Regular Heating and AC Maintenance Advantage #2

If you catch problems early you will end up spending much less on repairs or part replacements. When one of your part isn't functioning properly the rest of your machine may continue to work, but the parts will have to work harder to compensate which leads to extra wear and tear and reduced system performance.

Regular Heating and AC Maintenance Advantage #1

A technician not only checks to make sure all the parts of your heating or air conditioning system are working, but also for any potentially problematic wear and tear. They will replace any part that needs it, and repair any salvageable malfunctioning parts to ensure that there is no unexpected breakdown in the months between checkups.

Furnace Sounds to Look Out For

Sometimes you don't need a technician or to even look at your furnace to know there's something wrong. Sounds can be a pretty good indicator that something is going on under the hood, so here are some of the most common sounds and their respective possible problems:

Squealing
If your furnace squeals when it starts up, you should probably call for a service technician. It's not a major issue, but it's annoying and means that the blower belt or bearings have been worn out; which is a relatively quick fix.

Rattling
If you hear a rattling sound when your furnace is going it can be a very serious problem. It may just be a loose screw on a cover, but it can also indicate a problem with the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is responsible for heating the air that goes into your home and to exhaust the harmful combustion fumes, such as carbon monoxide, out of your home. You can imagine why having carbon monoxide in your home is a bad thing. So if you hear your furnace rattling don't hesitate to call right away, even if it could just be a loose screw; better safe than sorry.

Rumbling
If you have a fuel oil furnace and you hear or feel a rumbling when you start it up it could be a critical problem. The cause of this is unburned oil in the combustion chamber continuing to burn after the unit is off. This may also result in carbon monoxide leaking into your home.

Roaring
If your furnace erupts with a loud roaring sound it's a very bad sign. It means that there could be an uneven mixture of fuel and air.

If your experiencing any of these sounds or have any other concerns or questions about your furnace: don't panic! Furnaces should be serviced once a year at least, so call us today.

Common Problems Your Boiler Can Encounter.

Even if your boiler is running just fine now it can't hurt to know what can go wrong. Here are 3 of the most common problems Boilers will run into:

No Power
If the boiler has seemingly shut down at random, check the emergency fuel switch. This can get turned off accidentally, or perhaps someone goofed and forgot to turn it back on after maintenance.  Then check the controls and pressure gauge for their correct settings, check the owner's manual if you have to. Finally, check the fuse box for a blown fuse if you still don't have power. If none of these steps worked it may be time to call a technician.

Faulty Thermostat
If your boiler doesn't seem to be heating up adequately, and it has power, make sure it has the right settings first, and then check to see if it just needs to be turned up a few degrees. If not, you may have a bad thermostat, or something worse! Best just to call a technician and get it taken care of.

Clogged Pipes
Boilers have a series a pipes that run from the boiler unit to the hydronic radiant system. When there's a clog your boiler may stop heating adequately, sometimes stopping entirely. This can be a symptom of a sediment that hasn't been flushed or something else, either way you'll want to get a hold of a technician for diagnosis and repair.

If you encounter any of these problems, or have any other Boiler or HVAC related needs or questions, give us a call today!

A Humidifier Can Help You Get the Best Indoor Air Quality This Winter

Are you suffering from dry skin, sinus problems or other respiratory problems? Then the air in your home may be dried out from your heater keeping you warm. Aside from it's effect on you, air that is too dry can also damage wood floor and furnishings. But not to worry, a whole-home humidifier can fix that right up!

A whole-home humidifier can be installed with your existing heating system. They are more efficient than room humidifiers because you gain access to full moisture control throughout your whole home rather than a couple areas with room humidifiers. Not only that, but room humidifiers are a hassle to maintain and can add excessive moisture to the air, running the risk of mold.

Additionally you'll be less likely to turn up the thermostat since humid air feels warmer than dry air. Efficiency!

So what are you waiting for? Call us today with any questions regarding whole-home humidifiers and installation requests!

Some Winter Weatherization Tips by Preservation Magazine

Check out this short video brought to you by Preservation Magazine; Quick and easy money saving tips!

What to Consider Before Scheduling a Heater Installation

Say you saw our last post and decided it was time to upgrade your old heating system, but you don’t know how to look for a system that’s right for you and your home. There are definitely a lof of things to consider, so here are a couple of the most important things to look out for when you’re upgrading your heating system.

System Size

Find out what size unit is best suited for your home’s needs; anything more or less could compromise the success of your system. Here are some common problems that can result from your system being the wrong size for your home.

• Short Cycling - This is when your heating system turns on, quickly heats up your home, then shuts off. When your home cools down again, your system will flick back on for a short time to get your home heated up again, then turns back off in no time. The short on-off cycle greatly reduces your systems efficiency and causes unnecessarily high amounts of wear.
• Uneven Heating - If your heating system is the wrong size your home may be overly heated in some places, and too cold in others.
• Reduced Efficiency - In addition to short cycling reducing your systems efficiency, the size of your ductwork will play a role in your energy efficiency as well. If you home's ducts are too big or too small for your system, then the heater will have to work harder to circulate the air through them.

Efficiency Rating

This can be confusing for homeowners. There are a lot of different efficiency ratings and it can be difficult to work through all the jargon and figure out what it all means. Here are a couple of the more common ones to get you started:

• Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) - The AFUE rating measures how efficient the system turns fuel into usable heat. Some older furnaces have AFUE ratings of 60% which means that approximately 40% of the fuel used is wasted. Modern furnaces have AFUE ratings upward of 95%!
• Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) - Typically HSPF ratings are used to measure the efficiency of heat pumps. It's measured by taking the total heat output over a heating season divided by how much energy it used.

If you need help figuring out what size system is best for you, advice about energy efficiency, a system installation, or any other HVAC questions, give us a call today!

Is it time to replace that old heating system?

Think back to last winter and how your system handled the cold. Was it all fine and well, or did your system struggle to keep you warm and comfortable? If the latter, it’s likely you’re in for the same sort of performance this year and it may be time to replace your heating system.

If your system is over 15 years old then you should definitely consider upgrading; not only will your current furnace not keep you as warm as modern ones, it is also far less energy efficient and will end up costing your more in the long run! We offer ENERGY STAR^® furnaces with over 95 percent energy efficiency!

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy recommends replacing the following heater models:

• Old coal burners that have been converted to oil or gas.
• Old gas heaters without electronic ignition. If your heating system has a pilot light, it was likely installed prior to 1992, before the new energy efficiency standards came out. Heaters this old typically have efficiency levels of about 65 percent, while the least efficient systems today are 80 percent.
• Old gas heaters without vent dampers or induced draft fans. Draft fans, which limit the flow of heated air up the chimney when the heating system is off, allow you to retain more heat within your home.

If you have had a new system installed recently and it’s not working as expected or making strange noises, have it inspected and repaired. But if you system is old, 15 or more years old especially, you’re better off having it replaced with a new high-efficiency heating system.