HVAC - How to Select the Best HVAC Contractor for Service

If you’ve decided to get an HVAC system installed in your home or if you’ve discovered that your existing system needs to be serviced; then you need to choose the right contractor for the job. In order to get maximum effectiveness and comfort, you must look for a contractor who will be able to:

• Choose the right size of HVAC system compatible    with your home,

• Install the system properly, and

• Identify and solve all the problems related to the       duct system of your house in the coming years.

To get high quality service; you need to make sure that the contractor you hire is properly trained to do the job and has insurance and other certifications; such as the HVAC license. Read on to find out how can you choose the best HVAC contractor for your heating or cooling system.

Take referrals from your friends and neighbors. If someone around you has discovered a good HVAC contractor, then you should take advantage of that find. Consult with your friends and neighbors to get some good recommendations regarding which contractor to hire. They will give you an idea about what to expect from a specific contractor, enabling you to choose the service which suits you best.

Check out customer reviews. If you are unable to find any direct references, then opt for customer reviews available on the websites of various contractors.

Check the licenses. For quality service, you need to make sure that the HVAC contractor you are hiring; has the license and certificates required to do the job. In addition, the contractor must possess a worker’s insurance in case the worker gets injured during installment or servicing of your system.

Determine whether the contractor is reputable or not. You can look for a contractor’s history of customer complaints to determine which HVAC contractor you are going to hire. You can collect this information from state and community agencies.

Choose the contractor that inspects your house before making a final estimate. A good contractor always checks for air leaks and air flow, and examines the insulation of your house in order to provide the service in compliance with HVAC manufacturer’s guidelines and specifications.

Choose an experienced HVAC contractor. Price is mostly an indication of quality and this is what applies here. HVAC systems are complex; their successful installation and maintenance depends on the expertise of the contractors. This means you need to hire one with a lot of experience and training.

Get a detailed written estimate. Only good HVAC contractors provide a written estimate for their equipment and servicing. If your contractor does not provide you with one, you should look for another one.

Don’t make a quick decision. Don’t depend on a single contractor. Get proposals from multiple contractors. This will help you make a wise decision after evaluating different estimates.

The installment and maintenance of an HVAC system is always costly. Follow the steps recommended above to find the best service and to save your time and money.

If you are in the Houston, TX area and are concerned about finding the best quality HVAC contractor, be sure to call the professionals at Mirtron A/C & Heating, LLC today and ask how we can help you maintain your air conditioning equipment and keep it running efficiently and reliably for many years.

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HVAC - Duct Cleaning and Air Conditioning

The air present in your home circulates in the ducts of your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system for about five to seven times in a day. With time, a lot of dirt and debris gathers in these air ducts, impairing the efficiency of your ventilation system.

According to EPA, with a poor maintenance of HVAC systems, the indoor air can become 2-5 times more contaminated than outdoor air. This polluted air that circulates throughout the house can give rise to many health problems as well.

This is the reason why getting your HVAC system cleaned regularly must be on top of your home maintenance list. It doesn’t only improve the quality of air that surrounds you but also aids in making your air conditioning system more energy efficient.

Duct Cleaning Improves the Efficiency of Air Conditioning systems

Consistent accumulation of dirt and debris within the ducts of the ventilation system not only lessen the quality of indoor air but also prevents the free flow of air through the system. This makes your air conditioning system, work harder and consume more electricity, to cool your house in the summer months.

Duct cleaning improves the efficiency of your AC, because it involves proper cleaning of the entire ventilation system. The dirt accumulated on the cooling coils also causes a significant reduction in cooling efficiency of an air conditioning system. This is why it is important to get your entire HVAC system professionally cleaned in order to obtain the benefits of good quality air and enhanced energy efficiency.

Duct Cleaning Services

There are a number of professional duct cleaning service providers, who use special equipment including vacuums, blowers and brushes to clean the air ducts and vents of HVAC systems. A good cleaning service offers a thorough cleaning of the entire system including air handlers, motors and cooling coils.

These service providers are also licensed to clean the components of the system. The cost of duct cleaning service varies; depending on the size and number of ducts and vents in your house; it is always best to get your HVAC system cleaned by a licensed air duct cleaning company in spite of the cost; because this will ensure that the entire job is done professionally.

A Quick Summary on the Benefits of Air Duct Cleaning

The benefits that you enjoy with a regular cleaning and maintenance of your air conditioning system are:

• Savings: Duct cleaning and servicing of your HVAC system makes it more energy efficient; thus reducing a considerable amount on your electricity bill.

• Durability of the system: Regular cleaning and maintenance ensures the durability of the HVAC system as you won’t need to pay for any repairs or replacement parts in the long run.

• Healthy atmosphere: Properly cleaned air ducts improve the quality of air that circulates inside the house. With regularly maintained HVAC system, you create a healthy atmosphere for your family to live in. Air duct cleaning also removes possible allergens from indoor air.

•  Remove odors: A musty odor is often felt in houses that contain dusty air ducts and vents. This odor is not even eliminated with strong air fresheners, but with regular air duct cleaning, you can avoid such odors in your house.

If you are looking for the best duct cleaning and air conditioning HVAC contractor in Houston, be sure to contact Mirtron A/C & Heating, LLC today. We will be happy to provide you with solid advice regarding the efficiency and reliability of your current duct system.

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HOW TO MINIMIZE YOUR HEATING EXPENSES

If you are looking for ways to save money on your heating and cooling costs, it helps to consider the equipment you have in your property currently and whether an upgrade may be needed. Intelligent purchases and the appropriate maintenance of your furnace will play an important role in the reduction of the high, cooling, and heating costs in your home. This is particularly important given the likelihood that energy costs will increase soon.

Most experts agree that the efficiency of your furnace is one of the fundamental factors when it comes to a reduction of your heating and cooling costs. While homeowners cannot control the cost of fuel such as oil, natural gas or electricity, they can take steps to lower the impact of these costs by choosing equipment that is more efficient and having it maintained properly over time.

Ensure Your Furnace is Regularly Checked
If you do not typically have your furnace appropriately checked, you need to start doing so in order to minimize your heating expenses. The best approach to this is to contact a licensed HVAC contractor to conduct an inspection of your furnace. Mirtron A/C and Heating LLC can conduct an inspection and cleaning of your furnace to ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible.

Purchase High Quality Equipment
The effectiveness of a furnace is usually stated by its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency percentage, or it’s “AFUE,” which is a means of evaluation established by the U.S. Department of Energy. The greater the AFUE of a furnace, the more effective it is.

Older furnaces operate at lower AFUE than a modern furnace. If your furnace is older than 15 or 20 years, it is likely only operating at a 60% AFUE, as compared to more modern high-efficiency furnaces that run at 96% efficiency or more.

Modern furnaces also utilize new technologies with respect to variable speeds and high efficiency blowers, which are designed to save you money on your electricity bill. During the cooling season, the blower also operates in tandem with the cooling system of the home, permitting the users to experience an amplified degree of productivity.

All of these combined efficiencies will ensure that your heating and cooling costs will remain as low as possible.

Examine Tax Credits for High Efficiency Furnace Purchases

Due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT), property owners who purchase a new furnace that meets certain efficiency requirements can obtain tax credits that can help to reduce their taxable income and put more money back in their pockets at tax season.

If you are looking for the most efficient cooling and heating system available in the greater Houston, Texas area, be sure to contact the professionals at Mirtron A/C and Heating LLC today. Our licensed and trained professionals can inspect your current system and make recommendations regarding the best way to save money this year on your cooling and heating costs.

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Clean Air for Your Health’s Sake

Air is an invaluable resource for all individuals and clean air keeps the body in a good shape. In spite of the fact that individuals are for the generally unable to clean the air they are subjected to outside, we can however, control the air inside the home. Air filters can do an excellent job of cleaning air that would otherwise be contaminated with dust, bacteria, pollen, chemicals, gases, dirt and other harmful particles. These pollutants can bring about symptoms ranging from minimal to severe allergies or hypersensitive reactions. Reactions from polluted air may come in the form of symptoms like a sore throat, sneezing or cough. Air filters are an excellent means of removing all harmful pollutants from the air before they become very detrimental.

The air inside a house or building is continually redistributed with an HVAC system, and if this air is polluted with toxins, then these toxins will become trapped within your building, especially when your doors and windows remain closed. However, if air filters are utilized, all forms of contaminants will be removed from circulation and replaced with the clean, healthy air provided by the filters.

Clean Air for Businesses

Air filters are not just for the home. They are needed in several places such as businesses, workplaces, and health centers, in order to keep employees, patients and individuals safe and healthy. In some industrial factories and organizations, chemical substances are employed in the production process of their products and the continuous exposure to all these substances can bring about short term mild symptoms like sneezing and coughing and may have long-term consequences such as respiratory complications. In an effort to ensure the safety of their staff, personnel and workers, many organizations have had to make use of air filters to get rid of all the hazardous substances in the air. With high-quality industrial grade the air in the atmosphere is purified and nontoxic for the employees to take in or inhale.

Clean Air for Children

Owners of homes and businesses that have children inside regularly are discovering the importance of clean air to the wellbeing of these children. With high quality air filters in place to catch airborne bacteria, microorganisms and viruses spreading through the home or work environment, illnesses, infections and sicknesses like colds or flues are less prevalent. Employers have discovered that with filters, their workers do not easily infect one another with viruses anymore, while homeowners have found out that with the use of high quality air filters, illnesses and sicknesses that are normally transferred easily from one person to another are no longer a threat to their children and household in general.

The utilization of air filters to get rid of dangerous bacterial microorganisms, chemical substances, viruses, pollen, dust and dirt leave behind a clean, hygienic, sanitary, healthy and particle-free environment which will lead to reduced number of illnesses and promote the well being of its users, making it beneficial to all homeowners, workers and employers.

Mirtron A/C and Heating, LLC can provide recommendations for your home or business for air filtration that will ensure that your home or workplace remains a safe environment. Call us today if you are seeking help with your HVAC system in the greater Houston, TX area.

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Can Duct Cleaning Improve Your Life?

Consider how often you need to dust and clean your home, and consider that every time you HVAC heating and/or cooling system turns on, dust and debris are carried through the ductwork running beneath your floors and inside the walls of your home. How often have those areas been cleaned? The reality is that ductwork collects a lot of dust and debris as time passes. While a good quality air filter for your furnace can help to catch a lot of this dust and debris, it can’t stop all of it, and what isn’t caught can settle inside your ductwork causing problems over time.

Problems Caused By Filthy Ductwork

One of the most serious problems caused by dirty ducts is health problems such as asthma. For those with allergies, consider that pet dander, pollen, mold spores and many other irritants can become lodged within your ductwork temporarily, and then released over time as moving air shifts dust particles and debris. Potentially, ever time your furnace or air conditioning unit turns on you may be experiencing the release of allergens and irritants.

The minimal cost involved in cleaning your ductwork is worthwhile when you consider the health repercussions of ignoring dirty ducts, but there are some steps you can take to determine whether your ducts need cleaning or not.

Inspect Your Ducts

A professional opinion will give you the most accurate results, but a self-inspection of your ductwork is possible that will give you at least some indication about the condition of your ductwork.

One of the most basic inspections you can perform in your own home is to simply remove a floor register. In some cases, these are held in place with screws, but most will lift right out. To begin, reach into the duct and feel around for any dust and debris. If your hand comes back clean, that is a good sign. If you would like a more detailed view, you can use a small camera placed into the duct to take a photo of the condition of your ductwork.

Often there will be an accumulation of debris near the end of the duct closest to the register. In many cases, you can simply use a vacuum hose to clean that type of debris out. However, if your camera reveals a long and heavy buildup of dust and grime down the length of the duct, a more serious cleaning by professionals may be required.

Telltale signs that a professional duct cleaning is required will include a restricted airflow due to the buildup of debris, visible mold within a duct, animal remains or feces, or construction debris.

Clean ductwork will help your HVAC system work more efficiently and effectively. If you have concerns about the efficiency of A/C or heating system, call us a Mirtron A/C & Heating, LLC today for a consultation. Our professional staff can inspect your home and its ductwork to provide you with the help and advice you need to ensure a healthy HVAC system.

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