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Updates and information on products in the Home Comfort market.

Heating the garage, she shed or kennel

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Tube HeaterMaybe you have been thinking about heating your garage, she shed or dog kennel.  Unit heaters and tube heaters are a great affordable solution. 

For those who use the garage for its intended reason getting into a warm, snow free vehicle every day is a joy in our Canadian winters. The added benefit outside of the garage is the car will warm up faster and allow you to drive away frost free. Not having to stand outside in the cold scrapping and clearing snow and running the vehicle wasting gas are a real bonus.

So, which to choose from?  Every application has its challenges and with any gas appliance venting of the combustion gases are the most important. A site review is always needed to ensure either appliance can be vented correctly.  Both units can be sized pretty much equally for the space, both run about the same efficiency and both can be propane or natural gas.

A tube heater shown above, is relatively quiet and works on a radiant convection system, whereas the unit heat shown below works on force air convection and is a little noisier. Both have their benefits, if you are using the garage for things other than storage, let’s say a wood shop or painting then a tube heater would be preferable as it will not blow particles around. If the garage is used a storage and vehicles, then a unit heater can be more practical.Lennox Unit Heater

Tube heaters due to the fact they are radiant heat operate at a much higher temperature and reflect the heat by a series of reflective panels. This means that clearance from the tube is important, rubbers, painted surfaces and anything combustible must be kept a minimum of 4 ft away at all times.  This rule applies less to a unit heater due to it being forced air convection heat the temperature coming out of the unit is drastically cooler.

As you can see these are a few of the factors that will go into deciding which unit fit the application and why a site visit is the only way to full determine the wants and needs.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Spring is here and so are the rainy days!

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sump pumpWith the melting snow, frozen ground and spring showers it’s that time of year that our sump pump systems work the hardest. Sump pumps and there pits are the lowest portion of your home, the purpose of the sump system to collect the water from around your foundation and footing to keep the dry and reduce the possibility of water leaking into your basement. 

1. The first step to keeping a basement dry and the sump system from over working is prevention; downspouts should be extended at least 3ft awaydownspouts from the foundation or further if possible, gutters should be clear so water can flow to the areas you want to manage the water away from the home.
2. The sump pump pit should be clear of debris to ensure pump efficiency and prevent the float from being stuck in the closed or open position.
3. The sump discharge should terminate at least 3ft away from the foundation or further if possible.
4. The sump pump should activate prior to the inlet pipe being full. If the water level is set to high then the weeping tiles around the home will be full or partially full of water which will cause the footing to be damp and soften the soils and possible allow foundation movement. Damp weeping tiles will also promote root growth.

The need for a back-up system?

The main pump can fail at any time or power can be lost; both of which can if left unattended leave you with a damp or worse flooded basement.

Having a second pump powered by main line voltage will only ensure you basement won’t get wet if a main pump failure occurs and not protect you from power outages. A battery back-up system will provide some effectiveness but will only last as long as the battery charge holds; also you will have to replace the battery over time and continue to use electrical voltage to maintain the battery charge.

A water back-up system will provide coverage for both power outage and main pump failure. A water back up system such as the Liberty SJ10 system works on city water pressure. While there is a possibility that city water can be shut –off that probability is far lower than power loss. The Liberty SJ10 system works “only” when required and when partnered with an audible alarm or home security system you are notified when it has become active.

More information can be found here about the liberty SJ10 system