Whether you’re having a new home constructed or you need to replace a dying heater, Climate Control is here to help! This can be a difficult decision—what is the best type of HVAC air conditioning/heating option for your home? Should you just stick with the central heating, ductwork and forced air HVAC system you’re used to, or should you get your warm air from a boiler heating system, or other ductless or alternative air heating systems? Whatever HVAC system you choose, natural gas, heat pump, or other, you want to use less energy to get hot air, avoid cold spots and have the most energy efficient home heating system you can possibly get. 

Most homeowners in our area are used to furnaces, and for good reason! But these systems require a network of air ducts to carry heated air into various rooms. This is fine, but if you don’t have room for ducts, or if your existing ducts are old and damaged, you might want an alternative.

We suggest you consider a boiler installation! These heating systems operate differently from forced-air heating, and Climate Control can offer installation services and warranty coverage for these great home heating systems. They use a process called radiant heating, which is heating up objects in rooms so they send out heat waves throughout the space. Boiler systems can utilize radiators, baseboard heaters, or in-floor piping to spread warmth throughout a space.

Selecting a new boiler system for your winter comfort can be a hard decision, but there are a number of reasons why it’s a good decision and can keep you out of hot water!

When it comes to home comfort, the Comfort Bear would like to ignore strange noises coming from appliances in the home—but ultimately this would be a bad idea.

It’s easy to deny that something may be amiss with our heaters when they start making an odd sound, since fixing it can be a nuisance. But just like the Comfort Bear, you shouldn’t neglect these signs of furnace disrepair.

A rattle may be something as benign as an easy-to-fix loose panel, or it could suggest a cracked heat exchanger which can lead to a hazardous carbon monoxide leak. It’s important to protect your family—if you hear anything outside of the normal cycling of your furnace and air whooshing through your vents, please give us a call. We’ve listed below some of the common sounds you should alert us to.

The Comfort Bear, here! Are you as ready for winter as I am? I might not hibernate as much as my friends do—I need to be there for homeowners throughout Independence! But I’m all about making my home as comfortable and safe as possible. How about you?

If we’re in agreement, then boy does our team have a suggestion for you—get an inspection from our professionals! We’ll conduct a thorough one, checking for any pending repair needs and possible leaks you may have occurring. Most of all, though, when you contact our team versus a competitor, you’ll get plumbers who actually listen. We believe that what our customers have to say is much more important than the tools in the toolbox. That said, we’re the team to call when you suspect a problem. But we do also want to help you avoid plumbing problems, which is why we’ve provided the guide below.

Many homeowners don’t realize this, but the indoor air quality (IAQ) of their home can actually be worse than the fresh air of the outdoors. It’s hard to believe, when our outdoor air quality isn’t even that bad to begin with, relative to other parts of the country. But if you have a modern home, it means it was built “tightly” to allow for the best efficiency for your HVAC systems—and this type of construction also allows for allergens and other contaminants to stay trapped in your home.

This is great news for your energy bills, as your air conditioner and heater will operate more efficiently. But it’s not so great if anyone in your family is an allergy or asthma sufferer. With no air being able to escape your home, contaminants like dust, dirt, pollen and pet dander get trapped inside with you, and even the healthiest person can become ill—without the right indoor air quality products and services in place.

Remember that there is indoor air and outdoor air, and the rate that one displaces the other is called the air exchange rate, and can be taken into account when trying to keep outdoor air pollution out, as much as possible, via things like air intakes and exhaust fans that are part of a quality ventilation system.

Some indoor air pollutants aren’t from outdoor air pollution, but could be from tobacco smoke. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has a disclaimer about secondhand smoke and the damage it can cause. Regardless of the sources of indoor air pollution, the VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and the health effects they have, is something that every homeowner needs to consider.

If you’ve ever noticed a leak by your air conditioner, call a plumber only to find there’s no leak in your plumbing? It’s possible it is because there is a leak from the air conditioner itself, which can be confusing to many homeowners, because after all; an air conditioning system doesn’t use WATER, does it?

Unfortunately, this is one of those things that while on the onset is relatively minor, can grow into something bigger. A leaking air conditioner can be quite the issue. Read on to learn more!

Comfort Bear here, ready to dispense some wisdom for you. Hold onto your seat, because this one’s a real mind blower:

You know how it gets hot and uncomfortable in the summer? You might think that it’s the high temperatures that have got you feeling gross and sweaty. But you’d be mistaken.

The truth is that it’s not the heat, it’s actually the humidity that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Sorry, what? You say you’ve already heard that expression? And you’ve heard it more times than you can stand it?

Okay, okay. But did you know that you can turn your home into a safe haven, free from the discomfort of high humidity, with the simple addition of a whole-house dehumidifier?

And not only will this help you feel more comfortable, but it can even save you money! Here’s the complete rundown:

For most of you humans, you tend to view your air conditioners as a luxury, and your heating systems as a necessity.

For Comfort Bear, it’s the exact opposite. If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you might remember how sentimental I got about having to replace my furnace, even though I barely used that thing.

But now you’re asking me to replace my air conditioner?

Just as a reminder: what you consider to be a “relaxing summer day” is a sweltering inferno for me. I need my AC to keep my fur cool!!

But no matter what you say, I don’t have to give up my AC that easily. Unless my air conditioner is displaying the right combination of issues, there’s really no reason to have my AC replaced so soon—and neither should you!

Here are the signs to look out for:

“Comfort Bear, why are you clutching that furnace?” you may be asking. Well, you see, this furnace has been with me since the very beginning. And now, I’m suddenly being told that I have to replace it!

We’ve been through some intense winters together. In return, I vowed that I’d always be there for it: through all of its maintenance checks, through all of its repairs, every time it fails to start, even during that one time it triggered the carbon monoxide alarm…

Well, okay, maybe I’m being a bit sentimental. I guess it’s time to let go. When I think about it objectively, I suppose there are a lot of good reasons for knowing when to replace your furnace:

Many homeowners look for ways to save when it comes to home improvement projects, and the DIYers in us may consider skipping the installer and look to install a heat pump system, mini-split or split system, to help improve the comfort of their home, or support their HVAC system to get air conditioning in different locations.

When it comes to a new heat pump, homeowners may save dollars on the heat pump installation if they DIY the install, saving on the heat pump installation costs and keeping the money by saving on the HVAC technician’s time.

There are many aspects of a heat pump installation that are far and above the average DIY home improvement project. Condensate drain lines, refrigerant and refrigerant lines and the specialty tools that HVAC contractors have such as vacuum pumps to work with those, as well as skilled work typically left to electricians such as running power from the circuit breaker to the unit, will all be involved when putting an indoor unit in like a mini split heat pump.

This makes having a professional installer come out to install this new type of air conditioner very appealing. By using a local HVAC company like Climate Control, not only do you have the assurance that your air conditioning will work when you turn it on and match the room to your thermostat setting, but possible additional warranty, safety, and peace of mind are often better than being frustrated at complicated installation instructions

The obvious advantage to a ductless mini-split is that there is no ductwork that needs to be run, using hole saws to go through walls or ceilings or floors, as well as the apparent ease of installation.

Regardless of what type of heat pump you look at, there are a few differences in the way heat pumps operate than typical air conditioning and heating systems.

When it comes to an air conditioning or heating system, safety is always at the top of the list. Homeowners not only want systems that perform greatly, provide excellent indoor air quality and reduce energy bills; but they want their heating & air conditioning to be safe for them and their loved ones.

With heating systems there are many choices from mini-splits to heat pumps to natural gas furnaces. Some are ductless, some are electric, some have a pilot light and use flammable/combustible gas to build-up heat in the home. Regular furnace maintenance is key to any system, having consistent seasonal tune-ups from a reputable company in your service area and keeping the furnace filter changed can help keep your HVAC system running correctly and safely.

One of the most effective furnace safety tips and means to keeping your family safe when using a gas furnace or water heater is to have carbon monoxide detectors placed throughout the home, with fresh batteries installed on a regular basis. If your HVAC system develops a CO2 gas leak and you do not have carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home you run the risk of being exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Natural gas furnaces, as well as water heaters, are hugely popular and are used across the country to heat homes in winter months, and any HVAC system that utilizes a gas furnace will come with some safety concerns that homeowners should be aware of.