Always Have This Handy Furnace Checklist at the Ready This Winter

Cooler temperatures will have you turning your furnace on soon enough. If your heating system hasn’t had HVAC maintenance done since last year, it’s important to make sure it’s working properly. Keep the following tasks on your furnace checklist so that your Broken Arrow home can remain well heated all fall and winter.

Check the Pilot

Furnace pilots sometimes stop working or don’t light properly due to debris or other problems. One of the items on your furnace checklist should be having an HVAC technician inspect and clean your gas furnace pilot.

Inspect the Heat Exchanger

The heat exchanger in a gas furnace can end up with cracks or other damage due to wear and tear. This, in turn, can lead to a higher risk of carbon monoxide leaks in your home. You should have HVAC technicians check the heat exchanger as part of your furnace checklist to make sure there are no cracks or other damage.

Clean the Burners

The burners in your furnace should also be inspected and cleaned as part of your furnace checklist to make sure they’re in good condition and working properly. HVAC technicians can handle this task safely.

Inspect Pulleys and Belts

Belts and pulleys are components in your furnace that can become loose or damaged over time. Your HVAC technician can inspect these parts of your furnace during a routine maintenance visit.

Adjust the Fan Switch

If needed, have HVAC technicians adjust the fan switch for your furnace. Doing so means your furnace won’t run too long or too often, which would result in higher heating bills.

Replace the Air Filter

You should put a new air filter in your HVAC system to help ensure that it runs efficiently. Keep in mind that you should do this every month or every few months. Clean air filters help improve your indoor air quality and ensure proper airflow.

If you need to schedule HVAC maintenance as part of your furnace checklist, please contact Air Assurance. Our HVAC team in Broken Arrow can provide you with prompt and dependable service to keep your furnace in good condition.

While You're Enjoying Your AC, Is it Too Early to Think About Your Furnace?

The climbing temperatures of the summer create the need to feel that cold blast of air from your cranked-up air conditioner. It might surprise you, but this is the time to also think about furnace maintenance. Keep reading to discover why it's essential to have some summer furnace thoughts, even though you won't have to keep warm for a few months.

Changing Your Air Filters

Your filter-replacement schedule runs throughout the year. You should typically replace your furnace filter every three to six months. The regularity depends on factors such as the filter's Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) and if you have indoor pets.

Did you know that the filter gets dirty even when you're not using the furnace? If the filter gets too dirty, it could cause your system to suffer long-term damage in addition to impairing its efficiency. A clean filter is necessary for maintaining energy efficiency.

The Pilot Light

If your furnace is 15 years old or older, it has a pilot light that stays lit 24/7. Considering how much the summer temperatures can take a toll on your energy bills, it makes sense to save a few dollars by switching off the pilot light. Doing this helps your air conditioner run efficiently. Don't forget to relight the pilot light when the next heating season arrives.

Your Furnace Gets Dirty

Your furnace, just like the filter, needs to be clean. After working hard to keep you comfortable during the winter, it's likely to have debris or dust on the exterior and interior components. If you don't clean the unit regularly, the debris may prevent it from running efficiently. It's always a good idea to contact a qualified contractor to carry out a safe cleaning process, especially when going from the winter to the summer.

Furnace Replacement

If you've been thinking of purchasing a new furnace, now is the perfect time. By not waiting until temperatures start dropping, you'll have ample time to do thorough research, consult professionals, and shop properly for the right replacement system.

Your summer furnace thoughts will go a long way toward preventing major problems when the cold weather returns. If you need help with furnace or AC maintenance, contact Air Assurance. Since 1985, we've been assisting Broken Arrow-area homeowners with their heating and cooling needs.

The Top Signs Your Furnace Is on the Fritz

The winter months can get bitterly cold at times in the Broken Arrow area, so it’s important to make sure you have reliable heat. How do you know if your furnace might need repairs? If you’re experiencing any of the following furnace problems, you should schedule repairs.

Cold Air Blowing Out

Your furnace should be warming up your home, so you should feel heated air coming out of your vents when it’s on. Cold air coming out of the vents when your furnace is running could mean that there’s a problem with the motor, heat exchanger, or another component. A skilled technician can determine the cause of this problem and get it repaired.

Odd Sounds

Furnaces make some noise when they’re running, which you’re probably used to hearing. If you’ve been hearing unfamiliar or odd noises, such as squeals or rattling, you’ll need to have your furnace inspected and repaired as needed. Odd sounds can indicate that your furnace has a loose part that needs to be tightened or that there could be a more serious problem that needs to be fixed.

Higher Heating Bills

You probably have a good idea of how much your heating bills typically cost. While natural gas and electric prices can fluctuate, you shouldn’t be seeing significant increases in your heating bills. If your bills have been going up more than usual, this can mean that your furnace isn’t able to heat your home efficiently. Having repairs and maintenance done should correct this, but you might need to have an older furnace replaced if this keeps happening.

Yellow Pilot Light

If the pilot light on your gas furnace is yellow, this can indicate a carbon monoxide leak. You should shut your furnace off right away, call for service, and leave your home until it’s safe to go back. Keep in mind that your gas furnace should have a blue pilot light when it’s working properly.

If you’re having furnace problems at your Broken Arrow home, contact Air Assurance today for prompt service.

The Truth: Radiant Heat vs. Furnace

There are many different options when it comes to heating your home. The most common is a forced-air furnace. But you can also install a radiant heating system. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a look at radiant heat vs furnace options.

Radiant Heating

With radiant heat, heating coils are installed beneath your floorboards. Heat then rises, spreading throughout the room and providing an even, comfortable layer of warmth. Not only are you warmed by the ambient heat, but also by direct contact with the heating source. There's nothing like walking on a radiant floor on cold mornings.

Radiant heating doesn't use ductwork, which eliminates the energy losses that can come from leaky or damaged ducts. Thus it uses much less energy than a forced air system, while heating a room more evenly. The drawback is, no ductwork also means no cooling in the summer. If you do get radiant heat, a dedicated duct system would still have to be installed for your A/C.

Radiant heat is also expensive to install, particularly when retrofitting an existing home, as it means tearing up the floorboards. And if you have thick carpet or area rugs on the floor, they act as insulation, and the radiant heat won't be able to spread effectively throughout your home.

Furnaces

A forced air system has its own advantages when it comes to radiant heat vs furnace. It warms your home more quickly and provides better air circulation.

The main drawback is dealing with energy loss from damaged ductwork, air leaks, poor airflow, and more. Additionally, the ductwork can circulate allergens and other contaminants through your home. The heat isn't as even, and the lower areas of your home will have trouble getting heat at all.

So ultimately, which is better? It all depends on your specific heating and cooling needs. Talk to an expert and let them help you decide which is the best option for your home.

For help solving the radiant heat vs furnace conundrum for yourself, contact us at Air Assurance. We proudly serve all of Broken Arrow's heating and cooling needs.

Furnace Safety 101

Furnace safety is a timely topic as another cold winter comes on strong. Since Oklahoma’s among the top natural gas-producing states in the U.S., it’s no surprise that gas heating is the preferred choice for residential use. Like any home heating device, gas furnaces require periodic attention for proper maintenance and safe operation. Here are some furnace safety tips to ensure peace of mind and consistent heating comfort in the the coming winter.

Schedule professional maintenance.

All gas furnaces should receive an annual inspection and preventive maintenance by a qualified HVAC professional. The service includes verifying the integrity of critical components such as the heat exchanger as well as sensors that detect overheating and safety switches that shut down the system automatically. Tests to detect hazardous carbon monoxide gas in the system airflow are also included. Professional maintenance also supports furnace performance and efficiency for optimum heating comfort and lowest operating costs.

Keep the furnace area clear.

Don’t utilize the furnace closet or immediate vicinity to store flammable items such as boxes or clothes. Also, keep combustible liquids in a separate part of the house or garage.

Change the Filter

Change the furnace air filter at least every other month. A clogged filter impedes airflow that may overheat the furnace.

Inspect the Vent Pipe

Visually inspect the furnace vent pipe for deterioration, loosening joints or possible obstructions such as bird’s nests at the roof where the vent terminates.

Verify that the removable front cover of the furnace is securely installed.

New furnaces incorporate a safety interlock to prevent operation without a panel, which could pose a fire hazard. However, some older units do not have this protection.

Check the supply and return vents in each room.

To prevent overheating of the furnace, no more than 20% of the vents in the home should be closed at the same time.

Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

If you don’t already have them, install carbon monoxide detectors on each level of the home and outside every sleeping area. Replace the battery twice a year.

For more furnace safety advice, as well as annual furnace inspection and maintenance, contact the pros at Air Assurance.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Then vs. Now: Furnaces

Since prehistoric days, when people gathered around a fire in the dead of winter, humans have sought ways to keep warm. How have those ways evolved over the centuries? How have they led to the technologies that heat our homes today? Let's take a look at the history of furnaces.

History of Furnaces

Among the first to develop central heating were the ancient Romans. They introduced radiant floor heating by building a fire in the basement, which would heat the stone floor above it. And since hot air rises, the heat from the floor would soon spread to the rest of the house.The first heating sources used wood for fuel. This included the Franklin Stove, invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1741. Made of cast iron, it was designed to produce more heat than a regular fireplace, with less exhaust.Then in 1885, a new furnace was developed, which burned coal, which replaced wood as the standard. It produced more heat and used a system of ducts in the basement to transport that heat to the rest of the home. Then in 1919, Alice Parker invented the first modern central heating system. It replaced coal with natural gas, and distributed heat evenly throughout the home using a system of pipes.

Today's Furnaces

Today's furnace designs have come a long way since then. Top furnaces can operate with over 98% efficiency, providing more heat for less energy. Zoning systems now allow you to heat each part of the house according to its individual needs. Some can even sense whether or not a space is occupied, so you don't pay to heat empty rooms. And smart thermostats let you adjust your home's temperature from anywhere, via your mobile device.There are a variety of amazing features available on today's furnaces. When buying a new system, make a list of your home's heating needs and talk to an HVAC expert to find the furnace that's right for you.

To learn more about the history of furnaces, and tips for furnace buying, contact us at Air Assurance. We proudly serve Broken Arrow's HVAC needs.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

4 Things to Know Before You Replace Your Furnace

When it comes to your home's central heating system, you don't want to be the guy or gal who's totally surprised when the furnace conks out on the coldest day of winter. It's better to be ready for that inevitable time when your heating system needs to be replaced, and then know the correct steps to take before installing a new system.

In general, you should start preparing to replace your furnace when it nears the end of its estimated service life. That's typically 15-20 years, though it can be shorter or longer depending on the amount of usage and maintenance the furnace gets. Certain red flags will tell you more specifically that it's time for replacement, including frequent repairs (more than one significant repair in a year) and lost heating effectiveness.

Once you've made the decision, consider these tips:

Work with an HVAC contractor whom you trust when it's time to replace your furnace. This is much too great an investment to make without feeling secure about your contractor.

Discuss with the contractor what capacity furnace is needed for your home. They should perform a heating load calculation that takes into account your home's size and layout, airtightness and insulation, window coverage, and many other factors. The heating load is the amount of heating required to make your home comfortable.

Likewise, discuss what level of energy efficiency is desirable in your particular home. In general, higher efficiency comes with a higher purchase price but lower operating costs once the furnace is installed. Climate is a key factor when considering furnace efficiency, since you'll reap more monthly energy savings in a climate with a colder, longer winter. Your contractor can tell you what efficiency level makes the most sense in our Broken Arrow climate.

Your contractor also should discuss what advanced features are available for your new furnace. This can include add-ons that increase furnace efficiency, and supplemental systems for whole-house air cleaning and humidity control.

For more advice on upgrading your Broken Arrow area home's heating system, please contact us at Air Assurance.

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 furnaces and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “TheDigitalArtist/Pixabay”

The Benefits of Modulating Furnaces

Often when you hear about combustion furnace options, fuel efficiency is the main metric thrown around.These are usually shown in terms of AFUE (annualized fuel utilization efficiency) percentage, in other words, the amount of fuel that gets converted into heat (furnaces with AFUE 90 percent and above are considered "high-efficiency"). High efficiency in a furnace is mainly accomplished with variable gas-valve staging and blower-motor speed. Modulating furnaces are considered the best in terms of both efficiency and performance.

Single-Stage Furnace Operation

To understand the benefits of modulating furnaces, it helps to realize that furnaces without multi-stage, variable-speed operation come with just one stage and one speed – meaning the gas valve is either open or closed, and the blower motor operates at 100 percent speed or not at all. When the thermostat signals the furnace to kick on, it immediately begins churning out heat at full blast, runs until the desired temperature is achieved, then shuts off.The result is short-cycling, especially during milder weather, with the furnace alternating between full-blast and "off" at relatively short intervals. Not only does full-go operation use more fuel than necessary to heat a house, the most fuel is consumed at start-up, so frequent on-and-off cycling also wastes energy.Short-cycling in a single-stage furnace without variable-speed operation also can result in uneven heating, as well as noticeable temperature swings.

Two-Stage and Modulating Furnaces

A two-stage furnace, with a gas valve that can open partially when it's not fully open, is a big improvement over a single-stage furnace. Even better is a modulating furnace featuring a gas valve with multiple staging, with the heating needs at any given time determining the setting. Two-stage or modulating operation is generally combined with a variable-speed blower motor, which also adapts its running speed depending on heating needs.These furnaces typically ramp up to full blast upon starting, then settle into lower-stage, lower-speed continuous operation, which results in more consistent temperatures throughout the house and less fuel consumption.

To discuss installing a new high-efficiency modulating furnace in your Broken Arrow area home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

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 modulating furnaces and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

These are the Most Common Furnace Troubleshooting Situations

In the midst of cool winter weather, the last thing you need is for your furnace to give you problems. If and when that happens, you’ll need to rely on your furnace troubleshooting expertise until you can get your HVAC technician to take a look at the problem. If you’re not getting enough heat or any heat at all, here are a few furnace troubleshooting tips to consider:

Not getting enough heat?

First, check your thermostat and make sure it’s set to your desired temperature. Also make sure the furnace filter isn’t clogged with debris. An undersized furnace can also fail to produce enough heat for your home’s space.

Not getting any heat at all?

Check the circuit breaker or fuse box for any tripped breakers or blown fuses. Afterwards, make sure your thermostat is set to “heat” and the desired temperature is set above the current indoor temperature. Also make sure your pilot light is on or your electric ignition is working properly.

Blower running continuously?

Have your HVAC technician check and, if necessary, replace the limit switch on the blower motor.

Not getting enough airflow?

Make sure the furnace filter isn’t clogged with debris. Also check the ducts for any breaks, holes or other damage that could accidentally reroute airflow.

Furnace too noisy?

Make sure there aren’t any loose components on your furnace. Some noises, including rumbling or squeaking sounds, could indicate a mechanical problem that your HVAC technician should deal with.

Furnace frequently cycling?

It could be a bad thermostat, clogged furnace filter or poor airflow at play. Oversized furnaces can also cycle frequently, resulting in increased wear and tear.

Can’t see your pilot light?

Try relighting the pilot. If it won’t stay lit, there may be a problem with the thermocouple or the gas supply. Don’t forget to check the surrounding area for drafts.

For more furnace troubleshooting tips and other advice, turn to the professionals at Air Assurance. We proudly offer the best in heating and cooling service and installation for homeowners in the Broken Arrow area.

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 troubleshooting and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”