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Preventative maintenance – Why do I need it?… Update My System – But I dont have any problems with it!?

We get asked the question quite a bit

“Why does my furnace need preventative maintenance if nothing is wrong with it?..”

Or…

“Its almost 15/20 years old and nothing has gone wrong…”

Preventative maintenance on a HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) will lengthen the life of your appliance and cut down on your energy bills.

Just like going to the doctor for yourself to ensure you are in tip top condition, or the dentist to have your teeth cleaned and even for your vehicle when you take it in for regular oil changes annually or every 6 months. Your HVAC system has moving parts which need to be cleaned and serviced to be properly maintained.

More importantly, within your HVAC system is a filter, all the air in your home goes through this filter. The cleaner it is, the more efficient your system runs and the cleaner your air in the home is!

Even if your system has been working “fine” for the length of its life of 15 or 20 years – that doesn’t mean its been running as efficient as it could be – which in turn could be costing you each month on your utilities.

Have you noticed your utilities costs creeping up?

I certainly have… that’s why our 25 yr old Water Furnace Geothermal System (after 3 yrs of annual service since we’ve lived there) is getting the boot. Its technically “running alright” however knowing our hydro bills are increasing each year with the heating season and knowing what we could be saving with a new gas furnace… Im excited to get our new system in and running!

If you are on the fence whether to get your system cleaned and serviced OR replace it, review the following: Age of your system, Repairs over the last 5-10 years, Monthly energy bills (gas, hydro, propane, oil). Many of the “old” systems are extremely inefficient in comparison to the new models.Or simply give a call and Mike our Comfort Advisor will come out to your home and provide you with a free no obligation quote.

PLUS you can receive a rebate from OPA and if you choose a new Lennox Home Comfort System you can also qualify for Lennox rebates… thats on top of the energy savings in $’s spent each month too!

Make sure your home’s energy, heating and cooling does not go to waste!

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Winter Lennox Promotion ~ Save on utilities by upgrading your system!

Some people do not realize just how much you can save by upgrading your old heating system! If you think about just how much your system operates for a minimum of 6 months of the year, a couple or few of those months working very hard in the dead of winter. Or how much you could save converting from oil to propane… that is if natural gas is not available to you.

Our 1st Promotion of the New Year 2013 has officially began! On a very fitting day as well at -12…

Winter Lennox Promotion

Give Mike a call for your no-obligation quote. He will come to your home, measure and then provide you with your options. We also offer financing with the option of paying it off entirely or additional payments with no penalty!

How do I know when to replace my cooling system?

How do I know when to replace my cooling system?

With this heat are so very blessed with this summer we are getting a lot of calls inquiring about air conditioning… when a customer should replace their current system or how big of a system they should get new.

How do you know when its time to replace?

  • Repairs – if you are having to repair your system each year its time to look at a newer air conditioner.
  • Age – if your air conditioner is over 10-15 years old you could greatly benefit with a new one.
  • Noise – the newer air conditioners are much quieter
  • Utilities – have you noticed your utilities going up? Have a look at your “older” appliances – this includes your cooling and heating system!
  • Humidity – running your air conditioner will help with humidity in your home during the summer months, if you notice its harder to control it might be time to replace.

To help your equipment operate more efficiently is to ensure you change the filter regularly and have your equipment cleaned and serviced once a year!  For more information regarding Energy Star see http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/7901

Give Mike a call at our office 519-323-2000, as our Comfort Advisor he is excellent at sizing up the proper equipment for your home or business to ensure you are getting the most efficient and cost effective system! JJ McLellan & Son is a 4 generation family run business since 1948! We service Mount Forest and all surrounding areas! With very affordable Financing available (with no penalties to make extra payments or pay in full!) and 10 year parts and labour warranty packages available for your peace of mind!

Spring Service Special

Spring is here and Summer is very much on the way!

Ensure your home heating and cooling system is running efficiently !

Give us a call to book your Cleaning and Servicing for our low rate of $139.00 + HST!

Trust your equipment to a company that has been in business since 1948 and who has trained and licensed technicians!

We are the Home Comfort People Who Service What We Sell & More!

Ensuring your system is properly cleaned and serviced each year will not only operate more efficiently it will also assist in the control of allergies which affect so many of us in the spring. A properly cleaned system combined with changing your filter regularly will save you money!

We also recommend having your ducts cleaned every few years – give our office a call to book your cleaning and servicing and we can also recommend who to rely on for your duct cleaning as well!

Spring Check Up – HVAC System

With the heat of the summer on the way, now is the time to be thinking about the heat your home HVAC system provided you with all winter! Just like maintaining a car, it is very important to maintain your home HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning system) just the same in the Spring and Fall to ensure optimal performance and energy savings.

In between your seasonal cleaning and servicing you should ensure that you keep your hot and cold air registers clear, and if you have pets vacuum them off regularly to clear away any hair or dirt caught in them. Also ensure your outside vents are clear from any trees, plants and dirt. Just like the registers inside, the outside vents must be clear for air flow and safety.

One tip that is easy for most home owners to do is to ensure you change or clean your filter regularly. Especially now that spring has finally sprung and having our doors and windows open, the dust and dirt that is blowing around outside can get into your home and then into your heating ducts. If we have another cold front and the heating system needs to be turned on, all that dust and dirt in the ducts or sitting on the registers could get sucked into the heating system. If your filter is clean, the filter will do its job and catch these particles, however if the filter is dirty, this will clog the filter even more forcing your system to work harder to get the air flow through. This can cause the system to over work and could cause it to over heat, which could result in the system breaking down and parts requiring to be replaced.

With some TLC and Preventative Maintenance you can ensure your home or business HVAC System is always operating efficiently !

 

Thinking of Decorating?

When you are thinking of re-decorating your home please keep in mind the location of your thermostat and all of your heat and cool registers.

Why is this important?

The other night I was watching a decorating show on a popular channel (that happens to be one of my favourite channels), the decorator wanted to hide the “nasty” thermostat… what she was hiding it with was a 1-2″ deep frame (depth was under neath) and this would infact then completely cover (and prevent ANY air flow from getting to) the thermostat. The frame was much like a shadow box, but with the depth to the back to cover the thermostat.

Why does this matter?

The way a thermostat works is it has a sensor in it, this sensor senses when the temperature in the room drops below the tempterature set on your thermostat, thus calling for heat. When the thermostat is completely covered like this there will be NO air flow, the customer will then keep raising the temperature to get more heat into their home OR will call a service tech to find out why their home is not reaching the temperature the stat is set to… a waste of money in this case.

Some of the benefits of our most commonly used thermostat, the Lennox Comfortsense 7000 are:

  • Large, clear display with soft blue backlight shows the current and set temperature, day/date/time, indoor relative humidity and outdoor  temperature (if optional outdoor sensor is used).

  • Dehumidification measurement and control
  • Humiditrol EDA Capability
  • Dew point adjustment control
  • Smooth Setback Recovery starts system early to achieve setpoint at start of program period.
  • Compressor short−cycle protection (5 minutes).
  • Real−time clock keeps time during power failures and automatically adjusts for daylight savings time and leap year.

  • Maintenance reminders let user know when to service or replace filters, humidifier pads, ultraviolet lamps, plus two user or installer defined custom reminders.

  • Programmable fan offers increased performance when combined with whole home indoor air quality products.

  • Outdoor temperature display (with optional outdoor sensor) shows current outdoor temperature.

As you can see from some of these features of this particular thermostat it is essential for there to be air flow for proper operation, not only proper operation of the thermost but of the heating and cooling equipment that the thermostat is controlling.

Heat & Cool Registers…

Why is it important to ensure there is adequate air flow around these registers?

No matter what the age of your heating and cooling system, without proper air flow and circulation to and from the system, this can not only cause issues within your home but also in the system.

The duct work in your home is designed for air flow to each room with hot and cold registers for proper air flow. The heat comes out of the hot air return register and then the cold air return register takes the air back through the system again.

Your heating and cooling system is chosen and the duct work designed on your whole home size (square footage), which includes the air flow to and from each of the rooms. So if you have a piece of furniture in front of your cold air return your furnace cannot get adequate air to run the cycle, which could over time cause the system to over heat or break down prematurely. Having the registers blocked can also cause the A/C to lockout on high pressure.

This also can cause dust and dirt build up within the rooms of your home behind the furnace and if ever suddenly sucked through your vents and duct work can cause unneccesary build up in your ducts and within the furnace filter. By not having proper air flow within your home this can contribute to mold and mildew problems as well, which will then affect breathing.

By ensuring your registers are clear from furniture you can prolong the life of your heating and cooling system, as it will be operating properly and efficiently, and also improve the air quality in your home, as dust particles will be caught in the furnace filter rather than built up around your home. Especially if you are thinking of or just did upgrade to an Energy Efficient HVAC System – you want to ensure proper air circulation to reep the savings rewards!