Home Is Where the Health Is - HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric

Dehumidifiers for Indoor Moisture Control

If you live in an area that experiences a lot of rain and/or humidity, a dehumidifier is a wise investment. Not only can a dehumidifier help you combat a musty-smelling basement, a dehumidifier can improve your health.

Especially during rainy seasons, excessive moisture can act as breeding grounds for mold and dust mites, creating health problems for people with respiratory illness or allergies. Even if you don’t have a chronic health issue, mold, dust and mildew can cause respiratory discomfort and irritation. High humidity also attracts disease-carrying pests like roaches and mosquitos.

An ideal indoor humidity level is 45 percent. Higher levels facilitate mold and bacteria growth. If your indoor humidly level is above 45 percent, it’s time to start shopping for a dehumidifier.

Look for an energy-efficient unit (signified by the EPA’s Energy Star label) with easy-to-use controls and a removable tank or an automatic drain via a sump-pump or sink. Also make sure that the dehumidifier is the right size for the area that needs de-humidifying.

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Home is Where the Health Is is written and published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

 

Simple Steps for Better Indoor Air

When you’re inside at home or the office, you probably don’t think about the pollutants that could be floating in the air around you. While most of them wouldn’t affect a healthy immune system, someone with respiratory problems could suffer greatly from indoor air pollutants. However, there are a few easy steps you can take to improve the indoor air quality around you.

For starters, get some fresh air inside. When possible, open the windows or doorways with screens to get a breeze going. This will get stuffy air outside and fresh air inside the home or office.

Consider getting and maintaining houseplants. There are several house plants, such as the popular spider plant, that are easy to take care of and they actually remove pollutants from the air. They also make a great decoration.

If your home has high amounts of humidity, purchase and run a dehumidifier. Removing the right amount of moisture from the air will keep mites and mold at bay.

Although most people would assume smoking in the house does serious damage to the indoor air quality, it still happens.  Even light smokers bring tobacco smoke, which contains more than 4,000 chemicals, into the indoors.

And finally, don’t wear shoes inside. Pesticides and other unwanted chemicals ride in on the heels of our shoes without us even realizing it. So leave the unwanted guests outside, along with your shoes.

Using these simple tips, the indoor air quality of your home will improve without much thought.

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Home is Where the Health Is is written and published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

Facts about Mold and Mildew

Although they’re very common intruders, nobody likes having mold or mildew invade their house. Nevertheless, these unwanted microbial guests can be extremely hard to eliminate.

Mold needs very little to survive, and even if you think you’ve gotten rid of it, it can return with a vengeance as soon as water is reintroduced to the area.  All mold needs to thrive is a source of moisture, a place to grow and a food source – which can be any dead or living organic matter, such as your wooden deck, for example.

Besides decks, other places mold likes to grow include damp basements, poorly ventilated bathrooms, humidifiers, and any areas affected by humidity, flooding or a leaky roof. Although we all encounter various forms of mold on a daily basis, if you have a breeding ground for mold in your home, it can accumulate to levels that endanger your health.

Having mold in your home is especially dangerous if you have any lung or breathing problems such as asthma, if you have a weakened immune system, or if you’re elderly or an infant.

The best way to tackle a mold problem is to eliminate the source of moisture and then kill the mold. If mold is growing on a very porous surface like a carpet, the best thing to do is throw it away, because it’s probably unsalvageable. Consider the following tips when cleaning mold/mildew from non-porous surfaces.

• Use non-ammonia soap with hot water and scrub the entire area.
• Bleach will also kill mold, but it is pretty toxic, so avoid using it unless you have to.
• Use a heavy-duty scrubber, such as those made for pots and pans. These work especially well for uneven surfaces.
• Use very hot water to rinse the entire area clean.

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Home is Where the Health Is is written and published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

What Plants Improve Home Air Quality

Indoor air quality is important, but without an air purifier, it might seem impossible to achieve. However, utilizing houseplants to improve your indoor air quality, either at home or in the office, can do more good than you might realize.

Some common airborne chemicals in the areas we frequent include formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and carbon monoxide.

The spider plant, or chlorophytum comosum, is very effective in getting rid of formaldehyde. Spider plants are easy to grow, because they survive in several different conditions, including a wide range of temperatures.

Golden Pothos is also known to keep the formaldehyde away. It is one of the easiest houseplants to care for and is rarely affected by pests.

To remove benzene, gerbera daisies and the chrysanthemum are the most effective. The mum will also help with trichloroethylene, as will a peace lily.

Some other plants that are good at improving air quality include the bamboo palm, a Chinese evergreen, English ivy hedera helix, marginata, a snake plant, and warneckii. All of the plants mentioned will remove a small amount of carbon monoxide, but not enough to ignore an alarm.

In general, it would take one large plant for every 100 square feet of a home or an office to clean the air well. If the enclosure is heavily polluted, it would take additional plants to get, and keep, the air clean.

Since the plants listed are fairly easy to care for, even if you’re without a green thumb, they will thrive in normal indoor light and temperatures. They won’t need much watering, but misting them is always a smart idea.

Depending on the current air quality of your home or office, a plant can help clean the atmosphere and remove some of the harmful chemicals. Plus, it also makes for a good decoration, as well as a hobby.

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Home is Where the Health Is is written and published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

Mold and Mildew Facts

Mold and mildew are always unwelcome guests. Unfortunately, they’re a part of life and bound to show up somewhere, usually in our bathrooms – especially our showers, tiles and tubs.

Mold and mildew are tenacious survivors that don’t need much to thrive. All mold needs is:

• A source of moisture
• A place to grow
• A food source

These criteria are found easily enough due to humidifiers, leaky roofs, flooding, damp basements, plumbing leaks and poorly ventilated bathrooms. We’re all exposed to various forms of mold and mildew every day of our lives, but left unchecked, certain breeding grounds in our homes can create levels that can endanger our health, especially if you’re elderly, asthmatic, an infant, or have a weakened immune system. The best thing to do is discover why certain areas are growing mold, fix the problem and eliminate the mold and mildew.

Before you set out to clean your mold and mildew, first take care of the source of the moisture, otherwise the mold will grow right back. Also, if a porous surface has suffered an outbreak (such as a carpet), throw it away – chances are it’s ruined.

To clean non-porous surfaces, follow these steps:

• First clean the area with soap
• Use non-ammonia soap with hot water and scrub the entire area. Bleach is toxic, so avoid using it if you can.
• Using a scrubber for pots and pans or a stiff brush works best, especially for uneven surfaces.
• Rinse the area clean with very hot water.

 

Green Air Filters: Plants

Are you looking for a green way to keep the air in your home healthy and fresh?  It is always a great idea to open up a window, but another amazing way to let nature help your home is to purchase a plant to put in the home.  Plants don’t just make a great decoration – they also help keep the air around you cleaner by taking out toxins and the carbon dioxide that we exhale on a daily basis.  All these things are then recycled into fresh oxygen that will fill your home.

These benefits will come as a part of nurturing the plant and ensuring it is growing and living in a healthy and safe environment.  For instance, some plants are poisonous so they need to be kept away from any pets or toddlers that might try to eat part of it.  Each plant also has very different requirements in order to grow – some need a large amount of light, some need watered very frequently.  Talking to a local greenhouse or following instructions that come with the plant can help you cultivate a successfully growing plant.

Regardless of whatever plant you decide to choose, think about the benefits you can get from a new house plant.  Not only can it help make a room look good, it can also keep the air fresh too!

 

Using Houseplants To Clean The Air In Your Home

Placing living plants around our homes and offices makes for a great way to decorate, but they are also good for the atmosphere because they work against indoor air pollution.

In an average home or office, common airborne chemicals include formaldehyde (found in nearly all indoor areas), benzene (from inks, oils, detergents and dyes), trichloroethylene (used in dry cleaning and printing inks), and carbon monoxide (found in cigarette smoke). Of course, even in small amounts, these can cause a variety of health issues, from headaches and drowsiness, all the way to lung cancer and liver problems.

A variety of houseplants have been proven to remove these harmful chemicals from the air. The spider plant, philodren, and golden pothos are the most effective in getting rid of formaldehyde. Gerbera daisies and the chrysanthemum are the best at removing benzene. A peace lily or a chrysanthemum can remove quite a bit of trichloroethylene. All of the mentioned plants will remove low levels of carbon monoxide.

Some other plants effective in cleaning the air include, English ivy, Chinese evergreen, bamboo palm, snake plant, and marginata.

Generally speaking, one large plant per 100 square feet will sufficiently clean the air in an average office or home. If an area is heavily polluted, it would take several plants to make the air cleaner.

A majority of these houseplants will grow under florescent lighting or moderate to indirect sunlight. To avoid spider mites, mist them often and avoid hot, dry air. Consider sitting the pots in trays of pebbles and water to provide moister around the plant. However, don’t overwater the plant, as it is the most common form of plant death.

Growing a plant in your home or office can prove to be a fun project, resulting in a well-decorated area and cleaner air to boot.

(Flickr Photo By ankakay)

Christmas Fire Hazards

The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but they also mean more lights, candles, things to plug in—all which can be dangerous. This year, cover all the bases with the proper fire safety tips.

If you decorated a live Christmas tree in your home this year, there are a few special things you should do to care for it and prevent a fire. For starters, don’t place your tree close to any heating source such as a vent or a fireplace. The heat from these sources will dry out the tree, making it more likely to catch fire.

Of course, do not drop or flick cigarette ashes near the tree. It is a good idea to take your tree down after two weeks, as it will get too dry. While it is up, be sure to keep the tree stand filled with water all the time.

When it is time to take down the tree, never put the tree branches or needles in a fireplace or a wood-burning stove. Once the tree becomes dry, get it out of the house right away. Take it to a recycling center or have it picked up by a community pickup service.

Maintaining your holiday lights is an important part of fire safety. Make sure the lights you put up don’t have any frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, or excessive wear. Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions state it is safe. Connect the strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into an outlet. Periodically check the wires, they should never be warm. As always, never leave the lights on unattended.

When decorating your home for the holidays, use non-flammable decorations and place them away from heat vents. Never put wrapping paper in a fireplace as it could cause a large fire with dangerous sparks and may even result in a chimney fire.

Avoid using lit candles, and if you do use them, place them in stable holders where they can’t be easily knocked down. Never leave candles burning unattended. And never put lit candles on a Christmas tree.

{post by DanBrady}

Should I clean air ducts in my home?

We often make it a routine to clean many areas in our homes, but what about the air ducts? The air we breathe in our homes is circulated through these ducts, so you should consider cleaning the air ducts if there is substantial mold growth inside the ducts or on any components of your heating or cooling system, if the ducts are infested with rodents or insects, or if they are clogged with dust and debris.

If the air ducts in your home have any of the above conditions, there is a reason for it. Consider having a professional clean the ducts in order to identify the problem so it doesn’t continue to happen.

Not only will cleaning the air ducts improve the air quality in your home, it will also improve the efficiency of you heating and cooling system since it won’t have to work as hard to get through the ducts.

Since the air ducts are a component of your home, it is recommended that they are cleaned even if some of the serious problems are noticeable. However, it isn’t necessary to make it a routine to have the ducts cleaned, just as it is needed.

It should be noted that cleaning the air ducts in the home has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Dirty air ducts only one of many possible sources of particles that air present in the home. Pollutants can enter the home from outside or indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, or smoking. But there is no evidence that small amounts of household dust in an air duct poses any risk to our health.

Whether or not you decided to have your air ducts cleaned, there are some preventative measures you can take to keep unwanted particles from entering the system. Start by using a high efficiency air filter for your heating and cooling system. Make it a habit to change the filters. If the filters become clogged, change them more frequently. Also, remove dust from your home and vacuum regularly.

{photo by Toms Baugis}

The Importance of Changing the air filter in an HVAC system

Breathing fresh, clean air is important to our health. But if we don’t make it a habit to change the filters in our home air systems, the equipment can fail, making matters much worse. Maintaining a good filter maintenance schedule protects the air we breathe and the heating and cooling equipment in our homes.

Airflow goes hand-in-hand with the efficiency of your HVAC system, and furnace filters assist with this. Dirty filters restrict the airflow, which results in higher energy and even HVAC repair costs.

With your typical off-the-shelf throwaway HVAC filter, it collects particles in the filtering medium. After it collects a certain amount of particles and is full, you simply remove it, throw it away, and replace it with another.

It is important to remember the more efficient the filter or the dirtier the air, the faster the filter is going to fill up and need to be replaced. It is recommended that HVAC air filters be checked at least every 30 days for an excessive load up of particles. If the filter looks overloaded on day 30, then you will have to change the amount of time you check the filter. On the other hand, if the filter looks particularly clean, you can relax the schedule of checking it.

Aside from keeping the air in your home clean, if your air system is working with a dirty air filter, it will slow down its efficiency as it slows down to do the same job. As a result, you’ll be paying more money to keep your home warm or cool.

And last but not least, an air filter helps keep the interior of your equipment clean. If a dirty air filter I kept in use, it could damage your equipment, or even cause it to break down entirely, which won’t do you any good.

Prevent overpaying for heating and cooling your home, or repairing the equipment by maintaining a schedule to replace your air filters.

{photo by ACWA}