Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating Installation’

Heating Contractor Guide: Which Fuel is Right for Your Home?

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Souderton homeowners all want to save money on household expenses and utility bills. We turn off lights when we leave the room, take shorter showers and make sure the kids don’t keep the refrigerator door open. These small habits help, but still we all want to save a little wherever we can, right?

One area where people are constantly looking for ways to save money is home heating. Everyone wants to be comfortable and warm in their homes, but that costs money, so homeowners are always on the lookout for the most effective and cost efficient way to keep the house warm.

What is the most cost effective fuel for home heating?

Is it natural gas, electric, fuel oil or propane? How about less conventional heat sources like wood or geothermal pumps?

We all wish there was one easy, all-encompassing answer to this question, like a heating magic bullet that would keep every family warm and happy for pennies on the dollar. Unfortunately, there isn’t. It depends on too many factors for any one solution to work for everyone.

Probably the biggest factor that plays a role in the cost of a particular fuel is its local availability. Resources are available differentially, so that while one option might be cheapest for a family of five in Andover, Massachusetts, the analysis is entirely different for a single person in Kearney, Nebraska.

What is the most cost effective option for you?

That is a better question, but still not one that is necessarily easy to answer.

To figure it out, you need to carefully analyze several factors:

  • Local availability (see above)
  • Local climate
  • Size of your home
  • Your family’s needs
  • Existing heating equipment
  • Your budget

Armed with this information, you can do a careful comparison of the options available to you. For assistance you can use an online calculator to compare fuel costs, such as this one from the Energy Information Administration or this one from Hearth.com. Or if you have any questions, give Carney PHC a call today!

Comparing fuel costs and choosing the right solution for you may take some time, but the savings can be well worth it.

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HVAC Installation Guide: Where to Place a Thermostat for Accurate Heating

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

It’s easy to forget that with your furnace in the basement churning away all day to keep your Lansdale home warm, but your thermostat is the single most important device in ensuring your home is heated to the temperature you want. If it stops working or it misreads the temperature inside your home, your furnace won’t know what temperature it actually is and will turn on and off at the wrong time.

Where Not to Place Your Thermostat

To avoid inaccurate readings, avoid placing your thermostat in the following locations:

  • Direct Sunlight – Direct sunlight will almost always increase the perceived temperature of the thermostat. Unless you live in a greenhouse, this will be very uncomfortable for everyone in your home.
  • Windows – Windows can result in direct sunlight and breezes. If the windows are not properly sealed, cold air can blow in and make it seem cooler in your home than it really is. In any of these cases, your thermostat will misread the indoor temperature.
  • Drafts – Drafts from improperly sealed doors, windows, or anything else in your home can negatively impact the thermostat.
  • Heat Vents – Don’t place your thermostat near a radiator or heat vent where it is likely to be warmer than anywhere else in the house.
  • Kitchens – Kitchens tend to be warmer than other rooms in the house, especially when in use. Avoid placing a thermostat here unless you have a zone control system and your kitchen is separate from other rooms.

A properly placed thermostat will ensure your home is heated or cooled to the temperature you desire regardless of outdoor conditions. If you’re unsure whether your thermostat is calibrated properly, check the temperature with a separate thermometer in a different location in the same room. If it is significantly warmer or cooler in one place than another, try to determine which is more indicative of the actual comfort level in your Lansdale home. When properly located, your thermostat should never be an issue again.

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Comparing High-Efficiency and Mid-Efficiency Furnaces

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

When you’re shopping for a new furnace for your Perkasie home, it helps to understand the differences between the options available. Many furnaces made in recent years are high-efficiency models with a high AFUE rating. AFUE measures how much of the fuel a furnace uses is converted into heat. When people talk about a mid-efficiency furnace, they’re often referring to older systems.

Single-stage furnaces were considered an efficient heating system when they were built, but compared to newer models, they can use more energy than necessary. Single-speed furnaces run at full capacity until your home reaches the thermostat setting. Once they shut off, your home begins to lose heat, and the furnace may need to work harder and burn more fuel when it starts up again.

Newer two-speed and multi-speed models run more consistently at lower speeds, and furnaces with variable-speed blowers can be even more efficient because they adjust to different operating levels as needed. These systems also respond more smoothly to the thermostat to help maintain a more consistent indoor temperature. That steady performance can reduce heat loss and improve energy savings over time.

If you’re comparing options for a new furnace, remember that AFUE ratings for multi-speed and variable-speed furnaces measure the efficiency of the furnace itself. If you’re replacing an older mid-efficiency system with a high-efficiency furnace, it’s also important to make sure your Perkasie home is properly insulated and sealed. You may also want to consider upgrading older doors and windows to more efficient double-pane options or adding storm doors and windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What is the difference between a high-efficiency furnace and a mid-efficiency furnace?
Answer: A high-efficiency furnace typically has an AFUE rating of 90% or higher, which means it converts most of the fuel it uses into heat. Mid-efficiency furnaces usually fall between 80% and 89%. Both can heat a home effectively, but high-efficiency models waste less energy and often provide better long-term savings.

Question: How does furnace efficiency affect heating costs?
Answer: Furnace efficiency affects how much of the fuel you pay for actually becomes usable heat. Higher-efficiency furnaces convert more fuel into warmth, so less energy is wasted. Over time, that improved efficiency can help lower monthly heating costs, especially during colder months when your system runs more often.

Question: Are high-efficiency furnaces worth the higher upfront cost?
Answer: High-efficiency furnaces usually cost more to purchase and install than mid-efficiency systems. However, they often have lower operating costs because they use less fuel. For many homeowners, the energy savings over the life of the system can help balance out the higher initial investment.

Question: What features make high-efficiency furnaces more advanced?
Answer: High-efficiency furnaces often include features like variable-speed blowers, sealed combustion systems, and secondary heat exchangers. These components help capture more heat from the fuel being used and allow the system to operate more efficiently while maintaining steady comfort.

Question: How do you choose between a high-efficiency and mid-efficiency furnace?
Answer: The right choice depends on your budget, your home’s insulation, and your long-term energy goals. High-efficiency models are a strong option if you want to maximize energy savings, while mid-efficiency furnaces may be more affordable upfront. Working with a trusted HVAC professional can help you choose what makes the most sense for your home and comfort.

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Heating Guide: High Efficiency Furnaces and Chimney Concerns

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

When upgrading to a high efficiency gas furnace in Telford, you may need to make some upgrades to your chimney. Older chimneys built for standard furnaces with normal exhaust needs are not built to the specifications needed by today’s high efficiency models. Not only is it unsafe to leave it as is, but the cost of repairs if you don’t have it upgraded can be substantial.

Down-Sizing

A common concern when upgrading to a high efficiency gas furnace is the issue of condensation and draft. Because the amount of exhaust being vented is reduced by a high efficiency furnace, your current setup is not sufficient for the new model. So, it needs to be reduced in size by a professional to avoid backup of exhaust. Proper chimney sizing is a complex process that requires professional guidelines and careful measurements of all appliances in your home.

Because the chimney often isn’t used at all for a high efficiency furnace (often PVC pipe used instead), the extra airflow in the chimney can become a major issue.

Chimney Condensation

The biggest concern for the chimney when changing the furnace efficiency is condensation. Specifically, acidic condensation droplets can build up in the chimney if not properly stopped. A new chimney liner must be placed in the chimney to avoid excessive corrosion due to the acid droplets. Keep in mind that the efficiency of your new furnace will determine whether you will use the traditional chimney for exhaust or if a new line will be installed to vent your furnace.

When to Take Action

If you have your furnace replaced, your technician will likely discuss the chimney situation in your home with you. Keep in mind that this might be necessary and that there might be an added cost involved because of it. Modern furnaces are not designed to accommodate aging chimneys and your safety and the integrity of your house are at risk if you don’t retrofit the chimney if necessary.

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How a Furnace Works

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Do you know how your furnace works? Believe it or not, lots of Harleysville homeowners probably can’t explain the operation of furnace. It probably isn’t at the top of your “to do” list. It’s only important to know that once you set your thermostat to a desired temperature, the furnace comes on and warms the house.

The most common furnace is fueled by natural gas but there are other examples of heating equipment such as boilers, electric baseboard, or geothermal. But let’s look at how a gas furnace works since natural gas is found in most U.S. households. Gas furnaces use natural gas or propane to provide energy used for generating heat.

When the temperature in your home falls below the level set on the thermostat, an electric pilot light automatically ignites to heat a burner inside the furnace. This burner uses gas to generate heat within a combustion chamber inside the furnace. After the furnace senses that the thermostat has triggered the flame and that it is properly lit, the actual spark (or ignitor) is turned off.

Simultaneously, a motor in the furnace pulls in air from an exchange or return, which could be a grill in the floor, ceiling, or wall of a house. That air flows through ducts into the plenum of the furnace. The plenum is on the opposite side of the heat exchanger from the burner.

Gas will typically burn for at least two minutes before the blower starts to disperse heat throughout your home. This extra time gives the air an adequate period of time to warm up and also so that cold air won’t be pushed through the vents into the rooms in your house at the start. After either the preset time (roughly two minutes) or pre-established temperature is reached, the blower’s motor is turned on and it blows air over the heat exchanger, which usually consists of a series of copper tubes or pipes. When a fan blows air onto the heat exchanger, the air is heated. This heated air is then blown through a series of ducts to heat your home via vents in the floor, walls or ceiling. Exhaust fumes from the combustion process exit the furnace through a gas flue or chimney.

Just as the heat in your home turns on when a certain temperature is reached, it also turns off after the rooms are warm enough, thanks to your thermostat. The thermostat again senses the temperature in the room. When the room warms up to the temperature set by you at the thermostat, the gas valve is switched off, stopping the flow of gas. After the gas is turned off, the blower motor will still run for a few minutes, allowing the heat exchanger to cool off a bit. In some furnaces, the blower motor never shuts off, but operates at low speed to keep air circulating throughout your home.

In a nutshell, your thermostat is the brain in your heating system and your furnace is the brawn, doing most of the work.

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Testimonial – Lee & Susan in Elkins Park

Monday, November 21st, 2011

With winter well on its way, don’t hesitate to call Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling if you need a new heating system. Lee & Susan from Elkins Park recently had their system replaced and here is what they wrote to us about the experience:

“From our very first contact via email, I was so impressed by Carney’s responsiveness and attentiveness to detail. Don [our Comfort Advisor] was the consummate professional. He worked meticulously with us to understand our unique situation. He then marshaled exactly the right resources to solve our plumbing emergency and our urgent need for a totally new heating system. I can’t thank him enough. Kevin L. [our plumbing technician] and his team worked with incredible skill and determination to resolve a complex plumbing problem. Jimmy, Rich and their [HVAC install] crew did a phenomenal job of installing our new HVAC system, leaving our home each day as clean as when they arrived.”

– Lee & Susan H., Elkins Park PA

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Things to Look for When Buying a Heating System

Friday, October 21st, 2011

If you are in the market for a new or replacement heating system in Abington and don’t know much about heating systems, you are not alone. Many homeowners are in the same boat as you. And many of that number put their trust in their local, professional, and qualified heating and cooling contractor to find the right furnace for their homes.

Before calling for an estimate, there are some things you can do to “prepare” yourself for one of the most important purchase you can make. Here is a checklist of things you should look for when buying a heating system.

Know your energy alternatives. There are lots of options today when it comes to heating your home. Gone are the days when the choices were so cut and dried. Check with your heating and cooling contractor for suggestions.

  1. Know what size your furnace should be. Furnaces are not “one size fits all.” The size of the furnace is determined by its Btu (British thermal unit) rating. For example, a one-story ranch home on a crawl space requires less heating capacity than a two-story colonial with a basement, thus it would require a furnace with a smaller numbered Btu rating. A home with a great deal of heat loss through windows and doors may require various furnace sizes. And don’t forget about insulation. Insulation can affect the furnace size, too. Again, check with your heating and cooling contractor for recommendations.
  2. How much room do you need for your furnace? Some homes have mechanical rooms for furnaces and water heaters while others utilize attics, basements, or crawlspaces for furnaces. If you think you need a big furnace to heat a big home, think again. Furnace manufacturers have been downsizing their heating equipment for years, while maintaining the same heating capacities. One example are wall hung boilers, which utilize water and electric as heating sources and are installed on a wall, making the unit easy to locate and easy to service – while at the same time being off the floor and out of the way.
  3. Will your heating system be “plug and play?” New furnaces can take the place of the ones they are replacing by using the same space. But sometimes a replacement unit may need some altering to fit into an existing duct system. It is almost a given that a new plenum (the part attaching the furnace to the ductwork) will have to be fabricated. But the new furnace may also require some other modifications to an existing duct system. You should understand this ahead of time and be prepared to pay additional costs.
  4. A box is a box is a box. As a rule, most heating systems are made the same. In some cases, one furnace manufacturer may produce several different brand names. The best “brand” is the heating and cooling contractor who installs and services your heating equipment. Do your homework ahead of time and find a qualified and professional contractor. Ask friends and family for recommendations. This is may be the most important thing to look for when buying a heating system

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