Aside from the energy and cost savings that a programmable thermostat can offer, are you looking for another reason to upgrade your home’s HVAC thermostat? We have a good one for you.
For many years, thermostats utilized mercury switches to help maintain temperatures inside a building and it would trigger the HVAC system to adjust the temperature as necessary. You’ll know if your thermostat contains a mercury switch if you remove its cover and see clear glass tubes that contain a silver liquid. If your home was built before 2008, there’s a good chance it contains a mercury thermostat. In fact, the state of Ohio outlawed the sale of mercury thermostats in April of 2008.
Even though the typical mercury thermostat only contains approximately 2.5 and 10 grams of mercury, it can be extremely hazardous to all inhabitants of your house if the mercury happens to leak out. This is especially true if there are young children or women of child-bearing age living in the house; mercury can cripple development of the brain and nervous system.
The perfect time to upgrade your thermostat is right now when the seasons are changing. Consider talking to your HVAC contractor about installing a mercury-free programmable thermostat during your pre-heating season HVAC maintenance visit.
The bonus is that a programmable thermostat, while being safer than an old-school thermostat, also will help save energy, by not heating your home to a full comfort level when nobody’s at home during the day.
If you are concerned that you may have a thermostat in your home that contains mercury, please contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services Inc. We serve both residential and commercial customers in the Dayton and Springfield areas. Our experienced team can help you to upgrade your thermostat to a solution that you will feel comfortable with that will not compromise the well-being of your family.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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