Eugene, OR residents know how hot and humid it can get in the summertime. And with the temperature rising higher every day, now is the time to schedule a repair or maintenance session on your air conditioning unit, to ensure that it’s functioning properly by the time warm weather hits. Most maintenance sessions include recharging the system’s refrigerant to its proper level, which helps your air conditioner run at peak efficiency. But what happens when refrigerant levels run low in your AC? How does that affect your system?
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What Happens When Refrigerant Levels Run Low in My AC?
Monday, April 27th, 2015How Air Sealing Benefits You
Monday, April 20th, 2015When you run your air conditioning or heating system, you most likely close all of your windows and doors in order to save some energy. While you may believe that closing up all of the entryways to the house solves this problem, there may be more issues of which you are unaware: air leaks. Air leaks, which are small holes and cracks in your home, allow air to leak out or move into the house. These leaks may be around windows and doors, or there may be minor cracks in the walls or ceilings that need caulking. Even the smallest cracks can really add up, contributing to quite a bit of energy loss for which your HVAC system has to compensate. But instead of forcing your HVAC system in Eugene, OR, to work harder, you can schedule an air sealing appointment with a Comfort Flow Heating technician.
Is It Time for Heater Replacement?
Monday, April 13th, 2015Our daytime temperatures are finally starting to climb, but our nights are still cool enough to warrant the continued use of our heating systems. Spring is a great time to assess your home’s needs, and if you found that you were struggling with your heating system this winter, it may be time to consider a replacement system. Most people think of replacement as something that occurs when your heater finally kicks the bucket, but it’s always a much better scenario to replace your system before you are completely without heat. Here are some ways to help tell if it’s time to replace your aging heater in Eugene, OR:
Common Causes of Water Heater Repair
Friday, March 20th, 2015Water heaters are pretty robust systems, and not prone to frequent breakdowns. However, that does not mean that they are immune from all problems and repair needs. Water heaters are vulnerable to a number of different problems, each capable of inflicting various levels of damage. Let’s take a look at some of the common causes of water heater repair, and how you can prevent them.
Rust
Any system that regularly deals with water is going to risk oxidization. That is especially true for water heaters, which are often exposed to water 24/7. Rust can cause various parts of the water heater to fail, and can even cause the tank to rupture. Tankless water heaters do not store water, so their risk of rust is slightly lessened. For tank water heaters, however, slightly stronger countermeasures are required.
Tank water heaters are equipped with devices called “sacrificial anode rods.” These are long, metal rods that are inserted into the tank, and protect the lining of the tank by rusting away themselves. Once the anode rods are completely degraded, however, the tank lining will once again be vulnerable to rust. The best way to stop this from happening is by checking your anode rod at least once a year, and replacing it if necessary. If you don’t know how to check your anode rod, call a professional to help you.
Uneven Heat
If you have a lot of people using hot water at once in your house, it is very possible to simply exhaust the supply of hot water on hand. When that happens, you just have to wait for more. However, there is a difference between that and a water heater that is seemingly unable to provide consistently hot water regardless of the situation. If that is happening, you could have a number of different problems. An issue with the heater’s circulator pump could be preventing the hot water from reaching you. However, it is also possible that the heater itself is having trouble heating the water. That’s a more serious issue, and one that you’ll need a professional technician to diagnose. The best way to prevent these kinds of problems is simply to have your water heater inspected at least once a year by a professional.
If you water heater is giving you problems, call Comfort Flow Heating. We provide water heater repair service throughout Eugene, OR.
What You Need to Know About the Limit Switch
Thursday, February 5th, 2015You may or may not be aware of this, but your heating system is actually covered in all manner of switches, valves, and other devices designed as safety measures. There are hundreds of different ways that a heating system could begin malfunctioning, and some of the major ones could end up severely damaging the system or proving dangerous to the home’s occupants. That is why so many safety measures are in place, and why you should know about them. Let’s take a look at one of the most important safety measures: the limit switch.
What is the Limit Switch?
The limit switch is a small part that measures the temperature inside your heating system. Specifically, it measures the temperature of the plenum, the largest chamber of any forced air heater. It is designed to shut down the system in the event that the temperature inside the plenum gets too high. Obviously, an overheating system presents a fire risk, not to mention the damage it can cause to parts that are not designed to withstand that level of heat. As such, the limit switch is one of the most important safety measures in your heating system.
However, there are some interactions between the limit switch and the heater of which you should be aware. Foremost among these is short-cycling.
Short-Cycling
Short-cycling is what happens when the heating system won’t stop rapidly turning itself on and off throughout the day. When a heater begins to overheat, it activates the limit switch, which shuts the system down to protect it. However, the limit switch doesn’t actually address whatever problem is causing the system to overheat. When the system has cooled off a bit, the thermostat reactivates it, as it hasn’t reached the desired temperature in the home yet. So, the system restarts and overheats again because the issue hasn’t been solved. This leads to an endless cycle of the system overheating and the limit switch shutting it off.
This behavior is extremely harmful to the heating system, putting it under exponentially more strain than it is designed to handle, and increasing the chances of a breakdown. If you notice this behavior, call a professional immediately.
If you’d like to know more, call Comfort Flow Heating to schedule an appointment with us today. We provide professional heating repair services in the Eugene, OR area.
Common Geothermal Repairs
Friday, January 30th, 2015Geothermal systems are incredibly durable; after all, they have an average lifespan of 25-50 years. As these systems grow in popularity, their uniqueness can make homeowners wonder: what kind of repairs are common with this system? The concern is natural, as the buried ground loop can create images of challenging repair issues. Rest assured that geothermal systems tend to have fewer instances of repairs compared to other more traditional heating systems, and when you do have a need for geothermal repair, you can call the experts at Comfort Flow Heating to meet all your geothermal system repair needs.
Heat Pump Issues
Geothermal systems use heat pumps to facilitate the transfer of heat. During the winter, the heat is moved to your indoors and during the summer the heat is moved to ground or water where the loop resides. Common heat pump issues are anti-freeze leaks, problems with the compressor or condenser and age.
Scale
Many geothermal systems use water to help facilitate the transfer of heat. Water contains minerals, and these minerals can create build-up on the inside of the ground loop called scale. Scale is made of mineral deposits that tend to be high in calcium. If there’s enough scale build-up, the flow of the anti-freeze in the ground loop can be restricted. A simple acid flush performed by a professional can clear scale away and restore the flow inside the ground loop.
Issue with the Manifold
The pipes of a ground loop system need a single connection point that carries the fluid into the heat pump that resides in your home; this component is called the manifold. The manifold typically has several valves that correlate to the pipes connecting to it, and sometimes problems can develop with a valve, including scale build-up.
Geothermal systems should always be repaired by those who have experience with the systems because they are not like traditional heating systems, even with the use of heat pumps. The specialists at Comfort Flow Heating have the expertise and training you need for your geothermal system in Eugene, OR, so call us today.
Ways a Malfunctioning Thermostat Affects Your Heating
Monday, January 5th, 2015The thermostat of your heating system is probably the only piece of equipment you come into contact with. While it may seem small, this portion of your heating system is vital to heating operation as it communicates with the heating unit when the temperature has dropped too low. Your heating system relies on this small piece to know when to start up and shut off, so a malfunctioning thermostat is quite a big deal to your unit. There are a few ways a broken thermostat may affect your heater.
No Heating at All or Reduced Heating
Now, a lack of heating or a heating system that won’t turn on at all can be symptomatic of a number of problems. But most often, a technician will start by checking the thermostat. Initially, this is to make sure that you haven’t simply neglected to change the programming, switch over into heating mode, or set the thermostat for the day. However, examining the thermostat can help the technician to learn quite a bit.
If the thermostat displays a temperature that is different from the temperature in the air, it is most likely the culprit of the heating trouble. Of course, this is also true if the thermostat displays nothing at all. While it’s a bit trickier to diagnose this issue with a manual thermostat, the technician can perform further tests to make sure it’s calibrated properly. If the thermostat is, however, displaying the proper temperature but it’s not the temperature you need, then the problem is more likely elsewhere in the system.
Short Cycling
A malfunctioning thermostat may cause your heating system to short cycle. Short cycling is the term professionals use to describe what happens when your heating or air conditioning system shuts off too soon, before the heating cycle is complete, and runs frequently. This may be due to a thermostat that is struggling to sense the heat in the room, detecting frequent temperature changes and sending faulty signals to the main unit. Short cycling can take a huge toll on the parts of your heater, causing components to become overworked. Usually, a broken thermostat will simply be replaced.
Call Comfort Flow Heating to schedule your heating service in Eugene and learn more about thermostats and your heating.
How Do I Choose Between Tank and Tankless Water Heaters?
Friday, December 19th, 2014Choosing between a tank and tankless water depends a lot on your needs, the needs of your family and the needs of your home. It also depends on understanding how each type of unit works. Before choosing a new water heater for installation, let’s take a look at how both a tank and tankless water heater operates.
Tankless
There are two types of tankless water heaters, but no matter what the type, they each function the same way. The key to tankless water heaters is a heat exchanger. This component is what allows the tankless unit to heat your water on demand. The heat exchanger of a hot water heater resides at the core of the unit, and when you open a hot water tap, cold water flows into the heat exchanger. Using electricity or gas, the heat exchanger quickly heats and transfers this heat to the cold water, which is then delivered to your tap. All heat exchangers have a pre-set maximum temperature to ensure that you aren’t scalded. Some of the benefits of a tankless water heater are:
- High energy efficiency
- Continuous hot water
- Saves space due to its small size
Tank
Tank water heaters have been around for years. Using a storage tank, these water heaters can use natural gas, propane, oil or electricity to heat the water. The heated water is held in the storage tank until it is used, and then the tank is refilled and the new water is heated to the set temperature. Some of the benefits of a tank water heater are:
- Low initial costs
- Low venting costs
- Large variety of sizes available
So which type is best for you? One of the best ways to determine this is to work with a trained professional who can assess your needs and the needs of your family. Water usage is part of the picture, so it’s important to have an accurate calculation of your peak hour water usage, which a trained expert can help you with. If you are ready for a new water heater installation in Eugene, call Comfort Flow Heating today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.
Does a Geothermal System Need Winter Maintenance?
Friday, December 12th, 2014Geothermal systems can be a bit of a mystery for homeowners who don’t have a lot of HVAC knowledge or experience. This is even true of people who actually have geothermal systems installed in their homes. Not to worry, though, we’re here to answer all of your questions. This week, we’re tackling the subject of winter maintenance with regard to geothermal systems.
Geothermal Maintenance
Geothermal systems do need maintenance at least once or twice a year, just like any other heater. With specific regard to winter maintenance, however, that depends on circumstances. Most other heating systems have their recommended maintenance during the fall season. This is because the best time to conduct maintenance on any system is right before you plan on using it a lot. Maintenance on your heating system right before winter ensures that it will be able to handle the increased strain of frequent use.
In that sense, winter maintenance on your geothermal system is a good idea. You really don’t want your geothermal heater breaking down in the middle of winter. Demand for HVAC repairs tends to rise during the cold season, for obvious reasons. This could lead to a delay of a few days for HVAC service, which means you would be stuck without heat during the coldest months of the year.
As for specific repair needs, geothermal systems are more low-maintenance than most systems. The water in the underground loop can occasionally freeze, but only if the loop isn’t buried far enough down. The actual depth that the loop needs to be buried at depends largely on the region your home is in. In some colder areas of the country, loops can freeze and stop working as deep as 15ft below the surface.
Other than that occasional concern, geothermal systems are much the same as any other heat pump. As long as the reversing valve, refrigerant line, and coils are working, you should have nothing to worry about.
If you would like to schedule maintenance for your geothermal system in Eugene, call Comfort Flow Heating.
Why Won’t My Furnace Start?
Friday, December 5th, 2014It’s a pretty horrible feeling to try to turn on your furnace on a cold day and have it refuse to start. Furnaces tend to be pretty reliable as heating systems, but that doesn’t make them immune to problems. There are a few different factors that may be contributing to your furnace’s inability to start. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones.
Malfunctioning Thermostat
The thermostat serves the same purpose in the heating system as your brain does in your body. It is responsible for controlling the furnace, deciding when it comes on and when it doesn’t. A problem with your thermostat, therefore, can stymie even a healthy furnace. Check your thermostat and make sure that everything is set properly. If the thermostat is set to “heat” or “fan” and the temperature seems to be reading correctly, then the problem is likely with your furnace. There is a chance that there is still a problem with your thermostat’s control board, but you’ll need a professional to confirm that.
Pilot Light is out
After the thermostat, the most common cause of a furnace not starting is the pilot light. The pilot light is a flame that burns under most furnaces 24/7, and is responsible for starting the furnace by igniting the burners. Pilot lights have a reputation for blowing out every now and then, rendering the furnace without an ignition source. The easiest way to check if your pilot light is out is by looking under your furnace, or in the small window included on some models to shield the chamber. If you can see the pilot light burning, then it probably isn’t the issue. If the pilot light is out, you’ll need to re-light it or have a professional do it for you.
A separate issue involves the pilot light refusing to stay lit, which is usually caused by a faulty thermocouple. The thermocouple is a sensor that controls the gas valve for the pilot light. A malfunctioning thermocouple can cut off the gas flow and smother the pilot light prematurely.
If you’re having issues with your furnace, call Comfort Flow Heating. We provide heating services throughout Eugene.
