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September 12, 2017 in Homeowner Tips, Questions & Answers

Heating Maintenance Part II, Combustion

In the last post we talked about the importance of changing of water in a hydronic (water) heating system.  This post I’d like to discuss the importance of maintenance of the heating part of the system.  In order for your boiler or furnace to operate for years to come it must operate with clean combustion (low smoke, low carbon monoxide output).   Smoke creates soot, which eventually blocks the heat-exchanger in a boiler.  This results in an unsafe and potentially deadly environment and can lead to the condemnation of the heating system.  Combustion can be regulated and calibrated for optimal output to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Hot air furnaces have heat-exchangers that are long tubes of thin steel.  Combustion that heats your air occurs in that heat-exchanger and must be vented outside.  Sometime a heat exchanger will crack and combustion gasses can be mixed with breathing air and can result in unsafe environment.  That situation may also warrant condemnation of the heating system.

The last thing anyone wants is a mid winter night heating system condemnation with out warning, nor carbon monoxide poisoning.  These things should be inspected annually and corrected before it’s too late.  Other maintenance should include cleaning flame sensors and checking all other sensors for operation as well as running a full system check for starting and ending  system operation.  Dust and lint should be wiped off the system to prevent accidental fire and any parts require special attention should be corrected as required.  Although many of us take heating and comfort of our home for granted, we must be aware that it can fail and sometimes signs are there if you know how to look for them.  Please call to schedule your heating system service soon.

Hot air furnace maintenance

Cracked heat exchanger on a hot air furnace.

Importance of heating system maintenance

Blocked heat-exchanger on a boiler

Heating system maintenance

Clean heat exchanger on a Boiler

September 10, 2017 in Homeowner Tips, Questions & Answers

Heating Maintenance Part I, Boilers

In this post Id like to address the importance of heating pre-season maintenance.  More specifically the water heating boilers.  You depend on your heating system all fall, winter, and part of spring to perform without a hitch year in and year out and to do so things must be looked over and serviced if and when necessary.  That’s why a professional checkup is essential to keep things running smoothly for years to come

All boilers use a closed loop system, which means that the water that is used for heating is completely separate from the water you utilize in the rest of your home.  Our local wter is very hard and that water is cooked/heated hundreds if not thousands of times throughout each season so you can imagine what that water may look like.  When this water is heated it goes through a chemical change, where oxidation, miniralization, mud, crud and everything in between happens.  That water should be removed and and whole system should be washed through.  That is especially important when a tankless high efficiency system is installed.  The new high end tankless systems have tiny tanks that have a bunch of sensors that get overminiralised fairly fast and must be chemically washed/purged to avoid serious problems that may result in system failure. This is just one aspect of annual maintenance. We will cover other aspects of maintenance in following posts.  Keep tuned and thanks for reading.

Rockland heating service

Annual heating maintenance

August 31, 2017 in Homeowner Tips, Questions & Answers

Best time to do heating maintenance

The question we get a lot from our customers is, when should we do our heating service?  September is upon us and nights are getting cooler, which is normal this time of year.  Many of you reading will not consider turning on your heat, however some may.  If you are considering turning on your heat then that is the best time to get your heating system maintained.  Chances are you haven’t used your heat in a few months and you want to make sure to ensure your heating system has the right start.  If you have a water heating system, that water should be changed.  It has been cooking and marinating in the boiler for a year.  If you have forced hot air system all censors are to be checked and cleaned.  If you have a tankless heating boiler, it must be chemically flushed to make sure smooth operation.  What you don’t want is waiting too long into season only to find out there are issues.  Some issues are easily preventable and some are irreversible so you want your system checked by a professional on an annual basis.  Any issues should be ironed out before high season.  Should problems arise you don’t want to be stuck waiting for parts.  If you are considering turning on your heat please consider calling us.  That’s what we are here for.

August 22, 2017 in Uncategorized

Importance of keeping condenser coils clean

One thing that a lot of folks overlook in basic air conditioning upkeep/maintenance is keeping a condenser coil clean.  The condencer coil’s (outside unit) primary goal is to condense the refrigerant and extract heat from it in order be ale to extract it again inside to make it cool again.  If the condenser coil is dirty/clogged it can not adequately extract heat(cool the hot refrigerant) it puts strain on the compressor, which will eventually burn out.  Easy solution is to periodically wash it.  Some areas require condensers to be washed anually and some can go 5 years between washes.  Some can be easily inspected and some need to be taken appart to be properly washed.  The condenser in the picture below ( Rheem/ Ruud) had to be partially disassembled to gain access to coil.  The best way to keep the condenser coil clean is to keep the lawn away at a distance.  Lawn creeping on the condenser brings the landscaping workers, who seem to love beating on the condensers.  Best thing yo do is put either large gravel or pavers around the condenser (approx 1.5′ on each side).  That will keep the lawn at a distance and will also press down loose dirt and dust.  This will increase the lifespan of a condenser.  Remember we are just a phone call away

Air conditioning service rockland county

Condenser coil cleaning