What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You? Wrong.

Posted on September 21, 2011 by admin

Summer is coming to a close – the kids are back at school, and the temperatures are steadily dropping. This means that we will soon be spending even more time indoors to escape the cold. In order to prepare for spending more time inside, now is the time to make sure your indoor environment is clean and healthy. One aspect of indoor environments that is oftentimes overlooked is indoor air quality. Do you ever think about what kind of filth is hiding out and going unseen in your house? Well, you should.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.” This is a surprising finding, especially considering people spend the majority of their time indoors.

One of the best ways to keep your indoor air quality high is to have your ducts cleaned. All sorts of pollutants including bacteria, animal dander, mold, and various airborne particles build up in the duct work in your home which means they are constantly circulating throughout your house, even if you can’t see it. Clean duct work is healthier and important for all people no doubt, but it is of utmost interest for those suffering from asthma and allergies. Reduction or total elimination of these pollutants will help ease symptoms of asthma and allergy sufferers; although air pollutants can negatively affect anyone’s health. They can be responsible for irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches; dizziness; and fatigue.

Tips to Consider When Hiring Professional Duct Cleaners                   

Trained professionals have the equipment to do the job right and eliminate any buildup that is in your duct work, both the supply and returns. During the process of cleaning your ducts, the technician should also be checking for a dirty blower wheel on your furnace, a dirty evaporator coil on the air conditioning unit, and a dirty secondary heat exchanger. If you have duct work that is dirty, then these parts of your home’s systems are also bound to be dirty as well. An HVAC technician can safely handle the cleaning of these parts at the same time as your duct cleaning. All of these parts also need to be clean to ensure that you don’t immediately dirty your duct work by running the furnace or the central air. Beware of companies who advertise duct cleaning specials anywhere in the realm of 60-80 dollars. No decent duct cleaning can be performed at this price. A thorough duct cleaning done by a professional company will cost you a few hundred dollars depending on how many runs of duct work you have in your home. NBC’s Dateline has even featured a piece on duct cleaning scams run by companies all over the country. These businesses will get the go-ahead to perform the cleaning for say $70 and by the end of the process come with a bill for several hundred. The lesson to be learned here? Get the final price upfront and in writing. Also be sure to take time to read contracts carefully to make sure you know exactly what you are getting for exactly what price.

To learn more about the process of cleaning your air ducts or about additional ways to improve the air quality and cleanliness in your home, give Drucks a call today. Drucks’ technicians are more than happy to present you with all the different options for air purification that are available today and what types are the right fit for you and your family. Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted in Furnace, Heating, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Tips, duct cleaning | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why Install GFI Outlets?

Posted on August 31, 2011 by admin

Is safety a priority in your home? Are you always looking for ways in which you can protect your family from potential harm? A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI or GFI) outlet is an inexpensive way to add a safety measure to your home for your loved ones. According to the National Electrical Code, all kitchens, bathrooms, garages, or any other area where water may be present, GFI receptacles should be used. GFI outlets have only been a requirement in these areas since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Homes built before this time period are lacking this safety precaution. Approximately 300 electrocutions occur every year around the home, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. GFI outlets are a simple way of preventing this hazard.

How do they work?

Unlike standard outlets, GFI outlets constantly monitor the amount of current flowing between the left (hot) and right (neutral) slots. If the GFI outlet detects even the slightest bit of deviation in the amount of current flowing between these slots it will trip the internal circuit and cut off electricity to the outlet. A GFI receptacle can measure differences in power as small as 3ma, which is a very tiny amount.

If you lose power to a receptacle in a kitchen, bathroom, garage, or outdoor area, check to see if it’s a GFI receptacle. If it is, press the “TEST” button, then press the “RESET” button. If the GFI shuts off power repeatedly, plug in a different appliance to test whether the problem is the first appliance or the GFI itself. If the GFI is defective make sure to call an electrician, as this can be a dangerous job for a non-professional. Here’s a hint: you may have a receptacle that has lost power in a kitchen, bathroom, garage, or outdoor area but it’s not a GFI. It may be “protected” by a GFI that has tripped off somewhere else. You can check for this situation by making sure that all the GFIs in your kitchen, bathroom, garage, and outdoor areas are working properly.

All GFI outlets should be tested monthly. This is done by pressing the “TEST” button. If pressing the “TEST” button does not make the button labeled “RESET” pop out, then call an electrician. If the “RESET” button does pop out, the outlet is working properly. Press the “RESET” button back in to reset the outlet.

Drucks’ master electricians are ready and willing to up-grade the receptacles in your home to make them safer for you and your family. Our electricians are more than happy to stop out to ensure you have the safest living environment possible in your home. Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted in Electrical, Electrical Tips, Home, Safety, Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cool It!: Tips for Surviving a Hot Spell

Posted on July 22, 2011 by admin

Summer has plenty of pleasures to enjoy, but these sweltering dog days we’re having? Not so much.  Check out these stress-free ways to keep your home cool – without sending your electric bill soaring.

  • Direct sun, even through closed windows, can raise indoor air temps up to 20 degrees on a hot day, causing ACs to work up to three times harder.  Make sure to keep drapes and blinds closed during the day to block out as many of the sun’s hot rays as possible.
  • Use ceiling fans and portable fans in conjunction with your AC to move air without greatly increasing your power use. This will save you money because you can comfortably set your thermostat a few degrees higher and still enjoy the same level of comfort.  Since ceiling fans don’t actually cool, turn off all fans when you are heading out to avoid wasting energy.  
  • Open opposing windows on nights when the outside temp is at least 3 degrees cooler than inside. Window fans (one that pulls air into the room, another which blows air out) can boost airflow. Making sure that no furniture or other obstacles are blocking your air ducts or fans will also help air circulate best and allow cooling to move freely.
  • Be careful not to over-cool your home. The ideal thermostat setting is between 75-78 degrees. Every degree you raise your thermostat can result in a 5% savings on the cost of cooling your home. Don’t set your thermostat at a lower temperature than normal when first turning on your air conditioning. It will not cool the room any faster, but it will use more energy. Be sure to keep lamps, televisions, and other heat sources away from your air conditioner’s thermostat. Heat from these sources may cause your air conditioner to run longer than it should.  Turn your thermostat up when leaving the house for more than an hour.
  • Taking a cold shower can cool you off 25 times faster than a blast of cold air. On hot, sticky days try a quick shower before over-working your AC.
  • Moving indoor plants outside during the heat will help reduce the moisture in the air inside your home. Removing humidity from the air will help you feel more comfortable in no time. Investing in a dehumidifier is the way to get this done quickly and effortlessly.

If your AC unit quits on you, or can’t keep up with the heat, don’t hesitate to give Drucks a call.  We service central air conditioning systems of all makes and models.  We will be more than happy to get to your home fast to get your AC running so your family can be cool and comfortable.  Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted in Electrical Tips, Energy Savings, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fix a Leak. Save a Budget. Help the Planet.

Posted on June 21, 2011 by admin

You get up in the morning, start a pot of coffee, take a shower, brush your teeth, and maybe, if you are feeling really ambitious, even throw in a load of laundry. All these parts of our normal daily routines have a common link: they all require fresh water. Something that all too many of us take for granted in our everyday lives is having fresh, clean water readily available to use for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. Being surrounded by the Great Lakes and many others encourage us to take water for granted here in Wisconsin. Knowing that there are water shortage scares across the country and even larger problems out in further areas of the world should make us stop, think, and appreciate the fresh water that is literally at our finger tips all the time.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency minor water leaks in homes account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in the United States. That’s equivalent to the annual water use of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami combined. The average household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, or enough to wash nearly 10 months’ worth of laundry. Common types of leaks found in the home are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking showerheads; all of which are easily correctable. In most cases fixture replacement parts don’t require a large investment while fixing these easy household water leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills. Another way in which fixing leaks can potentially save you money is in that you will not have restoration expenses if leaks damage walls, ceilings, and floors. One way to detect a leak is by checking your water meter before and after a two hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same before and after, you probably have a leak. To find out if you have a toilet leak, simply place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, you have a leak. Make sure to flush immediately after completing this experiment to avoid staining the tank. Think you have a leak, but can’t determine where? Call a professional plumber to help you locate and rid your home of these wasteful problems.

Drucks Sudden Service is here to help protect the future of our nation’s water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, homes, and services. Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Make Your Home a Perfect Paradise This Summer

Posted on May 26, 2011 by admin

Well folks, summer is on its way (so they say) so it’s time for homeowners to start thinking about summer comfort.  Having a central air system in your home will allow you to keep your family and friends comfortable during the sometimes sweltering summer months. Utilizing a central air conditioning system will not only allow you to cool your home, but also to dehumidify it. As we all know Wisconsin can get so humid in the summer you’d think your carpeting and furniture had been doused with water. A central air conditioning system will rid the air of the excess humidity allowing you to feel much better with the internal condition and atmosphere of your home.

Central air units are highly efficient today, especially compared to years past. For residential homes, the U.S. rates efficiency of air conditioners by the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient the air conditioner is. The average A/C unit is a 14 SEER but you can have as high as an 18 SEER installed in homes today.

Using a central air conditioning unit in your home is more cost efficient than running multiple wall units.  Central air will use less energy, costing you less of your hard earned money.  Central air will also allow you to more evenly cool and dehumidify your home.  While wall units may be able to reach two or three rooms, central air will reach all the corners of your home making sure you are always comfortable and refreshed.  Installing a central air system in your home will also add value for buyers if you are ever looking to sell your home.  While central air may not considerably raise the value of your home in actual dollars, it will raise the value in the buyer’s eyes.

Drucks offers all of Outagamie and Winnebago counties free estimates on new A/C unit installations. Also if you already have central air, don’t forget to get your unit tuned up so it can run at optimal efficiency this summer! Drucks has been serving Outagamie and Winnebago counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, and duct cleaning services. As our motto says, “One call and you get us all!” To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Don’t Let the “Silent Killer” Hideout in Your Home

Posted on March 10, 2011 by admin

It is common knowledge that a safe home has a smoke alarm on every level, but carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are equally important. A new law in Wisconsin effective as of February 1st requires CO alarms be installed on each floor of one and two family homes. Basements do count as a level.

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of deaths from accidental poisoning in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CO poisoning accounts for more than 400 deaths and over 20,000 emergency hospital visits in the U.S. annually. CO is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. The only way to detect dangerous levels of it in your home is with a working carbon monoxide alarm.

Carbon monoxide incidents are more common in the cold weather months but they can occur all year-round. CO is produced anytime a fuel is burned. Potential sources include gas or oil furnaces, water heaters, space heaters, fireplaces, clothes dryers, grills, wood burning stoves, gas ovens, and generators. More than two thirds of homes in the U.S. use gas, wood, kerosene, or another fuel as their home’s main heat source. According to the Hardware/Homecenter Research Industry, only 27% of homes in the U.S. have carbon monoxide alarms. This poses a dangerous hazard and one that can easily be avoided by simply purchasing and using these alarms. Install at least one battery-powered CO alarm on every level of your home. Keeping these alarms near sleeping areas is also a good idea. We recommend replacing CO alarms every 5-7 years in order to benefit from the latest technology and to eliminate defective alarms. Also make sure to change the batteries in both CO alarms and smoke alarms every year. Daylight Savings time is this weekend, why not use that as a reminder every year to change your batteries!

Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Healthy Home Hints: Whole House Humidifiers (Say That 10 Times Fast)

Posted on February 1, 2011 by admin

When you think of a “healthy” home, what do you think of? Clean? Organized? Germ-free? Most of the time we think about the things we can see, but what about the things we can only feel? Winter is an extremely dry time of year here in Wisconsin, and this means extreme dryness in our homes. Dry air can lead to a whole host of problems for everyone. Allergy and asthma sufferers are especially affected because the dry air aggravates their pre-existing problems. The dry winter air and artificial heat produced by forced-air both contribute to the discomfort of dry skin, dry throats, and irritated noses. The benefits of humidity in our homes are numerous.  Humidity in the air we breathe can help relieve cold symptoms by making our lungs more elastic. Humidity reduces susceptibility to infection by keeping the mucus membranes of your throat and nasal passages moist allowing the tiny hairs in both to work at expelling foreign objects such as mold, bacteria, and pet dander.  Humidity also helps our body stay comfortable by relieving and preventing dry, scratchy skin and lips. Nosebleeds are also reduced by keeping humidity in the air we breathe. Not only is humidity in the home beneficial for our health, but it also benefits furniture and wood floors.  The humidity keeps wood hydrated and which keeps it from drying out and cracking. Lack of humidity is also responsible for that annoying static electricity that is always shocking us during the winter. 

The best way to keep moisture in the air in your home is to have a whole house humidifier installed with your existing heating system. A whole house humidifier can be run for 5 or 6 weeks before needing a thorough cleaning, compared to single room consoles on the other hand, needing to be cleaned out weekly.  Whole house humidifiers are low maintenance and easy to use.  While some console humidifiers may claim to be whole-house humidifiers, very few can live up to that claim. Whole house humidifiers have the advantage of being able to humidify every room directly.

Drucks offers all of Outagamie and Winnebago counties free, no-obligation estimates on whole house humidifiers. Our HVAC technicians would be glad to come out to your home to tell you more about whole house humidifiers and what they can do for you and your home. Our technicians will test your home to let you know exactly what your humidity levels are and what size humidification system would best fit your home’s needs. Drucks has been serving Outagamie and Winnebago counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, and duct cleaning services. As our motto says, “One call and you get us all!” To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted in Heating, Home, Humidifiers, Indoor Air Quality, Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Posted on December 20, 2010 by admin

It’s almost here! Christmas is only a few days away. Going along with this special time of year, we thought we would share with you some interesting facts we’ve found about Christmastime and its traditions. Enjoy!

  • “Jingle Bells” was first written for Thanksgiving in 1857 and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
  • Christmas is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass,” which is derived from the Old English Cristes mæsse (first recorded in 1038). The letter “X” in Greek is the first letter of Christ, and “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid 1500s.
  • “It’s a Wonderful Life” appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.
  • Most of Santa’s reindeer have male-sounding names, such as Blitzer, Comet, and Cupid. However, male reindeers shed their antlers around Christmas, so the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh are likely not male, but female
  • Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
  • The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th century.
  • Christians in India decorate mango or banana trees at Christmas time.
  • Santa’s ninth reindeer was originally named Rollo — and then Reginald — before Robert L. May decided on Rudolph in his 1939 song.
  • Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, and the tradition began in 1836.
  • Teddy Roosevelt, an environmentalist had banned the Christmas tree from the White House because of environmental reasons.
  • All 50 states grow Christmas trees, but the top producers are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
  • The first printed reference to a Christmas tree was in 1531 in Germany.
  • Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. Real silver was used at that time, and special machines were invented to pull the silver out into wafer thin strips for tinsel. Silver was durable, but tarnished quickly, especially with candlelight which was used at that time. Attempts were made to use a mixture of lead and tin, but this was heavy and tended to break under its own weight so was not so practical. So silver was used for tinsel right up to the mid-20th century when plastics took its place.
  • The popularity of the Nativity scene, one of the most beloved and enduring symbols of the holiday season, originated in Italy.
  • More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the United States.
  • According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
  • Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is known throughout the world by many different names; Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, St. Nick, and Pere Noel.
  • Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorate the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided to have the ends bent to depict a shepherd’s crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn’t until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
  • More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31 percent) than during any other holiday or occasion during the year.
  • During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,540 times every minute in the United States.
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Say No to Frozen Pipes This Winter

Posted on December 10, 2010 by admin

The blistering cold is upon us here in the great state of Wisconsin, and for homeowners this means making sure your homes are prepared for the upcoming winter months. A common problem caused by the drop in temperatures is freezing pipes.  While frozen pipes are not always 100% preventable, there are some precautionary measures we can take to greatly decrease the chances of it happening.

The first step is to seal any cracks or leaks in the foundation where the cold wind can blow in to freeze up the pipes. Sealing these cracks will keep your plumbing system safeguarded from the outside cold air blowing in. This can be done using caulk or insulation. An even simpler way to do this is to push up snow along the foundation of the house (if you have enough) to create a bank to block the wind. We recommend insulating pipes in crawl spaces and attics as well because these exposed pipes are more susceptible to freezing.

In areas that are known to freeze up or get to cold, it is helpful to keep the faucet trickling cool water. You will want to use cool water for this because warm water is less dense which allows it to freeze faster.  If you will be away from home for an extended period of time, leaving your thermostat set at no lower than 62 degrees will help to keep your home from experiencing problems related to the cold. When gone from home in the winter months, it is also recommended that you shut off your water completely and drain your entire plumbing system. Leaving cupboard doors open underneath sinks allows the warmer air to better circulate around the pipes keeping them above freezing temps. If you experience frozen pipes DO NOT use a blowtorch or any other open flame on your pipes. Also, avoid leaving space heaters unattended near your pipes, as this poses a fire hazard. The only thing that is acceptable to use yourself in trying to warm up pipes is a hairdryer. Other than this, please leave it to professionals.

Drucks Sudden Service has been servicing Winnebago and Outagamie counties since 1947. We offer award-winning plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical services. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Clean and Check = Calm and Comfortable

Posted on November 18, 2010 by admin

The holidays are right around the corner; Thanksgiving is less than a week away! Holiday plans are already in order and travelling and guests are expected. It’s that time of year again and the last thing we need with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is the inconvenience of our furnace going out, leaving us with no heat. What’s the best precaution to take to keep from having a cold drafty house during the chilly winter months? Make sure to have your furnace tuned up annually to find and fix potential problems before they turn into disasters.

By having someone conduct an annual clean and check of your home’s furnace, you will rest assured that your furnace is running at peak efficiency. When your furnace is tuned up and running efficiently, not only do you have the peace of mind that your furnace is not going to break down on you, you are also saving money on your energy and heating costs. When your furnace is relatively new, installed within the past 10 years, it is necessary to have the yearly checkup because most manufacturers include in their warranty policy that the furnace must be tuned up annually for the warranty to stay in effect. Checking and changing filters as needed is also necessary for your furnace to run at peak efficiency. During a clean and check of your furnace the technician will check your filter and let you know if it needs replacing. How frequently your filter needs changing depends on the size and thickness of the filter and also how much your furnace has ran with that filter. Replacing your filters as needed with clean ones allows your furnace to better circulate the air in your home, eliminating cold spots. They also clean the air that circulates through the furnace so that your vents are not blowing as much dust and debris throughout your home.

Drucks Sudden Service offers complete furnace tuneups to all of Northeastern Wisconsin’s Winnebago and Outagamie counties. Don’t forget about all of our other award-winning services including plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, and duct cleaning. To find out more about Drucks or what we can do for you and your home, please visit our website: www.drucks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Posted in Energy Savings, Furnace, Heating, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments