Posts Tagged ‘Boiler’

Boilers Teetering on the Edge of Replacement

January 11th, 2012

Boilers may be considered an alternative form of heating for the home, but for many homeowner that have had a boiler in their home for years would never switch over to forced central air. Boilers do have their perks over the more common forced air furnaces, and one of these perks is the ability to last for extremely long periods of time. Some boilers can even go up to 40 years before breaking down entirely, and if you have never replaced the boiler that is currently operating your home, ask yourself, “How old is my boiler?” Odds are the unit is getting on in the years and because everything has been working fine, you probably have not even thought to check the condition of the system. Doing so may have you leaning towards replacement in the very near future.

2 Big Old Boiler Problems:

  • Lack of Energy Efficiency: Boilers that are over 20 years old, even if well maintained, cannot hope to be very energy efficient. These old systems were simply not built for energy efficiency and in many cases, the unit is somewhere around 50% inefficient. Every time that old boiler kicks on it waste tons of your money, and unless you want to keep paying more than necessary, you should replace the unit with a new high efficiency model. » Read more: Boilers Teetering on the Edge of Replacement

Furnace Outage Quick Fix

January 4th, 2012

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could avoid having to call a professional every time your furnace broke down? Well, in many cases there is little that you can do to prevent the need for a professional assessment, but there are a couple steps you can take on your own that may get the unit to kick on again. With any luck, you will be able to get the unit to heat the home at least until you can have a maintenance check performed. Most homeowners don’t realize that the majority of furnace breakdowns are caused by a part of the furnace needing to be cleaned. If you could get the unit to start up again, you could avoid the cost of an emergency call and schedule a cleaning for the unit instead.

Reboot Your Furnace

When the computer freezes up, the only thing you can really do is shut it down and reboot. Nine times out of ten this will solve the problem and this could also solve the problem with your furnace. Sometimes the system’s cycle is thrown off or maybe a breaker will pop and the unit will not kick on like it should. One of the easiest things any homeowner can do is shut the unit down completely, flip the breaker, and then turn the system back on at the unit switch. This is how you can quickly and easily reset the system, and sometimes it is enough to get the unit going. » Read more: Furnace Outage Quick Fix

Hard Water Hardships

November 16th, 2011

If you have had to deal with hard water in your home, you know the troubles that it can cause. However, there are many homeowners that come into a new neighborhood and a new home having no idea that their water supply consists of hard water. It isn’t until the home and the family begins noticing the symptoms of hard water damage that they realize something must be done. Having hard or very hard water is more obvious, but if the water in your home is only moderately hard, it may take more time to realize there is a problem. If you wait that long, you could have major plumbing problems on your hands that defiantly won’t be a cheap fix. Luckily, there is a solution.

Soap Scum and Hard Water

Brittle hair, faded grey clothing, and bitter tasting dishes are just a few of the ways that hard water will affect your family. Soap scum is what causes these symptoms and it is created when pretty much any type of soap comes in contact with hard water. The result is thick goo that creates a layer on everything your water touches and it can’t be easily removed. The real problems comes when you realize what the hard water and soap scum have been doing to your plumbing, water heater, boiler, and humidifier. » Read more: Hard Water Hardships

Customized Furnace Sales Pitch

October 19th, 2011

Most of us learn from the mistakes that we make. We do something wrong and then make a point to change something in the future to prevent a repeat mistake. Some homeowners, however, keep making the same HVAC mistakes over and over and it isn’t necessarily their fault. The problem lies with the HVAC contractor that installed the furnace and air conditioner in their home.

A Common Mistake

The salesman who recommended the unit that was installed fell into the all too common trap of recommending a unit based on the preexisting model that is in the home. For example, he recommends a 20,000btu furnace just because the furnace that has been heating the home for the past however many years is a 20,000btu unit. This can create problems if the old unit isn’t actually the right unit for the home. You deserve a customized sale that involves assessing your needs and the requirements of the home. » Read more: Customized Furnace Sales Pitch

Taking Your Boiler Out of Hibernation

October 12th, 2011

Boiler owners across the nation are getting their systems ready for the winter season. Many have already have their yearly maintenance checks performed, but if you haven’t allowed the unit to run for several hours, you could be missing a common problem that could disrupt your comfort once the really cold weather begins to set in. The typical cleaning of a boiler doesn’t involve this particular system check, and unless you have had this problem before, you may be baffled as to the cause. The problem usually manifests itself as one or two radiators or baseboards that just don’t get hot. Everything may look like it is running properly, but before you run out and start replacing the radiators you need to bleed your boiler first!

Why Don’t My Radiators Work?

            When you shut down the boiler for the summer, some systems, especially older units, will develop air pockets. These gaps in the water flow cannot pass through the boiler and therefore, the water in that part of the system will not be heated and the room that the radiator or baseboard is in will not get warm. You have to eliminate these air pockets and the way to do this is by bleeding the system. » Read more: Taking Your Boiler Out of Hibernation

Protect Your Family, Home, and Health

October 5th, 2011

Heating tune-ups help prevent breakdowns and potential hazards, and a through furnace cleaning done correctly can save you money and time, and it can also improve the efficiency of your current system. What we don’t know, can hurt us, and this is defiantly true when it comes to the condition of your furnace heating system. Most people never think about their heating unit until it breaks down. This is due to the fact that most gas furnaces are very reliable, and they are often keptout of sight, out of mind.”

Catastrophic Failures

The problem is, despite its reliability, a catastrophic failure of your furnace could occur at any time, and that failure could result in a gas leak, fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. The only way to prevent that type of disaster is with regular inspections of your heating system. » Read more: Protect Your Family, Home, and Health

Put a Stop to Reoccurring Furnace Problems

September 26th, 2011

Every year as the weather turns colder and people turn their furnaces on for the first time and many discover that the unit doesn’t work. After all it has run for most of the previous winter along with the entire summer without being tuned up, so you have to ask yourself, “What did I expect?”

Preventing Inconvenient Breakdowns

How can you prevent this unexpected and inconvenient situation from continuing to happen? Its simple, just have regular maintenance preformed on your furnace and air conditioner every year. According to industry leading experts, regular maintenance of your equipment extends the life of the systems, helps to prevent untimely breakdowns, and allows them to use less energy. All of this adds up to having a system that is saving you money while it keeps you warm. » Read more: Put a Stop to Reoccurring Furnace Problems

A Safe Furnace

September 19th, 2011

Everyone wants a safe furnace. No one wants to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector going off. Yet there are those among us that never have their furnaces cleaned or safety checked. Cleaning a furnace is basically the same for thirty year old furnaces as it is for two year old furnaces. Yes the new the furnaces have more sensors that need cleaning than their older counter parts, but things like burners, blowers, sensors and heat exchangers all get dirty. Age doesn’t mater. A dirty burner will not burn as cleanly or as efficiently as a clean burner. The same is true of sensors, dirty sensors are more likely to fail compared to clean ones. The need for cleaning and adjustment of all furnace components is necessary for trouble free operation.

Cleaning and Safety Checks

Safety checks are the most important part of the yearly furnace clean and safety check. If your furnace breaks, you don’t have heat, but if the furnace becomes unsafe, you could have much bigger problems. Newer furnaces have more sensors and safety devices than the older ones. These new sensors and safety devices were not put in your furnace so the manufacturer could charge more for their furnace. They were incorporated in the design to protect you from catastrophic failures. Having these safety devices checked annually will insure the safe operation of your furnace. » Read more: A Safe Furnace

Get in for Your Furnace Cleaning!

September 14th, 2011

We may have one or two more warm days on the schedule but for the most part, fall weather has arrived and winter’s chill is soon to follow. As we enjoy these few months of HVAC free comfort, it would be easy to forget about these important systems all together. However, you don’t want to find yourself testing the furnace or boiler for the first time when the temperatures start to drop. Instead, take this time to dedicate some of the money you are saving on your energy bills from not using the system and spend it on your yearly maintenance check up.

The Consequences of Procrastination

            Many homeowners find themselves in a bit of a pickle when they put off having the furnace cleaned early in the fall. HVAC companies prepare for an onslaught of calls once the first frost hits and every year without fail, they are not disappointment. Thousands of people across the country scrambling to have their heaters looked at because they neglected to have them checked when the weather was more mild. Those that don’t have a problem with the unit find themselves forced to work around the very tight schedules that these HVAC companies are now operating under. If they had simply called a few weeks prior, they could have had free pickings of their preferred date and time. Instead they must change their schedule to fit in with what the company can now offer. » Read more: Get in for Your Furnace Cleaning!

Maintaining Your CO Detectors

December 29th, 2010

If your home doesn’t have carbon monoxide detectors installed, you could be putting your family at risk on a daily basis. However, poorly maintained detectors could still be putting your family in danger. Carbon monoxide detectors warn us when levels of carbon monoxide become hazardous to our health, and even if you take very good care of your gas powered appliances, accidents can still happen. Properly caring for the carbon monoxide detectors in your home is part of the responsibilities of being a homeowner, but many people don’t really know where to begin when it comes to taking care of these units. Here are a few quick tips that will help you and your family care for the carbon monoxide detectors in your home:

  • Install detectors within 10 feet of bedrooms throughout the home. You should also have them installed on every floor including the basement and near an attached garage.
  • Never install a detector too close to the furnace, boiler, or any other gas powered appliance. This could cause false readings because levels of CO are always going to be higher right next to these appliances. » Read more: Maintaining Your CO Detectors
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