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Have you ever wondered why allergies seem to get worse as summer fades into fall?  There’s a good reason.  August brings warm days and cooler nights – the perfect trigger for the release of pollen by ragweed – the biggest allergy culprit in the fall. Wind-pollinated plants such as ragweed produce large amounts of pollen that are buoyant and float into the breeze covering everything around it.  This continues through September and October and finally subsides with the first hard frost. Unfortunately, according to WebMD, 75% of people who are allergic to spring plants are also sensitive to ragweed. During this period of [...]

Since April is traditionally the month most often associated with “Spring Cleaning” here are my top ten tasks that are easy to forget but important to do at least one or more times a year. Roll up your sleeves, open some windows and breathe the fresh air. Then, tune-in to your favorite playlist and give your home some extra love!  Here goes: The #1 task on my list each spring is to “tune-up” my AC system. Take it from The Coop, there’s nothing worse than your AC dying in the middle of a heat wave.  What’s more, you surely won’t want [...]

Recently, while performing a whole house plumbing preventative maintenance at a customer’s house, I noticed it was very warm – in fact, uncomfortably HOT.  As I passed the heating system’s thermostat, I took a peek at the temperature -- it was set at 78°F.  I was surprised because I rarely see a thermostat set at such a high temperature unless there’s a specific reason, and I couldn’t help but think that my customer’s energy bill must be sky-high. When I was ready to leave, I asked Sue, my customer, if she was having any comfort issues with her home’s heating system [...]

This Christmas, I’ve decided to give my family a gift that they’re going to love.  It’s an experiential present --- not a typical gift that fits in a box.  Let’s see if you can guess what it is: It will keep you toasty warm which my daughter will like because she’s always cold It will help keep allergies at bay – which will make my wife’s nose very happy It’s nice and quiet which my son will appreciate because he’s a very light sleeper. My elderly dog, Murphy, will especially thank me for this family gift! Guess the answer yet?  Here’s [...]

Now that we’re solidly into the fall season, leading up to Halloween, I thought I’d tell you a spooky story that’s sure to scare many homeowners.  Several months ago, I arrived at a customer’s house to perform preventative maintenance on her furnace.  The homeowner met me at the door with a stunned look on her face, and instead of directing me to her basement, she announced very dramatically, “Before you enter, I need to warn you that something sinister has overtaken my house!”  That was a statement I hadn’t anticipated from my usually level-headed customer. Before I could question her [...]