Q. How often should I get my furnace checked?

A. That is a tough question because so much depends on the age of the furnace, the type of furnace, if it is less than 80%, more than 80% or more than 90% efficient. Were is the furnace located? Is it in a crawl space, attic or basement, etc.? Older furnaces need more maintenance, they typically have a blower motor that need oiling, belts that need to be checked and/or replaced burners that need to be cleaned, etc. Newer furnaces have fewer maintenance items but have more safety controls that should be checked. We recommend having the heating system checked once a year at the beginning of the heating system. We offer maintenance agreements that included annual furnace tune-ups and filter changes.

Q. How often should I have my air conditioner, or heat pump checked?

A. To get an air conditioner to run at its peak efficiency it should be checked once a year. A heat pump should be checked twice a year. Both the indoor and out door coils should be cleaned and the filters changed. A homeowner can easily clean the out door condensing coil by gently rinsing it, with the high voltage disconnect shut off, with a garden hose and water. Our service tech's use a special cleaner that will dislodge and remove dirt that is deep inside the coil. They will also oil any motors that require oiling, check the refrigerant level and charge it if necessary. Naturally these are only a few of the items that are completed during a tune-up. Air Conditioners can be added to the Furnace Maintenance agreements. Heat Pumps can be added to a furnace maintenance agreement or have a separate agreement if they are connected to an air handler.

Q. How often should I change my air filter?

A. Filters vary in effectiveness and some, by design stay effective for a year. To start with if your filter is 1" thick it should be checked every month, a 4" filter should be checked every 3 months. If the filter needs changing every time you check it, inspect it more frequently. How often the system runs as well as the environment, if you have pets, etc. determine how fast a filter will get dirty. It is recommended that filters be changed at the beginning of the heating season and the beginning of the cooling season.

Q. How does a heat pump work? How can it make heat when it is so cold outside?

A. Almost every household in America has a heat pump. A refrigerator is a heat pump. The "warm" air in a freezer is absorbed into the refrigerant and moved to a heat exchanger outside of the refrigerator box where a fan blows across it and cools the refrigerant off. The warm air you feel coming from under the refrigerator is the heat that was transferred (pumped) from the freezer.

Q. What is a Hybrid Heating.

A. A Hybrid Heating system uses a heat pump coupled with a fossil fuel (natural gas, propane and fuel oil) furnace. The Heat pump takes care of heating the home on mild days than the furnace takes over on more extreme days. By having two fuels you have more control over your monthly energy bills by allowing you to choose the most economical method of heat.

Q. Do I need to cover my Air Conditioner during the winter?

A. No you don't. Covering the Condenser does keep it protected from the elements and keeps the sand, leaves and debris out of it. If you do decide to cover it, use an approved cover. Do not use a tarp as they don't breathe and can do more damage than good.

Q. My furnace doesn't work. What should I check?

A. First check your breaker or fuse box. Many furnaces also have a fuse on or near the furnace at the disconnect switch. Check the air filter. A dirty air filter will restrict the air flow and cause the furnace to overheat and shut down. Also check your thermostat. It may sound simple but many times the thermostat switch is in the "Off" position.

Q. What is a Geothermal Heat pump and how does it work?

A. A Geothermal heat pump system is a central heating and/or cooling system that pumps heat to and from the earth. The earth is used as a source of heat during the winter and as a heat sink during the summer. Using water or a water/anti-freeze solution energy is transferred to a refrigeration system that transferees (pumps) the energy in the form of heat into the house or building. Geothermal systems are extremely efficient and do not use any gas or oil, so there is no carbon monoxide or other gases given off during the heating or cooling cycle.

Q. Is financing available?

A. Yes. At the bottom of our Home Page is a link to additional information and an online credit application.