A Guide To Choosing A Heating Contractor For A Furnace Installation

When it comes to choosing a heating contractor, you need to make sure you take your time and find a great one. That is especially true when it comes to furnace installation and maintenance because carbon monoxide and combustible materials are involved.Follow this guide for choosing a heating contractor:

• Demand Energy Star-qualified products. You want maximum efficiency and savings, which means you need your furnace to meet Energy Star criterion for efficiency.

• Home assessments are the first step. Any contractor who offers a quote or recommends a product without assessing your home is cutting corners. A good contractor will perform Manual J load calculations and advise you on ways to decrease your heating demand before they price the job or suggest a furnace.

• Ask about rebates. There are often local and federal tax credits and other rebates available which may make one model more affordable than another.

• Ductwork should be part of the estimate. Your ducts have to work with the new heating equipment. That means they have to be sized appropriately and in good enough condition to handle the airflow. Work may not be needed, but if maintenance is needed, the contractor should be able to explain exactly what needs to be done and why.

• A walk-through should be included. Once the furnace is installed and completely ready for operation, the contractor should walk you through every aspect and feature. They should take you through everything from changing the filter to annual maintenance and cleaning.

• There should be thorough tests and documentation. The operation of the furnace should be tested at several key points for proper airflow, temperature and function. The results should be documented and you should receive a copy.

• Third-party verification is a bonus. Some contractors bring in another party to verify that the job was done correctly. This protects you and the contractor and is a sign that they are confident in their work.

If you're choosing a heating contractor in the Broken Arrow area, contact us at Air Assurance. Homeowners in this region have trusted us for more than 25 years, and we'll make sure the job is done right.

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). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Considering A New Furnace Before Winter Arrives? How To Determine The Right Size

The purchase of a new furnace is a significant investment in a sturdy piece of HVAC equipment that can be expected to give you, on average, 15-20 years of reliable service. You expect your furnace to provide consistent levels of heating throughout your home and to operate as efficiently and economically as possible. To ensure these needs are met, it is extremely important that you choose a new furnace that is correctly sized for your home.Sizing a furnace involves determining your home's heating load, or the amount of heating that is needed to keep your living environment at the temperature you prefer. It also involves making sure that the furnace you purchase can adequately meet that heating load. A too-small furnace can't provide enough heat and works too hard, causing unnecessary wear and early breakdowns. A too-large furnace overheats and wastes energy and money. Overheating also produces dry indoor air, which can cause uncomfortable physical effects on residents and damage to wood furniture and building materials.Many older furnaces tend to be oversized because they were installed when homes were often ineffectively sealed and insulated. A well-insulated home with few air and energy leaks will not need as large a furnace. Further, if you are installing a high-efficiency furnace, it won't need to be as large as the unit you're replacing.Heating load calculations should be performed by a qualified HVAC expert and according to industry standards such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual J, "Residential Load Calculation." This manual contains all the technical procedures and standards for determining how much heating your home requires and the size furnace you need, based on evaluation of factors such as:

• Local climate and weather

• Size and shape of house

• Directional orientation of house

• Amount of insulation

• Window size, location and type

• Presence of heat-generating lights and appliances

• Resident temperature preferences

Air Assurance has provided more than 30 years of reliable, professional HVAC services to customers in and around Tulsa. Contact us today for more information on furnace sizing, to get a cost estimate and load calculation for your home, or to schedule an installation at your convenience.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). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

It's Time For Your Fall Furnace Checkup

Now that the weather is cooling off, it is time to think about scheduling your fall furnace checkup. By having your furnace checked now, you will ensure that the unit is running safely and efficiently before the snow starts falling.A fall furnace checkup is a simple procedure that usually takes less than an hour to complete. When you schedule a checkup, our certified professionals will come to your home and inspect the following items on your furnace to ensure that it is in good condition and will keep you warm and toasty all the way through spring!Here are just some of the tasks we will perform during your fall furnace checkup:

• Inspect the flames to ensure there are no blockages

• Vacuum the blower/burners if necessary

• Perform a CO analysis for proper burning

• Inspect the Heat Exchanger for cracks

• Inspect the blower and check the blades for smooth operation

• Change the filters

• Clean the pilot housing out

• Wipe off the flame sensor and the igniters

• Adjust burners, pressures and valves as necessary

• Inspect the unit for leaks

• Check the thermostat

• Examine airflow to and from the unit

• Conduct a final operations test once all elements are inspected and/or repaired

By scheduling a professional to conduct a fall furnace checkup now, you will extend the life of your unit by making sure that everything is in working condition for years to come. Without a doubt, this inspection will save you time, money and frozen toes all winter long.At Air Assurance in Broken Arrow, our goal is to make sure that your furnace is running safely and properly at all times. Please feel free to contact us with your questions or to schedule a fall furnace checkup.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). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Staying Safe When Using A Natural Gas Furnace

A gas furnace is one of the most efficient ways to heat your home in central Oklahoma, and it's rarely a safety hazard. However, to minimize any problems with burning a combustible fuel in your home for heat, it helps to follow some guidelines.

• Install a carbon monoxide (CO) detector no closer than 15 feet from the furnace. If you have just one detector, place it at eye level close to the master bedroom. CO rises and putting it too close to the floor lowers its reliability. Avoid placing the detector close to a bathroom, since the humidity levels can interfere with its operation.

• Try not to use flammable aerosols in your home during the winter. If you must use one, shut the furnace off and open a door or window until the gas dissipates. Store any flammable material away from the furnace.

• Make sure that your gas meter is in the open, along with your incoming shut-off valve for the gas line. In the event of a problem, being able to turn off the gas quickly can prevent a serious emergency. The gas utility technicians need quick access to the meter, so do not cover it, paint it or allow your children to play around it.

• Report any gas odors immediately to your gas provider. If you don't know their contact number, call 911 for assistance.

• Keep your furnace filter clean or change it regularly. A clean filter is your best defense against premature wear, and will promote efficient operation. When the filter gets dirty, it impedes the flow of air over the heat exchanger inside the gas furnace, which can overheat it. Over time, cracks form in the heat exchanger that can emit carbon monoxide and render your furnace unsafe and illegal to use.

• Have your furnace maintained and inspected each year. The inspection includes a check of the flue, the heat exchanger and the thermostat, as well as a check for leaks in all parts leading to the gas furnace.

Air Assurance in Broken Arrow provides annual inspection and maintenance services for gas furnaces. Please contact us to schedule a visit to keep your system working safely and efficiently.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our current promotions and get started today!     

Help Your Furnace Work At Peak Efficiency With Duct Maintenance

Unfortunately, many homes have duct systems that lose lots of heat through air leaks and insufficient insulation. Properly designed and maintained ducts help your furnace work at peak efficiency, saving you money on energy bills. If your energy bills seem overly high, duct maintenance could make your home more efficient. Fixing air leaksSealing your ducts will probably increase your home's energy efficiency. Some homes lose as much as 35 percent of heated or air conditioned air due to duct leaks. It's easiest to have a professional find and seal duct leaks, but you may be able to repair some leaks yourself. To seal leaks yourself, use duct mastic, butyl tape or foil tape rather than duct tape. Duct tape breaks down too quickly. Look for areas where your ducts are accessible and check for holes or cracks to repair.Duct insulationDucts tend to lose energy through improper insulation. For example, ducts that run along uninsulated attic walls are not very efficient. If you can see exposed ductwork in your home or know that your ducts sit inside uninsulated walls, it's a good idea to ask a contractor about improving your duct insulation. If your duct system is over 10 years old, it's possible it only started with an R factor of 4.  Today, the new codes require an R factor of double that.Ductwork designProper ductwork design distributes heated or air conditioned air evenly throughout your house. Smoothly curving ductwork and smooth ductwork materials help your ductwork distribute air as efficiently as possible. Check for sharp angles in your ductwork or ducts that are made out of materials other than smooth sheet metal. As part of your routine duct maintenance, have your contractor assess your ductwork design. Make sure your ductwork is the right size, allowing proper air flow to and from the unit.  By not having the correct sized ductwork, capacity and efficiency can be cut by over half.Cost vs. benefit It will likely cost some money to have duct maintenance performed. Luckily, the long-term energy savings from efficient ductwork usually make up for maintenance costs. A licensed and experienced HVAC contractor can help you determine whether sealing, insulating or redesigning your ductwork might save you money in the long run. Currently, PSO even has programs to help you pay for it now!For help with duct maintenance in the Tulsa area, contact the friendly experts at Air Assurance.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Duct image via Shutterstock

Designing And Maintaining An Energy-Efficient Duct System

It is not just how well your furnace system works that predicts home comfort and energy savings; your home’s duct system is just as critical because it works to deliver conditioned air all year long throughout your entire home. When there are deficiencies in its design, you’ll notice right away.Design that enhances efficiencyExperts have found that most home duct systems can perform under par by as much as 75 percent, so looking at design can net positive results. Not only can assessing your duct system save you money on a monthly basis, an efficient system can often mean that you can use a smaller heating system, reducing the purchase price of your next system.So just what should an efficient duct system do?

• The ducts should evenly distribute conditioned air into every room in your home, helping to avoid hot and cold zones.

• The duct system should be sized to allow for enough airflow through the heating system.

• The system itself should be thoroughly sealed to prevent energy losses, ensure airflow and enhance indoor air quality.

• The balance of the duct supply and return system should be equal, so that the home has adequate pressure.

• The system should maintain a consistent temperature for the air it holds -- starting from the location of its creation all the way to the farthest room of delivery. The same goes for the conditioned air’s return trip back through the heating system.

Maintenance that impacts efficiencyOne of the best ways to maintain your duct system is to evaluate its seal regularly. This single action will help to keep as much conditioned air as possible inside the ducts, so that all the rooms in your home receive warmth. Another maintenance step you should do is to keep supply registers unobstructed. Commonly located on the floor or lower wall, these registers are easy to inadvertently block with furniture or curtains.At Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality, we've been serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years, and we are happy to help you assess and maintain your duct system to maximize home comfort and energy savings.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our current promotions and get started today!     

Finding The MERV Filter That's Right For Your Family's Health And Your Furnace Efficiency

Finding a MERV filter that works for your family, and helps your furnace to function efficiently, is actually a rather simple process. All you need to know is how MERV, minimum efficiency reporting value, works, and which MERV filter will work with your system.A MERV rating, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is designed to show how well a filter traps particles, and the size of particle it can trap. Higher-rated MERV filters will trap smaller particles. Low-efficiency filters Rated MERV 1-4, these filters offer the most basic level of protection for your furnace and your home’s air. They aren’t able to trap smaller particles very well, but do a decent job of capturing larger particles. If you’ve never evaluated your furnace filter before, it’s likely that its MERV rating is within this range. Mid-efficiency filters These filters, rated MERV 5-13, generally have an expanded surface, either through a pleated design or some other technology that increases the filter space, so they can trap more particles. The density of the filter’s surface is also critical to efficiency, and mid-range filters have denser fibers. Overall, these filters are the best choice for residential use because they allow enough air to flow through the filter, while balancing the capacity to trap particles of both small and large sizes. High-efficiency filters -- including HEPA It's possible to purchase a higher-efficiency filter, rated MERV 14-16, or a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, rated MERV 17-20; however, both types of filters greatly restrict airflow and are not recommended for use with residential systems. For the ultimate in indoor air quality, you can opt to purchase an air-cleaning device that can be used alongside your HVAC system, which will use a higher-efficiency filter without affecting airflow.If you suspect that your furnace’s MERV filter could use an upgrade, or for any other heating and cooling questions, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality today! We've been serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years. Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website and get started today!     Maintenance Checklist image via Shutterstock

Furnace Replacement: An Easy Buyer's Guide

If you’re facing a furnace replacement this year, you can use this easy buyer’s guide to help you through the process. Homeowners can get bogged down in the details when selecting a furnace, but with these three key factors in mind, you can confidently select a system that will work with your home’s needs, and provide energy savings and comfort for many years to come.  For 2012, you can even take advantage of the money given by ONG, PSO, and Lennox to help with the investment cost.  This can be upwards of over $3000 on furnaces alone.SizeIn the past, most furnaces were over-sized to accommodate for drafty homes. That means that your current system might actually be too large for what you now need, especially if you’ve taken steps to increase the seal around your home’s exterior. In any case, under- and over-sized systems cost you, because neither will keep your home comfortable, nor ensure energy efficiency. Make sure your contractor conducts a load calculation to size the system to your home before installing a furnace replacement.EfficiencyWhen choosing a furnace, you should pay close attention to efficiency ratings, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). These ratings are designed to show homeowners how efficiently a system operates, through a percentage that reveals the converted-energy-to-heated-air rate, and how much energy is lost. A high-efficiency system, above 90 AFUE, will get better energy savings, but requires a higher initial investment.FeaturesHigher-efficiency systems include features that allow them to get better AFUE ratings, which ultimately translate into more dollars in your pocket every month. Look for systems that include:

• Variable-speed blowers, which will evenly deliver heated air, and help to manage humidity in the summer.

• Dual- or multi-stage furnaces that have a valve which meters the delivery of fuel to optimize efficiency, depending on the demands of the weather.

• Advanced ignitions that have abandoned the inefficient pilot light in favor of intermittent, hot-surface or direct spark ignitions, which don't carry standby losses.

Selecting a furnace replacement can be easy, if you keep sizing, efficiency, and features in mind. For expert help selecting your next furnace system, contact the area’s leading HVAC experts at Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality -- serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for over 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our current promotions and get started today!     

Why The Blower Is Such An Important Part Of Your Furnace

When you have a forced-air system, heated air is created at the furnace and blown through a system of ducts, which carry the heated air to vents in each room of your home. The mechanism that actually moves this heated air through your ductwork is called a "blower." Without the blower, your heated air would not reach its intended destination. If your blower is malfunctioning, getting furnace repair is a top priority. Understanding your furnace blowerThe blower motor is usually the part of your furnace that has to work the hardest, since it is responsible for circulating your heated air. Blowers come in several different forms, depending on your furnace technology:

• When you have a single speed blower, your blower is either on or off. When the temperature drops your thermostat setting, the blower kicks on at full capacity, with no option for adjustment.

• With a variable-speed blower motor, you get the added benefit of a "soft start," which means the blower comes on at less than full throttle. After a few minutes of operation, the blower can increase capacity as needed to sufficiently warm your home. That way, the blower motor only runs at full charge when it needs to, instead of running at full capacity all the time.

No matter what type of blower you have, proper maintenance is essential to proper furnace function. Check your system regularly dirt or dust buildup, consult a professional if your blower needs repair, and don't forget to schedule annual maintenance.To learn more about furnace blowers, or if you need assistance with furnace repair, contact Air Assurancetoday.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!      Fan symbol image via Shutterstock