Fall 2014
Reasons to Invest in a Generator This Fall
The majority of your home’s critical appliances probably run on electricity. Obviously, your lights are a huge part of your home’s comfort and if you have an electric water heater or furnace then you rely on electricity even more. If any winter storms knock out power in your area, then your home’s comfort and safety can be threatened. Protecting your home with a whole–home generator is a great way to get peace of mind no matter what. Check out a few reasons why you may want to think about investing in a generator for this fall.
Probably the most important reason to get a generator for your home is that it lets you run your electric appliances even when the power goes out. Depending on the type of generator that you get, it can automatically detect when the power has gone out and start up so that you don’t have to go out in the bad weather to start up the generator manually. In order to install this type of generator, you need the help of a professional electrician who knows how to connect it to your home properly.
While the power goes out in winter more often than other times of the year, the electrical grid may fail you at any time. For example, you may experience brown outs during the summer when many people are running their air conditioning systems and the grid can’t keep up with the demand. In these cases, you could be able to reduce the load on the grid by running your generator, ensuring that everyone gets the electricity that they need.
The most common type of generator is the gas–powered type. These use gasoline to power a motor that creates electricity. There are also natural gas powered generators as well. Because these types of generators use the near–endless supply of natural gas from your utility they can run for a very long time without needing to be refueled. However, in the event of a severe storm, you may not have access to natural gas, which could pose a problem.
Make sure that you call your local generator installation expert for any generator questions that you might have.
Ways to Prolong Your Heating System
Heating and cooling manufacturers build their products to last, and with the proper care and use of the heater in your home, you can expect a lengthy service life from it.
However "proper care" and "proper use" are essential to receive the most years out of a heating system. Heaters come with a manufacturer’s estimated lifespan. If you neglect the system and don’t take steps to prolong its service, you cannot hope for the heater to reach or exceed this milestone, and you will end up paying for a new replacement heater much earlier than you should.
Below are some of the steps to take that will help ensure the heater in your home provides you with many years of efficient and effective warmth:
- Schedule annual pre–season maintenance: This is the essential step in guarding a heater against early replacement. Without regular maintenance, most heating systems will not even make it to half their estimated lifespan. Every fall, arrange for a professional technician to come to your home to inspect and tune–up the heater. The technician will locate places where repair needs are developing, make adjustments to decrease wear and tear and increase efficiency, and clean the unit so it is in top shape.
- Regularly change/clean the air filter: The majority of heaters (furnaces, heat pumps) use forced–air heating, and these systems have an air filter installed to protect their cabinet from an influx of debris coming through the return air vents. You must change this filter (or clean it if you have a permanent filter) once a month during the heating season, or else clogging in the filter will begin to put damaging strain on the heater.
- Maintain lower thermostat settings: Pushing the thermostat up to the highest possible setting (often 90°F) will not provide you with faster or better comfort. Instead, it will only keep the heater running longer until it reaches the set temperature. This puts extra strain on the system, not to mention increasing the bills. Try to maintain a lower but comfortable temperature, such as 72°F.
- Call for repairs promptly: Do not ever let a heater continue to run if you suspect it has a malfunction. Even the smallest fault in a heater will make it run with increased stress, and this will spread to other components, wearing down the entire system. Whenever you notice odd behavior from a heater, call for professionals as soon as you can to restore it and protect the rest of the system.
If you follow the above advice and rely on a qualified and professional heating service whenever you need help, there is no reason you shouldn’t enjoy many years of comfort from your investment in a heating system.
The Importance of Servicing your Furnace
If you’re like many homeowners, then you’ve started to notice the chill in the air as fall and winter approach. As we all shut down our air conditioners and prepare to stay warm, we wanted to alert our customers to the importance of getting your furnace serviced. Take a look below at some of the benefits of regular tune–ups for your furnace and then call your local heating contractor to set up a visit from their technicians today.
As your furnace operates, it will naturally develop a variety of small problems and issues. These can range from the fan motor belt wearing out to the burner gradually getting dirtier. Without regular service, such issues will likely just get worse and eventually cause more costly repairs. They can also force other parts of your furnace to work harder to compensate for the broken part.
When you get your furnace regularly serviced before the fall and winter, your technician will thoroughly clean and inspect your entire furnace. This allows him or her to find any small problems in the system and alert you to them so you can approve repairs. This has several important potential benefits to your home.
- Reduced repair. Probably the most important potential benefit to regular tune–ups is that it allows you to avoid many types of repairs that result from lack of maintenance.
- Increased efficiency. If your furnace has many small problems with it, then it will have to work harder to heat your home, which reduces its efficiency and leads to higher monthly bills.
- Extended equipment life. Over time, these many small problems that your furnace develops could cause the system to prematurely break down. Regular tune–ups can help extend the life of your furnace so that it can operate as long as possible.
Make sure that you schedule your furnace services today before fall and winter are in full effect. Over the summer, your furnace likely sat dormant, which could have allowed rodents or insects to take up residence inside it as well as letting dust and dirt accumulate on the moving parts.
