Air Advice | Blog & Articles | Hunter’s Air & Heat, Inc.

Should You Use a Humidifier or Dehumidifier This Winter?

October 20, 2021

When you think about temperature control and maintaining a comfortable indoor environment during the winter, you likely think about keeping your home warm. While heat is a key element to indoor air quality and comfort during the winter, it is just one factor. Humidity plays a critical role in keeping your home comfortable. Proper humidity levels prevent mold growth and minimize the occurrence of respiratory illnesses. Finding and maintaining the right balance of humidity in your home can be challenging. Should you use a humidifier or a dehumidifier to keep your home comfortable during the winter months? Using a Humidifier During the Winter Before determining which appliance is right for your home, it is good for you to understand how humidity levels are affected by seasonal changes. Typically, your home should have a humidity level of between 40% and 50%. These numbers will fluctuate based on how humid it is outside. Cold air during the winter is dry. Typically, you are going to use a humidifier in your home more frequently than you would a dehumidifier. The colder the areas in your home, the dryer the indoor air will become. You can do things like applying weather stripping or patching...

View Article

What Exactly Is Furnace Maintenance?

September 22, 2021

The seasons have once again turned cold, and your mind is turning toward your furnace and keeping your house warm. Part of these thoughts should focus on your furnace maintenance and wondering if it’s getting all the attention it should. Here’s what should be included during your annual furnace maintenance appointment and why scheduling it is a must every fall. Why Furnace Maintenance Is a Must With all that the fall brings with it, you may be tempted to skip your furnace maintenance. Before you do, take a few minutes to understand why it’s important to keep your house safe and comfortable. As your heater runs, its efficiency slowly degrades, costing you more in utility costs. It also causes more wear on your system, resulting in more frequent furnace repairs. One of the major goals of maintenance is to maintain your furnace’s efficiency. Most manufacturers recognize the need for maintenance to keep their heating systems working properly. As such, routine professional maintenance is often a term of your warranty with a new heater. If you skip your annual maintenance, you may be left with unexpected repair bills due to faulty components. Getting Things Clean Your heating system draws in air...

View Article

End of Summer Maintenance

August 3, 2021

Most air conditioners work at high capacity all summer long. Throughout the hottest days of this season, they’re subjected to a tremendous amount of stress. As the end of summer draws near, it’s important to start getting your air conditioner ready for short-term, seasonal retirement. With these six end-of-summer maintenance tips, you can make sure that your home cooling equipment is ready to reliably perform when the warm weather comes back around. 1. Change Out the Air Filter Air filter changes are both the easiest form of AC maintenance that homeowners can perform and the most important. These components capture and collect airborne particulates to improve indoor air quality and limit stress on the entire system. If you use your air conditioner every day during the summer, you should probably change your filter every two months. If you only use it moderately, you may be able to change it every three months. However, at the end of the season, always wrap things up with a fresh, clean filter. To give your system the best start in the coming summer, you may even want to upgrade this component from the stock fiberglass option that it came with to a higher-quality, pleated...

View Article

Making the Best Use of Your Air Conditioning

July 27, 2021

By ensuring that you use your air conditioning system efficiently, you reduce your electricity bills. Additionally, efficient AC usage prevents overworking the unit and, therefore, prolongs its life. The following are ways to get the best out of your air conditioner. Seal Your Home Typically, the air conditioner works by taking the heat from your indoor environment to the outdoor environment. Now, since the outdoor environment is essentially warmer than your house, nature will balance the temperatures by having the hot temperatures move into your home. To prevent heat from entering your house, seal it off using insulation material that prevents air movement. With this trick, you save on bills and keep your house cool without having to overwork the AC. Keep the Sun Out You don’t need an air conditioner to keep your house temperatures down. You can keep the heat away by ensuring that the sun rays don’t reach the interior of your house. One good way to prevent this is to plant trees in your yard so that your house is in the shade. Planting bushes or shade trees in front of windows will not only keep the sun out, but it will also provide privacy. Another...

View Article

How Does Central Air Conditioning Work?

June 7, 2021

Many of us are familiar with the term “centralized air conditioning system.” In fact, most of us have one in our homes. However, many of us don’t quite understand how an air conditioner works. Rather, we just set the thermostat to the temperature that we want and enjoy the outcome of the process. Understanding Heat Transfer The majority of people that are asked to explain how an air conditioner works will state that the air conditioner cools the air in their home. While that is the overall effect of the entire air conditioning process, that’s not really an accurate description of how it works. The air conditioning process is actually a heat transfer process. The system inside of your home is designed to take the heat from inside your home and transfer it outside. In reality, this whole process is conditioning the heat from the air inside of your home. Setting Your Thermostat Every air conditioning system has a thermostat that controls when the system operates and when it shuts off. A typical thermostat will display the actual temperature inside of your home. It will also display the desired temperature that you can set. For example, your thermostat may read...

View Article

How Many Watts Does an Air Conditioner Use?

May 16, 2021

The summertime heat in Wharton, TX, is intense. Air conditioning will likely account for up to 40% of your summertime electricity bills. As the weather gets hotter, your air conditioner will have to work harder to keep your home comfortable. It’s important to know how many watts of power your air conditioner uses. The total watt usage of your air conditioner has a big impact on your electricity bill, and it can also tell you if something’s gone awry with your cooling system. What Is a Watt? A watt is a unit of electrical power. It is one joule per second. The watt is used as a measure of energy transfer. Your electricity bill likely shows how many kilowatt-hours of power you used during the billing cycle. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. The watt was named after James Watt, who was a Scottish inventor. Window Air Conditioners Window air conditioners are designed to be installed in a window during the cooling season. The humidity drains to the outdoors. In the winter, these units are removed from the window. A window air conditioner may be used in a bedroom in a home without central air conditioning. They can also be used...

View Article

How Do UV Light Indoor Air Quality Products Work?

April 13, 2021

The quality of indoor air can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor air quality. Some common pollutants in the air include pollen, dust, bacteria, viruses, and other forms of microorganisms. Ultraviolet (UV) light has chemical properties that allow it to inactivate several types of harmful pollutants. When installed in the HVAC system or used as a standalone system, a UV light air purification system can clean the air inside your home, allowing you and your family to breathe cleaner and healthier air. Here is a look at how UV indoor air purification systems work. What Makes UV Light Inactivate Pollutants? UV light is a chemical-free way to kill bacteria, mold, and other forms of pollutants. For decades, UV light solutions have been used for disinfection purposes. The UV light solutions are designed to provide UV-C type radiation. It is one of three types of UV radiations emitted by the sun. The other two types are UV-A and UV-B radiations. The UV-C type light from the sun does not reach us, as it is completely absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. UV light is made of small protons that vibrate at a certain wavelength and frequency. The type of UV...

View Article

What Are Indoor Air Quality Monitors?

March 16, 2021

According to research, 96% of homes and businesses have at least one indoor air pollutant. Activities like cooking, showering, washing dishes, and smoking ruin indoor air quality. Cleaning supplies, sprays and aerosols are also the root causes of bad air quality. In that regard, you need air quality monitors to determine the level of contaminants in the atmosphere. Once you establish the pollutants, you can turn to us at for help. Our specialists will come up with sustainable solutions to get rid of the polluted air. Here’s what you need to know about indoor air quality monitors. What Are Indoor Air Quality Monitors? Indoor air quality monitors measure the levels of common pollutants in the atmosphere. The devices also track the air conditions in your residence. Air quality monitors have sensors to detect the smallest particulate matter. They can give you readings of contaminants smaller than one micron. The gadgets are precise enough to alert you to the pollutants in your indoor environment. They work by sensing unhealthy levels of toxic gases or particulate matter and warn you if they are dangerous. Indoor air quality monitors come in various models with different specifications. Common Pollutants That Indoor Air Quality Monitors...

View Article

Signs Of Poor Indoor Air Quality

February 4, 2021

The air quality in your home is crucial to your health, and you’ll want to ensure that the people in your residence are breathing safe air. You have a serious stake in the quality of the air in your home, but how do you know if it is clean or not? Here are some serious considerations. Symptoms Indoor Air Quality Is Poor 1. Trouble Breathing One of the first signs of poor air quality is trouble breathing. You may find yourself getting winded quickly in your own home. You may also find yourself struggling to breathe wherever you are. Breathing may also get significantly worse with time. It’s important to take action and visit your doctor as soon as you notice a problem. 2. Allergies People who suffer from allergies will learn that their allergies become exaggerated when the air quality in the home is poor. Irritants will become more aggravating to the nose, throat and skin. You shouldn’t have to depend on an inhaler or allergy medication solely because of indoor air. A doctor can help you pinpoint the problem and offer solutions. 3. Sinus Congestion You might notice that your nose, throat and lungs are starting to get...

View Article

What are the best plants for indoor air quality?

January 21, 2021

According to the EPA, some pollutants can be between two and five times as concentrated inside your home as they are outside of your home. Since we all spend a considerable amount of time living and sleeping in our homes, this sounds a bit scary. Taking steps to improve your home’s indoor air quality can help you breathe better and reduce the risk of various health concerns, including asthma and allergies. One way you can improve your home’s air quality is by purchasing some indoor houseplants. Some houseplants are actually able to filter out toxins and leave your home’s air cleaner to help everyone breathe more easily. Boston Fern One plant you can consider adding to your space to improve your indoor air quality is a Boston fern. These plants can help remove toxic pollutants including benzene, formaldehyde, toluene and xylene. Boston ferns do best in humid environments, making them a good addition to a bathroom. They don’t need much light to grow, which is another reason they can do very well in bathrooms. Peace Lily Peace lilies are another excellent houseplant if you want to purify your home’s air. Peace lilies break down toxic gases like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide...

View Article