Do You Service The Penfield Area?
Yes we service the Rochester New York area and surrounding counties
Furnaces
How Often should I change my Furnace Filter?
Furnace filters get replaced at different intervals based on style, here are some general guidelines:
Standard 1″ Throwaway filter- Every 30 days of fan runtime, or if its dirty before then.
Media Filter-(4″, 5″, or 6,) All Brands- Most Manufacturers recommend filter media replacement every 6 months to a year, however it is best that you visually check the filter every 3 months to be sure it is not plugged, use your overall best judgment on whether or not it will last until next check.
Electronic Air Filters- Models- Most Manufacturers suggest cleaning intervals of every 6 months to a year. As with the media, it is best to visually check the furnace filter every 3 months to be sure it is not plugged. Most filters can be washed with a mild dish detergent in warm water, be gentle, the wires can break causing an unwanted repair. Be Sure to let the filters DRY THOURGHLY before you reinstall the filter. If operation of your equipment without a filter is a concern, a standard 1″ throwaway or a media filter can be placed in the EAC cabinet during the minimum 24 Hours that your EAC should dry
What is the difference between todays high efficiency furnace and yesterdays old furnace?
The largest is the amount of money that goes up the chimney. Your old furnace is probably running at 60% efficient, meaning that 60% of the energy produced by the fuel actually heats the home, rest goes up the chimney. That is a lot, basically for every dollar spent on heating 40 cents goes up the chimney. New high efficiency furnaces go as high as 96% efficient, 4 cents up the chimney, thats what we like.
Why is my old furnace so big and the new so small, will they keep my house warm even though their small furnaces?
As much as we would like to think that physical size matters, in the heating industry that is not always the case. Technology has come a long way, we have learned to make machines smaller and more efficient. Heating equipment is measured by heat output and not size. Often times, 2 of todays 140000 BTU furnaces would envelope the same physical size of 1 75000 BTU furnace of the past
Boilers
Does My Hot Water Boiler Need to be Maintained?
Yes it does, as does all HVAC equipment. Usually we find out that we should of scheduled our maintenance last month when our equipment breaks this month. Most of Todays Hot water boilers, whether they are used for Baseboard Heating &, In Floor Heating, or Hot Water Heating have complex controls which need to be accessed to ensure a fault history has not been recorded. Often times a Boiler will reset itself after a short time period after a fault and you as a homeowner will not know. Unfortunately you will find out when your utility bill comes and it is higher than you expect
What is a Low Water Cutoff?
A Low water cutoff is a mechanical device installed on your Hot Water or Steam Boiler that will prevent the boiler from firing in the event that the system has lost its water (ie.Broken Pipe)
Should I change my oil Boiler for a Propane Boiler?
This is always been a tough question for the experienced heating man. We all know that oil is oil and gas is gas however here are some facts to consider-
Heating Oil- @160000 BTU per gallon Cost @ $2.70 gallon (2010)
Natural Gas- @100000 BTU per therm Cost @ 2.25 per therm with delivery
Propane- @90000 BTU per therm Cost @ 2.29 per gallon
Scenario- Your home requires a 100000 BTU Piece of Equipment to adequately heat based on heat loss calculations, and your furnace or boiler runs for 6 hours a day, your cost would be:
Heating Oil- $10.12
Natural Gas- $13.50
Propane- $15.25
These numbers are of course based on 100% efficiency, if we base off standard 80% Efficient HVAC Equipment:
Heating Oil- $12.63
Natural Gas- $16.87
Propane- $19.07
Over a thirty day period:
Heating Oil- $378.90
Natural Gas- $506.10
Propane- $572.10
Although most equipment produced today is over 80% efficient , you can see the general idea that the switch would be a change that you will notice. Other things can be done to minimize the overall cost of operation difference, such as purchasing a 95% efficient propane furnace & versus an inexpensive 80% Furnace or Boiler. With A Modulating 95% efficient Boiler the difference could even go the other way, meaning it will cost more to operate the 80% oil Boiler that the 95% Propane because your overall consumption would change as the system warms.
Air Conditioning/Heat Pumps
Should you add Refrigerant to a system as regular maintenance?
You should not have to add large amounts of Refrigerant during regular Maintenance. If done improperly, an inexperienced tech could lose a small amount of refrigerant during check, however most of the time we find the unit was not installed, evacuated correctly or properly charged
Are new Air Conditioners better than old air conditioners?
Todays Air Conditioning equipment is amazingly more efficient than those of the Past. Some of Todays Air Conditioners consume one third of the amount of Energy of their predecessors and produce more overall cooling- See the chart below for some examples
Has the price of air conditioning and cooling my home gone up in the recent years?
Yes the overall cost of installing central air in your home has risen, however the increase is paid back in a shorter period of time. Todays air conditioning systems draw dramatically less energy than those of yesterday, while maintaining higher cooling level outputs.Basically this will cost you less to operate that even your ac that was installed as few as five years ago.
