Heating season is right around the corner. Is your furnace ready for another cold winter? If it is working, do you know how efficient it is? Is your furnace clean and functioning properly? Or maybe more importantly, is your furnace operating safely? These are all questions that can be answered by scheduling an inspection by your local HVAC service company.

Does your furnace look like the furnace pictured above? If so, you might want to have it inspected soon. this furnace above had a defective heat exchanger and the gas valve control was leaking gas into the home. It was also operating inefficiently and wasting gas. It was time to replace the furnace.

During the month of September and October, most furnace manufacturers offer rebates in the range of $100-$400 for certain high efficiency model furnaces. By November, most rebates are no longer available. So, if you have been thinking of replacing your furnace, the sooner the better.

If you are not considering a furnace replacement at this time, it is still a good idea to set up an appointment to have a service tech inspect your furnace to insure that it is clean, and operating efficiently and safely. If the furnace is operating safely but has dirt and maintenance issues, then cleaning your furnace can save on gas and electric usage by the furnace over the season, not to mention that you will more than likely extend the lifespan of various components such as motors, capacitors, ignitors, and integrated controls as well as the furnace itself. An annual furnace inspection will likely pay for itself in lower utility bills and fewer breakdowns.

What does a typical furnace inspection include? A furnace inspection includes checking the cleanliness of the filter, blower wheel, and indoor coil (if accessible or necessary), and inspecting ductwork for adequacy. If any of these things are an issue, it can cause the furnace to run warmer than designed due to a reduction in airflow. These are things the service tech can discover and discuss options with you. Also, the service tech will inspect the burners, heat exchanger, and flue for proper combustion and venting. An issue with combustion or venting can cause the furnace to operate inefficiently and could also be a potential safety issue which the technician can address for you. The technician will also check motor amp draws, safety controls, and your thermostat to be sure everything is functioning properly.

Here is the new furnace that replaced the one above. It is more efficient, has warranties, and this model also has a special blower motor called a "variable speed" motor. This motor delivers airflow a lot better than the old belt drive motor ever did. The customer noticed this right away and was pleasantly surprised by this.

You may also sign up for an annual maintenance agreement. This includes the furnace inspection as well as several cleanings. The annual furnace maintenenance program can give you peace of mind about your furnace. It's never too late to sign up!

If you do not remember the last time you had your furnace inspected, then this blog is for you! It can not be stressed enough how important regular maintenenance is for your furnace.

Do not wait until the cold weather hits and your furnace goes down to call. You may have to go without heat for a day or two until your furnace can be replaced and the rebates will be gone by then as well.

So call today to schedule your furnace inspection before the cold weather rolls in!

Our phone number is 614-837-5062.

Thank you, and I hope this info was useful to you.

Jim Harless

Minutemen Heating and Cooling.

Is your gas furnace old?  Is your gas bill high?  Does your furnace break down frequently?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it may be worth it to consider a new high efficiency gas furnace.  An old furnace will generally be less effcient due to age, dirt, and corrosion.  Which may lead to a higher than necessary gas utility bill.  Let's explore some of the ways that a new furnace can save you money.

Federal energy tax credits are one way to lower the initial cost of a new furnace.  The current energy tax credits are set to expire December 31st, 2013.  So time is just about up to take advantage of the energy tax credits.  A new gas furnace with an A.F.U.E. (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of 95% or higher qualifies for a $150.00 tax credit.  If you purchase a furnace with a variable speed blower motor ( a.k.a. an advanced main circulatory fan) then you can qualify for an additional $50.00 tax credit.  In addition, if you purchase a new air conditioner ( SEER 16 or higher) or a new heat pump ( SEER 15 or higher), then you can qualify for an additional $300.00 energy tax credit.  For example, let's say you purchase a 96.7% efficient 2-stage variable speed gas furnace and 16 SEER air conditioner, you would qualify for a $ 500.00 energy tax credit.  Remember, these energy tax credits are set to expire in a few weeks, so time is critical.

To learn more about the federal energy tax credits, click here :                  http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index  

Certain utility providers also have rebate programs available to help offset the cost of high efficiency HVAC equipment.  AEP has a program that offers a $50.00 rebate for a programmable thermostat (with heat pumps), $150.00 for new indoors unit with a variable speed blower, $100.00 for air conditioner SEER 14.5 or higher, $350.00 for a heat pump of SEER 14.5 or higher (both ac and heat pump would need to replace a unit that was 13 SEER or less to qualify), and a complete system bonus of $150.00.  The maximum rebate would be around $700.00 for a complete new system.

To learn more about AEP rebates, click here :        http://dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=OH97F

One of the biggest ways to save money with a new furnace is the efficiency savings over the life of the furnace.  I have a good real life example of this.  10 years ago, I replaced my mother's furnace for her.  Her old furnace was 30 years old, over-sized, and dirty.  I replaced it with a standard 80% A.F.U.E. gas furnace that was right-sized.  I did not use a high efficiency model furnace (90%+) because her house is small (only about 750 sq feet).  I replaced the furnace the first week of December that season.  The following spring (about mid-April), my step-father called to inform me that their gas utility provider had lowered their monthly budget  by $40.00.  Since, they are on the budget program, that means they saved $480.00 a year and $4,800.00 over the last 10 years (not counting utility increases over that time which would make their savings even higher).  The furnace cost a lot less than $4,800.00 which means they not only have totally recouped their inital cost of installing the furnace, but they are saving big money now.  The other upside to this story is that furnace has another 10 to 20 years of life left in it.  It doesn't take much to see the benefits of replacing an old inefficient furnace.

energystar.gov has a tool on their site that allows you to calculate your savings of one model furnace over another.  Click here :    http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=FU

And then, underneath "furnace resources" on the right side of the page, click on "savings calculator".

One final thing, Minutemen Heating and Cooling is offering a $100.00 discount towards a new furnace installation (no other discounts apply) or $200.00 discount towards the installation a new complete system (both furnace and ac).  This offer expires with the energy tax credits on December 31, 2013.  Just mention that you read this blog to qualify for the discount. 

I hope this has been informative.  Call Minutemen Heating and Cooling today for a free estimate to install a new HVAC system in your home.  You can reach us at Phone 614-837-5062.

Thanks!

Jim Harless

Here we go!  November is here and the cold weather is settling in.  If you have not had your furnace tuned up for the heating season, it's not too late. 

Regular annual maintenance on your furnace can prevent breakdowns and costly furnace repairs, insure that your furnace is operating safely and efficiently, and also prolong the life of your furnace.  Knowing that your furnace is operating safely and efficiently provides peace of mind as well. 

If you choose not to maintain your furnace annually, these are some of the things that you could be missing.  A compromised furnace heat exchanger or flue.  By compromised I mean :  dirty, blocked, or cracked.  This can lead to a dangerous build up of carbon monoxide in your home.  Dirty blower wheels, evaporator coils, and filters can restrict airflow and cause your furnace or heating system to work harder and run longer than normal to heat your home this season.  This will show up in higher utility costs (i.e. inefficiency) and also lead to premature failure of the following components :  heat exchanger, blower motor, blower capacitor, and high temperature limit safety control.  Dirty burners and burner safety controls can lead to inefficient or incomplete combustion.  In addition to inefficiency, this can also lead to nuisance burner lockouts which leave you without heat until an HVAC technician cleans the burners for you.  Other things which can be preventative in nature include :  measuring capacitor capacitance, ignitor ohms, motor amperages, and inspecting wiring to insure it is in good shape.  All these things can help to prevent furnace breakdown and repairs.  It is easy to see that having annual maintenance performed on your furnace is well worth the cost of the service call to have your furnace inspected. 

Another to consider is the age of your furnace.  If your furnace is 20+ years old, it may be worthwhile getting a free estimate for a new high efficiency model furnace that can save you on your utility bills.

If you live in the central Ohio area and would like to schedule an appointment for a furnace maintenance tune-up, or to set up a free estimate for a new furnace call us at :

Phone 614-837-5062

Thanks,

Jim Harless

Do it yourself ac repair is a bad idea.  The same goes for furnace repair, maybe even more so due to the fact that you are dealing with combustible gases and possible carbon monoxide issues.  Sorry to start with my conclusion, but I feel strongly about this.  I can't remember how many times over the last 17 years I have been called in to correct a problem that was created by someone trying to "do-it-yourself".  Or maybe they called a non-licensed person (moonlighter) to fix their ac in an effort to try and save a few bucks.  In the end, they end up paying more by having a licensed professional do it right.  I will give some examples of this. 

When I was green behind the ears (about 1 or 2 years experience), I went on a service call.  When I arrived, I found nearly all of the furnace wiring disconnected and hanging out of the furnace.  The homeowner had tried to repair the furnace himself without success.  The furnace schematics (wiring diagram) was faded and illegible.  So, I had to start from scratch and figure out how to rewire the furnace.  And, there were quite a few wires too.  It looked like a spaghetti mess lol.  I spent about 2 hours rewiring the furnace before I could even begin to diagnose the original problem.  Once I had the furnace wiring back in place, it only took a few minutes to diagnose and correct the problem.  The homeowner paid more than he would have paid if he had called in the first place instead of trying to fix it himself.

A common DIY ac repair is the thermostat.  I will admit that people have more DIY success with thermostats than other HVAC related repairs.  That said, I have gone on quite a few service calls where someone has replaced their thermostat but still had a problem.  In some cases, people assume that the cause of the ac or furnace malfunction is the thermostat when in actuality it is the furnace or ac itself.  Which means they wasted money replacing a thermostat that did not need to be replaced.  In other cases, the homeowner incorrectly installed the thermostat and created a new problem that did not exist before.  Namely, shorting out the transformer or fuse on the furnace.  And, sometimes the new thermostat itself is damaged by the incorrect wiring.  Which ends up costing more in the long run to correct.

In the summer of 2011, I went on an ac repair call.  The homeowner had paid a handyman (moonlighter) to repair his ac about a month earlier.  The moonlighter replaced the outdoor fan motor which had failed again.  During the diagnosis, I found that the motor he used was not an O.E.M. motor, but an aftermarket motor.  In some cases, an aftermarket motor can work, as long as it matches the specs of the O.E.M. motor.  O.E.M. stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" specifications.  But, the motor that the moonlighter installed did not match O.E.M. specs.  The capacitor size was different (not an insurmountable issue), the rotation did not match the existing fan blade (which required a new fan blade), and the biggest issue was that the O.E.M. specifications require a motor enclosure that is "totally closed", but this enclosure was "open".  The picture above is from this service call.  You can see the open enclosure.  Also, he clamped and taped the capacitor to the side of the motor instead of installing the capacitor in the control box where it belongs.  Long story short, I had to replace the motor, the dual-run capacitor, and the fan blade all with O.E.M. parts to repair this.  The home owner paid more for my repair because replacing the fan blade is usually not necessary for this type of repair plus whatever he paid the handyman to repair it the first time.

Another example illustrates the necessity of having a competent professional service your furnace and/or ac.  Several years ago, I went on a furnace repair call for a tenant property.  The landlord had a "maintenance" guy try to fix it before calling us.  I found that the furnace "flame roll-out safety" had been by-passed.  Right now, all HVAC professionals reading this are gasping!  You never, ever by-pass safety controls.  They serve a vital role.....SAFETY!  A furnace running with a by-passed "flame roll-out safety" poses a fire hazzard.  When safety controls fail, it is usually when they are detecting the condition that they are designed to prevent.  Which is the worst time to by-pass the safety control.  It is critical in this situation to get at the root cause unlying the problem.   In this case, the furnace had a defective heat exchanger causing the flame roll-out condition. 

I have many more examples, plus some I'm sure I have forgotten, but I think the point has been made.  Always hire a licensed, bonded, and insured professional to service your furnace and/or ac.  It can save you time, money, headaches, and maybe your life!

Thanks,

Jim Harless