Professional Heating & Air Blog: Archive for February, 2015

Some Common Furnace Repairs

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Being the most common kind of heating system on the market has given furnaces a couple of advantages. Their parts are the easiest, and often cheapest, to find and install. It’s easy to find a company that provides heating repair for them, and most homes are outfitted with the proper equipment to use them. Being the most common also means that furnace problems are the most common type of HVAC problem in the industry. Since it’s always a good idea to have at least a little bit of knowledge about how your home heating system works, let’s explore some of the most common furnace repairs.

Dirty Air Filter

Technically, this isn’t even a “repair” so much as it is a maintenance issue. It still causes a great deal of repairs every year, though, so it’s worth examining. The air filter is a part installed in the air return duct of your furnace’s air handler. It is designed to protect the furnace from any dust or other particles that might blow in from the home’s ducts and damage the system. Though it’s very good at this job, the air filter is unfortunately incapable of getting rid of these particulates once it captures them. If not cleaned or replaced every 1-3 months, the air filter can become so clogged that it restricts the flow of air into the furnace. That can cause all sorts of problems, including overheating and cracks in the heat exchanger. So, if you don’t know how to change your furnace air filter, call an HVAC technician to show you how to do it. Then, change or clean it every few months.

Ignition Failure

Failing to start is a really common problem among all heating systems, not just furnaces. In the furnace’s case, however, the problem is likely with the ignition device. Some furnaces still use the old gas-powered pilot lights as ignition systems, in which case you’ll want to check and see if the flame is still burning. Otherwise, it is possible that a heating element or electrode has burned out, removing the only method the furnace has for lighting the burner assembly.

If your furnace is experiencing issues, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning and make an appointment with us. We provide professional heating repair in the Mandeville, LA area.

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Sounds that Indicate Commercial Heating Issues

Monday, February 16th, 2015

A commercial heating system contains a lot of different components, all of which, unfortunately, may fail someday. However, with proper care and maintenance, most commercial heating systems should last over a decade with little trouble provided they receive the proper care and maintenance. Part of this maintenance is scheduling regular visits from commercial specialists for a tune-up. But you should also take care of your system by paying attention to any signs that your commercial system is in trouble and by calling for repairs immediately when you spot a problem.

Your heating system sometimes alerts you to trouble with the various noises that failing parts make. Some parts will sound off when they’re in a state of disrepair, and while it may seem to be only a minor inconvenience in some cases, you should always call for repairs immediately.

  • Humming – Even though your business’s heating system most likely runs on gas, there are many electrical components that must all be in top shape in order to operate. The fans in the furnace pull in indoor air in order to move it past a heat exchanger so that warm air can move through the vents in your home. The fan motor can run into a number of troubles due to a dirty filter or over-exhaustion. And when the motor suffers, you may hear a faint or obvious humming noise from the ducts or from the unit itself.
  • Rumbling Noise – Chances are, the heating system in your office is most likely located pretty far away from where business actually takes place. Most larger businesses have packaged heating and air conditioning systems located right outside of the office or on the rooftop, so you may not be able to hear noises from the unit. However, if you happen to hear a low rumbling noise, it could mean that gas burners are dirty, resulting in inefficient heating.
  • Banging – Loud banging or rattling noises could mean fan trouble. If a fan blade is loose, or if the fan motor is in trouble, you may hear a banging noise that echoes all the way through the ducts and into the building.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning has technicians who are specialists in commercial HVAC in Ponchatoula. Call us today for quality service from a name you can trust to schedule your next appointment.

 

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Valentine’s Day: Pagan Revelry, Clandestine Marriage, and 14th Century Poetry

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

What do you think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? Perhaps rushing off to the stationary store after work to choose the perfect card with which to express your feelings towards a loved one? Dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant? Roses, dark chocolates, and other gifts and confections? Whatever Valentine’s Day may look like to you, chances are that it is a far cry from the history surrounding this holiday – or at least we hope so. Here are a few interesting facts about this most romantic of holidays, from your friends here at A Professional Heating and Air.

The fact of the matter is that there is no definitive history as to how Valentine’s Day came to be. There are a few different saints with variations of the name Valentine, for example. One of the most prevalent legends, and one certainly in keeping with the romantic nature of the holiday as we know it today, pertains to a priest serving during the 3rd century in Rome. Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, who believed that young men made for better soldiers if unfettered by marriage, it was illegal for young men to marry. A true believer in love, Valentine would marry young couples in secret. Until, at least, he was found out, and met a very unpleasant end for his crimes.

Like many of our modern holidays, Valentine’s Day can also be traced back to pagan ritual. Lupercalia, as the pagan festival is known, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, a god of agriculture. As is often the case with Roman celebrations, the details of this celebration are unfit to detail here. Suffice to say that, while there is certainly a touch of the amorous in the proceedings, the festival was a far cry from what we associate with Valentine’s Day today.

How, then, did our modern version of Valentine’s Day come to be? The answer may lie in, of all places, 14th century poetry; particularly, in the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer. Famed for his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer may well be the very first writer to associate Valentine’s Day with romantic love, in the manner of which we are familiar with it today. His The Parliament of Fowls details the dream-vision of a narrator consumed with the idea of romantic love and the natural order of finding a mate. Valentine’s Day is mentioned by name a number of times, as the narrator witnesses a parliament of eagles vying for the hand – or, perhaps more aptly, the wing – of a mate.

Whatever you may think of the holiday’s sordid and convoluted history, we here at A Professional Heating and Air hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with the special someone in your life.

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Signs That It’s Time to Replace Your Heater

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

No one likes to hear that their heater is at the end of its life. Unfortunately, that eventuality claims all heating systems. No matter how well you maintain your heating system, you will eventually see a day where it has to be replaced. Are you prepared to recognize that day when it arrives, however? Let’s examine the signs that indicate it’s time to replace your heater, instead of repairing it.

Repairs Increase in Frequency and Cost

Even a newer heater will incur repair needs on occasion. The odd faulty part or unusual circumstance will arise every so often that requires professional attention. As your heater gets closer to the end of its lifespan, however, these occurrences will begin to become more and more frequent and costly. It will begin to seem like your heater breaks down at least every other month, and the cost of each repair will steadily grow as replacement parts stop becoming available. Once this begins happening, it is very likely that your heater needs to be replaced.

Rise in Heating Bills

If your heating bills begin to show a consistent rise month after month, it’s a sign that something is wrong with your heating system. Normally, there should be slight variations in your heating bill as your need for heat fluctuates. As the heater gets older, however, the various parts in the system begin to wear down. This slowly decreases their efficiency, lowering the system’s heat output until it has to stay on for much longer in order to heat the same sized space. If your heating bills are getting more and more expensive for no apparent reason, you should consider replacing your heater.

Age

Age is often the number one indicator of whether or not you should replace your heater. The older a heater gets, the harder it gets to keep it in good condition. Parts go out of production, and advancing efficiency in newer systems vastly increases the benefits of replacing the old heater with a new one. If your heater is older than 10-15 years old, even if it seems to be working fine, it might be a good idea to start looking at replacing it.

If you think your heater may need replacing, schedule an appointment with A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We provide heating services in the Covington area.

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