First Choice Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Basic Questions to Ask About Your Home’s Heating Performance This Winter

Monday, March 14th, 2022

heating-iconAs winter wraps up and people start looking forward to using their air conditioning systems, we recommend homeowners take time to consider their heating. True, you soon won’t need to have your heating system running, but spring offers an opportunity to make upgrades, repairs, and even full system replacements to a heater. 

So in this post, we want to help you consider how well your heater performed through the winter it just went through. This can help you decide if you need to call us for critical HVAC service in Brighton, MI during spring, when you can take advantage of the slower schedule for HVAC technicians and the milder weather.

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Is That Furnace Repair Worth the Cost?

Monday, February 28th, 2022
ancient-furnace

rustic old furnace

If an expensive appliance in your home breaks, your first thought won’t be to simply toss it out but to have it professionally repaired. Life would get extremely expensive if you kept replacing dishwashers, refrigerators, furnaces, and air conditioners the moment they showed signs of trouble.

On the other hand, all appliances have life cycles and will not last forever. As an appliance ages, it will accrue more repairs and begin to work less effectively and efficiently. At a certain point, you’ll have to make the choice about investing in another repair or getting a new appliance.

We’re experts when it comes to furnace repair in Burton, MI, so we can help you understand when it’s worthwhile to repair an old furnace and when it’s time to move on with a new one.

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Why the Burners in Your Furnace Won’t Stay Lit

Monday, February 14th, 2022

furnace-burners-smallA gas furnace works by combusting natural gas sent to the burners, which produce hot combustion gas the heater uses to warm the air entering the ductwork of the home. In most modern furnaces, an electronic ignition system lights the burners once gas starts flowing to them, and the burners remain on as long as necessary for the furnace to heat the house to the desired temperature.

You may find yourself in a colder house if the burners in your furnace don’t remain lit but keep going out early. There may be a simple explanation for this problem, but in many cases you’ll need to call a professional for furnace service Brighton, MI. Working with a gas furnace, as with any gas-powered appliance, is potentially dangerous for someone who isn’t licensed and equipped for the job. 

What might cause the burners in your furnace to go out early? Here are some possibilities… 

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What Separates How a Boiler Heats From How a Furnace Heats

Monday, January 17th, 2022

red-thermometerThe two most common types of heating systems found in local homes are furnaces and boilers. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but we want to use this post to explain the basic differences in how these two systems generate heat and distribute it. You can use the information to help you understand how your heating system works as well as decide on what type of heater you want if you’re planning on a new installation.

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How to Manage If Your Furnace Fails This Winter

Monday, December 20th, 2021

cold-sweater-manThe average low temperature during our winters is 15°F. Some other parts of the Midwest get even colder, but 15°F is still extremely cold and nothing you want to face in your house unless you have a powerful and reliable furnace to warm you.

The good news is that if you have the right furnace and you’ve already scheduled its pre-season maintenance from HVAC professionals, the heater likely will make it through the season without an emergency breakdown. But there’s always a chance you might have a failed furnace at some point in the season, probably on one of the coldest days because that’s when the furnace has to put in the most work. 

In the event your furnace fails, run through a series of troubleshooting steps, such as this one we posted two years ago. If those don’t work, shut off the furnace completely at the furnace switch (this will help keep you safe) and call our experts for furnace repair in Brighton, MI. We’ll be there as soon as we can, but you’ll need to find ways to manage the cold temperatures until then. We have some tips about that:

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Let’s Talk Boilers as a New Heating Installation

Monday, December 6th, 2021

boiler-residentialWhen you’re considering getting a new heating system for your home, you’ll probably be looking into a forced-air heater of some kind: an electric furnace, a gas furnace, a heat pump. These heaters all raise the temperature of the air and then send that air through ductwork to the rooms. If your home already has ductwork, then you’ll almost certainly will be looking into a forced-air heater.

The other major option is a boiler. Boilers don’t use ducts, instead sending heated water to terminal points (often baseboard heaters or in-floor elements, although some use traditional radiators) to radiate heat indoors. You may be interested in a boiler system if you are building a new home or doing major renovations on one. 

So let’s talk about getting a boiler for a home, if that’s a possibility. Boilers have several tremendous benefits that make them worth considering if you’re in a situation where they’re a viable choice.

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If Your Heating Bills Seemed Too High Last Winter…

Monday, November 8th, 2021

Frustrated-man-looking-at-laptopIf you looked at your heating bills during the previous winter and wondered why they seemed higher than normal, this post can help. We know you probably spent more time in your home last winter than usual (pretty much everyone did), so that will account for some of the increase in how much you paid for heat. But if you factor out that, as well as any rise in energy costs, and the price still seems too steep, then there are several steps you can take.

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Is Your Furnace Older Than 15 Years? We Have Some Vital Advice!

Monday, October 25th, 2021

furnace-with-pipesA common question we hear from customers is when to replace their natural gas furnace. Homeowners want to get the most years possible out of their investment in a central heating system, but they also know that no furnace can last forever. At some point, a furnace will become less effective, less energy efficient, and even less safe. At what point is a furnace replacement ready?

There are several factors that can help tell you when a furnace needs to be replaced, such as regular malfunctions and soaring heating bills. But one solid determining factor is the furnace’s age. If you have a gas furnace that is older than fifteen years, our advice is to replace it. And we’re not the only people offering this same advice…

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When Your Heater Isn’t Working, Don’t Try to Rely on Space Heaters Rather Than Repairs!

Monday, October 11th, 2021

space-heater-electricWhen the winter arrives in Michigan, central heaters in homes across the state come on to keep people warm. You can’t afford to go without some kind of heating system for your home if you want to make it through the winter. Unfortunately, we can tell you plenty of stories about people who tried to patch together a “cheap” solution to home heating when their furnace or other central heater went out. 

The most common “fix” for heat when a central heating system fails is to use space heaters. These can work as a temporary solution … and by temporary we mean “until our HVAC technicians arrive.” When you need heating repair in Brighton, MI, please don’t delay with calling for the service. Trying to get by with space heaters for a stretch can end up disastrous.

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Schedule Heating Maintenance Now and Beat the Rush

Monday, September 27th, 2021

service-reminderFall started officially on the 22nd of September, but most people think of the season starting after Labor Day, or when the calendar leaf flips over to September. Now it’s almost October and the reality of fall (and a certain even colder season that follows it) will strike homeowners. They’ll start making cold weather preparations. One of the most important preparations is arranging for professional HVAC technicians to do a maintenance inspection and tune-up on their heating system.

We can’t overestimate the importance of annual fall heating maintenance. It helps home heating systems work at high energy efficiency with little chance of repairs cropping up. The peace of mind that comes along with heating maintenance is worth the cost alone. 

Although you can have heating maintenance done anytime in the fall, or even during early winter, we urge you to have it scheduled as soon as possible. Or just “now.” Why?

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