Quality Repair vs. Replace in Tulsa?

Quality Heating & Cooling services in Tulsa

At Air Assurance, we undestand it's one of the most difficult decisions a homeowner will have to make — whether to have a quality repair on an old HVAC system or bite the bullet and replace it. But how do you decide the quality repair vs. replace dilemma, in the Tulsa Oklahoma market? Ask the following questions to determine whether to repair that old A/C or furnace one more time, or replace it entirely.

How old is your system?

Experts tend to agree that a combustion furnace reaches the end of its service life between 15–20 years, while an A/C or heat pump is closer to 10–15.

Are other factors affecting the longevity of your HVAC system?

Where you live and its climate will have a big effect on how many years you get out of a furnace or A/C. A furnace, for instance, will last longer in a Southern climate, while an A/C will last longer in a Northern climate where it's not running 24/7). Professional maintenance is another important factor. A well-maintained HVAC system can be expected to last longer than one that has been neglected. A system with proper air filter maintenance also will last longer.

Is your older system breaking down a lot?

This is usually a good sign that an "experienced" HVAC system is nearing the end of its service life. At a certain point, you'll have to decide whether it's time to quit throwing good money after bad, and go ahead and invest in a new high-efficiency furnace, A/C, or heat pump.

Are you energy bills going up?

If your utility bills are rising and there's no obvious reason, such as a more severe winter, utility rate increases, or some other household use that's consuming power, the culprit might be an older HVAC system that no longer operates as efficiently as it used to. Investing in a new high-efficiency furnace, A/C, or heat pump system, fortunately, can start a new era of lower energy costs, eventually reimbursing you for much of the cost of that new HVAC system.

To discuss the repair vs. replace question in your Broken Arrow home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Geralt/Pixabay”

Proper Attic Insulation Can Save Money and Energy this Season

Attic insulation estimates - tulsa ok

Good attic insulation is one of the easiest ways to keep Broken Arrow's freezing winters from stealing your comfort. By reducing the load on your furnace, insulation also helps hold down your heating bills.

The Importance of Attic Insulation

The warm air from your furnace naturally rises toward your ceiling. Without sufficient air sealing and insulation in the attic, that warmth will flow into the attic and then through the roof. This not only wastes heat, it also contributes to moisture and mold issues in the attic and ice dams that could damage your roof. To keep your home warm and free from damage, your attic should have at least an R-38 layer of insulation, which requires around 12 inches of fiberglass batts. For even greater energy efficiency, add more insulation to achieve an R-60 layer.

Choosing the Right Insulation

Insulation is available in two forms and a number of different materials. Every type of insulation has pros and cons, so review your options before you decide how to improve your attic insulation. Your options include:

Batt insulation — These strips are cut to fit between floor and wall joints, making them easy for a non-professional to lay into place. Batts are produced in fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool, plastic fiber, cotton, and sheep's wool, among other materials. Fiberglass and cellulose are the most efficient of these, but mineral wool helps more with noise reduction.

Loose-fill (blown-in) insulation — Produced as small pieces of material designed to be installed using a blower machine, loose-fill insulation fills in small corners better than batts, so it insulates more efficiently. On the downside, you'll need to rent a blower machine or hire a professional for insulation.

Rigid foam — These stiff boards of polystyrene or other foam can be set into place without special equipment. While they're highly efficient and moisture resistant, the higher cost compared to batts or loose-fill makes them less popular for use in attics.

If you could use professional help to improve your attic insulation, contact us at Air Assurance in the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “irin k/Shutterstock”

Here's How to Check Insulation Levels in Your Home

Attic insulation costs - tulsa ok

If you'd like to lower your energy bills and improve your home comfort, addressing sources of air leakage and areas with inadequate insulation can help. Checking two key areas where these problems often occur can help you decide if it's time to hire a professional to boost the insulation level and seal up air leaks.

Up in the Attic

For home attics in our region, the Department of Energy (DOE) advises insulating the floor to R-60, and correcting air leaks to reduce heat transfer with the living areas below. You can perform a couple of easy checks to assess these issues:

• When it's dark out, turn on the lights in the rooms below the attic. Go up there, close the hatch and take a thorough look around the floor to locate any leak sources where light bleeds through from below.

• To judge the insulation level, turn on your attic lights and look around again. If you see the tops of the floor joists in any spot, there's not enough insulation. If the joists are well-hidden, you likely have a sufficient amount installed.

You can fix areas of energy waste and increase the efficiency of your home by sealing the attic, installing a vapor barrier on the floor, and increasing insulation to the recommended level.

Your Exterior Walls

According to the DOE, your exterior wall cavities should have R-19 in insulation installed, and you should seal leaks in the exterior shell by weatherstripping and using caulk and expandable foam insulation. To assess these areas:

• Take off the electrical box covers on the exterior walls, then shut their breakers off. Using a flashlight, look inside each box for signs of insulation. If none is visible, your walls probably need insulation.

• At night, shut off all the interior lights in your home, then walk around shining a flashlight at the exterior walls. Get a helper to follow you outdoors to identify any spots where leaks let the light shine through from inside.

Contact us at Air Assurance for more advice about increasing the insulation level and sealing leaks in your Broken Arrow home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “john-kasawa/Shutterstock”

Indoor Air Quality Testing - Tulsa, OK

Indoor Air Quality Testing - Tulsa, OK

We spend a great deal of time in our indoor environment, whether it’s at home or at work in our place of business. Air Assurance provides many air quality services including air duct cleaning, air duct sealing, and indoor air quality testing. The professional at Air Assurance can also help correct and improve your indoor environment with a number of options. Call on Air Assurance when you need air quality testing - We service all of Greater Tulsa, including Jenks, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Sapulpa and more.

Way to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Maintaining indoor comfort involves more than keeping your home's living spaces warm or cool. Indoor air quality is also a major factor that affects how comfortable your home will be. When particulates and contaminants such as dust, pollen, mold, and related materials get into your home's air, you can have problems such as allergy and asthma attacks, worsening of respiratory conditions, and the onset of physical discomforts such as irritated eyes and scratchy throats. Here are some suggestions for improving the indoor air quality in your home this fall and year-round.

• Change HVAC system filters: The air filters in your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump help remove particulates from your indoor air. They capture these materials as air from your home circulates through the system to be heated or cooled. Make sure these filters are kept clean and fresh. They should be checked at least once a month and changed when they get dirty.

• Maintain your HVAC equipment: Regular preventive maintenance will improve the function of your HVAC system and boost its ability to remove particulates, reduce humidity, and keep your indoor air cleaner.

• Clean, dust, and vacuum regularly: Keeping your indoor environment clean and free of dust, mold, and other contaminants can significantly improve indoor air quality. Dust and vacuum at least weekly.

• Increase ventilation: Ventilation keeps a steady flow of air moving through your home, which helps remove particulates and send them outside. When weather and outdoor conditions permit, open windows and doors to let breezes move through your indoor spaces. Install a whole-house ventilation system that provides effective airflow for your entire home. Turn your window air conditioner to fan-only to provide extra ventilation.

• Install air filtration and cleaning systems: Install high-efficiency air cleaning and filtration equipment that provides additional removal of particulates and indoor pollution. Use the highest-quality filters possible in these devices.

Air Assurance is a premier source for professional HVAC services in Tulsa and the surrounding Oklahoma communities. Contact us today for more information on indoor air quality and how to keep your home's air cleaner and fresher throughout the year.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Zurijeta/Shutterstock”

Air Duct Cleaning & Sealing - Tulsa

AIR DUCT CLEANING - TULSA

At Air Assurance, we provide many indoor air quality solutions. Many homeowners have dealt with allergies, dust, or other problems in their home never realizing that the indoor air quality can be improved. If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants such as dust, mold, bacteria, fungi, and other contaminates can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Health concerns, such as allergies, asthma or the hazards of carbon monoxide can often be attributed to a poorly maintained, designed, or installed heating and air conditioning system.

AIR DUCT CLEANING IN TULSA REQUIRED?

Indoor Air Quality is important. Air duct cleaning helps maintain the hygiene of your household. Unclean ducts make the air unfit for breathing. Bad indoor air quality is one of the major causes of many respiratory problems like asthma and allergies. But did you know, you don't always need a duct cleaning? Often times we can help elimnate the source of the duct problem.

The system cleans your air ducts by brushing and removing debris and dirt directly out of your HVAC system and into our hepa filtration silencing box. We can then apply an anti-microbial protectant inside your duct work that kills most germs and microbes on contact for up to an entire year, greatly reducing or eliminating air-borne pathogens.

An HVAC air filter captures only about 7 percent of airborne debris in the average home. That means that roughly 93 percent of the dust in your air keeps circulating through the heat vents and HVAC system. To improve your air quality and protect your costly HVAC equipment from damage, it's wise to have the condition of your ducts checked every two years. When duct cleaning is needed, make sure you hire an experienced professional who adheres to standards established by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) and uses the correct cleaning procedures to safeguard your home and HVAC system.In between checkups, watch for these telltale signs that your ducts need cleaning.

Excessive Amounts of Debris and Dust

If your heating vents are covered with soot, dust or cobwebs and particles are sent floating through the air when the blower is running, there's likely a considerable buildup deep inside the duct system that should be removed. If your home is newly built or you've recently had remodeling done in your older home, you may need the ducts cleaned to clear out any leftover construction debris.

Signs of Pests

When pests invade the ductwork, contaminants like insect parts and rodent droppings can make the air circulating through your home unhealthy to breathe. If you hear to see evidence of insects or vermin in the heating vents, call in an exterminator. Once the infestation has been eradicated, have the duct system professionally sanitized.To learn whether cleaning the heat vents is necessary in your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat vents and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-615-4677. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “matius/Shutterstock”

Ductless Technology Myths Busted

If you’re considering a ductless mini split system for your home, don’t let ductless technology myths stand in your way. Before ruling a ductless system out based on what you’ve heard, consider these facts that dispel the myths.

Myth #1: They can go anywhere.

This is not quite true, although ductless system offer a lot of flexibility. The position of the air handler in the room depends on the size of the room and its layout.The outdoor condenser should be placed as close to the air handler as possible to limit the length of the conduit that the mini split requires. A shorter conduit improves the energy efficiency of the mini split.

Myth #2: They’re only good for remodels or add-ons.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Ductless mini splits work well in new construction as well. They don’t require square footage for ductwork, don’t need a special room or closet to house the air handler and act as zoning systems.Each air handler for a mini split has its own thermostat, which means you can turn it off when you’re not using the space. The ability to zone saves energy dollars, as well as extends the life of each mini split.

Myth #3: Ductless systems are just for supplemental heating and cooling.

Properly sized, a ductless system will keep any interior space comfortable. In order to get the most comfort and efficiency from each mini split, the room should be well insulated and have few air leaks.It’s always best to work with a reputable HVAC contractor from start to finish to find the best system for you and avoid all the ductless technology myths.

Myth #4: A mini split can’t be used with ductwork.

HVAC engineers have found that ductless air handlers work as efficiently, if not more so, than central heat pumps. Many ductless systems use inverter technology that saves substantial amounts of electricity, as do the thermostats on the separate air handlers.

If you’ve like more information about these ductless technology myths and others, contact the pros at Air Assurance. We provide HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

How to Adjust Your Thermostat for the End of Daylight Saving Time

With Daylight Saving Time over, you'll need to set back all your clocks by an hour. For peace of mind that your HVAC can provide optimal comfort and energy savings throughout the winter, you can use the fall time change as a reminder to adjust your thermostat in the following ways:

Check That the Thermostat Clock Changes

If you own a programmable thermostat, it probably makes automatic clock adjustments twice a year, at the beginning and end of the daylight saving time period. To ensure that your programming stays on schedule, it's good to verify that this time change was made so you can adjust it manually if necessary.

Switch to Heating Mode

If your HVAC is still in cooling mode, now's the time to make the change over to heating so your home stays comfortably warm and cozy.

Recheck Your Programming Schedule

When you've made the switch to heating, you should look at your programming schedule and make any necessary adjustments to maximize your comfort and energy savings. You should set a personalized schedule to match your family's usual routine, but you can also follow these basic setting tips:

• Make overnight temperature setbacks. At night when the family is sleeping, schedule 10--15-degree temperature setbacks.

• Set weekday temperature adjustments. If the house isn't occupied on weekdays when everyone off to school or work, program setbacks of up to 10 degrees.

• Prime your setback periods for savings. To reap the greatest energy savings, aim for eight-hour setback periods each day.

• Allow ample time for warming up the house. When you're programming your setbacks, don't forget to factor in warm up periods so the house reaches your target temperature when you normally get up and arrive home.

Replace Your Thermostat Batteries

When you're at the thermostat making necessary adjustments for daylight saving time, take a few extra moments to put in fresh batteries so you know the device will stay working reliably all through the winter.

For more advice about adjusting your Broken Arrow home's thermostat for the end of daylight saving time, contact us today at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Then vs. Now: Furnaces

Since prehistoric days, when people gathered around a fire in the dead of winter, humans have sought ways to keep warm. How have those ways evolved over the centuries? How have they led to the technologies that heat our homes today? Let's take a look at the history of furnaces.

History of Furnaces

Among the first to develop central heating were the ancient Romans. They introduced radiant floor heating by building a fire in the basement, which would heat the stone floor above it. And since hot air rises, the heat from the floor would soon spread to the rest of the house.The first heating sources used wood for fuel. This included the Franklin Stove, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1741. Made of cast iron, it was designed to produce more heat than a regular fireplace, with less exhaust.Then in 1885, a new furnace was developed, which burned coal, which replaced wood as the standard. It produced more heat and used a system of ducts in the basement to transport that heat to the rest of the home. Then in 1919, Alice Parker invented the first modern central heating system. It replaced coal with natural gas, and distributed heat evenly throughout the home using a system of pipes.

Today's Furnaces

Today's furnace designs have come a long way since then. Top furnaces can operate with over 98% efficiency, providing more heat for less energy. Zoning systems now allow you to heat each part of the house according to its individual needs. Some can even sense whether or not a space is occupied, so you don't pay to heat empty rooms. And smart thermostats let you adjust your home's temperature from anywhere, via your mobile device.There are a variety of amazing features available on today's furnaces. When buying a new system, make a list of your home's heating needs and talk to an HVAC expert to find the furnace that's right for you.

To learn more about the history of furnaces, and tips for furnace buying, contact us at Air Assurance. We proudly serve Broken Arrow's HVAC needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.