Blowinghotandcold's Blog

Lung Cancer – Beware of Radon Gas

JoePremi — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:05:45 +0000

The State of Minnesota just released a compelling video about the dangers of radon gas and how easy it is to fix. Please watch this video and call us for your Radon Test today!

Keep warm in the deep freeze!

JoePremi — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:51:20 +0000

With this deep freeze in progress, you want to be sure that your furnace is working at peak capacity. Make sure your filter is clean. Why not run to Home Depot, Rona, or Canadian Tire and buy some fresh filters? Make sure that your furnace vent is not blocked with snow or ice. Just walk by the vent outside and put your fingers inside to make sure it is clear. This will keep your home warm and comfy.

Carbon Monoxide Education Video

JoePremi — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:22:34 +0000

Please watch this video to learn how to protect your family from the hazards of Carbon Monoxide.

Carbon monoxide poisons family of 4 | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

JoePremi — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:54:46 +0000

Carbon monoxide poisons family of 4 | Canada | News | Toronto Sun.

Carbon Monoxide – The Silent Killer

JoePremi — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:50:03 +0000

It seems that every year, as the weather turns cold, more people fall victim to Carbon Monoxide poisoning from faulty heating equipment.

Last week it was a family from Quebec, and this week it was shoppers in North Carolina.

Please click on the links for more information on what happened and make sure this does not happen to you.

http://www.wwlp.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=null

Protect your family from CO poisoning: wwlp.com

Silent Killer Don’t Let CO Kill You

JoePremi — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:10:08 +0000

This week, a Quebec family of 4 almost died from CO poisoning. Make sure that all your fuel burning appliances are serviced annually by a licensed technician. This includes furnace, water heater, boiler, fireplace, oven and stove.

Beware of Construction

JoePremi — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:37:17 +0000

Hi Friends,
On Saturday night I got a call from a customer that was suffering terribly from the heat and humidity because his air conditioner was not working. Although his filter had been changed a mere 8 weeks ago, he had some renovations in his home and his filter was blocked with drywall dust. This caused his air conditioner to freeze up and stop working.
I want all of you to be aware that when you do construction in your home, you must protect all your intake grills with high efficiency filters that are changed weekly. Additionally, any rooms with drywall dust must have its intake grills blocked with plastic or cardboard to prevent any dust from being sucked into your air system.

Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioners – Applications

JoePremi — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:19:33 +0000

Good Morning Friends,

Today I would like to discuss the most popular application for ductless air conditioners.

Most of the requests we get for ductless air conditioners are for the 3rd floor lofts. Typically, there is a small landing at the top of the stairs with a bedroom on each side. My customers ask me to install a unit in the landing area that they hope will cool both bedrooms.

I want to point out an area of concern to avoid. I am often called on by major manufacturers of ductless air conditioners to fix problems with the installations of other contractors. Recently I was asked to replace a unit that had its compressor burn out 2 times in 2 years.

I found a large ductless unit installed in a tiny landing area that was short cycling because it was cooling the small area too quickly. This on and off cycling of the compressor is very harsh on the compressor and caused it to burn out.

When installing these units, contractors must be very careful not to oversize the units and try to cool the whole house because the unit will burn out.

As with any heating and cooling equipment, do not buy any unit before a complete heat loss/gain study is performed on your home to determine your exact heat gain or loss.

I would also recommend using an inverter unit which allows the unit to reduce its capacity rather than cycle on and off.

Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioners

JoePremi — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:49:59 +0000

Good Morning Friends,

Today I would like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of ductless air conditioners. Ductless air conditioners were designed to provide cooling where there are no air ducts available to deliver adequate cooling. The following are examples of homes that could benefit from ductless air conditioners.

Homes that are heated with a boiler and perimeter radiators or in-floor radiant heat.
Homes that are heated with electric baseboard heat.
Homes with rooms that are not getting enough cool air from the existing air conditioning system.
Third floor rooms that are always too warm in the summer.
Rooms with unusually high loads such as offices with computers, kitchens or sun rooms.

All of these rooms would benefit from the great cooling and dehumidification capabilities of a ductless air conditioner.

Ductless units have the following advantages:

They cool exceptionally well where standard ducted systems cannot.
They are great at removing the humidity making the home feel dry in addition to cool.
They can also be a source of heat. This saves a lot of money when you are currently using electric baseboard heat.
They allow for independent temperature control of the rooms that they service.

The disadvantages are:

There is a visible unit mounted in the treated room. Please see the videos below that feature some very nice looking units that can blend in to any decor.
They cannot be controlled by a conventional 7-Day programmable thermostat. They use a wireless remote.
Many unprofessional contractors install these units, often incorrectly, causing much grief and equipment failure. Buyer BEWARE when selecting a contractor to install a ductless mini-split.

Technology has advanced and now ductless units are available with completely concealed units. They also make some very nice looking units. Please see the 2 videos below. You can leave a comment for me with any questions or applications and I will be happy to help you pick a unit that will work best for you.

Ductless air conditioners

JoePremi — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:40:07 +0000

Lately we have been getting many inquiries about ductless air conditioners. Since choosing the correct system and installer is a minefield, I will write the next few posts about the different type of systems available, the variety of brands, features, and most important, the installation requirements. As a contractor the provides factory service for some of the major manufacturers, I will share with you the problems I have found in the field due to systems that were not installed properly and how to avoid them.