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JJ McLellan

Its Time For Your Annual Check Up | Heating, Cooling and Ventilation Mount Forest

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Now is the time to have your Heating, Cooling and Ventilation equipment checked before the rush of back to school and the cool evenings of the fall!

Read the information below provided by HRAI of the importance of annual cleaning and servicing of your HVAC Equipment including your furnace, boiler, water heater, air conditioner, and hrv.

Did you know that many home insurance companies have annual inspections as part of your home insurance clause

Any questions feel free to give us a call. We service Mount Forest, Conn, Arthur, Alma, Drayton, Moorefield, Palmerston, Teviotdale, Rothsay, Harriston, Clifford, Ayton, Holstein, Varney and Durham.

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Cleaning and Servicing Benefits | HVAC System Mount Forest

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Did you know regular maintenance of your HVAC System is beneficial to the life and operation of your equipment!

A few other tips for year round is to make sure your heating/cooling vents and return air grilles are clear of furniture so that the air can flow smoothly around. Its a good idea to remove the grilles and vacuum them front and back to remove dirt, dust and dander. Also while the grilles are off vacuum down into the heating duct or return air to remove any cob webs (you may be surprised!) and dirt caught in them.

 

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WIN A Regency Fireplace! | Enter by May 14!

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That’s right… you can WIN a Regency Fireplace!!!

Click on the image below to be directed to the Regency Website to enter!!!

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Contest only valid in the USA and Canada. One entry per customer, per draw. Duplicate entries will be discarded. Contest closes May 15, 2014. Click here for full Contest Rules.

Get your barbecue ready in 6 easy steps | The Test Kitchen Blog

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Get your barbecue ready in 6 easy steps | The Test Kitchen Blog.

Its time to get your BBQ ready for SPRING!!!

Canadian Living has some great tips to ensure its ready when the good weather graces us 😉

1. Clean the burners

2. Clean sear plates and cooking grills

3 Clean the exterior

4. Scrape the inside walls of the grills

5. Check the ignition parts

Always be careful when it comes to BBQ fuel – Propane and Gas especially. Also remember to ensure you have a tight connection before turning your propane tanks on for the bbq supply. If you have any concerns with your gas line supply for the bbq be sure to contact a licensed gas technician.

2014 Winter Wise Booklet – TSSA Safety Info

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Download the 2014 Winter Wise Booklet courtesy of TSSA and their Safety Info website.

Click here to be directed to their download page and save the PDF!

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Also be sure to check out their KID ZONE portion of the site!
So very important for young people to know there can be a lot of dangers when you are not safe.

Worried about your pipes freezing? |Winter Plumbing

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Worried about your water pipes freezing?

Thankfully the sun has been shining today and it is nice and warm. However the frost is still causing issues with water lines freezing.

1. Let your cold water tap run a slow continuous stream. This will ensure the lines stay open with flowing water and if you have a water pump, this will force the pump to come on more preventing any freezing.

Our plumbers have been extremely busy the first month and a half of the new year with frozen water lines and even some sewage lines.

2. If you are living in a home which has an unfinished basement, ensuring you have some heat in your basement is necessary for winters like this.
These two tips are especially important if you are planning to be away at any time during the winter. Arrange to have someone check on your home once or twice a day (when its really cold), run water, flush toilets.

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Perfect Weather To Clear Snow | The Calm After The Storm

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What a gorgeous winter morning to wake up to, at least in our part of Ontario! The temperature a cool yet refreshing -7 with light snow flakes falling.

Please take advantage of this “warmer” winter weather to get outside and ensure the snow is properly cleared around all your vents for your home. This includes dryer vents as well as your heating appliances (furnace, boiler, fireplace) and hot water heater.

The picture below is a photo of the intake and exhaust vents for a forced air furnace. The exhaust is straight out, intake points down. If your vents are blocked they can cause the equipment to not function properly or not work altogether.

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Please also check your filters. A blocked filter will cause your furnace and HRV to work much harder than it is designed to do and possibly over heat. This can cause premature break down of the appliance and reduced life. It is recommended to have your system maintained and cleaned at least once every 2 years while changing your filters every 2-4 months, more often in the heating season.

Don’t forget your plumbing system! Is your basement currently heated? If you have forced air heating in your home having a duct run off the furnace and into your basement – even if its unfinished, will help your mechanical room stay warm and prevent pipes from freezing. Ensure all outside taps are shut off from the inside and the taps are open outside.

Remember to be safe while out driving on the roads! Ensure your windshield is cleared properly, you have a snow brush in your car, your gas tank is full or at least over half full and you are dressed for the weather! Also very helpful if you have a blanket – just in case and a cell phone (fully charged or with a charger in your vehicle).

Enjoy… a photo from yesterday morning!

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With this cold weather comes frozen pipes… Some tips to keep your water flowing!

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JJ McLellan

JJ McLellan – Broken Pipe – Froze and burst!

When water freezes it expands, this is why if your pipes freeze they can and will burst – such as in the photo!

Open your cupboard doors – If you are worried about your pipes freezing and the potential of bursting… If you have pipes/taps on outside walls, open your cupboard doors to allow heat from your home in.

Heat from a lamp – If that doesn’t help plug a lamp in and put it under the sink (safely… not near anything flammable!) the heat from the bulb will help.

Run water – If you are really concerned, turn on the tap and let it run, a small consistent stream will help prevent freezing.

Insulate – If your home is very old and does not have a lot of insulation in the walls you could add some foam board insulation to the back of your kitchen cabinet to help prevent freezing.

What if I dont have a basement? If you live in a mobile home or a home with a crawl space, ensure you have heat tape for your pipes and that the underneath of the home is properly insulated and sealed! If your home was built on a slab on grade most likely you will have in floor heating, ensure the heating system is kept at a consistent temperature and have your system maintained regularly.

Getting away from the cold – If you are going away ensure you have someone checking on your home at least once a day – twice in cold weather like this.

Consistency – When the weather turns cold it is very important to keep your thermostat at a consistent temperature even during the night. Set your thermostat at a comfortable level and leave it.

Its too late… what should you do?

If your pipes have froze you can try to thaw them yourself. First open your taps, second use a heat source such as a hair dryer or a small portable heater. Be very careful to ensure you remove anything flammable prior to applying heat – especially in the kitchen if there are cleaners in the cabinets.

If you are not able to get your pipes thawed its time to call the professionals. Our plumbers have dealt with many frozen pipes! Either way once you get your problem solved – ensure you will be ok for the next deep freeze with proper insulation such as wall insulation, floor insulation, pipe insulation and heat tape.

Do not wait until you have issues to take preventative action. Ensure you have proper wall insulation, ensure the underside of your home (this includes basements) is insulated properly. If you are already planning a renovation pipes can be re-routed to lessen the chance of freezing. Unless you are considering gutting an older home back to the studs to completely re-insulate the home, sometimes in an older home re-routing the plumbing is the best option to get the pipes off of an outside wall. The costs for preventative maintenance will be well worth the costs you could face if your pipes freeze and burst!

Unsure of what you should do? Feel free to give Mike our Comfort Advisor a call he would be happy to recommend some options for you to ensure your home is safe!

Stay Warm!!!

Thinking of selling your home?

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Many of us at some point in our adult life will buy and sell our home, even multiple times. Speaking from experience, when we went searching for our home we had a fairly specific list of features.

Top of that list was the house must have or be able to have gas service.

Why?

Its simple. Bottom line, its more affordable – that was my main reason. Having the convenience of a gas BBQ, gas stove, gas dryer, gas hot water heater… and gas heat.

Well for us we lucked out – we found a house that fit all our needs AND had gas service. We had to compromise on an electric wall oven with a gas cook top – yes I even searched for a gas wall oven… We also had to compromise on geothermal heat – yes being in the business it is an affordable and environmental way to heat and cool… but not when you have gas available for heating! Quite honestly we will be making the change so our heating is primarily gas.

So … what if you are thinking of selling your home and your home has baseboard heat?

Homes with electric baseboard heating are not sought out nor preferred, for many home buyers they are a turn off. The biggest reason being its expensive, next to that the air doesn’t circulate as well and you wont be able to install central air conditioning – although there is options such as mini splits.

Bottom line is if you have gas in your home and forced air heat/cooling you will have added value.

So what can you do if you have baseboard electric heat? If you want to max out your selling price … You can install a new furnace, a/c and duct work…

Installing an HVAC Comfort System to sell a home is a value added selling benefit where you will recoup your costs. This type of upgrade is vastly different than installing new flooring or even a new kitchen.

Why? The HVAC System is not as aesthetically key as your home decor which is much more personable and customized to the home owner. Notice how I do mention its “not as” … I know my technicians would tell me different – it is very important 😉 The HVAC system is located in the basement, it is not something that is seen by your guests or something that you choose based on colour or look. The system is however chosen based on comfort – the comfort of you, your family and friends during all 4 seasons of the year.

The approximate cost of installing duct work, a new furnace and new a/c in a home with baseboard heat will vary based on the size of the home, whether the basement is finished, the ease of installation, the models you choose etc. For the sake of numbers lets play with $15,000.

With our financing option through SNAP Financial you CAN afford to make this upgrade to your home, especially if you would like to make it more appealing to buyers.

The beauty of SNAP is it works much like a line of credit would – you have set payments each month, however if you would like to make lump sum payments or double up your payments – you can do so at any time without penalty! Perfect for someone who may be listing their home…

Working with our number from above:

Purchase price of $15,000
Monthly payment of $162/mth
7.95% interest.

Why buy quality equipment if you are selling? This definitely is a selling feature. As a Premier Lennox Dealer we pride ourselves on the quality of the equipment along with their energy efficiency.

A few more reasons why …

1. Lennox® offers the quietest high-efficiency furnace you can buy.

2. Variable speed technology can enhance your comfort and save you hundreds of dollars each year.

3. Absolute comfort. Furnaces with PreciseComfort™ technology are engineered to deliver ideal warmth.

Oh and an added benefit to YOU!
Install the system during one of our promotions and you will get rebates on the system – which means money back in your pocket!!!

Happy Selling!

Winter Lennox Promotion ~ Save on utilities by upgrading your system!

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Some people do not realize just how much you can save by upgrading your old heating system! If you think about just how much your system operates for a minimum of 6 months of the year, a couple or few of those months working very hard in the dead of winter. Or how much you could save converting from oil to propane… that is if natural gas is not available to you.

Our 1st Promotion of the New Year 2013 has officially began! On a very fitting day as well at -12…

Winter Lennox Promotion

Give Mike a call for your no-obligation quote. He will come to your home, measure and then provide you with your options. We also offer financing with the option of paying it off entirely or additional payments with no penalty!