Professional Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating Repair’

What Is AFUE and How Does It Affect Heating Repair?

January 20th, 2014 | Written By | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree

If you’ve spent any time shopping for a new heating system, or if you’ve taken time to inspect the furnace or boiler in your home, you may have come across the letters AFUE. What do they stand for, and do they have any effect on heating repair?

Understanding AFUE is important, and we’ll explain what those letters mean in this post. If you have more questions, contact A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We are available 24-hours a day with emergency heating repair in Hammond, LA.

AFUE = “annual fuel utilization efficiency”

The acronym AFUE stands for “annual fuel utilization efficiency.” It measures how efficiently a heating system burns fuel to create heat. It is expressed as a percentage measuring the amount of units of heat produced for every 100 units of fuel burned. So a gas furnace with an AFUE rating of 85% returns 85 units of heat (measured in BTUs) for every 100 units of natural gas it burns. The higher the AFUE rating, the less fuel the heater wastes.

For the sake of comparison, the AFUE rating of burning wood is 45%-55%. Mid-efficiency natural gas heaters score between 78% and 85%, while high-efficiency models can score from 90% all the way to 98%. For a gas furnace to receive the U.S. Energy Star label, it must have AFUE of 90% or greater.

(AFUE only applies to furnaces and boilers. Heat pumps use a different set of efficiency ratings.)

How does AFUE affect heating repair?

AFUE does not have a direct effect on heating repair, but it can indicate some of what you might expect from a heater. As a general rule, the higher the AFUE is on a heating system, the more complex the system. For example, a high-efficiency condensing furnace, which can achieve an AFUE rating of 98%, contains more components and mechanisms than a standard furnace. High-efficiency furnaces need to have more stringent maintenance and repairs to keep them running at their best.

However, this doesn’t mean that if you have a lower-efficiency heater with an AFUE rating in the 80%-90% range that you can go slack with getting repairs or scheduling maintenance. Make certain you have signed up for a regular maintenance program so your heater receives annual check-ups and tune-ups, and that you never let a repair need go without immediate professional attention.

Whatever the AFUE of your heater, A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning can handle your heating repair in Hammond, LA. Call us any time of the day or night for repairs, and look into the benefits of our maintenance program.

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Signs of Problems with Your Boiler

January 14th, 2014 | Written By | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree

If you have taken good care of your boiler with regular annual maintenance visits, then you probably haven’t had much worries with it; boilers are well-known for their few repair needs and their longevity. However, no system can run perfectly, and a time may come when your boiler develops problems that can put your heating in jeopardy.

Here are some signs to watch for in your boiler that will warn you it’s time to call for professional heating repair service in Hammond, LA. Make your first call to A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning, where we have 24-hour emergency service to take care of your needs.

Signs your boiler needs help:

  • Rumbling sounds from the tank: Boilers run quietly, much more so than furnaces or heat pumps. When a boiler starts making a loud noise, you will notice it. If the tank of your boiler begins making a rumbling sound, it could mean a number of things. A broken valve might be permitting too much cold water to enter the tank, and the mixing of hot and cold water is creating the rumbling. Or the noise might indicate the water is overheating, which could be due to sediment in the tank, limescale, or corrosion. All these troubles need immediate professional attention.
  • Leaking: Any time you see leaks occurring from your boiler system, whether from the tank, the connections, or the pipes, you have to call for repairs right away. Leaks can mean a spike in water pressure, deteriorating connections, corrosion, or damage. Professionals can seal the leaks and find out what is causing them.
  • Corrosion developing: Boilers are designed to resist corrosion and rust, but the problem can still happen—especially in an older boiler or one that hasn’t received proper maintenance. If you notice rust appearing anywhere on the tank or its components, you need to call for assistance. Too much corrosion on the boiler tank often means it must be replaced.

Have your boiler repaired right away

Even problems that seem small, like a tiny leak, can threaten to ruin your boiler if they are allowed to continue. If you catch the trouble early enough, a heating specialist can usually fix the problem fast and thoroughly… so make sure you don’t hesitate to summon experts when you think your boiler is acting (or looking) strange.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning works hard to give our customers complete satisfaction. For your heating repair in Hammond, LA, for a boiler or any other system, call on our skilled technicians.

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Noises Your Heater Should Not Make

December 9th, 2013 | Written By | Reviewed By Ronnie Roundtree

During the colder months of the winter, the sound of a heating system form a part of the general “white noise” in a home: something you don’t notice much, but which serves as a subconscious and soothing background sound. When your heater makes a noise that suddenly draws your attention, you’ll probably suspect that something is wrong.

Most unusual noises are warnings that you need an HVAC specialist to investigate your heating system to see if it requires repair work. Don’t procrastinate, since the repairs will only get more complicated and expensive if you let them slide—and some might turn dangerous.

Here are a few heating system sounds that you definitely should not hear. If you do, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for professional heating repair service in Metairie, LA.

Heating system warning sounds

  • Booming/grumbling: If you have a gas furnace, these noises often indicate there is too much dirt along the burner, and the gas jets or pilots light cannot get enough air to ignite. You will need a professional to remove the burner unit and clean it.
  • Grinding: This sort of sound coming from a furnace cabinet is often a warning that the motors are running down because of worn parts. Usually, the motors will need to be replaced.
  • Screeching: The bearings on the motors are wearing down, possibly due to a dust infiltration. This needs attention before the whole motor requires replacement.
  • Clacking: Any noise that sounds like one component is striking against another might mean that a blower motor fan belt has come loose and is hitting other mechanisms inside the cabinet. This needs repair immediately before the loose belt causes further damage.
  • Clicking before the blower motor comes on: Although hearing a few clicking sounds as a gas furnace starts up is normal, if you hear a loud clicking about a minute and a half before the blower motor turns on, it might mean a crack in the heat exchanger—which could lead to a leak of carbon monoxide. If you suspect this has happened, shut off the gas to the furnace and call for repairs immediately.

Heating systems do not yet come equipped with artificial intelligences that can exactly inform you about a malfunction and what to do about it. However, these sounds listed above are the next best thing: when you hear them, bring in a human intelligence—a professional technician—to find out what is wrong and what to do about it.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning aims to deliver complete satisfaction with your heating repair in Metairie, LA. If your heater starts to warn you that something is wrong, call us.

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