Archive for the ‘Recent News’ Category
07.29.2009
It’s Back To School Shopping Time Again – Uugh!
Three hours at the mall proved useless. I was getting more frustrated by the minute. Shopping for shoes for our 11 year old daughter who has special orthopedic inserts is like trying to make a ’77 Vega wagon look cool. Let’s just say it’s a challenge. Then we entered a department store where a somewhat older, matter-of-fact salesperson asked if she could help us; now isn’t that refreshing? She actually measured my daughter’s foot. (Imagine that!) She asked about her feet and recommended several shoes. She knew why certain shoes would fit and why others would be a bad choice. She shared this information with us. 45 minutes later, we left with three pairs of shoes within our budget that fit great and looked wonderful; my daughter actually danced in the middle of the store. Now, wait a second. Aren’t shoe salespeople suppose to know all the above? Well, they used to. Most don’t anymore. What’s happened? It’s called “One Size Fits All”, the “Unservicing of America”. (That’s the title of my soon-to-be-written bestseller, in my head at least.) Your home is unique. Your family has certain living patterns. You have a budget and you know how long you plan to live […]
06.26.2009
Don’t Waste Your Money on Duct Cleaning!
First off, I need to apologize. I normally don’t hit a subject so often but I felt compelled to write again because I just went through our mailbox full of ads and coupons and counted no less than TEN ads claiming to reduce pollutants in your home by cleaning your ducts. Don’t fall for it! I am going to refer you back to my previous entry about duct cleaning. Click here to read the full posting. Duct cleaning is very rarely ever needed. Except in cases of fires and floods, cleaning your ducts does not eliminate the sources of your contaminants. It simply makes homeowners “feel good” that they have a clean duct system. So please, clean your fridge. Clean your car. Clean your bathroom. But don’t clean your ducts unless you have had an unvested professional tell you it’s warranted. Give us a call. We don’t sell duct cleaning and only recommend it in extreme cases. Let’s find the source of those pollutants instead!
06.15.2009
Funny Dirty Ring Around Your Carpet?
We recently visited friends for dinner. They have a beautifully decorated house. You know the kind where the curtains actually match the couch. (Where did she find those lime green pillows anyway?) Anyhow, the carpet was, you guessed it, white. After I gasped upon entry and removed my shoes, we proceeded into the dining room. I immediately noticed the dirty ring around the carpet, circling the outside walls. The lady of the house told me she was frustrated in cleaning this “dirt spot by the wall” because it constantly returned. She was thinking of hiring a new carpet cleaner. I told her it wasn’t her carpet cleaner; it was her hvac system. No, I’m not losing my mind. The dirt spots next to the outside walls are a sign of outside air infiltration. I asked her if she experienced hot and cold spots near the areas of the dirty rings. She replied “yes”. That confirmed my suspicion. I told her that the insulation inside her exterior walls was not making her walls air tight. There were unplugged holes through which outside air was being sucked in every time the central hvac system turned on. When this happens, her carpet edge […]
05.15.2009
Cheap Furnace Filters are Better Than Expensive Ones
Have I ever steered you wrong? Okay, there was that time I thought Starkist tuna was really chicken from the sea – oh no, that was Jessica Simpson. Sorry, I get myself mixed up with her all the time! Anyhow, I feel I have been pretty straight up with you. This entry is no exception. (Let’s just say, I haven’t made a whole lot of “inside-the-industry friends” from this blog.) Expensive pleated filters aren’t worth the money. Why? Because if your house is like most homes in Gwinnett, you have significant duct leakage; the average is about 30% lost to unconditioned areas. If that’s true, then when your hvac kicks on, it’s creating a negative pressure inside your home and your furnace is working overtime to keep up. Stuffing a nice, plump, pleated filter in it is like stuffing a blanket over your mouth when you’re trying to run uphill. Make sense? If you will not be sealing your ducts any time soon, be smart and buy the $1 filters and change them every 30 days. Now I didn’t say that these cheap filters would actually help filter your air, just that they won’t cut off your system’s circulation and […]
04.15.2009
Allergy Relief in Buford – Everything’s Coming Up Yellow
Daffodils should be yellow, not cars. Yes, it’s pollen season here in Gwinnett County and we all know what that means: stuffy noses, swollen glands, sneezing and sinus headaches. You may be tempted by the claims of TV hawkers who are selling room purifiers claiming they will rid you of your discomfort. But don’t fall for it. These portable, room air purifiers only clean a very small radius of air directly around the unit. What about the dust mites, pet dander and mold in the rest of your house? Not to mention the hefty price of these units. You’d have to have several in each room to adequately clean your home. What’s a better and more cost effective solution? We recommend Aprilaire whole house air cleaners. For the same price as two or three portable air cleaners (which only remove larger particles), we can install a whole house air cleaner directly into your central heating and air system and provide constant cleaning of your air, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Plus, the filter media only needs to be changed every year, easily done by our tech during your hvac maintenance visit. So this allergy season, spend your […]
04.01.2009
Spring Cleaning? Help Our Community!
It’s that time again; time to open up the closets, get real about all the clothes you don’t wear and get rid of half of 2,347 DVDs you have stored next to the TV. If you’re in the spring cleaning mood, we’d like to suggest an organization who will put those gently used items to hard work. St. Vincent de Paul Society opened a thrift store in Buford near the intersection of Buford Hwy and Hwy 20.They are a Catholic, nonprofit social service organization dedicated to serving members of our community (of all faiths) during their time of need.Their programs include financial aid, education, temporary housing, clothing and other good works.This particular thrift store is run by St. Monica’s but the St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international organization of lay people and is active in over 135 countries. We have supported SVdP for many years and know firsthand they are an awesome organization.Everyone involved is a volunteer, many giving countless hours each week. So, you know your donations of clothing and household items go directly to those in need. You can support them by giving items or shopping at the thrift store or by simply giving money. Hundreds […]
03.24.2009
Diapers and Heat Load Calculations
“Son, I’ve been doing this since you were in diapers. Don’t ask me for a heat load calculation.” Aaahhh. The eloquent argument of a fellow HVAC contractor. Matthew was questioning the size of a system installed by another company; it was completely oversized and destined to cause future mold problems, not to mention its inability to ever keep a comfortable temperature in the home. The installing contractor was obviously a little put off that his visual method of guessing the tonnage was being questioned by this Holtkamp know-it-all. Although we make light of the scenario, it points to a very real problem for homeowners – not knowing their HVAC system was ever sized correctly. It may seem like no big deal until the homeowner starts to experience mold, hot/cold spots or high energy bills. But if the homeowner has nothing to compare it to, how will they ever be the wiser? A computerized heat load calculation (also called a Manual J) is absolutely necessary to make sure you’re getting the proper HVAC system. Without one, it’s all one big guessing game, at your expense. Right now is an awesome time to buy a home but take our advice: verify the […]
03.17.2009
The Truth About Duct Cleaning
We’ve never performed duct cleaning but we are often asked for our professional opinion. We decided to share this information with you in hopes it clears up some common misconceptions about this service. Duct cleaning was first marketed about 20 years ago by HVAC companies who often sell it as a regular service, much like rug cleaning. Little was known about Indoor Air Quality back then but today, there’s much evidence to support the claim that “duct cleaning is very rarely needed.” If your house is properly sealed, (see our page on the Whole House Solution) the ductwork is tight and you have a correctly sized HVAC system, your home should be continuously cleaned every time the AC, heat pump or furnace turns on. In other words, air flow should be sufficient to properly remove normal particulates from your indoor air and trap them in your filter. Now if you have leaky ducts (most systems leak about 40%) or you have outside air infiltration, you may have a problem with your indoor air quality. But this still has nothing to do with dirty ducts. Getting your ducts cleaned will not eliminate the source of the pollutants. Sealing air infiltration and […]
03.16.2009
Shoe Booties!
They’re stylish.They’re functional.They’re even downright fun.They come in the latest fashion colors and look “marvelous”.Every Holtkamp technician can’t resist wearing them. What are they? They’re shoe booties, of course! These nifty shoe covers are so comfortable and irresistible, that you will see us all wearing them. (They protect your floors from unwanted dirt tracked in on our shoes when we service your home.) Okay, maybe the office staff wearing them is a bit of overkill, but we all wanted to be part of the fun! Shoe booties are just one more way we help to guarantee we leave our work area in your home cleaner than we found it. It’s the Holtkamp Way.
03.09.2009
This Economy is Crazy. Holtkamp is Here to Help.
Who knows what will have happened by the time I finish writing this blog entry. Bailout? Stimulus? Law against selling blue cars? Free vacations for all those whose last names begin with “Y”? Okay, maybe I am getting a little sarcastic, but it has been crazy lately. And just a little stressful. However, there is some good news in all this uncertainty. With all the rebates, financing opportunities and tax credits, replacing your old AC or furnace has never been more affordable and energy smart. In fact, we can help you compute your payback period for installing a high efficiency unit instead of the energy guzzler you may currently keep propping up and resuscitating. What’s more, most homeowners don’t realize that their current 12 SEER unit may only be operating at a 7 or 8 because of duct leakage and air infiltration. Compare that to a new 19 SEER unit and your savings may be as much as $520 annually! Rebates and tax credits are changing every day. So call us and let us know if you’re in Gwinnett, Fulton, Forsyth or Hall County. Also, if you’re a Georgia Power, Walton EMC or Sawnee EMC customer. We can let you […]
