Sometimes it is not an easy decision whether or not you should maintain or pay for services on household appliances and equipment.  When times are tight it seems that people cut back on maintaining certain appliances to save some money.  This can be a risky move  considering that your furnace and air conditioner perform at their best and safest when cleaned regularly (annually).  Scheduling furnace tune-ups and air conditioner tune-ups are the best way to prevent costly repairs in the middle of a cold winter or hot summer!

When we are at your home performing a tune-up, ask for our FREE RotoVision Ductwork Video Inspection.  We can show you what the inside of you ducts look like and you can decide if you would like to schedule a RotoBrush Whole-House Duct Cleaning.

If you never have had your ducts cleaned before, chances are that there is dust and debris in your ductwork.  It is also a good idea to have the ducts checked for mold and mildew growth which can cause sickness.

Possible Reason to have your Ducts cleaned:

1.  Either you or someone in your family has symptoms of allergies or asthma.

2.  Most household dust contains mites, mold, mildew, pollen, and animal dander and you don’t want to breathe that!

3.  If you see dust on your registers and around your house in general.

We Proudly Serve these and locations and more:

In Wisconsin: Hudson, River Falls, Somerset, Baldwin, Roberts, Prescott, New Richmond, and Hammond.

In Minnesota: Lakeland, Stillwater, Afton, and Woodbury.

Call now to set up the FREE RotoVision Video Inspection!

What is Whole-House Duct Cleaning?  How Often should your Ducts be Cleaned? How do you choose the right duct cleaning company?

Heating and air conditioning companies (including Valley Services) suggest cleaning and tuning-up your furnace and air conditioner yearly.   Duct cleaning is another service that should be done if it is determined that your ducts have mold, dust, or other debris in your duct work.  There is no need for a routine maintenance schedule to be set up, duct cleaning should be performed on an as needed basis.

At Valley Services we use RotoBrush Duct Cleaning equipment.  We use the RotoVision Video Inspection system to do just that.  We insert a 1-1/8″ camera with LED lights into the ductwork and with a 35′ cord view the inside of your duct system.  We can show you on the 10″ Color LCD Screen what your ducts look like and whether or not you would like to proceed with the cleaning and what we suggest as well.

I believe that the video inspection is the most important step in the process for our customers.  Valley will never suggest to clean the ducts if it is not needed.  It is the trust that we build and stand by with our customers that keeps them coming back!

So we answered one question so far, how often should your ducts be cleaned (asnwer: as needed and can be determined by the Video Inspection).

What is duct cleaning?

Duct Cleaning is a service that is performed (should be performed) by a heating and cooling company.  It is a process that starts with (after the video inspection of course) removing all of the grilles and registers of your return and supply ducting.  We then insert the air brush and vacuum hose into the duct and slowly work our way towards the main trunk line.  After we finish vacuuming each line of duct, we vacuum the inside of the furnace and check and clean the blower motor as well.

Don't let your air filter look like this! Get your ducts cleaned!

After vacuuming the inside of the furnace, we turn on the fan and spray a Anti-Microbial Solution into the duct system.  We then replace all the grilles and registers.

The final and most important step is letting the furnace run for 15-20 minutes after the cleaning is complete.  There are many duct cleaning companies out there that will not even start your furnace before they leave.  We make it a point to ensure everything is in perfect working order before we leave.  This leads me into the final sections of this blog.

How do you choose the right duct cleaner?

There are a few things that are important to consider before deciding on the company that is right for you.  There are some companies that are not heating and cooling companies that are cleaning ducts.  They are strictly cleaning companies and their work ends with the ductwork.  Anything that happens with the furnace they will not inspect.

This is something that is important to us as a company.  We want our customers to know that we will check your furnace operation before we begin and before we leave.  We believe that the ductwork and the furnace work together and it is key that your duct cleaning company understands this as well.

This should help you in your search for duct cleaning information.  There will be another article coming soon!

Thanks!

Yuck! You could be breathing this!

You don’t want to breathe this!  Change your Filters Regularly and get your furnace maintained and cleaned  and duct work cleaned!

Dust and dirt can ruin blower motors and cost you money!

715-386-7131

Air Conditioner season is upon us.  It came so fast!  But I am not complaining.  Now that the Twins have an open air stadium we are going to need some warm spring seasons.  The weather has been warm for a few weeks now and we can start to test pressures on air conditioners to make sure they are ready to work efficiently this summer.

Listed below is what we do on each summer tune up.

We do ask for a school supply donation for The Sharing Tree.

Air Conditioner Maintenance – 15 point Summer Tune-Up

A few of the things that our technicians do to ensure that your Air Conditioner works in the heat of summer is clean the outdoor condenser with a special solution, check the refrigerant pressures and levels, clean the indoor blower motor, and check amp draws on the capacitors.  We also verify that the condensate drain line is clear so it does not plug up and leak water all over your floor.

Hope to hear from you!

If you are finding that there are areas in your home which are too hot or too cold, it could be because of a blower motor or air flow issue.  Most older furnaces have a single speed blower motor, which translates to your furnace fan blows air only when the thermostat calls for heat or cool.  When your home reaches the desired temperature, your furnace fan turns off and waits for it to need a temperature change again.

There are some high efficient and technically advanced furnaces out there now that are worth taking a look at.  The Goodman 95% efficient furnaces include a Variable Speed Blower Motor (and a Two-Stage Gas Valve) which allows your furnace fan to run all the time at a low speed (1/10th of the electricity of regular blower fans).  Having your fan run all the time improves your home comfort for multiple reasons.  One of the reasons is it improves air quality because it constantly circulates air through your air filter then back through your home.  Another reason is by constantly circulating air, areas that get cold or hot when furnace shuts off, will be the same temperature as the rest of your home.

Thanks for reading!

Bryan Corbett

There are a variety of sizes, styles, and prices of furnace filters, but changing each of them is similar.

1. Before you start, turn off your furnace fan.  Either switch off at your furnace, or on the thermostat, switch to off.
2. Locate your filter. It should be located near the bottom of your furnace where the ductwork meets with the furnace.  This is where the air comes from your home, to be filtered and then sent back as warm or cold air through the top of your furnace.

It might be hidden behind a slot of sheet metal that can be moved.  If you cannot find it, consult your furnace manual or call a service technician.

3. Grasp the edge of the filter and pull out of slot.

4. Take the new filter, look at which way the arrow points, have it pointing toward furnace, the direction of air flow.  Putting in backwards decreases efficiency.

5. Close up slot, if needed. Change filter as recommended, for the 1 inch pleated filter, usually 2-3 months, depending on how much usage.

6.  It only filters the air if your blower is running.  If you have a variable speed blower, keep it running at a low speed all the time for the best air quality.

Other questions concerning your furnace? Click here.

Thanks again!

Bryan Corbett

Air to Air Exchanger (basic diagram)

What is HEPA Filtration?

HEPA Filtration (or High Efficiency Particulate Air) removes 99.97% of airborne particles.  Airborne particles larger than 10 microns get caught in your throat and nose and airborne particles smaller than 10 microns you breathe into your lungs.  The Environmental Protection Agency has ranked indoor air pollution as a high priority health risk.  Keeping your air clean will keep your family healthier and lead to a more comfortable and stress free environment.

How does HEPA Filtration work?

HEPA Filtration removes 99.97% of particles .3 microns and larger.  The thickness of human hair is 100 microns.

Fantech HEPA Filter

HEPA Filtration uses a 3 step process to clean your air:

First, the Pre-filter captures the larger particles (such as dust, pollen, mold spores, smoke, dust mites, etc)

Second, the Carbon filter attracts and captures odors from cooking, tobacco smoke, and other gas particles.

Third, the HEPA filter captures the tiniest particles, germs, allergens, and bacteria that die in the filter because they cannot survive in an environment without humidity.

Lower your doctor bills and get on your way to a happier and healthier home with a HEPA filtration system.  Valley Services happily installs Fantech HEPA Filters and Lifebreath HEPA filters.  If you have more questions, check out Valley’s FAQ page.

Call Valley with questions 715-386-7131.

Bryan