Blog | Fire 'n' Ice Heating & Cooling

Should I Turn Off My Gas Furnace in the Summer?

April 6, 2021

During the long, humid summers in Downers Grove, it’s unlikely that your gas furnace comes to mind very often. While you’re busy enjoying vacations and popsicles, though, your gas furnace still uses energy, albeit a lot less energy than it does in the winter. Since you don’t need your furnace during the summer, the obvious question is whether or not you can turn off your furnace completely until it’s cold enough to need it again. To better understand the pros and cons of this action, check out this deep dive into furnaces from . How a Furnace Works A gas furnace uses a burner to burn either natural gas or propane. When the furnace is running, this flame heats a heat exchanger which then heats the air that passes by. However, the burner can’t start burning without an initial flame. That initial flame comes from the pilot light. Once the pilot light has started the process, the blower fan blows cool air over the heat exchanger until your thermostat detects that the room has reached the desired temperature. At that point, the furnace shuts down all of its components, except for the pilot light, which burns all the time. The...

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2021 Winner of the Carrier President’s Award

March 8, 2021

At , we’re proud to be honored by the Carrier Corporation as one of its 2021 winners of the Carrier President’s Award. This award is only given to Carrier authorized dealers who have demonstrated excellence in business, management, customer satisfaction, operations, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning expertise. Only companies whose technicians have completed rigorous training are considered for this award. Here’s what our team at in Downers Grove, IL, has done in order to earn this prestigious award from the Carrier Corporation. About the Carrier President’s Award Each year, the Carrier Corporation reviews its authorized dealers. It takes a look at dealership metrics and statistics in order to evaluate which heating, ventilation, and air conditioning companies are providing exemplary service. Out of hundreds of authorized Carrier dealers in the United States, only about 10 to 20 dealerships are selected to win this award. The dealerships that win this award have special access to additional training for employees and other incentives to keep doing a great job. Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a top priority of , and it’s also important to the Carrier Corporation. Each time we perform a repair, maintenance, or installation service at a home or business,...

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Signs Of Poor Indoor Air Quality

February 4, 2021

Although much effort is given to help reduce outdoor air pollution, you might be surprised to learn that indoor air can sometimes be lower in quality than outdoor air. Since it can be difficult for the contaminants in indoor air to escape, they tend to build up over time until they reach dangerous levels. Since many air pollutants pose a risk to you and your family, it’s important to know how to spot when your Downers Grove home’s indoor air quality is suffering. Here are a few signs that the technicians at look for when checking a home for poor air quality. Unexplained Allergies Indoor allergens can be hard to pin down because allergens affect different people in different ways. What makes one person sneeze and cough might not affect another person at all. If someone in your family is having a tough time with sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, sore throat, or one of any number of allergy symptoms, it could be because you have poor indoor air quality. To help reduce this problem, it’s a good idea to upgrade your air filter to one that can capture smaller particles so that the allergens become trapped in the air filter...

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What Are The Benefits Of Humidifiers In The Winter

January 12, 2021

You hear a lot of advice about how to make your home more comfortable and your heating system more efficient. One thing that continues to come up, in both summer and winter, is proper humidity. There is good reason to be concerned about the humidity level in your home in Downers Grove this winter. Improved Air Quality Illinois winters are already dryer than other seasons because of the cold arctic air that moves through. Then, as you run your furnace to keep your home warm, that dries the air even more. With drier air comes drier dust, skin, furniture, everything. The problem with this lack of moisture is that it makes dust and dirt lighter. That means as air circulates around the home, it will pick up particles from the areas around the home they have collected. The number of particles in the air is how air quality is determined, so more particles means lower quality. Adding humidity to the air keeps those particles on surfaces where they can be easily cleaned. Humidity control is much more effective and has many more benefits than simply adding more filtering to remove the excess contaminant. Better Energy Efficiency Everyone is looking for...

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Downers Grove Residents: How Often Do You Change Your Furnace Filters?

December 19, 2020

If you are like most homeowners in Downers Grove, you may change your furnace filter when you first use your heating system in the winter, or perhaps this task is overlooked year after year. Changing filters may seem like a complete inconvenience, but fresh filters provide many unexpected benefits. Furnace filters are designed to trap dirt and dust in the heated air before it is delivered into your home. Over time, the airborne pollutants clog the filter, and your HVAC system must work harder to maintain comfortable indoor air temperatures. This leads to higher utility bills, more costly repairs and a shorter lifetime of the equipment. Indoor air quality also suffers from dirty furnace filters. Once the filter is completely clogged, more particles pass through and end up circulating in the rooms of your home. Not only do you need to dust and clean more often, but you may also experience physical symptoms, such as congestion, sneezing and watery eyes. To keep your home comfortable and heating system running efficiently, here are five times when you should change your furnace filters. 1. Manufacturer Recommendations When you buy filters for your furnace, check the instructions to see how often it should...

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What Happens to IAQ When You Open or Close the Windows?

November 19, 2020

If you’re like most Americans, you spend about 90% of your time indoors. That amount of time may be higher since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and it will also increase during the winter months of the year. When you close the windows in the springtime and open them in the wintertime, you can make some significant changes to your Downers Grove home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). Here are some of the ways that opening and closing your windows impacts your house’s IAQ. Problems Caused By Opening the Windows in Springtime When the weather finally warms up and the sun comes out, it’s tempting to open your windows. However, doing this can be harmful. The open windows allow pollen to enter your house. Mold spores can also get inside. It’s best to keep the windows closed and avoid allergy and asthma symptoms caused by exposure to these allergens and triggers. Hazards of Keeping Your Windows Closed During the Winter When it’s freezing outside, you’d probably prefer to keep the cold air outdoors. However, not allowing any fresh air to get into your home can be a problem for your health. If your furnace has a gas leak, carbon monoxide could build...

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7 Benefits of Humidifiers in the Winter

October 10, 2020

While we love the warmer months and having our windows open, the weather inevitably turns. As the cooler weather sets in, it is time to focus on winter air quality and getting your furnace running properly. One of the key things to get your home ready for the winter is to mind your humidity level. The ideal humidity level for your home is roughly 30% to 50%. The relative humidity level tends to drop during the winter, especially once the air moves through the furnace combustion chamber. This means you should consider adding moisture to the air. Check out these seven reasons why you should think about using a humidifier this winter. 1. Help Prevent the Spread of Viruses Did you ever wonder why winter tends to be the season when viruses spread more easily? One 2013 study suggests that a relative humidity of at least 43% renders about 85% of viruses inert. In other words, simply increasing the humidity level in your home can help reduce your risk of viral infections. 2. Reduce Snoring Adding humidity is not going to solve something like obstructive sleep apnea, but it can aid with the symptoms. When you sleep, your nasal passages...

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How Air Pollution Poses Largest Threat to Children

September 17, 2020

Nobody likes breathing toxic air. It’s even worse when we have to watch our children breathing in hurtful toxins. Luckily, there are ways you can stay on top of your home’s air quality. To mitigate the effects, however, you must learn how air pollution poses such a large threat to kids. Why Children Are at a Higher Risk Air quality is more serious than you might think when it comes to your children. For example, when your kids constantly breathe in dirty air, they’re more likely to develop serious respiratory problems like asthma that can follow them into adulthood. Because children are closer to the ground, they’re more likely to breathe in toxic air that stays lower to the surface. Kids also breathe faster than adults, so they take in more toxic air than adults when exposed. Young children can even develop neurological and cognitive ability problems from breathing toxic air, so we must care for our youth in all ways possible. Aside from having the house situated adequately, don’t forget that your vehicle also has a cabin air filter that should also be changed out every few months. Toxic Air Puts Pregnant Women at Risk The risks for children...

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Summertime HVAC: Common Seasonal Problems

August 8, 2020

Summer is when the temperature skyrockets, which means it’s also when you’ll be using your AC unit the most. Therefore, this is the time when you will experience the most problems with your air conditioner. Here are some common summertime HVAC seasonal issues and how to resolve them. 1. Poor or No Airflow It can be frustrating when airflow isn’t as strong as it could be or not reaching all of the different corners of your home. You may notice a little air coming out of the unit or none at all. Even if the air is coming out of the system, it might not be reaching every room. There are a number of possible reasons for poor or no airflow. Your unit may be clogged somewhere. You should make sure that the filter and your air ducts are clean If the airflow doesn’t improve, the air conditioner might not be big enough for your property, or it could need a repair. 2. Hot Air The whole point of your air conditioner is to cool your home. Thus, it’s counterproductive when the unit starts blowing out warm air instead of cold air. First, check to ensure that you have the...

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How to Connect your New Thermostat to your AC

July 14, 2020

Switching to a new thermostat is often one of the easiest ways of improving energy efficiency in your home. In many modern houses, hooking up a new thermostat is a simple DIY project. [Company_name] in Downers Grove, IL, is happy to help you to connect your new thermostat to your air conditioner, but we offer these instructions for all of the steps you need to follow. 1. Read the Instructions for Your Thermostat Every thermostat follows the same basic connection method, but there are some distinct differences between various models. To learn more about your model, read the manufacturer’s instructions. This should guide you through the connection process and tell you more about your thermostat’s unique features. 2. Turn Off Power to Your AC and Thermostat Before even removing the old thermostat, the first thing you should do is make sure the power is off in all affected devices. This will prevent dangerous shocks or potential damage to the system. Flip your breakers to turn off power to the affected areas, or completely shut off power to the house if you can’t find the right circuit. To make sure the power is off, test with a multimeter before removing the...

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