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During the winter, there’s nothing quite like cozying up under a mountain of blankets, waiting for your delivery guy as you watch an entire series of that new show on Netflix. But while the weather outside is frightful, our air inside usually gets worse too. As our homes continue to get more energy-efficient, there’s a lot less warm air escaping and cold air getting in during the winter — which keeps us nice and toasty. But that also means that the amount of recirculated air also increases, carrying greater concentrations of pollutants, allergens, dust, and mold spores. (Ok, yuck!)

As you can probably guess, this poor indoor air quality can be cause a variety of health issues, from fatigue or flu-like symptoms, itchy eyes, nose and/or throat, and aggravation of existing upper respiratory problems, as well as an increased likelihood of developing other chronic illnesses. But the good news is there are some simple methods to improve the air quality in your home during the winter so you can binge-watch away without worry.

In order to keep you and your loved ones healthy and happy during the colder months and into spring, here are six ways to help keep your in-home air as pure as possible:

1. Keep things clean. Sounds like a no-brainer. Consistent cleaning is one of the first and best ways to maintain in-home air quality. But there is a catch — harsh chemicals from cleaning products can linger in the air, especially in the winter. These higher concentrations can cause harmful health implications in the long run, so consider some natural substitutions, and always be sure that you use any cleaning products in a well-ventilated space.
   Frequently cleaning your carpets with a HEPA filter vacuum can dramatically improve the air quality in your home, but also pay special attention to floors and other potential dusty areas, like under or behind furniture. Make it a routine to do a quick sweep once a week as it really does wonders for keeping dust and dirt out of your air.
2. Maintain the humidity levels in your home. The increased dryness in the colder months can cause discomfort and illness that makes staying safe from the bitter cold actually pretty risky. A humidifier will help everyone breathe more comfortably by helping the air maintain the right amount of humidity automatically. Ideally, your home should remain between 30 – 50% humidity year-round, so set your home up to stay within that range to avoid any issues that come with extra moisture in the air.
3. Add a few plants. Houseplants help liven up any living space, but did you know they clean and purify the air too? It’s true — adding more plants around the house is an easy way to clear out pollutants year-round. And they look great, too! Win, win.
4. Regularly change your air filters. HVAC filters are the first line of defense against air pollutants, but they need to be replaced regularly in order to function properly. If left dirty, they can become a major contributor to poor indoor air quality. Make sure they are well-secured and avoid any gaps between the frame and rack, so that no air bypasses without being filtered. If you haven’t had your HVAC serviced in over 6 months, contact us to help you make sure it’s doing its job.
5. Be sure to ventilate a few times a week. We know the thought of opening a window or turning on your ceiling fans when it’s 30 degrees out sounds crazy but doing so for just a few minutes every now and then will help get some fresh air circulating in your home, getting rid of any stuffiness and improving quality.
6. Consider installing an air purifier. Taking more serious measures to improve your air quality doesn’t have to be a big investment. Our Air Scrubber Plus technology is powerful, yet affordable so that you can breathe easier in more ways than one. It can reduce the amount of dust, allergens, and other air particles in your home by 90%. It’s so efficient, it’s not only NASA-approved, but it will also help your HVAC system run more efficiently.

To learn more about improving your in-home air quality and tips to help your whole family breathe easier this winter, contact Madsen Inc

Do you notice your water taking longer to heat up now that it’s colder? Are your showers lukewarm on the highest setting, leaving you shivering? As the coldest days of winter come around, it’s important to ensure your hot water heater is functioning properly to make sure you aren’t left out in the cold.

At Madsen Inc, we understand these issues happen. That’s why we recommend a routine inspection of your hot water heater at the end of summer or early fall so that you aren’t caught off guard with water that’s colder than the temps outside. But until then, here is a list of possible reasons that your hot water heater might not be functioning at its best, and a few easy ways to fix it!

Check the temperature on your hot water heater.

In the winter months, your heater is working harder to fight colder temperatures both outdoors and underground, so while the recommended thermostat setting is 120 degrees throughout the year to energy and ensure safety, this may not be enough to make your water feel hot enough in the winter months. Try adjusting your heater by 5 to 10 degrees and see if that improves performance.

Pro Tips:

• We recommend reading through your device manual before making any adjustments.
• Wait a bit after adjusting the thermostat to test your hot water – it usually takes about a half an hour for the heater to adjust to the new temperature.
• Be cautious! Change the temperature only a few degrees at a time to avoid scalding.

Drain the water tank.

Sediment buildup in the water tank is a common problem. It builds up naturally at the bottom of hot water heaters over time and can reduce your unit’s efficiency. Flushing it out at least once a year can prevent damage to your device and keep it functioning properly.

Check the age of your device.

Just call us with your model and serial numbers, and we’ll check if your hot water heater is still under warranty, or if it’s ready for replacement. You can also send us a picture of the plate or sticker on your device, and we’ll look it up for you.

Check if there’s a lack of insulation.

Make sure your pipes and heater are insulated properly as frozen or busted pipes can wreak all kinds of havoc in your home. Good insulation also makes it easier and faster to get hot water flowing when you turn it on. Not only does that mean less time waiting for that relaxing hot shower, but as an added bonus, it helps you conserve energy, saving you money on your water bill. Our team can help you with extra insulation if this is necessary.

Inspect the heater for any possible damage.

There is a possibility that your hot water system could be leaking. We do not recommend trying to fix a leak yourself — give us a call right away to prevent waste and potential further damage.

Other things you can do:

• If your hot water heater is in the basement or garage, try covering it with heater blanket. These specially made blankets can help insulate your tank in colder areas of your home where you can’t keep the temperature at least 55 degrees.
• To keep your pipes from freezing (and worst, potentially bursting), turn on your faucet and let it drip a little bit on especially cold days. Even just a small continuous stream of warm water can help prevent your pipes from ever reaching their freezing point.

At Madsen Inc, we’re here to help you make sure your water is exactly how you like it! If you have any questions or wish to schedule an appointment, contact us today.

Indoor air quality is a major aspect of home maintenance, but when most people think about air pollutants, they’re not thinking about inside their own home. Now, as we spend more time at home than ever before, using a quality ventilation system to maintain air freshness is key to keeping your air clean and safe for your family. Here are some tips for improving air quality in your home.

Why is Maintaining Air Quality Important?

• Having clean air in your home can help prevent harmful, short-term health effects, such as irritation of eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, coughing, sneezing, even dizziness.
• For residents exposed to unfiltered air for extended periods of time, the long-term effects could be respiratory disease (asthma or bronchitis), lung cancer, heart disease — with reported low birth weight in infants also reported.
• Properly filtered air minimizes the amount of secondhand smoke in your home, protecting your children and loved ones from respiratory issues and other harmful effects.
• Unvented kerosene heaters, wood stoves, gas water heaters, and central heating systems are common sources of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions inside a home. Keeping your air free of these types of harmful substances is extremely important to maintaining good health.
• Contaminated air can also facilitate airborne disease and viruses, allowing illness to spread easily inside any unfiltered space.

What Can You Do?

• Install an Air Scrubber.
  Using air scrubbing technology, like The Air Scrubber Plus®, can help reduce the presence of particles and contaminants in your home’s air by 90%. The Air Scrubber Plus produces scrubber ions and hydro peroxides that remove contaminants such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It also prevents dust buildup in your heating and cooling systems. The Air Scrubber Plus, along with most other air cleaners, can be easily installed directly into your HVAC system or existing ductwork.
• Invest in an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)
  Making the investment now can significantly improve your air quality and save you money in the long run. The ERVs filter out toxins and particles in your air, and effectively reduce your AC dependency through their powerful heating and cooling recovery abilities. There is no need to compromise efficiency for clean air!

Other easy ways to improve air quality:

• Change Your HVAC Filter (& other air filters)
  Your HVAC system works really hard all year round to keep you comfortable. Your air is constantly circulating, and your filters are designed to reduce the pollutants that circulate with it. But eventually, they’ll call it quits, causing major issues not only for your air quality but also for your system. Checking and replacing these filters regularly will help keep your air clean and your system from getting overworked, which means no costly repairs down the road for you.

  This also applies to all filters in your home, like your clothes dryer, kitchen vents, and vacuums — carpets and rugs can trap a lot of dust and particles, so keeping them clean is important for air quality too!

• Check Your Air Ducts
  These passages are responsible for distributing hot and cold air throughout your home, but if not installed correctly or maintained properly, they can also be a source of all the harmful contaminants you don’t want to be breathing in on a daily basis. By hiring a professional — like the experts at Madsen — you can ensure your ducts are circulating fresh, clean air, while keeping your home as comfortable as possible.

• Control the Humidity in Your Home
  Exposure to mold can cause sore throat, skin rashes, wheezing, and a lot worse if gone untreated. Particularly in your kitchens and bathroom, keeping humidity levels under control is the best way to eliminate mold growth. Turn on the exhaust fan immediately after bathing, and turn on cooking vents or open a window when whipping up a delicious meal on the stove. This will also help eliminate various levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide that electric burners can produce. Dehumidifiers are a good extra measure for the warmer months when humidity is at an all-time high.

At Madsen, our representatives will be happy to provide more information on protecting your family from germs, dust, and odors, as well as how we can install air cleaning systems in your home. Contact us today to begin your journey to fresh air!

While the winter season brings a flurry of wonderful things, freezing pipes is not one of them. No one has cracked pipes or water damage on their holiday wish list, yet too many people don’t take the steps to avoid a potential disaster. So before the cold strikes, follow these seven simple steps to prepare your pipes for winter and ensure the only thing overflowing this season is the eggnog.

• Have Your Plumbing Inspected
  First things first, get your pipes checked! Anything we tell you after this first tip probably won’t help if your pipes are already very weak or damaged. With the increased pressure of freezing temperatures and heavy ice, your pipes are really put to the test, so before you do anything else, give your plumbing experts (like the Madsen Inc. team) a call.

• Shut Off Outdoor Faucets
  Shutting off your outdoors faucets is too often an overlooked necessity when it comes to winterizing your pipes. Turn these faucets off at their shutoff valves and open the bleeder cap to drain any water from the pipe to prevent it from sitting in your system. If you don’t, it’s much more likely to freeze and expand, cracking your pipes and causing long term damage.
• Disconnect Your Hoses
  If your hose is filled with water and left out in the cold, it will certainly freeze. And if it’s still connected to the faucet, it can become clogged with ice build-up, creating pressure that leads to pipe damage inside the home. Make sure your hoses are safely stored away for winter!
• Cover Hose Bibs
  Hose bibs are usually left unattended, which can cause them to burst as temps really drop overnight. Using an insulated hose bib cover will prevent heat loss and protect your outdoor faucets. They cost very little, and the damage they can prevent would cost you A LOT more.
• Insulate Your Pipes
  If water pipes run through an unheated part of your home—such as an attic, garage, or crawl space—installing a heat cable on vulnerable pipes and adding an insulating material like foam will help keep your pipes nice and warm. The heat cable is key to sensing pop temperature and turning on the heat as needed, while the foam insulation will ensure the warm air stays in. Simply run the cable over your pipe and wrap your insulator around it.
• Use Your Water Often
  A simple way to keep your pipes from freezing is to use your water on a regular basis. Even letting your faucet trickle a bit during a cold snap will help prevent freezing by relieving pressure that has built up in cold pipes. That’s because when you use your water, there is flow and stress relief in your pipes, which prevents cracking. What you may add to your water bill, you’ll totally make up for in not having a repair bill.
• Seal Cracks and Gaps
  Sealing gaps in doors and windows will quickly work to prevent excess cold air from reaching vulnerable pipes. A simple application of spray foam or caulk will keep air from sneaking in through cable holes, as well as any doors and window frame gaps throughout your home.

At Madsen Inc, we know the importance of pipe maintenance, but we also know it’s often the last thing on your mind, so to have your pipes inspected or for more information on winterizing your home, contact us today.

All of a sudden the days are shorter, the air is cooler, and the holidays are taking over your commercial breaks. That’s right, the holiday season is here, whether you’re ready or not. And for many of us this year, hosting family and friends will mean just a little more, filled with long-awaited reunions and unforgettable memories. So here are a couple things you can do starting right now to get your space ready for the best holiday yet.

What to Do Now

Inspect Your Appliances
It’s your biggest nightmare: you’ve spent all that time planning, cleaning, and decorating only to have your refrigerator go dark or the oven stop heating just before the guests arrive. That turkey won’t cook itself! Check all your appliances — dishwasher, oven, washer and dryer, etc.— for early signs of trouble (like a hissing sounds coming from the refrigerator), especially if you’ve had them for a number of years.

And when it comes to your heating system, you can ensure your home will be nice and comfortable all season long by having a professional from Madsen inspect your unit and make any necessary repairs. To make sure you and our guests aren’t stuck in the cold, give us a call today.

Upgrade the Shared Bathrooms
Your bathrooms already get a ton of daily use; now add a couple of guests in the mix, and it’s one of the most popular rooms in the house. The upcoming holidays are the perfect excuse to upgrade those hallway and guest baths for better functionality and a modern look.

And if a full renovation isn’t in the budget; try smaller upgrades like a new shower curtain, floor coverings, vanity lighting, or faucets and knobs.

Swap in Smart Thermostats

With a house full of people, it’s hard to please everyone. But smart thermostats basically do just that. Not only do they ensure your system is running properly, but through the use of room sensors, they help you manage hot and cold spots in all rooms throughout your house automatically. And with voice activation and Android/iOS connectivity, you can even pre-set or change any temperature settings in each room from in the car home from the store or with hands full of green bean casseroles.

A Few Weeks Out

Add Portable Accent Tables & Ottomans
While the drinks are flowing and the food is being served, small accent tables and ottomans really come in handy for you and your guests. You can never have too much surface space, and these portable options add flexibility without really disrupting the flow of the room. Elegant holiday trays add functionality with a nice touch of aesthetic to unstable upholstered pieces, while fitting naturally with your normal decor.

Spruce Up the Guest Bedroom
For those overnight guests, do a runthrough of the guest bedroom. Chances are this room doesn’t get much use, so make sure it’s equipped with everything your guests may need to make them feel comfortable. Double check there’s enough open storage for their belongings, add window treatments to prevent cold drafts at night, and swap out old bedding for a fresh look and feel.

To really be the hostess with the mostess, provide extra charging cords, make sure electrical outlets are easily visible, have shampoos/conditioners, hair dryers, towels, etc. already supplied so they don’t have to go out of their way to ask for them.

Do a Little Painting
It’s really amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to a room. And there are a few key areas where a touch up can make an even bigger difference, such as the powder room, living room, and foyer. Whether you’re changing up the colors or just adding a fresh coat, focusing on these rooms will make the entire house feel a little more inviting and bright.

The Home Stretch

Decorate & Accessorize

Simple additions like fresh boughs or a few twinkling lights lining the front entry, some scented candles on the tables, and festive pillows and plants throughout the living spaces all have a big impact at low cost. Seasonal decor is always a nice touch to holiday gatherings, but even simply updating your rugs, throws, pillow covers, or towels will help your whole home look and feel refreshed.

Get Rid of the Clutter
The pressure is already on to get everything cleaned before the first guest arrives, so don’t add to the work by jumping over a pile of toys or shuffling around books and magazines; instead, start tossing or storing these items before you grab the Swiffer. It’ll make your job a lot easier!

For more tips on getting your home holiday ready or to see how our professionals can help, contact us to learn more. The countdown is on, so don’t wait!