The Clean Air Act Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Portland’

How Do I Know If I Need a Furnace Repair?

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Furnaces have long been one of the most popular home heating system options, and for very good reason. Modern furnaces are very effective, extremely efficient and very durable, allowing them to heat your home reliably and affordably over the course of their long lifespan. Of course, as is the case with any home heating system, you will eventually find that you need to contact a Portland furnace repair technician. When that time comes, call the furnace repair pros at The Clean Air Act, Inc. Our professional Portland, OR furnace repair specialists will have your furnace up and running at maximum performance levels again in no time.

Generally speaking, problems with your furnace are only going to get worse over time. That is why it is so important that you schedule any necessary Portland, OR furnace repair as soon as you suspect a problem with your system. In order to do so, though, you must recognize the warning signs that furnace repair is necessary.

Any general decline in the performance of your home heating system may indicate the need for furnace repair. Uneven heating may be the result of a problem with the fan in your furnace, or even your ductwork. Insufficient heating output may be a sign of a problem with your heat exchanger. Any problem can do serious damage over time, so contact us the moment you discover a problem with your furnace.

You should also call a Portland heating technician if you notice an increase in the cost of heating your home. If you have not made any big adjustments to your heating habits then there should be no major fluctuations in your heating costs. Should the cost of heating your home suddenly spike, it is very likely that there is an underlying problem causing this inefficiency. Schedule repair service immediately.

Your comfort is too important to take any chances with. Contact The Clean Air Act, Inc. if you suspect a problem with your heating system. Our team of Portland, OR furnace repair technicians will help protect your comfort throughout the heating season.

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What To Do Before Switching Your Heat Pump From Heating to Cooling

Monday, March 25th, 2013

A heat pump is a great option for homeowners that want efficient heating and cooling in one convenient system. As we leave the cold season here in Oregon and the weather begins to warm up, you may start thinking about switching your heat pump from heating to cooling. Before you do that, it may be a good idea to think about performing some simple maintenance tasks to make sure that your heat pump works well. Contact the Portland heating experts at The Clean Air Act for all your heat pump repair and maintenance. We can help you make sure that your heat pump works well throughout the year. Here are a few of the thing that you may want to think about before the weather starts to warm up.

Benefits of Regular Heat Pump Maintenance

Heat pumps get a ton of use throughout the year because you use the same equipment to both heat and cool your home. In addition to that, your heat pump’s cooling mode has been dormant for much of the fall and winter. Before you just start cranking out the cooling it could be a good idea to get your heat pump inspected, repaired and maintained. With all the use that it gets your heat pump will likely start to develop small problems and issues. Those problems can impact the operation and efficiency of your heat pump. During regular maintenance, your technician will thoroughly inspect and clean out every component of your heat pump. They will find those small problems and repair which can result in some of the following benefits

  • Reduced need for repair
  • Increased Efficiency
  • Extended equipment life

Call the Portland, OR heating technicians at The Clean Air Act if you’re interested in setting up regular maintenance for your home’s heat pump. Contact The Clean Air Act today!

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Why is My Furnace Not Heating Properly?

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Even as we enter the end of the heating season in Portland, OR, your furnace may begin to lose its ability to heat your home. This can be disconcerting, even as spring approaches. Don’t wait until next year to schedule furnace repair service. Delaying repairs typically only worsens them. If you’re concerned about your furnace, you need to rely on a trained Portland heating professional to ensure that your repair is done right the first time. The Clean Air Act Inc. is committed to providing exceptional heating repair in the Portland, OR area.

One of the most common questions we hear from customers is “Why is my furnace not heating?” Let’s take a look at some common causes:

  • Thermocouple. Your thermocouple is an electronic safety device that typically attaches to your pilot light to prevent gas from entering the combustion chamber without a flame to ignite it properly. It may be broken, or it may be accurately sensing that your pilot light is out, in which case it needs to be relit, or your fuel supply valve is blocked by debris.
  • Electrical issue. While your furnace creates energy from fuel, it is powered by electricity. Your furnace may have tripped the circuit breaker or blown a fuse. If your wiring is old or has been damaged, this can be a potentially hazardous situation and should be dealt with as soon as possible.
  • Clogged air filter. If you notice that your furnace turns on, but little to no heat emerges from the ductwork, your air filter may be dirty or completely blocked. If you can’t remember the last time you checked your air filter, it’s a good idea to do so regularly. It’s an easy and cost effective maintenance task.
  • No fuel. While this seems obvious, customers unfamiliar with how their heating system may forget to check their fuel gauge. No fuel, no fire, as they say.

We hope that this brief list of common furnace heating problems helps you identify a problem. The next step is contacting your local Portland heating professionals at The Clean Air Act Inc. We service all makes and models of furnaces. Call us today!

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Cost-Effective Heating Upgrades

Monday, March 11th, 2013

If you are looking for cost-effective heating upgrades for your home, call the Portland heating experts at The Clean Air Act. We can help you with all of your heating and home energy needs. We’ve put together a few ways that you can start saving energy and money on utility bills in Portland, OR.

Here are a few cost-effective heating upgrades to consider.

Choose Energy Star Products

When you choose Energy Star products, you are creating long-term savings on energy costs. Improving the efficiency of your home doesn’t stop with installing high-efficiency appliances; there are plenty of smaller upgrades that can also add up over time and improve heating performance.

Seal Air Leaks

One of the easiest improvements you can make is to seal up any cracks or places that are leaking air, such as older doors and windows. You can check for air leaks by using the “candle test,” which is basically putting a candle near any places that are suspected trouble spots, and then sealing those off with weatherization strips or caulking.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat is another easy way to save energy and money. These allow you to set the thermostat according to different times of the day. You can set it to turn down the heat when you are not home, and then turn back on right before you get home.  There are many different models and features to look for in a programmable thermostat, but if you have questions, just give us a call.

If you would like to know more about small upgrades to your heating system, or about the advantages of an Energy Star-rated heating system, call Portland, OR heating specialists at The Clean Air Act. Contact The Clean Air Act today!

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Reduce Allergy & Asthma Symptoms With an Air Cleaner

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Most of us spend the majority of our time indoors. Because of all that time spent inside, it would make sense to pay attention to what is in the air that we breathe. Indoor air quality in Portland, OR is not something that most people spend much time thinking about. But the EPA estimates that poor indoor air quality is actually one of the top 5 threats to respiratory health. Installing a whole home indoor air cleaners is a great way to make a positive impact on the quality of air in your home. Indoor air filters can be targeted towards certain air contaminants and to your home’s needs. At Clean Air Act Inc., we specialize in indoor air quality in Portland, OR. We’re passionate about helping people clean the air in their home. We’ve installed countless air cleaners for our customers and wanted share some of the benefits of filtering the air in your home.

Reduced Air Pollutants

There are a number of different air pollutants that are normally found in indoor air. Obviously, one of the main benefits of getting an air cleaner in your home is that those pollutants will likely be greatly reduced. Here are a few of the most common air pollutants.

  • Dust
  • Pollen
  • Pet dander
  • Dust mite and cockroach droppings
  • Smoke
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses

Potentially Reduced Allergies and Asthma Symptoms

For people who suffer from asthma or allergies, reducing the amount of dust, pet dander, pollen and insect droppings in the air will likely result in an increase in comfort. Those pollutants in particular cause allergic and asthmatic reactions for many people.

Reduced Dust Levels

If you have to dust a lot in your house, filtering out that dust in an air cleaner could potentially reduce the amount of dust that you see around your house.

Potentially Reduced Sickness

Many air cleaners are able to remove viruses and bacteria from the air. Doing this might be able to reduce the number of instances of colds in your home.

Call Clean Air Act Inc. for all your indoor air cleaner repair and installation in Portland, OR.

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Air Filtration and Indoor Air Quality

Monday, February 4th, 2013

During the summertime it is tempting to seal up your home as tightly as possible. Everyone wants to keep their home in Portland cool and comfortable, but they also want to do it efficiently. One of the best ways to achieve that goal is to prevent cooled air from escaping your home. This can have a negative impact on indoor air quality, though. Call Clean Air Act today if you are not 100% satisfied with the indoor air quality in your home. We can help you improve your indoor air quality with an air filtration system.

A mechanical air filter is one of the simplest ways in which you can improve indoor air quality in your home. Mechanical air filters are installed in your air ducts and as the air passes through them they collect pollutants on a filtering material. While your air conditioning system has a built in air filter, it is not highly efficient. It is intended more to protect your air conditioning equipment from dirt and debris than to improve indoor air quality. The addition of a more efficient air filter can help you breathe cleaner, healthier air.

An electronic air cleaner is another great way to improve indoor air quality in Portland. By pulling air into an ionization chamber an electronic air cleaner can give a static charge to pollutants in your air. These electrically charged pollutants then are trapped on a collector plate which can be removed and cleaned off. Other devices operate in much the same way but simply allow the charged pollutants to adhere to the walls and other surfaces in your home. Either way they are removed from the air and will no longer be circulated throughout your home. Air borne pollutants are a real concern for residents with asthma, allergies and other respiratory conditions.

For more information about how an air filtration system can improve indoor air quality in Portland, call the professionals at Clean Air Act. We’ll be happy to help you breathe cleaner, healthier air throughout the cooling season. Do not sacrifice air quality for comfort. A good air filtration system allows you to enjoy both. Contact Clean Air Act today!

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Which type of heating system is right for your home?

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Here in Portland, having a good heating system is absolutely critical to your comfort. But which heating system is right for your home? At Clean Air Act, we’ve been providing complete Portland heating services for many years. We thought it would be helpful if we put together a quick list of some of the heating services and products that are available in the greater Portland metropolitan area. Contact Clean Air Act today!

Traditional Heating Systems: Furnaces vs. Boilers

Furnaces and boilers are two of the most popular and common heating systems in the entire country. They provide relatively cheap heating and, if your unit is less than 5 years old, it probably is fairly efficient. Whenever you need any kind of heating services, it’s always best to call a local contractor. Getting professional heating installation in Portland is the best ways to make sure that your furnace or boiler work well for many years.

Geothermal Heating and Air Conditioning Systems

For those that are interested in renewable energy, geothermal systems are a great way to heat your home using the energy that is stored in the ground. Geothermal systems use an underground loop to gather heat from the earth and heat your home. Like your central air conditioning system that moves heat from inside your home to the outside—geothermal systems work in reverse by bringing heat from the ground into your home. They can also be used to cool your home very efficiently as well.

High Velocity Systems

High velocity systems are another great option for homeowners in Portland, OR. These types of systems don’t need large, cumbersome ductwork. Instead, high velocity systems use small tubes that can fit between walls and under floorboards. They deliver high velocity heated and cooled air to each of your rooms. The high velocity of the air allows these systems to evenly distribute the air throughout your entire home.

If you have any questions about heating installation or heating repairs in Portland, contact Clean Air Act today!

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Why Choose a Whole Home Dehumidifier?

Monday, January 7th, 2013

If you want to be truly comfortable in your Portland home you must do more than just maintain comfortable temperature levels. You must also do all that you can to improve and maintain the quality of the air that you breathe. A big mistake that many homeowners make when it comes to the indoor air quality in their homes is to convince themselves that a certain problem with their air quality is too minor or unimportant to do anything about. Other times they simply choose the wrong tool for the job. At The Clean Air Act we want to help you make your home a more comfortable, safer place to live.

Excessively moist air is one great example of a serious problem that many homeowners do not handle in the most effective way possible. A lot of homeowners will purchase a standalone, single room dehumidifier in order to resolve the humidity problem in their homes. A whole home dehumidifier, though, is a much better solution for your humidity problems.

Excess moisture in the air that you breathe is a more serious issue than many people realize. Yes, it does lead to stuffy, uncomfortable air. Overly humid air can also cause wood rot, though, as well as promote the growth of biological pollutants such as mold.

There is simply no way for a single room dehumidifier to remove enough moisture from your home to eliminate these risks if you have too much humidity in the air. It may make the room that it is in more comfortable, but chances are that if one room’s air is too damp there are other points in your home that suffer from the same issue.

A whole home dehumidifier is installed directly into your home heating and cooling system. That means that you do not need to have multiple dehumidifiers littering your home. Not only are whole home dehumidifiers much more convenient than single room devices, they are much more effective.

If you are concerned about humidity levels in your Portland home, contact the indoor air quality experts at The Clean Air act. Our whole home dehumidification systems and services can help you breathe better, higher quality air. Contact The Clean Air Act to schedule service today.

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How to Get Adequate Air Filtration with a Ductless Mini Split

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Are you concerned about indoor air quality in your Portland area home? Many homeowners question the air filtration capabilities of a ductless mini split as opposed to a forced air system. While you get cleaner air without the use of air ducts, a forced air system does draw in and recycle the air so that there is some filtration; however, dirty ductwork can compromise this benefit.

Call The Clean Air Act to learn more about how to get adequate air filtration with a ductless mini split. First, here are some factors to keep in mind.

Air Filters

All ductless mini split systems come with a hypo-allergenic air filter. It is important to change these once a month during the heating or cooling season. If you only have a ductless mini split AC system but another type of heating system, then you will need to change the filters on your heating system as needed.

Air Cleaners

You can also install electronic and mechanical air cleaners to help filter the air inside your home. These will help filter the air along with the ductless system’s filter. HEPA filters are not designed for standard home heating and cooling systems.

Humidifiers and De-humidifiers

While proper moisture control is important for indoor air quality, it is a good idea to speak with a Portland indoor air quality specialist to go over the different types of humidifiers and dehumidifiers work best with a ductless system.

If you would like to know more, contact The Clean Air Act for all your Portland OR indoor air quality needs.

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What Type of HEPA Filter Should I Buy?

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Are you concerned about allergens and indoor air contaminants inside your home? While there’s a lot of information about HEPA filters out there, there are still a lot of questions we get from Portland area customers about indoor air quality and HEPA filters. Many of these questions are about how to choose the right HEPA filter for their air cleaner or HVAC system. If you have further questions, feel free to give the indoor air quality experts at The Clean Air Act.

Meanwhile, here’s some basic information about HEPA filters and how you can determine which one is the most cost-effective for your home. Keep in mind that there are different ratings for the different types of materials for media filters.

Most mechanical air cleaners use some type of HEPA filter, and the efficiency of the filter is determined by how effectively it can filter the type of contaminants you are trying to eliminate from your home. While an electronic air cleaner uses an ionizer to attract microscopic particles, a mechanical air cleaner will use a particle filter to trap larger ones. The efficiency is measured by a number called the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV), and if you want a standard filter that will get the job done, look for a MERV of at least 5, or between 7 and 13 for a slightly more efficient filter.  A true HEPA filter will have a MERV between 17 and 20.

While HEPA filters are designed to remove several indoor air pollutants, such as pollen, pet hair, dust mites, mold spores, and other irritants, they are not designed for use in a home heating and air conditioning system. This is due to their size and shape, but you can find true HEPA filters for most mechanical air cleaners. Check your owner’s manual or ask your contractor when you have the air cleaner installed.

Call the Portland indoor air quality experts at The Clean Air Act with all your questions about HEPA filters. We can help by going over all the different options so that you make an informed decision.

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