With the cooler tempertures as of late your home's heat is most likely working over-time.  This abundance of heat can dry out the air in your home and lead to various problems.  Besides dry skin, the dry air can also affect your respiratory system.  This is especially true if you or others in your home are prone to allergies or are asthmatic. 

One thing we can suggest is to implement a whole-house humidifier.  If you don't mind tackling a pretty involved DIY project, you can install one yourself.  Of course, it's always best to let a MTB professional do the installation to ensure the job is done properly. You may see whole house humidifiers sold at the big box stores, but these generally don't perform very well. The humidifiers that we recommend and install range from $500-$1600.  This is a big range, mainly because there are many different types of humidifiers.  We will discuss a few in this post.

Steam humidifiers – The steam humidifiers are generally the most expensive, but they are usually the best for a few reasons.  These actually watch the humidity in your home and will activate the blower every time it senses a drop in the humidity level.

Spray mist humidifiers – These humidifiers actually spray a mist into your ducts, which is carried throughout your home via the forced air of your HVAC system.  This is one of the most common and easiest humidifiers to install.  Most home owners will find these to work well in moderate climates.

Flow-through humidifiers - Flow-through humidifiers use a foam or aluminum pad to absorb water, which is then blown through the ducts by your blower fan. The bypass humidifier pad should be replaced every fall to prevent mold growth and allow proper operation. If your home has hard water, you may need to clean or replace your bypass humidifier pad more frequently.

Wicking humidifiers – the simplest type of humidifier, wicking humidifiers consist of little more than a small reservoir and a filter. The filter absorbs water from the reservoir (wicking) and the water is blown through your ducts via the blower fan.

Wicking humidifiers are fairly cheap, but they can be a bit of a pain. In order to clean a wicking humidifier, you need to remove the whole unit from your ducts and then put it back in.

Drum humidifiers – drum humidifiers use a drum shaped rotating frame that is partly submerged in water and continually picks up water to be blown through the ducts by your furnace blower. Drum humidifiers require more maintenance than any other type of humidifier, as mold spores can easily develop on the drum and motor and can be flung into your ductwork (and home) relatively easily.

Of course, introducting a new component to your HVAC system, means more maintainence.  Ask about our maintainence packages, because humidifiers can be included in certain packages.

For more on whole house filtration and humidifier systems contact your specialist at MTB Mechanical today! 

Often this question come to mind when your unit starts not operating properly.  Completely replacing your unit can be a costly project that no homeowner looks forward to purchasing.  Even though it's not pleasant to think about, there can be some positive factors to buying a new unit. 

A new unit will generally perform much more efficiently than your outdated unit.  There are also the rebates that we have previously mentioned to keep in mind.  This way you can at least make up some of that cash back on your taxes!  Also, you will be saving on your monthly utility bill because newer units are more energy efficient.

In the heating and air industry, there is the '50%' rule. This means if the repairs to your current system is approaching 50% of the value of your heating or cooling system, it's probably best to replace.  Another factor of course is age.  If your unit is 12-15 years old and not functioning properly, also probably best to invest in a new system. 

I thought Lenox had some additional information worth sharing below.

• Convenience – When you purchase a new system, you can avoid the hassle of unexpected repairs down the line, and you don’t have to sit around uncomfortable while waiting for parts.
• Lower utility bills – A high-efficiency home comfort system from Lennox can save you hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs, compared to an older system.
• Energy tax credits – You can recover up to 30% of the cost of select high-efficiency systems in the form of tax credits.
• Friendlier refrigerant – Due to growing environmental concerns, the U.S. federal government has mandated that all HVAC manufacturers phase R-22 refrigerant-based equipment out of production. In response, Lennox now mainly manufactures cooling systems with R-410A, a U.S. EPA-approved, chlorine-free refrigerant.
• Enhanced comfort – Advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency also enhance your comfort, so you can enjoy more even temperatures, better humidity control and a constant flow of conditioned air.
• Improved air quality – Better humidity control means a reduced potential for mold and mildew growth. Lennox home comfort systems are also available with Healthy Climate^® filtration, which minimizes the impact of indoor pollutants.

Please contact your heating and air pros at MTB today.  We will help you with your decision to repair or replace.

Wow, can anyone else believe it's almost Christmas?  We have had a very mild season so far in the Charlotte area, but you can be assured cooler temps will be coming soon.  Along with the cooler weather comes a heat pump or furnace in your home that runs more and more, which in turn is costing you money!  Below we are going to give you some tips for making your home more efficient and in the process lower your power bill. 

Don't pay to heat an empty house!

-This should be pretty self-explanatory but often people are in a hurry and just don't think about turning down the thermostat.  When you leave to go out of town or even for work in the morning, turn that thermostat down! The energy consumed to bring your home's temperature back from 60 to 70 is minimal compared to constantly running at 70 degrees when no one's home.

Should we close our registers/vents in rooms not being used?

-This is a tricky question that you will see argued both ways.  We don't recommend you closing any of your registers if you have a modern, properly designed duct system.  By closing off the register, you will run the risk of reducing the proper air flow back to the unit. Also, back pressure can actually create an air foil back to the main trunk line and slow down air flow to all registers.

Turn off exhaust fans.

-Exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens can be great for expelling smells, smoke, etc.  Unfortunately they also will expel your heat! They are fine to use, but just remember to cut them off when they are no longer needed.

Open doors inside the home to maximize air flow.

-By keeping your doors open inside, the air flow is maximized and your unit can operate more efficiently.

Hang a fan!

-Everyone knows a fan in the summer can cool you off, but what about the winter? Most all ceiling fans have a reverse switch.  You can reverse the blades direction to push down and circulate the hot air trapped against the ceiling.

We hope these tips add some extra cash to your bank account! Contact MTB today for any of your heating, cooling and plumbing needs!

When we work with builders and homeowners on HVAC systems for residential new construction in Charlotte, the most important thing we focus on is that we design and install exactly the right equipment with the optimal configuration to ensure that you are comfortable year round with the efficiency you expect.

MTB Mechanical Co-Founder, Britt Thomas, shown left looking over new construction plans with a customer. We are proud to be family owned and operated.

The Steps We Take:

1. We run computerized Manual J loads -these tests take into account the sq. footage, layout and materials used in house construction to ensure the proper equipment is in place for your home and configured properly.
2. All duct systems are custom designed for each home -this is the next logical step after properly setting up your equipment. Having adequate airflow around your home is crucial, without it even the most powerful mechanical system will not give you the comfort you deserve.
3. Specialized teams work on different parts of the system -We do not believe in one crew that is just pretty good at everything in a mechanical system. At MTB we have specialized crews that are the absolute best at what they do. You can expect to work with a number of these specialized crews throughout the design and installation process.
4. Quality control is extremely important to us. Our supervisors check on our projects daily to make sure we perform at the very high standards we have set for ourselves every single time.

Whether you are a homebuilder or homeowner our intention is to keep you as a customer for life - everything we do is with that in mind.

As we ring in the New Year we at MTB Mechanical want to warn you about a potential threat which could be lurking inside your own home. This is a silent killer which can invade your home without warning, making you sick and possibly endangering the lives of you and your whole family.

This silent killer is carbon monoxide gas, also known as CO gas. Usually when we hear news stories about CO gas it is related to cars left running inside a closed garage or even someone trying to stay warm by bringing in a barbeque grill inside. But the real threat, the one that results in hundreds of cases of CO poisoning each year, comes from carbon monoxide leaks in your furnace.

These leaks are caused by cracks or rusted out areas in your furnace’s heat exchanger.  Heat exchangers are where the ignited natural or propane gases burn, which heats the air surrounding the outside of the exchanger. Normally these hot gases are then harmlessly expelled through vents outside of the home. The heated air outside the heat exchanger is circulated into the home and filtered before returning to the heat exchanger. When a crack forms in a heat exchanger, this allows the CO gases to mix with this air and poison the warm air in your home. The problem is CO gas is odorless and completely invisible. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might smell a slight odor of smoke, but usually not.

The first symptoms of CO poisoning are headaches, dizziness and drowsiness. If you have been suffering from any of these symptoms, you may want to have your furnace checked for leaks. You may also want to invest in a CO detector which will warn you of any gases entering the home.

To make matters worse, the age of your system is not a factor in whether or not you have a leak. Even a relatively new furnace can develop cracks and this is usually the result of poor maintenance. Air filters do a great job of preventing dust from collecting on coils and heat exchangers, but filters need to be changed every couple of months. If the filter collects too much dust, it restricts the air flow. With less air flowing across the heat exchanger, this will cause it to glow red hot during the heating cycle and expand in size. Then when the thermostat reaches the desired temperature, it cuts off the furnace and the heat exchanger cools down and contracts in size. This repeated expanding and contracting is just like bending an empty soda can back and forth and eventually a crack forms.

What’s even worse is when a clogged air filter is removed and then not replaced immediately. This allows all of those dust particles to collect on the coil and heat exchanger. This can result in a smoky odor as the dust burns off the exchanger and a clogged coil, which is much harder and more expensive to clean. 

If you are suffering from any of the aforementioned symptoms, give MTB Mechanical a call at 704-321-9250. Right now, MTB is offering a Comfort Security Check for only $39.00 where we will check the heat exchanger, safety controls, wiring, temperature rise, temperature limit controls, the thermostat, air filters and other safety hazards like leaves or debris. If we find a crack, we will offer you several options to either fix or replace your furnace.

In the mean time, check your air filters, stay safe and sleep warm.

What if you need a professional?

If you find a problem with your heating system you will probably decide to hire an HVAC professional to help you. Here are some things to keep in mind when searching for a good HVAC Contractor:

• How long has your company been in business?
• How does your company handle emergency situations?
• Do you offer preventative maintenance plans? What are the advantages / disadvantages?
• how do you handle billing and payments?
• Could you provide me with references?

Once you have determined a good HVAC Contractor to work with here are some good questions to go over with them about your heating system:

• Which is the best furnace on the market for my home?
• Is there anything that can be done to improve the efficiency of my current furnace?
• Could I save money on my utility bills with a new furnace? What does the payback analysis look like?
• What are the maintenance requirements of my current furnace? A new furnace?

The most important thing is not to wait! Now is a great time to work with a heating professional before they get busy in the colder months. And there is nothing worse than firing up your furnace on that first really cold day and not getting any heat!