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Sometimes the Problem Isn’t the HVAC Equipment At All

Jan 24
Posted by Canella in HVAC Maintenance, HVAC Systems

In one of my previous blogs, we did the 10,000-foot view of an HVAC system and I explained the basic components:  the furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump, and when and how they go together.  The next part is how the air gets out of those pieces and into your house – the ductwork.  For most people it’s out of sight, out of mind.  Not many people are excited by the thought of crawling around a crawlspace or taking a walk around the attic on any sort of a regular basis to look at the spider web mess of silver running everywhere.  But sometimes the reason you may feel more heat in one room than another, or one side of the house may be cooler than the other, isn’t because there’s anything wrong with your equipment.  There’s something wrong with the ductwork.

Leakage from Damaged Ductwork or Poor Connections

Over time things can happen to ductwork.  The house may have settled.  Age and environmental conditions take their toll.  The creepiest may have happened – a critter or rodent of some sort thought it looked like great construction material, found out it was warm inside that shiny tube, and took up residence.  Or at least disassembled part of it to go make its own home somewhere else.  What’s left is a hole.  Turn on the air conditioner and you’re now cooling your attic or crawlspace.  Same with the heat. Ultimately it means you’re paying to heat and cool the outside.  Good luck with that one.

Besides holes, ductwork can fall off the “boot” which is the metal piece inside your register.  This is more common when the ductwork is located in the crawlspace or basement.  Gravity takes its toll, or it accidentally gets pulled off when someone crawls past to pull out the swimming pool for the kids.  In attics it’s crushed ductwork that can be a problem.  The cable guy has to run cable in the attic and accidentally steps on a duct while performing a precarious balancing act.  Or in the process of putting the Christmas stuff away, a box falls on a duct run.  Now all the air that’s supposed to be coming out of that line has been cut off and isn’t making it into your home.  (That creates a whole list of other problems but I won’t go into those here. Suffice to say it’s bad.)

And in both attics and crawlspaces we find problems with our nemesis in the HVAC business:  duct tape.  Remember this:  duct tape is for everything BUT ducts. It can not hold up under the heat, the cold, and the humid conditions ducts typically see and quickly falls off.  You will see tape on the equipment sometimes, and it’s usually used to hold insulation on ductwork, but this is special tape designed for this very purpose, approved by scientific labs for this application, required by building codes and it costs a fortune.  It can not be replaced by the old gray standby, no matter how many colors it comes in these days.  (Leopard print?  Really?)

Repairing this kind of damage is not as simple as it seems.  There is more to the construction of a duct than just shiny silver stuff and insulation.  It’s also possible that a poor repair job can cause damage further up the line including to the equipment itself.  Only a qualified HVAC contractor is going to be able to determine the extent of the damage and repair it properly.

Mold

Unfortunately, mold, mildew, and bacteria can grow in ductwork. Since you just read “Leakage From Damaged Ductwork or Poor Connections” above you know how this can happen.  Mold and mildew thrive in wet locations. Add a little heat and a food source and you have all the makings of health issues and poor indoor air quality.  Please read this part carefully:  if your ducts are constructed of ductboard, which is typically silver with a quilted pattern on the outside and yellow pressed insulation on the inside, IT CAN NOT BE EFFECTIVELY CLEANED.  Even the EPA agrees (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html).  Ductboard can not be cleaned of mold.  Ductboard can’t even really be cleaned of dirt and debris.  Mostly all that a cleaning does is break loose those fiberglass insulation particles and sends them into your house.  But if your ductwork is metal and isn’t lined on the inside, it CAN be cleaned of mold.  Dirt and debris too but that shouldn’t be necessary.  If you have a lot of dirt and junk in your ductwork, you need a professional to find the source first before you get it cleaned.  That shouldn’t be happening.

I need to interject another little lesson in ductwork construction.  The long, usually rectangular or square runs are called trunk lines, trunks, or plenums.  The soft, round silver lines coming off the trunk are typically constructed of a material called flex, for flexible duct.  Flex also can not be effectively cleaned.  If there’s a mold problem, the flex should be replaced.  Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

This is getting a little more in-depth than I planned to go in this article but I think it’s important for you to know.  Ducts are complicated.  For as simple as they look, there’s a lot of science behind their construction, their function, their installation and even their size.  If you suspect mold, the first thing you need to do is call a qualified mold remediator like ServPro of Hickory.  If they confirm that it’s mold (and only testing in a lab can confirm that), then call a well-qualified, licensed HVAC contractor and have your ducts fixed.  This is a serious health problem and needs to be dealt with by professionals.

Missing Insulation

Ductwork is insulated.  Besides helping more of the air you’re paying to heat and cool stay warm or cold until it hits the right room, it also stops your ductwork from dripping condensation. Condensation is moisture and moisture in the wrong place does all kinds of damage (see what mold needs to grow, above.)  The insulation is also an energy saver.  Sorry to repeat myself again, but if you spot torn insulation, call your HVAC contractor.   Depending on the extent of the tear and the location, the problem may be more than just torn insulation and only an HVAC contractor can tell you that for sure.

So now you know – there’s more to it than meets the eye.  If you have any questions at all or think you may have duct problems, please feel free to call me, Craig, at 828-327-9680.  I love ductwork! (Seriously, I do.)

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Do you need to have your duct system inspected? Call Canella Heating & Air Conditioning! For over 20 years, Canella Heating & Air Conditioning has been providing Hickory, Newton, Conover, Granite Falls, Hudson and the surrounding areas with the highest quality HVAC products and the most outstanding customer service available — winning numerous awards along the way. Call Canella today and start enjoying your air! 828-327-9680 or check out the website at www.canellaheatingandair.com.

 
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Information to Have On-hand When Calling for HVAC Repairs

Jan 18
Posted by Canella in HVAC Maintenance, HVAC Systems

Once you realize that your HVAC system isn’t working properly, it’s time to call in the experts.  That’d be us.  To try to speed up the process for you a little and to give us a bit of a heads-up into what we’re going to be dealing with, it would help greatly if you had answers to any of the following questions.

  • What problem are you experiencing with your system today?
  • Is it currently working at all?
  • How long has this problem been going on?
  • Is the equipment a heat pump, air conditioner or furnace?
  • If you have a furnace, is it natural gas or oil?
  • Have you had any problems with this equipment in the past?
  • Do you know how old the system is?
  • Is it bigger than a breadbox?
  • When it’s working, does it keep your home at a comfortable temperature?
  • When was the last time you had the system serviced for maintenance?
  • Has anyone attempted to fix the problem or made any adjustments to the system?
  • Do you have a dog that bites?

There are instances when certain people will be given priority over others.  First priority will be given to the people who don’t have a dog that bites.  Next comes “no heat” situations in the winter, and “no air conditioning” situations for the elderly or people with health problems in the summer.  The rest of these questions help us narrow down the tools we may need, get an idea of how long the repair might take, and can sometimes even help us determine who we send out to take a look at the problem since some of our guys specialize in certain areas.  I happen to be an expert in everything.  Just ask me.  I’ll tell you.

But please don’t worry if you can’t answer all of these.  HVAC systems are complicated.  Usually they get ignored as long as they keep working.  My service technicians are highly trained, highly skilled people and will be able to figure out most of this as soon as they see the system.  Except for the dog that bites.  They’ll learn that one first-hand.

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Does your HVAC system need repairs? Call Canella Heating & Air Conditioning! For over 20 years, Canella Heating & Air Conditioning has been providing Hickory, Newton, Conover, Granite Falls, Hudson and the surrounding areas with the highest quality HVAC products and the most outstanding customer service available — winning numerous awards along the way. Call Canella today and start enjoying your air! 828-327-9680.

 
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Another Tip in Our “Save Yourself a Service Call” Series

Jan 10
Posted by Canella in HVAC Maintenance, HVAC Systems

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’m in the HVAC business and my guys earn a living by making service calls so I’m a big fan of making the call.  However, there are some things that are normal functions of HVAC equipment.  It’s just that they don’t happen every day and not many people know about them outside of us HVAC geeks.  Weird sounds, lights, bells, whistles and even steam can be indicators that your equipment is just doing its job though it may sound more like it’s about to either blow up or take off!  Seeing as how it’s winter now, I’d like to explain one of them that causes many calls to our office – the heat pump defrost cycle.

The phone call starts like this:  the air is blowing inside my house but it’s cold air, or my outdoor unit is smoking!  Or the auxiliary heat light is on but the air isn’t as warm as it usually is.  Or I keep pushing the channel up button but my tv stays on the same channel.  Something like that.

To start the diagnosis we’re going to ask you a couple questions:

  1. What time is this occurring or when did you notice it?
  2. Do you know if the outdoor unit fan blades are still spinning?
  3. Is there frost on the outdoor unit?
  4. Is the outdoor unit making wooshing noises?
  5. Have you changed the batteries in your tv remote lately?

Here’s what’s happening.  As the temperature gets pretty cold outside, your outdoor unit (actually the outdoor coil) starts to frost up.  A control mechanism senses this and knows that it has to do something before the motor ices over and burns itself out trying to spin.  It’s going to automatically turn the outdoor fan off, switch a valve called the reversing valve from heat to cool, and turn your strip heat on. The signs you can look for that tell you this is happening is that the fan blades outside will stop spinning, the outdoor unit will make a wooshing noise, and the light on the thermostat for the auxiliary heat will turn on, indicating that the strip heat has been turned on.  You may even see steam coming off your outdoor unit or a puddle of water on the ground next to it.

Your unit will run like this for usually just a couple minutes and then the reverse will happen:  the reversing valve will reverse and make a wooshing noise, the strip heat will turn off, and the blades in your outdoor unit will start to spin again.  Then everything is back to normal until your outdoor unit gets too cold and the process starts over.

Technically what’s happening is that the heat pump is actually switching from heating to air conditioning for a brief period of time.  It’s going to pull warm air from your home and send the hot refrigerant gases outside to thaw the unit.  The strip heat turns on to try to offset that cold air a little bit.  All of this shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes max.  If it’s going on longer than that, namely the outdoor fan doesn’t turn back on again but there’s still air blowing in your house, then call us.  There is probably something more serious going on in that case.

Another sign that something more serious is wrong is that the outdoor unit becomes totally encased in ice and doesn’t defrost, assuming that there hasn’t been heavy snow or an ice storm of course.  If that happens, a service call is also warranted.

Hopefully this information helps you out a little bit this winter.  If you have any questions at all about this topic, or any other HVAC topic actually, don’t hesitate to call me, Craig, at 828-327-9680.  If I’m not around my brother, Curtis, is also a wealth of HVAC information (some of it is even useful!) and can be found at this same number.

And as for your remote, if you end up needing a service call, the guys just might have an extra set of AA batteries on their truck.  What can it hurt to ask?

 
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Clicking Thermostats and Other Things that Go Bump in the Night

Dec 20
Posted by Canella in HVAC Systems

Here’s another topic we get several calls about – the clicking noise that some thermostats make.  Most people think it’s broken or about to shoot springs and other little parts all over the place.  Some are just curious.  So here’s the story behind thermostats that click.

Most of you are probably familiar with the older style of thermostats, such as the round ones or the ones with the little levers that you push to control the temperature.  Those thermostats contain mercury, a metal that looks pretty cool and is unusual because it’s a metal that exists as a liquid at room temperature.  However, it’s highly toxic.  Because of this many states banned the use of mercury thermostats and manufacturers stopped making them.  So they had to come up with Plan B.

Plan B is probably more like Plan M or Q or maybe even Z by now.  It appears that all of their research is boiling down to two technologies – solid state relays or electronics.  They fairly regularly switch between the two.  Whether it’s for better performance, more accuracy, less expensive to manufacture, or toss of the coin I’m not sure.  I only know that today we get relay-based thermostats and tomorrow we’ll get an electronic-based thermostat.  There’s only one difference that I’ve seen between the two.  You guessed it…solid state relays click.  The good news with that is that you know it’s working.

And as for the other things that go bump in the night?  I don’t know what they are.  Get up and check!

If you have any other questions or things you always wanted to know about your HVAC system but didn’t want to sound like a dork by asking in class, please email me at craig@canellaheatingandair.com.  I’d much rather write about something you’re interested in than some of the stuff my staff comes up with!

 

First Thermostat

 
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5 Ways You Can Take Care of Your HVAC System This Winter

Dec 14
Posted by Canella in HVAC Maintenance

With cold weather knocking on the door, OK, beating on the door, you need to be able to rely on your heating system.  That’s a no-brainer.  What you might not know is that there are some simple things you can do to protect your system from the worst Mother Nature has to dish out, maybe get a few more weeks/months/years out of it, or at least help it keep you and your family more comfortable.

Tip 1: Keep Your HVAC System Clean

I know I keep preaching about this one.  But think about it.  It costs a lot of money to buy a new HVAC system.  It’s extremely complicated.  It has a lot of electronics and moving parts and parts that heat up really hot and others that get really cold and things that light up and things that shouldn’t.  And you depend on it to keep your home comfortable and your indoor air clean.  Doesn’t it seem logical that it should require some care during it’s lifetime other than when it breaks?  For best performance and a longer life, let us clean it and tune it up at least once a year.  Twice is better, once before the heating season and once before the cooling season, but even once will help.  Heck, if one of my guys comes out to clean your system and you really like him and his work, you can even keep him.  Not forever.  You can just keep him as your maintenance guy and ask to have him service your equipment each time you’re scheduled for a tune-up.

Tip 2: Care and Feeding of Your Heat Pump in the Winter

Your heat pump sits outside all year doing what it’s supposed to do.  Most of the time it ignores the weather conditions and functions just fine.  However, it does not like ice.  Freezing up during an ice storm is a common problem and can be the death of your outdoor unit.  What happens is that a layer of ice forms on the fan and the blades outside.  When your thermostat calls for heat, the heat pump turns on, the motor tries to turn the blades but can’t and and burns itself out trying.  The best thing to do to prevent this is if you know there’s going to be an ice storm or sleet that’s expected to freeze, turn on your emergency heat.  This will turn your heat pump off and turn on the backup heat source.  Remember though that this backup heat source is the most expensive way to heat your house so don’t turn it on until the last possible minute and turn it back to heat pump (meaning turn the emergency heat off) as soon as you notice that the ice has melted off of your outdoor unit.

Note that this does not apply if you have a dual fuel system or a gas furnace/air conditioner system.  This only applies to a heat pump.

As for the feeding, you don’t have to feed it.  I just thought the title was funny.

Tip 3: Care and Feeding of your Furnace

If you have a furnace, about the only thing you can keep an eye on that’s affected directly by cold weather is the drain line.  If you have a high efficiency furnace, there is a drain line that runs from the unit to the outside somewhere or into some kind of drain.  Know where that line is.  In the winter it can freeze up and shut your furnace down.  If it does freeze, thaw it out, turn off the breaker to your furnace, and turn it back on again to reset it.  It should fire back up.

You don’t have to feed a furnace either.  It’s already on an IV being fed by the gas company or by your propane tank.

Tip 4: Designing a Home for Your Outdoor Unit

If you decide to build a lean-to or shed for your outdoor unit, remember to keep at least a four-foot clearance from the top of the unit so it can work and about two feet all the way around so it can be serviced.  We have some small guys on our crews, but not that small.

You can cover the outdoor unit with a tarp or a board or something if you know it’s going to ice but BE SURE TO TAKE THE COVER OFF BEFORE YOU TURN THE HEAT PUMP BACK ON!  You don’t want to waste all your hard work by burning up your outdoor unit because you forgot this little step.

Tip 5: Simple Safety Measure to Prevent Damage to Your Indoor Unit and to Your Home

I don’t know how many times I go into a home to look at the HVAC equipment only to find it surrounded by junk in a closet or surrounded by boxes of storage stuff or next to shelves full of paint, paint thinners, rags, glues, cleaning solvents, and other chemicals that are just looking for an ignition source.

It’s not a good idea to store anything too close to your indoor equipment.  It’s definitely not a good idea to store anything flammable near your HVAC system. And it’s NEVER good to store anything near your gas furnace or gas water heater. Particularly in the case of older or less efficient gas or oil furnaces and water heaters, they need air in order to burn properly and to draft, or carry the harmful by-products of combustion out your chimney which you already know because you read my article about combustion safety.  (A newer or more efficient furnace has a second pipe that brings in the fresh air it needs from outside.)  So do yourself and your house a big favor and give your indoor units plenty of breathing room.

And that’s about it.  Besides changing your filters regularly, which you should know already.  If you have any questions about how to care for your equipment or want to schedule an appointment for a cleaning and tune-up because I convinced you that it’s a really, really good idea, call me, Craig, at Canella Heating and Air Conditioning, 828-327-9680.  I love talking HVAC.

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Looking for the best HVAC company in Hickory, Newton, Conover and the surrounding areas? Call Canella Heating & Air Conditioning! For over 20 years, Canella Heating & Air Conditioning has been providing Catawba Valley with the highest quality HVAC products and the most outstanding customer service available — winning numerous awards along the way. Call Canella today to start enjoying your air! 828-327-9680.

 
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Top 5 Holiday HVAC Gifts for Your Family & Friends

Dec 07
Posted by Canella in General

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Ready to purchase one of these wonderful gifts? Call Canella Heating and Air Conditioning at (828) 327-9680 or visit http://www.canellaheatingandair.com.

 
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What to Look for When Buying a Good Carbon Monoxide Detector

Nov 29
Posted by Canella in Safety

Carbon Monoxide (CO) can be deadly.  The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning often resemble those of other ailments such as the flu making it difficult to detect as the cause of the problem.  Since it’s an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas, it can’t be detected without the use of a special device designed to do so – a carbon monoxide detector.   Similar to a smoke detector, an alarm goes off when the levels of carbon monoxide in the home exceed recommended thresholds.  Since CO can be just as dangerous when a person is exposed to low levels over a long period of time, CO detectors measure cumulatively instead of only when the level gets very high.  So what should you look for when you’re shopping for a CO detector?

First and foremost, look for one that is UL 2034 listed and install it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Since the density of CO is about the same as air, there is no across-the-board rule as to whether it should be installed high or low.  Pay attention to the fact that CO detectors have an expiration date.  Some come with a signal to let you know when it’s nearing the end of it’s life.  Others will have to be checked periodically for expiration, like semi-annually when you change the batteries in all the alarms in your home.

Perhaps the most important feature of a good carbon monoxide detector is the warning alarm. This alarm goes off when too much carbon monoxide has been detected within your home. If someone in the home is hearing impaired, it is important that you purchase a carbon monoxide detector equipped with flashing lights as a component of the audible warning alarm. The voice alarm is often recommended when young children are at home since it issues a warning command instead of the non-committal beeping.

Carbon monoxide detectors are available in three primary styles: battery operated, hard-wired, and plug-in. Hard-wired carbon monoxide detectors can be interconnected between floors, which is an important safety consideration, but isn’t always practical in retrofit cases.  The plug-in kind are nice because they don’t eat batteries but they should still have a battery backup for power outages.  There are also detectors with a digital display.  That’s a great feature since it lets you know if the CO level is elevated but not high enough to set off the alarm yet.  They usually also record highest readings which can help determine what happened while everyone was away.

The technology used in CO detectors has improved greatly in recent years including sensitivity and battery life.  If you can’t remember the last time you checked or replaced yours, it might be time.  It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Need more information about purchasing a carbon monoxide detector? Call us at Canella Heating and Air Conditioning and talk to one of our HVAC specialists today! (828) 327-9680.

 
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The register connected to the duct work, the duct work connected to the trunk line, the trunk line connected to the air handler, Oh hear the word of the HVAC contractor…

Nov 23
Posted by Canella in HVAC Systems

Something like that anyway.

I know it’s my job to know all these parts and to connect them correctly so that you stay safe and comfortable.  But I find that it really helps people when I give them an overview of their HVAC system, or Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system.  It also helps them understand why my technicians and installers are constantly going to this class and that class and a couple of those classes.  And it helps them understand why they shouldn’t just trust a guy who can barely spell HVAC to take care of the equipment that’s supposed to keep you warm in winter and cool in the summer, all while operating cheaply, quietly, safely and continuously.  So here’s the 10,000-foot view of a typical HVAC system.

It’s pretty obvious that the primary purpose is to heat your home in the winter and cool it down in the summer.  Your basic HVAC system does this using a couple major components generically referred to as an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.  In a typical home around these parts, there will be one of each for each system in your home.  The number of systems in your house is probably the easiest thing to determine:  if you have two outdoor units, you have two systems.  So far so good.  Now we’re going to get a little deeper.

The outdoor unit is going to be one of two things:  an air conditioner or a heat pump.  An air conditioner cools your house down of course.  A heat pump cools your house down too but it also heats it in the winter.  By just looking at your outdoor unit, you’re not going to be able to tell the difference.  Don’t feel bad.  Without looking at the model numbers, I sometimes can’t tell the difference either.  The indoor unit, which is often hidden in an attic, crawlspace or basement, is either a gas furnace or an air handler.  These are also difficult to tell apart just by looking at them unless you know what you’re looking for.  I’ll get to that in a minute.  In the meantime, it’s time to mix them up a little.

If you have a heat pump outside, you can have either an air handler OR a gas furnace inside, but you will not have both on the same system.  If you have an air conditioner outside, you will in all likelihood have a gas furnace inside.  The only two things that don’t ever go together are a heat pump and an air conditioner.  It looks like this:

It’s pretty obvious that you have a gas furnace if you get a gas bill and it’s higher in the winter, especially if your stove is electric.  (I know – the water heater might be gas but it’s pretty unusual to have the only gas appliance be a water heater.  It’s not unheard of, but it’s unusual.)  But if you don’t want to wait that long to find out, something else you can look for is a vent pipe which usually comes off the top of the indoor unit (or side if it’s installed horizontally, like is typical in a crawlspace) and will run to the outside or to a chimney.  This pipe is carrying all the carbon monoxide and other dangerous by-products of combustion out of your house; hence the emphasis on ‘safety’ in what we do.  And this in particular is why you want to make sure you put someone who knows what they’re doing in charge of your HVAC system.  (That’s where Canella Heating and Air Conditioning comes in.)

So that’s the 10,000 foot view.  Next time we’ll drop down to 7500 feet and I’ll draw some more pictures.  Any questions?  Call me – (828) 327-9680.  I’d be happy to talk about parts.

 
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What Are R-22 and R-410A and Why Should You Care?

Nov 07
Posted by Canella in HVAC Systems

Inside every heat pump and air conditioner is a refrigerant which assists with the transfer of heat either into or out of your house.  For decades the refrigerant of choice was known as R-22, or Freon®.  Originally thought to be safe for the environment, R-22 has been identified as a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC).  You’re probably familiar with CFCs and remember the flurry of activity that occurred when they were banned and we had to find other ways to get hair spray out of a can.   An HCFC is a little less damaging than a CFC but not by much.  It’s still an ozone depleting greenhouse gas, and the manufacturing process itself is very detrimental to the planet.  Recognized as a global problem, an international environmental agreement was reached which phases out the production and import of R-22.  Since January 2010, no new heat pumps or air conditioners that use R-22 can be built anymore.

The replacement refrigerant is known as R-410A.  While it’s not perfect, it’s been approved by the EPA while they continue to evaluate other options.  Created from a blend of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), R-410A does not deplete the ozone layer.  However, R-410A does contribute to global warming which is why they’re still evaluating other options.

So what does all of this mean to you and your systems?  If your systems are in good shape, no refrigerant should be leaking into the air.  If you currently have an older air conditioner or heat pump that uses R-22 and it does develop a small leak, we are allowed to use R-22 to repair it.  And our technicians are EPA trained and certified in the handling of refrigerants to prevent them from leaking into the environment during maintenance or replacement of the equipment.  Over time though, this refrigerant is going to be more costly to capture, reclaim, and recycle which will drive up repair costs.  Unfortunately, it’s not possible to just substitute R-410A for R-22 in the older units. The construction of the equipment is different and the older R-22 units aren’t built to handle R-410A.  The good news is that if you decide to replace any older units, you will not only be lowering your utility bills and increasing your comfort, but you will have taken another step in doing your part to protect the Earth for the generations to come.

Have more questions about refrigerants?  By all means please call me, Craig, at (828) 327-9680.  I could talk this stuff all day.  Or talk only until you’re bored.  Just tell me to stop when I reach that point.  Thanks!

 
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5 Tips for Winter Home Safety

Oct 26
Posted by Canella in Safety

Household safety is important all year round, but the winter season brings with it specific risks that must be taken into consideration. As the coldest months of winter arrive, it’s important to take steps to make sure that your home provides an environment for your family that is both warm and safe. Follow these five tips for winter home safety and you’ll be much better prepared to deal with the effects of winter.

1. Annual Heater Inspections
It’s essential to have a professional inspect your heating system every year. This task should be completed early in the season, before you need to heat your house. Our technicians will check to make certain the unit is in proper working order and make any repairs or adjustments necessary to ensure safe operation throughout the coldest months of the year.

2. Chimney Cleaning and Inspection
If you have a fireplace, it’s essential to have your chimney cleaned and inspected on a regular basis. Each year, before lighting your fireplace for the first time, have a professional remove any debris that has built up in your chimney and investigate its structural and operational soundness. Take care of any necessary repairs before lighting the first fire of the season.

3. Operate Space Heaters Safely
If you utilize space heaters in your home, do so with caution. Do not place a space heater near open flames or any other flammable substances. Avoid placing them in areas where they are at risk of falling or being knocked over. Do not leave these types of heaters unsupervised, and make sure that they are used only in areas with sufficient ventilation.

4. Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors are a must in every home that has a gas heating system, a fireplace, or an attached garage. The batteries should be changed regularly, just like smoke detectors, to ensure the units are in proper working order at all times.

5. Be Prepared for Winter Storms
Snow and ice storms can lead to power outages, impassable roads, and loss of communication. It’s important to stock up on the items you might need to safely get through winter storms early in the season. Be prepared with a supply of nonperishable food, bottled water, a weather radio, flashlights, batteries, and fuel. You’ll also want to have warm clothing, sleeping bags, blankets and other items that can help you stay as comfortable as possible during a loss of power.

 
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