What To Look For When Buying A Furnace

Heating, Uncategorized, York PA /

You may be asking yourself what to look for when buying a furnace. What do I need to consider about furnace installation? Those can be very hard questions to answer because ultimately it will depend on the needs of your home.

Everyone’s home is different and one thing you have to remember is that oversizing the furnace can be quite a waste. Many furnaces are 95% efficiency and higher so if the unit exceeds what is necessary it can cause short cycling leading to cracked or damaged heat exchangers.

Sizing Is The Key To Choosing An Efficient Furnace

The key to choosing an efficient furnace is to size it correctly to the house. Get several estimates (the cheapest one doesn’t always mean it’s the best), of popular brands so that if anything ever happens to your furnace, parts will be available for it. Also, make sure you use a reputable furnace dealer that has been in the industry for years because you need someone knowledgeable to assist you in the decision-making process, but even more importantly, if you need parts they will be able to get them for you.

Factors To Consider When Sizing Furnace

There are a handful of factors when sizing a furnace to the house. Consider the heat loss. Measure the house, windows (and make note if they’re replacement windows), thickness of insulation, etc.

Depending on the size of the home, the appropriate furnace may work in multiple stages. Larger homes should use a two-stage furnace system. The first stage operates at about thirty percent capacity depending on how the thermostat is set. The second stage utilizes all of the power the furnace is capable of to heat your home when more resources are needed to match the thermostat settings.

The Install Is Obviously Important

Find a quality furnace installation technician. Also, make sure that they are insured and have the appropriate licensing. A good idea would be to ask for references too. If you have any concerns about the distributor or furnace installation technician, make sure that you are only paying a deposit if financial compensation is requested upfront.

Wilbur Henry can help you determine what the best furnace is for your needs. Contact us today!

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Check Us Out In The York Sunday News

Uncategorized /

The most difficult part of Dave Henry’s job isn’t tracking down hard-to-find furnace parts or cleaning poorly maintained equipment.

Rather, the president of Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning said narrowing down an exact time of when a service call will take place can be tough on him and his customers.

“We tell people that we’ll be there at times like late morning or early afternoon,” Henry said. “We’re that busy. We’re now two weeks booked out.”

Wilbur Henry’s phones start ringing just after the first cold snap of the season as customers switch on the heat for the first time.

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Why does my furnace blow cold air?

Heating, Question and Answer /

I’ve had people say to me, My furnace blows cold air only! Is my furnace not working? In many cases, the solution is much simpler than you may realize.

Is The Thermostat Set To Auto or On?

For most, checking the thermostat to ensure the fan setting is correct will keep the cold air from blowing when it is not wanted. The switch can be set to a few different options and should generally be in the auto or automatic position. Otherwise, the always on? option will keep the fan running at all times, including when the burner in the furnace is not active.

The reason cold air will continue to blow while the furnace is on and the thermostat is set correctly is because the fan assumes that heat is being generated by the furnace even if the burner is not running. If the burner is not running, newer furnaces will attempt to light a few times before they lock out. Turning it off and then back on will cause it to try igniting again.

Turn The Furnace Off For One Minute To Reset

If you’ve confirmed that the thermostat settings are correct, turn the electricity off to the furnace for a full minute and then turn it back on. The power switch should be located on or around the furnace. If not, it will be near the electrical box which is uncommon for newer furnaces.

Newer furnaces attempt to re-light 4-5 times then if unsuccessful they will lock-out The way to remove the lock-out is by turning the power on and like, like described above.

After it has had a chance to recycle, it should be functioning properly. If it continues to blow cold air after that attempt, call a professional service technician.

Wilbur Henry can help when yourfurnace is not working the way you expect it to. Don’t feel comfortable servicing or maintaining your furnace, contact us!

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My Boiler Pipes Make A Banging Noise

Heating, Question and Answer /

Have you ever heard your pipes banging when the steam boiler comes on It is as if someone is taking a hammer and banging it against the pipes! If it’s a steam boiler, water has made it up into the pipes because the boiler is too full. The resulting sound comes from its attempt to make steam from the water in the pipes.

The excess water may have come from the automatic fill leaking through or the automatic fill is attempting to compensate for what it thinks is a lack of water during a surge. The water will surge when it is dirty and gets pushed into the pipes while heating. When the water comes back down from the pipes, new water has been added and now there is too much.

What To Look For…

Looking through the steam cage glass, the boiler should be about seventy-five percent full. The top quarter needs to be empty (or filled with air) because air is necessary for creating steam. If you see the water level rising and falling as it heats, you may also see the water disappear altogether. This is because it has been pushed into the pipes and is now surging.

Options For Solving On Your Own

To remedy this, you need to drain some of the water out of the steam boiler. Do this by allowing water to exit the valve at the bottom of the boiler. There may also be a blow-off valve for steam in which case you can place a bucket below to collect the drainage.

Rust and dirt from corrosion will cause the water to get dirty after an amount of time. Preemptively, you can change your water to make sure that it isn’t dirty avoiding surges. Consider completely draining the water and replacing it about once a year if you don’t have a manual flush valve.

The flush valve can usually be found below or around the steam gauge and will allow you to flush the water out until the dirty water has exited the boiler and is now completely clear. It is recommended you do this once a month.

Warning: Be Careful…

If you find that the boiler does not shut off while draining the water, call a professional HVAC technician. Never add water to a boiler that is almost fully drained and is now becoming red hot, otherwise the boiler will crack or possibly explode.

We all know how disruptive the sound is when the boiler comes on and the pipes bang. ?If you don’t feel comfortable maintaining or fixing your boiler, make sure to call an HVAC technician like Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating and AC at 717-755-5461.

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