Month: February 2022

Tips For Fixing Uneven Heating in Your Home

Feb 16, 2022

Tips For Fixing Uneven Heating in Your Home

If you’re like most homeowners, your heating system is connected to one thermostat in your home. When you set a temperature on your thermostat, all the rooms in your home should be around the same temperature that you have set. If you’re starting to notice that certain rooms in your home are colder than others, it could be due to a number of different issues.

Aging HVAC System

If you have noticed that this problem has developed over a period of months, then the most likely cause of your uneven heating is an aging heating system. As your heating system reaches the end of its usable life span, it produces less heat. With less heat being produced, you’re likely to notice that only the rooms closest to your furnace are making it to an adequate temperature. The rooms farthest from your furnace will be those with the coldest temperatures. To remedy this problem, you need to upgrade your existing heating system.

System Short Cycling

When your heating system is running correctly, it will turn on and run through an entire heating cycle before it drops off. This helps to ensure adequate heating for your home. Whenever there is a problem with your HVAC system, it can result in short cycling. This is described as your heating system turning on and back off before a single heating cycle has been completed. Short cycling can be caused by a number of different factors, so it’s best to contact one of our service technicians to determine the root cause of your short cycling issue. Once you fix that issue, your heating system should go back to producing heat evenly throughout your entire home.

Poor Home Design

It’s not uncommon for a home builder to not fully take into account the home’s heating system when it comes to specialty factors. If your home has unique design features like a vaulted ceiling, a wall for windows, or is even a multi-level home, it can create difficulty for a typical HVAC system. For example, if you have a multi-level home, the upstairs will always be warmer than the downstairs. This is due to the natural quality of heat rising. If you have poor home design features, consider talking to one of our HVAC technicians to help figure out a viable solution to better heat the cold spots in your home.

Unwanted Air Drafts

Over time, air drafts can develop near windows and doors. These drafts let the cold air seep into your home and will make certain areas feel much colder than others. In the rooms that you’re noticing are colder than others, take a few moments and check around the windows and doors for any air leaks. If you find air drafts, use weatherstripping or similar material to block out that unwanted cold air. This simple remedy should take care of preventing cold air from accessing that room and allow it to heat up to the same temperature as other rooms in your home.

Obstructed and Closed Vents

When your HVAC system is working optimally, the warm air from your furnace is delivered to each room of your home via its supply vent. Then, the cold air is pulled in the return vent and goes through your furnace to be heated. Whenever any of the vents in your home are closed or obstructive, it can prevent heat from reaching those rooms. Additionally, it can mess with the specific pressures inside of your ventilation system that regulate how heat is delivered to all the rooms in your house.

Fortunately, an obstructed or closed vent is a very easy fix. Take a few moments and walk around each room of your home. Make sure that you locate the vents, move any obstructions that are in their way, and open any vents that are closed.

Improperly Maintained Heating System

Your heating system needs to be serviced every year by a professional. If you skip over this service, it can result in malfunctions of the internal components of your heating system. This can cause a number of different issues that can lead to uneven heating throughout your home. If you know that you haven’t gotten regular maintenance performed on your system, it’s time to call our service technicians to do so.

Clogged Air Filter

One of the most common problems that homeowners run into when it comes to uneven heating is a clogged air filter. Whenever the air filter on your HVAC system gets clogged, it’s much harder for air to be forced through it. This can lead to warm air getting delivered to the rooms closest to your furnace and cold air remaining in the distant ones. By simply pulling out the clogged filter and replacing it with a new one, you can solve the uneven heating issue in no time.

Undersized Heating System

Another common reason that you may notice uneven heating throughout your home is that you have an undersized HVAC system. When your system isn’t putting out enough heat to meet the needs of your home, the heat is only going to reach the areas closest to your furnace. The rooms farthest from your furnace aren’t going to be able to receive that heat.

Determining if your heating system is undersized is fairly simple to do with the right formula. Heating experts recommend that homes in the Sacramento region have a heating system that can output 40 BTUs per square foot of space. To determine the necessary heating capacity of your furnace, all you need to do is multiply the total square footage of your home by 40.

Compare this number to the heating output of your current heating system. If your existing furnace has a lower heating capacity than what you’ve determined the needs are for your home, then you have an undersized heating system. The best fix to this issue is to upgrade to a more powerful heating system that can handle the demands that your home requires.

Leaks and Gaps in Ductwork

Warm air from your furnace is forced into the ductwork that runs throughout your home. Over time, your ductwork can start to pull apart due to natural expansion and contraction as well as physical damage. When this happens, leaks form in your ductwork. The hot air that comes out of your furnace and into your ducting can easily escape through all those leaks and end up in your wall or floor cavities.

The more gaps your system develops, the less heat from your furnace is actually going to be delivered to the rooms in your home. To fix this annoying issue, it’s best to have your ductwork properly sealed by a licensed professional. When your ductwork is all sealed up, the warm air from your furnace can’t escape. Rather, the warm air will be delivered to all the rooms in your home.

High-Quality Heating Services

Crystal Blue Plumbing offers high-quality heating services for the entire Sacramento, CA area. Our furnace repair options are second to none. We can also assist with your cooling, plumbing, ducting, indoor air quality, dehumidifier, humidifier, commercial, ductless, and attic fan needs. Contact us today to request assistance from our knowledgeable service technicians.

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How to Expand Your Furnace’s Life Span

Feb 02, 2022

How to Expand Your Furnace’s Life Span

A furnace is a big purchase, so it makes sense to want to keep your system for as long as possible. In addition to saving money, using the same furnace for a longer amount of time is often more convenient and environmentally friendly. How can you make sure your furnace lasts for years? Check out these tips to find ways of extending the life expectancy of your furnace.

Change Your Air Filters Regularly

Taking the time to swap out your furnace’s air filter is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do. Your air filter is essential to keeping your system operating correctly. It filters out dust, hair, and other grime before the air cycles through your device. This ensures that all the dirt cannot build up inside the furnace and damage delicate internal parts.

However, if you wait too long between cleaning air filters, your filter might get all clogged up. This makes your furnace work harder to suck air through the filter, and it also becomes easier for grime to get inside your heater. To avoid this, you typically need to change your filter at least every six months. However, some filters and furnaces are different, so some product manuals might recommend you change your filter every three months. You might also need to change your filter more frequently if you have a lot of pets.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

A furnace’s life span is greatly altered by the amount of time the system has to run. When furnaces are running nonstop, a lot of wear and tear is put on the heater. This makes it more likely for parts to fail, and your system will probably need replacement sooner. Of course, the whole point of having a furnace is to heat your home, so you cannot just leave it sitting off all the time.

However, a programmable thermostat lets you shut off the furnace when it doesn’t need to run. For example, you could set the thermostat to turn off the furnace when you’re at work or tucked into bed. This lets you reduce the amount of time your furnace runs each day, so you can save money on utilities and expand its life span.

Pick the Right Furnace for Your Home

The type of furnace you choose will have a big impact on how long it will last. If you are about to install a new furnace, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your new heater lasts a long time. Generally speaking, electric furnaces last longer than gas furnaces. If your main priority is a longer life span, choosing electric over gas is one of the best things you can do.

You also need to make sure you pick a high-quality unit. Consider using industry experts or services like Consumer Reports to find an HVAC system built by a reliable company. Even though a quality unit might be a little pricier, the longer life span can be worth it. Furthermore, you need to ensure you have the right size for your home. If your furnace is undersized, it might run constantly. If it’s oversized, it will turn on and off in a process called “short cycling.” Both of these things can put excess strain on your system and cause your furnace to break down prematurely.

Get Your Furnace Maintained Regularly

If you really want your furnace to last as long as possible, you need to perform some routine maintenance. Though heaters are designed to run reliably without too much input from you, they still need a little care every now and then. Most furnace manufacturers recommend you get routine maintenance at least once a year.

Maintenance is mostly about opening up the system to clean the interior. This gets rid of any grime that could be impairing your system’s ability to function. Another important advantage of maintenance is that a technician will closely inspect your system for any issues. They can tighten loose fittings and perform other little fixes that keep your furnace running in optimal condition.

Clean and Seal Your Ductwork

Another way to rescue the amount of work your furnace has to do is by cleaning up your ductwork. The typical home loses up to 30% of its heated air due to ductwork breaches. Small gaps in fittings or tears along the side let your hot air dissipate into the attic or crawlspace. Then, your furnace ends up running longer to make up for the lost air. Furthermore, leaky ducts can pull in bits of debris or insulation. This makes your system even more likely to end up with damaging clogs.

Depending on where your ducts are, you might be able to identify and fix leaks yourself. However, it can still be helpful to get professional duct maintenance. In addition to fixing leaks, they can also clean your ducts. This removes buildup before it can get into your furnace. The great thing about cleaning and sealing ducts is that it provides savings even outside of winter. This HVAC maintenance tip will also reduce cooling costs in summer.

Run Your Ceiling Fans Counterclockwise

Did you know that you might be running your furnace unnecessarily sometimes? Due to the fact that hot air rises, most homes end up with a layer of nice, warm air along the ceiling. Since this can be several feet above you, you might not be able to feel it, though. Fortunately, as long as you have ceiling fans, this problem is easy to solve.

Most ceiling fans contain a switch that lets you reverse the way they run. In the winter, you can set your fan to run in a counterclockwise direction on low. This will push the warm air down toward you so you can actually feel it. Getting better air circulation allows you to run your furnace less so it can last longer.

Don’t Wait to Get Repairs

The majority of furnace problems are easily fixable at first, but over time, they get worse and worse. This means that putting off repairs is likely to damage your system further. For example, a few loose screws could cause an unpleasant squeaky noise. If you ignored this noise, the screws could work their way loose, causing the fan to break free from its housing and damage the interior of the furnace.

If your furnace is not running properly, you should try to avoid running the system until you can get repairs. Try to pay close attention to your system so you can notice early warning signs. Any odd smells or noises might mean your furnace needs repairs. A furnace that blows cool air or takes a long time to heat up your home is also a cause for concern.

To help your furnace last as long as possible, you’ll need regular assistance from a reliable HVAC company. At Crystal Blue Plumbing, we can provide quality installations, prompt repairs, and reliable maintenance for your furnace. Our team also helps Sacramento residents with a variety of other services, including AC repairs, water heater installations, and plumbing services. Find out more about our services by giving us a call today.