Archive for April, 2012

Choosing a Service Company: Things You Should Know

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

I spend more than my share of minutes eating up bandwidth on the internet. The internet is a very valuable resource for savvy users. But, it has to be taken with a grain of salt and lots of cross-verification. If you Google a term long enough, you can find an article that says precisely what you want to hear. That’s one of the dangers on the Internet. I’d like to use this week’s blog to address another, much larger danger to consumers. Some of you are loyal customers, and I sincerely thank you. But I’m constantly hearing the stories about good people who get ripped off and taken advantage of by competitors that I wish weren’t out there for people to have to screen.

I’m so tired of it, that I decided to write this blog to give the good people who read it some tools to help! If this blog gets picked up and spread on the internet, maybe it will help someone make a good choice for their family!

Much like Brad Paisley’s hit song, many companies look “so much cooler online” than they are in real life. It is pretty simple to throw together a website that sounds professional, looks professional, and feels professional when in truth the consumer is looking a the website of a guy with one or maybe two trucks who works out of his home.

In this day and age, you really can’t afford to do business with companies like these! Who’s to say that the guy working out of his home is going to be there tomorrow, or next week, or three years from now when you need him to fulfill his warranty obligations? You as the consumer will be left out in the cold–or in the Florida heat.

Here are some things to keep you safe when you’re choosing a contractor:

  • When you do a search, take few moments to verify the address BEFORE you call the company. If they’re working out of their HOME or a residential address and NOT in a place of business, be VERY wary. These are the fly-by-night, low-budget, one-truck wonders that won’t answer the phones on weekends, or holidays, or whenever it isn’t convenient for them. You deserve better than a guy working out of his garage. You deserve a company with a storefront and a staff, and a reputation and guarantees you can trust. Google maps makes this verification really easy by simply showing you the location on a map. Take a minute and zoom in. Can you really drop by the house to meet the dispatcher? Is there a dispatcher? Yikes! When did they incorporate? Look for companies who’ve been in business at least 10 years, but as a rule the longer the better!
  • Open a new window and navigate to myflorida.com. From here, you can click on business and verify when the business was incorporated, who the license holders are, and what kind of standing the business is in with the state. Also, check this link to make sure the business is license to perform the type of work you’re looking to hire.
  • Before you call a company: GOOGLE THE COMPANY NAME. Too often, I hear the horror stories from consumers who get taken by the snake-oil salesmen who prey on the unsuspecting consumers in our industry. Chances are, they’ve been busted before in very public manners, but since it is buried in time, not everyone heard about it. Google the name, read reviews, and search local papers for stories. You might just be surprised what you find.
  • Check the Better Business Bureau, but know this: once a company decides to advertise with them, their rating goes  right to an A+. Better to listen to those Google reviews. They’re often more honest!
  • Ask the company to provide you with a copy of their certificate of insurance. Make sure they carry at least a million dollars per incident of General Liability and Worker’s Compensation coverage. If they don’t know this: any claim that goes ABOVE their limits and happens on your property will hit your homeowner’s policy!
  • Check out AskTheSeal. Is the company verified through them? They verify the license and insurance information for you (but not the specific limits). They also perform background checks on all employees. Sex offenders aren’t forgiven, ever. But, no company can get their seal if they’ve committed a crime against a person (theft, kidnapping, etc) in the past seven years.

The phrase cavaet emptor originated in A.D. 1215 but it has never been more relevant than it is today. Buyers, beware. These are trying times and people are often out to make a quick buck. Many unemployable slackers are finding it easier to hang a shingle and rip off unsuspecting consumers than it is to stay gainfully employed with a larger company because they don’t want to play by the company rules. Consumers need to hang on to their pennies and spend them wisely. Make sure you choose a company you can trust who will be there when you need them and will always back up their work with a no-questions-asked money back guarantee.

Don’t Sweat, Call Bayonet!

Thanks for your loyal patronage: Kris Blankenship

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Indoor Air Quality: Why Testing Targets the Best Solutions

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

We’ve all read it before: indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. There are three principles to live by when it comes to indoor air quality: remove the source of the problem, filter out what is in the air, and dilute the contaminants with fresh, clean air. It’s not really rocket science. However, when you consider that our homes are built tighter than ever to be as energy smart as possible, the dilution part of the equation becomes a challenge. We’re just not introducing fresh air as much as we should.

Family members who have allergies, asthma, COPD, or compromised immune systems require indoor air quality that is as close to perfect as possible. There are myriad products and techonologies today to get the air in your home squeaky clean. Here’s the hard part: what is right for your home? What do you need? What will you have to spend to achieve perfect air for your family?

Don’t Sweat: Call Bayonet

We are one of the few companies who can actually TEST your indoor air and THEN propose a solution that addresses the problems that are in your air ! So many companies will just sell you the highest price item in their arsenal when you bring up the indoor air quality topic. But great indoor air is much more than a UV Bulb or Filter.

VOCs: the unknown culprit

VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are present in the air and can be harmful to lungs. Lennox’ s PureAir filter can cleanse the air thanks to the photocatalytic oxidation that the filter boasts. It’s a leader in the industry and a great innovation that will completely rid your home of all airborne odors and smells.

Particulant Problems

Many of us know that particulants are always present. These are the  mold spores, tiny particles, and pollen that float through the air stream. If you don’t have a filter doing the work for you, your body will have no choice but filter them out for you. That’s where allergies come in. Some people’s bodies react to these tiny particles as if they require combat. Instead of saying: “oh, that’s a harmless thing” some bodies say “yikes, attack!” and Boom! You have an allergic reaction. Adequate filtration removes these particles from your home’s air so your body won’t have to be a filter.

It’s the Humidity!

The third part of indoor air solutions that many companies never address is the humidity level. In Florida, we have major humidity swings. For most of the summer months, it is quite high. According to the American Lung Association, the ideal humidity level for human life is 55 percent. Why? Easy: that humidity level is not condusive to the development of molds, dust mites can not thrive or procreate, and irritating airborne gases don’t seem to aggravate us so easily. For many homeowners, the AC system isn’t sized properly or has inadequate returns, leading to humidity levels that range high most of the time. Thanks to innovations in air conditioning technology, we have many ways to cure the humidity problem from dual-speed systems to stand alone dehumidifcation systems (that run on only 6 amps of power) that can hit your target humidity all year long.

So What’s Wrong with YOUR Air?

Well, from this side of the computer, I don’t know. And a techinican standing in your living room or even one who has looked at your system truly doesn’t know either. BUT we can test it! Thanks to our system, we can install a device that will measure your home’s particulant levels, VOC levels, humidity, temperature and even carbon monoxide levels. It downloads the data to a computer in Oregon which then provides us with a report. Then, we can offer you a truly customized solution to give you the best indoor air quality you can get in your home, without breaking the bank.

Spend smart, breathe great air, and don’t fret: CALL BAYONET.

Mention this blog and get the smart IAQ test for $50…and we will take the amount of the testing off  of your IAQ solution! Through 9/1/2012.

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Water Quality! Part Two

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

There are several things in life that we take for granted. Water is very often one of them. Each of us uses this vital liquid, the most common substance on earth, everyday. And we rarely think twice about it.

However, the water we use for cooking, drinking, and countless other domestic tasks will quickly catch our attention when there is some sort of problem.

Fortunately, some of the most obvious water problems are also the easiest to solve. The problems in this blog are considered aesthetic and are not considered harmful to health, they do affect the look and taste of the water, and may cause it to be undrinkable by some people’s standards. Addressing these water quality problems is important. Issues such as taste and odor, color, and turbidity (cloudiness) are all aesthetic water problems, and all have relatively simple solutions.

In order to treat these problems, we must first look at their source. Water is known as the universal solvent. Before it reaches a consumer’s tap, it comes into contact with many different substances, such as gases, minerals, and organic matter. Water picks up traces of these substances, and unfortunately, some of them may cause taste, odor, color, or turbidity problems for the consumer.

Turbidity: Cloudy Water

At one time or another, most consumers have encountered water that appears cloudy or foggy. This characteristic is due to turbidity: the presence of finely divided solid particles in water. These particles may be inorganic mineral matter which does not dissolve, or organic matter that has been picked up as the water flows over and through the ground. The particles cause the scattering and absorption of light rays, which gives the water a cloudy appearance.

Whether turbidity is due to suspended organic or inorganic matter, it can cause staining of sinks and fixtures, and the discoloration of laundered fabrics. Inorganic turbidity can have an abrasive effect on plumbing systems and may cause physical wear or erosion on pipes and fittings. Turbidity is most commonly found at taps whose source is surface water from lakes, streams, or ponds. Treatment: filtration and water sanitizing is readily available.

Taste and Odor

Another set of problems that will quickly catch a consumer’s attention is objectionable tastes or odors present in water. These two senses appear to work in unison, which makes it difficult to separate taste and odor.

A common characteristic of water from public systems is the chlorine taste and odor, which is often quite noticeable. Many public water systems treat water with chlorine to disinfect it. Although this is an important step in the treatment of water because it destroys disease-producing bacteria and other harmful organisms that may be in present in water, there is no doubt that excess chlorine from the disinfection treatment step can make the water objectionable. A carbon-based filtration system can address this issue.

In other cases, water with a high mineral concentration may have an unpleasant soda or salty taste, and a metallic taste may be produced by the presence of iron or manganese in water.

Many people have also encountered water that contains hydrogen sulfide gas, which creates an objectionable odor. So-called “sulfur water” not only produces the obnoxious “rotten egg” odor, but is also corrosive to plumbing and can cause the rapid tarnishing of silver. Even very low concentrations of hydrogen sulfide are detectable because of the strong odor.

Various taste and odor conditions are caused by the presence of organic matter in water. Even when the amount of organic matter is very low, unusual tastes and odors such as musty, fishy, or earthy smells may be found.

Whatever your particulat water problem may be, Bayonet can provide a solution. Water can be “cleaned” using a chlorination or hydrogen peroxide based cleansing system, it can be filtered through many different types of media and we are happy to customize our filtration to meet your specific demands.

Don’t sweat, Call Bayonet !

 

Source: www.waq.org

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