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Cozy Newsletter
Cozy Newsletter
CorcoranHeating.com 24/7 Emergency Service: (847) 397-5888
Monthly Notes:
Monthly
Awareness
JULY 2014
National Blueberry Month
National Anti-Boredom Month
Unlucky Month for weddings
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
We decided to celebrate the above mentioned
holiday by indulging you with a little HVAC
201. A capacitor is a passive two-three termi-
nal electrical component used to store energy.
If youre still reading this your air conditioning
system and most motors have as many as three
capacitors and at least one. During our routine
maintenance and service calls the capacitors
are physically and electrically inspected.
Tis little known and ofen forgotten com-
ponent of your air conditioning system has a
big impact on equipment performance and
system life expectancy. Capacitors regulate the
electrical fow through your compressor and
fan motors.
Some systems have Start Capacitors:
Start capacitors provide extra
power to the start winding of
a compressor and a relay dis-
engages the capacitor afer the
motor is running. A properly
designed start capacitor helps
to also ensure the motor can handle being
started or stopped and started back up again in
short intervals. Tese components are checked
for proper microfarad and voltages during
maintenance to ensure proper operation. Over
time these components do lose their abilities
and may need replacement. Running these
components at low readings can cause harm to
your system.
Some systems have Run Capacitors:
Older systems have one capac-
itor for the compressor, one for
the fan motor. Tese capacitors
have two terminals. Tese
components regulate power,
but remain in the circuit afer
the compressor or motor starts.
As opposed to only operating during the start
up like a start capacitor does. Run capacitors
ensure a steady state of power as the compo-
nents operate. We also check the microfarad
levels and voltages on these caps as we perform
our annual maintenance visits. And just like
start capacitors these components will lose the
MPGs, so to say, and may need replacement.
Some systems have Dual Run Capacitors:
Tese capacitors have three terminals, one for
the fan, one for the compressor and a third
for the incoming power. As you can guess by
this point, yes, we do check these for proper
operation during maintenance visits. Our sug-
gestions for changing any of these components
is based on current performance, readings and
general appearance.
How do you know what you have?
Well, depending on your equipment styles and
manufacturers, each situation is unique. How-
ever, any properly trained technician should be
able to explain how your system is set up, and
if there are any current voltage or performance
issues.
How do you protect your equipment?
Te best place to start is with changing the
flter regularly, seriously. A clean flter helps all
equipment work well. Secondly, make sure you
keep up with your maintenance and have all of
your components checked. If your capacitors
are weak be proactive and replace them before
they leave you without air conditioning.
Another proactive step is
by installing a hard-start
kit to assist with short-
ening the starting time
it takes for your com-
pressor to kick on. By
reducing the time and stress it takes it not only
helps extend equipment life, but also, helps
reduce electrical usage. Te compressor startup
of a unit uses about 5-10x more energy than
when the system is running. By addressing this
with a hard start kit you can reduce that by 1/2
in most cases.
Power outages and voltage
spikes also have an efect on
electrical components such
as contactors and capaci-
tors. In many cases we are
installing surge protectors
on air conditioning units
to help of-set issues in homes that ofen lose
power. No it is not as simple as going to the
store and buying a surge protector power strip,
however it is the same simple idea. Electrical
equipment does not like extreme voltage dips
and spikes, and surge protectors help ensure
these components do not fail due to such is-
sues. I hope this information has been helpful.
CUBS
1-2 @ RED SOX
4-6 @ NATIONALS
7-10 @ REDS
11-13 BRAVES
15 ALL-STAR
GAME
18-20 @ DBACKS
22-24 PADRES
25-27 CARDINALS
28-31 ROCKIES
WHITE SOX
1-2 ANGELS
4-6 MARINERS
7-10 @ RED SOX
11-13 @ INDIANS
15 ALL-STAR
GAME
18-20 ASTROS
21-23 ROYALS
24-27 @ TWINS
29-31 @ TIGERS
1st - Canada Day
2nd - I Forgot Day
4th - Independence Day
4th - National Country Music Day
11th - World Population Day
13th - Embrace Your Geekness Day
14th - Bastille Day
16th - Fresh Spinach Day
18th - National Caviar Day- some
things fshy here
20th - Ugly Truck Day- its a guy
thing
22nd - Hammock Day
23rd - National Hot Dog Day
25th - Culinarians Day
25th - Treading the Needle Day
26th - All or Nothing Day
27th - Take Your Pants for a Walk
Day
29th - National Lasagna Day
30th - National Cheesecake Day
31st - Mutts Day
In Honor of Embrace Your Geekness Day
24/7 Emergency Service: (847) 397-5888
info@CorcoranHeating.com 2
How to solve:
To solve a Sudoku, you only need logic
and patience. No math is required. Simply
make sure that each 3x3 square region
has a number between 1-9 with only one
occurrence of each number. Each column
and row of the large grid may only have
one instance of 1-9.
This round of contest coupons are already
fying out the door! Everyone who sends us
their raving fan testimonial or refers us to
friends and family are already being entered
into the next drawing. To enter, simply refer
us to a friend/relative/neighbor. Be sure that
anyone you pass along to us communicates
that YOU were involved in the referral. For
further assurance of your entry, send us
a note with the name of the referred. You
can also enter the drawing by submitting a
testimonial of how happy you are with our
work. Either way, it takes only a few minutes
to enter. You can just drop us a line at: info@
corcoranheating.com. One ticket is given for
each testimonial or referral; ten tickets for every
raving fan video. You determine your odds of
winning, as there is no limit to entry tickets -
plus - every referral nets YOU a gift as well!
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S UDOK U BRE AK
CONTEST CORNER
l d
I found this neat information on Smithsonian.
com in doing some research for this months
newsletter. I learned a lot of interesting things
I had not previously known about freworks,
and thought I some of you might enjoy them
as well.
1) Te Chinese used frecrackers to scare of
mountain men.
Some ancient scholars believe that the Chinese
discovered bamboo that was heated for too
long would eventually burst. Tis bust gave
of a bang. Villagers used this to their advan-
tage to help scare of large mountain men and
intruders.
2) Te invention of freworks led to the in-
vention of pyrotechnic weaponry - not the
other way around.
It is believed that between 600 and 900 CE. Te
Chinese accidentally mixed a compound that
later turned out to be what we know refer to as
gun powder. Tis accidental accomplishment
was discovered in an attempt to fnd an elixir
to bring immortality. Seems kind of ironic...
Later military engineers came along and used
this mixture to create weaponry.
3) Fireworks are just chemical reactions.
A frework requires three key components:
an oxidizer, fuel, and a chemical mixture to
produce the color.
4) Specifc elements produce specifc colors.
5) China may have invented the frework,
but Italy invented the aerial shell (and
also made freworks colorful).
In the 1830s Italian pyrotechnicians discov-
ered that building the freworks into a ice
cream cone shape they could create the aerial
displays we have come to know today. Tey
also discovered that by adding diferent metal-
lic chemicals they could create diferent colors
in the frework displays.
6) Marco Polo probably wasnt the frst to
bring gunpowder to Europe.
It is believed that despite Chinas best eforts
to control which neighbors had gun powder,
it did eventually make its way through the
middle east via the silk road.
7) Boom! Hiss! Crack! Some frework
recipes include sound elements.
8) Fireworks are poisonous.
It makes sense really, stick a few diferent
chemicals into a tube and them cause them
explode into the atmosphere. Go fgure this
is not great for only those around it, but the
environment as a whole.
9) You cant recycle freworks.
Tis goes directly with the previous point.
Most of these chemical compounds can not be
recycled.
10) Dont worry, chemists are developing more
environmentally friendly frework recipes.
Groups have already found various com-
pounds that are safer for the environment than
compounds that have been the standard. Te
Army is also using these safer compounds
for things like signal fares, and even rocket
population.
photo: Today.com
11) Americans have been setting of freworks
to celebrate their independence since
1777, at least.
12) Fireworks arent for everybody.
Especially if you ask Lindsey and my dog
Murphy. He does his best to hide upstairs in
the dark hallway. He sees it as being as far away
form the lights and bangs as possible. He also
uses this spot during thunderstorms.
13) Fireworks are dangerous (DUH!)
Tis interesting fact does not end much expla-
nation!
14) Fireworks have been used in pranks for
centuries.
Te Society for the Suppression of Unneces-
sary Noise has been the largest proponent for
regulations by states against frework posses-
sion and use. Most states have a general ban of
aerial freworks, or possession of certain types
by the general public. As is the case in our
State of Illinois. And yes, the Society for the
Suppression of Unnecessary Noise was a real
thing, and did have a few small accomplish-
ments.
Facts provided by: smithsonianmag.com
14 Fun Facts About Fireworks
COOKING CORNER: Janets Spinach Lasagna
In honor of National Spinach Day 7/16 and National Lasagna Day 7/29.
Ingredients:
(2) jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
(1) carrot
(1/2 tsp.) Oregano
(9) cooked Lasagna Noodles
(16 oz.) Ricotta Cheese
(1 pkg.) Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
and well drained
(2) eggs
(1 1/2 cups) Thinly sliced zucchini
(1 cup) sliced fresh mushrooms
(3 cups) part skim milk shredded mozzarella
(1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Mix carrots, oregano, and spaghetti sauce together. Mix Ricotta, spinach, and
eggs together in a separate bowl. Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of
9 x 13 in. baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/2 remaining sauce, 1/2 Ri-
cotta mixture, 1/2 sliced zucchini, 1/2 sliced mushrooms, 1/2 mozzarella, and
1/2 Parmesan. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients. Bake in 350 degree
oven for about 45 minutes.

rella
24/7 Emergency Service: (847) 397-5888
CorcoranHeating.com 3
A DOGS WORLD
Well I hope everyone is enjoying this great
weather as much as I am. It is so nice getting
to spend so much time running around the back
yard, and lounging on the deck. I do however have
just one complaint. Enough with all these thunder-
storms already!
I am not sure if you have a pet as absolutely
terried of thunderstorms as I am, but it is no
picnic for us when the thunder rolls in. There is no
good place for us to escape to and hide. My go to
spot at the new house is at the top of the stairs,
or in Jacks room if the door is open. I gure if
I am as close to the baby as possible I should
be safe. It is hard to comprehend how soundly
With consumers today having mul-
tiple devices such as phones, tablets,
computers, etc. it is a great time to
look at what happens to them as we
upgrade. Te importance of recy-
cling these devices as well as basically
anything that has electronics or circuit
boards inside. Our state in particular
has one of the strictest policies on
what can be trashed and what must be
e-cycled as it is being called.
Te risks of not having such strict pol-
icies is the dumping of toxic chemicals
into the landflls, and exposing it to
the environment. Our electronics are
flled with precious and rare metals
that are not meant to be disposed of
in standard practices. Not to mention
how low energy intensive it is to in
fact properly recycle electronic prod-
ucts. As well as the yields of e-cycling
these products.
According to Electronics TakeBake Co-
alition: Recycling 1 million cell phones
can recover:
- 50 lbs of gold
- 550 lbs of silver
- 20 lbs of palladium
- 20,000 lbs of copper
Where can you e-cycle?
Check with your local municipality,
most have drop of bins at one of
their buildings.
Retailers, most big box electronic
stores you can buy electronic from,
also allow you to recycle there.
Check with your current garbage
company.
Online sites, use at your own risk,
but there are plenty of sites willing
to buy your old phones, tablets,
laptops. Check them out it is usu-
ally free to you, and can make you
money.
everyone in my house sleeps as soundly as they do
but it is really unfair. As for those reworks
everyone keeps talking about, I remember last
year, and it was terrifying. So I guess I have
that to look forward to...
Well until my next article... - Murphy
And The Winner Is....
Ross Neag was the recipient of a brand
new TREK bike.
Ross works at Domicile Consulting and
specializes in home inspections and ener-
gy audits. For more information about his
services check out:
http://domicileconsulting.com
(312) 488-1461
E-Cycling : Its now a
law, and why it matters
,, '' .'
Cozy Newsletter
Cozy Newsletter
CorcoranHeating.com 24/7 Emergency Service: (847) 397-5888
johns Two Cents
PG.1
Honor National Geekness Day!
Sports Corner
Unique Holidays & Monthly Awareness
PG. 2
14 Fun Facts About Fireworks
Sudoku Break
Contest Corner
PG. 3
Cooking Corner: Jans Spinach Lasagna
Random Humor: Someecard
Dogs World: Quick note from Murphy
Lucky for all you fne readers out there I
get two months in a row.
As you may recall last month was a big
one at our household, one it is new to us,
two Jack turned
1, and three it was
my frst fathers
day. To celebrate
with young Jack on
his frst birthday
the wife and I
took him down
to Navy Pier and
to the Childrens
Museum. Very neat
little place for kids,
kind of hectic, but
Jack enjoyed all the kids running around.
He likes to stair at and interact with other
kids anywhere he can.
We also got a few good ideas of household
things i can build or put together that Jack
would love. He seemed to really enjoy the
bolts, handles, and PVC pipes. Go fgure
we buy all these kids toys, and I could
have just perused the shop for supplies. I
am happy with my little list of DIY toys I
can build.
Te month of June seemed to really fy
by, just like most summer months I guess.
It was fun getting to spend a little time
with some memebers of the Corcoran
family for fathers day. I included the
updated 4 generations of Corcoran photo
for everyone to see. What a diference for
the last photo, just with how fast Jack is
growing up.
I am also exceited
to be able to relay
some of my home
improvement
changes as we
break in the new
house. People are
always curious
about what we
use and rely on in
our own homes.
We have recently changed out all of the
internal HVAC components. Te only
thing that remains was a condensing unit
only about 6 years old or so. It is in decent
shape, and shockingly the right tonnage.
For the internal components I went with
the two-stage variable speed furnace, a
standard A coil, power humidifer, 5
media air flter, RGF germacidal lamp
and energy recovery ventilator (ERV). I
went with this setup to continually bring
fresh air into the home, continually flter
and circulate the air, as well as treat the
air born particulates. I will continue to
relay results about improvemenets and
functionality. In the mean time have a
great summer!
Talk soon! - John
In This Issue:
2137 Hammond Dr.,
Schaumburg, IL 60173
info@corcoranheating.com
CorcoranHeating.com
(847) 397-5888