Cheeky Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating’

What You Should Know About Your Gas Furnace Heat Exchanger

Monday, January 24th, 2022
gas-jets-of-a-furnace

If you’re like many homeowners in the Dunwoody area, you likely have a gas-powered furnace in your home to keep yourself and your family warm. Furnaces are a great heating choice, as they are powerful and very cost-effective.

Today’s furnaces even have a higher efficiency rating than just a short decade ago. In fact, the highest AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating for a gas furnace is 98%. Trust us, that’s efficient!

In addition to high efficiency, you want to know you can rely on safety when it comes to your heating system, right? Gas furnaces certainly are not dangerous by nature. However, if you don’t take care of your furnace as you should, then it can certainly become dangerous.

The most common culprit of a dangerous furnace, especially an older one, is a cracked heat exchanger. Even if you don’t have an obvious problem with your furnace’s heat exchanger right now, if your system is 15+ years old, it’s time to start considering an upgrade.

Read on to learn more!

Continue Reading

Tips for Boosting Heating Efficiency

Monday, December 27th, 2021
checklist-with-red-marker

Heating in Woodstock, GA is a necessity for winter. Especially when the temperature drops to an average of 35°F during the month of January. This doesn’t mean you want to pay an arm and a leg to keep your home cozy.

There are some simple tips you can do to boost the efficiency of your heating system. This will help keep your bills lower through the chilly months.

Continue Reading

Watch for These Signs of Heater Problems

Monday, January 27th, 2020
woman-looking-surprised

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a heating system that never experienced problems? Unfortunately, this will never be the case. Let’s face it, natural wear and tear is always going to be a factor, and eventually, you will need heater repairs.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t take steps to mitigate how severe these repair needs will be! Scheduling maintenance, for instance, is the #1 way to avoid heater emergencies. It also increases the lifespan of your heating equipment and helps the system work more efficiently. Our techs are able to fully inspect your system during maintenance, so we can alert you to small repair needs before they grow bigger.

What if you need repairs between maintenance sessions, though? Is there any way for you to know? Yes! Watch and listen for the following signs, and if you notice them, give our team a call.

Continue Reading

5 Tips to Extend the Life of Your HVAC System (& 1 Tip on When to Replace It)

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Your home’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition) system runs ’round the clock, 24/7, all year long. You can’t expect it to last forever, but you can expect your furnace to last for about several years—depending on the model, you may get 15-20 years out of your furnace and 10-15 years out of your air conditioner. It’s a big investment to replace your furnace or air conditioner, so we have five tips for you to try to extend the life of your HVAC system.

1. Schedule two HVAC tune-ups per year

Contact a home services company to give your furnace a tune-up in the fall and your air conditioner a tune-up in the spring. This preventative maintenance usually includes a good inspection, cleaning, lubrication and any necessary adjustments. (Save $20 on a Tune Up)

2. Change the air filter regularly

Disposable fiberglass filters should be replaced every 30 days, but check your filter and furnace manual to see how often you should be replacing the filter. A dirty filer will make your HVAC system work harder to circulate air and that can cause extra wear on the system.

3. Clean your ducts

Be sure to keep the return air vents clean and prevent the build-up of dust and debris. You might also want to have your ducts professionally cleaned so that your system is delivering the cleanest air possible.

4. Give the HVAC system a break sometimes

Does your HVAC system really need to be running almost 24/7? Can you give it a break when you’re on vacation? On a cool evening could you open the windows and give the a/c the night off? You’ll be saving energy and giving the system a break.

5. Upgrade your insulation

The better your home is insulated, the less your HVAC system will need to run to maintain the temperature. The first place to check for sufficient insulation is your attic.

When to Replace Your HVAC System

Even if you follow these tips and take good care of your HVAC system, eventually it will need to be replaced, but when? If you’re approaching the projected end of life for the unit, you can’t go wrong replacing it because you will be saving money with the new, more energy efficient replacement. But if you want to prolong the system as long as possible, contract with a reliable home services company for your annual tune-ups and then ask the HVAC tech for their input on when to replace. Be honest with them about the maintenance you’ve carried out on the unit—even if that means confessing that sometimes you didn’t replace the air filter for a season or two. Hopefully you can get to know the techs from the home services company and get to where you can trust their input on when to replace your furnace or air conditioner.

Summary

Take good care of your HVAC system and it may well last longer than the average lifespan, but also know when to replace it before it becomes unreliable or so inefficient that it’s costly to keep it running.

Continue Reading

Don’t Let These Heating Noises Haunt You

Monday, October 21st, 2019
woman-on-grey-background-looking-shocked

It’s Halloween season—you’re in your home and you hear a strange rattling, or perhaps a shrieking noise. It’s not quite trick-or-treating time so you can’t blame it on little kids at your doorstep. Could it be that your house is haunted?!

Okay, probably not. Is your heater on? That’s likely a more realistic explanation for the sounds you’re hearing.

But just because it’s a more reasonable explanation doesn’t mean it’s an acceptable explanation. Your heater shouldn’t be making strange or unfamiliar sounds, and if it is it definitely means something is amiss and needs repair. So what sounds, exactly, should you listen for? Read on!

Continue Reading

Check Out Our Blog for Advice on All Things Plumbing and HVAC

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

Be sure to bookmark the DC Cheek Heating & Cooling blog to start learning the ins and outs of plumbing and HVAC.

We’ll regularly post energy saving tips, how-to’s on troubleshooting your systems, and breakdowns on even the most complex industry related terms and concepts.

Need help now? Send us a message or get in touch today.

Continue Reading