & Cooling, we’re proud to use the Roto Brush System to provide you with safe, fast, and effective duct cleaning in Plainfield, IL.

Call DuAll Heating & Cooling today for improved air and a more efficient HVAC system through our professional duct cleaning service.

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