Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Archive for January, 2017

More About Furnace Efficiency: Why Are New Furnaces More Efficient?

Monday, January 30th, 2017

furnace-burners-against-blackLast week we went into details about gas furnace efficiencies, specifically the AFUE rating and whether it means you’ll save energy with a high-efficiency furnace or not. It’s a question that is best left to a professional to answer.

However, we want you know that we definitely encourage consumers to look into high-efficiency furnace options when they start looking around for a new installation or a replacement for an older heater. The AFUE ratings of furnaces are higher than they’ve ever been: older furnaces used to average between 56% and 70% AFUE ratings, which meant wasting between 44% and 30% of the natural gas the furnace burned. Today, furnaces range from 85% to 98.5% AFUE, and the ENERGY STAR requirement for a furnace is 90%.

But why exactly are furnaces able to perform at such energy-saving levels today? There are several reasons.

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Does a High AFUE Rating Guarantee I’ll Save Money with a New Furnace?

Monday, January 23rd, 2017

question-mark-badgePlanning for a new furnace installation in Plattsburgh, NY means balancing out multiple factors to find the right furnace model to meet your home’s heating needs. You probably already know about at least one important furnace stat: AFUE, which is the standardized measure for furnace energy efficiency. Does it make sense to purchase only a furnace with the highest AFUE rating you can find? Is that a guarantee you’ll save money on heating your home in the future?

There’s a Simple Answer—But It Needs a Longer Explanation

The simple answer is: “no.” AFUE is not a guarantee you’ll save money. AFUE is information about how the furnace performs, but it doesn’t automatically mean the furnace will reduce household energy bills during the winter. We’ll explain further how AFUE is measured and how it can affect your decision for furnace installation.

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Why Isn’t My Gas Furnace Providing Heat?

Monday, January 16th, 2017

This is definitely not a question you want to find yourself asking during a winter in Northwest Vermont! But if you do run into the situation of a furnace that simply isn’t doing what it’s supposed to, you’ll need to get to the bottom of it fast. In some cases, you can remedy the trouble on your own. Others will require you call on heating professionals.

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Is Your Furnace Tripping the Circuit Breaker?

Monday, January 9th, 2017

Furnaces, if they receive annual maintenance in the fall, will run with few problems during each winter. However, repair problems can still crop up, and one of the more common ones is when the furnace causes a circuit breaker to trip. This will cause the furnace to stop working until the breaker is reset. Sometimes this will only happen once.

But if the furnace continues to trip the circuit breaker, there might be something wrong with the furnace or the electrical panel that will require professionals.

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How to Tell You Need a New Garbage Disposal

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

If you’re used to working in a home kitchen with a garbage disposal in the sink, you wouldn’t want to have to go without it. Even a single day with no disposal will make you understand what an essential part of your daily life it is.

Unfortunately, people often ignore signs that their garbage disposal is coming to the end of its service life (usually 10 to 15 years). Below are a few of the indications that will tell you it’s time to call our expert plumbers and arrange to have a new disposal put in. It’s a good way to get your kitchen off to a fine start to the New Year!

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