The Best HEPA Air Purifiers

The whole-home unit requires only annual upkeep and positively impacts every cubic inch of air in the living space

Moving down south was a big change for me. I grew up, went to school and began my career in the northern part of the country. I was very accustomed to lots of snow, bitter wind chill and temperature well below freezing. My wardrobe was full of warm sweaters, fuzzy socks, wool coats, knitted hats and winter boots. I owned snow shovels, ice scrapers and a four-wheel-drive vehicle. My house was outfitted with a furnace, and I never bothered with central air conditioning. I was fine with a window air conditioner and a couple of box fans. Once I relocated, I realized very quickly that the air conditioner was a vital piece of equipment. I also learned that the intense heat wasn’t the only problem. The humidity created all sorts of challenges. With so much moisture in the air, the air conditioner struggled to keep up. Lowering the thermostat didn’t do anything to combat that sticky feeling. I had problems with condensate running down the windows and mold growing on the sills. My leather purses, shoes and even my couch was freqently spotted with mildew. An excess of humidity can also be blamed for headaches, sore throats, sneezing, coughing and all sorts of health concerns. Dust mites thrive in moist environments. For the sake of comfort, productivity and a good night’s sleep, I invested into a whole-home dehumidifier. I initially tried a portable dehumidifier and discovered that this option was a lot of work and ineffective. The whole-home unit requires only annual upkeep and positively impacts every cubic inch of air in the living space. The dehumidifier pulls moisture out of the air as it passes through the cooling system.

hvac service

I recently read an article focused on improving the energy efficiency of the home.

According to this article, heating and cooling accounts for approximately 50% of household energy consumption.

It listed suggestions on how to prevent conditioned air from escaping and outdoor air from coming in. I was already aware of many of the recommendations. I know that it’s a good idea to close the curtains against the heat of the day during the summer and open them up to welcome in the sunshine during the winter. I make sure to regularly replace the air filters of the air conditioner and furnace and schedule professional maintenance every spring and fall. I’ve invested into thermal pane, low E, Energy Star rated windows and meticulously caulked around them. I’ve added insulation to the attic, weatherstripped exterior doors and installed overhead ceiling fans. I was doubtful when the article claimed that the majority of homes sacrifice up to 30% of heated and cooled air to holes and leaks in the ductwork. I decided to have my duct system tested by a licensed HVAC contractor. The technician informed me that my ducts were wasting approximately 20% of heated and cooled air. That energy waste adds up to a significant expense. I had no idea how to go about fixing the problem. The air ducts are concealed inside walls and ceilings and nearly impossible to access. Fortunately, there is a process called Aeroseal that works to resolve problems from inside the pipes. The technician blocked off the supply and return vents, then introduced highly pressurized air into the ducts. The air contains polymer particles that are non-toxic yet sticky. As the air leaked from cracks and holes, the adhesive particles clung to the edges. They steadily built up to form an airtight seal.

quality heating

My house has seen lots of remodeling. Walls have been torn down, rooms expanded and windows added. Over the years, the modernizing of the living space has led to some issues with the heating and cooling system. Some rooms lack sufficient supply and return vents to achieve ideal comfort. The kitchen was especially problematic. In the winter, when the outdoor temperature drops below zero, the room constantly felt chilly. Raising the thermostat led to overheating the rest of the house. I used to bake treats on especially cold days for the sake of the warmth from the oven. In the summer, we had the opposite problem. I didn’t dare cook, because the kitchen always felt hot and sticky. Rather than tear down walls and ceiling to redesign the duct system, I chose to invest into a ductless mini split system. An outdoor air compressor links to an indoor air handler mounted up high on the wall. The installation project required little more than a three-inch hole in an exterior wall and was completed in a matter of hours. There was no mess or damage. The indoor air handler features an independent thermostat and provides both heating and cooling capacity. A cordless remote allows me to adjust temperature, fan speed and even the direction of airflow. I chose an Energy Star rated, high efficiency ductless heat pump with inverter technology. The equipment automatically varies output to match the demands of the indoor space. The kitchen is perfectly comfortable all year round, and the ductless unit works to filter out contaminants and improve indoor air quality.

heater

I’m constantly making improvements to my home.

Since purchasing the property ten years ago, I’ve replaced the windows, painted every room, put down new floors and completely renovated the kitchen and bathrooms.

I’ve replaced light fixtures, plumbing fixtures and all of the appliances. I invest in projects that elevate the aesthetics, functionality, comfort and overall value of my home. I’m not sure why I never considered upgrading the thermostat until recently. While I’ve purchased new couches, tables, carpets and curtains, I completely overlooked the thermostat. In my local area, the weather swings from negative fifteen to the nineties. Heating and cooling is just about a year round necessity. The thermostat plays a very important role in our enjoyment of the living space. It also impacts the operation and efficiency of the furnace and air conditioner. I rarely remembered to adjust the temperature before leaving the house for the day. I’d then pay huge energy bills because of heating or cooling an empty house to the perfect comfort level. On the rare occasion that I lowered or raised the thermostat in the morning, I’d come home from work to either an overheated or freezing cold living space. The new thermostat is more attractive, easier to adjust and provides a wide range of really helpful and convenient features. I can access the smart thermostat through an app on my phone from virtually anywhere I happen to be. I receive alerts when there is a power outage, unexplained temperature swing or it’s time to replace filters. I get reminded to schedule professional maintenance for the furnace and air conditioner. Plus, the thermostat includes occupancy sensors that know if a room is occupied. It adjusts the heating and cooling system to conserve energy while also providing ideal comfort.
Air conditioning repair service

One of the best home improvements I’ve ever made was adding a snowmelt system to my residence.

The system eliminates the need to shovel snow multiple times per day for endless hours.

I no longer spend money to hire someone to plow the driveway or worry about where to pile all of the snow. I am not blocked from using the garage because of the massive drifts. I have no concerns over getting wet feet or slipping and falling due to icy pavement. I’ve eliminated the potential damage caused by spreading snowmelt chemicals. When I started looking into replacing our gravel driveway with pavement, I came across hydronic snowmelt systems. In my local area, the snow and cold are a problem for more than half the year. My house is heated by a boiler system. The boiler heats up water and sends it through a network of pipes concealed under the floors. The radiant flooring system easily handles our comfort. Even if the outside temperature drops into the negative digits, every room in the house is perfectly warm. There are no drafts or cold spots. The temperature from floor to ceiling remains constant. The system operates silently and requires minimal maintenance. It’s especially clean and energy efficient. The snowmelt system works the same way. There is a series of pipes embedded beneath the pavement of the walkway and driveway. The same boiler that supplies our house with heat also handles the needs of the snowmelt system. It responds automatically to the combination of moisture and temperature drop. Heated water flows through the pipes to melt snow and ice.

 

Heat pump installation

I just recently learned about electric heat pumps. I had never heard of this type of temperature control system until I started touring houses down south. I was ready to move from the north and get away from sub zero temperatures and snow. I’d never owned a house equipped with central air conditioning and always relied on a furnace for the majority of the year. The properties down south were outfitted with air conditioners, packaged units and heat pumps. The real estate agent acted super impressed over the heat pumps. She made sure to point them out to me. I pretended that I knew what she was talking about. When I finally got the chance to do some research, I learned that electric heat pumps are quite costly to purchase and install. The single component provides both heating and cooling capacity. The systems are especially quiet, clean and environmentally friendly. Instead of a combustion process to generate heat, a heat pump works by moving existing heat between the indoors and outdoors. In cooling mode, it operates almost exactly like a conventional air conditioner. It pulls heat out of the house and sends it outside by way of refrigerant. The true innovation of a heat pump is that it can literally reverse the process. In heating mode, the system finds ambient heat in the outside air and brings it indoors. There are no fumes, greenhouse gasses or hot surfaces to worry about. The house I ended up buying features a very modern heat pump that includes adaptable-speed technology, wifi access and zone control.

 

a/c products

I was never in a big hurry to invest in central air conditioning for my home.

I live in an area where the winter snow and freezing temperatures last for more than half the year.

The spring and fall tend to be chilly, windy and wet. If we’re lucky, we enjoy two to three months of blue skies and sunshine. I always managed with a window air conditioner in the bedroom and box fans for the rest of the house. However, last summer was unusually hot and humid. The temperature warmed up much earlier than expected. By the beginning of April, we were already seeing temperatures in the low eighties and an excess of humidity. While the window air conditioner managed to keep the bedroom adequately comfortable, the rest of the house was hot and sticky. Eating meals or watching television was unbearable. I didn’t want to spend the next five months hiding in my bedroom from the heat. I called up a local HVAC contractor and got a free estimate on whole-home air conditioning. Since I already had the ductwork in place for the furnace, the cost wasn’t bad. I was able to afford to purchase a high-efficiency system to keep utility bills reasonable. Once the air conditioner was up and running, I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten by without it. Having the ability to lower the thermostat and cold down every room is amazing. My living environment remains cleaner, smells fresher and is far more enjoyable. I sleep better and have more energy during the day. I suffer from fewer headaches. There’s no longer any issues with mold and mildew growth.

portable space heater

It was the first thing I did once the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C corporation had the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C equipment installed

I wasn’t really fantastic at paying attention. That had to do with a combination of being too full of myself plus the concentration level of a gnat. And that’s a shame because I had a super role model for how to live your life. My dad made so several things about being an adult look so dang simple. He gave a fantastic current home with quality heating plus air that was full of care about plus support. Dad wasn’t super talkative but he showed you how much he loved you a lot. That was awesome. I used to follow him around love a mini me. One of our number one things was to be with him outside of the cooling system plus in the garage. This is where the workbench lived plus dad was always tinkering with something. Some of it was scheduled work he would tell me later. Dad wasn’t so fond of standing around in the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C seeing TV or he’d get a honey do list from our mom in a hour. Still, dad really ran tests on the house, us plus all the stuff that ran tests on us. While I didn’t inherit the skills with machines or his ability to make it all look so simple, I did option up some stuff from that guy. When I obtained our first arena, he was still alive. And he didn’t even have to tell me to get the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C maintenance proposal for the current Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C equipment. It was the first thing I did once the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C corporation had the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C equipment installed. Like our dad, I’m doing our best to take care of our house, those I care about plus the stuff that takes care of me love the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C.
heating corporation

The people I was with and I took the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C corporation’s advice plus had a ductless multi split plan installed

I never thought I’d go in with someone to buy a house. But these days, it really made the most sense. My neighbor plus I were both living in sort of not so fantastic apartments in order to save for a downpayment on a home. Along with the weak Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C cooling in our blazing summer, the two of us both experienced another sort of poor challenge. For both of us, the more the two of us saved, the further away the prices of homes became. My buddy plus I aren’t exactly the best of friends but the two of us met playing tennis plus like each others supplier. One afternoon as the two of us were soaking up the cooling system at the tennis club after a certainly challenging set, the two of us started talking again about looking for houses. Turns out the two of us both had been looking at the same arena but came up short on the down payment. And it dawned on us right there in all that glorious Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C cooling that the two of us should believe about buying the arena together. That way, we’d be out of the apartments plus into a current home where the two of us owned the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C equipment. So the more the two of us talked, the more it made sense. The people I was with and I ended up having an agreement drawn up to protect our interests plus obtained the arena. Once the two of us had the arena, the two of us knew that the first thing that had to be done was to update the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C equipment. And since the air duct was shot plus the central cooling system plan had such limited coverage, the two of us made the decision to go a unusual way. The people I was with and I took the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C corporation’s advice plus had a ductless multi split plan installed. The people I was with and I care about being current home owners plus building equity instead of just paying rent. And the two of us really care about the quality heating plus air of this arena.

 

fireplace

It keeps me scheduled plus it’s fun to share with our wifey

Over the last couple of years, I’ve made some giant changes in our life. There is nothing love a pandemic to do that for a person. Finally, I stopped moving so much plus was forced to take stock of our life. I had to be inside the cooling system of our current home unless I was outside walking for a long time when the virus hit. I was at high risk because of our poor health. And our poor health was completely self induced. I went from standing at our desk in the zone controlled Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C of the office to standing in our chair at current home with the Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C cooling cranked. There wasn’t much movement other than trading arenas where I was sitting. Oh plus amidst all of that fantastic quality heating plus air of the office plus our house, I was eating love an idiot. Then throw in a case of beer over the weekend plus you can see where that was heading. I’ll be 52 plus it’s pretty fortunate I’m still here. I’ve lost something love 71 pounds in the last 2 years just by eating with some sort of sense plus moving. It’s the moving more than anything else. I have one of those standing desks inside that zone controlled Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C of the office. And I just don’t even sit down when I get home. I get to doing something. Recently the two of us put in a sort of activity plus craft spot in the basement. It keeps me scheduled plus it’s fun to share with our wifey. I even had a ductless heat pump installed so it’s really an awesome spot.

 

Air conditioning technician