Furnace Repair and Furnace Type

Many customers are unsure what type of furnace they have and how efficient it should run. The basic categories of forced air furnaces are: High (90+) efficiency, medium (80%) efficiency, and standard efficiency. Any furnace that has PVC plastic vent piping is at least 90% efficient and therefore belongs in the most efficient category. If a furnace is vented by metal vent piping, it is at best a medium (80%)efficient furnace, however depending on it's age, it may also belong to the standard efficiency category. One easy way to determine whether your metal vented furnace is a standard efficiency or medium (80%) efficiency furnace is to find out whether the furnace has a forced vent motor. All furnaces that utilize a forced venting system are at least 80% efficient. When calling for furnace repair it will help the service technician to know what type of furnace you have. Some problems may even be able to be diagnosed over the phone.


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Air Conditioning Repair and Tune-Ups

Air Conditioning repair and tune-ups in May are a great way to make sure your prepared for the hot summer days (yes they will eventually come)! Give us a call at 734-216-4312 to schedule a $70 ac tuneup. Includes washing the condenser and checking freon levels.






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Absolute Michigan's Michigan Blog: Celebrating Ice and Snow!

Welcome and thank you for visiting our blog site. For Heating and Cooling service please visit our website at www.fourseasonshvacr.com or call 734-216-4312, otherwise, please enjoy the following articles.


Absolute Michigan's Michigan Blog: Celebrating Ice and Snow!

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Marriage? A “Prisoners Dilemma” or “Romantic Get Away”

Article first published as Marriage? A Prisoners Dilemma or Romantic Get Away on Technorati.    By Randy Koch

There is a concept in the criminal investigation world known as “The Prisoner's Dilemma”.  This “Dilemma”, highlights the internal struggle two interrogated, and guilty, suspects find themselves in when facing the possibility of conviction.  You may be wondering, “How in the world does this have anything to do with my marriage”?

The answer to this question lies in an important principal we can all learn about human nature.   If your marriage resembles a priceless heirloom misplaced in a dark closet, and you need some practical ideas on how to restore it, you will appreciate the following simple advice. 

Maybe your marriage is good, even a little above the curve, however somewhere in the back of your mind you realize it could use a little restoration, then follow along as we share a few romance kindling ideas.  Before we dig in though, let's take a closer look at the Prisoner's Dilemma and see what hidden treasures lie just beneath its surface. 

“Two suspects are arrested by the police.  The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction,  and having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal.  If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence.”

“If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for minor charges.   If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence.  Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent.  Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation.  How should the prisoners act?”

Over the years, history has shown that more often then not each person will act according to his or her own self-interest rather than the greater interest of both.  Remarkable considering their irrational decision ultimately increases both individual sentences.  Given the heated scenario, the behavior of the two suspects may not seem too surprising, but is it possible the Prisoner's Dilemma has somehow crept into your marriage?

To find out, let’s look for signs of this robber in our marriage, and, for good measure, break out the trusty ounce of prevention to ensure our relationships are full of life, trust, and first-love romance.  By the way, having these qualities alive and well in our marriages is the best security system we can have against unwanted intruders.   Are you ready?  Lets begin preparing the scene for our Romantic Get Away?

Marriage robber #1 Self-Interest

When our lives are filled with self-interest we rarely recognize our spouses sacrifice or thoughtfulness as we’re too busy focusing on our own wants and desires to notice.  There is an old phrase I first heard early in our marriage that has guided me over the years.  Periodically I examine my life to see how it measures up to this simple little phrase:  Do I love people and use things, or, do I mainly love things and use people.

It is very hard to do both at the same time!

The ounce of prevention

Practice words of encouragement and praise.  This may mean praise for a wonderfully prepared dinner or for a husband that takes time to fix all those things that seem to break down.  The words you speak have the power of life or death so use them wisely.  You can build your spouse up or tear them down by using words chosen carefully or carelessly.

Make it a point to release a fountain of blessing on your spouse each day with carefully chosen words of life.  Does your wife or husband need your emotional support to fulfill a dream?  Let them pursue it while you find ways to be an encouragement along the journey.   When you do this your Romantic Get Away Vehicle is just around the corner.

Marriage robber # 2 Distraction

In every marriage there comes a time when our most cherished commitments are tested.  Think back to that wonderful day when you and your spouse exchanged vows.  Are you reminded of your promise to cherish, love, honor, and live a life of devotion for one another?  Are these promises still worth keeping?

Since every marriage will face an investigator that will challenge its promises, we must determine in advance whether or not we will stick to them?   There’s a country song I've come to love whose chorus goes “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”   What about you?  Have your wedding vows suffered from chronic distraction?  Here are a few ideas to help you beat marriage robber # two.

The ounce of prevention

Every relationship requires maintenance.  Don’t let distraction rob you from developing strong lines of communication.  The number one distraction is busyness, so plan ahead to deal with this robber head on.  Defeat distraction by planning date nights centered around activities you both enjoy such as walks, cozy restaurants, or site seeing.  The important point is to do them consistently.

My wife and I suggest you and your spouse pick a time each week to be alone together.  Date nights were not just for dating.  By keeping date nights active and encouraging your partner daily you can defeat the "Prisoners Dilemma" and watch the "Romantic Get Away" speed around the corner!

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Marriage? A “Prisoners Dilemma” or “Romantic Get Away”

Article first published as Marriage? A Prisoners Dilemma or Romantic Get Away on Technorati.    By Randy Koch

There is a concept in the criminal investigation world known as “The Prisoner's Dilemma”.  This “Dilemma”, highlights the internal struggle two interrogated, and guilty, suspects find themselves in when facing the possibility of conviction.  You may be wondering, “How in the world does this have anything to do with my marriage”?

The answer to this question lies in an important principal we can all learn about human nature.   If your marriage resembles a priceless heirloom misplaced in a dark closet, and you need some practical ideas on how to restore it, you will appreciate the following simple advice. 

Maybe your marriage is good, even a little above the curve, however somewhere in the back of your mind you realize it could use a little restoration, then follow along as we share a few romance kindling ideas.  Before we dig in though, let's take a closer look at the Prisoner's Dilemma and see what hidden treasures lie just beneath its surface. 

“Two suspects are arrested by the police.  The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction,  and having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal.  If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence.”

“If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for minor charges.   If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence.  Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent.  Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation.  How should the prisoners act?”

Over the years, history has shown that more often then not each person will act according to his or her own self-interest rather than the greater interest of both.  Remarkable considering their irrational decision ultimately increases both individual sentences.  Given the heated scenario, the behavior of the two suspects may not seem too surprising, but is it possible the Prisoner's Dilemma has somehow crept into your marriage?

To find out, let’s look for signs of this robber in our marriage, and, for good measure, break out the trusty ounce of prevention to ensure our relationships are full of life, trust, and first-love romance.  By the way, having these qualities alive and well in our marriages is the best security system we can have against unwanted intruders.   Are you ready?  Lets begin preparing the scene for our Romantic Get Away?

Marriage robber #1 Self-Interest

When our lives are filled with self-interest we rarely recognize our spouses sacrifice or thoughtfulness as we’re too busy focusing on our own wants and desires to notice.  There is an old phrase I first heard early in our marriage that has guided me over the years.  Periodically I examine my life to see how it measures up to this simple little phrase:  Do I love people and use things, or, do I mainly love things and use people.

It is very hard to do both at the same time!

The ounce of prevention

Practice words of encouragement and praise.  This may mean praise for a wonderfully prepared dinner or for a husband that takes time to fix all those things that seem to break down.  The words you speak have the power of life or death so use them wisely.  You can build your spouse up or tear them down by using words chosen carefully or carelessly.

Make it a point to release a fountain of blessing on your spouse each day with carefully chosen words of life.  Does your wife or husband need your emotional support to fulfill a dream?  Let them pursue it while you find ways to be an encouragement along the journey.   When you do this your Romantic Get Away Vehicle is just around the corner.

Marriage robber # 2 Distraction

In every marriage there comes a time when our most cherished commitments are tested.  Think back to that wonderful day when you and your spouse exchanged vows.  Are you reminded of your promise to cherish, love, honor, and live a life of devotion for one another?  Are these promises still worth keeping?

Since every marriage will face an investigator that will challenge its promises, we must determine in advance whether or not we will stick to them?   There’s a country song I've come to love whose chorus goes “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”   What about you?  Have your wedding vows suffered from chronic distraction?  Here are a few ideas to help you beat marriage robber # two.

The ounce of prevention

Every relationship requires maintenance.  Don’t let distraction rob you from developing strong lines of communication.  The number one distraction is busyness, so plan ahead to deal with this robber head on.  Defeat distraction by planning date nights centered around activities you both enjoy such as walks, cozy restaurants, or site seeing.  The important point is to do them consistently.

My wife and I suggest you and your spouse pick a time each week to be alone together.  Date nights were not just for dating.  By keeping date nights active and encouraging your partner daily you can defeat the "Prisoners Dilemma" and watch the "Romantic Get Away" speed around the corner!

Furnace Repair,Heating Contractor, Air Conditioning  


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How to Raise Socially Healthy Children That Find it Irresistible to Be at Home

Article first published as How to Raise Socially Healthy Children That Find it Irresistible to Be at Home on Technorati.     By Randy Koch

During our twenty-seven years of raising children my wife and I have discovered three very powerful lessons in raising socially healthy children who love to be at home. They are timeless lessons that have produced positive results in families around the globe and are a foundational base for healthy relationships of every kind.

The tips I am about to share will point your families compass in the right direction and help secure your dream of family gatherings surrounded by love, joy, and heartfelt relationships. These are not philosophical musings from high on a mountaintop, rather, they are principals grounded in the stuff of life. They are for you. Right where you live. Right where life is most difficult. And best of all, they are possible for you today.

First though, let me mention that family development is very rarely a one-event make or break experience. Life is a process and though from time to time we fail, it is important to continue progressing even in the face of an occasional setback. In fact, as my wife and I have learned, failure can quite often lead too much larger gains within our children s hearts. With that said let's be bold and ask ourselves a few questions.

Do your children like being at home? Do they enjoy inviting friends over for dinner or for the holidays? If asked, would your children rate their home life as positive?

If you’re like most parents, the answer to those questions will depend on a few important details. Age will have a lot to do with how your children view their happiness and it is very common for children to distance themselves from parents during their teenage years. Don’t judge yourself too harshly during these awkward times, however, (I cannot stress this enough) keep doing the things I am about to share. Most parents find it hard to practice these life-giving tips during the difficult seasons, so take heart, but remember the sacrifice you make now, when it’s hard, will be more rewarding in the end.OK, let’s get started- are you ready to win your child’s heart? Are you ready to pave the way for well-adjusted children and grandchildren that just happen to enjoy your company? If you’ve let your coffee get cold now may be the time to heat it up.

§ Intentionally and consistently find ways to encourage your children by recognizing the uniqueness of their gifting. Don’t fall into the trap of projecting your dreams and desires onto your children. Instead, take time to study what makes them unique. Find ways to encourage and promote noble efforts they undertake toward any positive goal. Especially those that God has given you special privilege to discern. Are they artistic? Encourage them by listing how moved you are by certain details of their painting or artwork.

When you take the time to communicate approval in this manner you instill in them the confidence that your love is unconditional. Simply stated, you allow them to escape the trap of condemnation brought on by constantly seeking the approval of others. Isn’t it funny that parents quite often teach their children independence, as a way to keep them from harm or peer pressure, while subconsciously enabling this behavior by granting or withholding affection based on personal expectation?

The key: Keep your radar active and look for opportunities to speak a word of encouragement to your children. As they mature into the teenage years find something they excel at and tell them so. If you can’t find anything, it most likely means you need to change the shade of your glasses.

§ Life is hard for adults. It’s also hard for kids. Find ways to make life fun. This is extremely important in my book but don’t misread what I am saying. The most important aspect of this point is to find something your children enjoy that can be done together. This is not about buying them a new video game or buying them anything for that matter. It is about finding ways to enjoy each other’s company doing something fun. Remember, each child will most likely define “fun” differently. As a parent, that means it’s extremely important to find out what “fun” is for each child. This can also be one of the more difficult things to do.

Sometimes accomplishing this second point requires a little creativity. My oldest son enjoyed playing chess as a teenager. Chess was not one of my favorite games or one that I was very good at. However, I have a friend who is an avid chess player and it always excited me when opportunities arose for them to play chess together. In a sense, sharing their excitement allowed me to be a part of that activity. We cannot be everything to our children; however, more often than not we can find someone in our community willing to fill in the gaps. Find ways to make this happen and don’t be surprised if your community is enriched by the experience.

The Key: Find ways to make life fun. Most importantly, find activities that can be done together.

§ Be there for them. As grown ups we value friendships that have stood the test of time- friends that have been there when we’ve needed them. Give it your best shot to pause before giving a lecture. When we are in need do we seek out friends who tend to lecture us or friends that lend an ear? Our children will need us to fill two different roles at times. Understand when it’s your time to be a friend who listens.

The Key: Be there for them.

 Lastly: Try keeping the kitchen open. There’s nothing like a little food to make great fellowship!

Randy





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When is it Time to Replace Your Furnace?

Many who are faced with the decision to make an expensive repair on their home furnace contemplate whether or not it’s time to replace rather than repair it. Here are some tips on how to make that decision.

1-  Is your existing furnace at least 80% efficient?  Older furnaces may have efficiencies as low as 60% and that means if the repair estimate approaches one-fourth the cost of a new furnace it may be time to replace it.  Consider the furnace operating at near 60% efficiencies.  Replacing this furnace with a 95% efficient model will save 35% on your heating bill.  If you pay, on average, $1200 dollars a year to heat your home, the savings is about $420 dollars per year.  Remember, each year utilities tend to go up so this number will increase over time.

Now factor in the repair estimate for your furnace.  Lets say the repair will cost $650 dollars.  At this level, you’re close to $1070 dollars toward a new furnace after the first year’s energy savings are figured in.  Factoring yearly energy increases and this new furnace will most likely pay for itself within four years.  This estimate is somewhat conservative since it doesn’t consider other expenses such as the potential for additional furnace repair bills.

2-  Will your old furnace continue to be safe?  This is an important question worth giving some time to, however, we should be careful about salesman who play to hard on this point.  Many older furnaces will run just fine without any major safety concerns.  The advantage of newer furnaces is that they have additional safety features built into their normal operation.  Integrated circuit boards help monitor many aspects of the combustion process and will alert homeowners if problems are detected.  Furnaces that are fairly old don’t have these features.

3-  Reliability-how important is it for you to know your furnace has a good chance of working without problems?  If reliability is important to you than consider replacing your furnace.  There is a point when a vehicle has so many miles that it may not be worth rebuilding the engine.  The point being, what happens to your pocket book if one year later $650 dollars is needed to repair an additional furnace component?  Rebuilding an engine on an old car may be the right thing to do but remember there are other components to consider as well.

There are times in life when purchasing a new furnace is simply not a financial option.  If this is the case make sure you communicate this to your heating and cooling company.  You may find options available that you had not considered such as in house financing.

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January Thaw

Take a passing glance at furnace and boiler repair because winter is breathing its last gasps. Good old January thaw; just what we need to remind us that this too will come to pass!



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Shout it Again!

One More Time!



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Words of Encouragement

Approximately two years ago the United States Navy issued a solicitation for innovative ideas on how to decrease the size of heat exchangers on mobile equipment. The solicitation was titled: “N091-074 High Velocity Compact Cooling Coils” and eventually funded several heat exchanger proposals from companies located in the United States. Our company was one of many that submitted proposals who were not selected.

As in any endeavor, being passed by a selection committee is never a fun experience. For everyone receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal on stage there are multitudes of hard working and dedicated athletes who will go home figuratively empty handed. When this happens, it can be hard to go back to an 8-5 job and make sense out of it all. For solicitation opportunities such as the Department of Defense there are no funds or consolation prizes for entries not selected, so it can seem at times that all of the investment and energy poured into a project is wasted if you are not chosen for funding. I’d like to talk a little about what happens the morning after, because, if you are a contractor you will invest time and energy into projects that never receive compensation, compensation that is in short term profits in the bank.

I am a itinerate engineer who becomes visible to the customers of Four Seasons Heating and Cooling on most days from eight to five. Besides moonlighting as an engineer, I have also dabbled as a part-time HVAC-R instructor teaching heating and cooling at a local community college. However, for my eight to five day-job I wear the heating and cooling salesman hat and find myself bidding on jobs the selection committee will at times award to someone else. No gold, no silver, just a gas tank that’s a little less full. And as many know, who have wore the hat of business owner, salesman, and technician, time wasted on a bid that ends up at someone else’s doorstep can be extremely frustrating. So what can we learn from these seemingly wasted investments of time and energy? I believe there is a great deal and here is some simple advice:

1- Focus on what your good at:

Is there something that relates to your particular microcosm of HVAC-R that you are considered an expert in? This day and age it is particularly hard to be an expert at everything. There are just too many disciplines within our field. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to be the best at everything. Remember, most who become great at what they do focus on one small area of their discipline. Tom Brady is a great quarterback, however, he would probably not start on the defensive line. Sorry Brady fans.

Are you good at restaurant refrigeration? Concentrate your energies there and leverage your satisfied customers as references. If you seek to meet your customers needs doing what your good at then you will have laid the first foundation for a successful business, a happy customer who will tell others.

2- When possible choose customers and projects that enhance your skills:

Is there a pattern of displaced or unfruitful time investment? Try focusing your marketing dollar toward customers and projects that will be a good match for your services. Are you the king or queen of low price repair but have little patience for the customer who spends a lot of money on projects that are nit-picky in nature? Do you thrive in an environment where massaging every last detail of an installation is important? You will be happier working on jobs that fit your personality type and this will be evident to your customer. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes, would you want to hire someone who dislikes the type of work they are doing or someone who’s job closely mirrors their disposition?

3- Lastly, Use past failures to fine tune your approach:

Every area of our life can be improved on; especially areas you are already good at. If you are drawn to restaurant refrigeration then seek to become an expert at it. Be careful about resting on your laurels. Stay informed about past and present industry standards for repair and installation. Be ready to answer the customer that wants to know about energy recovery systems for their marketplace but don’t loose sight of the fundamentals of refrigeration such as the refrigeration cycle and superheat. In short stay informed and develop sound technical habits. Customers who watch (and they are) will take note of your proficiency and knowledge and will store your card in a safe and accessible spot. That’s usually the spot where the last HVAC company’s card was filed. And almost as important, make sure you smile on the job site. If you’re not enjoying your work can you expect your customer to enjoy having you involved in their project?


Randy Koch

Four Seasons Heating and Cooling Inc.
1000 Clear Lake Road
Grass Lake, MI 49240

734-216-4312




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Furnace repair and facial hair

It had been nearly three days since my discharge from the Air Force in the fall of 1983 and I was ready to dive wholeheartedly into my new freedoms and newly formed heating and cooling business. Just yesterday, I had taken out the assumed name of “Koch Heating and Cooling” and was already facing the stairs of an old well-manicured house to greet my first ever customer. Completing the paperwork and forming the backend of the business was a small chore, however, the business ad in the local paper reeled my first customer in almost effortlessly.

The gentleman who greeted me at the door was in his early nineties and must have thought they were sending teenagers into the field. It was easy to discern his displeasure at my arrival, but at twenty-three years old I considered myself a seasoned veteran. Heck, I had just spent four years of my life working on many of the latest Air Force commercial systems. In my book, there wasn’t much the residential market could throw at me.

I should have guessed by the half-amused look on my customers face when he described the problem as “A real hair raiser” that a measure of caution was in order, but what could be dangerous about a small furnace? The fact that he chose to control the thermostat upstairs while I investigated the furnace in the basement was probably another clue. Looking back, it seems that someone as concerned about my age as he was would have been interested in keeping an eye on me throughout the repair process. His final word to me as I removed the front panel to his furnace, “Whale of a fire in that tube” was also wasted on deaf ears.

There comes a time in most of our lives when the simple wisdom of ages, experience, takes a firmer grip on the way we approach our world. This, seemingly teacher of all, usually guides us best when our eyes and ears are open. Some people require more patience.

As I looked down the single-barrel burner supplying a 150,000 Btu’s of natural gas into my customers ancient converted coal furnace, I was initially concerned with the amount of time it had been since I first heard the gas valve open. But maybe I was wrong? The sound of an opening gas valve can be hard to discern sometimes and besides the pilot was burning tall and strong. To this day it’s hard to describe the experience in any better metaphor than my customers own words “A real hair raiser” and “Whale of a fire in that tube”.

The last thing I remember before feeling his arm under mine as I attempted to stand upright was a bright flash and a sudden sharp pain at the base of my skull. After a moment of dizziness it occurred to me that the face starring into mine was completely void of facial hair. No eyebrows, no eyelashes, no mustache. As I rubbed my own burning eyes to regain focus it all came home to me. Where were my eyebrows and my eyelashes and my mustache? The next morning when I woke it took the better part of an hour to open my eyes. A series of warm wash clothes eventually unglued the mucous that had hardened overnight and it wasn’t long before service calls had my attention again. But one thing stands out. Quite often customers have valuable things to say. Sure, quite often it does us well to listen with a grain of salt, however, even an untrained ear can give us clues. “Whale of a fire in that tube” means a lot to me even after twenty-seven years.

Randy Koch
http://www.fourseasonshvacr.com
randy@fourseasonshvacr.com


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High Efficiency Furnace Components

Many homeowners treat their furnaces with a sort-of "monster in the basement" attitude. This is certainly understandable considering the basic commodity a furnace supplies. Fire! This is not to be confused with the "fire" one enjoys in the backyard or in lets say a barbecue where the fire is usually contained within a ring or monitored while it burns, but this is fire inside our homes; burning most often while we go about our daily motions completely unaware of its many stages of operation.

Clearly this should bring a healthy respect to the topic of furnace safety but we should also be careful not to exaggerate our fears concerning this mysterious member of our household. Furnaces when properly serviced perform their many tasks with a remarkable safety record; however, according to the U.S. Fire Administration* approximately 55,000 residential home heating fires occur annually. The agency also stated that, "Many of these fires can be prevented through proper maintenance and proper use of heating equipment." So it seems the safest approach to this other member of the household may just be to get to know it better.

How does a high efficiency furnace work and what are its major components? We will start out by listing the basic components of a high efficiency (or condensing) furnace and describing their part in managing the "flame".

Heat Exchanger

In a high efficiency furnace there are at least two heat exchangers: A primary and a secondary heat exchanger. These components are similar to the backyard fire ring used to contain the wood, embers, and flames. The heat exchanger is like a metal pipe with both ends open. Flames enter the metal container (heat exchanger) on one side and exhaust through the other side. The exhaust on the outlet side of a high efficiency heat exchanger is expelled (vented) by a material called PVC piping. The main function of the heat exchanger is somewhat intuitive to its name. It exchanges heat from the combustion (burning gas) to the surrounding air that blows over it from inside your home. The important point to remember about a heat exchanger is that its primary function is to keep the exhaust fumes separate from the inside air of your home during the combustion process. When heat exchangers crack they no longer perform this function and need to be replaced.

Automatic Gas Valve

Automatic gas valves are devices within furnaces that automatically open or close and allow raw (unburned) natural or propane gas into the heat exchanger. When the thermostat sends a signal to the furnace for a heat cycle and all safety conditions within the furnace are met, the automatic gas valve opens and allows gas to flow. This gas flows into a device called a "burner" where it is ignited and sent to the heat exchanger.

Pressure Switches

These are safety devices that constantly monitor the internal pressure of the combustion area. If there were a problem with the vent pipe, vent fan, or heat exchanger the pressure switch is one component that eventually shuts off power to the automatic gas valve.

Vent Fan (induced fan motor)

This device draws the vented fumes out of the heat exchanger and into the PVC pipe that directs the fumes outside. If this device were to fail the automatic pressure control would sense the loss of pressure and shut down the combustion process.

Roll-out Switches

Roll-out switches are safety switches that automatically shut off the combustion process if they sense fire where it's not suppose to be. This condition could happen if the vent pipe became clogged or if the vent fan were to quit operating.

Indoor Blower Motor

The indoor blower motor moves air through the furnace. It is the noise you here as your furnace pushes air around the house.

Limit Control

Another safety control primarily concerned with shutting off the combustion process in case the indoor blower motor fails. This prevents the heat exchanger from overheating due to a lack of air over the heat exchanger because of a clogged filter or broken indoor blower motor.

IFC (Integrated Furnace Control)Board

Here is where the brain of the furnace resides. This electronic component monitors and controls all of the functions integral to the heat cycle of the furnace. If any of the safety control devices within the furnace report an unsafe condition it is the IFC board that interprets the signal and administers the appropriate response. The IFC board is also responsible for normal operation and self-diagnosis.

Should you have a high efficiency furnace in your home you should know that many years of design and testing have gone into the safety of this appliance. Having it serviced on a regular basis will help ensure its safe and efficient operation.

* http://www.usfa.dhs.gov,





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Four Seasons Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling sytem efficiency and cost

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If you're like me you tend to view energy efficiency both in terms of monthly energy usage and cost; that is to say, the total amount of energy you use as well as the total amount of green stuff you fork out each year to heat and cool your home or office. So before rushing out to purchase the latest energy efficient appliance to heat or cool your home keep a few thoughts in mind:

The total amount you pay to heat or cool your home or office can be a lot more than just how much you pay for utilities. Consider other costs that are direct expenditures to you. These should be factored into estimates for your total yearly cost and may affect your year-end utility balance sheet.

Repair and maintenance costs should be high on the list of items you consider when purchasing that new HVAC system from a contractor. Sure that high efficiency unit has all the latest technology with its accompanying bells and whistles but has it been field proven yet? The literature states that there is a lifetime warranty for many components but will the heating contractor or manufacturer be around if something were to go wrong? Do they have a track record of honoring their labor warranties? One expensive repair out of warranty will cause the true efficiency, from a pocket book perspective, to go way down.

Initial installation cost factors large in pocket book efficiency. Today we have high efficiency boilers, wood burners, geothermal heat pumps, furnaces and more. Most of these boast efficiency ratings in the low 90's and up. So lets say you currently spend an average of 200 dollars per month for five months in the winter. If your current system performs at 60% efficient ratings you can anticipate a net energy gain of 30% if using a 90% efficient system. In terms of dollar savings, that comes out to approximately 300 dollars per year. Keep in mind energy costs are predicted to continue increasing so those savings would expand each year.

Now take a look at your initial installation investment. What will the payback time be? Are some heating solutions less expensive than others? Are some fuels less expensive than others? There are also many renewable energy sources available today. One such heat source, wood, has become very popular today and boasts some of the lowest installation as well as monthly costs. Since it is renewable it has the potential to be very eco-friendly as well, however, this form of heat requires more user involvement too.

There are a lot of trade-offs to consider when evaluating the different types of high efficiency heat but it is worth taking the time to choose the type that makes the most sense to you. There are bound to be perfect matches for your lifestyle. As in many areas of life, the least expensive choices usually require the most maintenance, but don't let this deter you from getting the most out of every btu and dollar used to heat or cool your home or office.

HVAC-R Community College Instructor
Owner Four Seasons Heating and Cooling
www.fourseasonshvacr.com
randy@fourseasonshvacr.com

Others who read this post were interested also in these other topics: AC Contractor, AC Repair, AC Units, Air Conditioning Repair, Boiler Repair, Furnace Repair, Heating and Air Conditioning Repair, Heating and Cooling, Heating Contractor, HVAC Repair, Mechanical Contractor

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About Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

Improving energy efficiency is the first and most important step toward achieving sustainability in buildings and organizations. Energy efficiency helps control rising energy costs, reduces environmental footprints, and increases the value and competitiveness of buildings.

When people ask us about sustainability, we tell them it means getting the most out of every single unit of energy, water, materials and resources used in their buildings.Why? Because it’s how we use resources in a way that meets the needs of today without compromising the ability of others to meet their own needs tomorrow.

From Johnson Controls

http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en/products/building_efficiency/energy_efficiency.html

Diagnosing Furnace Problems

How to diagnose a furnace problem? most furnaces today have an Integrated Furnace Control (IFC) board that lends a hand in figuring out many common problems.  However, having a proper understanding of Furnace and Air conditioning fundamentals is always the best place to start your furnace repair journey.  In subsequent posts we’ll take a look at each component of a high efficiency furnace and detail their function within the big picture of furnace operation; but first let’s talk about that scary, complicated, and sometimes intelligent IFC board.

The Integrated Furnace Control board has been symbiotic to the evolution of high efficiency furnaces.  As high efficiency furnaces developed, the need for additional components necessitated the development of intelligent monitoring and control systems.  It may be hard to imagine now, but the introduction of a computer-like component within the furnace was a major paradigm shift for service technicians who were unfamiliar and intimidated by electronics.  Many of us (I belong to this class) wondered if our days of heating and cooling repair were numbered. 

Fortunately the manufactures did a good job of educating service technicians that were willing to attend technical training seminars on how and why IFC boards work.  The IFC boards of today have some very reliable diagnostic tools that have, in some ways, made our jobs easier.  Most of these boards have some variation of blinking lights that point to an error code on one of the labels of the furnace. These labels are usually located on one of the removable panels on the front of the furnace.  Though there is still a need for sound technical knowledge, the repair technician of today quite often finds themselves in and out of service calls within minutes, thanks to the diagnostics of the IFC board.

Written by Randy

Taking back the moisture

How much moisture does outside air possess?  This question has a few answers.  The first question that should be asked before giving an answer is "what is the temperature outside?" A given quantity of air will occupy a certain volume at standard atmospheric pressures and temperatures.  Double the temperature and allow the space that this quantity of air occupies to increase so that the pressure of the air remains at standard atmospheric values, and the space the air occupies will approximately double.  This is the reason unconditioned air in your home (no humidification) is relatively dry in the winter.

Very cold outside air at standard atmospheric pressures contain much less moisture per given volume of air than warmer air.  This is specifically true when cold and warm air at the same relative humidity levels are compared. Relative humidity is a measure of how much moisture a given quantity of air contains compared to how much moisture that same quantity of air could potentially hold.  As an example, say a 100 cubic foot volume of air at 70 degrees has a relative humidity of 50% and contains 1 cup of water.  At 100% relative humidity this same volume of air would contain 2 cups of water. Now lets take a look at why our homes are so much drier in the winter.

Let's say the outside air is 0 degrees F and is at 20 percent relative humidity.  If we take a 100 cubic foot sample of this air and assume it holds 5 ounces of water when it is at 0 degrees and 20 percent relative humidity, what will happen to that air when we bring it into our house and raise the temperature to 70 degrees?  First of all, the 100 cubic foot space this air occupies will increase dramatically when it is heated to 70 degrees.  Instead of occupying 100 cubic feet this same quantity of air will occupy a much greater space.  If air is allowed to expand, heated air will always occupy a much greater space.


Hopefully the picture is starting to become clear.  Let's go back to the outside air that contained 5 ounces of water at 0 degrees.  Now that we've brought the air inside the home and raised it to 70 degrees lets assume it occupies 200 cubic feet of space.  As you can see, five ounces of water contained within a much larger 200 cubic feet of space thins the solution out considerably.  All of those airborne water molecules are much farther apart and the air begins to feel dry.  Also the relative humidity of the air has decreased significantly, since not only has the air expanded to a much greater volume, but also warmer air is able to hold much more water at similar volumes as cold air.

Our homes are continually bringing in outside air to make up for air that is lost to the outside. There are many reasons our inside air is expelled to the outside such as exhaust from hot water heaters and furnaces.  When new air from the outside is brought in it immediately expands and the relative humidity of that air goes down.  This is why we need humidification in the winter.

Written by Randy

Furnace sizing

Sizing furnaces today: Large or Small?

Just like the cars of old the conventional wisdom of the sixties and seventies was “the bigger the better” when it came to furnace size.  But what is the best approach when sizing a furnace?  Many customers seem skeptical when given the advice to size their furnace as small as possible.  Certainly the furnace size will need to be adequate for that below zero January day but is it in your best interest to have a “454 Suburban” in your basement?

Unless there’s some inherent satisfaction personally gained from watching your thermostat rise five degrees per minute you should probably consider the benefits of sizing your furnace on the small side.  Let’s take a look at some of the reasons for sizing “small”. There are three very important ones:

1- Efficiency:  Consider the fuel economy your vehicle delivers under these different operating conditions (highway and city).  Just like automobiles your furnace is the most inefficient during stop and go operation.  The larger the furnace the more often it will cycle and, just as in city driving, the more inefficient it will be.  True the monster furnace in the basement will raise the temperature rapidly but it will tend to cycle more frequently as well. Where as the smaller furnace will remain in operation longer (highway driving) trying to achieve the set-point on the thermostat.

During these longer run times a furnace operates at peak efficiency. The reason for this is that every heat cycle begins with an ignition phase and subsequently a heat exchanger warm-up phase.  While the furnace is in the heat exchanger warm-up phase the indoor blower is off; and consequently there is little heat added to your home.  Before the blower motor turns on, a portion of the heat added to the heat exchanger goes right out the flu and not in your house.  Each heat exchanger warm-up phase is accompanied by a loss of heat energy to the atmosphere.  Therefore, just as in highway traffic, the less a furnace cycles, (starts and stops) the more efficient it will be. If you could heat your home with a pilot light running continually from October to April your fuel bill would be the lowest possible.

2- Comfort: Not only is your furnace inefficient during stop and go operation, it is also uncomfortable.  That furnace we described earlier in your basement, the 454 Suburban, will certainly raise the temperature in the room but consider what that means.  Unlike the thrill of going from 0-60 miles per hour in four seconds there is little excitement in going from 70 to 72 degrees instantaneously.  In fact when a furnace is sized too large the extra heat mass stored in the heat exchanger will tend to “overshoot” the set point of your thermostat.  When the room temperature is high enough, the thermostat will turn the burners of your furnace off, but the extra heat contained within the heat exchanger will continue to heat your room until the indoor blower removes all the heat stored in the heat exchanger. During this time period your room temperature may rise higher than the temperature your thermostat is set at. This will also add to your discomfort since you will experience greater temperature swings- Fun in sports cars but not in your home.

3- Noise: Larger furnaces are usually louder.  This is because blower motors for larger furnaces are also larger since they are required to move more air.

The bottom line is: If you want excitement-Buy a sports car.  If you want comfort    and efficiency-Buy a small furnace,

Written by Randy

Radiant heat versus forced air

Radiant hot-water-heat has made somewhat of a comeback recently. Many people believe this form of heat is the most comfortable and efficient on the market.  Radiant floor heat, another form of hot-water-heat, is remarkably comfortable and may even allow you to dial the thermostat down a bit.


The biggest disadvantage to radiant heat is probably the difficulty in adding air conditioning to your home. So before you decide on the type of heat you would like to install, it would be a good idea to consider whether or not you plan on installing A/C. A/C will most likely be possible for homes with radiant heat, however, the expense of an A/C install will be considerable.  If your goal is to have the most comfortable heat available I suggest radiant. If your budget ultimately determines the type of heat your home ends up with then forced air or even a wood-burning stove may be the choice.

Consider this other aspect of radiant heat.  Boiler manufactures have produced high efficiency condensing boilers for some time now.  With efficiency ratings of 95% and more, consumers have a great opportunity to choose a heat that is not only very comfortable, but also now very efficient.  Added to this is the comfort level of radiant heat that quite often allows a homeowner to lower their thermostat setting; providing for even greater savings on their home heating bill.

So if you are in the market for a new heating system, make sure you give radiant heat a second glance.  You may find a warm friend for those cold northern nights.


Written by Randy

Furnace accessories

There are a great deal of furnace accessories for the home. Two that top the list are the high efficiency filter and the whole house humidifier.  Both of these products will add a measure of efficiency and comfort to your indoor quality of life.  Let’s talk about humidifiers. 


Quite often when a whole house humidifier is installed on an existing furnace the homeowner is able to lower the thermostat setting by two or three degrees while maintaining the same level of comfort.  The same principal causes us to feel hotter on humid days in the summer.  At certain temperatures, humid air causes us to feel warmer.  So bring the tropics with all of its warm humid air to your winter home.  Maybe even plant a palm tree and imagine how terrible it must be for all of those residents living in places like Michigan.


Here’s how to start.  Call a reputable heating contractor for a quote to install a by-pass type whole house humidifier.  GeneralAire makes a family of very fine humidifiers of this type.  Second, make sure you do this before January.  January is known for its very dry air and is also the time of year that most folks who suffer from dry skin and respiratory problems really begin to notice the lack of moisture in the air.  Another bonus of doing this in December is that it can qualify as a Christmas present for the whole family.


Written by Randy