Gas Fireplace Safety - Here's what you need to do

With winter comes the thought of Fireplace. The fireplace is one of the most amazing winter experiences. Sitting in front of it and enjoying coffee with the tantalizing sounds of wood crackles gives a heavenly feel. In Canada, while so many people now prefer Furnace and Heat Pumps to comfort their indoors in winters, there are many whose love for the fireplace is as strong as was in the days when Fireplace was the primary choice. But with the use of gas fireplace comes some real responsibility and care without which Fireplace can turn into a real headache. If you are one such homeowner who loves to use fireplace as the primary heating solution in winters, this blog is for you.
 

- Safety screen is a must 

Some people think that safety screens are supposed to be used when there are kids at home. Not really so. Safety screens have to be used even when there are no kids at home. These screen help keep the homeowners safe by creating a barrier. The skin does not come in direct contact with the heat. Also, sometimes, when wooden logs are used, the burning pieces fall out of the fireplace and this can result in serious consequences.

- CO Detectors ensure your safety 

Fireplaces, when not kept, maintained create a serious scenario of CO poisoning. The dirty vents push the burning gases back into the home. Also, the gas leaks from pipelines can also result in a fire. All of these consequences can be avoided by installing a CO detector. CO detector is a small device which alarms the homeowners when any unusual presence of gas is felt.

- Annual Inspection 

It is good if you perform maintenance of your appliances on your own. But no matter how good you are at maintenance, you'll never be as good as a professional. While you perform DIY maintenance on your own throughout the season, make sure to call a professional technician for annual maintenance. Professionals thoroughly clean the fireplace, tune up the parts and diagnose any issues well in time so that you could be saved from any serious accidents.

- Upgrade to direct vents 

If you have been using an old fireplace since long, it is recommended to upgrade to a direct vent model now. Direct vents expel 100% of the combustion gases out of the home. Also, the sealed combustion mechanism keeps the indoor safe and the IAQ does not get affected.

Winter is on its way. The time to start preparing your heating appliances is right here and right now. If you are looking forward to upgrading your fireplace, replace a part, get it inspected by professionals, want a reliable repair or anything else related to the fireplace, we have the professionals who could help you out with all the fireplace related things. It had been over 15 years that we are helping homeowners in resolving their HVAC concerns. Let us serve you as well with our world-class fireplace installation, maintenance, diagnosis, repair and replacement services.

Choose and use the best Air Purifier – Here’s how

Is it the first time you are going to purchase an Air Purifier? Or did you always find the purchased unit unsuitable for your home? This won’t happen now. We are here to assist you with some useful insights regarding choosing and using the best purifier. Read on;

Tips to choose the right purifier

In order to choose & use a compatible unit, you need to know about the units in the first place in order to compare and contrast your requirements with the offered features. Here are some common types of Air Purifiers;

HEPA Filter Purifiers - Are they for you?

High-Efficiency Particulate Air HEPA is the most efficient types of purifiers that have the tendency to trap up to 99.97% of pollutants larger than 0.3 microns. Since these are efficient, this efficiency has a price and that may not be what you could afford. If you are living in an area of high pollution and have health issues too, it would be a wise investment to go for a HEPA Filter Purifier, otherwise, you can choose on a low-efficiency purifier if all you want is a little purification to give a fresh feel. 

Allergy and asthma Purifiers – Are they for you?

Yes, they are if you have allergies or are sensitive to pollution! As the name suggests, this type is specifically designed to relieve patients with asthma and allergies by providing germ and dirt free air. They trap the airborne allergens and absorb the microscopic contaminants that contribute to causing or worsening asthma and allergies.

Smoke and Odor Air Purifier – Are they for you?

Did you know that households, where there’s even one member who does smoking, can have the air dangerous enough to cause lung cancer to the rest of family members? This necessitates the installation of a Smoke Air Purifier in such homes as a safety measure. In addition, as they combat odour as well, they can best suit people with odour irritations and sensitivities. 

Chemical & Medical Gas Air Purifiers – Are they for you?

Such are meant to best suit homes and places where there are elderly or chronically ill patient with severe requirements for overly clean air. These Purifiers combat airborne toxins from the air and make it risk-free for people with compromised immune systems.

Some insights regarding using an Air Purifiers correctly

It is not only about the right purchase. It is in fact also about the right use since, without a right use, an efficient and inefficient appliance become equal. Here are some tips regarding using an Air Purifier correctly;

Location matters:

The location of your unit affects efficiency. The best location is a closed room with sufficient area left around the unit.

Do not turn off:

Do you breathe 24/7? Then your Purifier needs to be kept operational 24/7 as well. This is specifically for homes that have smokers or patients.

Windows and Doors:

With open windows and doors, the polluted air keeps coming in and the Purifier keeps working but the overall indoor air remains impure. Create a closed environment by closing doors and windows.

Point the flow rightly:

In larger rooms, it is important to point the airflow rightly. The best way is to point it nearby to get fully purified air. Much worry does not need to be taken regarding smaller areas/rooms as the air circulates throughout eventually (but the windows, doors should be closed)

Is your indoor air suitable for seniors at home?

While you as a young adult could be excited as the Winter is coming, people who are senior get a little worried when the cold weather begins to get colder and colder. That is because they know Winter will bring back their hardly healed pains and they will have a hard time keeping themselves warm. There are some other health issues involved too that necessitate they spend the colder climate in the indoors and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities. But the question is; when they spend time in the indoors, are they really safe? The answer lies in the level of indoor warmth of course, but it also lies in the quality of the indoor air. Old age people spend almost 90% of their Winters in the indoors and that stay could be disadvantageous instead of being advantageous if there's poor indoor air quality. The immune system gets weaker as the age increases so the seniors relative to the young adults have a weaker immune system that makes them vulnerable to catch sickness easily. With a poor indoor air quality, the sickness can take the form of asthma, lungs problems and even heart diseases etc since an unhealthy air can lead to several devastating consequences. So here go our 10 tips list; Consider these tips if you've seniors at home.

- It is important for you to have your heating appliances diagnosed by a professional before the season begins especially if they were installed when your seniors were young; too old appliances. This is important because for old appliances you never know when they might give up or start leaking gases and become an open threat. Whether or not you are at home, the seniors will be so make sure the home is a safe abode for them and no chemicals or gases are contaminating the indoor air.

- Draperies, curtain and upholsteries accumulate dust that could or could not be visible but is, nonetheless, present and contribute to reducing indoor air quality. Wash or dry-clean them at least once a year

- Change Furnace filters on a regular basis to ensure the system works with supreme efficiency and the dust does not keep circulating in the indoor

- You might get into the delusion that Duct Cleaning is a hoax but it is not. Ducts do accumulate bucks of dirt when not cleaned. And that dirt does not remain in the ductwork, it somehow finds a way out whether it is at the opening time of vents or as a result of inefficient filters. And when it comes out, it becomes an extremely disturbing stuff for the seniors at home. So go for Duct Cleaning!

- Carpets and not only harder to clean, they are also harder to maintain. In addition to that, they are among the havens where the dust and debris hide. If you're making or renovating your home, consider wooden flooring in place of carpeted flooring. That would reduce another source of air contamination

- Clean fans and exhaust fans but more importantly, use them wisely, especially the exhaust fans. Anytime an indoor activity is done that has the potential to contaminate the indoor air, exhaust the air out to avoid its circulation in the indoor

- Natural things are natural. And no matter how efficient Air Cleaner or air purifier you use, nothing can suffice for the natural air. While your seniors might find it uncomfortable to go out even when it's a sunny day, consider opening the windows at the hours of less cold blows and let the fresh air seep in

- With seniors at home that are facing breathing problems, it is always suggested to install an Air Cleaner and also a UV Light to combat the germs and bacteria in the indoor that get harder to combat in Winter as they keep floating in the dry air

- Installation of a Humidifier is another wise investment that you can make for the ease and comfort of the seniors since Humidifiers maintain humidity and relieve us of the consequences of low humidity including skin and eye irritation, static electricity, breathing unease and others

- And last but not the least. Have an inspection of your home's indoor air quality to know what safety measures are you required to take and consider professional help for annual maintenance or repairs of HVAC appliances especially the ones used for indoor air quality improvement  

Planning to purchase a Humidifier? Consider these tips

And yes, Summer is finally leaving us and fall is at the door already. As the weather will continue to change and the Winter will slowly and steadily step in, the level of humidity will also continue to drop. And as the humidity level drops beyond normal, it causes multiple problems like skin irritation, breathing unease, rashes, static electricity, home interior damages and others. In order to maintain a stable humidity level in the indoors, Humidifiers help a great deal. But a Humidifier can only be able to meet your needs without creating any issues for you if the purchase is compatible with your home. Before you bring home a Humidifier randomly and regret later, let us help you make a right choice for your home.

Ask yourself these questions when purchasing a Humidifier

• Large space or small space? What do I need to Humidify?

That is indeed an important question and not considering it can cost you extra dollars. If you're willing to Humidify just a room or a small area, there's absolutely no need to purchase whole home humidifiers that are relatively much costly. With such requirements, all you need is a portable Humidifier that can easily operate up to 24 hours without requiring to refill. These portable Humidifiers are available in different types; germ protection humidifiers, multiple speeds, warm or cool mist and others. But before you jump onto that, make sure your need is a portable Humidifier and not a whole home or a whole home and not a portable.

Contrary to small space, if you've a large area to humidify and are in continuous need of humidified air, then spending on a Portable Humidifier will only be a waste of money since it will fail to suffice for your needs. In such cases, you need a whole home Humidifier and even then, it matters how large the area is. Humidifiers come in different capacity models keeping the requirements of small, medium, large and extra large homes. Ask the retailer which size will work best with your home before purchasing one.

• What Humidifier type do I want?

Now that you've decided the type of Humidifier you want; portable or whole-home, it is time to further decide what type exactly are you looking for. Humidifiers come with different types both in portable and in whole home models. There are cool mist models that disperse cool moisture in the air and use less electricity, warm mist Humidifiers that disperse warm droplets by heating the water, Ultrasonic Humidifiers that can produce both cool and warm mist and are also least noisy. Depending on your needs, you can choose the type of Humidifier.

• Am I irritated with noise?

While this point is highly ignored, there are a large number of homeowners that face the consequences of it. People realise only after installing a Humidifier that they are irritated by the noise it produces but then, what is the use of crying over spilled milk?  All that can be done is either to bear the noise or replace the Humidifier, both choices loathsome!

• How much maintenance can I afford?

There are Humidifiers that demand more maintenance and there are others that demand less depending on the type and model but maintenance nonetheless, is required. Therefore, one of the questions you should ask yourself before making a purchase is that of maintenance. Choosing a high maintenance demands model when you cannot manage to perform the maintenance can only result in costly repairs. So in case you've busy schedules and can't make out time for maintenance, try choosing a model that requires relatively less maintenance.

Considering these points, you are all set to purchase a perfectly suited Humidifier for your home. The rightest model. Dude! ;)