PRK Services, Inc. Blog: Archive for January, 2014

Is Duct Cleaning Worth the Investment?

Monday, January 20th, 2014

**Please Note: PRK Services, Inc. no longer offers duct cleaning services.**

Of the many home maintenance services you can have done professionally, duct cleaning often sounds like it’s unnecessary, or at least something that can be indefinitely postponed. How dirty can your ducts really get? And since you can’t actually see most of your ductwork, how much of a difference will clean ducts make in your life?

But your ductwork can indeed become highly contaminated with dust, dirt, grime, dander, pollen, hair, and even mold and microbacteria—all of which will have an effect on your indoor air quality. In addition, you’ll have a dirtier home and troubled HVAC system. We’ll go into more detail about why scheduling duct cleaning in Oak Park, TX is indeed a worthwhile investment.

For thorough, comprehensive duct cleaning services, as well as other assistance with increasing your indoor air quality, contact the Oak Point, TX duct cleaning specialists at PRK Services, Inc.

The value of duct cleaning

The U.S. EPA has identified lower indoor air quality as a major threat to health in the country. Although we worry (justifiably so) about pollution outdoors, indoor air can often be 100 times poorer. You don’t want the ductwork in your house contributing to worsening the air you breathe when you’re home. Because ducts are sealed to prevent loss of air pressure, they have few places where a build-up of dust can escape… except through the vents into rooms. Duct cleaning will eliminate this dust development so it won’t get into your air. Cleaning will also find other contaminants that can be health hazards and find out how to remedy them.

Duct cleaning isn’t only about keeping your air healthy. It’s also about saving you money on your heating and cooling bills and fending off unnecessary repairs. Dirty ductwork increases resistance to airflow, making your HVAC system work harder and subsequently raising your energy bills. This contamination will also clog air filters and infiltrate the unit’s components, causing damages that require repairs.

Finally, although you can’t see the dirt inside the ducts, you will see it when it gets blown out onto your floor and furnishings. Contaminated ducts will lead to a dustier home that requires constant cleaning to keep dust at bay.

Duct cleaning requires professionals

Accessing the inside of your ducts is not easy, and you don’t have the equipment to reach far enough inside and provide the sufficient level of cleaning power to eliminate the many pollutants that can enter ductwork. This is work for professionals with high-powered vacuums and hose systems. For problems with mold, duct cleaners can also install UV germicidal lights to safely eliminate the problem.

If a few years have passed since you had your ductwork cleaned, call PRK Services, Inc. today and schedule a duct cleaning in Oak Park, TX.

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Is Having a New Furnace Installed Worth the Cost?

Sunday, January 12th, 2014

**Please Note: PRK Services, Inc. no longer offers duct cleaning services.**

If you’re having problems with your existing furnace, you might want to consider replacing it with a new one. A furnace installation here in Highland Village can be provided by a number of qualified companies, and if your old furnace bites the dust, then your move is obvious. But installation can cost quite a bit, and before you embark upon such an operation, you have to ask yourself: is having a new furnace involved worth the cost?

The answer depends on two key factors: how much your old furnace is costing you and how much the new furnace will save. Repair bills are a fact of life with any appliance, but if an older heater just needs more and more repairs, then it may be more worthwhile to eat the cost of installation rather than wondering when your current furnace will fail again and what it might cost you in the bargain.

Similarly, if you find your monthly costs going up with an older unit, even if you’re not using it any more than normal, then a new unit could save you a great deal. When added together over time, the monthly savings of a new furnace could seriously offset the cost of installation, and maybe even pay for itself in the long run. This is doubly true if you want to add money-saving upgrades like zone control systems to the furnace, which provide greater control and more cost-saving functions at the expense of an additional start-up fee.

Again, it’s all a matter of balance, which depends on your individual circumstances and what you’re prepared to spend. You’ll need to weigh the functionality of your current furnace against the advantages of the new. Generally speaking, if your furnace is over ten years old and showing significant problems like the types mentioned above, you should think about a replacement. But is having a new furnace installed worth the cost? Only you can answer that. When you do, PRK Services, Inc. is ready to help. We handle Highland Village, TX furnace installation and can provide sound advice on the best means of addressing your issues.

Give us a call today or request an estimate online.

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Why You Should Consider a Geothermal System for Your Flower Mound, TX Home

Friday, January 10th, 2014

You may have heard the term geothermal systems before. It refers to a unique form of home heating: a means of harnessing the warmth inside the ground itself to help you stay warm in the winter. The earth doesn’t change temperature the way the air does; it maintains a steady constant at all times. A geothermal system takes advantage of that, running a series of tubes through the ground that facilitate a heat exchange and transfer the energy directly into your home. Here in Flower Mound TX, geothermal systems make a lot of sense, though they cost more to install that other systems and may take a little getting used to.

Here are some good reasons why you should consider a geothermal system for your Flower Mound, TX home.

  • Monthly savings. Geothermal systems cost much less to operate than traditional forced-air furnaces. They’re not actually generating heat, simply transferring it back and forth between your home and the ground. That requires less power – just enough to run the system itself – which means your monthly heating bills will go down significantly.
  • Environmental impact. Geothermal systems are very clean sources of power. They don’t use fossil fuels and they don’t produce polluting gas, which makes the environmental impact minimal.
  • Benefits to the home. Geothermal heating is reliable and safe. Because it doesn’t involve moving parts, it doesn’t break down very often, which means you can depend on it to work when you need it to. It can also improve the resale value of your home, since its self-contained nature means that new homeowners can start using it right away. That can ultimately offset the cost of installation in some cases.

Geothermal systems do require a fair amount of land space. Luckily, we have our share in Flower Mound TX, geothermal systems or not. For more on why you should consider a geothermal system, or for any other HVAC help in Flower Mound, TX, talk to the experts at PRK Services, Inc. We can explain the ins and outs to you, then install your system with professionalism and care. Pick up the phone and give us a call today.

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