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Posts Tagged ‘Heating Maintenance’

Why Do Furnaces Need an Exhaust Flue?

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

Your furnace generates a great deal of heat when it runs; it also generates fumes and carbon monoxide, which need to be transferred out of your house safely in order to avoid some serious problems. The way these items are transferred outside your home is via the exhaust flue. However, should problems develop with the exhaust flue, such as cracks from corrosion, the fumes and exhaust can circulate back into your home. During a home heating maintenance appointment in Eugene, your flue and its components are thoroughly checked for cracks and other problems. If anything is found, you can schedule an appointment for repair with your Comfort Flow Heating technician.

How Does an Exhaust Flue Work?

The furnace exhaust flue, also called a furnace exhaust stack, is a metal tube that vents the noxious combustion gases from the heat exchanger to the outside. Inside the stack resides a damper that regulates the pressure between the air from the furnace and the outside air. This damper helps create the draft that pulls the exhaust gases up the stack for venting. The damper also prevents the exhaust from coming back into the furnace and your home. The piping for the furnace exhaust can be routed through your home to an outlet point, or routed into your chimney, if you have one.

Common Problems with Exhaust Flues

There are several common problems that can develop with exhaust flues:

  • Cracking – as mentioned above, cracks can develop in the flue pipe from corrosion. Corrosion can develop from water vapor or debris caught in the piping.
  • Leaks between joints – leaks can develop between the joints of the flue pipe, which can weaken the pipe.
  • Backdrafting – backdrafting is a serious situation in which the exhaust fumes are sucked back into your system and your home due to negative indoor air pressure. This scenario can be caused by insufficient air supply to your furnace or problems with the exhaust fan.

The best way to make sure your flue is in good shape for the winter is to schedule heating maintenance in Eugene. If it’s been more than 12 months since your last maintenance appointment, call Comfort Flow Heating today.

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What Steps Are Involved in Heating Maintenance?

Friday, March 28th, 2014

Annual maintenance for your heating system from a trained professional is essential for prolonging your system’s life and receiving the most efficient and trouble-free performance you can from it. You should schedule maintenance for your heater during the fall, although you can start at any time if for some reason you had to put it off. The important part is that you have it done every year for your heating system.

We offer an Energy Savings Agreement at Comfort Flow Heating that will provide you with a precision tune-up for your Springfield, OR heating system and for your air conditioner. Call us today to sign up to start saving energy and keep your heater in excellent shape.

Here are the basic steps in heating maintenance you can expect whenever a trained technician shows up at your home for the annual visit:

  • Thermostat check: It’s important first to make sure that the thermostat is correctly calibrated and has no connection issues, or else it will be difficult to determine the condition of the rest of the heater.
  • Check components connected to the gas line (natural gas heaters): The technician checks the gas line, the burner, the ignition, and the heat exchanger to make sure there are no safety or performance concerns.
  • Tighten connections: The technician sees that all electrical connections on the heating system are secure, and tightens any loose ones that might become safety hazards. The technician then checks the voltage on the motors.
  • Lubricating moving parts: To ensure the heater works with the least amount of stress and power drain, the technicians lubricate all the moving parts, such as motors and compressors.
  • Check refrigerant level (heat pumps): The technician checks that the refrigerant is at its proper level, and recharges it if necessary.
  • Control board check: The technician looks over the control board to see that it is operating the heater correctly. This involves testing each part of the system to see that it comes on, operates, and turns off properly. After this is done, the technician will know if the heater is running better because of the tune-up.

The Energy Savings Agreement at Comfort Flow Heating doesn’t just provide you with regular maintenance. You’ll also receive priority scheduling, a 15% discount on repairs, and no overtime charges.

Don’t wait to start maintenance for your heater: if it’s been more than a year, call us right away and set up your first inspection and tune-up visit.

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What You Need to Know about Heating Maintenance

Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

No appliance in your home will run forever, but often people treat them as if they were supposed to—without any repairs or maintenance. Although no appliance can obtain immortality, it can get the next best thing: service that meets or exceeds its manufacturer’s expected lifespan. To achieve this, the appliance requires regular preventive maintenance.

This applies to the heater in your home as much as to your dishwasher or laundry machine. To get through a Eugene, OR winter, you’ll need a heater you can trust to keep providing you warmth through the coldest days. If you schedule regular check-ups and tune-ups from a reliable HVAC company, you’ll have much more trust in your heater.

Comfort Flow Heating has been in business for more than half a century serving Eugene, OR with heating maintenance, repairs, and installation. Look to us to take care of your heating system so it will keep you warm all through the winter—and be ready for next winter as well.

Here are a few important points to know about heating maintenance:

It isn’t arduous or time-consuming: If you hire experienced technicians, a maintenance visit won’t be a major hassle for your schedule. Professionals have a checklist of tasks and inspections, and as long as your heater doesn’t require any major repairs, a maintenance visit will be over before you know it. And if your heater does need repairs, your technician can schedule the work and have it done in a timely manner.

It will save you money: Proper maintenance will not only prevent you from rushing to get a significant (and probably expensive) emergency repair, but you’ll also save money in another way: improved energy-efficient performance. A tune-up on your heater will get all its parts working smoothly so it will drain less energy while delivering the heat level you expect. You won’t have to suffer the burden of inflated power bills.

It will provide you better quality heating: Losing your heater during the winter is the worst-case scenario. But a reduction of heating power is a major inconvenience and a more common occurrence. A heater without proper maintenance will wear down faster, and as that happens it will weaken and you’ll start to notice cold rooms and a general drop in temperature in your home. A yearly tune-up will prevent your heater from declining into uselessness.

Comfort Flow Heating offers an Energy Savings Agreement of one, two, or three years. You’ll receive two visits annually (your air conditioner needs maintenance as well!) that will provide you with a precision tune-up for your home comfort system. Get all the benefits of heating maintenance in Eugene, OR from the experienced people at Comfort Flow Heating.

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The Benefits of Pre-Season Heating Maintenance

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013

Your heating system probably hasn’t stayed on your mind during the warm Oregon summer. But during that time it has had opportunities to develop problems and gather dust. Even if it turns on for you with no trouble, it is less likely to stay problem-free without a maintenance check-up. When it comes to your Eugene, OR heating needs, don’t take chances: schedule preventive maintenance on your home’s heater sooner rather than later.

Comfort Flow Heating has a half century of experience with heating repairs, so we know why getting maintenance is so crucial. Here are some of the benefits of scheduling pre-season maintenance to consider.

More efficient performance

When a maintenance technician comes to your home, you will receive a thorough inspection of all the components of your system. The technician will locate places that need cleaning, find loose connections or leaks that require repairs, and identify anything else that could impede your heater from giving you the best performance possible when the temperature drops. A heater that runs inefficiently will also cost you more on your energy bills; maintenance will make certain you don’t have an overworked system.

Longer system lifespan

Any machine starts to wear down after years of work. However, if a machine is maintained correctly, it will not age as rapidly. Before your heater launches into doing its hardest work of the year, a maintenance check will spot where it is suffering higher wear. Getting a tune-up means less strain during the fall and winter for your heater, and it will give you many more years of warmth.

Prevent an inconvenient breakdown

A good maintenance job will provide you with confidence that your heater is much less likely to suffer a major failure and shut down during a cold spell. Even if an HVAC company can get out to you to fix the problem fast, you will still have a very uncomfortable time in your home without your heater. Head off a breakdown before the worst cold sets in.

It’s easier to schedule an appointment

The summer is a packed time for HVAC technicians. The winter is as well—emergency calls keep them occupied most of the week. The calm time in early fall is when you will have the easiest time getting an appointment for maintenance that works for you and the technicians.

At Comfort Flow Heating, we recommend an annual heating check-up during the fall. Our highly-trained Eugene heating maintenance technicians can save you the headaches of future repairs and the pain of high energy bills with our service. In Eugene, OR, heating your home with the help of Comfort Flow Heating will make the coming months comfy and cozy.

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Eugene OR Tip: Essential Heating Maintenance Tasks

Monday, October 8th, 2012

Just like your vehicle, performing regular maintenance on your heating and air conditioning system is absolutely necessary. Not only can this keep your heating and cooling system working as efficiently as possible, it can also extend the life of your equipment—both of which can save you money.

In Eugene, OR, it is generally recommended that before each new season you perform regular maintenance on your heating and air conditioning system. For example, after your air conditioning system has sat dormant for during the winter, you should perform some regular maintenance on it before you start running it all the time in the summer.

Here are some of the tasks that we think are essential to keeping your heating and air conditioning system working properly.

Inspect refrigerant levels

Making sure that you don’t have too little or too much refrigerant in your system will make sure that your heating or air conditioning system is operating properly. If you notice that your refrigerant level is too low or too high, adjust it as necessary. Consult your owner’s manual for the correct amount of refrigerant necessary for your particular unit.

Remove Debris

If you have an outdoor unit with a door or hinge that opens, make sure the unit isn’t clogged with leaves, dirt or other organic material. This can cause the unit to vent improperly and can also be a fire hazard.

Check Drains, Refrigerant and Condensate Lines

Making sure that the fluids in your heating system are flowing properly is crucial to proper operation of your unit. Check any drains or drainage lines to make sure that your unit is disposing of condensate efficiently. If you have an outdoor compressor, you should also check the associated tubes for wear or damage.

Check Fan Blades and Motor

For indoor units like a furnace or outdoor units like a ductless mini split, you should check the blower or fan motor for any obvious signs of damage or wear. For outdoor units, make sure there isn’t anything obstructing the fan or if there is damage to any of the blades.

Check Burner, Ignition

For indoor furnaces and heating systems, make sure that your burner assembly is clean and operating properly. Also, check your ignition system to make sure that it isn’t obstructed or dirty.

Clean Air Filter

Many houses have air filters in the return air duct of their heating system. These filters make sure that any dust or dirt that is in your ductwork doesn’t get recirculated into your home’s air supply. Many filters you can just slide out of the unit and replace. Check your owner’s manual to see which size or model of filter is appropriate for your heating unit.

If you would like to know more aout how to properly maintain your heating system or if you would like to schedule a visit with one of our heating experts, then contact Comfort Flow today!

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Eugene OR Heating Guide: Commercial Heating Maintenance

Monday, October 1st, 2012

A commercial heating system is a powerful and complex piece of machinery, and you rely on it to do a large and important job. Because of this, it’s very important that you make sure your system is prepared for the long heating season ahead, and the best way to do that is with regular commercial heating maintenance from an experienced Eugene OR heating professional.

Benefits of Regular Maintenance

Regular commercial heating maintenance will benefit you in several ways. To begin with, it will ensure that your heating system is working at peak energy efficiency levels, and that means lower heating bills for you all winter long. A system that isn’t properly maintained on a regular basis may still work effectively, but it will likely be using more energy than necessary to run, and that costs you money.

Your furnace is also less likely to need emergency repairs when you have a technician inspect it prior to the start of the heating season. On this type of visit, they can often find parts that need to be replaced before the break down completely, and they can address any other minor issues they find that would have turned into larger problems later on.

Ongoing professional maintenance is the best way to extend the life of your system as well. Since your commercial heating system was such a substantial investment to begin with, you want to make sure you get the most possible out of it, and keeping up with maintenance is the most effective way to do that.

Why You Need a Qualified Professional

Because a commercial heating system differs from a residential system in several fundamental ways, it’s important to have a technician with experience working with commercial systems caring for yours. That way, you can have confidence that all maintenance is being carried out properly and that your system will work properly when you need it to.

To schedule a maintenance visit for your commercial or residential heating system in Eugene OR, give Comfort Flow Heating a call today!

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