Chicago HVAC News

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We all remember the good old boiler room back in the old elementary school don’t we? The sounds, the smell… There was something kind of neat about those good boilers that was reassuring. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I suppose there is a reason that I’m now in the business of commercial boiler maintenance these days. I really enjoy getting into the guts of one of those good ol’ boilers and trying to figure out what is wrong with them so I can get them back up and going once again to provide their signature heat.

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Do you know how important a boiler is in the winter? Make sure you have done everything towards your commercial boiler maintenance program. Your boiler is part of the foundation of your buildings heating system. There is not necessarily a lot that needs to be done - but make sure it gets done and make sure a certified HVAC person does that maintenance. Many times having records of maintenance performed, on time, will help you get inexpensive repairs if they do occur. Do not wait for that broiler breakdown in the years worst winter in recent history to realize you missed an important maintenance requirement.

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Winter time can be a great time. Winter speaks to warm cocoa by the fire, holidays with family and friends, and sleeping in more on the weekends. But if your a company responsible for keeping the heating on during work hours, it means commercial heating maintenance is a priority. You have to prepare for winter by ensuring the systems will work. Nothing is more important in winter than the heating. You might be okay in parts of California but if you in New York or Chicago, then you really have to be on the ball. When temperatures reach freezing, make sure you heating is working in the building.

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Furnaces are inherently inefficient. For example, if your furnace is only 50% efficient, then approximately half of the money you spend heating your home is wasted.

While unproductive heat loss is inevitable, there are some things that you can do about it. Having your furnace serviced by a qualified professional before it gets cold will give you the opportunity to correct any potential problems that might further degrade your furnace’s performance.

If your winter is short, heating bills low and the cost of a service is high, then it might only make sense to have it performed every few years. Otherwise, the longer and harder you expect your furnace to work, the more often you should be prepared to employ preventative maintenance.

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If you are a new home buyer, I’d like remind you that it’s time to call your HVAC professional to have your furnace checked and serviced.

Preventative maintenance can help prolong the life of your furnace.

You should change the furnace filter yourself every 30 days as well.

Before you turn your furnace on for the first time this fall, have a professional company come out to service and clean your furnace. A qualified technician can safely remove the cover of the furnace and check the interior of your furnace.

In the spring, have the same company service and check your central air conditioning unit.

If you need a personal referral to a HVAC company, please send me an email and I would be happy to help you out.

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While there are quite a few things you may not be qualified or equipped to check on your own, there are some very basic things you can do to make sure your Gas Furnace will fire off on that first cold fall morning! I suggest you set yourself a few hours this coming weekend, throw on some work clothes, and get ready for your own system inspection!

Like any inspection, you really just want to take in the overall look of your system as you approach it. If you see rusted out panels, or doors that are hanging off, this is a sure first sign of bad maintenance!

The second thing you want to look at is the furnace venting, or flue, system. Grab it with your hand and “gently” try to jiggle it a bit from side to side. All you are doing here is checking to make sure it is securely fastened and sealed at the exhaust outlet on your furnace. If it moves around alot… take a note of it, and move on! You may need to get an experienced HVAC company out to make some repairs!

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When the days start to get shorter and the air starts to get cooler you’ll be depending on your home’s furnace to stay comfortable. Furnace maintenance will save you money and energy, more or less depending on the age of your appliance and the amount of airborne particles in your home. There are few key pieces to the maintenance of your furnace that you should know about and deal with on a regular basis.

Replace Filters
Filters are the easiest thing to maintain and also need to be the most frequent. Filters remove particles from the air as the furnace pushes it around the house. The more dust that has collected on your filter the harder your furnace has to work to heat the house. Changing the filter is something everyone can do themselves and should do at least 4 times a year to stay clean and efficient.

Blower and Motor Cleaning
Think of this as a tune up similar to your car. The blower and motor are more technical pieces to your furnace that need to be cleaned regularly so that your furnace runs smoothly and lasts a long time. You can perform this maintenance yourself but most people hire a professional once a year.

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Heating systems come in many different forms and configurations. When choosing one for your home, it is critical that you take several factors into account: efficiency, cost, capability and maintenance. The following is a quick overview to give you some options when planning to purchase or reinstall your current heating system.

Forced Air

Forced air is the most commonplace heating system in place, especially in new construction in most parts of the country. Forced Air Heating heats air through a standard furnace using natural gas, propane, oil or electricity.

The heated air is then pushed through ductwork throughout the house by a circulating fan.

The main advantages to this type of heating system are many. The furnace, depending on size and energy source can create the highest efficiency for certain types of homes.

The unit also can accommodate a dual purpose in that it can also serve as the central source for air conditioning and ventilation as well - the only one of these heating systems that can do so. Forced air can also integrate such add-ons as filtration and humidification units.

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The boiler blowdown process involves the periodic or continuous removal of water from a boiler to remove accumulated dissolved solids and/or sludges. During the process, water is discharged from the boiler to avoid the negative impacts of dissolved solids or impurities on boiler efficiency and maintenance. However, boiler blowdown wastes energy because the blown down liquid is at about the same temperature as the steam produced. Much of this heat can be recovered by routing the blown down liquid through a heat exchanger that preheats the boiler’s makeup water. A boiler blowdown heat recovery project at Augusta Newsprint Company’s Augusta, Georgia, mill will save almost $31,000 annually in fuel costs.

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It is generally known that systems such as your domestic boiler require periodic service in order to keep them in good operating condition. There are several ways to ensure the maintenance is done on a fixed schedule, such as using the service interval time controls as a reminder mechanism.

Over the last several years we have seen a major drive towards upgrading old boilers to new high efficiency boilers to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Still, there was notably little focus put on the importance of regular boiler maintenance and central heating system servicing.

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Most people know the importance of servicing your boiler to maintain a healthy central heating system. One way of ensuring the user sticks to the schedule of periodic servicing is to use the service interval time controls as a reminder, to ensure they keep to the recommended servicing schedule.

Over the last several years we have seen a major drive towards upgrading old boilers to new high efficiency boilers to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Still, there was notably little focus put on the importance of regular boiler maintenance and central heating system servicing.

Regular servicing of your domestic boiler and central heating system is essential for the following reasons:

* Ensure that the boiler delivers good output even at maximum load times. Good maintenance ensures the system is efficient and reliable throughout the year, and delivers good performance even in the coldest winter days.

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A properly maintained heating system is likely to work better and last longer. It can also save your life: Malfunctioning systems increase the risk of carbon-monoxide (CO) poisoning and cause some 6,000 fires and $47 million in property damage each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The best time to check your system is before you turn it on. Simple steps include changing or cleaning furnace filters and dusting heat registers or baseboard radiators. Older systems might require blower-motor or water-pump lubrication. Replace batteries in digital thermostats and CO alarms and smoke alarms. Then hire a pro for an annual checkup.

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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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A neglected in-duct humidifier can breed mildew and bacteria, not to mention add too much moisture to a house. A common mistake with humidifiers is leaving them on after the heating season ends. Don’t forget to pull the plug, shut the water valve and drain the unit. A unit with a water reservoir should be drained and cleaned with white vinegar, a mix of one part chlorine bleach to eight parts water or muriatic acid. Mist-type humidifiers also require regular cleaning to remove mineral deposits.

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Tuning up the distribution side of a forced-air system starts with the blower. The axle should be lubricated; blades cleaned and lower motor checked to insure the unit isn’t being overloaded. The fan belt should be adjusted so it deflects no more than an inch when pressed. Every accessible joint in the ductwork should be sealed with mastic or UL-approved duct tapes. Any ducts that run outside the heated space should be insulated. On a hot-water system, the expansion tank should be drained, the circulating pump cleaned and lubricated and air bled out of the radiators.

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