Don't Wait Until You Need It: Furnace Repair Before Winter

The end of summer is the perfect time for furnace repair and maintenance, and other heating repair issues. One reason for this is the availability of furnace technicians. Another is that preventative maintenance is always less stressful than furnace repair when it’s freezing outside.

When temperatures are dropping along with the leaves this is when many homes are getting ready for colder weather. October is usually when homeowners turn on their furnaces for the first time, to ward off chilly fall evenings, and every year, our company sees a corresponding rise in calls for HVAC systems that aren’t heating homes well, or (worse yet) are refusing to heat at all.

Just Like Your Car, HVAC Systems Need Regular Maintenance

Most homeowners don’t think twice about performing regular maintenance on their car, doing oil changes or tune-ups every 2-3 months. And yet, when it comes to their homes, they neglect to perform regular and inexpensive maintenance on key systems like the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. A visual inspection, cleaning and minor repair tune up for your HVAC system typically costs less than $100, and only needs to be done just twice a year once in fall and once in Spring, but gives enormous value to your family’s comfort and peace of mind. Contact us at Komfort Heating & Cooling and ask about our Silver Plan that covers two service calls a year and will save you over $40. 

Keep a Reliably Comfortable Home

Your HVAC unit is the single most important system when it comes to your family’s comfort. Although we typically take it for granted that the furnace will kick in when the temperature drops, anyone who has suddenly had their furnace die out on a cold winter day can tell you that scrambling for an emergency HVAC repair service while the family is layering on sweaters in the living room is a terrible experience.

Regular fall and Spring tune-ups for your HVAC units can not only alert you to potential problems well in advance but also ensure that your system is working at peak efficiency, eliminating cold spots and giving you better air distribution throughout the home. The result - your family is kept warm and comfortable no matter how chilly it gets outside.

Protect Your Biggest Financial Investment

Your home is generally your most significant financial asset, and HVAC systems can cost lots of money to replace. It makes good financial sense to maintain your systems with bi-annual tune-ups, ensure that you’re protecting your long-term investment and making sure this expensive system has a maximum lifespan for your home.

Perhaps more importantly, HVAC systems are the biggest energy consumers in your home, accounting for up to 50% of your total energy expenditures. Aside from the potential long-term costs of replacing a poorly maintained system, inefficient systems also cost you more each month to run. The smart homeowner monitors energy usage on a monthly basis to compare to previous years. It’s not uncommon for our customers to report 10-15% savings on their gas or electricity bills after they’ve had an HVAC tune-up performed.

More Than Comfort, More Than Savings

Aside from the improvements to your comfort and monthly savings that an HVAC tune-up can offer, there’s a wider benefit - an efficient home is better for our community. A well-maintained HVAC unit consumes less energy and has a longer lifetime before it has to be replaced, making it a green solution for everyone.

Don’t Put It Off

Whether you’re getting ready to book your regular fall maintenance or you’re just realizing now that it’s long overdue, use the season’s changing as a reminder to have your system serviced. It will pay off over the short and long term. 

Again, at the end of summer, furnace repair maintenance and other heating repair issues can be taken care of by widely available professionals at a time when you aren’t relying too heavily on your heating system. And it’s likely that you won’t have to wait in line.

Call Us Today at

Komfort Heating & Cooling

HVAC Elkhorn, WI

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New Regional Appliance Standards Take Effect May 2013

The regional standards established by the Department of Energy (DOE) that are set to go into effect May 1, 2013. For the first time, the HVAC industry is being regulated not on what is being manufactured, but rather what is being installed. What does this mean to you? 
Starting May 1, 2013, gas furnaces installed in the Northern Region will have to be at least 90% AFUE. The states included in the Northern Region are: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Gas furnaces installed in all other states must be at least 80% AFUE.
What will impact homeowners in our area, is the requirement of 90% minimum efficiency for all furnaces sold.  We’re not talking about just new construction, but retrofit as well. We are concerned about the impact this will have particularly on owners of condos and townhomes.

As of today, when it’s time to replace a furnace in a condo or a townhome, the homeowner usually has no choice but to install a standard efficiency (80% efficient) furnace.  Upgrading to a high efficiency furnace requires a pvc vent, usually (and preferrably) out the side of the home.  Energy conscious townhome and condo owners will opt for an 80% efficient furnace with a high efficiency, DC drive blower motor.

As of May 2013, condo and townhome owners will have no choice but to install a 90%+ efficient furnace.  In many cases, to make a high efficiency furnace work in a condo or townhome will require major remodeling work.

If you’re an owner of a condo or a townhome and are concerned about whether the new rules will impact you, here are a few things to consider.  Most furnaces in condos and townhomes that were built 10+ years ago are standard efficiency furnaces.  If your furnace has a metal chimney, it is a standard efficiency furnace.  A PVC vent connected to your furnace means you are in the clear.  The second thing to look as is whether the utility room is on an exterior wall.  Being on an exterior wall means running a vent out the side of your home MAY be minimially intrusive.  Keep in mind that just because it’s on the exterior wall, a number of other factors still need to be considered to determine whether a high efficiency vent will be feasible.  You can’t have exhaust fumes near a window, fresh air intake, gas meter, etc.  Lastly, running new venting is often not allowed by townhome and condo associations.  But, that will soon change!

This law puts a lot homeowners against the ropes. I urge homeowners to act now, because local HVAC suppliers are already depleating their stock of 80% furnaces.  Part of the new law bans local suppliers from selling standard efficiency furnaces. For more information contact us at Komfort Heating & Cooling. 

Komfort Heating & Cooling

HVAC Elkhorn, WI

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All About Duct Cleaning

Here are a Few Reasons To Have Your 

Air Ducts Cleaned This Year.!

Allergies  

Pets  

 New Addition to The Family (Baby)  

Doctor Recommended  

Lots of Dust in Your Home  

 Smokers in the house  

 Remodeling Work  

Moving into a new home, Condo, or Apartment  

Breathe fresher indoor air

Why Duct Cleaning?

Many people are becoming aware of the problems of indoor air pollution. Today’s houses are more airtight and contain more synthetic materials in furnishings, carpets and building materials that can cause unhealthy indoor air. Lots of companies are marketing products and services intended to improve our indoor air quality. One business sector is duct cleaning.
Duct cleaning refers to the cleaning of heating and cooling components of forced air systems. This includes the supply and return air ducts and registers, grills and diffusers, heat exchangers and heating and cooling coils, condensate drains (drip pans), fan motor and housing and the air handling unit housing.

When Should Ducts be Cleaned?

Water in ducts. If you have the presence of any water in your ducts, mold growth may become a health issue. The first thing to do is solve the water problem by determining how it is getting into the system, and fixing that problem. Clean and disinfect the affected area and then clean the rest of the system.Construction. If you are moving into a new home, or have recently remodeled. Often sawdust, drywall dust and other construction debris (lunch bags, pop cans) makes its way into the ducting and should be removed before operating the system.Furnace air flow issues.  If you are having furnace airflow problems. There could  
be significant blockages in the system that when removed could increase airflow. Cleaning debris out is much less expensive than re-routing ducts to try to increase flow.

Visual inspection. If you can visually see debris or accumulated dust buildup in the ducts. Having small children who delight in hiding little toys and other treasures down a register, or having pets that shed hair regularly, can both contribute to this problem.Pests. If ducts become infested with rodents or insects they should be cleaned and disinfected to remove the bacterial hazards caused by this infestation. Pets shed a tremendous amount of fur or hair, that end in the air ducts of your home causing air flow problems and even cooling of heated air.

             What Can Duct Cleaning Do For You?

Duct and system cleaning will remove the dust, debris, paperclips, toys, pet hair and whatever else has gotten into the system. Duct and system cleaning will increase indoor air quality, increase air flow of the air handling system, making your heating and cooling equipment more efficient and longer lasting. The inside of the ducts should look shiny and bright, similar to when the system was new. Many people like to know that this system is as clean as they keep the rest of the house. Duct cleaners affiliated with heating, cooling and insulation companies can often provide a thorough system check and tune-up along with the cleaning.

                                                           Some Maintenance Tips:

High efficiency filter. Prevent dirt from entering the system. Use the highest efficiency filter recommended by the furnace manufacturer and change it regularly. Check it monthly for dust build-up. Avoid moisture. Prevent ducts from getting wet. Controlling moisture in the ducts is the best way to prevent biological growth. Condensation caused by poorly insulated heating ducts is a primary contributor to moisture in the system. Make sure ducts are sealed and insulated in all the non-heated spaces they cross through (attics, crawl spaces).Check for leaks. Repair any water leaks or water damage at the cooling coils and drip pan.

For More Information Contact us Today at 

Komfot Heating & Cooling 

Ask How You Can Save $50 on Duct Cleaning 

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