Air Ducts in Attic? Well, there are some Concerns.

Where is the worst possible place for a duct system?   An Attic…                

Can we make it a little better?     Yes … read on!

  Ok, so 90% of us have our systems in the attic, I do; but I’ve made my situation a lot better. Unfortunately, attic ducts’ goes with the local territory for “slab on grade” construction.  Basements & crawl spaces are rare or limited in this climate. This is just a fact of living in the Pensacola / Coastal Florida area; so what do we do?  Here’s our recommendation

1) Reduce the Temp in the attic.   DO NOT USE AN ATTIC FAN; a fan will just suck some of the conditioned air from the space in your home thru the Gaps Cracks & Holes* in the ceiling & walls. (there’s that Theme* again…) Any time you can reduce the transfer of air from COOL to HOT and DRY to WET you are way ahead;  Plus, that air exchange by an attic fan will leave your attic more humid…Another BIG NO NO that you want to avoid!!   

The better way is to reflect the heat “thermally” with a radiant barrier; this can drop the temperature 10,15 even 20 degrees in the attic during the peak heat load of the summer.  We even offer gaskets for the switchplate covers & outlets that will help reduce the leakage This is a great project for the DIY homeowner…There are even kits to make it easy.   A more expensive way is the foam “sealed attic” approach; then your duct system is in an area that is considered to be “climate controlled”  BE AWARE, this can be very tricky upgrade in a retrofit situation, but easy to do in new construction.  The foam contractor needs to pay EXTREME attention to detail on a project like this.

2) Get a duct leak test & Repair the duct leakage. If you don’t know how much your system is leaking then you’re guessing about the fix!  With a test of before & after you’ll know

how much improvement you can expect for future comfort  and energy savings. It’s best to do this in the cooler weather so this hot job doesn’t kill a work crew (less labor) and you’ll get a better price asking a company to work in your attic now rather than in May, June or  in July  when you get that monster power bill from the summer duct leakage.                                           

3) Lastly, INSULATE your attic. Be sure you have the other work done in the attic before you blow in any insulation; that needs to be the last step.

Think of this as the old oil filter commercial on TV “You can pay me now or pay me later”     

For More Health, Home Comfort, & Energy Tips go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com      or

Call us at (850) 934-2768 …and if you need help or expert advice, please ask!  We can Help!               

Happy New Year... No really

OK for Indoor Air Quality we do have something to be happy about... The Federal Government,  in all their infinite wisdom,  has decided to give us a 10% tax credit ( up to $500 cap) on energy efficient measures for our homes; so if you have this going on (see photo above) you need help

  This was buried in the recent Agriculture legislation (fiscal Cliff stuff) that they rushed thru so that milk wouldn't cost all of us $7 a gallon; and its retroactive to 2012 and counts for 2013
Just a couple of years ago you had a 30% tax credit  (on the materials... NOT the labor) however this was during a different administration... still the same $500 cap but more motivation to bring your energy costs' down, not to mention the jobs that it saved for contractors who were keeping busy tightening up Americas' leaky housing stock!!
So rejoice... you can get a little bit more return on your Insulation, Weatherization & Duct Leakage project!
If you have questions call us at Gulf Coast Air Care and we'll be happy to help

Comfort, Humidity & Fall...Well, Football season really!

OK it's Football season Again!! Yea, Fall brings us lots of JOY...Changing leaves, the end of the heat and FOOTBALL
But what does that mean for comfort?
I find myself running in and out of the house more this time of year because the grill is going strong all weekend long!
Who can watch football without a smoky PIG-SICKLE & a cold Beer?
All summer I had control of my humidity (i.e. My Comfort) because the doors stayed closed and the A/C was running, doing its job; if I was watching a baseball game, it did not require me to go outdoors - unless we were actually going to the ballpark.
One caveat, I do have a whole house De-humidifier at my place, which means I'm cheating a little on the comfort, but hey you want to hear what works... right ?  Not what doesn't work...you want that kinda of info just look at the Auburn football team this year!!!  Ha,  War Eagle... talk about "Won't Work".This is the SEC.  "COME ON, MAN"

But Autumn... Now that's a different story.
You gotta eat & keep that BBQ or smoker going...which means TAILGATING can lead to other issues...COMFORT ISSUES
or
discomfort issues if you can't lay off the Brats, Wings, or Lobster Mac!

The point of this entire piece it this:  As the weather cools you have less & less air conditioner run-time, So, You save money on Energy... BUT you give up the control factor for humidity.
You either need A/C running all the time or a De-hue to control the moisture, which helps to keep the man-cave dry & comfortable.

We all know that its not the "Heat" its the "Humidity".
Why do you think that Miami & the South Florida teams play the teams from up North in the early part of the season?  Big discomfort factor!! Right?  Its still humid...

When we add in the greater in & out  traffic because of nicer weather & what happens?... we lose that 'air-conditioned comfort' that we had all summer.

This is, of Course - assuming your house is comfortable to begin with, but that's a different story.**

So, What's the answer... NO football... NO BBQ... BULLS@%#... NO WAY... Not gonna happen.

I say, "get a home performance test & get a de-humidifier"... the "whole house" kind.
Once installed in the system, it will run & pull out the moisture & bring back the comfort...
Something we all need; especially if your guy throw's 3 picks in the first quarter or your team's defense can't stop the run.

** if you have NO COMFORT at your MAN-CAVE to start with... you need a good Indoor Air Quality specialist or you need to stop rooting for the BUCS
Call me I can help... or go to
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Seasonal Change

As the season begins to change & we slowly turn from Summer to Fall we will begin to turn off our Air Conditioners & enjoy a couple months of nice weather. Heck we might even open the windows  for some fresh air, at least maybe at night
There is a fall Allergy season here in the South, so we may need to ventilate & filter the air that is coming in thru the open windows.
But as we look back at surviving another steamy Summer, We also must consider all the hard use on our HVAC systems... Its like taking a 10,000 mile summer road trip... you know when you get back its time to change the oil.
Same thing with the Air Conditioner , all that run time, all that air flow, all that dust & in many cases Mold ... Not to mention all the energy we used getting thru the hottest part of the Summer
Now is the time for a "tune up", an "Oil Change" if you will...
What I'm saying is "the worst is behind us"; get an inspection to see the Condition that the conditioner is in!  Sounds like the lyrics to an old song...

The contractors are all running at a slower pace & its a perfect time to get an inspection on your equipment and duct work to see the  state of "Indoor Air Quality Affairs".
This time is good because we're all fat with summer profits & we will typically charge a little less or spend a little more time & give it a closer look ... now that we all don't have a huge list of people to run to all day long.
Not that guys take shortcuts in Summer, Don't misunderstand me here, but the time for PREVENTATIVE maintenance is when the  pace of business is slower.
Now is the time for any of that attic work that might have cost you a premium in the height of Summer; and think of all the money you'll save next year.  Electricity is not getting any cheaper & now is the time for attic work.  Don't wait till you get another $600 monthly power bill to call for help and remember nobody wants to work in your attic when it 130 degrees up there.

The next question we always get is "What do they need to look at"?

Duct Leakage is the biggest factor in High Power Bills, Excessive Dust & COMFORT
You will know if the A/C unit is running because you can turn it on & hear it... and also feel the air-flow in most cases.
The best way to go is to TEST for Duct Leakage...
You should see tools & gadgets like this for measuring air low & leakage

If they just do a quick look in you attic & call it good you are missing the point & probably getting taken to the proverbial "CLEANERS"
If you dont want that to happen Call the BBB to Check on a companies' reputation & track record.
also check with the people at  NADCA.com The association for Inspection Cleaning & Restoration of HVAC systems

For help in NorthWest Florida Call us at Gulf Coast Air Care

IAQ?... what about just keeping the lights turned on??

The DNC just concluded this week...Hallelujah...
Yeah, let's go FORWARD... into uncharted waters with this guy at the helm.

I usually write about Indoor Air Quality but I believe we need to think about keeping a roof over our head or keeping the lights turned on... utilities to run the Air Conditioning.... a stable safe environment where our children can do their homework; after-all, the children need to be educated so they can figure out how to pay for all this debt... so they can figure out how to turn around the greatest economy in the history of the world.

Can this Economy get any weaker... Yes, it can by continuing to GROW GOVERNMENT!!!

We need the business community in this country to produce... to produce orders that lead to people working.... and from those orders, to produce new jobs that help people keep up with the everyday bills  & living expenses... to produce the new technology of tomorrow... Oh Yeah...  AND
to produce revenue that becomes taxes, that get earmarked & pork-barreled & misappropriated...

GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM... NOT the solution

We need to have LOCAL, not National, Control of Decisions
We need Term Limits
We need everyone to have some Personal Responsibility
We Need LESS government...
We Need more people to get off their couches or folding chairs or  coolers & get out there in the working world AND quite expecting the government to cover the bill...

WE THE PEOPLE need to realize what we are letting slip through our fingers by not paying attention or by being LAZY or by letting someone else worry about "IT"... I believe that we are NOT a lazy bunch of people, we are just tired...You can understand why if you look at the speed of "American life" today.
CALL TO ACTION:
Your "vote" is a tiny push on the rudder of the American Super Tanker Economy... this super tanker is going in the wrong direction & we all need to lean on the rudder so we can get things turned around & headed in a different direction... It will take to time & space to turn this baby around, but that is what we need to do.
This time, for our "Skipper" I'm choosing a "business man" instead of a "anti-business" man...either way the road back in not going to be easy... but we have a way to make the hills less steep & the ocean more calm, as we put our super tanker back on Course!

So where is the Indoor Air Quality piece of this blog... I guess you'll have to figure out how to ventilate after reading the "Hot Air" headlines coming from the politicians the last couple weeks...
as for me, I'm going to work...

SCAMS

Why are there so many scams?
where is the honesty in business? everybody wants a short-cut or a easy way out ! THIS is understandable given our current economical situation but this isn not the reality of the world we live in today. We have to look our for our selves... WE have to get us out of this mess we have gotten into.

People, you have to do the work! its as simple as that  NO LOW ROADS OR SHORT CUTS!!!!
But I also think that the consumer needs to be aware of what "load of goods" they are being sold.

There are no $10 diamond rings... this is a fallacy... Nor are there $99 or $159 Air Duct Cleaning jobs... remember, if it sound too good to be true... it probably is !
Most often, this CHEAP, BAIT 'NSWITCH, BLO 'N GO DEAL is an UNLICENSED CONTRACTOR; and that is misusing the term "contractor" because in Florida, these carpet cleaning leeches are not required to be "contractors"; They are the furthest thing from "a Licensed Contractor"...  you don't need to be a contractor to clean carpets, windows, or do pressure-washing in this state but if your are going to Inspect, Clean or Restore an HVAC System  You damn well better have an HVAC contractors License for the STATE OF FLORIDA
 
Lets get back to the honest effort that our forefathers  (or even our parents or grand parents) used to put out;  to the actual true meaning or values of "The American Dream" and being responsible, wise or self reliant.  At least accept the blame if your get scammed.  Lets face is you are un-uneducated consumer if you get burned by a bait &switch.  Take charge of your own situation, don't let someone else have to cover the tab when you get burned.
Lots of people chalk it up to technical advancement in so many areas of modern life, but I believe we have all gotten very lazy... Technology is a wonderful thing for all of us but we must maintain principles & INTEGRITY to move forward  with all this technology...
There will always be somebody from far away trying to separate you from your money... but just use your Head !
SHOP locally, Ask questions, Be patient, & Demand excellence from you business contacts or merchants ....THINK
What does this have to do with IAQ ?.... Ethics?  Nothing, except the obvious...  as a local small business owner, this article makes me feel better; because as i go thru business every week I think a lot of people  feel that same way that I do, as I have expressed here... I want to do something about it. the title of the BLOG does include "WE THE PEOPLE" The state  of Florida doesn't have the manpower to police every scammer & con-artist out there trying to separate you from your money the consumer needs ot accept the responsibility for their own  judgement, And WHY NOT,  do the research , the technology to figure out who's who is right at the end of your fingertips...
You call me & you be the judge
for more info on business ethics, Air Duct Cleaning  or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) go to
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Made In America

Here at Gulf Coast Air Care we sell mostly Labor, but we do pride ourselves on all of it being "Made in America"
Watch the video & look at the impact of being conscientious about our "National Pride" and all the issues revolving around the Made in America ideas.
We strive to be nationalistic in our endeavors because... like Donald Trump said recently "who is negotiating or watching out for American interests"... like Commerce, Foreign Trade and Economic Equality?

Here is the link to an ABC News story that will do our country some good when the idea catches on!!
Made in America Video
http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821