Comfort Flow Heating Blog

Don’t Let Your Heater Go Out with a Bang!

March 30th, 2020

woman-covering-her-ears-with-shocked-expression-on-face“Going out with a bang”—this phrase is often used to describe something exciting, like the end of the year leading into the New Year, or a quarterback scoring a touchdown at the very last second of a game. What you don’t want it to describe, is your heater.

The thing is, a loud banging sound coming from your heater is a sign of impending failure, something that nobody wants. And this isn’t the only noise you should be concerned about. As our heating season slowly but surely gives way to spring and warmer temperatures, the time to take care of any heating repair needs you may have is now!

Read on as we uncover what a banging noise or any other noise might mean for your heater.

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Is It Too Late to Talk about Furnace Maintenance?

March 16th, 2020

technician-inspecting-and-maintaining-gas-furnaceIt may seem strange to talk about furnace maintenance when our heating systems have already gotten their heaviest use for the year over the past several months. And it’s true, the ideal time to schedule this service is in the early Fall, before you need the system the most.

But unless your furnace has completely broken down to the point that you cannot use it at all and repairs would be fruitless, it’s not too late to have your heater maintained. And considering we experience cooler temperatures throughout the year, it’s never a bad idea to have maintenance done if it’s been a year or longer since your last tune-up!

We get that this may seem like a hassle, but trust us when we say that furnace maintenance makes a huge difference in not only your comfort but your energy bills, too. Keep reading for a few of the biggest benefits of scheduling furnace maintenance now.

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Signs Your Heater Wants to Call It Quits

March 2nd, 2020

couple-sitting-on-couch-with-parkas-onThe weather here in our area of the world is fairly consistent. Meaning, it’s fairly consistently cold! Therefore, our heaters pretty much need to be ready to work at a moment’s notice. The best way to ensure that your heater is always ready for whatever you ask of it is to schedule routine annual maintenance for the system—or more often if you’re using a heat pump system.

Of course, even with maintenance, a heater can and will experience repair needs and performance problems. This is especially true for aging heaters. But a furnace repair need doesn’t have to get you down for too long! If you know what signs to watch out for, you can get ahead of these issues before they grow into something much bigger and causes your heater to call it quits for good.

What are these signs?

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When Should You Upgrade Your Electrical Panel?

February 17th, 2020

electrician-working-on-electrical-panelAlso known as the circuit breaker panel, the electrical panel of your home is what controls your entire electrical system—incoming electricity is routed to the different circuits through this hub, and the breakers are designed to shut off circuits if there is a voltage overload.

If you have an aging circuit breaker panel, however, or worse yet a fuse box, chances are that you are very much overdue for an electrical panel. Most circuit breaker panels last anywhere form 25-40 years before they need replacing. This is largely depending on how much the electrical demand of the home has increased, and if you’ve experienced any problems with the panel.

Read on to learn more about how to tell if you need an electrical panel upgrade!

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Power Surges: What You Need to Know

February 3rd, 2020

power-stripIf your home is like most throughout the Eugene area, then there is more electrical equipment in it than even just a couple of decades ago, right? You likely have multiple devices connected to your power supply at any given time. You likely have a handful of charging stations handling your portable devices, too.

What’s the best way to protect them in the case of a power surge? It’s important to know the answer to this since power surges actually happen all the time (not just when there is a storm) and voltage spikes can and will cause irreparable damage to complex electrical systems.

“Do I really need to worry?” you may be asking, “After all, I have power strips at all of my outlets!”

Here’s the thing—power strips don’t offer the kind of protection your appliances and electrical equipment needs. Whole-house surge protection is the answer. Read on to learn more!

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Is Your Heater Hurting Home Humidity?

January 20th, 2020

white-question-mark-in-blue-circleThe ambiguous answer to this is “yes, but also no.”

Bear with us! We get it—many homeowners think that running their forced-air heating system lowers humidity even more, and they may start even using their heaters less because of it. Dry air is absolutely uncomfortable and even unhealthy, but restricting the use of your heater won’t help you feel more comfortable.

Modern home construction has made our residences tightly sealed up against the elements. This impacts many common indoor air quality problems like dust and dirt buildup. But it also means that the air within our homes can become dry and stale. One solution to this problem is the addition of a whole-house humidifier, which we’ll touch on more below!

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Buying a New Furnace? Avoid These Mistakes!

January 6th, 2020

furnace-gas-with-pipesIf the time has come for you to purchase a new furnace, you’re likely tempted to rush to buy the biggest and best you can afford. But we urge you to slow down—just a bit—and consider a few factors first. For instance, did you know that too large of a furnace will be just as detrimental to your comfort and efficiency as a system that’s too small?

This is one of the reasons you need a trained and experienced professional to help you with your purchase. Read on as we uncover some of the mistakes we’ve seen other homeowners make.

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The Danger of a Cracked Heat Exchanger

December 23rd, 2019

jets-of-a-natural-gas-furnaceIf you’re like the majority of homeowners in our area, then a natural gas furnace is your system of choice to warm up your home during a chilly winter. Sure, our winters may be relatively mild compared to Midwest and some East coast residents, but that doesn’t mean the contrast in temperatures doesn’t get to us—we need a fully effective and efficient heater in our homes, right?

Gas furnaces are definitely the way to go for most of us—they produce a large amount of heat and do so at less expense than their electric-powered counterparts since natural gas costs less than electricity per unit.

However, it’s important to note that any natural gas appliance has the potential to develop safety issues—particularly aging systems that haven’t had proper maintenance each year. A well-maintained gas furnace will give you very little to worry about, and no gas furnace is inherently dangerous, but proper care is vital.

Why’s this? Because without proper care, an aging and ill-maintained furnace may end up with a cracked heat exchanger!

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How Do Thermostats Impact HVAC Performance?

December 9th, 2019

smart-thermostat-installed-in-homeWith how much we use our heating systems going into this colder season—and really, year-round—it makes perfect sense that you’d like to do everything you can to save energy and subsequently save money.

Well, what if we told you that your thermostat and how you use that thermostat plays a hefty role in this? This is true not only in the fall and winter months but also in the summer when you switch over to using your air conditioner.

Reach on to learn more about the relationship between your thermostat and your HVAC systems, and to learn what your thermostat options are, from standard digital models to smart thermostats that give you precise control over your heating and cooling.

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Before You Put Up Those Holiday Lights, Consider This!

November 25th, 2019

outdoor-lightingAs much as we might not like to think about it, the holiday season is almost upon us. If you are like many homeowners in the Springfield area and beyond, you may be starting to think about decorating your home, inside and out. Most of the time, this includes putting up holiday lights around the home.

One of the most frequent calls our electricians receive around this time of the year is in regard to certain outlets not working throughout their home. This may include bathroom outlets, garage outlets, and outdoor outlets. The thing is, your holiday lights might be what’s to blame.

What occurs is that the holiday lights trip one of your GFCI outlets, or even the circuit breaker itself.

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