4 Ways You Can Get the Most Out of Your New Furnace

Buying a new furnace costs a significant amount of money, so it’s only natural for you to want to do everything in your power to make your investment work for you. Properly caring for your furnace from the beginning ensures that it has a long lifespan and you have a comfortably heated home. Read on to find out how you can get the best results possible from your new furnace. 1. Shop Smart It’s important to purchase a furnace that’s designed to give you the results you want. Be certain that your new furnace is the proper size for your home. If you think you need help with this, contacting your local HVAC experts will steer you in the right direction. 2. Check Your HVAC System The quality of the heat in your home depends upon your entire HVAC system, not just your furnace. Have an HVAC technician come and inspect the entire system for damage and aging components. There may be small tweaks you can make, like installing a programmable thermostat, that can help you get the most out of your furnace. 3. Do Your Part Though most maintenance work should be left to professionals, you can perform small...

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3 Important Benefits of Regular Sump Pump Maintenance

A sump pump is an inconspicuous essential. Often discretely installed in low-lying areas of homes, this equipment is typically out of sight and out of mind. However, when problems like basement flooding occur, it also reliably saves the day. If you’ve got a sump pump in your Aitkin home, keeping it well-maintained is absolutely critical. Following are three solid reasons why. 1. Your Sump Pump Is an Important Investment Like many Minnesota homeowners, you’ve likely paid a fair amount of cash for your sump pump, and to have it properly installed. Keeping it clean and debris-free is important for both ensuring continued operation and for staving unnecessary problems off. Routine maintenance for your sump pump is always far more cost-effective than letting it wear down. With regular inspections and cleaning, you can avoid countless repair issues and the high costs of either fixing them or replacing the entire unit. 2. Enjoy Peace of Mind Think back to your life before you had a sump pump in your home. Nothing was likely more nerve-wracking and stress-inducing than heavy rain or massive amounts of snow-melt. With a high-functioning sump in, you don’t have to worry about wet floors, wet baseboards, mold, mildew,...

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Why Isn’t My AC Cooling My Home?

It can be frustrating when your AC system is running but not producing cool air. There are a number of reasons this occurs. Some of the cooling issues you can solve, but for others, you need the help of an experienced technician. Thermostat Set to “ON” Check your thermostat to see if the fan is set to “ON” or “AUTO.” When it’s set to “AUTO,” the fan will run regardless of whether or not the air conditioner is running. Set it to “ON,” so the fan only comes on when the air conditioner does. Dirty Filter A dirty filter impedes airflow through your air conditioning system. Your AC system can’t operate as it should and may even shut down after becoming overheated. You should check the filter monthly and replace it when you notice it’s dirty. Obstructed Condenser Your outdoor AC unit houses a large condenser. If the condenser becomes jammed, it may operate but not be able to extract enough heat energy from your home. Debris that can jam the condenser includes grass clipping, leaves, and dirt. Open your outdoor AC unit and gently hose the condenser down. Broken Condenser Fan Motor A broken condenser fan motor will cause...

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Avoid These Common Summer AC Issues

After a long winter, you are probably ready to enjoy some much-needed warm weather. Nevertheless, the first hot days can still send you reaching for the thermostat to turn on the air conditioner, and the last thing you need is to discover that it is not functioning properly. Without regular inspections and proper maintenance, your AC unit can develop problems. Awareness of the most common air conditioning issues that you might encounter in the summer can help you avoid being without cool air. Dirt Accumulation The internal parts of your air conditioner are constantly exposed to dirt and grime, which hamper their efficiency. The outdoor unit is exposed to the elements despite a protective casing, and its grille can become blocked by debris and vegetation. The condenser coils can get dirty, and so can the blades of the blower fan. The evaporator coils of the indoor unit may gather dirt that the air filter missed. They can also freeze if there is insufficient airflow over them. All of these factors contribute to decreasing the efficiency of the unit, increasing wear and tear and hiking up your utility costs. A scheduled professional cleaning from the experts at will help keep your...

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How To Keep My Home Cool Without Air Conditioning?

Using your air conditioner on a hot day could become very expensive. Your air conditioning unit can guzzle electricity, raising your power bills, so finding ways to cool your home without using it can save you money. Here are ways to keep your home comfortable without turning on or overworking your air conditioning unit. Use Ceiling Fans Rotating Counter-Clockwise Ceiling fans are a classic solution for reducing your electricity consumption. Turning them on to full speed on hot days is important, but making sure they rotate in the counter-clockwise direction is optimal. This causes the fan to force air straight down into your living spaces. Indoor air circulation mimics the cooling effects of outdoor breezes. Check Your Insulation Just like having poor insulation in your home can let cold temperatures inside your house from outside during the winter, it can let heat in from outside during the summer. Having good insulation can keep cool air in your home and prevent it from escaping, and it will keep the heat outside. Ensuring that you have adequate insulation will likely replace some of the need for your air conditioner to operate. Seal Your Windows Just like having inadequate insulation in your home...

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Why Is My Refrigerator Leaking Water?

It’s never pleasant to discover a water puddle in the front of your fridge. Besides the dangers of causing electric shock, damaging the floor, and causing a slipping hazard, a leaky fridge signifies a serious malfunction. The following are some of the causes of a leaking refrigerator. Can Your Home’s PEX Pipes Freeze? Learn the answer here! Door Seal Failure Excess condensation from a poorly sealed refrigerator door could cause water puddles beneath the appliance. Compromised rubber door seals force the refrigerator to run constantly. Consequently, you will notice condensation buildup on the fridge coils. This will ultimately leak water from the door to the floor beneath your refrigerator. Clogged Defrost Drain Refrigerators with an auto-defrost feature have a drain line extending to a drip pan underneath them to drain away water created by defrosting. Water then evaporates from the drip pan. Water drips beneath or behind the fridge if the drain line is clogged, missing the collection pan. That could explain the water puddles at the front of your fridge. Unfortunately, it can damage your floors or the wall behind the appliance. The cause is not obvious because it only happens during the defrost cycle. Water Filter Connection You...

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Spring Breeze

The Northern Air Breeze Spring 2016 Celebrating 25 Years 1991-2016 Volume 1, Number 1 In This Issue Greetings Radon Water Softeners Water Heaters Sump Pumps Thermostats Maintenance Checklist Related Websites Radon Information www.mn-radon.info Water Softeners www.northstarconditioning.com Water Heaters www.navien.com www.aosmith.com Sump Pumps www.hydromatic.com Thermostats www.carrier.com www.honeywell.com Contact Us www.northernairplumbing.com www.facebook.com/ northernairaitkin [email protected] (218) 927-6828 Plumbing Tips To see if you have a leak in your toilet, simply put 5 drops of food coloring into your toilet tank and wait 30 minutes. You have a leak if you see color in your bowl. If your kitchen sprayer gets caught on pipe valves when you pull it up, try wrapping it with ½” pipe insulation and tape if necessary. By installing energy-efficient showerheads and aerators, you can save over 4,200 gallons of hot water each year. Did You Know? If you wash clothes 3 times per week, you would use 3,000 more gallons of water each year with a top-load washing machine compared to a front-loading model. It is estimated that 10% of U.S. households have plumbing leaks that account for an average water loss each day of 90 gallons. Fix a Leak Week is celebrated in March of each year to...

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