Reliability of furnace, air conditioning directly related to how it’s cared for
Homeowners depend on their home heating and cooling systems to keep them comfortable year round. The reliability of these systems is directly related to their proper maintenance. For that reason, having a basic understanding of your system’s functions and needs is extremely important. The Gazette caught up with Pierre McClure, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician with Electro Aide to find out what homeowners need to know.
WHAT TYPES OF HOME HEATING SYSTEMS ARE THERE?
There are several ways to heat a person’s home, including hot water systems with boilers and radiators, natural gas, electric, oil and forced air systems. Hot water systems, whereby hot water circulates through pipes throughout the house, is very old technology. Electric and natural gas are most efficient and clean. Because we pay so little for electricity in Quebec, electric is the least expensive. In terms of insurance costs, oil and natural gas will set you back more than other systems because of the risk of an oil spill and necessary accessories such as a chimney.
A lot of newer homes and apartments are going with baseboard heating, which is affordable but many people find it produces a very dry heat. I personally find the best way to go is a central ventilation system because you can do everything that way; you can filter the air, heat, cool and humidify all in the same system. Every other type is limited and would require you to get a second system for air conditioning.
WHAT GOES INTO HOME HEATING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE?
Making sure your system’s filters are clean is key. Filters should be checked on a monthly basis. Some of them are washable and others need to be replaced altogether. People that live in the city or have pets should check them even more often. It’s amazing to see a filter in a city home versus a country home. The city filters are always so much darker from all the pollution. The same goes for people who smoke, I can always tell by the condition of the furnace filters if there’s a smoker in the house.
In terms of professional cleaning, I’m not a big fan of companies that are hired to clean ducts and ventilation systems because they often do more damage than good. It’s impossible for them to be able to see every inch of the system they’re cleaning, so they pass a snake device through the system, which bangs on the walls of the ducts to loosen any debris. But because they’re doing it blind, they can end up tearing insulation or knocking things out of alignment, especially in older systems. Things that were constructed decades ago can be fragile and banging around in the ducts can be dangerous.
Sometimes our clients call and say that they had their system cleaned in recent weeks and now the heating or cooling in one room has just about stopped working. When we take a look, we often find that there’s a chunk of insulation blocking the air.
WHAT DO PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR?
It’s not up to the homeowner to go into the furnace to make sure connections are tight and drains are clean. Having a maintenance agreement with the company from which you bought the system is always a good idea. Ideally, your system should be inspected about twice a year to check for anything that could cause a problem. But of course, if you notice that heating and cooling has stopped working as well in your home, don’t wait for your next scheduled inspection to have the problem evaluated.
WHAT’S NEW IN HOME HEATING TECHNOLOGY?
Geothermal heating systems are really interesting. They’re not widely used at this point in time because they’re extremely expensive. The system basically comprises a deep hole on your property that converts heat from the ground into air that is pumped into your home. It works by absorbing heat in winter time and rejecting it in the summer. I do a lot of work in areas such as Westmount and it’s amazing to see the systems people are putting in. They’re using geothermal systems to heat their pool water and their driveways to avoid shoveling in the winter. I think geothermal systems are definitely going to become more popular in the future as the technology improves and the systems become less expensive. For now, if you can afford it, it’s a fantastic option that will save you money over time on heating costs.
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