Six Reasons you need annual furnace maintenance.

Every year, about this time, you probably receive several direct mail pieces from different heating and cooling companies telling you to schedule a furnace tune-up.  But what most companies fail to tell you (and the reason most of these offers are ignored) is exactly why furnace maintenance is essential.  At Air Systems Mechanical Inc., we won’t sell you something you don’t need. So here is a list of reasons an annual inspection is so important to the efficiency of your furnace and the safety of your home.     

                                                                                   

Six Reasons You Need Annual Furnace Maintenance

Ensures proper airflow

During the furnace inspection, the technician should check your heating system to ensure it is receiving the proper airflow. Restricted or limited airflow places unnecessary strain on your system that can lead to high repair bills, higher operating cost, and a shortened life span.

Keeps you safe

Furnaces burn fuel to produce heat. This combustion process must be precise to maintain efficiency and safety. Even a small problem can lead to gas leaking into your home or dangerous carbon monoxide levels. Don’t take a chance with the health and safety of you and your family.

Reduce repairs

Every winter, we receive calls for heating problems that could have been easily prevented with regular maintenance. A furnace inspection not only includes cleaning that keeps your furnace running efficiently, but it also catches small problems before they turn into major repairs.

Save time and money

Getting a furnace inspection and cleaning now, before the weather is cold, is much more convenient than waiting for a repairman during the winter in a cold house without heat. It is also much cheaper.

Improves energy efficiency

A furnace inspection should include the cleaning and inspection of the burners, heat exchanger, and condensate drains. This keeps your furnace running efficiently all winter.

Maintains manufacturer’s warranty

If your furnace is under a manufacturer’s warranty, it is especially important for you to get an annual furnace inspection and cleaning. Manufacturers stipulate that their warranty becomes void if the heater is not regularly maintained. A furnace inspection can satisfy that requirement and maintain your warranty.

All of these things boil down to this: keeping you safe, and saving you money.

We all do maintenance to our cars without question, but fail to do proper maintenance to our heating and cooling systems. Just changing the air filter regularly is not maintenance! Our heating and cooling systems are mechanical devices just the same as our cars.  So, I have crunched some numbers, just to try to put things into perspective and show the importance of annual maintenance on your heating and cooling system.

The average family “drives” their home comfort system 2,500 hours per year, at full speed!

If you were to get into your car and drive it for 2,500 hours at 55 mph, you would have put 137,000 miles on your odometer and changed your oil 45 times.

The only way your home comfort system will be reliable and efficient to heat and cool your home is with proper maintenance.

Call our office at 724-774-9030 to schedule your full system cleaning and inspection. We are offering this valuable service for only $130 for a limited time only, so call today! Once we are done with our inspection and our service technician gives your system a clean bill of health, if you have an issue with your system this winter, we will come back to diagnose your issue free of charge.

EVEN MORE SAVINGS: If you call to schedule your furnace inspection and cleaning before October 1^st 2018, you will receive $20 off!  We look forward to hearing from you.            

                                                       

Sincerely,

Bill Gagric

Service Manager

The Hidden Danger of Breathing

These are the kind of statistics that really make you catch your breath:

• Indoor air is said to be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air – and in some cases, it can be 100 times more polluted!

• Whether we are asleep, working, going to school or staying in for the evening, we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors.

• The EPA estimates that the home is the place where the average person gets 72 percent of his/her exposure to chemicals. In other words, nearly three-fourths of chemical exposure is taking place right at home.

So, poor indoor air quality can be a problem – and a big problem if anyone in your family has a sensitive respiratory system or is prone to allergies and asthma. But how do you know if it’s a problem at your house?

Well, you can start here. If you want to learn more about seeing, feeling and smelling the signs, take a look at this info, What Are Your Lungs Telling You About Your Home. 

What Everyone Should Know About Contractor Scams

We've all heard these stories and seen the images. When a natural disaster hits a community, friends, neighbors and charities rush in to help. It always warms the heart to see the outreach in services and donations. And yet … there’s that other side of the response. There are selfish people who try to take advantage of a bad situation and use the natural disaster as an opportunity to scam.

Often during these times, law enforcement agencies make announcements about what you should and should not look for when hiring someone to work on your home. People become aware, alert. And yet … scam artists come into communities and neighborhoods even when our fellow citizens are warned to be hyper-vigilant, even when the skies are blue, and the wind is calm, and the weather is perfect.

In other words, contractor scams get more attention during natural disasters, but they can occur at anytime, anyplace. And that means right here in New Brighton. Oh, I don’t mean to scare you about any particular situation. I’m not reporting news, just tendencies. I’m talking about possibilities that call for wise practices. For example, here are some of the tips the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends for hiring someone to work on your home: 

• Get recommendations from friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, insurance agents or claims adjusters.
• Deal only with licensed and insured contractors. Check with the local Better Business Bureau and Home Builders Association to see if complaints have been lodged against any contractor you’re considering.
• Get a written estimate that includes any oral promises the contractor made. Remember to ask if there’s a charge for an estimate before allowing anyone into your home.
• Take your time about signing a contract. Ask for explanations for price variations, and don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder.

Please know, we’ll be glad to help you with whatever home comfort problem you may be experiencing. At Air Systems Mechanical, we’re proud to have grown a business through referrals and recommendations from satisfied customers, and we hope our list of satisfied customers includes you too. So, if you need us, just email or call.

U.S. Government Breaks Your A/C System

Most of us probably don’t think about the ozone day in, day out. But some folks do. And the groups and agencies who keep a close eye on environmental concerns have prompted some actions in recent years that will ultimately affect the operation of central air conditioners across this country.

The issue is the refrigerant, R-22, also known as Freon, which has been the predominant refrigerant used in air conditioners for the last 40 years. The federal government has begun a phase-out of equipment that uses this refrigerant because of concerns about ozone depletion. So, as of 2010, no new R-22-based equipment has been manufactured. Sure, the pre-2010 systems can still be operated and repaired, but you’ll still be looking at some logical limits.

The R-22 refrigerant can’t be produced or imported after 2020 (only recycled), and the reality is that will affect the cost and availability of this replacement refrigerant as well as the availability of replacement parts for equipment that is no longer being manufactured.

To learn more about this issue and how it could affect you, take a look at this info, Why Did the Government Secretly “Break” Your HomeComfort System?

The Once-a-Year Step for Everyday Comfort

You've probably heard of Poor Richard’s Almanac even if you have never read it. This was a work by Ben Franklin back when the country was young, and it had a calendar, weather predictions and some wise sayings.

Well, if Ben Franklin were writing weather predictions for New Brighton, he’d say, “It’s going to be hot this summer.” Seems to me, it happens every year around that time, and this year, we’ll be true to the calendar again.

Yet, if only Franklin had had central air conditioning, I think he could have added some updated helpful advice like this:

“If you want something to last, you take care of it. If you want something to do its job, you make sure it’s running well. If you want something to protect you in the night, you make sure it doesn't have any hidden dangers.”

Why do I think that? Because here’s what Franklin actually did say: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

You've heard it, I've heard it, and we all know it’s true.

So what ounce of prevention can you bring to your home comfort this spring? One simple step of a preseason checkup on your system can make a world of difference in your comfort all summer long. To learn more about the value of routine maintenance, take a look at this info, The Nutty Way to Solve a Problem Before It Happens.

Is Your Home at the Center of an Energy-Loss Vortex?

Time to Dust Off a Few Energy Saving Ideas

Have you ever considered how much the dust that’s gathering in your home is costing you in energy bills?

When dust builds up on the registers and vent covers in your home, for example, it becomes “insulation” that blocks the air’s path into the room. The harder a system has to work to keep your home comfortable, the more you pay in utility costs.

So as you look ahead, a thorough dusting with special attention to registers and vent covers is a good idea. Other ideas?

• Close drapes to keep out the hot daytime sun, especially on south- and west-facing windows.  Sunny windows make air conditioners work 2 to 3 times harder.
• Close fireplace dampers or glass doors. Going up the chimney with a bound may serve as a dramatic exit for Santa, but don’t allow your cooled air to use that same escape hatch.
• Position your refrigerator away from sunny windows, hot water heaters, warm air from heating ducts, radiators, stoves and other heat sources. The heat makes cooling harder for your refrigerator.

These are just a few natural, free ways to help reduce your energy costs and increase your comfort. Other small steps can also make a big difference. For example:

It’s no news that energy costs are a big expense for homeowners. And not surprisingly, heating and cooling account for more than half of this amount. If you’d like to learn more about conserving energy in your home, this info will get you started – IsYour Home at the Center of an Energy-Loss Vortex?.

Just Another Part of Your Routine

There are certain routines that are as common as having a cup of coffee in the morning. (Or, if you prefer, a big glass of orange juice or soft drink of choice.) When that’s your routine, you don’t keep deciding every day whether that’s how you’ll start your morning. You just keep doing it.

That’s how we’d like for everyone to think about routine service on your heating system. As winter sets in strong, it’s in your best interest (by far) to have your system serviced so that you can be assured of repair-free, safe operation throughout the season – and with the best energy efficiency your system can provide.

But what’s the best way to integrate this great idea in your routine? Start by reading this quick report, Making Routine Maintenance a Part of Your Seasonal Routine.

How’s the Weather Treating You?

I used to hear this from time to time: “How’s the world treating you?” It’s just one of those friendly greetings which most folks answer with anything from the succinct “Fine” to “Better than I deserve.” 

In this work world I live in, what I really want to know is, “How’s the weather treating you?” This is the kind of business where temperatures and weather conditions make a difference in how our customers feel, so I like to know how things are going. Are you comfortable in your home? Is your home heating working like it should? Is it consistent? Reliable? Are your energy bills where you’d expect? Any strange noises or smells causing you concern?

Whatever it is, if you have any trouble, just let us know. We want to make sure you feel just fine when you’re in your home – because that’s what you deserve!  Just call or email and let us hear from you. 

Is a Clean House Bad for Your Health?

Keeping air pollution out of your home is not just a matter of cleanliness. Just think about it. You could scrub your floors and counter-tops, light a perfumed candle – even add a new coat of paint and new carpeting – and while the look will improve, your indoor air could actually be even more compromised.

Household cleaners, perfumes, paint, new carpeting, some types of furniture… any of these can contain chemicals known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that enter your air and, as a result, could soon enter your family’s respiratory system.

There are a number of other very ordinary, common sources of indoor air pollution. You’ll see more about them if you’ll take a moment to read this report, Sources of Air Pollution in Your Home. 

Through February 28, 2015, we are offering a 10% discount on the installation of a whole house filter media.  Check out our website for more information on how this air cleaner can help your indoor air.  

Can Your Furnace Pass the “Confidence” Test?

Is your furnace good for one more season, or can you expect a collapse at the most inopportune (AKA coldest) moment possible? This is what a lot of homeowners wonder when they’ve been patching the same system for several years now. But here’s another question to consider: what could you expect if you made the decision to upgrade to a new furnace now?

Confidence is the main answer. There’s just something very “worry-free” about feeling that chill in the air and knowing that your thermostat is about to trigger all those wonderful operational sounds you’ve come to recognize as heat on its way. And pretty soon you’re wrapped in warmth and comfort.

You’ve also got the confidence that hidden problems in an old furnace aren’t about to create very real trouble in your indoor air – especially through dangerous carbon monoxide leaks.

Then there’s improved energy efficiency. Instead of cautiously keeping your thermostat set just outside your comfort range – in order to save energy dollars – a new system keeps you comfortable and saves on your energy bills.

Time takes a toll on our household systems. If you’d like to know how to make a good decision on when to upgrade, take a look at this report.

The Answers Are in the Questions

Sometimes, when facing decisions, the answers we seek are in the questions we ask. Well, not always directly. If you ask, “What’s for lunch?” hamburger and fries show up nowhere in those words. But it does start the thinking process about the “problem” of lunch that eventually leads to a solution (hamburger and fries).

In home ownership, you see this happening with questions that begin with, “Are these energy bills ever going to stop going up?” Or maybe you’re asking, “Does it feel too cold in here to you? Can you do something with that thermostat? How old is this thing anyway? Didn't we have a breakdown last year too?”

When questions like these keep popping up, you know you’re heading into a decision-making mode in your home comfort. Are you there yet? Getting closer? Take a look at this info, which asks important questions about your home heating.

The Down and Dirty of Your Home Comfort System

As with most things, the better care you take of your heating and air conditioning unit, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. If you neglect your system, then it could be under performing, and this can really show on your energy bill. A system that is dirty, has to work harder, which causes a higher energy bill.  

There are simple things you can do to help take care of your system like changing your air filters. This keeps dust and dirt from getting into the system and clogging it up. Even if you religiously change your filter, your system still can collect dust. This dirt buildup reduces airflow through your system which makes it have to run longer to heat or cool your house. If your system is outside, it can also pick up debris from items like your dryer vents, leaves, lawn mower dust and grass clippings.

It’s important to get your system cleaned and tuned up at least once a year to keep it running safely and efficiently. Read this report about “The Cost of Neglecting Your Home Comfort System” to see more about the hidden costs of putting off maintenance for your home comfort system. 

Cost of Comfort

With the economy the way it is and rising natural gas costs, we have to try and find a balance of cost over comfort. That’s why being energy efficient is so important these days because it can save you a lot of money on your energy bills.

At Air Systems Mechanical, we have several ways to check your system to make sure it is running at optimal performance and keeping more money in your pocket. There are also some small things that you can do to cut down on energy costs. Change your HVAC filters monthly during peak heating and cooling seasons. They only cost a few bucks to replace and a dirty filter makes your system work harder and longer. You can also look for any leaks around your windows or doors that could be letting the heat escape.

If you want to know more about what to expect come this cold season, read our free report “Predicting the Cost of Your Home Heating.”  You can see more about the costs of natural gas and a way to cut down your energy usage by 20% from last year. 

A work out for your furnace?

Working Out

Every so often I’ll get motivated to start a new exercise plan. Since it’s been a long time in between my workouts, I have to make sure I stretch well and I usually end up sore anyway. It takes a couple weeks to get into the swing of things and back to my normal pace.

It’s like this with a lot of things. Football players have off-seasons where they aren’t playing as often so when the season rolls back around, they’ve got training camps, workouts and even practice games. We don’t expect them to take a break and come back performing better than last year.

So why do we do this with our home comfort systems? We haven’t used them all year and when the cold comes rolling in, we expect them to work 100%. Our systems are kind of like us; during the summer, they’ve done a lot of “sitting” so when the winter arrives, they need a little bit of help to be in their best working condition. It makes them much more efficient and can actually save you a lot of money. Want to learn how to get your system performing better? Read about our “Ultimate Furnace Tune-Up” to find out how to give your home comfort system the “workout” it needs

A furnace tune up can save you money

Did You Know…

About half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. That means your home comfort system can have a big effect on your utility bills. So taking care of it can save you a lot of money on your energy bills and also improve your home comfort.

A good way to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently through each season is to get a tune-up. I know what you’re thinking; that’s what you do for a car. But your home cooling system, like a car, requires maintenance to run well.  Just like a tune-up for your car can increase your gas mileage, a tune-up for your cooling system can increase efficiency and comfort.

If you are interested in learning more about how to get your system tuned up and ready for the weather change, read “Smart Home Value.” You can get your home comfort system where it needs to be and start seeing instant savings. 

Is Your Furnace Ready for the Winter?

Let’s face it: It seems like it’s getting colder every year. As the temperatures go down, we depend more and more on our home comfort systems. If you've got a well-maintained, fairly new, energy-efficient home comfort system, you’re probably thinking “No problem. I've got this.” But if your heating and air conditioning system has struggled to make it through the last few winters, then you may be thinking something quite a bit different.

Your system may be trying to warn you of a bigger problem. You may have noticed inconsistent comfort, or even more repairs than usual. Your energy bills could even be higher due to your home comfort system under performing. These colder temperatures are going to put more strain on your system and consume even more energy.

And as if that is not enough, we are also going to see an increase in natural gas prices to go along with these lower temperatures. If your system is not working to its full capacity, it can end up costing you a lot come this winter.

If you want some help beating these high natural gas prices, then we have some good information that’ll get you through this price surge. Read “Beat Natural Gas Prices” to learn more.