Showing posts with label precision tune up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label precision tune up. Show all posts
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Inside Dirt on Oil Heater Tune Ups
They're Not the Same as Other Heating System Tune Ups!Horizon Services' customers throughout Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Gloucester, Camden, and Burlington County New Jersey, and Northeastern Maryland rave about our EXCLUSIVE 21-Point Pre-Season Furnace Tune-Up. Over the summer, while it's inactive, your heater can accumulate dirt and dust. This can dramatically reduce your heating system's efficiency and is the leading cause of heating system breakdowns and malfunctions.
An annual tune-up of your heating system -- before the winter season kicks in -- is, undoubtedly, the smartest thing that you can do to minimize the likelihood of furnace breakdowns and keep your heating bills low. A tune-up can also extend the life of your heating system.
One of the most frequent questions we get at Horizon Services is: "Why does an oil heater tune up cost more than an electric heater or gas heater tune up?" There are several reasons:
- Oil heaters are more complex than gas and electric heaters.
- Oil heaters produce more soot and residue than other heaters.
- Oil heaters tend to attract and retain more dirt and dust than other heaters.
- While it usually takes about an hour to clean and tune up a gas or electric heater, it usually takes twice as long for an oil heater.
- In order to give an oil heater the proper cleaning, it needs to be taken apart to have dirt and debris removed. There is more disassembly and reassembly required than with electric and gas heaters.
- Oil heaters have several additional components that need to be replaced which are part of our tune up cost. These include the oil filter, the oil nozzle and the pump strainer.
- Since an oil furnace is a very sensitive piece of equipment, it is important to have the air flow checked to ensure it is disbursing equally. Having too much air flow going into the unit will cause a lot of the heat to go up into the chimney without heating your home. Having too little air flow going into the unit can potentially cause a soot backup in your home.
Related Information from Horizon Services...
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Few Words About Home Heating
Some Key Points About Heating To Keep In Mind Before Winter ArrivesGenerally speaking, most people usually don’t have major troubles with their home heating systems. But as Murphy’s Law states, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” And with home heating systems, that is usually in the middle of winter...and at a time when you least expect it or that is inopportune.
Preparation and prevention are the best ways to deal with Murphy and his law. The autumn months are always a good time to familiarize yourself with the essential workings of your home heating system. Before grief strikes and you experience a heating system breakdown, take some time to review your system’s manuals and paperwork for proper operational instructions as well as simple adjustments that you can make yourself. Also, take some time to visit the manufacturer’s website; it’s always a great place to pick up a few tips on both operation and maintenance so the worst is less likely to happen.
Nothing Beats a Pre-Season Tune Up
During the year, your heating system accumulates dust and dirt, making it less efficient and costing you additional money in utility bills. The vast majority of heating service calls and repairs are caused by lack of regular heating system tune-ups and maintenance.
A pre-season tune-up, inspection and cleaning of your heating system is an easy way to prevent costly furnace and heating system breakdowns BEFORE they occur and to assure that your heating system is performing at peak efficiency throughout the winter. Without a doubt, it’s the smartest thing you can do to guarantee a warm, worry-free, energy-efficient home during those cold winter months. You wouldn’t think twice about giving your car a tune-up before a long trip; doesn’t it make similar sense to give your heating system a tune-up before the long winter ahead?
Use All Your Senses
Energy efficiency in home heating systems is a natural result of good maintenance, and regardless of your system type there are certain general rules which, if observed, can save you time and expense in the long run. Now’s a good time to stop, look, listen and feel; give your heating system a complete inspection using sight, sound and touch to see if something is out of place or if something odd is going on.
In terms of maintenance, there are a number of factors to bear in mind when seeking to keep your home heating system in good working order. Regardless of the system, always keep an eye on the condition of the chimney and the vent connection pipe. Problems with the chimney can be a real pain and expensive to sort out. The heat exchangers in boilers leak water, which is pretty easy to pinpoint. With furnaces it is a bit more serious as combustion gases will be mixing with air in the house, and this is why it’s especially important to have furnaces regularly inspected for leaks.
Make sure that the controls are always set appropriately to provide the recommended air and water temperatures. This will assure that you are not putting unnecessary stress on your heating system, as well as maximize your energy efficiency and comfort.. Consult the manual if in doubt.
Air quality is also an important factor in connection with home heating systems. Unintended air leaks in many homes provide some of the combustion air for the heating system, and a number of the combustion by-products can be harmful to health. Making sure that the chimney is properly cleared and maintained -- and that the system is adequately ventilated -- will reduce these risks. Purchasing a sealed-combustion unit is often recommended for safety and optimal efficiency.
If you have one of the old horizontal, plastic venting systems this should be replaced with a steel vent pipe, as all horizontal venting was recently recalled due to risks of gas leaking into the domestic air.
Upgrading Your Home Heating System
Autumn is also a great time to upgrade from an old heating system to a more modern, energy-efficient heating system. Nothing provides more peace of mind than going into the winter season with a factory fresh heater!
Furnaces and boilers are the main heat sources for homes in the United States. Furnaces distribute hot air through ducts, whereas boilers use hot water through pipes. The efficiency rating of both is measured in AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency).
Older furnaces and boilers can be upgraded for increased efficiency, although it may work out cheaper to get a new one. Fuel bills can be reduced by installing one of the modern systems which typically have energy ratings of around 97%. A heating contractor can recommend the type of furnace or boiler you’ll need after you optimised your home’s energy efficiency. Choose a unit of the appropriate size for your needs, and go for a sealed-combustion model which is more efficient.
Related Home Heating Information from Horizon Services...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Nifty Tips for Maintaining Your Home Heating System
Just as tuning up your car on a regular basis is essential to keep it running efficiently and dependably, regular care and maintenance is just as important for your home heating system. Heating system manufacturers recommend that you have your furnace and heating equipment completely cleaned and tuned every year, and there are good reasons for this. Yearly furnace tune-ups can reduce your heating bills as much as 10%. They also help spot and correct problems and prevent them from causing breakdowns; and they even help extend the life of your equipment.It's usually best to perform your furnace tune-up just before the winter season kicks in. You'll have the confidence of knowing that your heating system is in tip-top shape for the winter ahead. You'll also beat the winter rush of tune-up procrastinators and those who need to schedule service because their heating systems have broken down.
In addition to getting annual tune-ups, here’s a list of simple things you can do year-round that will help keep your home heating system running smoothly.
- Install a Programmable Thermostat: A programmable thermostat can help you reduce unnecessary load, wear and tear on your furnace...as well as reduce your energy consumption. You can set your thermostat so that your heating system only runs when you're at home. It will automatically turn on or off at pre-determined times. You can also set temperatures to automatically adjust at different times of the day or night. Most programmable thermostats go for about $150...but they can pay for themselves in no time!
- Be a Frequent Filterer: Check your furnace filters every month or two during the heating season, and if need be, replace them. Your Horizon heating service technician can show you how to do this.
- Check for Smoke Signals: Be alert to trouble signals such as black smoke rising from the chimney, soot collecting at the burner, strange odors, or surging water in a boiler. These may indicate malfunction or improper adjustment, and you should get professional help.
- Achieve Balance: If you have hot and cold spots in your home, or if one area of your home is getting more heat than it needs, your heating system probably needs to be balanced. A heating technician can do this for you.
- Plug Those Leaks: Once a year, inspect your heating ducts to look for air leaks. You can repair them with quality duct tape. Also inspect windows and doorways for drafts -- seal with caulk or install draft guards.
- Insulate Yourself: Heating ducts and water or steam pipes that pass through unheated areas, such as attics, crawl spaces and basements should be covered with duct insulation or unfaced R-11 insulating batts or blankets. This adds up to energy saved for you.
- Be a Dust Buster: If you have radiators, convectors, or baseboard heating units, vacuum them regularly. Dust acts as insulation and wastes heat. Also, clean your furnace's fan blades at least once a year and keep the area around the furnace free of dust, lint and litter.
- Let it Bleed: Once a year, you should bleed the air from hot-water radiators, because air in the lines inhibits circulation. Just open each radiator valve, hold a cup under it and keep it there until water begins to come out. This gets rid of the air.
- Use the Right Paint: For the best performance, paint radiators with special radiator paint. Your hardware store can provide this for you. A quality oil-based paint is recommended; it is more heat-resistant and durable than latex paints. Also, if you paint your radiator black, it will generate more heat than if you paint it white or a neutral color.
- Don't Block the Flow: Don’t block air inlets and outlets, including radiators, with furniture, drapes or clothing.
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