After an enjoyable evening around the Fire Pit , you’re left with a pile of ashes to dispose of. Sure, you can let them cool completely and toss them into the trash bin. But did you know there are a number of ways to use wood ash around your home and garden? Check out the…
Get to Know Your AC Condenser
The AC condenser is one of the most important components of a central air conditioning system. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least understood. Various issues can affect how your AC condenser works, and each one affects the overall function of your AC system. The more you know about how your AC system operates,…
It’s Not Too Late for AC Preventive Maintenance
What good is your central air conditioning system without annual preventive maintenance? Over time, not all that much. Consider these key facts: The average system lifespan is 12-15 years Annual maintenance helps keep your system in top working order, possibly even extending its lifespan AC maintenance also helps reduce total repair costs You’ll pay less…
Common AC Repair Problems
Most AC systems are built to last 10 – 15 years. The better and more faithfully you have yours maintained, the more productive years you can expect from it. But even well-maintained systems eventually require professional attention beyond simple annual maintenance. When that time comes, here are a few of the more common warning signs…
Heating and Cooling a Home with High Ceilings
Vaulted, cathedral, or otherwise high ceilings can make a home feel spacious, airy, and grand, allowing beams and other architectural details to shine. However, they can also have an effect on your HVAC system and, in turn, heating and cooling costs. Read on as we explore how high ceilings impact an HVAC system’s ability to…
Home Maintenance Tasks to Tackle this Spring
The increasingly longer days and warmer temps make early spring a great time to tackle some projects and prep your home and garden for the summer months ahead. And to help you figure out just where to start, we’ve come up a list of 10 tasks to check off your to-do list now so that…
How to Identify Mold vs. Mildew
Mold and mildew are often used interchangeably, almost as if they were the same substance. They both thrive in damp, dark, poorly ventilated areas and can wreak havoc in your home and with your health. Simply put, neither mold nor mildew is welcomed in the home, especially if you suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory…
Your Guide to Decoding Product Labels
Reading household and personal care product labels can often feel like reading a foreign language. We’re bombarded with fancy-sounding words that claim to be free of certain potentially harmful ingredients and deliver miracle-like benefits. But how can we be certain whether those claims are fact or fiction? Especially considering that as long as a product…
Get More Out of Your Appliances
Imagine starting the day without the sound of your coffee pot’s drip-drip-drip of freshly brewed coffee, keeping your home warm without your trusty heating system, washing clothes and linens without a washing machine, or cooking meals without a stove, oven, or microwave. Sure, generations before us managed to survive without such luxuries, but today these…
Are New Carpet Odors Making You Sick?
The smell of something “new” can be wonderful. The perfect scent of a newborn baby, a shiny new car, or the smell of a new perfume. But “new” can also make you sick. New coats of paint and stain can leave you gasping for air. As can new carpeting. Whether you like the smell of…