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! 

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!

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.

As the local Charlotte news channels are reporting, this December is on pace to be the coldest on record. HVAC systems are working day and night to keep your home comfortable and your family cozy during this holiday season.

Don’t let heating system failure put a chill on your holiday cheer. With regularly scheduled maintenance, you can prevent the inconvenience and costly expense of a down heating or air-conditioning system.

Did you know that your HVAC system is responsible for 40% of your total energy costs. With regular maintenance, you will maintain the efficiency of your system, reduce utility bills, prevent system failure and extend the life of your system. No more unexpected, heat-less days due to neglected systems.

MTB Mechanical provides Energy-Saving Agreements to ensure that your system is working properly throughout the year. Our experienced and professional technicians make periodic visits to inspect, clean, test and maintain your HVAC equipment.

Our Energy-Saving Agreements usually pay for themselves through the savings associated with regularly maintained systems – a great investment for our homeowners!

Here are the additional benefits for having an Energy-Saving Agreement with MTB Mechanical:

• Lower monthly utility bills.
• Fewer inconvenient and expensive service calls. You make the appointment based on your schedule and availability.
• Priority customer status.
• 15% discount on repair parts and labor.
• 24/7 emergency service, 365 days a year.
• Increased safety and system reliability.
• Peace of mind.

For more information or to schedule your first maintenance visit, call 704-321-9250 or request service online with our convenient Service Agreement Calendar.