Healthy Humidity

Selling Dehumidifiers: Let Recalls Be Your Foot in the Door!

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Earlier this year we rolled out our 2019 Dehumidifier Promotion. Since we saw the success our contractor partners were having with the tools and tips we offered last year, we thought, “Why mess with a good thing?”

Not only do we offer moisture analysis tools, we have ones focused on the recall of smaller capacity dehumidifiers — the kind you find in a big box store. (Hopefully not the kind you find in a second-hand store!) We’re happy we kept those in because we just had an incident involving one such unit causing damage to a home right in our backyard.

The Proverbial Ticking Time Bomb

Two weeks ago, the Madison Fire Department issued a press release in response to a recent incident reminding homeowners of the obvious: be extra careful with these things! Now the fire dept.’s advice was don’t use an extension cord to plug these units in and don’t hook up a drain hose to them in order to minimize the risk of failure.

The homeowner that had their dehumidifier start on fire is alive, thankfully. The extent of the damage is shown at left, and according to the press release, resulted in $85,000 worth of damage. The homeowner had to evacuate due to the smoke and toxic fumes caused by the dehumidifier cabinet melting. They can’t reenter their home until remediation makes the home and its air suitable to live and breathe again.

What the fire department maybe didn’t know was that they shouldn’t be advising homeowners to use these things at all! By looking at our recall tools, there are no shortage of units that have been recalled — many of which could still be in homes today. And that’s not to mention the units currently on shelves. There’s little to no guarantee that we know of that those units aren’t capable of causing massive damage.

Offering the Safest Dehumidification Option

The upside to all of this is that YOU can have productive conversations with customers that could save them LOTS of money in repairs and remediation, as well as save their family’s lives. This local homeowner was lucky that their life wasn’t put in immediate danger, but everyone knows that the house fires caused by these units can be both unpredictable and deadly.

Bob Hutchison, President of Accu-Temp in Howell, MI, was kind enough to spare a couple minutes out of his busy day to talk about selling dehumidifiers using recall info. He also tells us just how important using a whole-home dehumidifier in your own home is in terms of selling it to customers. In other words: feeling IS believing.

Get The Tools to Make The Sales

Before you visit another home with your eyes peeled for these terrible devices, make sure you go in armed with the knowledge and tools to make a homeowner understand the value and peace of mind a whole-home dehumidifier will bring them:

Foreign-Made Dehumidifier Recall (Form 918) – Best fit as a dealer reference, download this piece and give it to every member of your team that makes house calls so that they can identify a recalled model. All recalled model numbers are listed.
Dehumidifier Recall Safety Check (Form 917, excerpted above) – This piece, and the tri-fold listed below, are designed to be provided to homeowners so they have a reference of the recalled models and how to identify them. Hand these out to anyone and everyone in your service area!
Dehumidifier Recall Tri-Fold Tool (Form 930) – Summarizes the recalled models, how to identify one in the home, and provides reasons why an AprilAire dehumidifier performs better than a dangerous off-the-shelf model.

As an AprilAire Partner, you can these order dehumidifier recall tools for FREE (don’t forget the aforementioned form numbers for easy ordering). Speaking of free, Partner membership is just that: free. Join today and order your tools today too!

Healthy Clean Air | Healthy Fresh Air

The Growing Need for HVAC Solutions in the Face of Allergy Season

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As an HVAC contractor, you’re no stranger to the challenges posed by seasonal allergies for your homeowners. However, what you may not realize is that the worsening allergy season is not just a personal inconvenience but a symptom of a larger issue—climate change.

 

With temperatures rising consistently year after year, pollen seasons are becoming longer and more intense. Recent studies indicate a significant shift in the duration and intensity of allergy seasons, with pollen counts soaring to record levels.

 

Amidst these changing environmental conditions, homeowners are seeking relief. As an HVAC contractor, you can offer solutions beyond conventional symptom management. By providing tailored HVAC systems and services, you can help homeowners adapt their indoor environment to minimize the impact of allergens.

 

Addressing the Root Cause

While medications offer temporary relief, they fail to address the underlying issue of Indoor Air Quality. You can implement solutions that tackle the root cause of allergies—poor IAQ.

 

Temporary allergy relief is neither sustainable nor cost-effective for homeowners – spending up to $16,000 on treatments in their lifetime, there’s a clear need to shift focus toward addressing the root cause. By advocating for proactive solutions like Healthy Air, homeowners can invest in long-term relief from allergy symptoms while ensuring the health and productivity of everyone in the home, all while avoiding the financial strain of continuous temporary treatment.

 

Ready to Deliver Healthy Air?

What key steps can you take to reduce seasonal allergy symptoms for homeowners and protect them from the dangers of poor Indoor Air Quality? Discover our top Healthy Air solutions:

 

AprilAire Whole-House Fresh Air Ventilation

Indoor air is often five times more polluted than the air outside. With an AprilAire Whole-House Fresh Air Ventilation System, airborne contaminants in the home can be diluted as it brings fresh air into the home.

 

AprilAire Whole-House Air Purification

Designed to trap and eliminate common airborne pollutants, like pollen and dust, an AprilAire Whole-House Air Purifier protects the home while extending the life of their current HVAC system.

 

AprilAire MERV 16 Air Filters

Install the gold standard of air filters! AprilAire MERV 16 Air Filters clear the air by capturing up to 99%* of allergy and asthma triggers.

 

AprilAire is Healthy Air

As HVAC contractors, you’re on the front lines of ensuring our homes are havens of clean air. With longer and stronger allergy seasons predicted, the American Lung Association emphasizes that climate change is a significant health emergency. Not only are allergy seasons getting worse, but wildfires and flooding are making it even more difficult to maintain clean air indoors.

 

Despite these challenges, you can help homeowners take crucial steps to protect their homes, families, and budgets. AprilAire whole-house Healthy Air solutions not only enhance Indoor Air Quality but also offer these transformative benefits:

 

  • Better sleep
  • Reduced illness
  • Alleviated allergies
  • Increased home value
  • Improved energy efficiency

 

Contact your local AprilAire distributor to order AprilAire Healthy Air solutions. Need help locating your AprilAire distributor? Visit our distributor locator.

 

*Contaminants removed based on air passing through the filtering system.

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AprilAire, the Leader in Healthy Air Solutions, Reduces by 66% Environmental Impact of Dehumidifiers

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MADISON, Wis. (March 25, 2024) – AprilAire, the leader in whole-house Healthy Air solutions, announces it is once again advancing its Dehumidifier lineup to be more intuitive, easy to connect, simple to use and maintain, and environmentally friendly.

 

Customers fuel the AprilAire passion to continually raise the bar. In 2024, AprilAire is excited to phase in the following new features and benefits to its market-leading Dehumidifier product offering:

 

First, and most significantly, AprilAire is upgrading the refrigerant in its Dehumidifiers to reduce by 66% the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of all the models in its lineup. The transition to R32 is underway and projected to wrap up across the full product line by year-end.

 

Look for this seal on AprilAire Dehumidifier packaging to indicate the product is more environmentally friendly and contains the refrigerant R32.

 

 

In addition, AprilAire continues to make its Dehumidifiers easier to use and maintain by eliminating the On/Off switch in non-hardwired models, as well as introducing a new, tool-less filter door in the E080 and E100 models.

 

“Customers will continue to experience the same superior product performance and reliability they have come to expect from AprilAire Dehumidifiers. By providing a more environmentally friendly product, we strengthen our brand leverage in the whole-home category and retain our position as the leader in delivering best-in-class Healthy Air solutions to dehumidify homes,” said Katie Zagorski, AprilAire Senior Product Manager, Dehumidification.

 

About AprilAire

 

AprilAire is on a mission to make homes healthy. We believe everyone deserves Healthy Air and envision a future with Healthy Air in every home. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin since 1954, AprilAire has been creating and delivering Healthy Air solutions to manage air purity, humidity, fresh air supply, temperature, and mitigate radon and viruses in all types of homes, and all environments. We have an unparalleled reputation as the brand of choice among tens of thousands of professional contractors and make a Healthy Air difference in the lives of the millions of families who rely on our products every day. To learn how to turn a house into a Healthy Home with the AprilAire Healthy Air System® visit www.aprilaire.com.

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An Update on Indoor Air Quality from the Project Sustainability Podcast

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As a contractor, you know that Indoor Air Quality is a hot topic these days. With more and more people spending time indoors, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the air inside homes and businesses for your customers is as clean as possible. The Project Sustainability Podcast is here to help.

 

Hosted by a team of experts in sustainability and environmentalism, the Project Sustainability Podcast aims to educate and entertain listeners about a wide range of topics related to the environment. Their episode, “An Update on Indoor Air Quality,” features AprilAire Senior Training and Development Manager of AprilAire Academy Chris Howells participating in a discussion on the many factors that can affect the air quality inside our homes and buildings.

 

From volatile organic compounds to particulate matter to the impact of the air in the home on your customers’ pets, Chris and Project Sustainability’s Peggy Smedley cover a broad range of information and provide an engaging, enjoyable conversation on environmental issues and Indoor Air Quality.

 

This episode offers valuable insights into how you can continue to improve the air quality in your customers’ homes as well as practical tips for choosing the right air cleaner for different spaces and advice on how to improve ventilation and humidity control. Chris also emphasizes the importance of taking a holistic approach to Indoor Air Quality—there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and a combination of different strategies may be needed depending on the specific circumstances of the home and its location. For contractors, this is an important reminder that improving Indoor Air Quality requires a nuanced understanding of the unique needs of each client.

 

Tune in for a resource to stay informed on the latest trends and best practices in Indoor Air Quality plus the impact on the HVAC industry. If you are looking to stay ahead of the curve and provide the best possible service to your clients, give the Project Sustainability Podcast a listen today.