Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Why Won’t the Boiler Heat the Home as Well Anymore?

Monday, December 21st, 2020

large-boilerThe heat a boiler sends into a house, whether from radiators, baseboard heaters, or in-floor elements, feels wonderful during cold winter days. But what if one morning you wake up to discover that the house isn’t warming up as well as it should? You check the thermostat to make sure the settings are right, and then you might try raising the thermostat setting to make up the difference. But you shouldn’t have to do this: the boiler is supposed to meet the standard household demand for comfort, and pushing up the thermostat to attempt to compensate may lead to more trouble. 

What’s wrong? Do you need to call for heater repair in Essex, VT to fix the boiler? Or is it time for a new boiler? We’ll look into the possibilities below.

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Ways to Troubleshot (Not Repair!) a Faulty Gas furnace

Monday, December 7th, 2020

burners-in-furnaceWe want to be clear about this from the start: Only a trained, licensed HVAC professional should repair a gas furnace. This is a matter of safety—although even if it were safe to tinker with a gas furnace on your own, you’d still only want a trained professional to touch the system to make sure the repair is done right. In many jurisdictions, it’s illegal for anyone without a special license to work on an appliance connected to a gas main. 

In this post we’re making a distinction between trying to repair a gas furnace and going through basic troubleshooting steps when a furnace isn’t working properly. There’s nothing wrong with making checks on a furnace before you call us for heating repair in Plattsburgh, NY. Often, the problem with a non-working furnace is something simple you can correct on your own. Just don’t take any steps where you need to get tools and open up the furnace! That’s the point where you’ve gone past troubleshooting and might get into actual trouble.

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Does a Gas Furnace Dry Out the Air in a House?

Monday, November 9th, 2020

burners-in-furnaceThis is a question we often hear, because it’s almost conventional wisdom that a gas furnace makes the air inside a home drier during winter. But conventional wisdom isn’t always correct, and false information spreads fast today.

So let’s confront the question here: Does a gas furnace really dry out the air in a house? If it does, that’s a major concern because dry air in winter can create comfort problems and even health issues.

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Make October Heating Maintenance Month!

Monday, October 12th, 2020

service-reminder-clockIf we had to select the best month for scheduling heating maintenance in Plattsburgh, NY, it would be October. There is no truly bad month for heating maintenance: it’s important that it gets done each year, so having it later or earlier is better than never. But October is when you’ll get the most from having professionals inspect and tune-up your heating system.

Why is this? For one, it’s in the “Golden Zone” where it’s early enough to beat out the first serious cold weather of the year but late enough that the heater will be in prime shape for when those cold snaps first make their chilling debut. It’s also a time of year when HVAC technicians like ours have less crammed schedules because we aren’t dealing with as many emergency calls for failed ACs or heaters. You can schedule maintenance for the most convenient time.

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Facts on Condensing Furnaces and How One Can Benefit You

Monday, March 2nd, 2020

piggy-bankIf you have a furnace in your house that’s more than 15 or even 20 years old, any replacement system will have a higher energy efficiency rating. This because standard for gas furnaces have changed dramatically over two decades, and even the new mid-efficiency models have a higher standard than the mid-efficiency models at the start of the 21st century.

If you upgrade to a new furnace at the end of this year’s heating season, you can expect energy-saving performance. And if you want a major efficiency upgrade, one of the best options is a condensing furnace. These furnaces score some of the highest AFUE ratings (efficiency ratings) of any heating system on the market, with as little waste as 2%.

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Was This the Last Winter for Your Furnace?

Monday, February 17th, 2020

natural-gas-furnace-burnersThe winter weather isn’t done with us, but the second half of the season is a good time to consider how well your home’s furnace has held up. This may be the last winter it can perform up to expectations. Or it may already have fallen behind this season. If you’ve spent more on furnace repair in Burlington, VT than you think you should, getting a new furnace during the spring lull might be on your mind.

It’s wise to start making plans, and even wiser to learn how to recognize when a furnace is nearing the end of its service life. Let’s hunker down and get a clear-eyed assessment of your furnace situation.

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What Strange Furnace Smells Might Be Telling You

Monday, January 20th, 2020

girl-pinching-noseWhen a furnace first turns on for the winter season, it emits a burning odor into the air from the vents. This is normal. It’s odor of the dust along the heat exchanger or heating elements burning off as the unit heats up. The smell will subside after a short time and the furnace will get into the regular groove of warming the house.

But if a furnace starts to smell funny after it’s started up for the season, it’s often a warning something is wrong that needs attention. We want you to know what these unusual odors may mean and when to call for furnace repair in Plattsburgh, NY from our team, so we’ve written a short guide. If you have any doubts about your furnace, don’t spend long analyzing it—shut the furnace off and call for assistance. Always better to be safe when it comes to a central furnace.

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Corrosion and the Furnace—Yes, It Can Happen

Monday, December 9th, 2019

rusted-furnaceWhat sort of home appliance do you think is most likely to corrode? You’ll probably think of the water heater, or shower heads and other water-using fixtures. You probably don’t think about your gas furnace rusting. It doesn’t use water to warm your house, after all. It applies heat to the air through a metal heat exchanger that contains hot combustion gas.

But furnaces can rust, and many do. It can be a minor irritation, a sign the furnace is too old and needs to be replaced, or even a major safety hazard. Let’s look a bit more into how corrosion can affect a furnace and what it means.

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Tips for How Often to Change the Furnace Filter

Monday, November 25th, 2019

man-holding-furnace-filterWhen heating season starts (a.k.a. “winter”), your home’s furnace will get down to steady work. That means you’ll have the semi-regular job of keeping an eye on it. This isn’t an intense job, only a reminder to keep your senses open to any of the signs the furnace is in trouble—and to remember to change the furnace filter on a regular schedule.

But what is that schedule? You may often hear advice to “change the furnace filter regularly” through the winter, but instead of a definite schedule you’re given a range of months. Which one is right? Is there a solid answer for how often to change the filter?

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No Matter Your Heating System, It Needs Fall Maintenance!

Monday, October 28th, 2019

autumn-backgroundHow do you keep your home toasty during the cold winters in Vermont and New York? The majority of homes use natural gas furnaces, but there are many that rely on boilers, electric furnaces, in-floor radiant systems, heat pumps, and dual fuel systems. Our heating technicians work with all these types of heaters in Burlington, VT. It’s one of the reasons we’ve had so many years of success and built up a loyal client base. Whatever you use to heat your home, you can trust us to install, repair, and maintain it.

We want to focus on that last part: maintain. Your central heating system needs to have professional maintenance each fall before the cold winter arrives. And this applies to all types of heating systems, from furnace to heat pump. Skipping maintenance can lead to higher bills, inconsistent performance, repair needs, an early replacement, and even safety hazards.

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