Possible Causes of Low Heat in Your Furnace

October 26th, 2015

Your furnace is going to see daily use this winter, as it will most winters in a town like Portland, OR. That makes it doubly concerning when you turn your heater on and the air isn’t warm enough, or worse: it’s not hot at all. That usually merits a visit from a repair technician, who can pinpoint the problem quickly and implement a proper solution. As a homeowner, however, it may help you to understand the possible causes of low heat in your furnace, which can stem from a number of different sources and usually requires professional expertise to resolve. Here’s a partial list of some of the more common causes to help you out.

Clogged Burners and Gas Lines

The burners are where the heating process gets started, and over time they can develop clogs and similar problems, preventing them from working as they should. In some cases, this can stem from trouble in the gas lines, where a clog or disruption is preventing the gas from getting to the burners. (This is one of the reasons why you should shut off the heater and the gas immediately upon detecting a problem: leaky gas is nothing to fool around with.) A service technician can unclog the burners, and regular maintenance session can help keep them from forming in the first place.

Continue Reading

How to Spot Problems with Your Heater

October 19th, 2015

Fall has arrived here in Portland, OR, and homeowners are dusting off their heater for use in the coming winter. Now is often the time when we discover repair issues with our heating systems: having sat unused for several months and now called upon to perform on a daily basis. The good news is that you still have time to schedule a repair session to deal with them, while the weather is still comparatively warm. But the sooner you can spot problems with your heater, the more readily you can bring in a qualified service to perform repairs. Here’s a few signs that you should watch for.

Continue Reading

What to Look for in a New Heater

October 12th, 2015

With fall arriving here in Portland, OR, now is the perfect time to trade your old heater in for a brand new one. Temperatures are still mild enough to let the technician install the system without inconveniencing you, and you can schedule the session at your leisure, without having to rush to get it in before a cold front hits. More importantly, installing a new heater now will let you enjoy the benefits of improved efficiency and lower monthly bills from the start of the season. But just because you’ve decided to buy a new system doesn’t mean the work is done. Here are a few tips on what to look for in a new heater.

Continue Reading

Indoor Air Quality Issues to Watch for This Winter

October 5th, 2015

Winters in Portland, OR have been cold lately, and while we’re still enjoying the moderately mild temperatures of fall, that thermostat is bound to start dropping soon. Keeping your heater serviced and maintained is the ideal way to ensure your home enjoys comfortable temperatures all winter. But temperature isn’t the only factor in determining household comfort levels. Indoor air quality plays a vital role as well. A number of issues unrelated (or at best tangentially related) to your heating system can crop up, and now is the time to prepare for them. Here are a few indoor air quality issues to watch for this winter, as well as some effective ways to combat them.

Continue Reading

Is Geothermal Heating Right for Me?

September 28th, 2015

Geothermal heating is an exciting alternative to traditional forms of heating. It uses a physical constant to provide warmth for your home: once you get more than a few feet below the ground, the temperature of the Earth never changes. A geothermal system simply runs a series of tubes below the ground on your property, then pumps a mixture of water and anti-freeze through it. The mixture facilitates a heat exchange with the ground, allowing you to warm or cool your home by drawing on an infinitely renewable natural resource. Geothermal heating can save you a great deal of money over the life of the unit, and a lot of Portland, OR residents will appreciate its environmentally friendly format. That being said, there are some factors involved which you should consider carefully before pulling the trigger. “Is geothermal heating right for me?” you ask. Here are some things to think about.

Continue Reading

How to Prepare Your Heater for Fall

September 21st, 2015

The summer is coming to an end here in Portland, OR, and while we may have a few more hot days to come, you’re going to start using your air conditioner less and less and your heater more and more. Now is the best time to get your heater prepped for fall, when temperatures are still warm. A little care and forethought can make a big difference this winter, both in terms of monthly heating costs and in terms of reducing the risk of breakdown. Here’s a few tips on how to prepare your heater for fall.

Continue Reading

Alternative Types of Air Conditioning

September 14th, 2015

With summer finally coming to an end here in Portland, OR, you might be looking at replacing an old, malfunctioning air conditioner with a new unit. Now is the perfect time to do it, when you have months of cool weather on the way to set a schedule at your leisure. But just because you’re replacing your old air conditioner, that doesn’t mean you need to install a new one just like it. There are several alternatives to the traditional central model available, and while they don’t match the needs of every home they can be quite a boon when they do. Here are several alternate types of air conditioning to think about when preparing to replace your existing unit.

Continue Reading

How Does Relative Humidity Affect My Home Comfort Levels?

September 7th, 2015

If you’ve watched the weather on the TV news, you may have seen the term “relative humidity” used, and wondered what it is. It’s a term used to describe the amount of ambient moisture in the air, measured as a percentage. If the relative humidity stands at 0%, there’s no moisture in the air at all. If it stands at 100%, you’ve basically got rain. Most of the time, it falls somewhere between those extremes, though in Portland, OR, we trend on the humid side. But that number can have a huge effect on your home comfort levels, and if you allow it to remain unaffected, you could end up paying a steep price. Here’s a quick breakdown on how it works, and what you can do to solve it.

Continue Reading

Why Does the SEER Rating in My Air Conditioner Matter?

August 31st, 2015

There’s a lot of technical specifications on your air conditioner to denote how well it does its job. But the one laymen should pay the most attention to is the SEER rating, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It’s a handy number designed to tell you how efficient your system is, and conversely, how much it saves you money when doing its job. That is a huge consideration here in Portland, OR, where hot days demand an efficient system. Why does the SEER rating matter? Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works.

Continue Reading

How to Select the Right Air Filter

August 24th, 2015

Almost every centralized heating and air conditioning system comes with a filter, designed to strain out the dust and dirt circulating through your home. There are numerous different types of filters you can install in your home – above and beyond the types specific to your particular air conditioning system – and with dust and pollen counts here in Portland, OR, they should probably be cleaned or replaced several times a year.  Selecting the right air filter is very important as a homeowner: something that can do the best possible job without working against your best interests. Here’s a few tips on how to select the right air filter.

Continue Reading