Quite often when our customers are interested in purchasing a water softener we get the question "How do they work?" I decided to focus on this topic in a blog to help you understand the process. But first we should start off with an explanation of what hard water is?

Hard water is when regular ground water has picked up minerals from the earth, mainly Calcium minerals from limestone in the ground where wells are drilled that supply our water to our homes. In time these minerals can then clog pipes in the home as the water flows through them. The minerals can also form a sticky scum on sinks, bathtubs, & leaves glass items and dishes spotty because hard water does not allow soap to properly dissolve therefore leaving a undesirable residue on everything it comes in contact with.

Another point that most people don't realize is that hard water also causes your utility bills to rise be higher by up to 23% due to the fact that your hot water tank uses more fuel to heat your water when you have hard water residue known as "Scale" built up on the inside of your Hot water tank! The good news is that all of these issues can be resolved by simply using a water softener in your home.

Every year around this time we hear the same word that always seems to be buzzing about; Allergies. Sometimes you do not know the exact cause to them except that something outside or believe it or not inside seems to be giving you trouble.

At Ardent we often get asked "Is there anything you can do to help eliminate or reduce my allergies?" Well at Ardent we offer many options, my favourite is the whole house dual virus and micro filtration system. This system works by removing and destroying allergens, lung damaging atmospheric dust, biological (virus, flu's. germs and bacteria), chemical contaminants & much more.

It works in stages the first one being the carbon pre filter where hair, lint, or larger items are filtered out of the air. Then it travels through a HEPA media filter that removes 99.9% of everything in the air down to a very small 0.3 micron, items such as pollen, dust, pet dander, smoke (from cooking or smoking) etc.

The difference between a home inspector and an licenced HVAC inspector: I don't ever recommend buying a house without getting a home inspection, most of the companies are good at what they do and can save you a ton of money in the end by finding things that you otherwise might not have seen or have the expertise to know. However Home inspectors are just trained to see what problems are in the house and are not qualified, trained, licenced or insured to check a heating system or cooling system... They are not even allowed to touch these systems so if you want to know if the air conditioner or Furnace is in good shape and doesn't need to be repaired or replaced then a simple HVAC inspection by a licenced technician that usually costs under 100.00 will be good piece of mind.

We live in a country with four different seasons; spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each one has its own personalities. During spring time everything is blooming and it is like life is being brought back into Barrie. Summer is the time to enjoy outdoor activities with your family and friends. Fall is alive with wonderful colours and many festivals and fairs.Finally, winter is our coldest season and we can enjoy some of our favourite sports like hockey and ice skating. Lately though our weather has not been the same as it has been in the past. After doing some research I found a comparison from Februarys in the past to February 2012 and I was completely shocked at what I found. In the past the high for average temperature has been -2 degrees and recently our temperature has been in the positives where days have been 10, 11, 12 degrees or higher!

When it comes to your heating system, you really cannot go wrong with proper annual maintenance (furnace repair, mainentance & cleaning). While it may seem like an unnecessary expense, especially if your systems are relatively new, you will save a lot in the long run if you pay that small fee once a year for each system.

During a maintenance visit, a technician can thoroughly clean out your heating or cooling system and check all parts to make sure they are not showing signs of excessive wear and tear. If they do find a problem or a part that needs to be replaced, they will be able to make the necessary repairs quickly and you will not have to worry about calling someone out later for a costly emergency furnace repair visit in the middle of the night or when its -25 degrees below and you have no heat!

Also, catching problems early like this means that furnace repairs will likely involve fewer parts and cost much less than they would if you let the problem go and it became more widespread. The truth is that your heating system can continue to work when one or another of its parts is not working correctly, but...

Do You Realize the Importance of Consuming Purified Water Instead of Tap Water?

Tap water is filled with multiple types of impurities such as synthetic chemicals, toxic heavy metals, parasites, chlorines, chloramines, and thousands more compounds that can threaten your health. Consuming tap water on a daily basis can be devastating for your body.

The EPA has reported estimating 9,300 cases annually in North America where bladder cancer has been a direct result by consumption of chlorinated by-products. That means that people drinking tap water have a slightly higher risk to obtain cancer in their lifetime then those who are drinking purified water.

Spring Air Conditioner Maintenance Guide

Prepare Your A/C Unit Before the Heat Rolls In

Spring can be a hectic time for a homeowner, but the annual air conditioner check up should never be left out of the (endless) to-do list of maintenance chores of the responsible homeowner. Unfortunately, most of us wait until the first heat wave to crank the old air conditioning unit, and more often than not, an unpleasant surprise awaits those who procrastinate. Local air conditioning contractors are busy during the hottest months, so to get in on the most convenient service and best air conditioning repair discounts, time your service call between March and May

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Central Air Conditioner 7 Point Check List

1. Physically inspect the surroundings of the air conditioning unit. Cut down shrubs and weeds, along with other plants that have sprung up around the unit. This essential step ensures that the unit will manage to suck in sufficient amounts of outside air to cool and blow inside the house.
2. Turn on the air conditioning unit on the first day that the temperature hits 16-18 degrees in April or May, and let it run for about 60 minutes. Detecting problems and scheduling proper air conditioning repairs and even replacing a faulty unit will be painless when it is still relatively cool outside and HVAC companies are not running around from house to house tackling emergency calls.
3. Check the air filter, and change it if necessary. Some air filters may need to be replaced every year, whereas permanent air filters only require annual cleaning for...
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Yes that's right, If you have received your Ontario Energy Audit you have until march 31st to get your all your projects done and proved by your second energy home audit. For those of you that have not yet had an energy audit and want to get in on the grants you will have to act quickly.

If you're in Barrie, Innisfil, Angus, Oro or anywhere close to those areas and you are looking to do a heating or Air conditioning or tankless water heater project, we can help you and set up a quick Home Audit to get you registered but as long as it's before the 30th of March 2011.

We would like to re-iterate that the 2011 HEATING & COOLING INCENTIVE does not provide incentives for heat pumps or geothermal heat pump systems, air handlers, or programmable thermostats. Central air conditioning systems which meet the minimum SEER & EER ratings as per the ENERGY STAR requirements, will qualify for the cooling incentives. ECM equipped, fully variable, high efficiency furnaces that are natural gas, propane, oil or electric (marketed and sold as electric furnaces), qualify for the heating incentive under the HEATING & COOLING INCENTIVE. As these system listings are provided to HRAI by the manufacturer directly, if you suspect that a piece of equipment should be considered for the incentive, please forward any inquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will attempt to have it confirmed and added as soon as possible.