How to Care for Your Furnace When It's Dormant

furance maintenance services - tulsa, ok

Most households stop using their furnace once the spring season arrives because they simply don't need it anymore. However, you still want to care for the unit and prepare it before the winter season so that when the weather gets cold again, the system is operating properly. Here are a few furnace-care tips that you should follow:

Hire an HVAC Technician

The first thing to remember about keeping any type of HVAC equipment running smoothly is to have it checked out by a professional technician at least once every year. The warmer months are the perfect time to have your furnace maintenance scheduled, because the techs won't be busy with those types of requests.

Test It Out Periodically

The last thing you want is to turn on the furnace at the beginning of the cold season only to find that it's probably not been working for a while. Test it out by letting the system run periodically to see if it seems to be functioning properly, especially as you get closer to the winter months.

Clean or Replace the Air filter

It's always best that you check your furnace's air filter once per month, but there's a good chance that you didn't take a look at it when the winter season ended. To make sure you're ready for the next winter season, check to see if the filter is filled up and then either clean or replace it if that's the case.

Remove All Obstructions

Since you won't be using the furnace for a while, you and other household members may get a little careless with regard to placing obstructions near the equipment, which can impede its operation and act as a fire hazard. Before you turn the system on again, be sure to remove anything that's been placed close to the unit.

As you can see, proper furnace care doesn't take a whole lot of time or effort. If you would like more tips or need service for your home or business, the experts at Air Assurance can assist you. We've been serving the needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas since 1985.

tulsa tankless - water heater services

tulsa tankless - water heaters

The tankless water heater represents the most major advance in residential water heating since the first storage-tank model was invented in 1899. A tankless model generates hot water entirely on-demand. This eliminates many of the limitations of the traditional storage tank heater and improves energy-efficiency. As the typical American household spends about $500 annually on water heating, any cost savings can make a difference in the family budget. Here are some ways a tankless water heater improves both convenience and economy in your home.

• No standby heat loss. A typical conventional water heater utilizes a tank to store about 50 gallons of hot water. As time passes, water in the tank gradually cools, and the burner must activate to maintain proper water temperature. Due to this standby heat loss, energy is wasted reheating water in the tank multiple times until the water is finally used. Instead of storing water, a tankless unit heats only when hot water is needed.

• Unlimited hot water. When someone opens a hot water tap in the house, a tankless unit senses the requirement and instantly begins heating the continuous flow of water for as long as required. You never run out of hot water like you do with a storage-tank unit when demand is high. Nobody ends up shivering in a cold shower.

• Longer service life. The tank is a weak link in a storage-tank water heater. After an average service life of about 12 years, standard water-heater tanks are subject to internal corrosion, mineral accumulation, and leakage that require replacement of the entire unit. Tankless units eliminate these downsides and, with proper maintenance, will usually last more than 20 years.

• Improved energy efficiency and lower costs. In a home that uses up to 40 gallons of hot water daily, tankless heaters are about 30% more energy-efficient than a conventional tank model. According to the EPA, a tankless heater with Energy Star certification can reduce hot water costs by $100 per year in the typical household.

More Benefits Of tulsa Tankless Water Heaters

Not only will a tankless heater save you money on your energy bills, it will also save space within your home since these systems do not require large holding tanks like their traditional counterparts do. This can free up some space in your basement for extra storage, or a kid’s play area.

Another feature that makes these new, more modern heaters very popular is the fact that it is virtually impossible to run out of hot water. It only takes a few consecutive showers to deplete a traditional heater’s tank. Afterwards, it is necessary to wait until the tank’s contents are heated once again before you can access hot water. With a tankless system, the supply is continuous and plentiful.

Tankless Water Heater Installation

The proper installation of a tankless water heater is very important for it to run efficiently and perform as it is designed to do. There are many aspects to properly installing a tankless water heater and you should hire Air Assurance’s professional plumbers to complete the installation.

To properly install a tankless water heater, Air Assurance will first check the gas line. A tankless water heater will typically require a gas line with a larger diameter. There is a little electrical wiring involved as well, and once the old water heater is removed and disconnected, we can begin setup of the new water heater. Tankless water heaters are mounted to the wall, not left on the floor like a conventional water heater.

For more about the efficiency and performance benefits of a tankless water heater, contact Air Assurance.

Drain Safety: Make Sure These Things Never Go Down a Drain

The drains in your home are an essential part of providing quality home comfort for you and your loved ones. If you want your plumbing problems to remain at a minimum, then drain safety is an absolute must. A big part of that is ensuring that none of these things ever go down one of them:

Paper Towels and Similar Products

Many people seem to think that paper towels are no different from tissue paper and other flushable products. This is absolutely not true. If you want to clog up your toilet, flushing paper towels, cotton balls, baby wipes, and similar items is definitely the way to do it.

Feminine Products

This is similar to the list above, but it is so common for these things to be flushed, it deserves its own point. Please do not flush feminine products down the toilet. These should be placed in the trash every single time.

Kitty Litter

Despite popular belief, kitty litter does not belong in the drain. What happens is that a bit of this sand-like product often stays behind and settles in the drain. It won't take long before it's fully clogged, which means you'll be making a call to your local plumber before you know it.

Drain Cleaners

It's almost second nature these days to reach for a drain cleaner at the store for a quick DIY job. The problem is that these cleaners are corrosive and cause damage to your pipes. A HVAC professional can clear your pipes without hurting them.

Grease and Oil

Sorry, bacon lovers! Pouring grease down the drain is a great way to plug it up. Instead, collect the grease in a container, and once it's full, throw it away in the garbage.

Pasta

You know how pasta expands in size when you cook it in water? The same thing happens when you shove it down your drain, which can cause a clog quite quickly.

For more expert advice on drain safety or other home comfort issues, please contact the experts at Air Assurance. We've been serving the needs of Broken Arrow since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about drain safety and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Brett_Hondow/Pixabay”