Maintenance Tips for Your HVAC

Keep your HVAC system in its best shape to enjoy maximum comfort with a long operating life:

• Regularly replace the filter - We recommend changing the system filter at least twice a year – once before the heating season and once before the cooling season. Make sure to also Keep components clean, especially the outdoor condenser/compressor unit. Removing dirt & debris and cutting back vegetation to at least two feet on all sides can greatly improve the your AC results. 
• Use a programmable thermostat - When you’re away from home or at night when sleeping, allowing the temperature to change by 10 degrees closer to the air outside for 8 hours or more can save 5%-15% on heating and cooling costs. 
• Have your HVAC system serviced by a trained technician twice a year - HVAC tasks like checking combustion in gas or oil furnaces or ensuring there are no leaks in a refrigerant line are best left to experts. Make sure to schedule regular system checks with Harbin.
• Insulate and air-seal your home properly – HVAC equipment is much more efficient if the home’s shell is efficient. (for a diy guide, check out this one from EnergyStar.gov.) 
• Make sure your system is the correct size - When planning for a new HVAC system, insist that the HVAC contractor perform exhaustive “Manual J” calculations to calculate the system size. Systems that are either too small or too large will not run efficiently, provide poor comfort, not properly address the home’s humidity needs, and will likely fail earlier than necessary.
• Make safety a priority - Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for your family’s safety.
• Upgrade to geothermal heating - Geothermal heating doesn't need to be Complicated. If you heat and cool with electricity, consider upgrading to geothermal heating and cooling. Customers who choose to use geothermal power can save a lot of money on their energy bill. Geothermal power is not only affordable; it is reliable and environmentally friendly. Emissions produced from geothermal systems are much lower than other products.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Furnaces Requires Maintenance

The recommendation is to maintain, inspect and clean your furnace. There are many furnaces in the Corinth Mississippi area, and Savannah Tennessee area that homeowners neglect there maintenance on their furnace. At Harbin Heating & Air Conditioning we believe in routine maintenance. It is nothing to save a home owner 40-50% on their gas bill along not to mention the inspection finds carbon monoxide leaks. This will cause you and your love ones to get very sick and is even fatal. You cannot smell Carbon Monoxide so that is one reason that it is extremely dangerous.

Carbon Monoxide detectors are used to test the amount of Carbon Monoxide in the home. They analyze the parts per million and alarm when it exceeds the danger zone. These detectors can be purchased at your local big box store or local hardware store.

If you have questions about this topic or any other subjects email me at kevin@harbinair.com.

This is the Harbin Heating & Air blog. We serve Corinth, MS, North MS, Savanna TN, South West TN, & North West AL.

4 ways to cut your heating bill by $690 a year

Even well-built, newer homes have enough gaps to add up to a 14-square inch hole. But plug these money holes and you can save as much as $690 off your heating bill. Here’s how

Drafty doors

A thin eighth-of-an-inch gap under a 36-inch wide door is akin to a 2.4-inch hole in your wall. Save money by sealing up drafty doors.

Replace attic insulation

To keep heat bills down there should be at least 12 inches of evenly distributed insulation throughout your attic.

Fill the cracks

To stop air leakage, and high heating bills, use caulk to fill the gaps.

Out with the old-school thermostat

For every degree you turn your thermostat down in winter, you save between 3% and 5% on your heating bill.Use a programmable thermostat to make these savings automatic.

If you have any questions please email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone has a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.

Sources: Efficiency Nova Scotia, Washington Post, Energy Saver

Happy Veterans Day

HVAC Provides Home Protection

When people think of HVAC, many focus on the comfort of cool air and overlook the valuable protection that heating and ventilation can offer. HVAC cooling systems do their part to ensure your protection by stabilizing the air conditions within your home. Valuable possessions that can become damaged by poor indoor climate are protected by your HVAC system.

By installing a high quality heating and cooling system, you can ensure that the condition of your home is prioritized. With an Harbin HVAC system, you will be adding your own level of insurance because your possessions will be protected from the horrors of a poor climate. You can pair a HVAC system with a whole house humidifier or any other indoor air quality product to further protect your property including your electronics, upholstery, wood, art, and instruments. 

Electronics - Over time, moisture levels can cause damage to electronics. High humidity can cause moisture to collect in the electronic components which will lead to corrosion. Even low moisture levels can cause problems because static electricity can build up and lead to short circuits. High temperatures can also damage plasma TVs and computers by overheating them. 

Custom Upholstery - Custom upholstery needs to be treated with care. Without proper ventilation, your expensive furniture can be damaged. Also, when extreme temperatures, the material your upholstery is made out of will be damaged. Leather and wood both struggle in warm temperatures. If your HVAC problems aren’t fixed, your upholstery can develop cracks leather spots.

Wood - If you have any wooden furniture, moisture can build up and rot the wood from within. As wood gains and loses moisture over a period of months and years, it goes through a process of contraction and expansion until eventually the damage is beyond repair. Not only will cracks and splits appear, there could also be warping and bowing within the wood. Of course, this becomes a nightmare if you have wooden floorboards because they will start to gap. 

As well as floorboards, this can ruin furniture, cabinets, wooden beams, doors, decking, building materials, and more. What’s even worse, the long-term upshot of this can be mold which will spread quickly and destroy the core structure of a home if left untreated or even unnoticed. 

Art - When you have an HVAC system installed, you will also protect canvases and other pieces of art from fluctuating humidity levels. Additionally, linen, parchment, paper, and others will be affected. When the air is particularly dry, these materials will start to crack and even shrink. When there is excess moisture, the materials will go damp and could grow mold. When you keep artwork, it should be kept in a stable environment.

Instruments - Finally, humidity changes will also have an impact on the tune of a piano and the wood of a guitar. If dry, even woodwind instruments can crack and grow mold. 

As you can see, HVAC systems can be essential for any home and you should look to make the first step today if you want to keep your valuable possessions protected!

If you have any questions about the protection a HVAC system provides please email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone has a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.

Gas Fired furnaces/CO2

As we get into the fall season It is recommended to have your gas furnace maintained and inspected. Hundreds of people die each year from Carbon Monoxide poison (CO2) . I have seen many cracked heat exchangers. Over time there forms an amount of rust and eventually there are holes that penetrate through the heating chambers. Some heating systems can work properly with no issues for quiet sometime; while others the safety controls will shut the system off. 

Installing a really good carbon monoxide detector could save your life. 

These are just a few symptoms that is caused from CO2 poisoning.

• Headaches
• Nauseous
• Chills
• Flu like symptoms

We meet people all the time in the heating season that says there HVAC professional saved there life. They were having severe headaches. They would leave their home and feel fine. Once they returned home there headache would reappear.

If you have any questions about CO2 safety email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone has a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.

Happy Labor Day

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We just wanted to thank all our customers and wish you a Happy Labor Day!