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16 Nov

Top 3 Reasons Why You Need a Whole-House Humidifier This Winter

by Kevin Switala
in Uncategorized
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It’s that time of year again: when we crank up the heater and hunker down, watching another winter roll through the Minnesota plains. It’s also the time of year where we start to cough, sneeze, and itch.  If you, too, consider yourself a victim of winter-dryness, it’s time to talk about adding a whole-house humidifier to your home’s HVAC system. While winter dryness is uncomfortable, it can also cause a myriad of problems. Here are the top three reasons why a whole-house humidifier can be your best friend this winter season.  1. Health  When we turn on our heaters, we’re pulling moisture from the air. Sure, this winter dryness can be irritating, but did you know that it can also negatively impact your health?  With cold and flu season here, it’s important to note that viruses that can cause colds and the flu thrive in low-humidity environments. This means, the drier your indoor air quality, the more susceptible your family will be to common winter illnesses. The good news is, maintaining proper humidity levels in your home can actually help reduce the presence of airborne viruses, bacteria, fungi, dust-mites, and other allergens.  These irritants can cause a number of health problems, including:  Dry skinSore throat Runny nose Bloody nose Cough Respiratory infections Trouble breathing  If you want to improve the health and comfort of your family’s home this winter, consider investing in a whole-house humidifier. Whole-house humidifiers attach to your ductwork and blow moist air into your home, raising your home’s humidity levels. And, with systems like the AprilAire whole-house humidifiers, you can control the humidifier from an app on your smartphone. 2. Home  Wood is hygroscopic, meaning that it readily takes up and retains moisture. Wood reacts to the relative humidity of its surrounding environment to find equilibrium, meaning that moisture–or lack thereof–can actually change the volume and integrity of the wood. So what does this mean for you? Well, if the air in your home is too dry, your wooden floors, cabinetry, and anything else wooden is susceptible to cracking and warping.  To preserve the beauty of your home’s wooden features, make sure your humidity levels are maintained between 30 and 55%. Most whole-house humidifiers come outfitted with digital controls, making it easy to maintain your desired level of humidity.  With the proper humidity, your wooden floors and features will maintain their luster for years longer. 3. Energy Efficiency  As these midwestern summers remind us every year, higher humidity levels can make the air temperature feel anywhere from 1 to 5 degrees warmer. This is because, thanks to the moisture content in the air, the body’s perspiration evaporates from the skin at a much slower rate, which makes it harder to cool off.  During the winter time, though, the humidity is on your side, helping your body maintain its heat. This also means that if the air in your home is too dry, it can actually feel colder than it is.  Without the right level of humidity, you’ll find yourself reaching for the thermostat more often, which means you’re putting more stress on your heating system. This also translates to a higher energy bill at the end of the month.  At Titan Heating & Cooling, we’re all about efficiency. A whole-house humidifier can help you reduce your energy bill and make your home more energy efficient. You’ll also spend less money on hvac maintenance throughout the year if you use your heater less often! Need a Home Humidifier Installed? Trust Titan Heating & Cooling  At Titan Heating & Cooling, not only do we specialize in AC units, heating systems, and HVAC maintenance, but we also offer only the best in humidifier technology: the AprilAire Whole-House Humidifier system. We carry various models of the...

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29 Jul

Answered: Why is one room always hotter than the rest of my house? 

by Kevin Switala
in Uncategorized
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We’ve all been there. You set the thermostat to a reasonable 78 degrees, but when you walk into that one particular room–whether it’s your guest room, your office, or if you’re really unlucky, your bedroom–it feels like a balmy 82.  So rather than deal with this problem all summer long (like you did last summer…and the summer before that), you’ve decided to research the issue and find a solution. Good for you! You’ve come to the right place.  As HVAC maintenance specialists, the crew at Titan Heating and Cooling has definitely heard this question before. And the answer isn’t always air conditioning repair services. In fact, there are several possible reasons why one room is hotter than the rest of the house.  Below, we’ve listed five common culprits of a temperature imbalance and offered up a solution for each.  Poor Insulation  Aside from being hotter in the summertime, is the room in question always colder in winter? If the answer is yes, your problem might be poor insulation.  When a room isn’t insulated well, more air is able to escape through the walls of your home, causing your heating and air conditioning systems to work overtime. That also means that in the winter, your heater is warming up icicles, and during the summer, the AC is cooling off your shrubbery. Not a pleasant thought.  If you’ve lived at your residence for a while, it might be time to have a professional come conduct an inspection to find out if your home needs new insulation. When a room is properly insulated, it will hold its temperature much better.  Windows There’s nothing better than a lovely view, and big windows through which you can appreciate it. But, if your windows are old or poorly sealed, they can easily let air escape from your home, changing the temperature in the room.  Even if your windows are brand new, they can still cause issues. Statistically, windows are to blame for about 13% of air leakage in a home.  There are a couple of solutions here. If your problem is that your windows are just old, you can have a professional come out and air seal your windows for you, or check out our blog on how to air seal your home yourself.  If your windows are brand new, however, consider applying special temperature control window film to them. These films will help stabilize the temperature in that particular room by blocking UV rays from getting into the room and cool air from leaving it.  Distance From the AC Is your extra-warm room far from the AC unit? It’s not unheard of for rooms that are farthest away from the AC to not get its full effects. There are a couple reasons for this.  Your AC system could be too small for your home. Long runs of ducts might be poorly insulated, allowing cool air to escape before it reaches a particular room.  Adding insulation to your ducts is a fairly simple fix. However, if it turns out that your AC is too small for your home, you may need to consider upgrading your air conditioning system. The skilled HVAC technicians at Titan would be able to determine the proper air conditioning unit for the size of your home.  Obstructed Air Vents/Dirty Filters Though checking the air vents is probably the first thing you did when you noticed the different temperatures in your home, it’s still worth double checking. Are the vents open all the way? Is there any furniture in front of the air vent that may be blocking airflow?  If you’ve checked off both of those boxes, then your problem might lie in the filter that sits directly behind the air vent. Did...

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23 May

How To Find and Fix Air Leaks in Your Home

by Kevin Switala
in Uncategorized
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Do you like the idea of outside air creeping into your home? How about conditioned and heated air escaping outside? If you pay your monthly energy bill, your answer is probably “NO!” Well, that’s what happens when air leaks are left unsealed in your home.  Here are a few warning signs that you’ve got more than a few air leaks:  Your HVAC system is constantly running. Your utility bills have noticeably increased. Different rooms have different temperatures. Your allergies act up even when you’re inside all day.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homeowners can save an average of 15% on their heating and cooling costs by air sealing and adding insulation to their homes. Other benefits of air sealing include increasing the lifespan of your A/C and heating units and improving your family’s physical health.  While you can hire a professional to air seal your home, it is also entirely possible to do the job yourself. Read on to learn about the basic processes of identifying and sealing different areas of your house.  How To Identify Air Leaks Visual Inspection  The first step you need to take in identifying air leaks in your home is to take a visual inventory of your home’s wear and tear. Survey both the outside and inside of your property and look for any cracks or gaps that are visible to the naked eye. Revisit old insulation materials and make sure they’re still intact. Scan the window and door frames during the day to make sure no sunlight is able to sneak through the cracks.  DIY Techniques To Find Large Air Leaks After you’ve noted all the air leaks that you can see, it’s time to double check for large air leaks that aren't so obvious. Below are a variety of DIY techniques that can help you locate large air leaks in your windows, doors, and vents. Dollar Bill Technique: Stick a dollar bill into the frame of your exterior door or window and close it. If you’re able to easily slip the bill out again, chances are high that you have an air leak. Hand Test: Locate larger air leaks using your sense of touch. On a cold day when your heater is running, hold your hand in front of any closed exterior doors, windows, or vents and fans. If you can feel cold air coming in, you have an air leak. Flashlight Method: After the sun has gone down, ask a friend or family member to stand outside while you shine a flashlight at any suspected air leaks. If they see any light shining through the cracks, there’s an air leak.  DIY Techniques To Find Small Leaks With air leaks, you do need to sweat the small stuff. Small leaks can come from several places, including light fixtures, electrical outlets, baseboards, and crown moldings. Try any of the below methods to identify small leaks in your home.  Candle Test: Sniff out smaller leaks with a candle test. Close all the doors and windows of your home and make sure the A/C or heater is off. Light a candle and walk to areas that you suspect have air leaks. Place the candle near the area you want to test, and watch the flame. Flame movement indicates an air leak.  Paper Test: Can’t find a candle? Use paper, instead. Hold a piece of paper near any possible problem areas, such as electrical outlets or windows. If the paper moves, you know there’s an air leak. Incense Test (Depressurization): Smoke out suspected problem areas with this depressurization method. On a cold and windy day, close all exterior doors and windows, and turn on all fans in your kitchen and bathrooms. Pass a lit stick of...

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26 Jan

Is Your Basement Freezing? How To Keep Your Basement Warm This Winter

by Kevin Switala
in Uncategorized
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Basements are notoriously chilly, especially in our cold northern climate. If you only use your basement for storage, you may not need it to be warm and cozy. But if you have a basement family room, bedroom, or bathroom, you need it to be comfortable enough that you actually want to spend time down there. If your basement is freezing, there are a variety of tactics you can use to turn up the heat and improve energy efficiency. Here are a few ways to keep your basement warm this winter. Seal Leaks Cracks or gaps in your basement walls or floors allow cold air to seep into your home and heated air to escape.  Check for cracks in the foundation, flooring, and walls, as well as gaps around windows and doors. Seal up small cracks with the appropriate caulk, foam insulation, or weather stripping. If you notice a significant crack in your home’s foundation, have a professional take a look at it to make sure you don’t have bigger issues on your hands. Update Older Windows Replace old drafty windows and doors with new, energy-efficient options. If your windows are warped, broken, or have damaged seals or single-pane glass, it may be time to swap them out. When replacing windows, choose energy-efficient varieties, such as double- or triple-paned glass windows. Add More Insulation Insulation reduces the rate of heat transfer in a space — in other words, it keeps warm air in and cold air out. If your basement isn’t insulated sufficiently, it won’t retain heat as well as it should, and your other efforts to keep your basement warm won’t be as effective as they would be otherwise. If your basement already has interior walls covering the foundation, you may be able to add additional spray foam insulation. If your basement foundation is visible, you might want to consider framing in your basement walls so you can add insulation. In addition, check to be sure you have enough insulation around windows and doors, and add more as necessary.  Install Carpet or Add Area Rugs Your walls aren’t the only factor in keeping your basement warm: the type of flooring you have plays a role as well. If you have bare concrete floors, consider covering them up with wall-to-wall carpet or area rugs. Not only is carpet nicer to walk on, it can also help insulate your floor and keep your basement warmer. Even placing throw rugs over the more highly-trafficked areas of your basement can help keep your feet warm and insulate the floor a bit. Note that if your basement tends to leak or flood regularly, you’ll want to take care of that first before installing carpet or rugs. Install In-Floor Heating An in-floor radiant heat system is another way to warm up your basement. These systems circulate hot water beneath your floor, warming the cement. That heat rises throughout the room and keeps your basement warm.  Keep in mind that in-floor heat is easier to install in a new construction home. It is still possible to install in existing basement flooring, but the process is more involved. Add an Electric Baseboard Heater or Wood Stove You could also consider installing an individual heating unit in your basement, such as an electric baseboard heater or a wood or pellet stove. If you’re up for hauling firewood or bags of wood pellets into your basement, a stove can add cozy ambience in addition to heat.  Electric baseboard heaters aren’t as attractive as a wood stove, but if that’s not a concern for your space, they’ll do the job well. You’ll need one for each room, as the heat from baseboard heaters doesn’t easily travel from room to room. You can...

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