Bob's Service Tips

Bob is not only a Journeyman Service and Maintenance Technician at Barron Heating, but has over 30 years of experience with heating and cooling equipment. When he speaks, I listen and you should too! If you have a question for Bob, feel free to email me and I will pass it along!

Below are links to all his tips, once you have viewed an individual article, just hit the back button on your browser to return to this page. - Wes

What Should I Set My Thermostat At?

Do I Need My Hot Water Tank Serviced?

Manual vs. Digital Thermostat

Why Buy a Variable Speed Furnace

Make It a Point to Change Your Furnace Filter Regularly

What Should I Set My Thermostat At?

"Over the years, if there is one question that I have been asked more than any other, it is this one. My usual response is where ever you feel comfortable, and that is about as true and honest a statement as I can make. Remember, you are paying the energy bill (in most cases) so don't leave it set at a point where you think you are saving money but sacrificing your comfort and possible health. Too low of a heating setting during the Fall and Winter months can lead to cold drafts across floors, colds and discomfort, mold growth in cooler and damp areas that are not getting enough warm air flow, build up of combustion by-products which leads to failure, more dust in the house from lack of circulation, and most of all, just down right discomfort! (whew)

Having said that, here are some quick rules of thumb on system setbacks.

• Furnace System: No more than 5 Degrees in the Winter, 8 Degrees for Spring and Fall
  
• Heat Pump System: No setback in the Winter, 3 Degrees for Spring and Fall
• Radiant System: No setback in the Winter, 3 Degrees for Spring and Fall

The idea is that in the winter, if you let your house get to cold, then you are not just re-heating the air but the entire mass and everything in it (furniture, walls, etc.) So, be comfortable and if you do not have a digital thermostat, get one. I believe there is a tip I wrote on that below."

Do I Need My Hot Water Tank Serviced?

"The short answer is yes, but the easiest way to explain is to ask the question, 'do you feel it is reasonable to have your furnace serviced?' Most would answer yes. Well, a hot water tank burner is not so far off from a furnace. Both burn gas and have by-products of combustion, ranging from Iron Oxide to Sulfur Sodium. Everything that eats the heat exchanger in you furnace is also doing the same thing to your Hot Water Tank. One on the reasons tanks go bad so fast, is that most homeowners do not get them serviced! One of the most sensetive parts of the water tanks system is the thermocouple, which is a safety device that closes the gas valve if the pilot goes out. The life span of this little piece is about 4 years, so if you have a hard time re-lighting your pilot light, it might just be the thermo-couple!

If you do end up having to replace your water heater, make sure you ask Wes or Gill about the Rinnai On-Demand 82% Water Heater or the Navien On-Demand 98% Water Heater. Both of these are tank-less models with super high efficiencies" -Bob

Manual vs. Digital Thermostats

"Out of the box, manual or lever type thermostats are off temperature by about 2-4 degrees. Due to the fact that they use a bi-metal to sense temperature, they will often let the temperature in the house slip by 2-4 degrees before telling the furnace to kick in! This leads to huge swing in temperature and lots of discomfort.

On the other hand, a digital thermostat comes out of the box 1/2 a degree to 1 degree off, has no mechanical parts to wear and instead of responding once the temperature drops 2-4 degrees; the newer models measure to a 1/100 of a degree.

Add to that 7 day programming and you can really make a huge improvement in your system comfort, control and energy efficiency!" -Bob

Why Buy a Variable Speed Furnace?

"It is hard to add to much to what Wes already said in his article Variable Speed = Health, Savings and Comfort, but what I will tell you is that the Health part of it is HUGE! Your furnace can go months without turning on, even if you have a fancy filter it is still doing nothing during that time. I cringe when I see a nice filtration system on a standard furnace. Here are some of the highlights on what a variable speed blower will do for you.

1. Lower your system noise level and drafts.
2. Cleans the air in your home
3. Utilizes latent heat in your house to save on fuel costs
4. Constant fan operation actually is better for the fan that start and stop operation
   
5. Increases the efficiency of your equipment
6. Evens out the temperature differences in different parts of your home
   

If you are considering or are in the middle of buying a furnace, try your hardest to invest in this type of system. You will be glad you did!

If you need to know more just give Wes a holler. His number is in the top right corner." -Bob

Make It a Point to Change Your Furnace Filter Regularly

"Failure to change the furnace filter on a regular (3-6 Months) basis will have a very serious and negative impact on your system. Once the filter is completely loaded, airflow to the furnace starts to decrease. This will affect not only the efficiency of the furnace, but puts excessive stress on the blower and fan control.

The insufficient airflow will also over heat and stress the heat exchanger as well, leading to premature failure. This one oversight can cut a furnace's life span in half!

One of the comments always made is that "As a filter loads, it becomes more efficient at catching particulate", BUT in reality what occurs as air flow is reduced, is the furnace will effectively suck unwanted matter from the back side of the filter, thus re-introducing it into the house. This is like pouring your drinking water through compost pile before you drink it!

Click on the Air Filtration and Indoor Air Quality link to the right to learn more about what systems are available to better clean the air in your home." - Bob