Althoff Home Services Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Will an Air Purifier Minimize My Allergy Symptoms?

Thursday, June 8th, 2017

There are plenty of myths about how to best clean the air in your home. Some people believe a good HEPA air filter will do. Others suggest an air purifier. Still others say that perhaps there is nothing you can do, especially when it comes to allergens. The Chicago area has experienced medium to high pollen levels throughout the spring and forecasts call for it to continue. If you or someone in your family suffers from pollen-related allergies, the following may help.

Will My HVAC Filters Help?

The answer is yes, but to a limited degree. HEPA filters provide more stringent cleaning than standard filters but when it comes to allergens, your basic filters provide limited protection. These filters are designed to keep airflow moving unobstructed to your HVAC system, not in removing dust or allergens from your home.

What is an Air Purifier?

While HVAC filters remove contaminants from clogging your HVAC system, and do, in fact remove larger particles from the air, an air purifier or air cleaner is designed to remove contaminants from the air in a room. A HEPA filter in particular is designed to pass the air in a room through it multiple times, removing increasingly smaller particulars from the room.

Will an Air Purifier Help with my Allergy Symptoms?

Again, the answer is yes, but probably only to a limited degree if you are not taking other steps. Your first goal should be to limit your exposure to allergens.

Avoid spending time in the outdoors, where you may breathe in allergens or even have them collect on your hair and clothes.
Take a shower before bed so you will not transfer allergens to bedding and your pillows.
Make sure all filters in your HVAC system are cleaned and/or replaced often, at least once every three months.
If someone in your family has severe allergies, consider replacing carpeting with solid flooring material like wood, wood-like flooring, or tile flooring. This will keep allergens from collecting in carpeting and being redistributed during vacuuming.
Furniture can gather allergens so make sure yours is cleaned regularly.
Keep your windows closed at home, even when the weather is tempting you to open all the windows. This is really important in the spring when flower and tree pollen is highest.
Take spring cleaning seriously. Allergies are a good reason people take the time to thoroughly clean their homes. It works. It also helps to keep the air clean with the appropriate filtration devices.

If you have taken the above steps and are still suffering significantly, it is a good idea to contact the indoor air experts at Althoff Industries. Depending on your home, your HVAC system and your specific allergen related issues, Althoff can design a system using a variety of the latest technologies to removed allergens, dust and dust mites from your indoor air. Without the proper air filtration and purification system, many homes are simply recycling dirty air. Help is just a phone call away.

The Althoff Difference

At Althoff Industries, we aren’t interested in selling the latest trendy devices. We have built our reputation and our company on providing solutions that work. This includes air cleaner and air purification systems that perform in concert with your HVAC system to provide a healthy environment for you and your family. Are you experiencing runny noses, sneezing, red or watering eyes, or seem to be constantly dusting your home? We may have the solution for you. Contact Althoff Industries and enjoy cleaner, healthier and more comfortable air in your home.

Tags: Air Quality, HVAC, Residential Air Quality, Residential HVAC, Residential Services
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Winter Thermostat Settings – What is Best for the Midwest?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

The debate rages on at cocktail parties and family gatherings. There are some who have an extreme view to the right and those who would prefer people lean left when it comes to the subject. One thing we can all agree on is that in Crystal Lake and the Northwest Chicago area suburbs, winters are cold. So what is the definitive answer to what is the best temperature for a house in winter? What are appropriate winter thermostat settings for your home? The answer may be a bit more complicated than you think.

The perfect winter thermostat settings involve a variety of factors, few of which are scientific or even comparable.

Thermostats are Not Always Accurate

Did you ever follow a recipe to the ‘t’, cook it in your oven and then have it burn? The likely reason is that the temperature setting and the exact temperature in the oven may not match. It happens frequently. Likewise, your thermostat may not exactly provide the temperature it is set to deliver to your home. This causes two potential problems.

The first is that the temperature you have your thermostat set at and the temperature it delivers may not match. This can be remedied by making sure your HVAC professional calibrates your thermostat with the furnace. The second issue is that the thermostat of your friends and neighbors may not be correctly calibrated. This means you may be discussing why one family enjoys a 68-70 range and others prefer a 70-72 range when in reality, the actual temperature is the same. The key is making sure your thermostat is reflective of the actual temperature your HVAC system is providing. We can do that for you at Althoff Industries.

There Is a Difference Between Heating Sources

Electric heat is often described as “dry heat” while natural gas furnaces tend to deliver heat that has more moisture. While there are products that can add humidity to electric heating systems, consumers should be aware of the differences. Comparing comfort levels in a room of the same temperature with dry heat and gas heat will offer different opinions on which is better.

Draft and Air Movement

Another major factor in the comfort of a room is the air movement in the room and if it is “drafty”. A room may be heated to an appropriate temperature but if there are drafts from under doors, through windows or due to poor insulation, the room will not be as cozy as one where there are drafts and invasive air flow.

What’s Best for You and Your Family?

The biggest considerations in the proper setting of your home’s thermostat are the comfort of your family and your energy bill goals. If your family agrees on an environmentally friendly program of wearing sweaters, using blankets, and keeping the thermostat to a certain level, congratulations! If not, there are other steps you can take, like installing a programmable thermostat that will control your furnace when no one is at home. If you live alone or as a couple, “smart” thermostats can be controlled from a cell phone to save energy when you are not at home but can get it warmed for your arrival.

The bottom line is that it is difficult to compare comfort levels with others because thermostats may be calibrated differently, homes have different insulation characteristics, and drafts may be more common in some homes than others.

At Althoff Industries, we can make sure your thermostat is accurately calibrated. We can help you create an indoor environment that uses heat and humidity that results in maximum comfort. We will help you with suggestions to keep your energy costs at a minimum.

If you are tempted to compare comfort levels with friends and neighbors, that is understandable. You should be aware, however, this may be an apples to oranges comparison. It can depend on your thermostat calibration, heating sources, insulation, air movement, and more. The bottom line is that you and your family get comfortable with both your indoor environment and your energy costs. We can help you find that balance when you call Althoff Industries.

Tags: Heating, HVAC, Residential Heating, Residential HVAC, Residential Services
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