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Some Summer Tips for your HVAC

Summer is here (in a way). While the extremely hot temperatures haven’t hit our area, what has come has been muggy some days. This increase in humidity might have some of you turning on your AC, even if only for a short time. Even without heavy usage, it’s still a good idea to practice these maintenance tips for your HVAC system.

Summer Thermostats

Summertime means schedule changes, especially for kids out of school for the summer or families planning to travel for vacation. Make sure to adjust your thermostat settings to account for your family’s new schedule and any vacations that occur. Examples include:

Later wake-up times in the morning, since there’s no bus to catch for kids
With family members home all day, adjust setbacks for more occupancy hours rather than a vacant home from 8am to 5pm
Summer sports and activities that keep you out of the home for periods of time
Later bedtimes

Improve Your Airflow

Good airflow through your air conditioner helps the system function efficiently and deliver better comfort throughout your living areas. These HVAC maintenance tips show you how to improve airflow through your cooling system this summer:

Change your air filter on a regular basis. In the summertime, filters often fill up with debris quicker than in the spring because the system runs more frequently. Check the filter each month to determine if a change is necessary.

Clean off the exterior air conditioner. Do this whenever you do lawn maintenance or cut grass. Grass clippings, mulch, leaves, and other outdoor debris can gather on your condensing unit and block the fins that allow heat to leave the system.

Clear the area around the outdoor unit. In addition to cleaning, make sure there are no plants or other items in the two feet of space immediately surrounding the unit. Prune shrubs and branches nearby and pull up vegetation that has grown around the unit’s base. Relocate outdoor storage away from your unit to eliminate any airflow obstructions.

Ensure vents are open and unblocked. Walk through your home and check every vent, register, and return air grille. All vent and register louvers should be set open. Move rugs, furniture, and other items away from the vents and grilles to allow air to freely circulate through the ducts, into your home, and back to the air conditioning system.

Fighting the Dust War

It’s the time of year when you may be starting to run your AC unit (or at least be making sure it’s ready for the hot days to come. If so, then you should also be making sure that you home is ready for your system to com on. One thing you should be considering is dust buildup.

Most of the time, dust may collect and you clean that spot. However, there are some places that aren’t dusted as often, such as the blades of a ceiling fan or the window blinds. These places can sometimes be tricky to clean, but don’t worry! We found some good tips for you at HGTV.com. These tips will help you get rid of the dust in these hard to handle areas and help keep your unit running smoothly.

Tips for Heating and Cooling Old Houses

Originally posted on HVAC.com

Old houses are notoriously challenging to heat and cool. Structural differences from modern homes make efficient heating and cooling difficult to achieve, but enjoying the history and beauty of an older home doesn’t have to mean paying an arm and a leg to stay comfortable! These HVAC options for old houses keep your interiors at the right temperatures throughout the year.

Best Way to Cool Old Houses

Many older houses were built long before air conditioning was standard in the home. Therefore, they lack the infrastructure (ductwork) needed to accommodate modern forced air cooling systems. Therefore, the traditional central air conditioning system is not always the best way to cool old houses.

Luckily, there are energy efficient solutions available that work well for an older home’s cooling needs. As a bonus, these systems provide heating as well!

High-Velocity HVAC Systems

Ductwork is most often nestled in the areas of the home we cannot see – if central heating and cooling wasn’t included when your home was first built, it may not have the space necessary to install unobtrusive ductwork to accommodate central HVAC. High-velocity systems use a dedicated HVAC unit connected to the mini-duct system to provide heating and cooling throughout the home.

High-velocity systems use mini-ducts, which are much smaller than standard ductwork, so they can be more easily incorporated into the home in many cases. Mini-ducts are approximately three inches in diameter. Because of their smaller size, they may be snaked over ceilings and through walls for installation. Their vents are small, creating less disruption in the interior aesthetics of the home.

Ductless Mini-Split HVAC

Another solution to the ductwork dilemma many older houses face is a ductless HVAC system. As the name suggests, these units do not require ductwork installation, making them a best way to cool old houses when ducts are not an option.

Ductless mini-split HVAC systems utilize an exterior heat pump connected to interior air handling units which directly distribute conditioned air to the living areas. One exterior unit can support a number of interior air handling units (the capacity depends on the model you select). The interior and exterior components are connected via a line set containing wiring and refrigerant piping, through a small hole in the exterior walls of the home.

Interior air handling units are mounted on the wall (either up high or down low) or can be installed within the ceiling of a room, controlled via a remote. A great benefit of ductless HVAC is the zoned heating and cooling they provide – each individual air handler can be controlled independently. Occupants can adjust temperatures just for the space in use, saving energy in unused areas of the home.

Best Way to Heat Old Houses

The cooling solutions mentioned above are also some of the best ways to heat old houses. Another option which may be appropriate for your older home is radiator heating. Many older homes have radiator heating systems in place, as this technology was quite common in the 18^th century.

Upgrading old, inefficient radiator heating components with new, high efficiency models provides an excellent solution for whole home heating in an older house. Your HVAC contractor can examine existing components to determine which upgrades are needed and if the old system is still usable. In many older systems, in-room radiator units are often in good condition and can be used with a new boiler to provide heating throughout the home.

New modulating-condensing boilers offer better efficiency for hot water radiator heating systems compared to older home heating boilers. These boilers heat only the amount of water needed to provide for the home’s heating needs, rather than heating all the water within the unit at once. This technology provides great energy conservation, drastically cutting energy bills as a best way to heat old houses.

Comfort Matters: Preparing Your Home For Spring

Article originally posted on Lennox.com

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the squirrels are chasing each other up and down the trees. With all this activity going on, it’s hard not to get excited about the arrival of spring. So if you’re feeling energized and enthusiastic about this bright and breezy season, why not seize the moment and get some spring cleaning and much needed seasonal home maintenance done!

Get the clutter gone.

Decluttering is a great way to rid your home of stuff you no longer want, need or value. The benefits of owning fewer things are manyfold and include: fewer things to clean, fewer dust traps, less stress, less to organize, and more free time to do the things you really want to do.

Decluttering also frees up space in your home, which makes spring cleaning even easier. And if decluttering the whole house in one go feels too daunting, then simply tackle it one day at a time. If you get rid of one item every day for a whole year, by the time you’ve finished the project, your home will be 365 items lighter.

And for the items you want to keep, why not consider new ways of storing them or keeping them tidy. There are plenty of home organizational tips and tricks available to help you get ideas. Sometimes, just reorganizing your home can help you maximize the space you have and minimize the hassle you experience every time you want to find or use something.

Clear and clean—inside and out.

The outside of your home has probably taken more of a beating from winter than the inside, so start there. Walk around your home and examine caulking around the outside of windows and doors, and open those windows and doors and examine the weather stripping. Replace old or cracking caulk and worn weather stripping, where necessary. Also, inspect the roof for broken or missing shingles or tiles, and clean out gutters and downspouts at the same time.

Remember to check the air conditioner unit.

And while you’re outside checking the house and tidying the yard, remember to also check the air conditioner unit to ensure it’s debris free and in good working order. In fact, springtime is an ideal time to get your air conditioner, and the rest of the HVAC system, cleaned, serviced and ready for summer. So contact your local Lennox® Dealer soon and schedule an HVAC maintenance check. Clean coils, ducts and filters help to ensure that the system works efficiently and effectively all year long.

Think about cleaning the air in your house, too.

Cleaning the windows is a great place to start your inside spring cleaning. With so much more light filling your home, it’s easier to see just how much cleaning needs to be done. From ceiling fans to carpets and curtains, and from bathroom tiles to the top of kitchen cabinets, once you start clearing away the dust of winter, it’s really hard to stop.

But here’s one thing you may not have considered during your spring-cleaning frenzy, how clean is your indoor air? Springtime, especially, means the release of a lot of pollen and mold spores into the air, which in turn can cause a lot of unpleasant allergy-related symptoms. Lennox has Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solutions that can remove 99.9% of allergy-causing irritants from your home’s air, providing extremely effective allergy-season relief. So when you’re getting your HVAC system serviced, ask your Lennox Dealer about what type of IAQ solution would be right for your home. He can recommend solutions that will combat your exact IAQ problems. So even if you can’t change the season, at least you can change your home into a sneeze-free, cough-free, and itchy-eyes-and-runny-nose-free zone.

A Special Spring Special

Spring is going to be here before you know it. Will your system be ready for this change? If not, we have a special Spring special to share with you! Your home should be a comfortable place and deliver energy efficiency.

Curious yet? You could get rebates up to $1,700 on a new system or financing for as low as $116 per month! Check out our Specials page for more information.

A Special Special

Check out our latest special!

The perfect system should adapt to your life to deliver the ultimate in energy savings and precision temperature control. We agree.
And that’s why we’re proud to be a leading provider of innovative, home heating and cooling systems. Our high-efficiency, Lennox® residential air conditioners, furnaces and HVAC systems help maximize comfort while reducing utility costs. Plus, our Lennox air filters, humidifiers and dehumidifiers help create healthier and cleaner indoor environments. Call now and save with REBATES UP TO $1,250 OR 0% APR for 60 MONTHS with the purchase of qualifying equipment!

Check out our Specials page for more information.

Having Furnace Problems?

Winter has arrived and the holidays are starting to wrap up… not to mention that the new year is nearly here! In all this time of relaxing after the holidays and enjoying the warmth of your home, the last thing you need is for your furnace to quit. To prevent a situation that would leave you stressed and require expensive emergency services, we want to re-post a list of things to look out for to determine if your home furnace has a problem. We also provide some simple fixes you can try on your own for minor challenges. It should be stressed that if you suspect a major issue with your home furnace, you should get help from a qualified professional rather than going at it on your own.

Thermostat malfunctioning
Your thermostat is an integral part of the safety features of your home furnace. It shuts down the furnace when it exceeds the maximum temperature specified to conserve energy and prevent accidents. This operating temperature varies from furnace to furnace. Your thermostat may be malfunctioning if it continuously shuts down before it even reaches this specified temperature. This continuous shutdown can make your living area very uncomfortable, and a simple fix for this is to check the battery of the thermostat and replace it to get your furnace working at its optimum. The thermostat setting should also be reviewed to prevent inadequate heat production by the furnace or total shutdown.
Lack of maintenance
If you fail to maintain your furnace properly, you should not be surprised when it breaks down. To cut down costs which arise from a total breakdown, you should plan for annual tune-ups and maintenance by qualified professionals.

Faulty Filters
Filters are very essential, but often overlooked components of the furnace system. They are built to remove unwanted particles from the generated airflow. A build-up of dust and dirt over time leads to a clogged filter. During the process of dust and dirt by passing air through the vents, a clogged filter puts more pressure on the furnace. A clogged filter may even lead to a total shutdown of the furnace as the heat exchanger might stop working due to overheating caused by an over clogged filter.
If your environment generates a lot of dust and dirt, ensure that you change your filters regularly. Most furnace manufacturers specify between a month to three for a change of your filter. A filter change is essential if you have a child-friendly environment so that your air filter does not become an air pollutant.

Size issues
When your furnace does not heat enough, it may be a pointer to the fact that your furnace is the wrong size for the space provided. To solve this problem, get a professional to estimate your needs and help you determine which furnace system would be the perfect fit for the space provided. Ensure that you are guided by professional advice from picking a furnace up to its installation.

Gas
If your furnace is not starting up, a simple solution is to check the gas valve and carefully turn it o if it was turned off. If you suspect a gas leak, leave the affected area immediately and contact the fire service.

Vents and Pipes
In gas furnaces and high efficiency condensing furnaces, vents are very vital to maintain because they take emissions outside the building. Most times, these emissions are combustible, and it is essential that they are not covered to prevent fire outbreaks.
There is also the danger that the pipes leading to the vents will become clogged with ice leading to serious problems. To prevent clogging from ice, exhaust vent pipes need to be shortened. When the pipes are too long, a build-up of moisture might occur because the force pushing out the exhaust is not enough to go the length of the pipes. This makes it more likely for ice clogging when the exhaust finally reaches the outside.
To prevent these problems, ensure that the outside units are clear and clean before it becomes too cold. In screening pipes and vents you should use materials that will not inhibit the flow of exhaust.

Electric ignition
Furnaces come with an igniter which automatically lights up gas when switched on. If the furnace fails to light up, the usual suspect is the ignition wire which should be inspected. If the situation persists, you should turn off the igniter and reset it. If it is an electronic igniter, it is not wise to attempt to light it manually as it is a highly complex system which should not be tampered with.

Noise
Continuous rattling, screeching and other unwanted sounds are often early indicators of a more serious mechanical or electrical problem. These noises also arise due to wear and tear and a trip to a qualified professional would get all issues cleared up.
It is essential to be proactive as a home furnace owner and to deal with issues as soon as they arise to ensure that your furnace is always in good condition

Furnace Maintenance and Winter-Proofing

With winter quickly approaching, bringing increasingly colder weather, we thought it might be a good idea to repost some advice for preparing for the season. If you haven’t already done so, you might go through these items and make sure your home and furnace are ready to keep you warm this holiday season!

Furnace Maintenance

Routine Check: this is the time of the year when you cannot have a faulty furnace. Have your furnace checked to ensure that it is clean, well oiled, and rightly tuned to take you through winter. The plus side is that a furnace that’s in great condition is cheaper to use in the long run.

Change Filters: dirty filters will limit the flow of air and expend more energy. Check your filters to see if they need to be changed and always have extra filters handy. Do not change filters without switching off the power first.

Upgrade: Your furnace was not made to last forever. The average lifespan of a furnace is 20-25 years and its age will determine the kind of maintenance it’ll need and if you’re due for a repair, replacement or upgrade. If your furnace has aged to the point where it’s more faulty than functional, or where its efficiency cannot be guaranteed, you need to consult an expert to upgrade to a new unit.

Your Fan Is Winter Friendly Too: I bet you think of your fan only when you want cool air but that’s not all your fan can do. Check for a handy switch on your fan, this switch reverses the direction in which the blade moves i.e clockwise rotation for warmer air. So you can take the heat off your furnace once in a while and reduce your heating costs by at least 10%.

Winter-proof Your Home

Draft Protection: Cold drafts of air can frustrate the efforts you put towards keeping your home warm or make it seem like your furnace isn’t efficient. So, while you’re thinking of keeping the warmth in, be sure that there are no channels to let in drafts. A thick towel or scraps of fabric rolled and arranged nicely can be put under doors and windows to keep out the cold.

Storm Doors and Windows: Storm doors and windows are designed to increase energy efficiency. They keep drafts out while allowing light and ventilation in.

Insulation Kits: A window insulation kit will increase your home’s ability to retain heat. It comes in invisible and aesthetically appealing kits, so your home will be warm and welcoming. You will also need regular insulation for your attic floors, basement ceilings, pipes, and walls. Have your duct system checked and sealed to avoid the escape of heated air.

Caulking and Weather-stripping: Check along places in your home where different building materials meet such as window and door edges, exit points for pipes and wires, etc. Seal up any gaps accordingly with caulking and weather-stripping.

Home Projects to Help Avoid Winter Repairs

The weather is changing and it’s time to run those heaters. Home improvement may not seem like the first thing to do, but here are a few things you should check around the house. These projects can help avoid costly repair bills later down the road and could possibly help save some money on your energy bill.

You should check your roof and chimney (if applicable) to make sure they’re clean and ready for the winter weather, clean the gutters, and more. More tips are available in this article on Real Simple’s website.

According to the article on realsimple.com, most, if not all, of these projects can be checked by you. If you’re not comfortable, of course call in a home repair professional to help. And don’t forget to call Air Handlers Inc. to have your home heating checked for this winter!

Special for the Change of Seasons

Check out our latest special! Just in time for Fall!

There are countless reasons to do regular routine maintenance on your home’s heating and air system.
When your system is working its best, you’re more comfortable, your utility bills stay at a reasonable level and you can sleep in peace knowing your system won’t be taking the night (or day) off any time soon. Lennox® is proud to be a leading provider of innovative, home comfort heating and cooling systems- it’s just another way we make you feel better. Call now and save with REBATES UP TO $1,600 OR UP TO 60 MONTHS EQUAL PAYMENTS, NO INTEREST FINANCING on qualifying equipment.

Check out our Specials page for more information.