Envirotech Air Quality Services Blog : Archive for February, 2015

What Are the Steps of Mold Remediation?

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Of course, you do everything in your power to keep your family healthy. Unfortunately, sometimes problems exist which are difficult to detect that could allow mold to develop. This could include a leak in your pipes or moisture in the ducts. Other times, a sudden disaster leads to flooding, in which case mold remediation services are necessary. If you suspect a mold problem, call a technician for mold remediation. Experts can help you decide on the best plan of attack for mold remediation in West Palm Beach. Learn about the steps of this process in today’s post, and call Envirotech Air Quality Services at the first sign of a mold problem.

Inspection

The first step of mold remediation is evaluating your situation. The technician will inspect every portion of your home using special equipment that helps to alert them when moisture and mold could be near. Mold remediation specialists are trained to handle this type of equipment for optimal safety.

Removal

Removing the mold is a complex process that will require time, planning, and a careful approach. A lot of different tools exist for the remediation process, and the type of tool your technician uses will depend on the level of damage. Chemicals may be used, as well as air scrubbers, HEPA vacuums, and sanitizers. It’s up to the technician to decide which will work best for your situation.

Prevention

A quality technician will not simply end the job after removing the mold from your home. Additional steps must be taken so that you can prevent the possibility of mold growth in the future. The technicians should work with you to find a new installation or services that can keep mold from getting out of hand. For example, your technician may recommend a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air, regular plumbing services to keep plumbing leaks from happening again, or offer tips and services for ventilating your home.

Call us today at Envirotech Air Quality Services for mold remediation in West Palm Beach. We’ll do everything we can to help you find ways to prevent mold from reoccurring in the future.

Tags: Mold Remediation, West Palm Beach
Posted in Mold Removal | Comments Off on What Are the Steps of Mold Remediation?

What Kinds of Contaminants Are In Your Ducts?

Monday, February 16th, 2015

An air filter comes standard in any forced-air (ducted) heating and/or air conditioning system. However, filters cannot possibly keep every contaminant out of the ducts. Most home air filters have a MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) of about 1-6, even though the MERV scale goes up to 12 (these filters are usually reserved for commercial buildings). These typical home air filters can only remove certain sizes and amounts of contaminants from the air and may not do anything for common allergens like pollen and mold spores.

If there are contaminants in your duct system, they could do more harm than you think. Many pollutants are most dangerous to those with severe allergies, asthma, and immune system conditions. But some particles can be just as harmful to those with minor allergies or no preexisting conditions at all.

Duct cleaning is a service that can help to eliminate several different types of particles that could be hazardous to household members and guests, including these ones.

Bacteria – Certain bacteria may be particularly dangerous to people with immune system disorders. Other bacteria may irritate even those household members with no preexisting conditions at all.
Dust Particles – Layers of dust may form along the inside of the ducts, even though you have a good filter in place. And this layer of dust may contain pollen or pet dander—even if you don’t currently have any pets at all.
Mold Spores – Mold spores float through the air and may settle in the ducts and develop if there is excessive moisture. Mold is one of the most common irritants, but you may need to schedule additional mold removal services if the problem is too serious.

Your technician may recommend additional HVAC components and services to help control the indoor air quality in the future. This includes UV germicidal light installation to kill microorganisms on the indoor air handler, or electronic air cleaners that work with the HVAC system to eliminate contaminants from the air throughout the home.

At Envirotech Air Quality Services, we install a variety of indoor air quality systems for residents in Wellington and comprehensive duct cleaning to remove a number of contaminants that may plague your home. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

Tags: Duct Cleaning, Wellington
Posted in Duct Cleaning | Comments Off on What Kinds of Contaminants Are In Your Ducts?

Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Hollywood has always tried to match movies up to the seasons to draw droves of viewers to the theaters: October is packed with fright-offerings, while the winter holidays skew toward warm and pleasing family films (as well as Oscar hopefuls). Valentine’s Day falls in an odd spot when it comes to the movie release calendar, however, since February tends to be a slower time for the film industry. The studios are as likely to slot strange movies that don’t fit anywhere else in their annual schedules into the Valentine’s Day weekend as they are films with powerful romantic appeal.

So, while the second weekend of February has featured hugely successful romantic comedies like Hitch, The Wedding Singer, and (of course) Valentine’s Day, some truly weird choices have debuted in this weekend as well. And a few have even gone on to tremendous success despite the bizarre match with the holiday. Here are a couple of the odder Valentine’s Day movie releases:

Dracula (1931): Yes, this Halloween perennial and the start of Universal Studio’s Classic Monsters actually came out on Valentine’s Day! But perhaps this makes some sense, as the Dracula legend has often received a “doomed lover” approach in the many years since Bela Lugosi made the aristocratic vampire a screen icon.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Does any film seem less appropriate for Valentine’s Day than this unnerving and sometimes very violent psychological thriller? What’s even more astonishing than the film’s release date is that The Silence of the Lambs eventually nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture, an almost unheard of occurrence for a movie released so early in the year.
Daredevil (2003): This Marvel comic adaptation featuring Ben Affleck as a blind superhero does contain a romantic subplot, but the stronger connection to Valentine’s Day may just be that Daredevil wears a bright red costume.
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): The least successful of the Die Hard film franchise, this is an excellent example of a studio dropping a film into a weekend where it doesn’t fit in the hopes that it works as counter-programming. (It didn’t.)
Wayne’s World (1992): Now here is an example of counter-programming that clicked with audiences. This comedy based on a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into one of that year’s biggest hits and spawned a sequel.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to the movie theater, or you have your own special plans, everyone here at Envirotech Air hopes you and your loved ones have a wonderful weekend.

Tags: Happy Valentines Day
Posted in News & PR | Comments Off on Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

The Main Benefits of Air Conditioning Maintenance

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

Because the winter season in Florida is short, it’s never too early in the new year to start considering arranging for air conditioning maintenance. Right now, during a period when you won’t need to have the AC running regularly, is an excellent time to contact Envirotech Air Quality Services and arrange for one of our technicians to provide your air conditioning system with a thorough inspection and tune-up. We offer a preventive maintenance program that will take care of both heating and air conditioning maintenance in Lake Worth, FL each year so that you are ready for the weather—no matter what it is.

Air conditioning maintenance brings with it a number of important benefits. Here are three of the main benefits to consider when you are thinking of enrolling in a preventive maintenance program.

Extended service lifespan: Your air conditioner has a manufacturer’s estimated lifespan, usually marked on the cabinet. However, the AC won’t reach that point without help from routine maintenance. The stress of running on a regular basis will cause the air conditioner to wear down rapidly and fail years before it should. Needing to replace the entire air conditioning system is the biggest “repair” you may need to schedule, so make sure that you don’t have to retire your AC until you absolutely must by keeping up with yearly maintenance from experienced technicians.
Fewer repairs: Here’s a statistic that will clarify how much money you can save through regular maintenance: 85% of the repairs that an AC can typically need are fully preventable thanks to regular maintenance services. At each maintenance visit, the technician will spot places where repairs may eventually be necessary and take care of the cleanings and adjustments that will prevent them from happening. The reduction in wear and tear will also eliminate later repair worries.
More efficient performance: The accumulation of dust and dirt along AC components and the filter will cause the system to start to work harder than it should to supply you with cool air. For each year that an AC misses regular maintenance, it will suffer a 5% drop in its efficiency. So in only four years you could be paying 20% more on your cooling bills. On the other hand, thanks to regular maintenance, your air conditioner could stay at 95% of its original efficiency thanks to maintenance.

Call Envirotech Air Quality Services today and ask about our heating and air conditioning maintenance program in Lake Worth, FL. Along with bi-annual maintenance visits, you will also receive a 10% discount on repair parts for signing up.

Tags: Air Conditioning Maintenance, Lake Worth
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on The Main Benefits of Air Conditioning Maintenance