Tips and Tricks for Keeping Your Furnace Clean & Functional

Today I’m here to provide you with some tips on how to properly maintain your furnace.

You should always check your furnace’s filter once a month. To do that, switch your unit off, remove the magnetic strip, and pull out the filter. Check to make sure that it’s clean; if it’s dirty, replace it so that your unit can function at peak performance.

When you replace the filter, be sure to align the arrow on the filter (marked “Air Flow”) with the ones on your unit so that you know you’re putting it in correctly.

You should also pay attention to the dampers on the ducts that lead to individual areas of your home. If you have a ranch home, these will go to individual rooms on the main floor. If you have a two-story home, there are trunk lines that go up to the second floor and the main floor—both have dampers on them.

It’s very important to adjust the dampers for the season based on your comfort level so that you’re not cooking yourself out upstairs or freezing yourself out on the main floor.

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You should always check your furnace’s filter once a month.

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On the furnace unit displayed in the video above, we have a whole-house humidifier. You may have seen these installed in homes during your walk-throughs. These units keep the humidity levels in your home at a comfortable level per your tastes, but are usually kept between 35% and 45% humidity. It’s critical to monitor the humidity of your house—you can’t set the humidistat once and leave it there. Keep a barometer in your house so that you can see what your readings are and adjust accordingly.

During the winter, make sure that your damper on the humidifier is on; that way, the air flows into the unit. In the summer, flip it off to block the air flow. If you remove the cover, you can see the media inside—since both air and water flow over this, it’s possible for it to become clogged by the minerals in the water. Do your best to keep them clean, but if they must be replaced, you can find them at any local home-improvement store.

If you have any questions about maintaining your furnace throughout the year, please look for additional videos within this blog page.

Everything You Need to Know About Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors can be tricky. Here’s how to properly test and monitor them.

Today I want to talk to you about our smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detector combos. You’ll notice that these units are in place in the ceilings of our homes. Typically, there will be one carbon monoxide detector per floor and the smoke detectors are typically in all of the main living areas and bedrooms. They're all hardwired so that if one goes off, all of them are going to go off.

There’s also a battery backup that’s revealed by a hinged compartment on the side. This is in case any of the wirings get cuts or burns.

We recommend testing each of your units once a month by holding the button for about three seconds. It will then beep for about 10 seconds. When you hear three long chirps, it’s testing the smoke detector and the four short chirps signify that the carbon monoxide detector is on and working.

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We recommend testing each of your units once a month.

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Once a year, you should change out the batteries in your battery backup. If you start to hear a single beep every few minutes, that just means that your battery needs to be replaced. Certain batteries last longer than others, but it’s up to you what you want to do.

The detectors twist and pull down from the ceiling. The wiring harness is hardwired and plugs back into the unit. You can plug in a new detector via that harness if need be.

If you have any questions for me about your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cleaning and Maintaining an Acrylic Tub-Shower Unit

Today I want to share some important information about our acrylic tub-shower units.

For those of you who have an acrylic tub-shower unit, here are a few tips to keep in mind when assembling and maintaining them:

The tub itself has a nailing flange around the perimeter, and the drywall of the bathroom butts up to that. The shower walls come in three pieces: First, you install the back piece, and then the two side panels. Those are then fastened to the framing members in the home.

The channels themselves are not designed to be caught; they interlock in such a way that any water that gets into that channel will drain out of the perimeter on the bottom, where the base of the tub and the side walls meet.

That being said, there is a small drip area on the front edge of the tub where the tub meets the front/side panel. It’s about four inches long, and upon installation, that area is sealed up with silicone caulking. You don’t want it to be completely filled with caulk, but you do want some in there.This keeps the water from channelling out the front of the unit, possibly seeping into the drywall and damaging members of the wood framing.

If you ever suspect that water has been seeping into your waters—indicators include bubbled paint or paint peeling off the trim boards—you’ll want to make sealing that four-inch drip area with caulk a maintenance item.

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You can apply a non-abrasive car wax to the shower walls in the same way you would on your vehicle.

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When you’re doing your regular cleaning routine in the shower, be sure to clean that channel out. Over time, the underside of the lip can start to develop a slimy film from the shampoos and soaps you use.

Both our acrylic shower and tub-shower units are very durable. However, when it comes time to clean them, it’s important to use non-abrasive cleaners. Abrasive cleaners, along with scratchy cleaning cloths, can scratch the surface of the units.

The unit itself has a non-abrasive, non-skid surface on the floor of the tub. Never wax or polish it, because that will cause the floor to become slippery, potentially turning into a hazard.

However, if you’re looking to remove some of the hard-water mineral deposits that may accumulate on the shower walls, you can apply a non-abrasive car wax to the walls in the same way you would on your vehicle. Doing so can also help restore the finish to a lustrous, like-new feel. Be sure to use a non-abrasive cleaning cloth like a terry cloth or paper towels to avoid scratching the finish.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be glad to help.

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