News & Press Releases

1/9/12- Your Winter Cold May Not Be a Cold At All

1/10/12- The Bitter Cold Continues

10/26/11- Local Heating Contractor Offers Lifesaving Reminder

10/27/11- Your New and Healthy Home May Not Be So Healthy

 

 

 

 

Your Winter Cold May Not Be a Cold at All

The air inside your home can become especially polluted during the colder months.  Germs from common illnesses, including colds and the flu, get trapped indoors.  Cooking smoke builds up.  Pet dander and dust collect.  Candles and fragrances get in on the act.  And your heating system keeps recycling the same old air. That’s why a local indoor air expert recommends having your home’s air monitored for hidden risks. 

“Our tightly-closed, energy-efficient, modern homes are great for keeping the heat inside,” said Ray Serenil of A-Plus Mechanical Services, Inc.  “But the downside is that a lot of homeowners are living in polluted indoor air without even realizing it.”

According to EPA, the quality of indoor air is one of the biggest environmental concerns of our time, and it can have a major effect on your own family’s health, comfort and safety. 

The concern has developed partly due to a change in habits, with many people spending up to 90% of their time indoors.  Yet other factors have had an impact, too.  For example, buildings are constructed with fewer windows and are more “airtight,” while the use of chemicals in household cleaners, construction materials and pest control products has also increased. 

Symptoms of exposure to indoor air pollutants can seem like symptoms of an ordinary illness – fatigue, headaches, nausea, scratchy throat, and nasal irritation.  However, more serious cases can emerge if someone is exposed to deadly gases such as carbon monoxide. 
 
For Ray, his commitment to improving indoor air for his customers is the reason he has joined a team of climate control specialists that are qualified to provide a thorough inspection of a home’s indoor air. 

“The Healthy Air Review pinpoints air quality problems within the home,” Serenil said. 

“This can be an eye-opening report for a lot of homeowners,” Ray said. “Fortunately, once they find out where the trouble areas are, the solutions can be fairly simple.  The important thing is making sure you know what’s in the air you’re breathing.” 

For more information about the Healthy Air Review, call A-Plus Mechanical Services at 281-970-5200.
 

 

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The Bitter Cold Continues to Keep Contractors Overflowing with Business

This week the temperature continues to plummet statewide and Houston is no exception. Heating and cooling contractors all over Houston have been flooded with emergency calls concerning broken heaters and furnaces.

Several area contractors are so over extended that they are no longer accepting calls. Many local heating professionals are working 13 hour days in an attempt to meet demands. As Ray Serenil, Pres. at A-Plus Mechanical Services said, “We really do wish that we could help out everyone, but this is an extremely busy time of the year. We want to do everything we can to keep your home comfort system working – and certainly keep you warm, safe, and sound in your home. But honestly, the best way to keep your system working the way it should is by taking precautions before the cold weather sets in.”

A key preventative measure is to have your system cleaned and inspected by a licensed professional; this should significantly reduce your system’s risk of breakdown. If you are one of the many area residents whose systems have already stalled, taking action during this severe cold weather season is crucial.

It is important to know that while heating service may be hard to get at the moment, some local companies are showing concern. Ray  stated today, “The fact is, nobody deserves to have to go through these hardships… if we can’t help you, we’ll help you find somebody who can.”

For more information about keeping your system running under the stress of Mother Nature, call A-Plus Mechanical Services, Inc. at 281-970-5200 or visit www.aplusac.net.

 

 

Local Heating Contractor Offers Lifesaving Reminder

Potential poisoning by Carbon Monoxide is a serious issue, said Ray Serenil of A-Plus Mechanical Services, Inc. “Carbon Monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas produced by faulty gas heating systems – and it can kill you,” he said. 

With the weather cooling off and heating systems warming up, now is a good time to have your furnace inspected, he added. 

Fuel-burning appliances—such as furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, and space heaters—can be used safely if they’re properly installed and maintained.  “But common conditions can enable them to produce carbon dioxide,” Serenil said. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that a yearly, professional inspection include:

• Checking chimneys, flues and vents for leakage and blockage by creosote and debris.
• Checking all vents to furnaces, water heaters, boilers and other fuel-burning appliances to make sure they are not loose or disconnected.
• Inspecting vent pipes on heating systems.
• Inspecting appliances for adequate ventilation. A supply of fresh air is important to help carry pollutants up the chimney, stovepipe or flue, and is necessary for the complete combustion of any fuel.
• Making sure ventilation air openings aren’t blocked.

Serenil added that the CPSC recommends a CO inspection and a detector in your home to improve your safety.

 “You want to be warm and safe in your home this Winter. Ray advised, “Get your furnace inspected by a qualified professional. Make sure that if your home has gas heat, you get a Carbon Monoxide (CO) check. You may save a lot more than just energy.”

You can get your inspection and more home comfort tips by calling  A-Plus Mechanical Services, Inc. at (281) 970-5200.

 

 

 

Your New and Healthy Home May Not Be So Healthy

Keeping your home warm and cozy is an enjoyable way to spend the cooled Fall months.  Yet an indoor air expert is alerting homeowners that the health consequences of an “airtight home” can last long after the colder temperatures are gone. 

“Our homes are tightly closed in fall and winter in order to keep the heat in, but that also keeps in germs and bacteria,” said Ray Serenil of A-Plus Mechanical Services, Inc.  

“So you end up with a home full of indoor air pollutants that can produce symptoms that seem like any ordinary illness, and that include fatigue, headaches, scratchy throat or nasal irritation,” Serenil said.  “The cases are even more serious if someone is exposed to carbon monoxide, which is a deadly gas that often comes from poorly ventilated heating systems.” 

With winter approaching, Ray recommends that homeowners pay attention to the air they’ve been breathing.  “ With flu season and winter sniffles and colds, you simply can’t afford to ignore your indoor air,” he said. 

His commitment to improving indoor air for his customers is the reason he has joined a team of climate control specialists that are qualified to provide a thorough inspection of a home’s indoor air. 

“The Healthy Air Review pinpoints air quality problems within the home that can affect a family’s health, as well as their comfort and safety,” Serenil said. 

“Homeowners have been amazed when they’ve seen the results of these tests,” Ray said.  “They usually have no idea so many problem areas would show up in their indoor air.”   

The good news is that the risks posed by the air within a home are typically easy to address once they’ve been identified.  “Usually we’re able to offer a simple solution when we see some of the trouble spots,” Serenil said.  “The biggest risk comes before the test, when you don’t know what hidden dangers there are.”  

For more information about the Healthy Air Review, call A-Plus Mechanical Services at (281) 970-5200.