Heating & Air Conditioning Blog | Dogtown Heating & Air

How UV Lights Can Boost Your Indoor Air

June 16, 2020

Today, perhaps more than ever, you are conscious of the viruses and bacteria in the air in your home. You want to maintain a healthy environment in your house for your family and guests. The use of ultraviolet lighting may just be one of the foot soldiers you need to keep the air in your residence as healthy as possible. This short-wavelength light can damage the genetic material in molds, bacteria, and viruses. Sometimes, this kills the organism, whereas other times, the organism is just rendered unable to reproduce, causing it to die out. UV Lighting Near

Why Does My HVAC System Smell Like Smoke?

May 13, 2020

Seeing or smelling smoke from your home’s HVAC system can be alarming. An odor of smoke could develop for several reasons, and not all of them are emergencies. Here are three reasons why your home’s heating and cooling system could smell like smoke and which actions you should take. Dirty Filter or Vents A dusty air filter could create a smoke type of smell. Dust on the electrical heating elements may also cause a short-term smoke odor the first time you use the emergency heat for the season. If you

The Best Air Purifiers For Germs

April 17, 2020

Most purifiers can combat air pollution effectively. But, air pollution isn’t just smoke and some strange odors. The mold spores, pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and germs in your indoor environment require specialized air filters for effective removal. Air purifiers fitted with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are the most efficient at getting these harmful particles out of your indoor air. These filters force air through a fine mesh, trapping and killing any present germs. Here are three great air purifiers to fight off germs. Alen Paralda Air Purifier Incorporating the HEPA-Silver threads,

Common Plumbing Issues People Try To Fix

March 11, 2020

When you see a plumbing problem, is your first instinct to pull out some tools and handle it yourself? Sometimes, this can be a great way to save money, but often, home repairs just end in disaster. There are certain plumbing issues that are best left to experts who know how to handle complex repairs. Adjusting Pipes Under the Sink When people notice a leak or blockage under their sink, they often assume they can handle it themselves. However, sink pipes are actually very tricky to reassemble, especially if they’re connected to dishwashers or garbage disposals.

How Does a Furnace Work?

February 18, 2020

The modern furnace is a very simple design, but it uses some complicated and delicate parts. Most home repairs will leave the complicated fixes for the professionals and focus on the simple things that prevent proper function. Simple Troubleshooting You have probably noticed one of two symptoms if your furnace is not working correctly. First is the obvious issue that the furnace will not turn on. The second is that there may be less air coming out of the heat registers. You can solve both of these by checking two items: your thermostat batteries and

Why You Should Invest in a Smart Thermostat

January 5, 2020

The trend is green. Reduce your footprint. Smart thermostats are becoming increasingly popular. The majority of businesses are either installing smart thermostats when their brick and mortar locations go up, or they are converting their existing thermostats to a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats are more than just a thermostat that can be programmed. 1. Bring Your Electric Cost Down You can program your smart thermostat to the ideal temperatures based on what time of the day it is or what day of the week. You can bring your air temperatures down when the hot summer heat

5 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Kitchen Appliances

December 17, 2019

1. Kitchen Dishwasher Doesn’t Heat or Drain Properly Dishwashers tend to last over 10 years. When they reach the end of their service life, you’ll notice that certain parts of their wash cycle stop functioning. The dishwasher’s heating element may fail or the spray arm mechanism may break. 2. Gas or Electric Range Runs Too Hot or Cold Ovens and range tops have a long life expectancy, too. The breakdowns that signal the end of their lives involve a loss of temperature control or heating elements that stop working. These failures can usually be repaired,

Tips for Maintaining Your Winter Indoor Air

November 12, 2019

When the cold winter winds blow, Illinois homeowners try to seal up their houses as much as possible. This will help the furnace work in the most efficient way. However, in an effort to keep things warm and cozy, you may be lowering the quality of your indoor air. Consequences of Poor Indoor Air Quality When a house is sealed tight, it slows down the natural exchange of stale indoor air and fresh outdoor air. All sorts of irritants like pet dander and volatile organic compounds can get into your air supply.

Heat Pumps! What are They, and Should You Use Them?

March 7, 2019

What is a Reversible Heat Pump, and Should You Use One? Often propped up as a fashionably simple, one-size-fits-all solution to home heating and cooling. The reversible heat pump seems almost too good to be true. Fortunately, it’s a real climate control solution that can heat and cool your home electrically without needing a gas line or refueling. So, What Exactly is a Heat Pump? A heat pump isn’t the most intuitive thing to visualize, and, unless you have a background in thermodynamics, you might be scratching your head. The short answer is that heat pumps

Hot Spots, Cold Spots, Blog Spots

February 2, 2019

Every building, home, and room normalizes into hot and cold spots throughout the year. During the winter, you may find that some rooms are overheated while others remain much cooler than what’s general “comfortable.” There are a number of causes behind the uneven heating of a home, fortunately, there are a variety of solutions you can use to solve the problem as well! Heat distribution is primarily affected by: The amount of heat available The size and shape of space being filled