Save yourself some headaches later in the autumn season by preparing your home and HVAC system now! Denver commercial refrigeration repair can help get your HVAC system up-to-date and ready for the cold weather ahead, but here’s some other tips that can help you get your home or business ready for fall:

30 Smart Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Fall

Cooler temperatures and pretty soon falling leaves serve as a reminder that the fall season is fast approaching. As the seasons change, so do our activities and home needs. Even though summer is not quite over yet, it’s a good time to do some seasonal maintenance to keep your home running smoothly. The weather can change quickly, especially if you live in a colder climate and you don’t want to be caught unprepared. A bit of attention now will save costly repairs and aggravation later.

Interior Maintenance

1. Check for drafts. Feel for drafts around the edges of windows and doors. A good tip is to use a lighted candle and if the flame flickers, there’s most likely a draft. If necessary, replace seals and repair caulking around window and door frames. Consider buying heavier or insulated drapery for especially drafty windows.
2. Have your furnace inspected. Hire an HVAC professional to test for leaks, check heating efficiency, and change the filter. They can also do a carbon monoxide check to ensure air safety. It’s also a good idea to stock up on extra air filters and change them every few months.
3. Winterize air conditioning. If your home has central air conditioning, (and you live in a climate where you won’t need it any longer,) it may be necessary to cover your outdoor unit for winter. If you use window air conditioning units, remove them or cover to prevent air leaks.
4. Programmable thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat, if you don’t have one. If you already have one, check the temperature settings. Setting your thermostat to lower the temperature automatically at night and when you’re not home, can result in substantial cost savings.

Read the full article at lifehack.org

It goes without saying that being too hot or too cold in any environment makes it difficult to concentrate. Schools are no exception! In hot climates, kids are often stuck focusing on how hot their classroom is rather than memorizing their multiplication tables. If your school has an air conditioner that isn’t working properly, give your Denver commercial HVAC professionals a call today. Here’s some pros and cons to having air conditioning in schools:

Air Conditioning in Schools – Is it Essential for Learning?

Schools are in session, starting in August and September, or sooner. Some districts do not have air conditioning in schools. This leaves students to sweat through the day.

Districts across the U.S. faced these problems at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. Schools from Detroit to Los Angeles had heat-related closures. Kindergarteners through college students were affected.

While uncomfortable, is the heat hampering the learning process? Research has shown that indoor air quality can impact learning. Could cooling also affect a child’s education? Should air conditioning in schools be mandatory?

Why is there no air conditioning in schools?

A lack of cooling in the classroom stems from various problems. Many schools have air conditioners, yet they don’t work. Some school districts cite unfinished maintenance requests. Others say they don’t have the money to fix or replace their cooling systems.

Some schools do not have existing air conditioners. Cooling systems were never installed in some schools. In those that wish to obtain air conditioning, the funds aren’t available.

The effects of no air conditioning in schools

When students and teachers are sweating, are they able to concentrate on learning? Probably not.

When exposed to very cold temperatures, the brain isn’t thinking about learning. Instead, it’s reminding the body that it’s cold. It’s interrupting learning, urging the body to take action to warm up. Cooling down the body to avoid heat exhaustion consumes energy. This consumes bodily resources which could be used for learning. These physical demands can affect brain function, which impacts decision-making in learning.

Studies have shown that children’s academic performance declines in higher temperatures. In hotter classrooms, headaches and heat exhaustion symptoms develop. These physical symptoms can hinder academic performance. Warm classrooms also decrease interest and alertness, distracting students. Even research performed by high school students shows that test scores fall in warmer environments!

Read the full article at hvac.com

Are strange noises coming from your walk in cooler, air conditioner or other parts of your HVAC system? Some noises are completely normal and others can be solved with a quick and easy fix. For the repairs you can’t do on your own, give us a call day or night and we’ll be sure to help. Here’s a quick guide explaining what those weird noises may mean:

Common HVAC Noises and What They Mean

Can’t hear the TV because your vents are so loud?

While some noises are normal, such as a quiet hum or the sounds of air whooshing through the vents, sometimes HVAC systems make strange noises and can become loud, disruptive annoyances in the home. This doesn’t have to be the case.

Check out these common causes of noises in an HVAC system and what you can do about them:

Rattling

Hearing a rattling noise coming from your HVAC system could mean a few things. If it originates from the outdoor unit, chances are you have some kind of debris in the system, such as a twig. (While the grate will protect your system from most large debris, it’s still possible for small things to get through.)

Turn your system off and cut the power to the unit, then remove the debris. If you see visible damage to the condenser coils, compressor, or fan, call your HVAC technician.

If the rattling seems to be internal, from a furnace or other internal component, turn the system off and call your HVAC technician since removing the obstacle isn’t as simple.

Hissing

Hearing a hissing noise most likely means air is escaping from your system. If the noise is coming from the walls, there’s a good chance your ducts are leaking. Not only can this cause noise, it also wastes money because the air that should be circulating throughout your home is leaking into the walls.

Duct repair isn’t really a repair homeowners can do on their own, so if your system is making a loud hissing noise, call a technician. However, if the hissing is light, it could originate from your air vents. Typically when you hear this noise it is because your filter is not “set” right or you have the wrong size filter which is creating the gap in the seal. If this is the case, the air is squeezing past the filter or around it, instead of being pulled through it. This is a simple fix that starts with ensuring the filter is the right size and is placed correctly, leaving no room for gaps.

Read the full article at hvac.com

With people spending more of their time indoors every day, it is important to examine how indoor air quality can be impacting your health. Many agree that indoor air pollution is more of a concerning health hazard for Americans than outdoor air pollution, simply because we’re spending more and more time indoors. Whether you’re indoors at work or kicking back and enjoying a family dinner at home, make sure your indoor air is keeping you healthy with by checking with your Denver commercial heating and cooling company. Here’s a guide to helping you improve your indoor air quality:

The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality Concerns

All of us face a variety of risks to our health as we go about our day-to-day lives. Driving in cars, flying in planes, engaging in recreational activities, and being exposed to environmental pollutants all pose varying degrees of risk. Some risks are simply unavoidable. Some we choose to accept because to do otherwise would restrict our ability to lead our lives the way we want. And some are risks we might decide to avoid if we had the opportunity to make informed choices. Indoor air pollution is one risk that you can do something about.

In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.

In addition, people who may be exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

Indoor Air Quality in Your Home

What Causes Indoor Air Problems?

Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in homes. Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants.

Pollutant Sources

There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings as diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.

The relative importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is properly adjusted.

Read the full article at cspc.gov

Many homeowners have never heard of home zoning for their air conditioning and heating systems. It is often the best way to ensure that all the random cold and hot spots in your home are balanced to the most comfortable temperature for you and your family. Zoning can help you regulate your inside temperatures, so give your residential and commercial air conditioning repair in Denver a call to set something up today. Here’s a little more information on how zoning can help you:

Home Zoning: The Cure for the Common (and Uncomfortable) Home

What if an electrician came to your home and rewired your house so that all of the lights were turned off and on at the same time using a single switch? Most homeowners would show that electrician the door. However we still use that same impractical and inefficient concept for cooling and heating our homes. A single thermostat controls the temperature for the entire house, leaving some rooms cold, some rooms hot and some rooms in a constant state of flux.

For decades, homeowners have accepted this one-thermostat-for-all-rooms solution. They’ve begrudgingly used space heaters and window air conditioners to try to even out temperatures in attics, basements, rec rooms and bedrooms that never feel comfortable. However, there are plenty of options when it comes to controlling home comfort. Whether the problem is a single room or single area of the home, or you’re looking for a more cost-effective and energy conscious solution for the entire house, there are options.

Controlled Comfort with Home Zoning

A zoned home is divided into segments, based upon each segment’s need for conditioning. Each zone has its own indoor unit and its own controller so you use only the amount of conditioning needed in each zone, instead of one big system conditioning the entire house. This can improve energy efficiency and reduces heating and cooling costs across the board.

Zoning is very popular in new builds, but it is also possible for existing homes. Zoning is appropriate for all homes that:

• Have two or more levels
• Have rooms with large windows and/or vaulted ceilings
• Make use of basements or attics as living space
• Are built over concrete slabs
• Experience extreme temperature swings or differentials
• Are over 60 years old and cannot be torn up for ductwork
• Experience family fights over the thermostat

Stop Treating Symptoms

In the past, homeowners have been forced to either accept cold spots and hot spots, or they have had to resort to expensive short-term solutions like window AC units or space heaters to control the temperature in different areas of their home. These spot fixes can help control comfort, but they are expensive both to purchase and utilize and they don’t solve the larger problem. It’s like taking aspirin when you have the flu – it can help treat the symptoms, but it doesn’t cure the virus.

Read the full article at hgtv.com

One of the things we love about the HVAC business here at All Temperatures Controlled, Inc. is how vast and complex it all can be. We pride ourselves in understanding all the ins-and-outs of our business so that we know exactly how to take care of all your commercial refrigerator and HVAC needs. Here’s some fun and interesting facts that you may have never known about the many purposes of air conditioning throughout history:

10 surprising air-conditioning facts from the new book ‘Cool’

The easiest way to beat the heat this weekend may be to turn on your air conditioning. But the road to being able to flip a switch to cool down your house was not so simple. As author Salvatore Basile explains in his new book “Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything,” the path to easy, affordable ways to cool down took a path through ice, ammonia, fans, pipes, blowers, coils and more. Here are some surprising things you probably don’t know about air conditioning.

1. If you go to a movie to beat the heat this weekend, you’re not the first. In fact, major advances in air-conditioning technology began in 1917, when theater owners wanted to fill seats during sweltering summers. With no home air conditioning, people flocked to movie theaters, whose advertisements featured lettering dripping with icicles.
2. In 1736, the English House of Commons was cooled by a seven-foot, hand-cranked “blowing wheel.” The man at the crank was known as the Ventilator.
3. An ice-making machine was patented as early as 1851, but American ice interests, which had a network that stored and transported lake ice from cold regions, managed to quash it.
4. A variety of machine cooling systems were developed, but they were slow to catch on. In 1891, a St. Louis company transformed a beer hall and restaurant into an “Ice Palace.” Chilled by refrigeration, painted with murals of a polar expedition, it displayed frost-coated pipes spelling out the prorprietor’s name to passers-by. Those who left the 90-degree temperatures outside for the 70 degrees inside considered it merely a pleasant oddity.
5. An unnamed California millionaire was the first to try cooling an entire room in his home mechanically, in 1892. It was only 6 feet by 9 feet and required a false wall to conceal machinery, more of which was located on the roof. (Could it have been William Randolph Hearst? That’s my guess).
6. Two early successful ventilation systems were installed in 1899 in Cornell’s dissecting rooms (for the cadavers) and 1903, at the New York Stock Exchange (for the stockbrokers).
7. Willis Haviland Carrier, whose patents and ideas created the first widely popular factory-scale coolers, was so absorbed in creating his air conditioner that he once left for a business trip with a large suitcase in which he had packed nothing but a handkerchief.

8. The first fully air-conditioned residence was built in Minneapolis in 1913 by Charles “Spend-a-Million” Gates, heir to a barbed-wire fortune. The mansion, taking up three city lots, also boasted gold plumbing and a ballroom, but Gates never got to experience it: He died while on a hunting trip before the house was finished.

Read the full article at latimes.com

What would summer be without air conditioning to cool us down? Probably a little less fun! As humans, we can cool things down inside when the temperatures are scorching inside, and even during winter, we can heat things up inside when it’s freezing outdoors. If your HVAC system needs repair to keep the temperature comfortable inside your home or business, give your local Denver commercial heating and cooling company a call 24/7. But are your furry friends staying cool this summer too? Make sure they’re kept comfortable in the summer heat with these following tips:

Keep Your Pets Cool This Summer

As temperatures rise, it’s important to remember that our pets don’t have the same ability to put on shorts and a tank top when the going gets hot as we do. Our dogs can overheat quickly in warm temperatures, and heat stroke can be fatal.

Holistic veterinarian Dr. Kathy Wentworth, who owns PetPoint Medical Center & Resort in Irvine, says heat stroke symptoms will typically begin with excessive panting as dogs attempt to cool themselves down.

They can have difficulty breathing, bright red gums, foaming and salivating of the mouth and even nosebleeds. As symptoms worsen, they can suffer vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures and cardiac arrest. A dog’s normal body temperature ranges between 100 and 102.5 Fahrenheit. Moderate heat stroke can occur between 104 and 106, and above that, “then you’re in trouble,” Wentworth says.

Here are some tips for keeping pets cool in warm temperatures:

Know your dog. Big, heavy and dark-coated dogs can get hotter quicker than light, white dogs. Wentworth says dogs like bulldogs and boxers with flatter faces, which can restrict breathing, and that have large mass have trouble cooling down. “I have seen a bulldog who had a nosebleed because he was just so overheated,” she says.

Pay attention to temperature. Don’t think that just because you’re indoors, your dog can’t get hot. Keep your dog indoors with fans running or the air conditioning going on hot days and always find shade for your dog when he goes out.

Orange County-based Certified Professional Dog Trainer Kate Connell generally recommends keeping your thermostat at 78 and run fans as necessary to keep pets cool. “Dogs who stay in air conditioning all day are more likely to get heat stroke when out on a hot day because their bodies aren’t used to the heat,” Connell says.

Don’t overdo exercise. Keep exercise on the less intense side on warm days. After any walk or hike, give your dog a place to cool off afterward, and take whatever breaks are necessary during the excursion. Always have plenty of water available.

Act quickly at any sign of overheating. Wet your dog down with cold, wet towels, a water bottle, a hose or in the shower – but avoid ice water as it constricts blood vessels, which can stop the release of heat from the body, Wentworth says, although an ice pack under the armpits or on the head is OK. Offer your dog some water, bring him into air conditioning and turn the fans on. As soon as you can, head to the vet, who can run intravenous fluids to cool your pet’s internal body temperature, Wentworth says. She says dogs who’ve had heat stroke once are at increased risk of getting it again.

Shaving your dog isn’t the answer. While some pet owners feel shaving their pet is a good idea, Wentworth says a dog’s coat is meant to protect him from both cold and heat. “For most dogs, that coat is probably protective, insulation-wise,” she says.

Keep track of the time. Wentworth says to exercise with your dog in the morning or evening, when temperatures are coolest. Connell recommends not staying out later than 10 a.m. on warm days. “If you’re out with your dog on a warm day – hiking, beach, etc. – always turn back to go home before you’ve reached the halfway point with your water,” Connell says.

Read the full article at ocregister.com