Why You May Need a High Efficiency Gas Furnace

Purchasing a new furnace can be a tedious thing if you don't know much about them. Knowing some of the basics about furnaces, your home, and efficiency can make all the difference in the world actually. Let's start with the home. You need to know of course the size of your home so you know how much space will need to be heated. The other side of this coin is insulation. You should take a look through your home to see what type of insulation you have. The better your insulation the more likely the heat that is generated will stay inside (allowing you to only turn the furnace on for short periods of time to maintain the heated area, thus lowering your electric and gas bills depending on what type of furnace you get). High efficiency gas furnace units are always the better way to go because gas is much cheaper to use than electricity.

Once you've figured these two things out, your home's square footage (of the areas needing to be heated) and your insulation efficiency, then the next step is to do some research on high efficiency gas furnaces. Before we get into that I want to note that you can save money by replacing or appending your current insulation if it proves to be inefficient. It does little good to purchase a more powerful furnace if your insulation is poor, but it will cost less and save you money in the long and short run on bills if you simply tackle that issue first. You will be surprised how much money you will save on purchasing a smaller efficient furnace and putting the rest of the money into your insulation vs. just getting a more powerful unit (because the hot air will leave the home in scenario two, which is like throwing money out the window- or should I say, through the roof/walls?).

Once you've nailed these things, doing the research on your high efficiency gas furnace is a synch. Simply go online and do a search for furnaces. You will find sites that will show you what the best unit to buy for certain square footage are as well as sites describing in some detail what each unit does and why it's good for certain types of homes. You will also find many reviews by people who use them and are happy (or not so happy) with their unit. Be careful not to simply take every review to heart as some are not written by people who have the unit but rather sales sites that simply want you to buy THEIR furnace. Armed with all this information, which should take you about an hour to research, and print out some of it, you can now go searching for the furnace you decided on. You will know the lingo so when you call the various companies they won't think you're a newbie and try to sell you things you don't need.

Heat Exchanger Safety - A Maintained Furnace is a Safe Furnace

Heat exchangers are pieces of equipment that are used for the transfer of heat from one fluid to another. When a heat exchanger goes bad, chances are, important things stop working. When your automobile engine is overheating, it's likely that the heat exchanger is the problem. You probably call it a radiator, but it's one type of heat exchanger. In your radiator, antifreeze cools air that flows past it. This air is then blown by a fan onto the engine to keep it cool. If the radiator doesn't work properly, you won't be driving very far until the situation is fixed.

Your home heating system also has a heat exchanger. In fact, nearly every piece of mechanical equipment that has a need to intentionally heat or cool part of a system does. Inside your furnace there is a combustion chamber. There is a metal wall that separates the internal combustion from the air that flows past the heat exchanger and on through the ductwork to heat your home. You need this separation because you don't want the toxic gases inside mixing with the air that is distributed throughout your home. In the previous example, a faulty heat exchanger could lead to a broken down automobile, but in your home you could be gambling with your life.

Carbon Monoxide can be present in the combustion gases. It's supposed to be contained inside, but as time goes on, it becomes possible for the heat exchanger in your furnace to crack or warp. Each time your furnace turns on, the metal wall heats up and expands. During the off cycles, the metal of the heat exchanger cools and contracts. Over time this repeated process of expansion and contraction of the metal takes it's toll. The metal can become fatigued, and eventually warp out of shape, or just plain break.

As I noted before, these metal walls were designed to keep the toxic combustion gases inside the heat exchanger chamber. Guess what happens if there is a crack? That's right, the toxic gases inside can mix with the forced air that is being blown through the ductwork and into your home. Having a reliable Carbon Monoxide detector is an inexpensive measure to protect yourself and your family from the danger of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, but you can also take some proactive measures to protect against any potential danger.

Give your furnace an annual checkup, just before the heating season, to check the condition of the burners, the heat exchanger, the furnace filter, and other components that can affect the performance of your furnace. I recommend have a certified HVAC specialist do this. Only a certified specialist will have the knowledge and experience needed to know exactly what to look for, and where to look for it, as well as knowing what the operating specifications for your unit should be.

If your furnace is over 10 years old, it is even more important to keep that annual checkup. This is the time period where the years of wear and tear on your heat exchanger make a failure of the heat exchanger wall significantly more likely. Keeping your furnace in good health can also help keep you and your family in good health.

Oil Burner Maintenance Goes a Long Way

Oil burner are the lifeblood of any boiler or furnace. They are the hearts that make them beat. You have to take care of them for them to keep working. To many people neglect these vital machines until they go out and then cry to the heating technicians when they receive a gigantic bill for them coming out at 10 o'clock at night to fix a simple burner problem.

Follow this advice and problems with your oil burner will be minimal. The follow suggestions are for Beckett burners. Since they comprise of more than 90% of the marketplace I thought it would be foolish to talk about the other two major brands.

You want to filter the water out of your tank. Moisture can build up in those tanks faster than people think. Techs have drained tanks where in the first seconds nothing but water come out. Water corrodes the oil burner and messed up the nozzles which depends on a fine mist to work effectively. You may think you have a sealed container but all it takes is a little water over time to create a major problem. Making sure the fill cap and the vent cap are in place and tightly secure is one way to minimize this problem. You also want to clear ice, snow, and other debris that may collect on top of the tank. There are additives you can use to solve this problem and if you see water collects you can pop the water drain plug.

You want to get an annual tune up on your oil burner once a year. It should not cost more than a couple hundred bucks but heating professionals have the tools to scan any heating system and see if it is working properly. They can check the CO2 levels, wiring, and detect if anything is out of place. Things cost you less when you fix them before they break. Like a car some people wait til they are stranded on the street to call a mechanic while others are proactive and take care of a car problem well in advance. A certified boiler or furnace technician can analyze your whole system and tell you if your system is fine or if it could use some work. They also switch the oil nozzles, change the fuel and air filters, and adjust the controls. They also check the tank to make certain it does not contain any water.

If you follow these two suggestions you should have very little trouble with your oil burner. Beckett is the brand that most people have and they are known for making quality problems that last a long time. If you maintain your oil burner it will last a long time and keep your nice and toasty throughout the winter.

Plumbing - Reasons to Hire a Professional Plumber

Plumbing related problems can at times be very irritating. That is when you should turn to a professional who can take care of various problems such as frozen pipes, leaks, etc. Here are some of the most common reasons for hiring them.

Servicing Or Maintaining A Boiler Or Furnace
Most of boilers and furnaces require maintenance at least once a year. A plumbing professional can help you with this. He can adjust electrodes, alter the filters and nozzles, and change thermo-couplings to ensure your boiler or furnace stays in good working order.

Clean Your Water Heater
A hot shower is part of our daily routine. Millions of us take hot bath and showers without even knowing the importance of a water heater until it breaks down. A plumbing professional can clean and drain the water heater and adjust the heater temperature so that your water heater remains in good condition and reliably provides you with hot water.

Fix Leaky Taps
Leaky taps waste a lot of water and you may find this very irritating. In such cases you can hire someone to either fix or repair the leak or change the tap.

Cleaning And Maintenance Of Drains
There are many instances when your drains get clogged. An immediate fix is required in such cases. A professional can repair, maintain and replace the drains to ensure waste water flows smoothly.

Installing A Water Filter
You might be wasting too much money buying bottled water everyday. Millions of bottles build up a huge amount of plastic garbage which is not good for our earth. You can hire a licensed worker to install a water filter instead.

General Upgrades To Your Fixtures
Many of us replace the old fixtures with new ones to save the amount of water consumed or we may change them to look better. Replacing the old fixtures with new stylish ones has become very popular. New technologies implemented through these fixtures can save a lot of water for you and for the earth.

Install A Washing Machine
A plumber can help you install your new washing machine for a reasonable rate that can save you lots of money and time in the long run compared to what you would have spent by going to the Laundromat.

These are just few reasons for hiring the services of a plumbing professional. No matter what your reason is, always make sure you do some research before selecting the most appropriate one for you.

Floor Registers and Furnaces

Do you know what questions to ask the professionals when they are installing new carpeting or floors?
When you have ceiling vents for your heating system do not assume the floor registers, which are a pain for furniture placement, do not need to be used. Read on.

This is what happened to me. When I moved into my Mobile Home I immediately wanted to replace the atrocious, gold carpeting which ran throughout my entire coach. When the carpeting installers came to install the carpeting - I innocently let them carpet over my floor registers. I later learned this was a definite NO - NO. I did not want to blow up my Mobile Home.

When the registers are covered the gas can not escape. It can build up pressure and make a nice big KABOOM. The ceiling and floor registers work together to circulate heat throughout my home safely and evenly. When I turned on the furnace instead of the heat circulating throughout the rooms - it stayed in one spot right under the ceiling register. Even with the heat on - my Mobile Home was always cold.

About two years later, I found out about the problem with my floor registers, and how dangerous it was to have them covered up. I was able to uncover 3 floor registers easily, but the remaining 4 were a mystery to me. When the 3 floor registers were free of carpeting and able to breathe - I immediately found the heat distribution was indeed circulating throughout my Mobile Home. The remaining 4 registers, I knew which rooms they belonged in, but I did not know where on the floor they were located.

When I finally purchased a brand new furnace, one of the furnace installers had to locate and uncover the remaining 4 registers by moving furniture, and pounding on my floor with a hammer - now I can breathe easier knowing my Mobile Home is safe from a KABOOM.

He did share with me his years of experience in heating and air-conditioning installation. He said, "the registers get covered over all the time."

I am now sharing my experience with you. What do I know about floor registers? When you buy anything it is time to ask questions. But you have to know what questions to ask.

I hope you enjoyed my article. Please feel free to read any of my numerous articles on many numerous subjects.

Copyright 2007 Linda E. Meckler

Stay Warm by Easily Maintaining Your Furnace

Modern heating technology allows us to enjoy comfortable temperatures throughout the fall and winter. However, we sometimes take the technology for granted and fail to properly maintain our heating systems. A little bit of regular maintenance can extend the life of your system, help it operate more efficiently and save on your electric bill. The best part is that the maintenance steps are very easy.

The first thing to consider when servicing your furnace is the air filter. The filter is located within the return air duct and failure to change or clean it on a regular basis allows dirt to build up and obstruct air flow. This leads to higher electric consumption, forces the furnace to work harder and, ultimately, wear out more quickly. You should be replacing your filter roughly once per month during prime heating season but circumstances may dictate more frequent changes. If your home experiences excessive dust such as hardwood floor refinishing or drywall sanding, you might need to replace or clean it more frequently.

If you have a permanent filter, you will need to clean the filter according to the manufacturers instructions. If you have a disposable filter you have several choices. The most budget conscience might select a basic filter, made of spun glass, that only screens out the largest particles. These can purchased for about $2.00 each. On the other end of the spectrum are allergen filters that filter more finely and can be priced upwards of $15.00 each. Visit a home improvement store and research each type to determine what will work best for you.

A second part of your furnace to check is the blower. The blower, as it name implies, causes the air to circulate throughout your home. Before inspecting or working with the blower be sure the furnace is off by flipping the furnace switch. Double check that the unit is off by turning your thermostat to a very high temperature and waiting several minutes.

Once you have confirmed that the unit is off, remove the access panel and inspect the blower and belt. If the they are not obviously damaged or broken, remove any dust or debris on the blower to help your furnace work more efficiently.

By taking these simple steps, you are helping to ensure that your furnace is working at its best and that you will enjoy toasty warm winters from your system for years to come.

Wood Fire Safety Tips

Wood fire safety tips may be one of the most important bits of advice that you will receive. In these days of escalating uncertainty due to high unemployment and rising energy prices, wood stoves or furnaces are becoming very popular. However, as with all forms of combustion, weather it be wood, gas or oil, specific precautions should be followed.

Fire allows us to keep our body temperature within the normal range. It enables us to cook our foods; thereby killing any potential deadly bacteria that may be in it. But, as much of a lifesaver that fire can be; it is also capable of easily turning into a life taker.

The burning of wood produces creosote; a black, tar like highly flammable substance that clings to the inside of your wood stove chimney. Flammable is the key word here. If this creosote buildup is allowed to accumulate, a tremendous chimney fire can occur. This endangers the lives of the occupants of the home and sometimes even destroys the whole house. Rule number one, chimneys must be routinely and thoroughly cleaned; preferably by a professional chimney sweep. Every effort should be made to eliminate the presence of creosote.

Rule number two, burn only thoroughly dry hardwood that has been split to fit into your particular stove. Dry hardwood produces less creosote because it burns hotter. Try to resist the tendency of overloading the stove. This may increase its' outer temperature enough to ignite nearby articles.

Rule number three, which really should be rule number one; leaving a fire unattended for a long period of time is asking for trouble. So, enjoy you wood stove while you reduce your energy costs; but be alert and cautious at all times.