Collier's Heating & Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for December, 2017

An Electric Furnace Guide: The Sequencer

Monday, December 25th, 2017

dog-under-blanketFurnaces are the top type of heating system in the country. The majority of furnaces use natural gas to create heat, although they draw on electricity to power the blower fan and the ignition system. (Which means that, sorry, your gas furnace won’t work during a power outage.)

Since not all homes are connected to a gas main, the second most common type of furnace is the electric furnace. Because electricity costs more than natural gas, electric furnaces are more expensive to run. This is somewhat offset by their lower initial installation costs, longer lifespans, and fewer repair needs.

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Keeping Safe with Your Furnace in the Winter

Monday, December 11th, 2017

gas-furnace-burners-interiorLast winter we posted some steps to take to make sure your home’s natural gas furnace runs as safely as possible over the cold months. We’d like to run through a quick reminder of these steps before we talk a bit more about furnaces, safety, and you:

  • Professionally maintain the furnace: We can never stress this too much. If you haven’t yet arranged for annual maintenance through our HomeSaver’s Club, contact us right away. This inspection and tune-up is vital for a safe furnace.
  • Clear the area around the furnace: Don’t have anything combustible near the furnace.
  • Set up CO detectors: An essential early-warning system if toxic gases start escaping from a damaged furnace.
  • Stay on top of repairs: Never hesitate to contact us for furnace repairs if something seems wrong.

More Furnace Safety Talk

Whenever we bring up tips for gas furnace safety, we want to reassure homeowners that a furnace is not an automatically dangerous appliance. Modern furnaces are manufactured to high safety standards, and they include many precautions to prevent problems such as carbon monoxide leaks and combustion hazards. For example, the furnace limit switch will shut the system off if the temperature inside rises too high. If you purchase a furnace with the ENERGY STAR label, you’ll know you have a heating system that meets rigorous safety qualifications. (ENERGY STAR is about more than energy efficiency!)

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