Last week we wrote about the importance of maintaining your furnace each fall. This week, we’re turning to a more extensive version of furnace maintenance: replacing a furnace with a new one. A time will come when continuing with regular tune-ups and scheduling repairs are no longer the best option for a furnace. We’ll look into whether this is the fall when you should arrange to have a new furnace installed.
ServiceMax Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category
The Great Fall Furnace Replacement Debate
Monday, September 26th, 2016Furnace Maintenance: You Need It Done Every Year!
Monday, September 19th, 2016If we have to guess what type of furnace you have working to keep you and your family warm during the winters here in Illinois, our first guess would be a natural gas-powered furnace. And the odds are good we would be right, because gas furnaces are still the most common type of heating systems found in homes throughout the U.S. Gas furnaces are powerful, able to overcome the most intense winter chills, and the lower price of gas compared to other heating oils and electricity makes them attractive for cutting down on energy costs.
A Seasonal Maintenance Q & A
Monday, September 12th, 2016The early fall is the best time of year for homeowners to prepare for the winter ahead. One crucial task for cold weather preparedness is to schedule heating maintenance from a professional HVAC technician. (And yes, as we talked about last week, this must be done every year.) Maintenance provides numerous advantages: energy savings, protection against emergency breakdowns and repairs, and extended equipment life. But some homeowners still feel on the fence about signing up for a regular maintenance program. We’d like to address some of the common questions that people ask about one of these programs.
Do I Need to Have Heating Maintenance This Fall When I Just Did It Last Year?
Monday, September 5th, 2016Yes! Absolutely! Maintenance for your home’s heating system isn’t something that you only have done every “couple of years.” It’s something that you need to schedule each and every fall. To make it easy, you can sign our Residential Maintenance Agreement, and we’ll notify you at the start of the fall that you’re due for maintenance.
Closing Air Vents in Your House Is Not a Way to Save Money!
Monday, March 14th, 2016One of the services that we offer to homeowners in Chicagoland, and have offered since we started in business in 1998, is the installation of zone control systems. What these systems do is give the homeowner the ability to close off sections of the ductwork so that the forced-air heater and air conditioner do not send conditioned air to unoccupied rooms. This is a way to reduce heating and cooling costs in a home, and it’s helpful for larger homes or homes that have rooms (such as guest rooms) that are often unoccupied.
FAQ: How Often Should I Replace My HVAC System’s Air Filter?
Monday, February 29th, 2016Most modern homes that use forced-air for heating and cooling have an HVAC setup that consists of a furnace and air conditioner inside a single cabinet with the same air handler working for both. A filter mounted near the air handler where the return ducts connects to the cabinet does the job of protecting the internal mechanisms in the cabinet from dust and dirt. In order for an HVAC system to continue to work effectively—whether during cold or hot weather—this filter must be free from heavy clogs.
Sealed Combustion vs. Atmospheric Combustion in Gas Furnaces
Monday, February 15th, 2016The technology of heating and cooling is never static. New developments are constantly finding better and less expensive ways to provide comfort for homes and commercial buildings. For example, even though gas furnaces have been around for decades, they remain a competitive type of heating system because new advances in design have made them safer and more energy efficient.
What Do Those Odd Smells Coming from My Furnace Mean?
Monday, February 1st, 2016You Can Still Schedule Heating Maintenance for the Season
Monday, January 18th, 2016And in fact, you should if you didn’t have it done in the fall. It’s always preferable to arrange to have professionals inspect, clean, and generally tune-up your home’s heating system before the winter cold arrives. But if you forgot or didn’t have time during the fall to arrange the visit, don’t decide to skip it for the year and wait until next fall! This is a vital service for your household, even at a later date, for the following reasons:
Here’s How to Maximize Winter Heating with Your Thermostat
Monday, January 4th, 2016The thermostat is a critical part of the HVAC system that warms your home in winter and cools it during the summer. But its importance is too often overlooked, and homeowners simply change its settings up and down according to their comfort whims. This can mean a great deal of energy going to waste, especially during the cold months when the heating system puts in an enormous amount of work. When you use some planning—along with an upgrade to newer thermostat technology—you can make your thermostat work to help you conserve energy while still providing the cozy warmth your family needs during this season.