Josh Altman

HVAC in a Time of COVID-19

07.09.20

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has changed the way most of us go about our daily lives. Home and business owners are left with questions like: Can COVID spread through HVAC systems?

Though it is difficult to measure, there is no definitive evidence that COVID-19 has been transmitted through an HVAC system. That said, there are several measures that can help curb the spread of the virus. Let’s take a look:

Humidity and COVID-19

Some research suggests that adding moisture to the air can damage the outer membrane of the virus. In fact, the lower levels of humidity most indoor spaces experience in the winter months create just the kind of environment that COVID-19 thrives in. The virus may also remain viable for longer periods of time in spaces with low humidity. This is an important factor to keep in mind, even in the summer, as increased humidity makes “droplets” less likely to linger in the air. An additional benefit to adjusting humidity levels is that it helps moisturize our mucous membranes, which can aid in the body’s ability to fight the virus.

The caveat of increased humidity is that too much moisture in the air can damage furnishings and finishes. It can also cause adverse health effects in some individuals. Consult with an HVAC professional to determine and set up optimal levels of humidity in your space.

Clean and Sanitize HVAC Equipment

Though it is unlikely that COVID-19 particles remain viable in an HVAC system for much time during lockdown, having equipment cleaned and sanitized has multiple benefits. It is a wise precaution if there have been confirmed cases of the virus in a space. In any event, cleaning your system lets it use less power, operate more efficiently and it keeps your equipment in good condition.

Ventilation

Increasing ventilation in a space by adding more outside air can help dilute any particles present. For more information on HVAC operations concerning the virus, check out this guide to building operations during the pandemic from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Call a Professional

Kinkaid proudly serves Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester Counties. We offer residential and commercial installation, and maintenance and repair on all makes and models of HVAC equipment. We also offer a variety of service plans and financing options. Contact us today to get started!

5 A/C Maintenance Tips to Help You Keep Your Cool

06.26.20

An efficient A/C unit can be a lifesaver in the summer months, but the maintenance required to keep a unit running smoothly is easily neglected. In this post, we’ll look at AC maintenance tips you can employ in your home or business to ensure maximum cooling efficiency!

These simple steps can save you sweat, tears, time and utility costs:

Change filters regularly

A dirty or clogged filter puts unnecessary strain on your A/C unit. Some units require filter changes once a month, while others have reusable filters that need to be cleaned. Keeping filters clean or replacing them can save you money and extend the life of your unit.

Adjust your thermostat

Consider setting your unit to a higher temperature when you are away from the home for long periods during the day. The less time your unit has to work during the day, the longer it will last. Many modern thermostats enable you to pre-program your A/C unit’s schedule to match your own.

Check ductwork/open spaces

You’ll want to ensure any open spaces, such as those surrounding doors and windows, are properly sealed in order to help efficiently cool your home. It’s also a good idea to ensure your ductwork is sealed correctly, otherwise cool air might escape before ever making it into your home!

Keep coils clean

Keep your A/C coils (on the outside of your unit) clear of obstructions like leaves and other debris. This can be done with a regular garden hose and a broom. Additionally, ensure any surrounding shrubbery is trimmed, allowing enough space for the unit to properly function.

Schedule a tune-up!

Scheduling an annual tune-up with an HVAC professional can go a long way toward keeping your unit in great condition in the long run. An annual tune-up includes essential maintenance like filter checks, a refrigerant charge (if necessary), clearing and cleaning the condensate drain line and a thorough cleaning of the unit.

Why Kinkaid?

Kinkaid has proudly served Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester Counties since 1917. We offer residential and commercial installation, maintenance and repair on all makes and models of HVAC equipment. Kinkaid is now offering $25 off on a spring tune-up, contact us to get started today!

The Best Company for HVAC in Ambler

05.07.20

Sometimes “good” just isn’t good enough. If you want your car to work the best it can, you search for the best mechanic. If you need work done on your home, you search for the best contractor. The same applies to your heating and air conditioning. Why settle for someone who can do a good job when you want the people who can do the best job? Someone who can do a good job might not get you the best deal, install your HVAC system quite right, or do some of the little things to help you save money. So, without further ado, please let us show you why Kinkaid stands as the best HVAC in Ambler.

The HVAC in Ambler with Over 100 Years of Experience

First, the best HVAC companies have the greatest experience. In other words, they’ve been around for a long time. At Kinkaid, we’re a family-owned company that’s been around for over 100 years. In order to be successful for that long, you need to gain customer trust and keep it. It’s one thing to do a job well the first time. But it’s quite another to consistently perform well so that our customers know they can trust us for years to come. Fortunately, we’ve been doing just that for over a century. Don’t believe us? Take a look at our history here.

The Best Staff of Any HVAC Company

Second, the best HVAC in company Ambler will have staff that is both friendly and knowledgeable. It’s one thing for a company to have staff that know everything there is to know about their service or product. Of course you want that. Such a staff can provide unparalleled peace of mind because you can trust that they can get the job done right. However, if they’re rude or not sensitive to your needs, then what’s the good? On the other hand, if their staff shows tremendous kindness, but aren’t competent, that’s equally as useless. No, the best HVAC in Ambler has a staff that treats you with the utmost respect and knows the ins and outs of the business. Thankfully, Kinkaid gives you exactly that.

Hire the Best Company for HVAC in Ambler

Finally, if you want to hire the best HVAC company in Ambler for your home or office, then hire Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! With over 100 years of experience and the best staff in the business, we can provide everything you need. Contact us today!

Energy-Saving Tips for Throughout the Year

04.16.20

We’ve covered ways to help you save energy in the past. But there’s always other things to cover. For everything you can do to waste energy, there’s another thing you can do to save energy. So don’t break your bank by making some simple, but common mistakes. Keep costs down. Control your home’s temperature. Feel more comfortable. Check out some of the energy-saving tips that you can use throughout the year.

Energy-Saving Tips for Your Thermostat

First, let’s cover some basic tips about your thermostat. Most people know that it’s cheaper to maintain a room at a certain temperature than it is to constantly heat it up or cool it down. But what about beyond that? Consider the following:

Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible during the summer. The less your A/C has to work, the more energy you’ll save.
It’s a myth that your home will cool faster (or heat faster) if you set the temperature lower (or higher) than you would normally. Instead, set it to the exact temperature you desire.
Avoid placing lamps or TVs near your thermostat. The thermostat will sense heat from these appliances, which can cause problems.
Also, keep your thermostat out of direct sunlight.

Use Daylight Effectively

Second, this brings us to the next energy-saving tip: using daylight effectively. Please, consider the following:

Install storm windows over your normal windows. This helps sunlight come in during the winter days, and helps keep sunlight out during the summer days.
Get effective window treatments that utilize the right shades or drapes. A quality window treatment not only helps your home look better, but also effectively saves energy.
In addition to a quality window treatment, close your drapes during cold nights to help seal in the heat.

Energy-Saving Tips for Appliances

Third, you can actually use your appliances to save energy! Here’s how:

DO NOT use your oven to heat your home. If you have a gas oven, that releases carbon monoxide into the air.
Install efficient lighting. Only about 10% to 15% of the electricity that incandescent lights consume results in light—the rest is turned into heat.
Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Consider air drying both dishes and clothing.
Take short showers instead of baths.
Use your ceiling fans effectively.

Use Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning

Finally, the best energy-saving tip we can give is to use Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! For all of your HVAC needs, contact us today.

Storm Windows and Temperature Control

03.05.20

Controlling the temperature throughout your home always comes with challenges, especially if you have a very open space. You need to use everything you can to control your temperature and save money doing it. After all, you could always crank your A/C or your heat, but that’s not cost effective. So what else can you do? Storm windows are an incredibly helpful option to both keep your home cool when you want, and to help warm it up when you want. So, in this blog, we’ll show you some of the benefits of storm windows.

How Storm Windows Work

First, let’s discuss how these windows work. Storm windows get installed on the outside of your primary home windows. But they do more than add an extra layer of insulation. Storm windows have a low-e coating that reflects heat back inside the house during the winter, and reflects it outside during the summer. This keeps the home more comfortable year round. Additionally, these windows help reduce the sound of window on the outside and can work with any window treatment you have.

Storm Windows vs. Single Pane

Second, these windows might work well, but how do they compare to single pane windows? Single pane windows exist simply to do what windows do. To seal your home, to make it look nicer, and to allow you to look outside when you want. Therefore, they do minimal work in controlling the temperature in your home. However, if you add storm windows, they supplement single pane windows well because their primary function is to help control temperature. And, as we’ve said, they not only help in one particular season, but in all seasons.

Other Benefits

Third, consider some other benefits of having storm windows.

Not expensive
Reduces airflow for better insulation
Allows you to keep the old aesthetic from your windows
Easy to install
Helps make the main window warmer
Protects the primary window’s insulation
Helps reduce noise

Kinkaid HVAC is Here for You

Finally, if you’d like to learn more ways you can save money on heating and air conditioning, then reach out to us at Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! A member of our amiable and competent staff would love to help you.

Is It Safe to Use Your Oven to Heat Your Home?

02.05.20

Nothing’s more frustrating than when your heater breaks and you have to wait in the winter cold to get it fixed. Sitting in your home, freezing and covered in layers of blankets can be hard to stand! Space heaters might help, but they can’t heat your entire home. And they can run up your electric costs! It seems like the easiest option would be to turn on your gas oven and leave it open for a while. Just a few minutes couldn’t hurt, right? In this week’s blog, we’ll answer the question, “Is It Safe to Use Your Oven to Heat Your Home?”

Is It Safe to Use Your Oven to Heat Your Home?

First, let’s make this short and simple: no. It is not safe to use your oven to heat your home. If you have a gas oven, leaving it open to heat your home releases harmful carbon monoxide throughout your home. Given some time, carbon monoxide can be fatal. Additionally, if you suffer from a lung condition such as asthma, emphysema, or other similar conditions, carbon monoxide can exacerbate your condition. And this might mean a hospital visit!

Now, you might wonder, “But didn’t they use ovens to heat their homes in the old days?” No, people actually used wood ovens to heat their homes. The oven would be connected to all sorts of pipes that ran throughout the home to keep it warm. But wood ovens do not use natural gas. Therefore, they do not release carbon monoxide.

Other Tips Besides Using Your Oven to Heat Your Home

Second, if you’ve chosen a subpar HVAC company who won’t be able to serve you for a while, consider these tips to help heat your home:

Open all your blinds, drapes, and curtains during the day. Close them at night.
Install storm windows on the outside of your home.
Close all your doors and focus on heating at least one room in your home.
Make sure your windows are locked and not just closed.

Go with Kinkaid Instead!

Since it isn’t safe to use your oven to heat your home, what else can you do? Call us at Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! We’re the best HVAC company in the Philadelphia area. We’d love it if you reached out for a consultation. Don’t delay!

Best HVAC in King of Prussia

01.17.20

Those Geico commercials are right. Ok is just not good enough. If you want your car to work the best it can, you search for the best mechanic. If you need work done on your home, you search for the best. The same applies to your heating and air conditioning. The next best might not get the job done right. They might not get you the best deal, install it quite right, or do some of the little things to help you save money. So, without further ado, please let us show you why Kinkaid stands as the best HVAC in King of Prussia.

The Best HVAC in King of Prussia Has Experience

Friendly and Knowledgable

Second, the best HVAC in King of Prussia will be both friendly and knowledgeable. It’s one thing for a company to have staff that know everything there is to know about their service or product. Of course you want that. Such a staff can provide unparalleled peace of mind because you can trust that they can get the job done right. However, if they’re rude or not sensitive to your needs, then what’s the good? On the other hand, if their staff shows tremendous kindness, but aren’t competent, that’s equally as useless. No, the best HVAC in King of Prussia has a staff that treats you with the utmost respect and knows the ins and outs of the business. Thankfully, Kinkaid gives you exactly that.

Kinkaid: the Best HVAC in King of Prussia

Finally, if you want to hire the best HVAC company in King of Prussia for your home or office, then hire Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! With over 100 years of experience and the best staff in the business, we can provide everything you need. Contact us today!

Home Ventilation Strategies

12.19.19

We all know the feeling. You walk into a room and you can just feel the still air. It’s uncomfortable, icky, and makes you want to leave. Yet, at the same time, no matter the temperature, a well-circulated room can feel so much better. But besides a fan or two, what are the best ways to ventilate your home? In this week’s post, we’ll discuss some of the best home ventilation strategies that you can use.

Home Ventilation Strategies: Ceiling Fans

First, ceiling fans serve as one of the best tools to ventilate your home. Fans you plug in can help circulate air in and out of windows, but do little to really help entire rooms. So how can you use ceiling fans to make the most of them? Well, you can use a ceiling fan in conjunction with your air conditioning. If you raise your set temperature by 4 degrees, the ceiling fan can help make up the difference. Furthermore, remember that fans cool people, not rooms. So, turning off the fan when you leave the room can help reduce costs. This is especially helpful for home ventilation strategies since circulating air doesn’t take nearly as long as actually raising or lowering the temperature.

Home Ventilation Strategies by Room

Second, let’s cover some key home ventilation strategies room-by-room so you can make the most of them.

Bedroom – Like we said above, turn off your fans when you’re not in the room. Additionally, if you can, install a ceiling fan in your bedroom.
Bathroom – When you shower or take a bath, use the fan to remove the heat and humidity from your home. Keeping the door open might also help.
Kitchen – Always use your vent fans when you cook and DO NOT use your appliances to heat your home.
Laundry room – Spot ventilation can be particularly helpful here. Your dryer, for example, can make the area stuffy. So be sure you have a proper fan installed.

Each of these home ventilation strategies will not only help individual rooms feel better, but also your home as a whole.

Learn More with Kinkaid

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about home ventilation strategies, or need a fan or unit installed, contact us at Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning! One of our friendly experts would love to help you.

The Benefits of Wifi Thermostats

11.13.19

Wifi thermostats for your home are the wave of the future. As fully electronically connected and integrated homes grow more and more popular, wifi thermostats become an essential component to that. But they’re not just for impressing your friends. Nothing can compare to the convenience, control, and customization they offer. So, check out below if you’d like to read more about the benefits of wifi thermostats!

Convenience

First, most people know that when you leave the house, don’t turn off the A/C or heat and then crank it when you get home. That’ll cost you. It’s actually more frugal to maintain your home at a certain temperature throughout the day and then lower it a bit when you get home. Now, imagine with a wifi thermostat, knowing your home’s temperature anytime, anywhere. You can raise or lower it from anywhere. Imagine being able to lower the temperature while you’re out so that it’s right where you like it when you get home. Now that’s convenient!

Control

Second, a wifi thermostat offers temperature control like nothing else. With seven-day programming, you can put your A/C or heat on a weekly schedule. Want it to be 65º at 5pm on Tuesday but 75º at 5pm on Wednesday? You got it! Want it to be 74º from 9 to 5 on weekdays but 68º from 5 to 10? No problem!

Many wifi thermostats also feature:

Humidity sensors
Voice commands
Energy saver mode
Advanced fan/comfort control
Alerts to your phone
Weather response

Can you get more control than that?

Customization

Third, all of this leads us to the main benefit: customization. With all of the features already mentioned, it becomes clear that wifi thermostats give you more freedom and choices than any other type of system. Some even allow you to choose your own color scheme for the display screen. Furthermore, if your home gets a lot of sunlight, many wifi thermostats feature separate settings for sunnier rooms. So, if you like convenience, control, and customization, then a wifi thermostat is the best choice for you!

Condition Your Air with Kinkaid!

Last, if you’d like more information on wifi thermostats, or any other type of system, please feel free to contact us at Kinkaid! On the other hand, if the HVAC system in your home or office needs repair or replacement, consider giving us a call as well! We’d love to be your go-to business for all of your HVAC needs.

Air Conditioner Allergies and More: Debunking Myths

10.02.19

Increasingly, people seem to think that air conditioners worsen allergies. Some even believe they have air conditioner allergies! The story goes, pollutants and allergens get caught in the air ducts, and then the central air conditioning system spreads these around your home. But the best lies contain some truth. Instead, Kinkaid is here to clear the air and give you the facts. Central air conditioning can actually help your allergies! Below you’ll find some myths about air conditioners, allergies, and the facts that challenge them.

“Air Conditioners Spread Pollen and Bacteria”

First, this belief comes from the fact that air conditioning units circulate the air already in your home. If pollen and bacteria get into the ducts, your allergies worsen because the A/C continues to circulate these things throughout your house.

Now, although these are true, A/C units themselves do not spread pollen and bacteria. This can only happen if you do not clean your filters or purifiers, or if you do not regularly maintain your unit. If you notice your allergies kick in every time you turn on the air, it’s not the unit causing this problem. Instead, you should consider getting your unit thoroughly cleaned.

“Window Units Are Safer than Central Units”

Second, some people believe this because window units are smaller than central units. If air conditioners bring in and spread allergies, they reason, then window units cannot do that as rigorously or extensively as central units.

Yet, few people properly install their window units. They often leave cracks and spaces between the window frame and the unit, allowing outside air to flow in with all of its allergens and pollutants. Instead, a clean central system works better to keep these materials out.

“Air Conditioners Trap Pollutants in Your Home”

Third, people believe this claim because central air conditioners are closed systems. Air conditioners restrict airflow from the outside. They have to do this so they can properly cool your home. Therefore, some people think that they perpetually trap pollutants in your home. So, the only way to get rid of these pollutants is to open your windows.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Opening your windows actually brings in more allergens and pollutants! Furthermore, A/C helps regulate the humidity in your home. High humidity can actually trap pollutants. So do not open your windows! Instead, make sure your unit is thoroughly cleaned, keep it on, and use a dehumidifier. This should ensure clean, dry, easy-breathing air throughout your home.

No Air Conditioner Allergies with Kinkaid

Finally, as you can see, air conditioner allergies don’t exist! Central air conditioning actually helps your allergies. One study found that a car air conditioner “can cut the amount of pollen you breathe by as much as 30%.” If that’s the case for your car, imagine how much more for your home!

WebMD encourages you to clean your system once a year. So, if you want to keep the air in your home pollutant-free, you need the services of Kinkaid. Whether it’s cleaning out your filters or installing a new unit, we do it all! Contact us today.