Sunset Air Blog: Archive for December, 2014

Why Do We Hang Up Mistletoe?

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

Of course, you probably know part of the answer to this question already. You hang up mistletoe so that the people standing underneath can share a romantic holiday kiss! But what you may not realize is that the origin of this longstanding ritual predates many of the other holiday traditions we celebrate today. Why would a plant that has many poisonous varieties (most types sold for use in the home have few negative effects, but you can wrap it in netting to prevent children from consuming any fallen berries or leaves) be used as a symbol of holiday affection?

There are a couple of ways to explain the positive associations of (potentially hazardous) mistletoe. For one, this semi-parasitic plant has long been hailed as a treatment for illnesses and pain. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to cure cramps, epilepsy, and more. Even today, mistletoe extracts are one of the leading alternative medicines studied for their effectiveness in killing cancer cells. And because the early Celtic Druids saw it as a sign of healing and life, they may be the first to bestow upon the plant its romantic associations, deeming it worthy of treating the infertile.

But it is Norse mythology that is likely responsible for a majority of the modern traditions associated with this small hanging bunch. One of the powerful Norse god Odin’s sons, named Baldur, was said to be invincible due to an oath his mother took to protect him from harm. But Loki, a god who often set out to make trouble for the gods, set out to find the one thing that could do some damage, and eventually discovered that Baldur’s mother Frigg had never included mistletoe in her invincibility oath. When mistletoe was finally responsible for her son’s demise, the grieving Frigg vowed that the plant would never again be used to hurt another living thing, and that she would plant a peaceful kiss upon anyone who walked underneath it.

And that is one of the reasons that, today, kissing under the mistletoe is viewed as a source of good luck. From our family to yours, we wish you a safe holiday season, and we hope that you and your family are full of joy and good fortune—mistletoe or not! Happy holidays from Sunset Air!

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10 Easy ways to save energy

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014

save-on-energy

10 Easy ways to save energy

  • Turn off lights when you leave a room.
  • Many appliances use energy even when they’re not “on”. Consider unplugging or using a power strip to turn off when these appliances are not in use: televisions, VCR/DVD, stereos, computers, coffee pot and cell phone charges.
  • Turn your water heater off when not in use. If you are in need of a new water heater, check into the tankless versions, they can save bundles of money.
  • Shorten your shower time; take showers instead of baths.
  • Wash clothes on the cold setting, and only wash when you have a full load. Hand washing is still an option for a few items at a time.
  • Put up a clothesline outside, it does not use any energy and your clothes will smell like sunshine. (Use liquid fabric softener in the wash and your clothes will not be stiff). When using the dryer, clean the vent after each use.
  • Set your thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter. This will be an enormous savings. Keep the fan on “auto” instead of “on”. Use a fireplace in the winter; in the spring and fall, open windows, air out the house and turn the thermostat “off”.(Replacing older thermostat with a programmable one can significantly add to your savings). When away from home, either for work or on vacation, go a little higher in the summer and lower in the winter to see additional savings.
  • In the summer close blinds and drapes to help keep your home cool and open them in the winter to let more sun in to help heat your home. Keep doors and windows closed while air conditioner is running.
  • Use ceiling fans, this keeps the air circulating making it easier to heat and cool.
  • Take shorter showers.

To schedule a home energy audit today, call 360-456-4956

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How Does a Zone Control System Help with Heating?

Friday, December 19th, 2014

Zone control systems have been around for a fairly long time, but have gone relatively unnoticed by homeowners. Despite their popularity in the commercial sector, many homeowners seem completely uninterested. This is ironic, as a lot of those same homeowners try to mimic the effects of zone heating by closing vents in various rooms to direct heat. Let’s examine what exactly zone heating is, and why you should consider getting it installed in your home.

What is a Zone Control System?

Normally, a central heating system is pretty rudimentary in its ability to heat a home. There is one thermostat, usually installed in a central room or hallway, which turns the heater on and off. The heater heats the entire house, without regard for each individual room’s insulation or rate of cooling. This leads to a lot of uneven heating throughout the house, with some areas being uncomfortably hot while others are still quite cold.

Zone control systems attempt to correct these issues by giving the homeowner more control over his or her environment. A zone control system consists of a series of dampers in the ducts, one for each room. These dampers are essentially large valves, which can open or close in response to a command from a thermostat. A thermostat is installed in each room, which controls the damper for that room. If the heat is turned on in response to one of these thermostats, the other rooms that have their thermostats set differently can remain unheated.

What are the Benefits?

This allows a much more precise form of control over the home’s climate. If you only want one room heated, you can have the system only focus on that room while ignoring the others. If another member of the household wants to set their own comfortable climate in their own room, they can do that without disturbing others. This saves money by preventing the heating system from focusing on unoccupied rooms, as well as making your home that much more comfortable for you and your family.

If you’re interested in installing a zone control system, call Sunset Air. We provide heating services throughout Olympia.

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The Benefits of Installing Radiant Heat

Friday, December 12th, 2014

Radiant heating is a wonderful option for any homeowner looking for a new home heating system. Despite its myriad of benefits, however, most homeowners remain ignorant even of its existence. In an effort to remedy this unfortunate situation, we’re going to examine some of the advantages of installing radiant heat in your home.

What is it?

Radiant heating is a boiler-based system, consisting of a network of hot water pipes laid throughout the house. These pipes are installed in either the walls or subfloor of each room to be heated. The network then connects to the central boiler. As the boiler heats and distributes water throughout the house, the heat from the water radiates through the pipes and into the room.

Benefits of Radiant Heat

Most people install radiant heating systems because they want their floors to be warm during winter. While it’s true that the floor is often the first thing to heat up when a radiant heating system is turned on, it isn’t the only reason to install one.

Because of the way that radiant systems heat a room, by transferring thermal energy directly from object to object, they can heat the entire room very evenly. Contrast this with forced air systems, which often create hot and cold spots through their method of blowing hot air into a room. Warm air naturally rises, and so tends to collect near the ceiling where it is of little use to the occupants.

Radiant heating systems are also incredibly energy efficient. Forced air systems can lose up to 30% of their heat to duct leaks. Radiant systems avoid this issue completely, which means that they already transport a third more heat on average than forced air systems. On top of that, water makes a much better thermal conductor than air does. This means that water heats up faster and retains heat longer, making water-based heating systems more energy and cost efficient.

If you’d like to know more about the benefits of radiant heating systems, call Sunset Air. We provide radiant heat installation throughout Olympia, WA.

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Why Won’t My Boiler Stay Lit?

Friday, December 5th, 2014

Boiler heating is a great option for heating your home. It’s energy efficient, cost effective, and avoids a lot of the disadvantages that forced air systems possess. Just like any other system, however, your boiler is vulnerable to all sorts of possible problems. One of the most common problems is an inability to stay lit. Read on for an explanation of why this might be happening.

Pilot Light Issues

Most boilers use pilot lights as ignition sources. The pilot light is a flame that burns underneath your boiler 24 hours a day. This flame is used to actually light the burners that power the boiler when the heat is turned on. Pilot lights are notorious for going out seemingly without reason. It’s usually a simple affair to relight them, which often fixes the problem. If the pilot light is not staying lit, however, you likely have a problem with the thermocouple.

The thermocouple is a long metal wire that acts as a heat sensor for the pilot light. One end of this wire is installed close enough to the flame to be heated by it, while the other end is connected to the gas valve. When the thermocouple is heated by the pilot light, it creates an electrical current that travels to the gas valve and keeps it open. When the pilot light goes out, the electrical current stops and the gas valve closes. This is a safety measure to prevent gas from leaking into your home. A faulty thermocouple is one that can no longer keep the gas valve open for whatever reason, cutting off the supply of fuel to the pilot light and smothering it.

Kettling

Kettling is another factor that may be contributing to your boiler not staying lit. Kettling is what happens when hard water, which contains a lot of minerals, flows through the boiler’s heat exchanger. Over the years, hard water can deposit its minerals in the heat exchanger until they eventually block the flow of water. This causes the boiler to shut itself down as a safety measure, to prevent the buildup of dangerous water pressure levels.

If your boiler is having problems, call Sunset Air. Our heating experts cover all of Olympia.

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7 Benefits of a Programmable Thermostat

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014

benefits of a programmable thermostat

7 Benefits of a Programmable Thermostat

One of the biggest causes of poor energy efficiency in an HVAC system is leaving the heating or air conditioning on when no one is in the house. If you find that you are constantly leaving the heating or cooling on in your house, chances are you could benefit from changing to a programmable thermostat. Here is a list of 7 ways a programmable thermostat can help your HVAC system.

  • You can schedule the heating or cooling to only turn on while you are gone. This makes a huge difference in your utility bills at the end of the month.

 

  • Programmable thermostats do not contain toxic chemicals such as mercury. Most outdated thermostats use mercury inside the unit. It’s important to keep this in mind when disposing of it.

 

  • You won’t ever forget to turn off you heating or cooling system.

 

  • You don’t have to enter a cold home after a long day. The thermostat can be used to heat the room just before your arrival.

 

  • You can also adjust your thermostat to turn on just before you wake up in the morning.

 

  • You can set the temperatures to be different on different days of the week.

 

  • A programmable thermostat is a year round advantage. You can use all the same features to control heating AND cooling using only one unit.

Sunset Air wishes you a safe and warm winter. For more information on programmable thermostats, contact us by calling (360) 456-4956

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