Archive for the ‘Home Services’ Category
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
As Americans, we inherently have busy lives full of things to remember on a day to day basis. Maintaining the heating and cooling system may not be a task that needs to be completed every day, but for most, checking the furnace’s filter just once a month is still too much of a task to remember. In order to make sure things continue to work properly, many homeowners will invest in fancy filters that can last for multiple months, so that they don’t have to remember to change the filter every 30 days. However, some of these homeowners are finding that despite the manufacturer’s claims that the filter should last 3 months or longer, the filter still needs changing every 30 days. Before you blame the manufacturer, take a moment to consider that the problem might not be your filter; it might be your HVAC system and the air quality in your home!
Finding the Source of Air Quality Problems
It is recommended that once you replace your filter or upgrade to a new type of filter you check it every 30 days to make sure that it is able to handle to air quality in the home. For some, 30 days comes and the filter that is made to last 3-6 months is still in good conditioner. For others, the filter already needs to be changed. The problem lies within the home’s air quality. You may have animals or other factors that are contributing to the dirty air in the home or you may just have filthy ducts. As the furnace circulates air through them, debris is picked up and caught by the filter. When this debris is excessive, it can waste a filter in 30 days or less. (more…)
Tags: 30 days, air conditioner, Air Quality, Chicago, cleaning, Duct Cleaning, Evergreen Park, filter replacement, Flossmoor, Forest Park, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace cleaning, furnace filter, IL, maintenance, Tune Up
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Duct Cleaning, Furnace, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
With all of the holiday lights and decoration finally put away for the year, odds are your home’s exterior is looking pretty plain. The cold dreary winter doesn’t help the situation but something needs to be done to liven things up a bit. Take one of the warmer days this winter and put a little effort into improving your home’s exterior. By making certain improvements, you can bring life back into your home’s exterior no matter how miserable Chicago’s weather may be! Four Seasons Home Services has a few ideas that may be just what your home needs.
Affordable Upgrades and Repairs:
- Line the Drive: Paving stones, decorative rocks, and brick can all be used to liven up an asphalt driveway. The installation is relatively simple, and Four Seasons has a variety of styles to choose from.
- Sidewalk Lighting: The sidewalk leading up to the doorway of your home is a great place to make improvements. Four Seasons can replace old cracked concrete or replace concrete with paving stones to bring a more elegant look to the front of the home. If your sidewalk is in good shape, you may want to consider adding decorative lighting. This will add new dimension to the home’s exterior and it doubles as a safety mechanism for those that may not be as steady on their feet. (more…)
Tags: curb appeal, custom mailboxes, exterior, Four Seasons, garage doors, handyman services, hardware replacement, Home Services, improvements, lighting, painting, paving, sidewalk
Posted in Home Improvement and Repair, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions | No Comments »
Monday, January 30th, 2012
You can’t always control the way that your home was built. When you purchased the home odds are you were looking for the obvious flaws and when those were ruled out, everything seemed to be in order. However, many older homes suffer from problems that lie beneath the surface. The problem is that the older the home is the less air tight it was made. Insulating the walls and attic were not a priority at the time and many of these older homes experience air leaks and drafts that not only disturb comfort but they also cost the homeowners big bucks in energy costs. In the past, the only way to get in and add more insulation was to tear down the walls, fill, and then reseal them. However, with blown-in insulation from Four Seasons, you can add insulation to nearly any crevice in the home without tearing the walls down.
Popular Places to Add Insulation
- Attics: Attics in older homes often have little to no insulation within them. Any insulation that was placed has long since settled and is offering little protection. Have Four Seasons pump in a fresh thick layer of fiberglass and give your home an air tight cap to help keep heat in this winter.
- Crawl Spaces: Many older homes have crawl spaces that lack insulation. A crawl space can be as cold as the chilliest of winter nights and that cold air will seep into your warm home if you do not prevent it from happening. Simply have Four Seasons fill in the spaces with fresh insulation and eliminate this source of heat loss. (more…)
Tags: air tight, attic, basement, Burnham, Chicago, cost effective, drafts, energy efficiency, Four Seasons, garage, heat gain, heat loss, IL, Insulation, Rolling Meadows, Savings, un-insulated rooms, walls
Posted in Air Quality, Heating, Home Services, Savings, attic insulation | No Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Having work performed in the home can create quite a mess. From dirty floors and walls to construction dust on every surface, getting the home back to its original condition after the repairs or remodeling jobs have been completed can prove to be quite a task. Many construction companies will clean up after themselves, but nearly all of them forget about the mess they made of one very crucial system in the home: the HVAC system! All of that dust, debris, and odor will be swept up into the duct work to be transferred through the furnace and then re-circulated throughout the home. Depending on how extensive the work was, you may have a serious air quality and furnace efficiency problem leftover. You are going to need someone to clean up this system, and Four Seasons has got your back.
Cleaning Up After Construction
- Duct Cleaning: Many homeowners have never had the ducts cleaned in the home, so odds are they are not only full of construction debris but also years and years of particle build up. A professional duct cleaning from Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning is the only way to restore this part of the system back to peak performance and bring clean air back into your home. Without this service, you could be left breathing in construction dust for years to come.
- Heating and Cooling Cleaning: With all of that debris circulating through the ducts, it will have to pass through the furnace and air conditioner as well. If you aren’t using advanced filtration system to capture these particles before they dirty up the furnace, then you probably have a mess inside your system that could be causing a massive decrease in energy efficiency. Burners and heat exchangers that are coated in a layer or dust and debris cannot transfer heat as effectively and energy efficiency suffers. You will end up paying more to use the furnace every month because the system will need to burn more fuel to keep up. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, Air filtration, Air Quality, Chicago, cleaning, debris, Duct Cleaning, duct work, dust, energy efficiency, Four Seasons, Furnace, IL, maintenance, professional, remodeling
Posted in Air Quality, Air conditioning, Air filtration, Duct Cleaning, Heating, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration | No Comments »
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
One of the top complaints when it comes to home comfort is temperature inconsistency from room to room. Drafts and inadequate circulation are often the source of these types of problems, and many homeowners feel that they are at a loss when it comes to finding a solution to this issue. Many people can’t afford to blindly spend their money in search for an answer, but Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning has a few suggestions that any homeowner can cheaply implement in the home.
3 Ways to Even Out Your Home’s Temperature:
- Furnace Fan: The first step towards improving circulation in the home would be to turn the furnace circulating fan to “On.” The fan is most likely set to the “Auto” position which would only allow the fan to run when the furnace is generating heat. By turning the fan on all of the time, more air exchanges will be made through the ducts of the home which will lead to better circulation and disbursal of air in the home.
- Ceiling Fan: During the winter months, changing the direction of flow of the ceiling fan will help aide circulation in the home as well. A fan set to run clockwise will push air up. This effectively pushes that hot air that has risen to the ceiling back down into the room. This will help eliminate temperature variances from room to room and help optimize use of the heat created by your heating system. (more…)
Tags: attic insulation, Cary, ceiling fan, Chicago, circulation, comfort, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace fan, Heating, Homewood, IL, insulation services, temperature variances
Posted in Air Quality, Heating, Home Improvement and Repair, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions, attic insulation | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Now that the snow has finally arrived, many of us are probably realizing that we didn’t miss it as much as we thought. Though this is only the first real snow storm of the season, there are bound to be more and with the snow comes ice and icicles. At Four Seasons, our biggest concern is what will happen when ice and snow buildup on power lines to the point that they collapse under the weight. This can leave entire neighborhoods without power for days, and in Chicago, even a few hours without heat in the home can become unbearable. It is because of this fact that there has never been a better time to consider having Four Seasons install an automatic generator in your home.
4 Reasons to Install a Generator from Four Seasons
- Restores Power Instantly: Automatic generators are wired directly into the power supply of the home. The unit is able to sense when power is cut off from the grid and will turn on automatically. The transition is so seamless that you may not even notice the power outage!
- Power as Much or as Little as You Want: Automatic generators can be customized to fit nearly any budget. You don’t have to power the entire home in order to purchase one of these systems. Power just the furnace and sump pump or power the entire home. It is your call, and Four Seasons will help make it as affordable as possible. (more…)
Tags: affordable, automatic power, Chicago, comfort, design, Four Seasons, Furnace, Generac generators, generator, Heating, icicles, IL, Lombard, Lyons, natural gas, power outage, Sump Pump, winter
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Home Improvement and Repair, Home Services, Sump Pump, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Juggling a busy schedule is part of the day to day life of an average American. We all work long hours to provide for our family. We spend time caring for children and spending time with our loved ones and all of this leaves little time for anything else. As homeowners, general home maintenance is just one of the many responsibilities that come along with having a home. Finding time for this responsibility is the problem. There are other priorities that must come first, and if this sounds like your home life, odds are you could use a helping hand. This is where Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning and Four Seasons Home Services can lend a hand.
Licensed Pros for Every Need
At Four Seasons we have professionally trained and licensed plumbers, HVAC technicians, handymen, window installation experts, and air duct cleaners. We can handle nearly any job around the home from furnace maintenance and repair to toilet replacements and gutter cleaning. Big or small, we value every customers needs no matter the cost of the job. Our goal is to make living in your home as comfortable as possible, and to make the space work for you and your family. Don’t put off your home’s much needed repairs any longer and rely on Four Seasons.
Tags: affordable, air duct cleaning, Chicago, Crystal Lake, Des Plaines, Four Seasons, handyman services, home maintenance, home repair, Home Services, hvac maintenance, HVAC repair, IL, Plumbing Services, window installation
Posted in Air Quality, Air conditioning, Furnace Repair, Heating, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions, customer service, maintenance | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Winter is plagued by fierce storms in the Chicagoland area. For many, this means that the electrical supply to the home is not guaranteed. One strong gust and suddenly the home is without power. You and your family are then left at the mercy of your power company and their ability to get the power back up and running quickly. Frequent power outages not only disturb the flow of your day to day life, they also disturb the reliability of comfort in your home. No matter how great your furnace may function, it is useless without a source of electricity. Four Seasons’ Home Services division has the answer to your power outage problems: a whole house automatic generator.
Protecting Your Family’s Comfort
Unless you think your family could handle several days without heat in the home, you may want to sit down and seriously consider the benefits of a whole house generator. These systems, when installed by Four Seasons, will automatically switch on in the event of a power outage. They will use natural gas to produce electricity for as much or as little of the home as needed. At the very least you can attach this machine to the furnace, air conditioner, and sump pump. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, Chicago, comfort, Crestwood, electricity, Four Seasons, Furnace, Generac, generator, Heating, IL, installation, Lynwood, protection, Safety, security, Skokie, Sump Pump, whole house generator
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Home Improvement and Repair, Home Services, Hot Water Heater, Safety, Sump Pump, Tips and Suggestions | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
You have seen the ads in the newspaper, on television, and on the highway. Duct cleaning seems to be a pretty popular but you have probably also heard much of the controversy that surrounds this service as well. Is it worth having done? Is it all just a scam? How much should having your ducts cleaned really cost? All of these questions could stop you from even considering this service, but then you take a peak down one of your return vents and you suddenly realize that something needs to be done. Four Seasons will show you what real duct cleaning service is suppose to look like, and all you have to do is call!
Dishonest Duct Cleaning Services
The scam artists out there like to pry on this service because the homeowner has little ability to see if the job was actually done properly. For the most part your ducts are hidden from view and without camera evidence of the cleaning being performed any scam artists can walk in, pretend to clean, and walk out with your money. Many of these companies will also throw on extra charges at the last second that you weren’t expecting, and when it comes to money, no one wants to be surprised by what they owe. These types of tactics are what shy people away from this valuable service, but Four Seasons offers the customer a much different experience. (more…)
Tags: air ducts, camera evidence, Chicago, cost, coupon, discount, Duct Cleaning, Four Seasons, HVAC, Justice, Orland Park, professional cleaning, scam artists
Posted in Air Quality, Consumer protection, Duct Cleaning, Home Services, Informational, customer service | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
The holiday season is a popular time of year for many people to travel. We pack up cars and take planes all over the country to visit family and friends and we leave our homes behind. Every year, without fail, there are hundreds of homeowners in the Chicagoland area that will turn off the thermostat to save some money while they are away, and as a result, they experience a real disaster in the home when they finally get back. We know you want to save some money while you are away, but there is a safer way. Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning is issuing this warning so that you can protect your home this season, and our handymen can help you prepare the home as well.
Frozen and Burst Pipes
Turning off the thermostat when you leave the home can be a big mistake. Sure, you save some money on the energy bills, but you put all of the plumbing fixtures in the home at risk. The winter may have so far been pretty mild, but all you need is one icy cold winter night and suddenly you have frozen pipes. Once that frozen pipe begins to thaw, the water rushing into the pipe may cause it to burst and cause serious water damage to that particular area of the home. The worst part is that if you are out of town, there is no one there to turn off the water supply, so the mess you come home to could be a true home disaster that will cost much more to fix that the little bit of money you were trying to save by turning off the furnace in the first place. (more…)
Tags: 24 Hour Repair, burst pipe, Chicago, Four Seasons, frozen pipes, Furnace, Heating, Hoffman Estates, repair, Safety, save money, service, temperature, thermostat, water damage
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Home Services, Plumbing Services, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
