Chicago HVAC News

Well the forecast for Chicago heating bills is estimated to be 10 to 15% higher then last years heating bills, according to Peoples Gas. So, here are some ways that you can implement reduction of heat loss and curb that new “appreciated” bill that will be coming soon to your mailbox:

* Lowering your thermostat by one degree can save as much as 3 to 5 percent on the average heating bill
* Replace your furnace filters four times a year. If you can’t remember when to do it, either put the schedule on your Blackberry or when the season changes, the filter changes.
* Have the furnace cleaned every year for efficiency.
* Replace your old windows to energy efficient Low “E” Windows
* Outlet insulators
* Wrap that hot water tank!
* Attic insulation - this is where the heat escapes! By maintaining or adding adequate insulation is the smartest move you can make and the cheapest.
* And for those of you who don’t want to pull out that window air unit - why are you heating the outside.

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Most houses with forced-air furnaces have a standard furnace filter made from loosely woven spun-glass fibers designed to keep it and its ductwork clean. Unfortunately, they don’t improve indoor air quality. That takes a media filter, which sits in between the main return duct and the blower cabinet. Made of a deeply pleated, paper-like material, media filters are at least seven times better than a standard filter at removing dust and other particles. An upgrade to a pleated media filter will cleanse the air of everything from insecticide dust to flu viruses.

Compressed, media filters are usually no wider than six inches, but the pleated material can cover up to 75 square feet when stretched out. This increased area of filtration accounts for the filter’s long life, which can exceed two years. The only drawback to a media filter is its tight weave, which can restrict a furnace’s ability to blow air through the house. To insure a steady, strong airflow through the house, choose a filter that matches your blower’s capacity.

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It’s important to replace the filters and clean and lubricate the components of a heat pump on a regular basis. But heat pumps, like central air conditioners, have an outdoor unit that contains a compressor, a coil, a fan, and other components. To function properly, this unit should be kept free of debris such as leaves and dirt. The unit should be level on its concrete support pad.

Clean pine needles, leaves, and dirt out of updraft fans by removing the grille, which is held to the frame by a series of retaining screws. Make sure the power to the unit is off before tackling this type of cleaning. A vacuum cleaner hose can sometimes be inserted between the fan blades to remove debris from the sides and bottom of the unit.At the beginning of each heating season, set a carpenters’ level across the top of the metal cabinet and check the level from side to side and from front to back. If the unit is no longer level on the pad, lift the pad back to level by prying it up with a pry bar or a piece of 2-by-4. Build up the ground under it with stone or crushed rock. Also check the piping insulation for deterioration. If this insulation is faulty, replace it with new insulation, available at heating supply stores. Installation instructions are usually provided by the manufacturer.

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Heating systems are usually trouble-free and easy to maintain. Efficient operation is a function of good regular maintenance. No matter what type of furnace you have, there are several things you can do to keep your heating system in top condition. In this article, we will tell you how to service and troubleshoot your furnace, regardless of the type. Before we get to the troubleshooting, let’s start with some steps you can take before your furnace shuts down. Cleaning a Furnace

Dirt is the biggest enemy of your furnace. It can waste fuel and drastically lower efficiency. Dirt affects all three basic components of your furnace, so cleaning is the most important part of regular maintenance. The three parts of the furnace should be cleaned: the filter system, the blower, and the motor.

The furnace filter should be replaced or cleaned at the beginning of the heating season and about once a month during periods of continuous use. To check the filter, take it out and hold it up to the light. If it looks clogged, replace it with a new filter of the same type and size regardless of the length of time it has been used.

What You’ll Need
You’ll want to have these tools on hand to clean a furnace filter:

* Screwdriver
* Replacement filter
* Toothbrush
* Vacuum cleaner
* Clean rags

A disposable furnace filter consists of a fiber mesh in a cardboard frame. The size of the filter is printed on the edge of the frame. An arrow on the edge of the frame indicates the correct direction of airflow through the filter. Air flows from the return-air duct toward the blower, so the arrow on the filter should point away from the return-air duct and toward the blower.

A permanent filter is usually sprayed with a special filter-coating chemical, available at hardware stores and home centers. Clean this type of filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions, which are usually attached to the furnace housing. Here’s how to replace a filter:

Step 1: Look for metal panel on front of furnace below return-air duct, between duct and blower system. Panel may be marked filter, or it may form lid or front of boxlike projection on furnace housing.

Step 2: Slip panel off its holding hooks, or unscrew panel from box or furnace housing. On some heating units, filters are exposed; just slip filter up and out of U-shape tracks that hold it in place.

Three parts of the air-moving system should be kept clean: filter, blower, and blower motor.

Step 3: Inspect and replace or clean filter, depending on type.

Step 4: Clean blower assembly, belts and pulleys to blower, and motor housing. Cleaning blower is critical if furnace has a squirrel-cage fan, because openings in this type of blower often become clogged with dirt. To clean blower, remove panel that covers filter to gain access to blower or panel on front of furnace. This panel may be slip-fit on hooks or held by series of retaining screws. Access to inside of blower is usually gained by sliding out fan unit, which is held on track by screws.

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The very best idea for central heating maintenance is to have a service professional out to give your system a checkup. HVAC contractors regularly handle these exact tasks, and they can provide you with a thorough check of your system and ensure that it will run effectively all winter.

Listed below are a few steps you can follow to help your unit run properly.
Before the first frost, test you heater to see if it runs. Contact a professional if you don’t feel any warm air coming from the vents.

Check the pilot light if you have a natural gas system. The flame should always be clear blue. A yellow or orange flame could be a sign of a problem.

Always change your furnace filters each year. Dirty filters cause the unit to work harder to push the warm air through the filter, causing your unit to run less than efficiently and possibly break down.

As with air conditioning, make sure there are no drapes, furniture, or plants blocking the vents. Proper flow of air from the vents will ensure that the heat coming from the system will get out into all the spaces that need it

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OK Kids are about to get back to school.

With outside temps starting to dip into the 50s at night it will soon be heating season. Are you ready to warm things up in your house? Ok this may be too soon, but it is never too early to insure that your heating system is in top shape.

OK so how does heating your house have anything to do with being green?

Heating efficiency has everything to do with being green. Losing heat out the chimney wastes energy. Losing heat out through the walls and ceiling is also wasteful. Using an electric heater…well you get the drift.
There are things you can do now that will save you on energy costs over the winters.

Before it gets too cold are your windows sealed properly? I had new energy efficient windows installed two years ago. I noticed some needed to have the caulking fixed. Anyone can perform this easy repair and caulking is cheap. Of course be careful on the ladder for those high up windows.

Is your house insulated properly? In some cases you can do this yourself. Especially up in the attic. Getting a professional opinion for outside walls that have little to no insulation may be well worth in the long run.

How about your forced air furnace? Have you replaced the filter? This should be done at least once per year. At best twice per year. Especially if it is a long hard heating season like it was last year in upstate NY.

Let’s not forget the furnace cleaning. I have a maintenance contract that includes an annual cleaning. This keeps the furnace running in top form. When they clean the furnace they also can usually spot trouble before it starts.

Insulated and efficient: How’s that for being green.

We replaced our old heat pump with a new energy efficient model recently. The system uses the original ducts. When we start our system after it has been idle for several days we notice what seems to be a mildew smell coming from the ducts. After a while the odor goes away. The old heat pump didn’t seem to do this.

I have sprayed disinfectant into the air return and into the area around the condensing unit with not much success. We have owned the home - built in the 1980s - for four years built and, as far as I know, the ducts have never been cleaned. We lived in our other house for years and never had the ducts cleaned.

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Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern and increased visibility. Many companies are marketing products and services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a means of improving your home’s indoor air quality. These services typically — but not always — range in cost from $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, climatic region, and level of contamination.

Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing.

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No matter what the age of your furnace, you can improve energy efficiency by keeping it in good working order. A few simple furnace maintenance tasks will ensure you’re getting the most for your energy dollar.

We will take you though a couple simple things.

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