Winter home heating inspection: Keep your home safe and warm – Part 2
As the autumn leaves begin to fall, and the air is filled with a brisk chill, it reminds us that winter is just around the corner. It also is the time of the year to perform a home heating inspection. This involves checking all heating aspects of your home in order to ensure you are maximizing you equipment as well operating them in a safe manor. Statistics show that home heating systems that are not properly maintained can lose up to 50% of their InteCheap Designrior design and decorationefficiency. There are several areas that you should be concerned with when completing a home heating inspection. At any time if you are uncertain what to do or are concerned with safety issues, contact a certified professional to complete the task.
1. Furnace
This is the most important piece of equipment to examine when conducting a home heating inspection. Always make sure that you turn off the gas supply and electrical power before making any adjustments to your furnace. When looking at your furnace it is vital to vacuum the air chamber and replace the old air filter. A dirty filter will cause make your furnace run harder then necessary, increasing your heating costs. Also check the fan belts and the pilot light to make sure they are in good working condition. It is also imperative to keep the area around the furnace clean of debris, preventing a possible fire. Finally you should test your furnace, making sure that all aspects are operating properly.
2. Forced Air Systems
The next step in your home heating inspection should be to check your forced air systems. This requires removing the grills on the returns and vacuuming them out, ensuring proper air flow.
3. Air Conditioners
When conducting your home heating inspection, it is important not to forget to winterize systems that you used to cool your house in the summer. This includes both your central air conditioner and any window mounted units that you may have. For your central air unit, make sure that the area around it is clean, and cover it with the provided material. When dealing with window mounted units, remove unit from the window if possible. If you are not able to do this, close all vents and cover it with an air conditioner cover.
4. Room Thermostats
The final step in your home heating inspection should be to check all of the thermostats in your house. If they are battery operated, replace them with new ones. Make sure that they are set to the proper winter or energy saving setting to provide you with the best economical heating system. If you can afford to, purchase a programmable thermostat, typically ranging from $70-150, this will allow you to control the temperature of your house. You can program the thermostat to lower the temperature at night when you are in bed, and to raise it during the day when people are active in the house. Programmable thermostats will generally pay for themselves in one year. Finally, check to make sure all of the themostats are working properly.
5. Fans
In order to maximize your heating efficiency, during your home heating inspection, switch the way that your fans rotate so it pushes the warm air that rises to the ceiling back down to the floor. If you have a whole house fan, make sure to cover it to prevent cold drafts from entering your house.
By taking the time to perform a home heating inspection, you are not only guaranteeing that your systems will be working to the best of their ability, you will also be ensuring that they will be operating safely.
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Winter home heating inspection: Keep your home safe and warm – Part 1
To keep your family warm and safe during the winter months, you need to perform a home heating inspection. The average homeowner can inspect their heating system while doing routine maintenance. A heating system tune-up and inspection can also be done by a professional HVAC contractor. Routine maintenance and inspection of your heating system will result in a more efficient running system, saving you money and possible saving your life.
What to Look For
Maintenance and inspections should be done before you turn on the heating system for the season. No matter what type of system you have, oil fired, natural gas, electric, boiler or heat pump, there are certain general things to look for.
Start with the fuel source. Check for leaks in the pipes. If your unit is oil fired this will be easy. You will notice the oil drips. With natural or LP gas, this will be a little harder. You can purchase leak detector from a heating supply house or you can make a solution using common dish soap. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, have a reputable contractor do this for you. Check your gas meter or oil tank at this step of the home heating inspection. If you have an electric heating unit, check for frayed wiring and corroded electric contacts.
The next step in your home heating inspection should be of the venting system. An improperly vented system can cause serious illness or even death from carbon monoxide poisoning. Look at the vent pipes and the vent to chimney connection for any cracks or loose connections.
A startup of the system might reveal problems with the thermostat, controls, pumps or blowers. A heating system inspection done before the heating season will give you time to have these problems fixed.
Forced Air Systems
Check the inside of your forced air system for dust and soot build-up. This can be taken care of with soft brushes and a shop vac. Check the heat exchanger for cracks. A cracked heat exchanger can lead to CO leaks. Inspect the ductwork for leaks and reseal if necessary. You can also at this point insulate ductwork in unheated spaces for greater efficiency. If you are an advanced do-it-yourselfer, check your heat pump for correct charge and leaks. Clean the coils of the heat pump at this point of the inspection. If you don’t feel comfortable with your skill level, call a competent heating and cooling contractor to inspect and service your heat pump. At this point of the home heating inspection, blower motors should be oiled if recommended, belts should be inspected for wear and proper tension and filters should be replaced per manufacturer’s recommendations.
Hot Water Systems and Steam Boilers
Maintenance and home heating inspections on hot water and boilers are best left to the professional HVAC person or an advanced do-it-yourselfer. In these systems tanks have to be drained to free the system of sediments and refilled with water and the right combination of chemicals to prevent sediment build-up and corrosion. The float chamber should also be drained to remove sediments. High and low limit safety controls need to be tested and pressure relief valves need to be checked. One thing the average homeowner can do during their home heating inspection is to check for any leaks, cracks or unusual noises. The homeowner should also clean the surface of the radiators or gently clean the fins of the heat exchange unit for greater heating efficiency.
With a proper home heating inspection and a little maintenance, the homeowner can expect longer service life, safer and more efficient heating during the winter months.
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Choosing the Perfect Home Heating System
Home heating systems can be of two basic types. You can either set up a central heating system, or you can fix a heater in each room. It is your call. Operating each of these two types will be different. In the case of the central heating system, you will not have to do too much work. All that you would have to do is change the intensity of the heat by the simple turn of a knob.
The second kind of heating system can be quite tedious. In this case, you will also have to maintain all the heaters that are situated in each of the rooms. The central system is simpler to maintain. You could use a boiler or a furnace, which could be situated below your building. By pumping warm air through the air ducts, you will be able to heat up your entire home. You could also have room radiators installed. This can make use of heated water which would heat up the house.
There will be thermostats which can control the heat levels in your house. With these controls, you can adjust the heat at your home. If the homes are without a central heating system, you could have floor heaters or baseboard heaters, which run on electric current.
The heating systems which you decide to install in your home will have to be of the right size. After all, you are seeking to heat up your entire home. The unit should not be oversized. An oversized unit would lead to overheating at times when the weather is not too cold. You would also need to check to see how much heat is being lost through the walls and windows of your home. Then you will be able to determine the size for the heating system that you should install. The system should be able to handle the heat load. After all, you should not face a breakdown in the middle of severe cold weather. You will also need to look for something that is cost effective and of high quality.
The next step that you will need to take is to calculate how much energy you will be consuming every month. If your consumption levels seem too high, you could choose to heat only the main rooms in which you would need the most heat. This would help you to save energy. You could use radiant elements which could be installed on the roof. In such a case, blowers would not be required.
Radiant heating is also possible through pipes. These pipes would be instrumental in running hot water under the floorboards. Radiant heating units could also be used on the ceilings, depending on how warm you want to keep your home. There are also space heaters which operate with the help of kerosene or gas. These can be used as and when required to heat up a specific space. All that you would require in such a case would a place on your wall.
Understanding various systems for heating the home is very important. This is a must before you go about installing one in your home.
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Winter home heating inspection: Keep your home safe and warm
Every year 15,000 Americans suffer from Carbon Monoxide exposure in their homes according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The leading cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is an improper heating system, yet thousands of Americans don’t do the necessary preventative maintenance. Luckily there is an easy solution-a home heating inspection.
In addition to preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, a home heating inspection Cheap Designwill keep your heating system running more efficiently. Whether you use gas or electricity to fuel your home, an improperly serviced heating system can be only 50% effective. By keeping your home heating system properly serviced, you will save money on your heating bills throughout the winter.
While there are numerous heating systems available, the two most popular ones are forced air furnaces and hot water or boiler heating systems. While you will want to have your home heating inspection done by a qualified technician to reduce the risks of injuries, there are a few things you can do yourself.
As a homeowner, one of the easiest ways to keep your furnace running efficiently is to change the air filters on a regular basis. A dirty filter can cause strain on your furnace, raise heating bills, and decrease the life span of your unit. Make sure that the filter you are using is appropriate for the furnace in your home. A filter that is too small will not allow for an adequate return airflow.
Monitor your thermostat and keep its batteries fresh. It may even be prudent to invest in an automatic thermostat. A furnace that heats an empty house continuously, not only decreases its life span but also raises your energy bills as well.
Manually check all vent registers each month to make sure that there are no toys, furniture, or bedding that is obstructing their flow. Once you have performed your checks, it is time to call a qualified and licensed heating technician to perform the technical aspects of your home heating inspection.
When your technician arrives, a complete home heating inspection and tune up will be performed on your furnace, to ensure that it is running efficiently. The technician will begin your home heating inspection by doing the following.
1. A visual inspection of the venting system, and an examination of all seals, ducts and joints for leaks.
2. An inspection of the blower for obstructions and possible lubrication
3. An examination of the inside chamber of the furnace for rust and holes.
4. Thorough cleaning of all burners, sensors and pilots to enable these devices to operate efficiently.
5. Once the furnace is reassembled, the “high limit” on the heating system will be checked to prevent the possibility of over heating
6. A final safety test-a carbon monoxide test is performed.
A thorough home heating inspection will not only inspect any inside heating systems, but also any outside ones as well. The chimney and flue will then be examined for obstructions and soot build up. Excess soot is dangerous and can cause a myriad of problems including: chimney fires, flue deterioration and the re-funneling of dangerous gases back into your home. With so many procedures to follow in a home heating inspection, you can see why the CDC urges all homeowners to call a qualified service technician before they begin.
Your heating system is crucial to the comfort of your home in the winter. There is no easier way to stay warm, lower heating bills and protect your family from the dangerous effects of carbon monoxide poisoning- than by having a home heating inspection.
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