Carbon Monoxide: What it Does and How to Protect from Exposure

Carbon monoxide is a substance that could threaten the health and safety in your own home. You may have heard of it before, but do you know how common carbon monoxide exposure is and how it can affect your health? As the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks, Royal Heating & Air cares about your wellbeing. Read on to learn important information about how to protect yourself and your family from carbon monoxide this season.

Where Does it Come From?

Carbon monoxide, or CO, can be found in fumes that come from burning fuel. Sources can include vehicles, small engines, stovetops, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, and furnaces. Because many of these items are commonly found in nearly every home in America, the likelihood that you could be exposed to carbon monoxide is high. In fact, over 400 Americans die annually from unintentional CO poisoning. Even more frightening, over 20,000 people visit the emergency room and 4,000 people are then hospitalized from CO exposure every year in the United States. (https://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm) Keep reading to find out why carbon monoxide is dangerous and how you can help protect yourself and your family from exposure.

Why is it Dangerous?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. For that reason, it can be hard to know if there is a carbon monoxide leak in your home. If CO builds up indoors or in an enclosed area, it can be deadly. As your body is forced to breathe in more carbon monoxide and less oxygen, it starts to affect your bloodstream. The oxygen in your red blood cells gets replaced with carbon monoxide which does serious damage to your body and can often result in death without treatment.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide are often likened to the flu. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, get to fresh air and seek medical attention: dull headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, shortness of breath, confusion, blurred vision, or loss of consciousness. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carbon-monoxide/symptoms-causes/syc-20370642)

How to Protect Yourself from Exposure

The idea that a substance could be leaking into your home and threatening your health without you knowing is terrifying to consider. To help alleviate your fear, try implementing some of the following tips in your home.

• Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
• When you buy gas equipment, make sure it has a seal from a national testing agency.
• Check and clean your chimney every year.
• Don't patch a pipe with tape, gum, etc.
• Never use your gas range or oven as a heating source for your home.
• Have your heating system and other gas appliances checked regularly by a qualified technician.

Call Royal Heating & Air 

Our experts at Royal Heating & Air would be more than happy to come by your home for a fall maintenance check. We will make sure your furnace is in good working order to help prevent carbon monoxide exposure in your home. We are the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks - You can trust us to take care of you and your home HVAC needs. Call today for your appointment! 

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com

CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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4 Ways to Help Improve Air Quality This Fall

We spend a significant amount of our time indoors without realizing what the quality of our air could be doing to our health. You may keep your home tidied up on a regular basis, but your home's air quality may still be worse than you think. Royal Heating & Air is the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks because we care. We know the importance of quality air and how to help you and your home. Read on to learn our important tips on how to help improve the air quality in your home, and give us a call to schedule your service.

Keep Your Floors Clean 

Dirty floors could dramatically affect the air quality in your home, particularly if you have a lot of rugs or carpeting. The pet hair, dust, dirt, dander, and dead skin cells that accumulate in your carpet do not stay there indefinitely. As traffic moves through your home, all that debris can get kicked up and start circulating in the air you breathe. For people who suffer from allergies and asthma, this could be a real health hazard by making it more difficult to breath.

Change Air Filters Regularly

The air filter in your HVAC system is a barrier that helps decrease the amount of dust, hair, and debris circulating in your home. However, if the filter becomes overloaded, it won't be able to do its job as well, and your HVAC system will likely have to work harder as it tries to push air through the clogged filter.

Four-inch filters need to be checked every 6 months and replaced at least every year. One-inch filters should be checked monthly and replaced as needed. Help keep your HVAC system operating at its best - set a reminder in your calendar to keep track of your filter's next check.

Consider a Whole-Home Humidifier

Winter air feels dry because the heating process tends to remove moisture from the air. Dry air can affect the health of your skin, sinuses, and overall well-being if it persists for too long. There are numerous benefits to installing a whole-home humidifying system (read our blog on the topic, here). Help improve the quality of the air in your home by calling Royal Heating & Air today and scheduling an appointment for your system.

Check the Airflow in Your Vents 

If the airflow in your home is inefficient, you could have to deal with stale, stagnant air. This could cause bad odors and allergens to settle in your home. Gross!

Your HVAC system could simply be too dirty to efficiently move air through the duct-work. A dirty unit could also decrease the airflow in your home. It can be important to have a professional check on your system to ensure everything is functioning appropriately and that there isn't anything blocking the flow of air. Schedule a Home Comfort Check with Royal Heating & Air to check-in on the HVAC systems in your home.

More seriously, your duct-work could be ill-fitted to the layout of your home. Standard duct-work can sometimes move air less efficiently than a custom system. At Royal Heating & Air, we set ourselves apart with the only HVAC custom sheet metal fabrication at the Lake of the Ozarks. You could be losing vital airflow through leaks in your current system.

Help Improve Your Air Quality with Royal Heating & Air

If you still feel like the quality of the air in your home is lacking after regularly changing your system's air filters and keeping your carpets clean, it might be time to call a professional. Royal Heating & Air is the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we have your back. Our experts would be happy to check the efficiency of your HVAC system and install a whole-home humidifier to help improve the air quality in your home. Give us a call today to schedule your appointment!

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com

CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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Home Comfort Checks – What We Check and How They Could Save You Money!

The comfort of your home is very important. What you might not realize is that keeping your home comfortable and performing regular checks could help save you quite a bit of money. As the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks, we at Royal Heating & Air have a team of experts that can help keep your home healthy and comfortable through the seasons while also saving you money on expensive repairs. Read on to learn more about our Home Comfort Check service and why it could be important to schedule one for your home this fall!

Air Conditioner

With temperatures reaching over 90 degrees for several weeks over the summer, your air conditioner had to work hard this year. You may not need to use it for much longer, but your air conditioner might be able to use some TLC before the cold season so it’s ready to go in the spring. There are a few checks we perform during our Home Comfort Check to make sure your air conditioner is in good condition. 

Refrigerant Level

Refrigerant is what your air conditioning unit needs in order to cool your air. If your unit doesn’t have enough, then the air coming out of your system will feel warm and won’t be able to keep your home cool. If the refrigerant level is low, then your air conditioner will have to work overtime and the coils in the system could freeze. Unlike gasoline in a car, refrigerant is not something that gets used up and must be refilled regularly. If your levels are low, that means there is a larger problem present in your air conditioning system, such as a leak. Regularly checking your refrigerant levels can help prevent extensive (and expensive) damage to your system by catching the issue early.

Fan Motor

The fan motor in your air conditioning unit could be considered the most important part of the system. This is the element that propels the cooled air into your home, so without it there can be no active airflow. If dirt builds up around the fan motor, it must work harder to function and can eventually overheat and burn out. Regular maintenance checks can help prevent this from happening and can also help extend the life of your air conditioner.

Heating System

If this winter is anything like last year, your heating system has a lot of work in its future. There are a few checks Royal Heating & Air can perform to help ensure your system is operating efficiently and is prepared for winter.

Heating Elements

Heating elements are tightly wound coils found inside your electric furnace. This is the part of your system that produces heat. While they aren’t particularly complicated, they will wear out over time and need to be replaced. During your Home Comfort Check, a technician from Royal Heating & Air will perform a test with a digital multimeter to check the elements’ functionality.

Gas Furnace Burners

Your gas furnace burners can accumulate rust and dirt throughout their use, which can eventually clog the pipes in your system. In order to properly clean them, the gas furnace burners must be removed, so it is not always an easy do-it-yourself task. Our Lake of the Ozarks HVAC experts at Royal Heating & Air have the proper training and equipment to thoroughly clean your gas furnace burners. Keeping these clean can help avoid costly repairs in the future. 

Schedule Your Home Comfort Check

Now is a great time to have your HVAC systems checked and cleaned. Royal Heating & Air is the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks, and our technicians are experts you can trust. So, call today and schedule your fall Home Comfort Check with the best there is!

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com

CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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How a Whole-Home Humidifier Could Improve Your Winter

Winter air is notorious for feeling dry... ‘Tis the season for moisturizing! There are a few things you can do, though, to help keep your home comfortable throughout the dry season. One of those things is to call the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks - Royal Heating & Air. We can install a whole-home humidifying system to optimize your health, comfort, and the efficiency and cleanliness of your home. Read on to learn more about whole-home humidifiers and how one could benefit you!

What Are the Negative Effects of Dry Air?

Cold air isn’t drier than warm air on its own. As cold air is warmed up by our heaters, it tends to lose moisture and dry out. That’s why winter feels drier than other seasons - heaters can sap the moisture out of the air. Humidifiers add moisture back into the air but, other than needing less hand lotion, why is that important?

Health Consequences

Dry air can be damaging to your comfort and possibly even your health. When your body is regularly subjected to dry air, your eyes, nose, and throat can all become dehydrated and irritated. Dry eyes feel scratchy and uncomfortable and can make it hard to focus. If your sinuses get dehydrated, they can feel tight and even sore at times. If your nasal passages get too dry, it can be hard for your system to fight bacteria and viruses due to the lack of mucus that captures and disposes of those pathogens. If you suffer from dry coughing and snoring, your throat may be too dry.

Effects on Your Home

Your home can also suffer from dry air. A lack of moisture in the air can cause wooden floors, furniture, and instruments to dry out and crack. This could cause expensive repairs that may have been avoided with the use of a humidifier. Humidified air could also help save on your heating bill in the winter. Moisturized air feels warmer than dry air, so you may not feel the need to turn up the heat as high.

What Kind of Humidifier is Best?

Evaporators, steam vaporizers, and central humidifiers are the most common types of home humidifiers and each one has its own unique method of adding moisture to the air.

Evaporators

Evaporators use a fan to push air through a moistened filter, expelling humidified air into the room. These systems, unfortunately, do not have sensors to let you know when enough moisture has been added to the air and it’s time to turn them off. They are also confined to humidifying one room at a time.

Steam Vaporizers

Steam vaporizers are perhaps one of the most common types of humidifiers. They can be purchased in local drug stores and are relatively affordable. Steam vaporizers function by heating water into a vapor. The vapor is then cooled before the machine expels it into the room like a mist. These humidifiers are also confined to working in one room at a time.

Central Humidifiers

Central humidifiers are whole-home systems installed inside your HVAC ductwork. These function by utilizing the airflow already in your HVAC system, directing the air through a water pad treated with anti-bacterial enzymes and placed in the ductwork. This water pad is moistened directly by a line from your water pipes. The system uses water only as needed and doesn’t have to keep a reserve of water that could grow mildew or mold, and the water pads simply need to be replaced once per year. These systems humidify the whole home evenly for a more balanced and effective result.

Set Up Your Installation Today

Whole-home humidifiers could help improve your air quality, protect valuable wooden items in your home, and possibly even help improve your sense of well-being during the driest season of the year.

To start enjoying the possible benefits of humidified air throughout your home - call the best HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks, Royal Heating & Air!

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com

CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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