Thayer Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Your Old Furnace Might Be Dangerous

Monday, August 7th, 2023
a-very-old-furnace-in-need-of-replacement

When’s the last time you thought about your furnace? It might have been a little while. You certainly haven’t needed to fire it up lately! But summer is actually the best time to give your furnace some serious consideration. How was it running last year? Has it been less efficient, less effective, or experiencing some concerning issues? If your furnace is getting old, there’s one very important thing to be aware of: the safety hazard that your heat exchanger could pose if it is cracked. What is a heat exchanger? Why would it crack? What makes that so dangerous? We’ll tell you all about it.

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Keep Your Furnace Safe This Year

Monday, July 10th, 2023
carbon-monoxide-detector

Perhaps you haven’t thought about your furnace in a while. You certainly haven’t had to use it! But now is the best time to think about your furnace and what it might need. You want to avoid needing furnace repairs, having breakdowns, or allowing an unsafe situation to develop during the winter when you really need your heat. So while you have plenty of time, you should consider how your furnace performed last winter and whether you had any concerns about it. And you should learn a bit about the heat exchanger, the component that keeps you and your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning, so that if a problem does occur, you’ll be able to resolve it quickly and safely. 

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Now Is the Perfect Time for a New Heater

Monday, June 26th, 2023
brand-new-heater

Happy Summer! It’s the season of swimming, barbecues, mosquito bites, and getting a new heater. Yes, really! You definitely don’t want to wait too long, have your heater fail during a cold snap in January, and spend days shivering while you find out it can’t be repaired, have it hauled away, and go through the process of purchasing a new one and getting it installed. Don’t let that happen to you! Take the time during the summer, when it’s not an emergency, to assess your heater, decide whether to replace it, and research the replacement options. We’ll help you.

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Signs of an Old Furnace: Is It Time for a Replacement?

Monday, May 1st, 2023
an-old-furnace-in-need-of-replacement

As spring arrives, you’ll be letting your furnace have a lovely break from all its hard work. But before you forget about it entirely, how was it doing this past winter? Are you certain it’ll be up for another year of keeping your home cozy, or do you have some doubts? This would be a good time to consider your options, so you’ll have plenty of time to select a furnace replacement if you need to. If you’re not sure, here are some signs that it’s time to replace your furnace.

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Why Your Furnace Keeps Shutting Down Early

Monday, February 6th, 2023
frustrated-person-asking-why

Your furnace is designed to start up when the thermostat registers that your home has reached a specific lower temperature, run until it reaches a set higher temperature, and shut off. These cycles should last 15 or even 20 minutes and then repeat. Sometimes a furnace begins a heating cycle, shuts down too soon, and tries again just a few minutes later. This is called short cycling, and indicates that there’s a problem with your heater.

Short cycling has a variety of possible causes, and you should get to the bottom of it promptly, because it can cause additional problems with your heater. What could possibly be wrong? We’re so glad you asked.

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How to Troubleshoot a Failed Furnace

Monday, January 23rd, 2023
furnace-with-man-working-on-it

It’s a cold day and your furnace won’t turn on. That’s a big problem, and you’ll want to get it remedied as fast as possible. Fortunately, you can sometimes solve the trouble on your own if you follow several troubleshooting steps.

But, before we get into the main subject of this post, we want to issue a major warning:

Do not attempt to repair your furnace on your own!

The advice we’re giving in this post is how to figure out if there’s a simple error that caused your furnace to stop working. None of these steps involve taking out tools and opening up your furnace’s cabinet to tinker around. Only HVAC professionals have the qualifications, tools, and training to handle actual furnace repairs. Amateur work not only threatens to further damage the furnace, but it’s also potentially hazardous! If following these troubleshooting steps doesn’t get your furnace back to work, just call our team for fast and effective heating repair in San Antonio, TX.

Now, on with the troubleshooting…

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Haven’t Changed Your Furnace Filter Yet? Here’s Why You Should!

Monday, January 9th, 2023
man-changing-a-furnace-air-filter

On this blog, we talk a lot about the importance of having an HVAC professional do the maintenance and repairs for your heating and air conditioning systems. It keeps you safe, the experience of a professional means the process will be smooth and efficient, and your equipment can be kept under warranty. But there is one job that you should definitely be doing yourself.

Changing the air filter for your furnace is a simple maintenance job you should include in your regular routine, and it has many benefits. We’ll cover the risks of skipping air filter changes, the basics of how to do it, and how often it should be done.

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Why Are Cracked Heat Exchangers Serious Problems for Gas Furnaces?

Monday, December 12th, 2022
furnace-burners-small

You may have heard about “cracked heat exchangers” in gas furnaces as one of the major problems these heating systems can have. What does this mean, and how can you protect yourself from it? Below, we’ll look into the problem of a cracked heat exchanger.

The Heat Exchanger Itself

You may not know what a heat exchanger is to begin with, so we’ll start there. The heat exchanger is the component in a gas furnace that does the direct heating of the air that moves into the ductwork. The heat from the gas burners can’t come into direct contact with the air because of the combustion gas, so the heat exchanger serves as the intermediate step. The hot combustion gas from the burners collects inside the metal chambers of the heat exchanger and raises the temperature of the metal. The blower then sends air around the exchanger and the heat transfers from the metal surface to the air. Once the heating cycle is complete, the remaining combustion gas in the exchanger exits the furnace and the house through a flue.

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Does an Electric Furnace Need Annual Maintenance?

Monday, November 28th, 2022
heating-element

Electric furnaces are not as common as natural gas furnaces in local homes, but that doesn’t mean that electric furnaces don’t come with some excellent advantages. Although gas furnaces generally cost less to run and have higher heating capacity, electric furnaces cost less to install upfront, last for around five years longer, run into fewer repair issues, and don’t present any hazards due to gas combustion or toxic exhausts.

The secret to the electric furnace’s longevity and resistance to repairs is that it doesn’t burn gas to work. In a gas furnace, the constant stress of powerful burners and the reaction of combustion gas with other components is what leads to the system declining. Electric furnaces have a more direct and simple method of heating.

Because of the difference between the two furnace types, people often think that electric furnaces don’t need frequent maintenance. At least not every year. But this is wrong! Any home heating system, regardless of its type, benefits from pre-season maintenance done each year.

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It’s Time for a Maintenance Check-Up for Your Furnace

Monday, October 17th, 2022
service-technician-testing-furnace

Once the calendar turns to October, there’s no question that we are 100% into the fall season. If you work in the HVAC industry, that means it’s the season for handling furnace maintenance for customers. And if you’re an HVAC customer, that means it’s the season to call us for furnace maintenance!

We know that the idea of scheduling maintenance for your home’s furnace sounds like a chore, but it’s easy when you work with us. It’s also immensely beneficial: regular HVAC maintenance is one of the most important services we offer based on how much it benefits our customers.

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