Bob Mims Heating & Air Conditioning Blog : Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Why Does It Cost So Much to Run My Furnace?

Monday, January 29th, 2018

money-going-up-chimneyIf you’re asking this question, it’s likely because your utility bills are arriving each month with bigger numbers on them than you’ve seen before. Of course it costs money to run a furnace … but should it really cost that much?

The answer is, “Probably not.” Hikes in heating costs could be warnings of malfunctions somewhere in the HVAC system or a sign the furnace needs to be retired and a new one installed. But they also might point to simple heating mistakes you can correct on your own. We’ll go through a list of possible reasons you have a furnace that’s giving you the low winter blues from high winter bills.

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Warnings You May Have a Boiler That Needs Repairs

Monday, January 15th, 2018

wrenchesNot all HVAC contractors work on services to install and repair boilers. That’s unfortunate, since boilers are still popular choices for home heating that offer a number of benefits over using a forced-air system like a furnace. We’re proud to offer complete services for boiler installation and boiler repair in Staten Island, NY. Many of our customers rely on boilers to get them through the winter, and it’s our duty to see those boilers stay in the best shape for as long as possible.

I think my boiler needs to be repaired, but I’m not sure…

Here’s a good rule to live by: if you are unsure about your boiler’s performance, then you definitely need to call professionals to look into it. There’s something making you suspicious, and unless it’s a problem that’s easily solved (like a mistake in thermostat settings), it will take skilled HVAC repair technicians to uncover the actual problem and find solutions to it.

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Is It the Heater or the Ducts Causing Comfort Problems?

Monday, December 18th, 2017

big-blue-question-markCentral heating systems for homes are one of the great modern conveniences. Here in New York we depend on them every day to spread warmth evenly to all the rooms through a network of ducts. But there’s a chance that this winter you may start to experience heating that’s less than what you expect. Some rooms may be comfortable, while others feel chillier. Or maybe the whole house simply feels cooler and you have to turn the thermostat up higher than normal to reach the point where everyone is cozy.

You shouldn’t accept any of these situations. There’s something wrong with your HVAC system. The problem might have to do with your heating system (in most cases, this is a furnace). But it could be trouble with the ducts. In some situations, it might be both! To find out what’s wrong, let an HVAC technician take a look so you can have the problem fixed before icicles start forming in the living room.

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Reasons Your Boiler Isn’t Doing the Job It Should

Friday, December 15th, 2017

boiler-residentialUsing a boiler is still a common way to provide warmth to a home in Staten Island. Although there are more gas furnaces in use, boilers are mainstays of homes that don’t use ventilation systems. They’re also popular for the energy savings they can provide and the excellent comfort that feels much different than the air blown out from furnaces.

Boilers are reliable systems. But what if the one you have isn’t working right? If you’ve turned on your boiler system to help with dropping temperatures, but discovered that it can’t keep up with the cold or is creating uneven heating around the house, you may have a repair issue that will require professionals.

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It’s Not Too Late for Heating Maintenance!

Monday, November 20th, 2017

service-written-on-glassWe’re not so deep into the cold weather just yet, and it looks like Staten Island may enjoy pleasantly cool weather for this Thanksgiving. But after that … we all know how fast the winter chill can blow in! So if you have yet to arrange for your annual heating maintenance to inspect and tune-up your home heating system, now is the time to do it. This is one of the last stretches of mild weather we’ll have before winter settles in, and you want your heater ready to handle the work load until spring.

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The Danger of a Cracked Heat Exchanger in a Furnace

Monday, October 23rd, 2017

furnace-burnersIf we had to make a wager on the type of heater you use to warm up your house during our chilly New York winters, we’d always bet on a natural gas furnace. The odds are in our favor because these furnaces are the most popular in the country, and their popularity is higher in places with chilly winters. A natural gas furnace is a cost-effective method of supplying high levels of heat to a house, much more so than an electric furnace, and because most homes have ventilation systems in them, they are also more common than boilers.

Although a gas furnace isn’t a naturally dangerous appliance, any use of natural gas has the potential for toxic gas leaks and combustion dangers. With a gas furnace, the main concern is the development of cracks in the heat exchanger. A cracked exchanger calls for immediate heater repair in Staten Island, NY from our HVAC technicians. Leaving a cracked heat exchanger alone creates the potential for enormous safety hazards.

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How Fall Heating Maintenance Saves Money

Monday, October 9th, 2017

furnace-repair-technicianLast month we encouraged you to arrange for your heating tune-up and inspection to get ready for the coming winter. If you haven’t done it yet, it’s certainly not too late—but don’t wait too long! We all know that the longer we put things off, the harder it is to get around to actually doing them. And this is a simple job to do: all it requires is giving us a call, and we’ll put you on the schedule, come to your house, and have the job done in around an hour. Simple, and your home will be set for the winter!

We want to encourage you to have this job done. We’ve already talked about how it helps keep your heater safe (important for natural gas furnaces and boilers) and reliable so you won’t suddenly have a loss of heat during one of the coldest days of the year. But right now we want to focus on the ways fall heating maintenance saves you money. Basically, regular maintenance is an investment that pays for itself many times over. Here’s how:

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Schedule a Tune-Up for Your Heater Early!

Monday, September 11th, 2017

servince-reminder-clockSome rain, some cloudy weather, some warm temperatures … we’re already starting to feel a bit of fall creep in, even though the official start of fall is (as of this writing) a bit over a week away. Could you stand for a bit of fall planning now? It’s always a smart idea to get started on something you may procrastinate on later. And it’s pretty easy to procrastinate on taking care of your household heating system when you’re deep in the middle of other fall activities and home winterizing.

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Late Winter Heater Problems to Watch For

Monday, February 27th, 2017

cold-sweater-manMarch doesn’t mean winter comes to a sudden stop. After all, the season doesn’t even officially end until March 20th. If you’ve lived through a few winters here in New York, you know that bizarre storms can come sweeping through as late as April.

It’s important during this time of year to keep a close watch on potential repair troubles with your home heating system. All the steady work the heater has done since winter may start to catch up with it, leading to malfunctions and even a breakdown. No matter how close it is to spring and warmer weather, always move immediately to have your broken heater repaired. Our professionals are here to see that any trouble gets fixed, and fixed right.

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5 Reasons Your Furnace Is Tripping the Circuit Breaker

Monday, February 13th, 2017

big-blue-question-markIf you use a furnace in Staten Island, NY for winter heat (and chances are good that you do), one odd malfunction that you might run into is a circuit breaker that trips when the furnace is running. If this happens with your furnace, don’t keep resetting the breaker and trying to run the furnace again. A tripped breaker is the home’s electrical system protecting its circuits, and you shouldn’t ignore the warning the breaker is sending. There might be a simple reason for this occurrence that you can correct. But if you can’t find one, you need to contact HVAC repair professionals and let them find out the trouble and remedy it.

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