Month: August 2022

Whole home dehumidifiers are extremely helpful for managing airborne moisture and creating a comfortable living space. Should you leave a dehumidifier on all the time, or run it sparingly? Novak Heating and Cooling explains the signs you need a dehumidifier, how often to run a dehumidifier, and when to turn it off for the season.

Signs You Need a Whole Home Dehumidifier

High indoor humidity levels can lead to a number of problems inside your home. If you’re constantly dealing with these issues, it is time to install a whole home dehumidifier. Here are some signs that indicate you need one:

• You can see condensation on your windows.
• Your walls or ceiling are discolored.
• You notice a musty smell when you walk into your home.
• You experience more allergy symptoms inside the home.
• You have mold or mildew growing on surfaces.
• Your woodwork and wood furnishings are warping.

If any of these sounds familiar, don’t hesitate to give us a call. The team at Novak will be happy to help you choose the right dehumidifier for your home and get it installed quickly and easily.

Should You Run a Dehumidifier All the Time?

Maintaining the relative humidity level in your home is important for both your health and the condition of your house. Excess moisture can lead to the growth of mold and mildew, which can cause respiratory problems. On the other hand, not enough moisture can cause dry skin, sore throats, and static electricity.

Whole house dehumidifiers are installed as part of a home’s HVAC system, and they can be used in conjunction with your air conditioner or furnace. Dehumidifiers work by drawing in moist air and passing it over a series of coils. As the air passes over the coils, the moisture is condensed and collected in a container or water tank. The dry, filtered air is then pushed through the HVAC system for conditioning and then into the rooms of your home.

Should you keep your dehumidifier running all the time? In order to achieve the ideal indoor relative humidity levels of 35 to 50 percent, it is recommended that you run a dehumidifier for 12 hours a day. A humidistat will help to ensure that the unit doesn’t overly dehumidify your home, and it will also keep the unit running as necessary throughout the day to maintain the desired humidity level.

When to Turn Off the Dehumidifier

Many homeowners use dehumidifiers to help manage indoor moisture levels, particularly during the warmer months of the year. However, it’s important to know when to turn the unit off. Once temperatures drop to around 65 degrees, it’s best to turn the dehumidifier off. Doing so will help prevent moisture from freezing on the dehumidifier’s coils, which could damage your unit.

While you may not need to run your dehumidifier during the colder months, it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on the relative humidity in your home. Excess moisture can lead to mold and mildew growth, so be sure to ventilate any bathrooms and kitchens well. Mold and mildew growth are common causes of poor indoor air quality. If you discover moisture problems during the winter, your dehumidifier can be used when needed to help eliminate excess humidity.

Whole Home Dehumidifier Installation in Cedar Rapids, IA

Whole home dehumidifier installation can help improve your indoor air quality and protect your home from moisture damage. It’s important for homeowners to know how to properly operate their whole house dehumidifiers.

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of high humidity, it’s time to call in the professionals. Novak Heating and Cooling serves Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, and North Liberty, Iowa, and will provide you with a quote for installing a whole home dehumidifier in your home so you can start enjoying the benefits of better indoor air quality today.

Fall is officially here, and with it comes the need for fall maintenance on your home. One task you don’t want to forget is your heat pump fall maintenance! Here are a few tips on when to schedule your routine heat pump maintenance and why this service needs to be performed. Schedule maintenance now for your heat pump to make sure it is in good condition before winter hits!

Why Do Heat Pumps Need Service in the Fall?

While the outdoor unit of your heat pump system may look like an air conditioner, it actually performs both heating and cooling functions. In the winter, it takes heat from the outdoor air and transfers it indoors. In the summer, it does the reverse, taking heat from your indoor air and releasing it outdoors.

Because it has to work year-round, a heat pump needs to be serviced twice per year, in the spring and fall. This helps to ensure that it is operating efficiently and effectively. While most homeowners can perform some basic maintenance tasks themselves, such as changing the air filter, it is important to have a professional technician perform a complete inspection and preventive maintenance on the heat pump two times per year. By taking care of your heat pump, you can help it last for many years to come and maintain your system’s energy efficiency.

When to Schedule Heat Pump Fall Maintenance

As the weather starts to cool down, it’s important to think about maintaining your heat pump. While it’s tempting to wait until the end of fall to schedule your routine maintenance service, there are actually several good reasons to do it earlier in the season.

When the weather conditions are milder in early fall, it is easier and less disruptive to service your heat pump. Additionally, servicing your heat pump at this time of year ensures that it will be in good working condition when you need it most – once that first chilly day arrives. Schedule heat pump maintenance early in the early fall gives you a chance to get ahead of any potential repairs that might be needed. By taking care of heating and cooling systems maintenance early, you can help ensure that your heat pump will be ready to keep you comfortable all winter long.

A heat pump is a vital part of your home comfort system, so it’s important to keep it running smoothly. Some benefits of heat pump maintenance include improved efficiency, extended equipment life, and increased comfort. By scheduling a heat pump maintenance visit early in the fall, you can help ensure that your heat pump is running at peak performance. This will not only save you money on your energy bills, but it will also keep your home more comfortable. So don’t wait – contact our team today to schedule fall maintenance for your heat pump.

Schedule Heat Pump Fall Maintenance Today

The HVAC system for your home is a big investment, so it’s important to do what you can to keep your system running as efficiently as possible. That’s why we recommend scheduling heat pump fall maintenance with an experienced HVAC technician from Novak early in the fall – before the weather starts to get too cold. We can help you make sure everything is in good working order before you need it most and ensure that your family stays comfortable all winter long. Contact us today to schedule maintenance for your heat pump!

Many homeowners do not realize that heating and cooling systems require regular maintenance. They don’t think it is necessary and don’t want to spend money on it. But, in the long run, regularly getting your furnace serviced will save you money.

Think of your furnace like a car- you need to take care of your car in order to keep it running. If you let your furnace go unattended for too long, it could lead to a damaged furnace or even a broken down system. Which leaves you with a cold home and a pricey repair. Avoid the trouble of a broken down or damaged furnace. Call Novak Heating, Air, and Duct Cleaning to service your furnace and make sure it’s in its best condition.

Benefits of Furnace Maintenance

Aside from just keeping your furnace running, there are many benefits to getting your furnace regularly maintained.

• Keeps your heating system running efficiently
• Ensures safety of home and family
• Fewer breakdowns and repairs
• Lower utility bills
• Extended lifespan

Consequences if You Neglect Furnace Maintenance

There are some serious risks if you continue to neglect your furnace by not getting it professionally serviced.

Monitoring for Leaks

Every furnace has a heat exchanger that removes poisonous gasses from your home. When the temperature in the furnace changes, the heat exchanger expands and contracts. Over time, this can cause cracks to appear in the heat exchanger, allowing carbon monoxide to escape into your household. If you don’t have your furnace inspected at least once a year, these cracks can go unnoticed and you could be faced with a very dangerous situation.

Poor Indoor Air Quality

It does not take long for your air filter to become clogged with dust, debris, and mold. If the air filter can no longer keep particles out, your furnace and air ducts will become coated with these particles and begin circulating throughout your home. It is critical to get your furnace serviced in the fall because more dust will circulate right after you turn your heater on.

Repairs and Breakdowns are More Likely

Furnace breakdowns can also be caused by not regularly getting your furnace serviced. With the proper care and maintenance, most furnaces are designed to last 15 to 20 years. If they are neglected of the proper care and maintenance, there will be increased wear and tear and dirty and rusty parts can cause them to fail long before their expected life span. This can lead to major unnecessary repairs and expenses.

What Can You Expect From a Furnace Service Appointment?

When you choose to set up a furnace maintenance appointment, Novak will show up on time, and work efficiently to make sure your furnace is restored to peak performance. A thorough inspection is conducted to detect any damages or anything that could lead to damages and make sure your furnace is in tip-top shape. During your furnace maintenance appointment, our experienced HVAC technicians will:

• Clean and calibrate the thermostat
• Lubricate the moving parts
• Clean and adjust burners and controls
• Check for leaks in the heat exchanger
• Clean and adjust the pilot assembly
• Vacuum the furnace interior
• Check belts and adjust the tension
• Clean and adjust the fan control
• Inspect or replace your air filter if needed
• Check carbon monoxide levels when your furnace is running

Contact Novak Today for Furnace Tune-Up Service!

Skip out on all of the extra repairs and costs of severely damaged or broken down furnaces and contact Novak Heating & Cooling once a year, especially in the fall. Avoid all of the major consequences that will happen to you and your furnace if you don’t.

Many people worry about the quality of the air outside, but unfortunately, there’s not much the average person can do to stop polluting factories or improve air quality outside. As a result, people spend more time indoors to stay away from the outdoor air pollutants, but indoor air can be much worse than outdoor air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, common organic indoor air quality pollutants can be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor air. However, as a homeowner, you can actually work to improve the air quality in your home.

Air purifiers are a tool that can be used to sanitize the air in your home ridding it of common indoor air pollutants that can make you sick. If you have allergies and a respiratory illness like asthma, an air purifier could make your home a much more comfortable place. The team at Novak Heating, Air & Duct Cleaning explains how air purifying works, so you can determine if an air purifier is really worth it for your home.

How Do Air Purifiers Work?

There are a few kinds of air purifiers on the market. Be careful when shopping for an air purifier, as some can emit ozone which is an indoor air pollutant and could be harmful to your health.

Many air purifiers use ultraviolet (UV) light to sanitize the air. UV light breaks down the molecular particles in common pathogens to prevent them from circulating through your indoor air anymore.

Novak offers the iWave air purifier, which does not use UV light. Instead, it uses a filter that creates bi-polar ionization to create equal parts of positive and negative ions. This breaks down pathogens into healthier particles like oxygen and water by removing hydrogen molecules. Without these molecules, pathogens like mold and bacteria will have no energy and then die. Ions band small particles like dust and pollen together so they become big enough to be trapped in a filter.

Air purifiers are low maintenance and easy to use. Your HVAC technician will inspect your air purification system during your annual maintenance appointment. The iWave is also unique in that it cleans itself and does not require any replacement parts.

Common Indoor Air Pollutants

Even if you are sure that your home is spotless because you clean it every single day, there are still indoor air pollutants circulating in the air. Common pollutants include:

• Pollen
• Pet dander
• Pesticides
• Viruses, mold, bacteria
• Aerosols and cleaning products
• Furniture and cabinetry contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Smoke and cooking odors
• Building materials and paints

Common Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants

Some pollutants enter your home whenever you open a door or window, others sneak in from cracks in the walls of your house. Most are products and things you’ve purchased. Mold and mildew tend to grow in damp, windowless rooms, like bathrooms and kitchens. Your garage probably contains paint and gasoline cans that pollute your indoor air. If you tried to rid your home of all the air pollutants, you’d end up with a home void of furniture and cleaning materials.

Although it might seem like you’re bringing in more pollutants, a good thing to do is to cycle the air through your home by opening windows and doors. Ventilation is key to removing indoor air pollutants, however, it’s not always possible in extremely cold or hot weather. That’s why an air purification system is worth it because it provides an additional tool to create clean air in your home and remove toxins and pathogens from the air without needing to ventilate your home on a regular basis.

Whole House Air Purifiers vs Room Air Purifiers

Many people think of air purifiers as one freestanding appliance, these machines only can help a small area of your home, like an individual room. While you might want to invest in one of these machines for your newborn child’s room or a particularly messy room, these appliances tend to need frequent filter changes and don’t have a long lifespan.

A whole house air purification system is installed directly into your HVAC system. They require little to no maintenance and provide clean air for your entire home, not just one room. Many people who have a whole house air purifier installed love the quality of their indoor air. They find it helps make the air more breathable, especially if they have allergies or asthma.

Call Novak For Whole House Air Purifier Installation

If you want to start breathing cleaner air in your home, talk to Novak about your home’s indoor air quality. We can perform an indoor air quality assessment and talk to you about your home’s air issues and common pollutants. We’ll recommend the best equipment to noticeably improve your home’s indoor air quality. Schedule an appointment with Novak today.