When you’re shopping around for a new furnace, you might start to develop a new vocabulary. There’s the AFUE—Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency—that helps you determine the efficiency of your new system. And another set of terms you may see used often are as follows: “one-stage,” “two-stage,” and “modulating” furnace.
You might notice that modulating and two-stage furnaces receive a higher rating for efficiency and performance (or simply find that the price for these units is higher). Wondering why this is? Does a two-stage or modulating furnace really make that much of a difference? Find out in today’s guide to these powerful systems.
The boiler is an incredibly reliable heating system. Many people keep their boilers for decades (although this can be unsafe, and we recommend replacing them before their 15-20 year lifespan is up). Yet, boilers can still run into their share of trouble. One of the most common issues our customers come across in a gas hydronic boiler has to do with something called scaling.
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In general, we don’t recommend that you attempt to troubleshoot a boiler on your own, and certainly don’t believe the average homeowner should attempt to make repairs to a hot water boiler. This could be dangerous, and time-consuming when you don’t know what to look for. Technicians with the proper training can come to your home and make a quick assessment with all the tools they need to do so.
There are some things you own that you may replace well before they fail on you. For instance, you might replace your smartphone with the latest and greatest model primarily to take advantage of the camera. You replace your furniture even though it’s still in decent shape just to get a better color or upholstery.
Heating systems have improved in many ways since we first became a company in 1912. The most noticeable and needed improvement has been in terms of safety. Today’s heating systems don’t even require you to keep a pilot light lit. They can ignite themselves with electronic ignition systems, and only when the thermostat calls for heat.
When your furnace runs effectively year after year, a problem with the system comes as a surprise. Furnaces are durable, after all, but only assuming they get the service they really need year after year. Improper maintenance can be a huge contributing factor as to why a heating system experiences frequent breakdowns, although many come without warning.
This year, don’t waste your time making repairs for your home furnace in the middle of winter, when you need it most. You might be surprised to hear that a large portion of the problems we see with furnaces in the colder season are largely preventable. Furnace repairs are frustrating, and in some cases, they are also dangerous. We want to help you avoid them at all costs.
Some of the major investments you own are things you take every opportunity to protect. Your car, for example, hopefully receives regular oil changes and tire rotations. Your computer likely has antivirus protection installed. And you may use surge protectors to reduce the possibility of power surges that can slowly wear out your electronics.