DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog : Archive for September, 2014

Schedule Maintenance for Your Plainfield Rooftop Unit Today

Monday, September 29th, 2014

Rooftop units are the perfect commercial HVAC units for both the heating and cooling season. But when you need repairs for your light commercial rooftop unit, it can be a pain, taking up a lot of your time and disrupting the flow of your business day. The best way to prevent repairs from taking up too much time in your day is by scheduling maintenance twice a year. This is to ensure that your unit is at peak performance throughout the heating and cooling season, and it can even help prevent repair needs and save you a lot of money this year.

The Maintenance Process

Your rooftop unit is meant to last a long time, but, because its location on the roof leaves it fairly exposed to the elements, you may run into a few problems over time. Below, we detail a few of the most important steps of maintenance and how they help improve performance, efficiency, and the comfort of everyone in the building.

  • Cleaning: One of the most important steps of maintenance is a thorough cleaning of the various components of your HVAC unit. This is because as parts become dirty, your unit simply is not in top shape. A dirty condenser coil, for example, cannot give off heat effectively, resulting in inefficient cooling. A clogged filter can make the fans work harder, taking far longer to heat or cool your property.
  • Adjustment: Parts of your rooftop unit may become bent or otherwise fall out of place over time. Technicians will look for common problems including loose parts and bent fan blades which simply require a minor adjustment to keep running as they should.
  • Inspection: Perhaps the most important part of professional maintenance is a full system inspection. Many HVAC repair needs go unnoticed for long periods of time because they are too small to have an obvious effect on your building, which is why you need a contractor to tell you when your unit is in need of repairs. Damaged parts wear down your system quickly, resulting in further repairs and, possibly, early replacement.

For maintenance or repairs on light commercial rooftop units in Plainfield, call the expert team at DuAll Heating & Cooling today!

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How Is the Rotobrush Used for Professional Duct Cleaning?

Monday, September 22nd, 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.

When you hire a company to perform duct cleaning in Naperville, you want to be assured that your ducts are being cleaned at a level that  improves energy efficiency, indoor air quality and your comfort. The way DuAll Heating & Cooling makes sure this happens is by using the patented Rotobrush Duct Cleaning system for all duct cleaning appointments. The Rotobrush system allows our trained technicians to clean every angle of your ductwork without causing damage, and the HEPA vacuum of the Rotobrush system ensures that all contaminants are removed safely. If you are in need of a professional duct cleaning, call us today!

Features of the Rotobrush Professional Duct Cleaning System

  • Powerful, portable HEPA vacuum – the vacuum of the Rotobrush system is powerful and portable; it also uses HEPA filters to contain and capture the contaminants in your ductwork, ensuring that they are safely removed from your system and home.
  • Hose and brush system – the Rotobrush system has an advanced, patented design that allows it to clean and remove dirt, dust and any other build-up in your system, even in the crevices of turns. This is due to the design of the Rotobrush head and how the head and hose of the system work together.

The Rotobrush head is a rotating, full brush. The bristles are strong enough to clean, yet gentle enough not to do damage to your system. The brush scrubs the inside of your ductwork at 450 rpm while the nozzle of the hose, which is part of the brush head, sucks up any and all debris and contaminants loosened by the rotating brush.

  • Flexible hose – the hose of the Rotobrush system contains the cable that manages the movement of the hose and brush, and because of its slim yet durable design, the hose can reach for long distances and curve easily through a complicated duct system.

The Rotobrush is one of the best duct cleaning devices on the market, and offers something most other duct cleaning systems cannot: 360 degree cleaning. Not only is this system powerful, it can reach the crevices and turns other systems may not. When you combine the cleaning capacity of the Rotobrush with the expertise of our DuAll Heating & Cooling technicians, you can be assured that your duct cleaning in Naperville will be beneficial and long-lasting.

Call the duct cleaning experts at DuAll Heating & Cooling to set up an appointment today!

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Can a Tankless Water Heater Save Me Money?

Monday, September 15th, 2014

Environmental consciousness is part of what fueled the invention of tankless water heaters, but some homeowners have other concerns as well. Despite increasing interest in tankless water heaters, traditional storage tank water heaters, which keep water heated in a large tank, continue to be the most popular systems installed in homes. Because of this, many may think that a conventional water heater is the best choice for installation or replacement, but can a tankless unit save some money?

Traditional water heaters contain either an electric heating element or a gas burner which keeps water heated throughout the day. Water flows in through a long dip tube that leads to the bottom of a tank, where the heating element heats the cold water. Hot water is less dense than cold water, so it naturally rises to the top of the tank, where a short tube carries it to the faucet or showerhead when needed. The unit continues to heat water throughout the day, so that it is available for use when a hot water tap is turned on.

As a result, energy is used throughout the day even though you only use the hot water a handful of time, resulting in a good amount of standby energy loss. This problem is eliminated with tankless water heaters, which only heat water as soon as a tap is turned on. Tankless water heaters activate as soon as you need hot water, and water heats up as soon as it flows past the heating element. This means that no energy is used throughout the day, so you won’t have to worry about any money lost with standby energy loss.

In fact, tankless water heaters may have a longer lifespan so long as they are properly maintained. Tankless water heaters may cost more upfront, but most continue to work for over 20 years. Ultimately, the energy savings throughout the years, combined with the fact that you won’t have to replace your unit for a long time, means you can actually save money over time.

Still not convinced? To talk to a professional about tankless water heaters in Bolingbrook, talk to one of the water heater experts at DuAll Heating & Cooling. Give us a call!

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Why You Should Install a Humidifier for Your Home

Monday, September 8th, 2014

Most people are aware that excessive humidity can be a problem, but did you know that too little humidity can be equally problematic? Making homes energy efficient is a good thing, but sometimes a home can be so air-tight that it reduces the indoor moisture levels too much. A great way to counteract this problem is to install a whole-home humidifier. Humidifiers help balance the indoor moisture levels, improving the indoor air quality of your Bolingbrook home. However, to gain the benefits of any upgrade to your air conditioner, it’s important to hire trained professionals for the installation – this is where Duall Heating & Cooling can help.

Problems Caused by Low Humidity

Low humidity can cause the following kinds of problems:

  • Health – low humidity levels dry out your skin and mucous membranes, causing rashes, skin irritations, nose bleeds, sore throats and lower immunity to germs.
  • Damage to woodwork – too little humidity can dry out and splinter wood, so anything in your home made of wood, including furniture pieces, trim, and baseboards, can splinter and shrink.
  • Peeling paint and drywall – when paint becomes too dry due to low humidity, it can chip and peel.
  • Feeling cold – dry air sucks up humidity, and humidity holds heat. This can make your heating season challenging as your indoor air won’t hold the extra heat it needs to help keep your home feeling comfortable.

Proper Humidity Levels

Proper indoor humidity levels vary somewhat depending on the season. During the summer, humidity levels over 60% start to feel uncomfortable and can cause problems; during winter, the ideal humidity level is in the 25-40% range.

Benefits of Installing a Humidifier

Adding a whole-home humidifier to your existing HVAC system can help keep you healthy and prevent damage to woodwork and home furnishings. More importantly, it can help you feel warmer in the winter. According to the EPA, you can save as much as 3% on your heating bill for every degree that you turn down your thermostat in winter.

If you see the signs of excessively low humidity in your home, it may be time to improve your indoor air quality with a humidifier.

Call DuAll Heating & Cooling today and speak to one of our experts about our whole-home humidifier solutions and related products.

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The History of Labor Day

Monday, September 1st, 2014

The official end of summer and the beginning of fall lands on September 23rd, which marks the Autumnal Equinox, when the plane of the Earth’s equator passes the center of the sun and the length of day and night are roughly equal. However, for most people in the U.S., the summer really concludes with Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Labor Day and Memorial Day (the last Monday of May) together serve as the bookends of the summer.

The Labor Day Holiday is a time that people in this country associate with a last summer blast: another reason for an outdoor picnic, a chance for a three-day vacation, family trips to amusement parks, and of course, taking advantage of numerous sales that retailers always offer. (Labor Day is often the second largest shopping day of the year after Black Friday in November.) It’s also the point when school traditionally goes back in session, although some schools start a week earlier and some a week later.

Labor Day’s origins lie in the 1880s. In 1882 Matthew Maguire, a machinist in New York City who was secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) at the time, and Peter J McGuire of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), first proposed a celebration of the hard working men and women of the United States. However, five years would pass before the first state made it an official holiday, Oregon. Other states quickly followed this example, although not all selected a date in September.

By 1894, thirty states had started Labor Day celebrations. President Grover Cleveland signed the law that made Labor Day a federal holiday only a week after Congress voted unanimously to approve the legislation. The date chosen for the holiday was the same one that Maguire and McGuire had originally proposed.

The U.S.A. is not the only country that celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September. Canada observes the holiday as well, although they spell it “Labour” Day. In fact, Canada celebrated the occasion earlier than the U.S., and was an early inspiration in this country for the development of the holiday.

All of us here at DuAll Heating & Cooling hope you and your family—whether at work or at play—enjoy a relaxing and memorable Labor Day weekend and have a fantastic start to the fall.

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