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

How Gas Furnaces Have Changed to Become More Efficient

Monday, January 30th, 2017

At Bob Mims Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re always looking toward the future of heating and AC technology. Like any field, HVAC continues to advance with new developments, refinements, and innovations. Even comparing air conditioners and furnaces from only a decade ago shows how far the new equipment has advanced.

We’ll take the gas furnace as an example. After all, it’s the most common type of heating system in the country, and many Staten Island, NY homes have gas furnaces working through winter to provide them with warmth.

Tags: gas furnaces, heating system installation, heating tips, Staten Island
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Your Gas Furnace Still Needs Electricity!

Monday, January 9th, 2017

We’d like to clear up one of the major misunderstandings about furnaces that we still hear: a gas furnace will be able to supply a home with heat in case of a power outage. On the surface, this makes sense. A gas furnace uses the burning of natural gas to create the heat that then goes through the ventilation system. It’s like an old-fashioned stove this way: no need for electric power, just plain old heat from consuming another power source.

However, this is not true. If your gas furnace doesn’t have electrical power, it won’t run.

Tags: furnace repair, gas furnaces, Staten Island
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What’s That Sound from My Furnace Mean?

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

It would be nice if the technology of furnaces included an A.I. (artificial intelligence) program that could immediately diagnose any malfunction when it first starts and then notify homeowners of what is wrong. But we don’t yet have these sorts of furnaces. So to know when there’s a problem, we have to watch for certain warning signs. One of the most common is odd sounds.

Tags: gas furnaces, Heating System Repair, Sta, Staten Island
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Adjusting the Thermostat for Cold Weather

Tuesday, December 27th, 2016

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about heating is how to properly set the thermostat during extreme heat and cold. Since it’s winter now, we’re going to focus on how to best set the thermostat to deal with chilly weather. You might be surprised to learn the truth about how thermostats operate and how you can help save energy and give your heating system a long service life.

Tags: heating tips, Staten Island, Thermostats
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How to Change the Batteries in Your Thermostat

Monday, December 19th, 2016

The thermostat is an essential part of your HVAC system, even though you may not think of it as having the same role as the air conditioner or the furnace. But without a working thermostat, you can’t communicate to your cooling and heating system, and it won’t be able to sense the temperature.

Tags: Staten Island, Thermostats, Wireless Thermostats
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Boilers vs. Furnaces: Which Is Better?

Monday, December 12th, 2016

When you are considering the new heating system options for a home, you have many different choices available. One of the big divides is between a furnace, which is a forced-air system, and a boiler, which is a radiant heating system. The type you choose will have a major effect on the house itself, since a furnace uses a ventilation network to distribute heat, and a boiler uses water pipes.

Tags: boilers, gas furnaces, heating system installation, Staten Island
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There’s a Burning Smell Coming from the Furnace—What’s Wrong?

Monday, December 5th, 2016

As outdoor temperatures continue to fall with the first day of winter closing in (December 21), gas and electric furnaces all across the Tri-State area are going to turn on and get to work. During these early days of heating a home, you may run into a strange burning smell coming from the vents when the furnace is on. This is alarming, but it may not be an actual repair issue. We’ll look a bit further into the burning odors from furnaces and why it happens.

Tags: gas furnaces, Heating System Repair, Staten Island
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What to Look for in a Service Contractor

Monday, November 28th, 2016

We live in a world of near-instant information. Sometimes this makes life much easier, such as when you absolutely must know how many seasons The Brady Bunch was on TV. (Answer: 5. I found that out in mere seconds.) But it can also make life more difficult, such as when you need to find an HVAC contractor in your area. You put in a few search words into a browser, and suddenly you’re looking at a long list of far too many choices. How do you pick the ideal one?

Tags: Air Conditioning, Heating, Staten Island
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What to Check before You Call for a Heating Repair

Sunday, November 13th, 2016

When a heating system stops working correctly in the middle of a cold day or night, it’s a serious emergency. But it’s not a time to panic: not only do you have access to our superb heating repair professionals when you need us, but there are also some steps to take that may solve the heating problem before you need to call us. At times, the issue may actually be a simple one to resolve. Below is a list of what to do when you lose heating power from your furnace or other comfort system:

Tags: Heating System Repair, heating tips
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Ductless Heating and Its Tremendous Benefits

Monday, November 7th, 2016

When you hear about a “ductless heating” system, you might feel a bit incredulous. Isn’t heating without ducts a kind of space heater? Or a boiler attached to radiators? Those don’t sound like ways you can effectively heat your home: a space heater isn’t powerful enough, and unless you already have pipes in place for a boiler, a boiler isn’t a viable option.

Tags: ductless heating, ductless mini split heat pumps, Staten Island
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