Does your home run on propane? Whether you use it for home heat or other appliances, propane is a safe, clean-burning, efficient energy source. But just like any other type of fuel, it’s important to follow basic safety tips during use. Winter is prime usage season for propane, which makes it a great time to check on your tank and appliances. And if you haven’t already had your Reidsville furnace repair company out for an inspection and tune-up, the sooner the better. Keep these 6 winter weather safety tips in mind throughout the year.

• • Get your tank refilled before you run out of propane. It’s always best to stay on top of propane refills. When a tank gets completely empty, there’s a risk of leaks and other problems due to internal tank pressure (or lack of). A gas line and tank inspection is absolutely crucial before a completely empty tank is refilled. Not sure you can remember to schedule refills? No problem. Sign up for a regular delivery plan with Carolina Fuels and you’ll never run out of propane.
  • Keep the area around your propane tank clear. Don’t let vegetation encroach on your tank for a variety of reasons. For one, plants growing on and around your tank can cause premature corrosion of your tank from the outside, which can eventually reach the inside. Clear snow off and away from your tank as well to avoid added stress on your tank. A damaged tank is a potentially dangerous tank. Also, keeping the area clear makes it easier for Carolina Fuels to check and refill your tank, especially in the case of an emergency such as a gas leak.
  • If you smell gas, leave the home and call Carolina Fuels. If you smell gas inside or outside your home, turn off all appliances and lights and get everyone out of the house and to a safe distance away. Then call Carolina Fuels. Don’t use your phone until you are at a safe distance from the house. If you don’t reach anyone right away, call 911.
  • Never use a propane grill inside. Your backyard grill is not meant to be used indoors for any reason, cooking or space heating. It requires outdoor ventilation of carbon monoxide.
  • Never use your propane range as a heat source. If the power goes out or your furnace quits working, never attempt to use your oven to heat your home.
  • Schedule routine Reidsville furnace repair and appliance inspection. Yearly inspection for your furnace is an important step for safe propane usage. A properly working furnace will efficiently use propane and vent carbon monoxide outside the home. A dirty or malfunctioning furnace can cause carbon monoxide to contaminate the air inside your home, which can cause all sorts of health problems and even death.

Carolina Fuels Supplies Propane and Performs Routine Reidsville Furnace Repair

Carolina Fuels wants you and your family to be safe while enjoying all the benefits of propane. Follow these safety tips and you can safely heat your home, cook your food, dry your clothes, heat water, and more with propane. Call Carolina Fuels today to schedule Reidsville furnace repair: (336) 623-9741.

A fireplace is one of the most important features in a home. Homebuyers are looking for them in real estate searches and homeowners who don’t have them are adding them. If you dream of having a fireplace, consider these design options and find the one that sets the tone you want for your home. Reidsville propane suppliers Carolina Fuels can help you choose the right style for you and install gas logs and a propane tank to keep your home cozy this winter.

The Traditional Fireplace Never Goes Out of Style – Whether brick or stone, the traditional living room fireplace complete with hearth and mantel is a classic look. Even an old wood-burning fireplace can be fitted with propane logs for convenience and cleanliness. The mantel allows room for decorative items and offers a place to hang Christmas stockings during the holidays.

Modern Fireplaces are Sleek and Stylish – The modern looking fireplace can be crafted with marble or polished stone tile and clear glass to showcase the beauty of the flames. Some are fitted with propane logs that mimic wood, but current trends are moving toward stones and embers that glow beneath the flames. The positioning of modern fireplaces in the home has even changed from the traditional style.

The Built-In Style Makes the Fireplace Look Like a Piece of Art on the Wall – Modern fireplaces can be built right into the décor of a room so that it looks like a piece of art on the wall, but with actual moving, warming flames. A propane fireplace can be built in a kitchen island or a support wall between two rooms. The ever-popular below-the-television style puts the focal point of the room in one location.

A Multi-Sided Fireplace Shares its Ambience with Multiple Rooms – Though the concept is not modern, the styles of today’s multi-sided fireplaces are. Built into a wall between rooms with clear glass encasing up to four sides, the beauty and warmth of the flames can be enjoyed from multiple rooms at once. This style is in tune with the open-concept floor plans that are so popular in homes today.

Ventilation Options Provide Versatility of Styles

One of the factors that have changed the look of propane fireplaces is new ventilation technology. Reidsville propane suppliers can help you choose the system that works best in your home. But in general, there are three basic options for venting your fireplace:

• Natural – Utilizing an existing chimney with traditional masonry or a metal chimney pipe, the gases created during combustion are vented outside.

• Direct Vent – These sealed-combustion fireplaces draw air for combustion in from the outside and pump waste gases outside through a nearby wall or ceiling to minimize heat loss.
• Vent-free – A catalytic converter cleans the air as it leaves the combustion chamber so that it can be vented directly into the room without releasing harmful gases. Vent-free technology has made many of the modern design options possible.

Contact your Reidsville propane supplier to make your fireplace dreams come true.

To be sure the equipment you want will work properly in the space you want to install it, and to make sure you get the safest and most efficient equipment, contact Carolina Fuels, your Reidsville propane supplier. Carolina Fuels will install your gas fireplace as well as the propane tank. Propane experts will estimate the size of tank you will need for the amount of propane you plan to use and can deliver propane on a predetermined schedule so that you never run out. If you’re thinking of getting a new propane fireplace, call Carolina Fuels today at (336) 623-9741.

Keeping pests at bay can be a constant battle for homeowners. Like most of us, we appreciate nature but prefer it to stay outside in nature and not in our homes. You may think you have sealed up every spot where pests could enter your home, but there’s one area you may have overlooked: your HVAC system. Unfortunately, your heating and air conditioning system has to allow air to come in and go out, and that opens up your home to the potential for pests to enter. Prevention is the best measure, because once pests get in, it’s a lot more difficult to remove them. Here are some ways to keep your HVAC system pest-proof from your Reidsville air conditioner specialists, Carolina Fuels.

• Seal ductwork. Make sure there are no holes or openings in your ducts where pests could get in. Insects can get in through even the smallest of holes. Seal up any openings you can see. This also keeps outside air from seeping in and reducing your HVAC efficiency.
• Install screens over vents and flues. There are places where air has to be vented out. Cover your vents and flues with screens to keep bugs and other pests out while ventilation can still occur as it should.
• Keep the area around your outdoor AC unit clear. The outside unit is a common favorite place for pests, but keeping it clear of weeds, leaves, and other debris can deter pests from the area. You could even use a non-toxic pest repellent around it.
• Have your system inspected by Reidsville air conditioner specialists. Yearly maintenance can go a long way toward preventing pests from getting in through your HVAC system. A thorough inspection would reveal any existing pests and any potential areas where pests could enter. Maintenance typically includes cleaning and repairing any potential problems. And you get the added bonus of better efficiency from your air conditioner.

• Have your ducts cleaned. Keeping the inside of your ducts clean offers many benefits, such as removing pests and any evidence of their nesting. It also makes your ductwork less desirable to pests looking for a place to nest.

Why is Pest Prevention so Important to my HVAC system?

Obviously, no one wants pests to enter their home. But the damage they can possibly inflict on your HVAC system is pretty severe. Nesting in ducts can cause damage, leaks, and animal waste and bacteria to enter your ventilation. An odor coming from your vents may be your first indication of an infestation. Snakes and rodents are the most common duct nesters. Bees and other types of stinging insects also like to nest in and around the outdoor unit of your air conditioner. Insect nests can block various parts of your AC unit, potentially causing damage.

Reidsville air conditioner specialists, Carolina Fuels, can help repair any damage caused by pests and help prevent pests from entering your system again, or in the first place. Whether or not you suspect you may have pest issues, Carolina Fuels can help. Call (336) 623-9741.

Propane is an excellent alternative home heating fuel for furnaces. Clean burning and non-toxic, propane is just as safe as other heating fuels in Greensboro, if not more so. But getting the highest level of efficiency and safety from your propane furnace requires a little bit of action on the homeowner’s part. Follow these tips to get peak performance from your furnace and eliminate safety risks.

1. Schedule Routine Maintenance. This is always the number one safety and efficiency tip for propane furnaces. Keeping up with maintenance, which means a professional inspection and tune-up once a year, will ensure that your furnace is operating properly. A furnace in disrepair can cause a variety of safety issues from fire risk to carbon monoxide poisoning. A well-maintained furnace will also heat your home more efficiently, using less propane and making your home feel warmer. Always schedule a maintenance appointment towards the end of summer or in the early fall before the weather gets cold enough to require the use of your furnace. 
2. Keep your Propane Filled Regularly. Running out of propane and even letting the amount of propane in your tank to fall too low can cause a variety of problems and safety issues. A propane tank that is nearly empty has a lot of space for air, condensation, and unwanted moisture to build up inside, which is potentially harmful to the tank itself. A tank in disrepair can leak or lead to other problems. If your tank gets completely empty, there are extra measures that must be taken when it comes to the refill process. An empty tank can become leaky upon refill due to internal pressure issues. Your propane supplier can repair any leaks and provide an automatic delivery schedule for future refills to prevent your tank from running out again.  
3. Your Propane Tank Should have an Overfill Prevention Device. A propane tank should never be filled completely. There should always be room for the liquid to expand as it warms. Otherwise, the pressure in the tank is too great, which can cause leaks or even an explosion in extreme cases. The overfill prevention device, or OPD for short, ensures that this won’t happen. 
4. Change your Filters Regularly. Experts recommend monthly, or at least quarterly filter replacement. At the very least you should have your HVAC service replace them twice a year during maintenance appointments. Dirty or clogged filters are one of the biggest causes of inefficiency in your furnace.  
5. Get a Programmable Thermostat. One of the best things you can do to improve HVAC efficiency is to use a programmable thermostat. You can set the thermostat to call for different temperatures at different times of the day or night, so that when you’re not home, your house won’t have to be as warm, saving a significant amount of propane.  

Berico Provides Furnace Maintenance and Heating Fuels in Greensboro  

To keep your furnace operating efficiently and your propane tank full and in good condition, you need regular service and deliveries from a reliable propane supplier. Berico is a complete home comfort service providing all of the necessary maintenance and products to keep your home comfortable year round. Call (336) 273-8663 to request furnace maintenance or heating fuels in Greensboro.  

Hot water may not be an official necessity, but it’s a modern convenience that is pretty hard to live without. If you enjoy warm showers, clean dishes, and white laundry loads, hot water is important. Your water heater is probably what uses up a significant portion of your home energy after your furnace, especially during the winter. Whether you have an electric or gas water heater, there are ways you cut your hot water energy bill back a little bit or even a lot, depending on how far you’re willing to go toward conservation. Carolina Fuels, a reliable company offering air conditioning and furnace repair in Eden as well as delivery of many types of heating fuels, suggests these 10 ways to cut your hot water energy bill.

• • Take shorter, cooler showers. This one is hard, because a hot shower is such a luxury, especially when it’s cold outside. By shortening the length and temperature of your showers you can help your water heater use less energy. And besides saving energy, there are other reasons a shorter, cooler shower is beneficial. It’s also better for combating dry skin that so often plagues us during dry, cold winters. It also helps to prevent dry scalp issues that can lead to dandruff.
  • Replace shower heads and faucets with low flow models. A low flow shower head reduces the amount of water used during each shower. Low flow faucets can conserve a lot of water too in the kitchen and bathrooms.  
  • Do most of your laundry in cold water. When it comes to your multi-color loads, there’s really no advantage to using hot water and it could cause your colors to run. When it comes to white loads, if you use bleach, wash in hot water but rinse in cold to save some energy.
  • Set your water heater to a lower temperature. Aim for around 120 degrees and your water heater will save a lot of energy it would normally expend to heat the water to a higher temperature and preserve that temperature in the holding tank.
  • Run your dishwasher less often. Wait until you have a full load of dishes before running your dishwasher.
  • Fix leaky plumbing. Letting a faucet drip can waste an amazing amount of water, and sometimes it’s the hot water that’s leaking, meaning your hot water heater is working overtime.
  • Add insulation to your water heater. Water heater insulation can be purchased and applied on your own, but make sure you follow the directions to avoid problems. Consider having a professional apply the insulation.
  • Get a new water heater. Upgrading to a new energy-efficient water heater will save you a lot in energy costs. Especially if you purchase an on-demand or tankless water heater.
  • Get a new dishwasher. An older dishwasher will use much more water than a newer one will. Newer dishwashers also have more advanced heating elements so that it self-heats and doesn’t require as much hot water.
  • Get a new washing machine. A high-efficiency washing machine will also use less hot water when you do need to run a warm water load. 

Call Carolina Fuels for Water Heater and Furnace Repair in Eden

If you need a professional to evaluate your water heater’s condition and energy usage, Carolina Fuels can help. In addition to furnace repair in Eden, Carolina Fuels provides a wide range of energy audit services. If you currently have an electric water heater, you may find that you can save the most money by switching to a propane water heater. Call Carolina Fuels to find out how you can save energy today: (336) 623-9741.