Is a Furnace or a Heat Pump Right for You?
December 21, 2011
It used to be that the only way to heat your home was with a traditional furnace that runs on a fuel like electricity or gas. But more and more homeowners like you are turning to heat pumps to keep their homes toasty warm in the winter and cool and comfortable in the summer. What’s the difference, and which is right for your lifestyle?
Heat pumps are a little confusingly named. They actually don’t produce heat at all. Instead, heat pumps use the energy present in the air all around us. To heat your home, it compresses the air and uses the heat produced in the process to keep you warm. Some describe this process as a “reverse air conditioning,” taking cool air and turning it into warm. Heat pumps can also be used to cool your home in the summer by absorbing energy through refrigerant-fueled coils. Heat pumps tend to be more energy efficient and better at regulating your home’s temperature in extremely hot or cold weather.
In contrast, a furnace can only heat your home, not cool it. It uses a fuel, often natural gas, to produce energy which warms your home. Heat pumps often cost more initially, but the savings in energy bills over time can be dramatic. With a heat pump, you also never have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning, since there’s no fuel being burned to produce the harmful gas.
Still not sure whether a furnace or a heat pump is right for you? Let the experienced professionals at Aaron York’s Quality Air help. We want to make sure you find the heating system that’s right for your home and your comfort needs. Call us today at 1-800-AIR-REPAIR and let’s find the system that’s best for you.
How Humidifiers Can Make You Healthier
December 19, 2011
Here in Indiana, we don’t just suffer from long, cold winters—we also suffer from very dry air in the winter. The air is naturally dry, and when you heat the air in a furnace, humidity in your home can reach as low as 6%.
Low humidity in your home can be uncomfortable. Those static shocks you get when you touch a doorknob are caused in part by dry air. The lack of moisture can also cause cracked lips and dry skin. But besides these minor irritants, dry air can negatively affect your health. Dry air can irritate your throat and nasal passages and can make colds and upper respiratory infections worse.
One simple way to alleviate the worst of winter’s dry air is with a humidifier. Humidifiers add moisture to the air which makes it more comfortable for everyone in your home. For most people, ideal humidity levels are between 30-50%.
Not sure which humidifier is right for your home? Let the experts at Aaron York’s Quality Air help. Our NATE certified technicians can help choose the humidifier that best meets your needs, the layout of your home and other crucial factors. Don’t spend another winter being uncomfortable. Call us today to discuss home comfort systems and breathe easy.
What to Do When Your Furnace Goes Out
December 16, 2011
It’s the middle of the night. You’re lying warm and cozy in your bed when you hear your furnace sputter, groan and die. What do you do now?
First, don’t panic. It could only take a quick fix until your heat is humming along again. Make sure that the power in the rest of your house is working—it could be that an outage or a tripped circuit has temporarily stopped your heat. If all seems normal there, proceed to the scene of the crime.
If your furnace has one, check the pilot light. In older models, relighting a pilot light can be as simple as lighting a match. If you don’t have any luck with that, turn off the power to the furnace. Wait five minutes and let the system restart. Still nothing? Then it’s time to call a professional.
At Aaron York’s Quality Air, we offer emergency service. That means you’ll have a technician out to your house in record time working on getting you warm again. In the meantime, take your family to stay with friends or neighbors to keep them safe from the cold. If that’s not an option, light a fire in the fireplace and keep warm with plenty of blankets. Never try to use your gas oven for warmth—the carbon monoxide from the oven can put your family in serious danger.
A broken furnace isn’t cause for despair. Just keep calm, use some common sense and call the best folks in the industry to get your furnace up and running again. Questions? Give us a call at 1-800-AIR-REPAIR.
Is Your Furnace Ready for Winter?
December 15, 2011
We’ve been blessed with a fairly mild fall in Indianapolis so far. Sure, we’ve had a few days dip into the 20s and 30s, but by and large we’ve had surprisingly great weather. But as anyone who’s spent a winter in Indiana knows, it won’t last. So if you’ve been putting off getting your heating system and home ready for winter, here are a few quick tips that’ll keep your house snug and warm all winter long:
• Check for anything unusual. When you turn your furnace on for the first time, take a moment to make sure everything’s functioning normally. Do you smell burning? That’s not unusual, but the smell should subside after a few moments. If it doesn’t, it may be time for a tune-up.
• Change the furnace filter. Ideally, you should be changing your filter every month, but just in case it’s slipped your mind, make sure to put in a fresh one before the winter turns cold. Because we spend so much time in the winter months indoors, air quality becomes incredibly important. A dirty air filter keeps germs and allergens trapped, meaning you’ll spend more time sneezing this winter. A clogged air filter can also hamper the free flow of air through your furnace and make your unit work harder to keep your air warm.
• Seal it up. Cracks and broken seals beneath windows and doors allow frigid air to creep into your house and can leave you reaching for the thermostat. Go to every window and door and feel for drafts. If you find one, either use a small bit of caulk or apply some weather stripping. This means a warmer home for you, and less strain on your heating system as it struggles to maintain the set temperature.
• Get it checked. It’s important for your furnace’s health to have regular maintenance checks twice every year, once in the fall and once in the spring. These maintenance calls allow your trained HVAC technician to fix any small problems with your system before it turns into a furnace failure. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Stay warm and comfortable this winter. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call at Aaron York’s Quality Air at 1-800-AIR-REPAIR.
