Archive for the ‘Safety’ Category
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Many homes use forced air heating systems, like furnaces, to heat their homes during the winter months. However, there are plenty of homeowners that still rely upon boilers, either steam of hot water, to keep the home comfortable. These homeowners may be in the minority in the HVAC industry, but they still need to have a licensed serviceman that they can count of to take care of their system. Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning has the experts that these homeowners need to keep their system in check on a yearly basis. Neglecting to do so because you think there isn’t someone out there who can care for the system is not an option and it could have detrimental consequences.
What Does the Pressure Relief Valve Do?
The pressure relief valve on your boiler is probably the single most important device on the system. This one part is what could save you from a boiler disaster. All heating systems have built in safety devices and the pressure relief valve is a key safety feature of your boiler. This valve is what prevents a dangerously high pressure level from building up within your boiler. Pressure within the boiler can build up for a variety of reasons and without a properly functioning relief valve, the boiler could blow, and at the very least, the high pressure could cause some serious damage to the inside of the unit. (more…)
Tags: Bellwood, Blue Island, Boiler, Chicago, cleaning, comfort, Four Seasons, Highland Park, IL, leaks, maintenance, pressure, pressure relief valve, repair, safety device, testing, water, winter
Posted in Boiler, Heating, Hot Water Heater, Informational, Safety | 3 Comments »
Friday, September 30th, 2011
The Chicagoland air quality this time of year can vary. The local weather report may indicate that the ragweed is at a moderate level or the mold count level is high. The same may be true of the air quality in your home. Mold and contaminants can affect the air in your home and your health. It may also interfere with your heating and cooling system. A germicidal light such as a Healthy Climate UVC-24V from Four Seasons can help to produce cleaner air in your home. The germicidal light produces strong rays of ultraviolet light to help reduce harmful pathogens in your home.
Do More that Just Get a Flu Shot!
As any mom knows, flu season can be an exhausting time of the year. It usually hits around the Holidays, right when you have the most going on. You can protect your family from harmful viruses like the flu by getting more than just a flu shot. Do more to protect your family by having a Four Seasons germicidal UV light installed. The UV light operates whether your heating and cooling system is running or not. It continuously destroys bacteria and viruses before the pollutants enter your duct system. You can give your family peace of mind knowing that this same technology is used in operating rooms and clinics across the U.S. Call and ask one of our friendly representatives about what you can do to protect your family’s health this winter, and get a free quote on one of our germicidal UV lights today!
Tags: Air Quality, Chicago, contaminents, Four Seasons, free quote, germicidal light, IL, installation, mold, UV Light, viruses, winter
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Health, Informational, Safety | Comments Off
Friday, September 16th, 2011
In some parts of Chicago, we are already experiencing wind chills below zero, and many of us may be itching to turn the furnace on if even just to warm the house up for a few hours. However, many of the homeowners out there right now should do anything but turn on their furnace. Flooding was an all too common occurrence over this past summer season, and even those that had only a few inches of water in the home need to have the furnace looked at before they start it up for the season. Flood waters can do some devastating damage to furnaces and boilers, and even if your air conditioner was working fine all season, you should still have the system checked over. A certified furnace or boiler expert from Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning can help you determine what kind of shape your furnace is in after the flood, and can hopefully get your heat back up and running before the temperatures drop too low this fall.
A Dangerous Decision
Every year many homeowners ignore this advice and start using the furnace without having it checked. Even if the unit does fire up and seem to be working, odds are it will only last until you need it the most. For many homeowners the unit will work just long enough to get them into the thick of winter and then they must call Four Seasons for emergency service in order to keep their family comfortable and their home safe. Believe it or not this is actually the best thing that could happen to a water damaged system, and we have seen much worse things go wrong with water damaged furnaces. (more…)
Tags: Antioch, Argo, Boiler, Carbon Monoxide, Chicago, clean and check, comfort, danger, electrical components, fires, flooding, Four Seasons, Furnace, Heating, Oakbrook Terrace, Safety, safety mechanisms, summer floods, water damage, winter
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Safety, maintenance | Comments Off
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
In the few months we have before the snow begins to fall, many homeowners are trying to save money in a potentially dangerous way. How are they doing this? Well, there are some “do it yourselfers” out there that don’t recognize their limitations. They look at these few months of mild weather as an opportunity to figure out how to repair the furnace without the assistance of a professional. Their goal is to save money, but many end up with more problems than there were to begin with. You need to know your limitations, and you need know when to call Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning.
Doing More Damage than Good
If you are a “do it yourselfer,” it may be hard to admit defeat. You have become so used to fixing everything around the home that goes wrong, and you have probably saved hundreds and maybe even thousands doing so. However, not all “do it yourselfers” have to skills to tackle the complexity of the HVAC system. Furnaces in particular can be dangerous to mess with because they not only generate an extreme amount of heat, but they also create carbon monoxide that needs to be properly expelled from the home. If you are tinkering around inside a system you don’t fully understand, you could damage valuable components and possibly even put your family in danger once you attempt to operate the system. (more…)
Tags: breakdown, Burr Ridge, Carbon Monoxide, Chicago, dangerous, do it yourself, experience, experts, Four Seasons, Furnace, Heating, IL, Kenilworth, professional, repair, Riverdale, Safety, save money
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
When you own a home, there could be hundreds of little problems within its walls that are hidden from view. A builder may decide to cut corners or a repairman may “jerry-rig” something to make it work. Either way, you end up with a problem inside the home that is not up to code. At Four Seasons, we have been running across several homes in the Chicagoland area that have problems with their clothes dryer duct and vent. The worst of these problems are vents that do not vent to the outdoors. Instead, they dump into a ceiling or attic, and the problems this can cause could be devastating to a home.
Improperly Venting Dryer Ducts
- Encouraging Mold Growth: As your dryer dries your clothes, it vents out large amounts of hot humid air. In homes that don’t have a proper venting system, all of this hot air could be filling up the damp dark spaces under floorboards and inside the attic. All of this excess moisture creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew to thrive! We have discussed in the past the many dangers of having mold growth in the home, and allowing a problem like this to go unchecked could be encouraging this very serious issue. (more…)
Tags: Chicago, danger, dryer vent, fire hazard, Four Seasons, Fox Valley, Glendale Heights, mildew, mold, repair, replacement, Safety, Warrenville
Posted in Health, Home Services, Safety, Vent Cleaning | Comments Off
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
The Chicagoland area has been plagued by power outages nearly the entire summer season! Some homeowners get the power back on, after days of living in the dark, only to loose it again during the next torrential downpour! It this sounds like the situation in your home, you have probably been living by candlelight when the sun goes down. Those that have portable generators may be getting at list some relief from this inconvenience, but both methods produce a fire hazard!
Candle Culprits
According to the National Candle Association, there are approximately 18,000 house fires every year caused by candles. All it takes is one candle and the entire home can be destroyed. Use candles carefully, and make sure that you have smoke and fire detectors installed in the home! If you don’t have these units installed in your home, have Four Seasons Home Services install them for you, and start enjoying the peace of mind that comes from knowing you will be alerted in the event of a house fire. (more…)
Tags: candles, electricity, fire hazard, fire safety, Four Seasons, handyman services, heat, Home Services, power outage, Safety, smoke detector, standby generator, storms
Posted in Home Services, Informational, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
Monday, July 25th, 2011
As many may have noticed, this week in Chicago has been a scorcher! With temperatures consistently above 90 degrees and a heat index that pushes us well into the 100’s, it is a miracle that we haven’t melted, at least not yet, anyways. Here at Four Seasons, we have been working around the clock to keep as many people in this great hot city as comfortable as possible. From emergency service calls to same day installations, we have done it all these past few days, and yet many are still without functional air conditioning systems in their homes. This is not only dangerous, but it is also a problem that isn’t going to fix itself! You need Four Seasons now!
Working on a Budget
When you have finally given up trying to live without air conditioning in your home, give Four Seasons a call. Many people will do anything to avoid fixing or replacing their air conditioner, but honestly, there hasn’t been a better time to get this work done! Four Seasons is currently running our Summer A/C Sale where you can get the best price on some of the best equipment around! We also offer attractive financing options that can make replacing that air conditioner even more affordable and realistic on many budgets. (more…)
Tags: 24 hours, Air conditioning, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Chicago, comfort, Cooling, emergency, financing, Four Seasons, heat wave, IL, installation, repair, sales, Worth
Posted in Air conditioning, Informational, Quality, Safety | Comments Off
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
Carbon monoxide buildup in the home is a year round concern, especially for those that use a generator for power during an outage. Most of us assume that our furnace or boiler is the only appliance that creates a real threat, but a generator that is operated improperly can pose just as great a threat if not greater. We aren’t saying that the unit can’t be used safely; we just would suggest that you keep a few of these tips in mind the next time you pull that portable generator out during a power outage.
Generator Safety Tips:
- Generator Placement: This is the biggest mistake that homeowner make. Placing the generator in a garage, crawl space, attic, or any other even partially enclosed space is not an option! These units can produce large amounts of carbon monoxide very quickly and even with the windows and doors open you probably won’t be able to create the kind of ventilation the system needs. Set the unit up outdoors and downwind from the home. This will keep carbon monoxide from leaking into the home through cracks around windows and doors. (more…)
Tags: Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Carbon Monoxide, Chicago, CO detectors, electrocution, Elgin, fire, Four Seasons, generators, handyman services, hazard, Home Services, IL, maintenance, portable, replacement, Safety, tips, warning, wet
Posted in Home Services, Informational, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
Friday, June 17th, 2011
For many the summer heat is no surprise. Every year we face high 80s and even the occasional 90 or 100 degree day in Chicago. Most have an air conditioned home to seek refuge in during these dangerously hot days, but even air conditioned homes face the potential for system failures. The stifling heat can choke an air conditioner and cause the system to overheat. Those that take good care of their systems don’t usually have this problem, but for those that haven’t cared for their units in years, this problem is all too common.
24 Hour Emergency Service
Luckily, Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning is there for you even when your air conditioner isn’t! We are open 24 hours a day to service your system, but odds are these hot days will have a bit of a waiting list. We will still service your unit same day but you may have to go without cooling for a few hours. For some this may not be a big deal, but for others, scorching hot temperatures could be a death sentence! That is why we are offering our customers a few tips to keep in mind while they wait for their service technician to fix their air conditioner: (more…)
Tags: 24 hour, air conditioner repair, Chicago, comfort, Cooling, emergency, Four Seasons, heat exhaustion, IL, Jefferson Park, Kildeer, Lynwood, safety tips
Posted in Air conditioning, Health, Informational, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
Monday, June 13th, 2011
The first heat wave of the summer is over! Although there are sure to be many scorching hot days in the future, for now, chilly days and their accompanying flood waters are in the forecast. Isn’t Chicagoland weather wonderful? It was 90 degrees one day then 53 degrees the next day. It didn’t surprise me when we started to get furnace repair calls in the middle of June!
What is GAMA?
What I have found is that most of these furnace service calls are made because of basement flooding, and I need to warn some of you of the dangers involved with running a furnace after your basement has flooded. Your furnace may work in a few days after it dries out, but it still might not be safe to use. Have you heard of GAMA, the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association? This organization tests and sets standards for gas appliances including furnaces and boilers. They also make suggestions when it comes to electric systems as well including electric furnaces and air conditioning systems. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, Blue Island, Chicago, electrical components, flooding, floods, Four Seasons, Furnace, GAMA, gas valve, Justice, motor, Posen, repair, replacement, Safety, summer, water damage
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Safety, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
