Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

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The air in our part of the country is not particularly known for high humidity levels, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never find yourself dealing with excessively humid air in your residence. If you are at all concerned about the early warning signs of high humidity, which we’ll detail a bit below, just let a member of our team know. We install whole-house dehumidifiers in Fort Collins, CO, and we always do the job right. Don’t waste your time messing about with ineffective and inconvenient portable dehumidifiers in your home. Instead, schedule service with the pros on our staff, and ensure that the air in your home is sufficiently dry.

What Are the Signs of High Humidity?

Chances are that you’ve heard someone say, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” at some point. There is some truth in this saying, actually, though it’s a bit of an oversimplification. Very humid air does indeed retain heat very effectively, which can make you feel even more uncomfortable than you otherwise would. However, it also impedes the evaporation of sweat on your skin, which is your body’s natural cooling system. If your skin constantly feels sticky and hot, you may have too much humidity in the air in your home.

Not only will excess humidity leave you feeling less comfortable, but it can also lead to damage to your property. If you notice signs of wood rot in your home, if you see mold beginning to take root, or if the wooden floorboards are starting to warp, it could be because your home is just too humid within.

If you notice these warning signs in your household, contact Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning to inquire about the whole-house dehumidifiers available to you.

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Do you own residential properties that you rent out? If so, you are solely responsible for the upkeep your rental property’s HVAC system. It is for this reason that we strongly urge you to explore all that our rental energy savings program has to offer. You can review all of the benefits and details of our rental energy savings program in Fort Collins, CO and the surrounding areas here. Read the following post for a brief rundown on what our rental energy savings program entails, and why you should enroll. If you have any further questions, be sure to give a member of our team a call.

What It Is

Your heating and cooling system requires routine, annual maintenance in order to remain in the best working condition possible. By having your system tuned up on a regular basis, you ensure that it is operating at peak performance and efficiency levels. When you enroll in our residential rental service program, we come to your rental property twice a year in order to inspect and tune up your home comfort systems, which reduces your own liability and proves to your tenants that you take their comfort and, in fact, their safety very seriously. Not only that, but you can maintain up to 95% of your systems’ original efficiency by having them tuned up on a proper, annual basis.

Benefits of the Agreement

There are a lot of benefits that you’ll enjoy when you take advantage of our residential rental service agreement. You protect your investment in your rental property, of course. You also won’t incur overtime charges when the agreement is in effect, and you get a 15% discount on repairs, as well. You also get priority customer status. The bottom line: this is too good an opportunity to pass up.

Call Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning today for more details.

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No matter what type of business you may be in, you are responsible for ensuring that everyone within your commercial property, including your tenants, clients, and employees, are all comfortable at all times. That is why it is so important that you have a great commercial HVAC system installed on your property. If you have an old, ailing system, or you are just interested in replacing your existing system with something more efficient, give a member of our staff a call. One option that is well worth your consideration is the use of a rooftop unit.

What Is a Rooftop Unit?

A rooftop unit, as you’ve probably guessed, is a commercial HVAC system that is installed on the roof of a property. Generally, a rooftop unit will house most of the necessary heating and cooling equipment in one freestanding unit. There are a number of ways in which opting for a rooftop unit can benefit you and your property.

Accessibility is a major issue, and you may not want commercial HVAC technicians passing through your commercial space on the way to service your system during business hours. By installing the unit on the roof, you ensure that they won’t have to. The integral components of the system are easily accessible in a place that won’t interfere with the activities in your space itself.

Additionally, installing the HVAC equipment on your roof means that you don’t have to use up valuable real estate on your property in order to store these components. This is especially beneficial in areas where parking space is tight, or where an outdoor seating area may benefit from the removal of rather unsightly commercial HVAC systems.

If you are ready to schedule commercial HVAC services of any kind in Fort Collins, CO, be sure to give Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning a call.

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Do you use a forced air heating and/or cooling system in order to maintain comfortable temperatures throughout your home all year long? If so, we recommend that you take precautions to guarantee that you are getting the very best performance possible from your HVAC system. This means scheduling routine heating and air conditioning maintenance, of course, but there are other, more specialized services that you may benefit from as well. If you are concerned about the performance of your system, for instance, you may want to schedule professional duct testing in Fort Collins, CO.

How Does Duct Testing Work?

When you schedule duct testing with a member of our team, we will seal off your vents and registers in order to create a closed system. We use a calibrated fan in order to pressurize your ductwork, essentially forcing air into the system. We measure the pressure within the ductwork against the pressurization put forth by the fan. If we see a difference in these numbers, we know that your air ducts are leaking, and that duct sealing or repair services are going to be necessary. Duct testing gives us the conclusive data that we need in order to determine if your system is in trouble.

When to Schedule Duct Testing

Not every homeowner is going to have to schedule professional duct testing services. If, however, you notice that you are having trouble heating and/or cooling your entire home evenly, if you see an inexplicable spike in your heating and cooling costs, or you hear a hissing or whistling sound coming from your system, you may want to have your air ducts tested. Decreased indoor air quality is another strong indicator that there is a problem with your ductwork.

If you are ready to schedule duct testing, contact Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning today.

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During the winter season, it can be difficult to strike the right balance between comfort and energy efficiency. You pay to heat your home, after all, so you don’t want to let the energy that you’ve used to heat the air go to waste. However, you also want to keep your home sufficiently ventilated so that indoor air quality remains high. It may seem like you’re destined to remain between a rock and a hard place, but there is actually a pretty simple solution to this problem. Just give us a call to schedule a heat recovery ventilator installation in Fort Collins, CO.

What Is a Heat Recovery Ventilator?

A heat recovery ventilator is a device that facilitates the exchange of heat between incoming and outgoing air currents in a home. During the winter season, when the air outside is fresh but cold, the HRV brings that air in in order to maintain great indoor air quality within the house. In order to prevent it from making your home too cold, though, the HRV passes this incoming airstream very near the outgoing one. This allows the system to pre-warm the incoming air with the outgoing warm, but stale, air. The process works in the summer time, too, with the outgoing air cooling the incoming air, HRVs are more common in areas such as ours, though, with very cold winters.

Benefits of Heat Recovery

There are a couple of ways in which heat recovery can benefit the homeowner. First of all, it helps to keep the air quality in a home high. This can help you to fend off allergy attacks, and even illnesses. Additionally, a heat recovery ventilator allows you to ventilate your home sufficiently, without putting efficiency on the chopping block. If you think that your home could benefit from the use of an HRV, give a member of our staff a call today.

Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning is here to handle your IAQ service needs.

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We’ve still got a good stretch of very cold weather ahead of us, but many homeowners throughout the area are already turning their thoughts toward the spring season. Something that you may want to think about is replacing your furnace at the close of this heating system. Modern furnaces have quite long lifespans, but no heating system is going to last forever. Read the following blog post, give the condition and performance quality of your furnace some serious consideration, and remember that it is better to replace a furnace by choice, rather than out of necessity born of a complete breakdown during the coldest time of the year.

How Does Your Furnace Work?

Does your furnace heat your entire home evenly and effectively? If not, it could be due to the fact that it is poorly maintained. However, if you are diligent in scheduling routine heating maintenance, but still find that your furnace is incapable of heating your home satisfactorily, a furnace replacement in Fort Collins, CO may be your best option. It is possible that your furnace is just not of the right size for your home, or that it is too worn out to function effectively. Whatever the case, a replacement just may be necessary to resolve the issue.

Does It Cost a Lot to Heat Your Home?

Great as it would be to heat one’s home for free, the fact of the matter is that you are going to have to pay to heat your living space. You shouldn’t have to pay an exorbitant amount to do so, though. If you bought a cheap furnace years ago because it was all that you could afford, you may want to upgrade to a more efficient system now. Perhaps your system is just old enough that it has lost some its efficiency capability. In either event, a replacement may be in order.

Is It Reliable?

High heating costs can be frustrating, but remember too that frequent repair needs can also add up. Just because a system can be fixed does not mean that it is worth fixing. If your furnace is unreliable, or if you’re just sick of shelling out money to have issues repaired, consider our furnace replacement services.

Schedule your furnace replacement in Fort Collins, CO with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning.

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During the summer time, the air outside tends to be rather humid. Running your air conditioner nonstop can dry the air in the house excessively, though. During the winter, we are already starting off with dry air, and heating that air over and over with a furnace or other forced-air heating system can degrade its overall quality further. If you think that the air in your home is too dry, remember that the best way to deal with such issues is with a whole-house humidifier in Fort Collins, CO

Is Your Skin Dry and Itchy?

When you surround your body with very dry air, you can and should expect your skin to dry out as well. This may lead your skin to become quite flaky, and it will probably get very itchy as well. It may even begin to split and crack, causing further discomfort. By sufficiently humidifying the air in your home, you can alleviate such symptoms.

Is Your Property Suffering?

Have you noticed that wooden fixtures or floorboards in your home are splitting and cracking? Does it seem like your paint is chipping away, or that your wallpaper is splitting? These issues could also be the result of very dry air in the home. It won’t only affect your body, after all.

Is Your Immune System Compromised?

If your sinuses and mucous membranes dry out, then your risk of getting ill is greatly increased. Plus, very dry air can cause you to suffer from frequent sore throats, or even nose bleeds. We believe that you deserve better than all of this, which is why we encourage you to use a whole-house humidifier in your home, should you encounter such problems.

Keep an eye out for these warning signs, and contact Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule your humidifier services with a qualified professional. 

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Whether heating your home in the winter or cooling it down during the long, hot summer season, you want to be able to keep your living space comfortable in an effective, yet efficient, manner. You also must be able to maintain great indoor air quality in your home, though, and that can be difficult when your home is very tightly sealed in an effort to heat and cool it efficiently. If it sounds like a problem without a solution, you are clearly unfamiliar with the concept of the ERV. By using an energy recovery ventilator in Fort Collins, CO, you ensure that your indoor air quality is high, without your heating and cooling costs following suit.

 

What Is an ERV?

An energy recovery ventilator is a pretty ingenious device that facilitates the ventilation of one’s home while also eliminating the risk of unwanted energy loss. Essentially, the ERV uses a heat transfer process in order to precondition the fresh air coming into a home. During the summer, the system will use the stale, but cool, outgoing air in order to cool down the incoming fresh, but hot, air. In the winter, the process is reversed, with the outgoing warm air being used to warm the incoming cold, fresh air. Additionally, the ERV is used to balance humidity between the incoming and outgoing air streams as well.

This benefits you in a few ways. First of all, it means that you won’t have to worry about subpar indoor air quality as the air within your home is conditioned over and over again, going stale. Also, you are able to keep indoor air quality high by ventilating your home sufficiently, but without wasting the energy that you’ve already paid for in the process. If this all sounds like a good deal to you, dial our number today to get started.

Contact Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more.

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The people who live on your rental property trust you to provide them with a safe, comfortable home. But it can be difficult to see that all of the systems on your property are running smoothly when your property has multiple units. Sudden breakdowns can cost you quite a bit, and it can be difficult to send someone out to your property for repairs in a timely manner.

That’s why it’s so important to establish a relationship with an HVAC company you can trust to send out technicians when a heating or air conditioning system breaks down. Signing up for a rental service agreement with a local HVAC company means you always have someone to turn to when your heating and AC systems need service, and it can help to prevent problems from happening in the first place.

Get Routine Maintenance for Your HVAC Systems

Most rental service agreements include one or two tune-ups per year, which can help to keep your equipment running more smoothly so that residents feel more comfortable. You benefit in the following ways:

  • Fewer complaints: A routine heating and AC tune-up helps to restore the performance and efficiency of a system, which means your tenants are less likely to complain.
  • Fewer emergency calls: In addition, you won’t have to worry about handling a tenant’s emergency service call in the middle of an extremely cold night.
  • Communication with the technicians: Your technicians will keep you posted so that you can learn about any repairs or replacement parts you need in advance and balance your budget appropriately. A good technician keeps a solid record of the systems they service, and your contractor will give you a call to authorize any major repairs.

Additional Benefits Help You Save

A rental service agreement with a qualified contractor often includes many additional perks. For example, you often gets discounts on parts and labor for future services as well as no overtime services as a “thank you” for your contract!

At Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re big enough to serve but small enough to care. Call us today and ask about our rental energy savings program available to property owners in Fort Collins, CO.

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Ductless heating systems have gained a lot of traction in the residential sector over recent years. While ductless mini splits have long been commonly used in commercial settings, homeowners have started to learn of the many benefits that they have to offer, as well. If you are uncertain of how a ductless heating system works, or if you’ve never even heard of this worthwhile heating option, read the following information. You just may find that using a ductless heating system in Fort Collins, CO is a good fit for your heating needs. Contact a member of the Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning team with any questions that you may have. 

How to Heat Your Home without Ductwork

You may think that using a boiler system, or even a fireplace, is your only option if you don’t want to use air ducts in your home. This is not the case. You can still enjoy the prompt and effective heating that forced air allows for, without the need for a single air duct in your home. Ductless mini splits feature an outdoor unit, much like those in a traditional heat pump system—and ductless heating systems do use heat pump technology—and this unit can support up to four blowers within the house. These blowers connect to the outdoor unit via power, refrigerant, and any necessary drainage lines. The refrigerant in the unit outside absorbs heat from the air. That refrigerant is further compressed, and it travels to the blowers, which use its thermal energy to heat air that they blow directly into the rooms in which they are installed.

Why Opt for Ductless Heating

Not only does the heat transfer process used by heat pumps allow for the very efficient heating of one’s home, but the ductless aspect of this system itself offers a few benefits as well. First of all, you won’t have to worry about leaky ductwork leading to a drop in energy efficiency. Additionally, leaky ductwork won’t be able to allow pollutants into the system, only to spread them throughout the house, since there is no ductwork that can leak. To schedule ductless heating services with professionals that you can count on, simply dial our number.

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