March 7, 2016
Every furnace contains an air filter, which is installed in the return duct for the system. This filter is designed to capture any dust or other debris that might make it into the system and damage it. The filter is quite good at protecting the system, but it must be cleaned every few months in Continued…
February 29, 2016
Humidity is often reviled as a negative thing by people, and it’s sort of an earned reputation. Hot days become considerably less comfortable when it’s humid out, after all. However, a certain amount of humidity is necessary to keep you healthy. If your air is chronically dry, you should actually take steps to correct it. Continued…
February 22, 2016
We still have a ways to go before winter is over, and that means that you’re probably still relying on your furnace to keep you warm on a daily basis. So, it’s more than a little inconvenient if your furnace isn’t actually heating as well as it should be. There are a couple of different Continued…
February 15, 2016
Boilers have a well-earned reputation for being sturdy systems, especially compared to other heater types. This is primarily due to having fewer moving parts than other heating systems, which means fewer ways for things to go wrong. Problems do occur from time to time, however, just like any other system. If you want your boiler Continued…
February 1, 2016
When searching for a new heating system, especially furnaces, people tend to disregard one of the most important qualities of a prospective system: its size. The size of a furnace is just as important to its efficiency as any other quality, yet it is ignored much of the time. Installing a furnace in your home Continued…
January 25, 2016
Waiting around for furnace problems to present themselves before calling for repairs is a common tactic. Homeowners tend to do this in an effort to save money on unnecessary repairs. Unfortunately, this often tends to backfire. If you want your furnace to have a long and healthy lifespan, you should schedule furnace maintenance at least Continued…
January 18, 2016
It’s pretty unpleasant to turn on your heat pump expecting warmth and be instead greeted with a blast of cold air. Heat pumps are highly valued for their ability to switch between heating and cooling modes, but occasionally they can lose this ability. If your heat pump is stuck in cooling mode this winter, there Continued…
January 11, 2016
Indoor air quality is something that few homeowners think about, but it has a substantial effect on quality of life. Every time you inhale, you are breathing in millions of microscopic contaminants. Some of these contaminants include dust, pollen, germs, and mold spores. If you are exposed to too many of these contaminants for too Continued…
January 4, 2016
Winter is the time of year when home heating systems are put under the most stress, as they work to keep their homes warm on a daily basis. That added stress increases wear and tear on the system, which means that there is a much greater likelihood of problems developing. If you’re using a boiler Continued…
December 28, 2015
Heat pumps have a lot of advantages over other traditional heating systems, thanks to their unique construction. However, they also have to deal with a lot of problems that other heating systems don’t, and for the same reason. If you’re using a heat pump to keep warm this winter, you should be aware of these Continued…
December 21, 2015
If you ever hear strange noises coming from your furnace, do not ignore them! They may seem like harmless quirks, but they actually often indicate an issue with the system that needs to be addressed. If you ignore odd furnace noises, you may be opening yourself up to much bigger problems down the road. Let’s take a Continued…
December 14, 2015
If you’re using a heat pump to keep warm this winter, you will probably notice ice forming on the outside unit at some point. Ice on the outside coil isn’t normally a problem, and is actually quite common. However, you should still keep an eye on it in case it starts to get out of Continued…
December 7, 2015
As you use your furnace to stay warm this winter, you need to keep an eye out for any problems that can occur due to the increased stress on the system. One of the most dangerous problems a furnace can be afflicted with is short cycling. It is important that you know where short cycling Continued…
November 30, 2015
Winter is the most stressful time of year for furnaces, which means there is a much greater chance of problems occurring in them. If you are relying on a furnace to keep you warm throughout the winter, you should be vigilant for signs that your system is starting to have operating problems. Otherwise, you may Continued…
November 23, 2015
Boilers are remarkably sturdy systems, much more so than furnaces and other forced air systems. This is because they have far fewer moving parts, which makes for fewer potential problems that they have to deal with. This does not make boilers invincible, however. There is a serious issue that afflicts quite a few boilers across Continued…
November 16, 2015
As we move further into the coldest months of the year, it’s a good idea to make sure that your furnace is able to keep you warm through another winter. If it isn’t, you should get it replaced as soon as possible. It’s not pleasant to spend a week or more without heat while you Continued…
November 9, 2015
Boilers are incredibly sturdy systems, compared to other traditional heating system types. While a furnace may last 20 years with proper care and maintenance, a boiler could easily last twice as long. The reason that boilers last so long is because they have fewer moving parts, and thus fewer ways to develop problems or break Continued…
November 2, 2015
Heating season is here, and that means it is time to get your home ready for winter. Part of those preparations may include installing a new heating system, if your current one isn’t up to the important task of keeping your home warm through the cold months. If you are in the market for a Continued…
October 26, 2015
Heating season is here, and that means it is time to start considering getting your home ready for winter. One option for improving your home’s heating situation is to install a zone control system. Zone control offers solutions to some of central forced air heating’s biggest problems. Let’s take a look at what zone control Continued…
October 19, 2015
As you start to rely on your heating system more and more to keep you warm through the coming cold months, you should be aware of a couple of things. Primarily, you need to be aware of certain indoor air quality concerns that are exacerbated during winter. If not addressed properly, these concerns can lead Continued…
October 12, 2015
It is time to start preparing your home for the winter months, and that means giving consideration to your heating situation. If you are in the market for a new home heating system, then consider installing a boiler system this fall. Forced air systems are more popular than boilers, but boiler systems actually have quite Continued…
October 5, 2015
Summer is over, and winter is on the horizon. That means it is time to start thinking about how you are going to keep your home warm during the heating season. If you are one of the many homeowners looking for a new home heating system, there are a wide variety of options available to Continued…
September 28, 2015
It’s almost time to shut down your air conditioner for the year, but we still have a few weeks of warmer weather before the fall really kicks in. That means you are probably still using your air conditioner on a regular basis, and it also means that you need to keep an eye out for Continued…
September 21, 2015
Fall is here, and that means it’s almost time to shut down your air conditioner for the year. If you’ve missed the opportunity to have air conditioning maintenance done earlier in the year, you may be wondering if it’s too late to do it now. The answer is “no”! It’s never too late to have Continued…
September 14, 2015
We are moving into the fall season, and that means that soon air conditioning is going to be switched out for heating. A lot of homeowners haven’t turned on their heating systems for months, and they may be worried if their heaters are going to be able to cope with another winter. If you are Continued…
September 7, 2015
Air conditioning systems are remarkably sturdy, and can last a very long time with proper care and maintenance. Just because you can get your air conditioner to outlive you, though, that does not mean you should. Once air conditioners get to a certain age, it is a good idea to replace them even if they Continued…
August 31, 2015
We have written about the importance of air conditioning maintenance before, but we haven’t really discussed the steps involved with it. It is important to understand at least a few of the different procedures involved with air conditioning maintenance, as it will help you understand why it is so important in the first place. With Continued…
August 24, 2015
Tankless water heaters are becoming more and more popular among homeowners who are looking to save money and space in their homes. Though they are a great alternative to the traditional storage tank water heater variety, they still aren’t invincible. Regardless of how well you take care of your tankless water heater, you will have Continued…
August 17, 2015
A zone control system is a great way to improve your air conditioning and heating systems. It provides a much finer degree of control over your climate, especially in terms of differences from room to room. As great as a zone control system is, however, it is not a system that should ever be installed Continued…
August 10, 2015
Did you know that your air conditioner has an air filter? Did you know that you need to clean or change that air filter every few months? If not, you should definitely read on. Every air conditioner contains an air filter. While it is one of the simplest and cheapest parts of the air conditioning Continued…
July 27, 2015
Indoor air quality has quite a substantial effect on your quality of life. Millions of microscopic airborne particles can be found floating around in the average home’s indoor air. These can range from simple lung irritants, to allergens, to infectious agents like viruses and bacteria. The best way to improve your air quality is to Continued…
July 20, 2015
Now that we’re in the middle of the summer season, most people are using their air conditioners to keep themselves cool on a day-to-day basis. That’s all well and good, but it does mean that those air conditioners are placed under more stress than usual. That means more chances for problems to crop up, so you Continued…
July 13, 2015
When it comes to upgrading their climate control, many people tend to focus on things like their heaters or air conditioners. This makes sense, as those systems are obviously the ones that do the majority of the work. However, those climate control systems do not operate independently. Every climate control system you have relies on Continued…
July 6, 2015
While it can certainly be fun to go shopping for home improvements, selecting a large product such as a whole-house air conditioning system can feel a bit daunting. With so many makes and models to choose from, and with the amount of information found online, it can be tough to sift through the hype and figure out Continued…
June 29, 2015
You’ll hear a lot about the importance of refrigerant in your air conditioning system, both on this site and others. The vital role that refrigerant plays for air conditioners really can’t be underestimated. However, you rarely find an explanation of what refrigerant actually is, and why it’s so important. With that in mind, let’s take a look Continued…
June 22, 2015
As more people start to rely on their air conditioners on a daily basis, some of you are going to start noticing ice forming on your air conditioner. This may seem like a good thing, but in fact it is a pretty serious problem that needs addressing. Let’s take a look at why ice actually Continued…
June 15, 2015
Air conditioning season is getting into full swing, and that means more problems are likely to crop up. One of the most dangerous problems you are likely to run into is short cycling. Short cycling is when your air conditioner constantly turns on and off every few minutes. This locks the system into the startup Continued…
June 8, 2015
You don’t necessarily need to know everything about how your air conditioning system works in order to take proper care of it. Most of the maintenance and repairs should be undertaken by professionals anyway. However, there are a few parts of your air conditioner that you should know about in more detail. Specifically, you need Continued…
June 1, 2015
Humidity is a tricky thing. We often think of humidity as a bad thing, like when a day is both hot and humid. While high humidity certainly will make things uncomfortable in a lot of ways, low humidity can be just as bad. Your body relies on a certain level of moisture in the air, and if Continued…
May 25, 2015
Over the past few decades, homes have been designed to be more and more airtight. This was to help improve the efficiency of insulation, to make climate control easier. Unfortunately, this had the unintended side effect of cutting off the interior of the home from fresh air flow. Without fresh air flowing into the home, Continued…
