The best way to describe the importance of maintenance is to compare it to changing the oil on your car every 3000 miles. Can you go a few miles beyond the 3000? Maybe! Can you go 10,000 miles? Not likely, without serious effects on the car’s performance and certainly its warranty.

Manufacturers who design and build products determine maintenance schedules based on the mechanics of that equipment. Then they set MINIMUM maintenance requirements and actually create WARRANTY CRITERIA based on the equipment’s operational/maintenance needs. We are seeing resistance recently to honoring warranties, where proper minimum maintenance cannot be documented … AND … we anticipate that this will become stricter in the future. Some say … ‘I’m already out of warranty, it was only for 5 or 10 years’. However, think about your Heat Exchanger? It usually carries a warranty of either 20 years or even Lifetime.

Also, MAINTENANCE is not just as simple as changing the filter. There are orifices, drain lines, condensate traps that need to be cleaned out (as they will affect not only performance, but will degrade the operable life of the equipment) … there are outside influences that create maintenance needs like open windows in summer, remodeling the basement, cottonseed caking on the outside unit ‘suffocating’ it … and inside influences like pet dander and candle burning that affect the life of your filter. You will also experience higher utility costs to run the equipment because it is working harder than it needs to. Let’s not forget, too, that the condition of your Heat Exchanger protects you from carbon monoxide exposure … meaning potential life or death consequences. Ben Franklin put it best ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’. We see, time and again, costly repairs and unnecessary service calls due to lack of maintenance.

Well … yes, you can … but there’s MORE to it. Be sure to check your owners’ manual for the Static Pressure and CFM rating required for your system. Otherwise, you can put what looks like a matching filter in your system that creates too much resistance and forces your system to work harder than it needs to … again, shortening its usable life and prematurely wearing down parts, sometimes shut down while in use, over something as simple as a filter. Our advice, check your manual and be certain you are using the right filter for your system. Or contact us with the Model and Serial numbers and we’ll help you find out what you need.

The great thing about them is that, with the exception of maintenance, you will face no service call charges (unless your service call IS as a result of no maintenance). The other good news is that manufacturers have gotten pretty aggressive with their parts warranties and most now offer 10 year minimum warranties, as long as the equipment is registered. Additional Labor Warranty coverage adds a small fee to your installation costs. BUT REMEMBER that your warranty is only as good as how well you maintain your equipment, per the manufacturer’s manual.

Because houses are constructed so well and airtight many people have asthma and allergy issues with no prior history of it. The recent Pandemic has also heightened our awareness of viruses. There are a host of filtration/air purifying solutions today to clean inside air/surfaces and many are very reasonable for the significant increase of health experienced in the home. We would be happy to help you choose a product that meets not only your health needs but your budget needs. Check out the HALO LED Air Purifier – it sanities both the air and the surfaces throughout your home PROACTIVELY. Click the link below for more information and a video of how it works.

https://stateautomatic.com/indoor-air-quality/

In the time it takes for your Air Conditioner to start up, it uses 2/3 of the electrical allotment for your ENTIRE home. This can result in a buzzing noise and/or dimming lights. A quick and reasonable solution to this is putting in a Hard Start Kit. The Hard Start Kit is a cost effective part that can be installed to lower the amperage draw (from your Electrical Panel) that the Air Conditioner needs to start up.

As stated in the previous point regarding how much electricity draw it takes to start up the Air Conditioner, when you begin to lose power AND the Air Conditioner is trying to start up, this disparity in available power causes the Air Conditioner’s Capacitor to fail, needing replacement. However, if the mismatch is significant enough, it can cause the whole Condenser to ‘blow’, meaning, you will have to replace the whole unit. So … we HIGHLY SUGGEST that if you know there’s a storm coming, turn off your Air Conditioner at the thermostat to avoid this exposure. Here’s where the same Hard Start Kit (mentioned before) will help in this circumstance in the event you are not home to be able to turn it off when the storm comes.

It can depend on how well it’s maintained. A well maintained system can last 10-15 years on average. However, we’ve seen some systems last only 7 years, due to poor care. Well cared for Systems can last up to 20 years.

2/3rds of your home’s energy consumption is in your Heating, Cooling and Water Heater use. Geothermal Systems are the most cost-effective and the most ‘GREEN’ way to heat and cool your home … even provide your hot water needs. It utilizes the solar energy stored year-round just beneath the earth’s surface. The ground absorbs 47% of the Sun’s energy that reaches the Earth. This energy represents 500 times MORE than mankind needs every year. Go to http://www.waterfurnace.com/how-it-works.aspx to see a short video on how it works. Or email us (at [email protected]) to ask for a fascinating pamphlet depicting how it works. A Geothermal system returns about $4 for every $1 of electricity used to run it. Imagine the utility savings!

Another ‘GREEN’ alternative is Hybrid Heating/Cooling. This system utilizes a traditional Furnace with an outside Heat Pump (looks similar to an Air Conditioner) that can provide heat to the home down to 0 degrees outside temperature allowing you to choose whether you want to heat your home via electricity OR traditional gas (whichever is costing you less to use).

1st: Check to see if your filter is dirty, it could be the culprit. 2nd … check your power supply to see if you tripped a breaker. Also check the switch (looks like a light switch) located at the Furnace and be sure it’s on (sometimes it can be mistakenly turned off). 3rd … check to see if your thermostat is set to call for heating/cooling or if the Thermostat battery needs to be changed.