Blog | ServiceMax

It’s Not Too Late for Heater Maintenance

December 4th, 2017

Looking at the calendar, it’s hard to believe that it’s already December. The year went by in a flash, and we’re only a few weeks from the official start of winter. The cooler temperatures are already here in Chicagoland, although we can expect a much steeper drop as we head toward New Year’s Eve.

This means you’re still in a great window to have your annual professional maintenance appointment to tune-up, clean, and inspect your home heating system, whether it’s a furnace, boiler, heat pump, ductless system, or in-floor radiant heater. We recommend having this job arranged in the early fall, since it’s easier then to get it scheduled at a convenient time. But it’s still officially fall and your heating system isn’t yet putting in the major work it will need to do to overcome the intense cold of winter: that means it is definitely not too late for heating maintenance.

The Danger of a Furnace with a Cracked Heat Exchanger

November 20th, 2017

What type of heating system do you use to warm up your house during a tough Chicagoland winter? If your home is like the majority, the answer is a natural gas furnace. Gas furnaces are the most common type of residential heating system across the country, especially in locations with cold winters. Gas furnaces not only produce a large amount of heat, they do so at less expense than electric furnaces because natural gas costs less than electricity per unit.

However, any natural gas appliance has the potential to develop safety hazards. We don’t want to alarm you, as a well-maintained gas furnace will rarely encounter dangers, and current furnace models are built with safety in mind and have special features to prevent the escape of carbon monoxide or a rise in combustion hazards.

There is one gas furnace problem we want to draw your attention to, because it’s the most common reason for a furnace allowing toxic gasses into a home: the cracked heat exchanger.

Have You Scheduled Generator Maintenance Yet?

November 6th, 2017

One of the important jobs to have done before fall is over and the serious cold weather starts in is to have your home’s heating system maintained. One of our technicians will come to your house and give your furnace or other heater a thorough inspection and take care of necessary cleaning and adjustments. This helps ensure the best heater performance during the winter, with little chance of repair troubles and needless energy waste.

If you have a whole-house standby generator to protect your home in case of a power outage, you should also arrange for generator maintenance as part of your regular seasonal maintenance.

Repairs an Electric Furnace May Need

October 23rd, 2017

Gas power for homes is widespread, but gas mains can’t reach every residential property. In some cases, homeowners prefer to rely entirely on electricity in their homes because of safety concerns from natural gas. Whatever the situation, a home relying solely on electrical power can still have a furnace to provide comfort during the frigid winters in Chicago. Electric furnaces are a popular choice when it comes to home comfort: they’re less expensive to install than gas furnaces and can often outlast them.

To get the longest service life from an electric furnace so you receive those extra years, always schedule annual heating maintenance. Our technicians will help see you have as trouble-free a heating system as possible! However, nothing is able to prevent all potential malfunctions, and at some point your electric furnace may need heater repair in Oak Park, IL.

Don’t Shut Down Your AC Yet if It Needs Repairs

October 9th, 2017

Last month we offered tips on how to shut down your air conditioning system at the end of the season so it’s in the best shape for next year. But since your air conditioner is probably still putting in days of work here in the early fall and it’s not yet time to shut it off completely, we want to warn you to keep a sharp watch for possible malfunctions. If your AC needs to have repairs, call our technicians right away to schedule service before you need to shut down the system for the coming winter weather.

Should You Have a Ductless System Installed This Fall?

September 25th, 2017

The fall is one of the best times of the year to make major changes to a residential HVAC system. Transitioning between the heat of a Chicago summer into the cold of the winter is a period when you won’t have to rely heavily on either the AC or the heater, so it’s not difficult to arrange for a convenient time to have major repairs done, or to schedule annual maintenance for the heating system.

(It’s not too early to get on the schedule for a fall heating tune-up and inspection. Join our Max Comfort Plan today for superb whole-house maintenance.)

What if the work you need done is to have a new HVAC system installed? In that case, fall is definitely the right time to plan it. One of the options you might consider is a ductless mini split heat pump. This means you receive both ductless heating and ductless air conditioning in Winnetka, IL or wherever you are in Chicagoland. But going with a ductless air conditioning and heating system is a major change, and not right for every home. Let’s take a look at times when going with a ductless system is a good option.

Planning for Your AC’s Future at the End of the Season

September 11th, 2017

The summer weather is starting to recede: the official end of the season is less than two weeks away. You’re soon going to start making plans for turning on the heating system that will warm your home through later fall and into the winter. A crucial part of those plans includes schedule routine heating maintenance: sign up for our MAX Comfort Plan and we’ll have your heating taken care of!

But part of fall planning involves the air conditioning system. Simply shutting it off for the season isn’t the best idea. You want the AC in excellent shape for that first day you need it in spring. The way you want your heater to be prepared when the first cold day hits, you also want your AC prepared. There are a few steps you can take at this time of the year to help.

Yes, Your Heat Pump Needs Maintenance in Fall As Well

August 28th, 2017

Spring was when you arranged to have your AC maintenance in Chicago, IL. (At least we hope so! It’s the best way to ensure reliable and energy-saving performance from an air conditioner all through summer.) Fall is coming up soon, and although Chicagoland won’t experience a major drop in heat quite yet, this is the point of the year to begin thinking ahead to colder weather and making appropriate plans.

Those plans should start with arranging for maintenance for your heater, no matter if it’s a furnace, boiler, heat pump, or other system.

Help Your Furnace, Water Heater, and Ducts Recover from Flooding

August 14th, 2017

The Chicagoland area, in particular many of the northern suburbs, was hit with severe flooding this summer from heavy rains. Flooding advisories along the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers as well as the North Branch of the Chicago River led in some cases to evacuations and record high flood levels (up to five feet deep in some places) and causing other damage like sink holes.

The flooding and heavy rains are gone now, but that doesn’t mean that everything goes back to normal. Flooding leaves damage to a home and in particular it can harm parts of the HVAC system, such as furnaces, air conditioning, and ductwork. Now that the rains have receded, it’s time to have repair work done to any parts of your home’s HVAC system that may have sustained water damage. Our team has the experts to contact for this service: we have years of experience with the effects of local weather conditions and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our heating, ventilation, and water heater services in Highland Park, IL and elsewhere.

Odd Noises That Can Warn You Have an AC in Need of Repairs

July 31st, 2017

One day in the future, consumers may have access to HVAC systems equipped with powerful artificial intelligence programs capable of diagnosing malfunctions early and altering homeowners to the problem—along with instructions of exactly what’s wrong and how to call a technicians to ask for help.

But we’re not quite there yet. Air conditioning systems can’t self-diagnose, but they do have ways of telling homeowners that something has gone amiss so they know to call for professional assistance. HVAC technicians use good old fashioned “organic intelligence,” i.e. their extensive training and experience, to find out what’s wrong and how to fix it. One of the ways air conditioners tell homeowners there’s a problem is unusual sounds from the system.