Is It OK To Run Furnace Constantly?

Posted on May 19, 2022 by HVAC

When you desperately need the furnace during the winter months, you might wonder whether it’s okay to keep it running constantly.

If you have a properly maintained appliance of the right size and spend most of your time indoors, you can keep your appliance running constantly, but if you go out to work in the morning and are back late at night, it’s wise to turn it down.

According to furnace service professionals, there is no direct answer to whether you can keep your appliance running constantly or not. It all depends on your preferences and lifestyle.

To decide whether to keep your appliance running, you need to weigh the pros and cons.

Benefits of keeping your appliance on all the time

You have better air circulation

When your furnace is on all the time, it also means that the fan is working. This means that you have fresh air circulating your house, which comes in handy, especially if you have a multi-story or large house.

When you have your furnace on in a multi-story house, the upper level gets warmer while the lower levels remain cold. When the fan is on and constantly running, it works at keeping the temperature even throughout the house.

For even better results, set the thermostat to fan mode. This way, the fan pulls the air back down to the ground level while pushing some of the cooler air to the upper floors through the ductwork. Consequently, you have a comfortable house with evenly distributed temperatures.

Improved air quality

With the furnace and furnace fan running constantly, you have excellent air quality in the house, ensuring that you are comfortable throughout your stay.

If you suffer from allergies or asthma, having the furnace fan running all the time is beneficial as the constantly circulating air gets rid of harmful allergens that can trigger a reaction.

Warm toasty house

As you can guess, when you keep your furnace running the entire time, you have a warm, toasty house. The warm house, coupled with the improved air quality, you have a warm house that you wouldn’t want to step out of.

Cons of the furnace running constantly

Like the two sides to a coin, having the furnace running all the time comes with its fair share of drawbacks that include:

Higher electricity bills

As you can guess, when you have your furnace running all the time, your energy bill goes up as the appliance is consuming more electricity.

Keep your appliance in top shape by tuning it up regularly to prevent your ever-running appliance from consuming too much energy. Even if your unit isn’t having any issues, ask a furnace contractor to look at it and fix any issue it might be having.

You might need to service your appliance more frequently

The same way you need to service a busy car more frequently is the same way you should service a constantly running furnace more frequently. This means that if you used to service your appliance once every six months, you will need to service the furnace once a month to keep it in top shape.

When hiring the service professional, don’t just hire any that says that they can do it—hire an experienced one that knows what they are doing.

The last thing you want is a contractor that causes more harm to your unit.

Does a constantly running furnace die early?

Some homeowners believe that having their appliances running all the time drives them to an early grave.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case—unless you don’t take good care of your appliance.

As long as you are constantly tuning up your appliance and fixing even the most minor issue as soon as it comes about, you can keep your appliance in top working condition for as long as possible (usually for 0-15 years).

The key to a properly functioning appliance is to work closely with an experienced heating service repair Long Island professional. The professional will not only fix your unit when it develops a problem, but also advise you on the things you can and can’t do to your unit to keep it in top working shape.

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What Can I Use Instead Of A Furnace?

Posted on May 13, 2022 by HVAC

If you visit most homes, you will find them using furnaces to heat their homes. And this is for a reason. Most forced-air furnaces combine cooling and heating capabilities, making them highly economical as you don’t need to install a cooling system when summer comes.

While furnaces are great, not everyone loves them.

What if you don’t want to be like everyone else and want a unique heating system?

What can I use instead of a furnace? If you are asking this, you should know that there are plenty of other highly efficient systems you can use.

Here they are as given by heating service repair professionals:

Heat pump

Heat pumps use the same system as an air conditioner, where they extract heat from the air and deliver it to the house through an indoor air handler.

One of the most popular heat pump systems is the mini-split or ductless heating system. The system uses a small outdoor compressor unit and indoor air handlers that you can place in different rooms throughout the house.

The beauty of heat pumps is you don’t need to install any ductwork, which makes them affordable to install.

The major downfall with them is they are often inefficient in frigid climates.

Boiler

Boilers were common in older homes, but there is no reason not to install them in your modern house. The units use a central boiler that circulates steam or water through the pipes or radiator units around the house. This makes them the best units to use when looking for zoned heating and cooling.

While boilers provide comfortable heat that doesn’t dry out the air like the other heating systems, you can’t combine them with air conditioning for a year-round HVAC system.

The units also aren’t efficient at heating more spacious house areas.

Electric resistance

Also known as electric heaters, electric resistance heating systems aren’t common in most homes due to the high electricity cost. Even in homes where you will find them, they are often used as supplemental heating systems—not primary systems.

Electric heaters are often easy to install and highly affordable. They are also easy to carry around, so you can easily move them from one room to the next.

They don’t require maintenance since they don’t have any moving parts, ductwork, or air handlers.

The major downside to these systems is that they consume too much energy, which can significantly dent your pocket.

In-floor radiant

Radiant systems provide even heat throughout the house.

Compared to other home heating systems, radiant systems are quiet, so you can even have them in your bedroom, and they won’t interfere with your sleep.

While the systems are great, they are slow to heat up and adjust to temperature changes. It’s also difficult to access the hidden piping systems if a problem emerges.

Active solar heating system

Most systems are going solar, and home heating systems haven’t been left behind. When you are looking for an alternative to furnace heating, you can use a solar system. The system heats a liquid and transfers the solar heat directly into the interior space or storage system for later use.

For peace of mind that you will have heating even in winter, experts recommend supplementing the systems with radiant heating systems, heat pumps, or boilers.

Gravity air furnace

This is a modern version of the traditional forced-air furnace. The gravity air furnace distributes air through ducts like the traditional system, but instead of forcing air through a blower, it lets warm air rise and cool air sink.

The best place to store this furnace is in the basement. Upon heating the air in the basement, the air rises into the rooms in the house through the doors, and the cool air returns to the furnace via other systems of cold air return ducts.

The beauty with this system is you don’t need to keep hiring furnace repair service Long Island professionals as you don’t need to do any maintenance as there are no moving parts.

The downside to the system is that it takes time for the temperature to adjust as the system operates on simple convection currents.

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What Are Precautions To Be Taken Near A Furnace?

Posted on April 28, 2022 by HVAC

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If you are like other homeowners, you have placed your furnace in the basement or any other room that you rarely visit. Although, the furnace is often out of sight, it doesn’t mean that you should ignore it as it poses great danger. For example, it can be a fire or carbon monoxide risk.

What precautions should you take near a furnace?

To prevent the furnace from being a serious risk to you and your loved ones, you need to observe a number of precautions. These precautions include:

Keep the room well lit

Although, you rarely visit the furnace room, furnace service professionals recommend that you keep the room properly lit. This way you can easily see around when you visit it.

You also make it easy for the repair professional to repair and service the unit when the need arises.

To ensure that the room is properly lit, regularly inspect it and replace any burnt light bulbs or those with low lighting.

You also should always have a flashlight with you to use in the event the lights go out on you. You will even be better off having the flashlight in the furnace room that anyone can use.

Keep the room properly ventilated.

Furnaces are powered by electricity or fuels such as natural gas and propane. Due to this, you should ensure that there is proper ventilation so that they don’t overheat or clog carbon monoxide and other harmful gases that can be harmful to you and your loved ones.

As a rule of thumb, get rid of any unnecessary material from the room. This calls for you to get rid of any debris in the house. Also, clear away boxes or suitcases from around vents or air intakes.

Also, don’t lean anything against the furnace or leave filters or old furnace parts lying around.

Keep laundry and chemicals away.

Depending on the location of your furnace room, it’s easy to be tempted to store the cleaning products, chemicals, and even laundry near your furnace. While they might seem harmless, they can be hazardous.

For example, some of the chemicals or even the cleaning products might be flammable, putting your house at the risk of burning down.

The laundry detergents might also spill on your appliance damaging it. In some cases, hanging them near the furnace reduces airflow.

Install carbon monoxide detectors

It’s normal for any fuel-burning device to produce carbon monoxide. The unfortunate thing is that the gas is highly harmful and can easily lead to death.

In a normal functioning heating system, the fumes are vented outside the house where they can’t cause any harm.

Unfortunately, due to neglect, wear, and tear, or old age, the unit develops problems, and carbon monoxide doesn’t exit the house as it’s supposed to.  This is because it poses a serious risk to you and your loved ones.

To avoid this and be able to pick the high carbon monoxide levels as soon as they start accumulating, install carbon monoxide detectors in your house.

Installing the detectors isn’t enough—you will need to regularly inspect them and confirm that the batteries are still in good working condition.

The detectors should also be in tiptop shape and if they aren’t working properly, replace them.

Replace the filters

The filters determine the air quality getting in the house by filtering out dust, dirt, and debris.

When you go for a long time without cleaning the filters, they accumulate too much dirt and debris, and the furnace doesn’t function as well as it should.

Besides this increasing your electricity bill, it also drives your appliance to an early grave.

To be safe, make it a habit to clean your furnace cleaners at least once every three months. If you have allergies or pets, clean them once a month.

Work with an experienced installer.

At least once a year, hire an experienced furnace repair service Long Island to tune up the appliance. The professional should go through the unit and fix any issues it might be having.

For peace of mind that the professional knows what they are doing, the technician should be certified by an authorized body.

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Why Does The Furnace Smell When You First Turn It On?

Posted on April 21, 2022 by HVAC

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If it’s long since you used your furnace, it’s common for it to give off a strange smell, often due to dust within the heat exchanger, ducts, and ignition system.

When you turn on your appliance after a long time, it’s common to experience the characteristic burning as dust within the system burns off. The smell is usually unpleasant, but it shouldn’t last more than an hour or cause a significant change in indoor air quality.

If the smell goes on for a long time, you have a reason to worry, as it might result from several other factors.

What else could cause the burning smell

According to furnace service providers, your furnace can make burning smells due to many other reasons that include:

Dirty furnace filters

Furnace filters determine the quality of air getting into the house. The filter clogs up as they trap fine particulates such as pet dander, dust, and airborne contaminants. When the filters fill up with debris, they allow dust and grime to recirculate through the system, creating a bad odor.

To avoid smells due to dirty filters, you should check the filters routinely and replace them when they get dirty.

It’s also wise to keep a few extra filters on hand for quick and simple replacement when the need arises.

If you are fond of forgetting to replace the filters, set up an event in your calendar and check on the filters every few weeks.

Burning wires

Is your furnace making plastic burning smells? This might be due to burning electrical connections within your HVAC system.

Whenever the insulation on the wire gets damaged due to improper voltage, physical trauma, or incorrect placement, they create a fault that burns off the protective insulation.

When you let this happen for a long time, there is the risk of the wire setting the entire house on fire.

If you experience burning smells, take the issue with a lot of seriousness and get in touch with an experienced professional to look into the problem and fix it.

Overworking blower motor

When your furnace filter is dirty, or the ventilation lines have clogged, you increase the chances of your furnace overheating.

The poor air movement can also be brought about by blocked air return ducts, which prevent the cold air from circulating into the system.

When this happens, heat can be trapped within the furnace and,, in the process, overheat the components such as the heat exchanger and blower motor.

Overheating furnaces can shut down as they often have limit switches that trip to protect the internal components.

As you can guess, when furnaces overheat, they emit a burning smell that you should be cautious about.

When you allow the furnace to continue overheating, plenty of heat accumulates in the appliance, putting the heat exchanger at the risk of cracking, which increases the risk of carbon monoxide leaking into the house.

If you notice your furnace overheating, check the air filter and replace it if it looks dirty. You also should check the vents in the house and confirm that they are open and unobstructed. The thermostat should also be set in an appropriate setting.

If the filters are clean, the vents are in perfect shape, but you can smell the burning smells, get in touch with an HVAC professional to troubleshoot the system.

Trapped toys

If the burning smells aren’t due to burning wires, chances are you have trapped toys in the vent. Some food or drink might have spilled near the vent, hence the smells.

If you inspect the vents, but don’t see any foreign objects, get in touch with a furnace repair service Long Island to help you find where the smells are coming from.

When hiring a furnace professional, ensure that they are experienced and have handled similar problems before. The last thing you should do is hire a technician who doesn’t know what they are doing and cause more problems than are present.

As a rule of thumb, don’t hire a professional based on their prices, as the least charging technicians often end up being the most expensive.

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How Do I Make Sure My Furnace Is Safe?

Posted on April 11, 2022 by HVAC

As much as the furnace is an excellent unit and keeps your house warm, it can be a disaster when you don’t put safety measures in place.

How do I make sure my furnace is safe? If you are asking this, you should know that there are plenty of ways to go about it. Some of these ways, as given by furnace service providers, include:

Ensure there is enough ventilation

Since furnaces are powered by electricity or fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane, or oil, it’s vital you ensure that your unit has enough space around it for proper ventilation. This way, you ensure that all the gases exit the house.

You also need to ensure that there is enough space for the repair professional to move around when repairing or maintaining the furnace.

Keep the furnace room clear of dust and debris.

You should clear any stored items in the furnace room, especially around the air intakes and vents. This calls for you to remove any item leaning against the furnace or stored close enough to the appliance that might fall over.

When removing filters from the furnace, don’t leave them lying all over the floor. Instead, dispose of them in a bin or any other place.

Reduce the fire risk

If not properly maintained, the furnace can lead to fires, which, as you can tell, can be problematic. Thankfully, there are several ways you can reduce these incidences from coming about. Some of the things you can do include:

Get rid of any combustible products in the house, including those with low flashpoints, such as paint, gasoline, and paint thinners. Don’t store these items close to the furnace.

Keep the cleaning products away from the furnace. If your furnace is near your laundry area, keep the laundry products as far away from it as much as possible. Keep the products in a separate room to be on the safe side.

For the air-dried laundry, don’t hang the coats, linens, and pieces of clothing near the furnace, as they will restrict airflow, putting the furnace at the risk of overheating.

Keep the furnace room properly lit.

If you visit most homes, you will find the furnace room poorly lit. As much as the room looks cool in its poorly lit condition, it’s dangerous as you can easily trip over things while there.

The service provider also has a hard time servicing the appliance, as they can’t see properly.

To be safe, ensure that your furnace room is properly lit and you can clearly see everything going on inside.

It’s also wise to keep a flashlight in the room with a rechargeable battery that you can easily reach for when you are having a power outage.

Undertake annual tune-ups

At least once a year, have your furnace inspected and cleaned by an experienced HVAC contractor. The inspection aims to ensure that all the parts are in perfect working condition, which means that your unit is running efficiently and has a long lifespan.

When you go for a long time without servicing your appliance, it’s bound to develop a myriad of problems that can lead to serious issues.

During the tune-ups, the furnace tune-up professional will inspect the unit and get rid of all the problems.

Regularly replace the filter.

All furnaces have filters that trap dust and debris before entering the ductwork. Over time they accumulate dirt and debris, significantly reducing the appliance’s performance.

The clogged filters also cause the appliance to overwork, leading to unnecessary strain. If you are using an electric furnace, the increased energy consumption means a higher utility bill at the end of the month.

To avoid this, furnace repair service Long Island providers recommend you make it a habit to inspect and replace the air filters at least once every three months.

If you have pets or are asthmatic, don’t wait for this long—replace the filter every one or two months. This will keep the air in the house clean and fresh.

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4 Things You Shouldn’t Do to Your Furnace

Posted on March 25, 2022 by HVAC

Did you know that you might be hurting your furnace without even knowing? Here are some of the wrong things you might be doing to your appliance as given by furnace repair service providers:

Going for a long time without replacing the air filters

Some homeowners have the impression that filters are meant to simply filter dust getting into the furnace. And due to this, they don’t pay much attention to them. This is wrong.

Besides the air filters determining the quality of air getting into the heating appliance, they also significantly impact the appliance’s performance.

When you go for a long time without cleaning the air filter, the dust and debris accumulate in the appliance, preventing the furnace from functioning efficiently.

An inefficient furnace is not only expensive to run, but it also goes to an early grave after working harder than it should.

To prevent this, you should make it a habit to clean the air filters at least once a month. The beauty is that you don’t need to hire a cleaning professional to help with the cleaning as you can easily do it by yourself.

Ignoring telltale signs

Do you ignore it when your car makes weird sounds or gives off unusual smells? You mostly don’t, do you? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case with some homeowners.

As long as the furnace is running, most homeowners ignore minor issues that the furnace develops. Some ignore the loud noises and weird smells that the appliance produces. Others overlook that the furnace is consuming more energy than it should.

If you often do this, you should know that you hurt your appliance. This is because when you keep ignoring the furnace problems, they quickly accumulate, and it’s a matter of time before the entire appliance stops working, and you have to buy a new one.

The ignored problems also make the furnace inefficient, so you routinely have high-energy bills at the end of the month.

To avert this, you should make it a habit to address any furnace problem as soon as you notice it, regardless of its magnitude.

Whether it’s a minor change in sound or unusual smells, you should address it immediately. Of course, if you don’t have the skills, get in touch with an experienced professional immediately.

Lingering on the need for replacement

The same way homeowners ignore obvious furnace problems is the same way they ignore that their appliances are old or too worn out and need replacement.

When you keep pushing an old appliance, you make it consume too much energy, which digs a hole in your pockets. Pushing an old appliance also means that you risk the appliance breaking down in the middle of a cold night, and you are left in the cold without anything to supply you with the warm air you are craving.

The same way you should move with haste when your appliance has issues is the same way you should move with urgency when you feel that your unit needs replacement.

Telltale signs that your appliance is up for replacement is old age. Have you had your unit for more than a decade? It might be time to replace it.

You also should consider replacing it if it’s always developing problems. Instead of spending too much money fixing it, simply install a new unit.

Ignoring annual tune-up

The final mistake that homeowners make is to ignore tuning up their appliances. The situation is even worse with homeowners whose appliances have broken down within the year.

Since they have already hired a furnace service Long Island provider, some homeowners don’t find the need to hire a tune-up professional as they have the impression that their unit is in top shape. After all, they recently fixed it, right?

Well, this is wrong as the repair professionals don’t inspect the entire unit—they fix the problem they are hired to fix, then go their merry way.

To be safe, you should make it a habit to hire a furnace tune-up professional at least once a year to inspect the unit and fix any issues it might be having.

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Why Does My Heat Pump Run So Often?

Posted on March 15, 2022 by HVAC

If your heat pump is constantly running, you must wonder why my heat pump runs so often, right? According to heat pump repair professionals, this can be brought about by several factors that include:

Improperly set thermostat

The thermostat regulates how the heat pump works, and if it’s improperly set up, the chances are high that your heat pump won’t function as properly as it should, one of the problems being it running more often than it should.

If you have set up your thermostat too high or too low, it will trigger the heat pump to run constantly as it tries to keep up with the temperature you have set it for.

The heat pump will also run constantly if you haven’t set up the emergency heat mode.

Dirty air filters

For the heat pump to fun efficiently, it needs a supply of fresh, clean air. If you go for a long time without cleaning the air filters, they tend to clog up with dust and debris, which keeps the heat pump running more constantly than it should.

To fix the problem, you need to clean the air filters. But this isn’t enough—you should make it a habit to clean the filters as regularly as possible. Experts recommend you do it at least once every three months.

Faulty condensate pump

Like the air filters, if the condensate pump isn’t functioning properly or is unplugged, it won’t work as well as it should. And this leads to a variety of problems, including, the heat pump running continuously.

Open doors and windows

If you have left the windows and doors open or cracked, they might let out the heat and allow cold air in. To achieve comfortable temperatures in the house, the heat pump will run constantly, which isn’t healthy.

Leaking refrigerant

The heat pump relies on the refrigerant to absorb and transfer the outside air into the house. If there is a leak, the refrigerant levels dip too low, forcing the heat pump to work harder to absorb the heat. As you can guess, this causes the heat pump to run constantly.

Faulty solenoid valve

Heat pumps are designed to switch between cooling and heating by reversing the direction of the refrigerant. When the solenoid valve is faulty, the heat pump gets stuck in the AC mode, and it constantly runs without reaching the desired temperature.

Running an undersized heat pump.

Like the furnace, AC, or any other unit, when your heat pump is smaller than your house, it will keep running to achieve the desired temperature.

How do you troubleshoot a heat pump that is constantly running?

There are plenty of ways to troubleshoot a heat pump, depending on the cause of the problem. Some of the ways to do this include:

Inspect the thermostat controls

You might think you have a big heat pump problem while you need to check the controls. Before touching any part of the thermostat, check the settings and ensure they are correct.

As a rule of thumb, ensure that the system is set to “heat” or “cool” and the fan isn’t set to “on.” While at it, confirm that the temperature settings are correct.

Take a look at the evaporator coil.

You will find your system’s evaporator coil in the blower compartment or attached to the furnace. If the coils are dirty, grimy, or corroded, chances are they are leaking refrigerant and negatively impacting the functioning of the heat pump.

This often causes the heat pump to lose its efficiency, making it constantly running to make up for the power loss.

Check the outdoor unit.

One of the reasons why the heat pump will run more often than is normal is the defrost cycle’s failure. The heat pump defrosts to get rid of the ice condenser, and constant running is common in summer and winter.

If your outdoor unit is encased in ice and frost, the defrost has failed, and it’s time to get in touch with a heat pump repair service Long Beach to help with the defrosting.

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Buying a New Furnace? 5 Factors To Consider

Posted on March 9, 2022 by HVAC

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Are you looking to buy a new furnace for your home or office? There are plenty of factors you need to consider to buy the right unit. These factors as given by furnace service providers include:

Air quality

Although most homeowners install furnaces to heat their homes, this isn’t the only thing they provide. If you install a forced-air heating system, you benefit from controlled air quality.

As the air in the house re-circulates, it passes through an HVAC system carrying dust, pollen, and other pollutants.

This means that you need to pay attention to the nature of the air filter that your furnace has. The most common filters are: HEPA, MERV, and others.

Besides knowing the type of filter your unit has, also take time to know whether you can switch out your filter. This is so that you can know whether you can use another filter in the event you want to use a different one, or you can’t find the original one, designed for the furnace.

Efficiency

How efficient is your heating unit? This is critical to know as it will significantly determine your monthly energy bills. If you get an inefficient appliance, you will be spending an arm and leg on your energy bills, and vice versa.

Thankfully, you can look out for plenty of things to tell how efficient your unit is. They include:

AFUE: This stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency, and the higher the number, the more fuel the furnace converts into heat. For the best outcome, go for an appliance with an AFUE between 90 and 98.5%.

Nature of combustion unit: You want a furnace with a sealed combustion unit as it will draw hot air from the outside and send it back outside, isolating the combustion process away from the house’s interior.

Energy consumption: Obviously, you want an appliance that will consume little energy while giving you the best experience. To tell the appliance’s energy consumption, you may have to consult an experienced contractor.

Size of the house

The size of your house will determine the size of the furnace you should get and how efficient the unit will run. There is no right or wrong furnace size—it all depends on the size of your house. If you aren’t sure about the right one you should buy, get the input of a professional.

Price

Price is an essential factor to consider, but it shouldn’t be the only one. This is because if you solely base your buying decision on it, chances are high you will end up buying a unit that is too small or inefficient that you end up spending too much money maintaining it in the long term.

While a more expensive furnace is often better, it doesn’t mean that you should spend a premium on it. Before you decide, take time to visit different companies and see how much they charge the different products.

Of course, you should buy from a company selling high-quality furnaces at a low price.

Furnace bland

This is an essential factor that most homeowners don’t consider as they have the impression that the bland is a status thing.

While to some extent, it is wise that you buy a popular bland as you are sure that you will easily get replacement parts should your appliance break down. You also have peace of mind, as you know that most of your local furnace repair contractors can easily repair them.

The last thing you should do is buy a foreign furnace, and you have to import the replacement parts when it breaks down, and your repair service provider can’t fix it. You are not only stressed having the unit, but you also end up spending a fortune when the appliance breaks down.

Parting shot

There are plenty of factors to pay attention to when looking to buy a new furnace. To avoid purchasing the wrong unit, it’s wise that you go shopping in the company of an experienced heating service repair Long Island professional.

Besides the professionals helping you choose the suitable unit, they will also help you install your new appliance.

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Can Furnace Be Installed In Attic?

Posted on February 28, 2022 by HVAC

Most people install their furnaces in basements, garages, and closets. If you don’t have a large basement or garage, you must be wondering whether you can install your furnace in the attic, right?

Although it’s not common, yes, you can install the furnace in the attic. You only need to ensure that the attic is properly insulated.

What are the benefits of installing the furnace in the attic?

You save a lot of space.

According to heating service repair,  you don’t need to have little space in your basement or garage to install the furnace in the attic. Even if you have ample space in these areas, you can save even more space by installing your unit in the attic.

If you are like other homeowners, the chances are that you rarely use your attic. This means that by installing the furnace in the attic, you save on the space you would have used in the basement or garage.

You have less noise

Furnaces make some noise when they are running, so by installing yours in the attic, away from the living areas, you protect yourself from the appliance’s noise. As you can tell, this means that you have a much quieter and more peaceful house.

You save money

Due to the attic location, you can install a vent right through the roof, with minimal ductwork. This means that you save money and have less ductwork to deal with.

You have peace of mind.

When you install the furnace in the basement or garage, you aren’t at peace, especially during the rainy season, as you are constantly worrying that water will get into the house and damage your appliance.

With the unit in the attic, high up there, you don’t even think about your appliance suffering from flood damage.

Drawbacks to installing the furnace in the attic

Like the two sides to a coin, several setbacks come with installing your heating appliance in the attic. They include:

The furnace might not function as efficiently as it should

If your attic is small and unconditioned, there is no way that the furnace will function efficiently as there isn’t enough air. As a result of the small space, the furnace has to work harder, so you have a high energy bill at the end of the month.

A hard-working furnace also tends to have a shorter lifespan, so it’s a matter of time before you have to replace your unit.

There is an increased risk of damage from extreme temperatures

While the attic is away from the house, it’s often hot, and these temperatures can damage your unit, especially during summer. Thankfully, you can reduce the damage by conditioning the attic.

Your appliance is at a higher risk of developing larger problems

While you have a quieter home by installing the furnace in the attic, the major flaw is that you don’t pick up the problems early enough. One of the major signs of a failing furnace is weird noises.

Since the furnace is already far away from you, you can’t hear the noises, hence you can’t tell when your appliance is going bad. This means that the problem goes on for some time and even worsens without your knowledge.

The consequence of this is you having much larger problems than are expensive to fix.

Your ductwork is at a higher risk of damage.

The attic is often the hottest part of the house, and the situation is worse in summer. Besides the high temperatures putting the appliance at the risk of temperature damage, there is also the risk of having pinhole leaks and minor tears in the ductwork.

A telltale sign of ductwork damage is decreased cooling power when running your air conditioner.

There are more regulations.

Unlike when installing the furnace in the basement or garage, there are more regulations to follow, which increases your installation cost and extends your installation time.

When can you install the furnace in the attic?

You should install the furnace in the attic when the pros outweigh the cons. When installing, ensure that the work is done by an experienced furnace service Long Island that knows what they are doing.

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How To Tell If You Need To Change The Furnace Filter In Your Home

Posted on February 20, 2022 by HVAC

furnace service

The primary function of an air filter is to trap airborne contaminants and keep them out of your heating system. Due to its role, the air filter is bound to clog up with dirt and contaminants, and for you to continue enjoying your appliance, you have to change the air filter.

While most homeowners know they should change their air filters, most don’t know the right time to do so, so you will hear them asking the best time to change the air filter.

If you are one of these homeowners, here is how to tell if a furnace filter needs changing:

The filter is dirty

According to furnace service providers, a tell-tale sign that it’s time to change your air filter is the filter being dirty. To trap the contaminants, they have to stick to the filter media, and when you go for a long time without cleaning the filters, they are bound to get dirty.

You need to look at them to tell whether it’s time to clean the filters. Are they grey and dirty? It’s definitely time to change them.

Decline in air quality

Although the air filter is designed to protect the delicate heating system from damage from the accumulation of dust and debris, it has a significant impact on the air quality in the house.

As the air filter removes dirt, dust, pollen, and pet dander, it cleans the air getting into the house.

When you go for a long time without cleaning or changing the air filter, the air filter is ineffective at getting rid of the dirt and dust, and they all get into the house, reducing the air quality.

If you have noticed that the air quality in your house has gone down either due to high dust content in the air or any other reason, it’s time to replace the air filter.

Your energy bill has shot through the roof.

Although this isn’t a definitive sign that your air filter is ready for replacement, you should definitely think about inspecting and changing it if your energy bills have gone up.

This is because a dirty filter blocks the system from receiving the airflow it needs to function efficiently, forcing it to consume more energy as it attempts to draw air through the obstacle.

When your furnace operates in this state for a long time, it costs you more as there is also a high risk of the HVAC unit overheating due to lack of air movement, which wastes more of your energy.

Your home is dustier.

When dirty, the air filter can’t pull the contaminants from the home’s air supply, and these particles freely circulate through the HVAC system and back into the living areas. With time, the airborne particles fall out of the air and settle on the surfaces throughout the house, creating noticeable dust.

If you have been seriously cleaning your house, but after some time, it gets dirty, your air filters might be dirty, and it’s time to replace them.

How often should you replace your air filters?

How often you do the replacement depends on the type of filters you have in your home. To help you out, here is a guide on when to change the various air filters:

For 1-2 inch filters, replace them every 1-3 months

Replace 3-4 inch filters every 6 – 9 months

And for 5-6 inch filers, replace them every 9-12 months

How do you avoid forgetting to replace the air filters?

Since changing the air filters is vital, you should do all you can to replace them at the right time. A good way to remember that your unit needs air filter replacement is to install it in an area where you can easily see it.

It’s always easy to forget a filter change when the HVAC unit is tucked away out of sight so place it in an area where you can see it.

Furnace repair service Long Island providers also recommend that you make it a monthly routine to inspect your air filters and assess their condition. If your unit is completely covered in contaminants, it’s time to replace it.

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