Furnace Maintenance Habits That Every Homeowner Can Perform Today

Now that Thanksgiving is over we are clearly headed into some of the most frigid weather of the year - especially in Chicagoland! Now more than ever, it is critical to maintain your furnace. There are several things that you can do to assure that your furnace is in optimal working condition. There are at least three simple maintenance habits that you can perform as a home owner:

• Change your furnace filter on a regular basis. 30-40 days ideally. Among many benefits, a clean filter provides optimal air flow across your heat exchanger and prolongs the life of your blower motor.

• Be sure to change the Pad (Filter) in your humidifier. Seasonal (early Fall) changing of your humidifier pad assures proper water flow across the pad and prevents hard water build up that could cause damaging leakage.

• Call your local HVAC company and set up an annual Maintenance and Safety Check of your furnace. Changing furnace and humidifier filters is something that you can do. However, there are testing procedures and specific cleaning techniques that only a professional and certified technician should perform.

Check out Comfort Measure Heating & AC's new video!

What is Superheat and Why is Superheat important to Your Air Conditioning System?

SUPERHEAT assures that the refrigerant leaving the evaporator (coil inside your home) is indeed in a vaporized state. Ideal superheat should be 8 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit - the difference between suction line temperature and the boiling point temperature of the evaporator. Superheat assures that the compressor will not receive a "slug" of liquid refrigerant (liquid refrigerant can damage your compressor - the heart of your AC system and expensive to repair!). The compressor receives vaporized refrigerant and compresses it into a high pressure high temperature state. Once the refrigerant leaves the compressor (traveling through the discharge gas line) it moves to the condenser. Refrigerant within the condenser rejects heat (typically accelerated by a fan). Within the condenser the refrigerant condenses (changes state from high pressure high temperature vapor to high pressure high temperature liquid). Moving through the liquid line the high pressure high temperature liquid should be measured by checking for SUBCOOLING. More talk about subcooling in an upcoming post!

Mice Aren't Nice to Your Outside Air Conditioning Unit (Condenser)

Mice and other critters like to nest inside of your outdoor Air Conditioning unit (Condenser). Mice like condenser units because they offer dry and warm compartments that provide protection from wind, rain, snow and predators. However, mice aren't nice to your condenser unit. Why? Well, mice like to chew things - like wires! In the picture below you can see the nest (bottom of picture) our professional service technician removed from the condenser compartment that houses all the electrical AC components. This critter chewed away insulation from the 240V power source - causing the homeowner a relatively expensive repair - yet an avoidable one. Purchasing an annual maintenance plan will reduce the chances of mice, chipmunks and the like from becoming too comfortable housing in your AC unit. When you purchase an annual maintenance plan - you can count on your AC unit being opened, inspected and tested at least once a year.

Mice Cause Expensive Damage