Is an Electric Furnace Better Than a Gas Furnace?

February 7th, 2022

If it’s time for you to purchase a new furnace for your household, you’ll have a lot of factors to consider. Seemingly minor choices can have a huge impact on the overall efficacy and efficiency of your new heating system, so it’s important that you do your research and consult with a professional before making your purchase.

An inefficiently operating system can leave you with higher bills plus an increased need for repairs.

After choosing the make and model of your furnace, the next and most important choice to make is what fuel source you’ll utilize. If you’ve always used an electric furnace, you may think that’s your only option, but this isn’t necessarily true. Still, though, is an electric furnace a “better” choice?

Well, this depends! Read on to learn more.

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Should You Invest in a Tankless Water Heater?

January 24th, 2022
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In this day and age, homeowners look for greater convenience and quicker gratification than ever before. This can be seen as a negative, but hey, it’s hard to resist convenience and ease of use, and we say there is nothing wrong with wanting this for yourself and your home!

First-time homeowners and seasoned homeowners alike would do well to consider modernizing their homes with a new kind of water heater–a tankless system. Tank water heaters have been the conventional model found in homes for decades, but tankless systems have a number of benefits that are leading them to become a much more popular option.

When it comes to water heaters, the basic question is, “should I get another storage tank system or go tankless?” Read on as we compare the two and show you the benefits of upgrading to a tankless system, should you choose to.

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How’s Your Indoor Air Quality (and How Can It Improve)?

January 10th, 2022
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Many homeowners throughout the Portland area don’t quite know how to answer the question “how’s your indoor air quality?” This is because they don’t actually know!

The fact is, without the right indoor air quality products and services in place, the average home in our area has worse air quality than the air outside. This is because our HVAC systems can bring in particles and contaminants, and if they have no clear way out, then it just keeps collecting.

Poor indoor air quality can lead to allergy and asthma symptoms, illness transmission, and overall less comfort. The good news is, however, there is something you can do about it! You can talk to our team to start exploring what indoor air quality solutions might be best for your home.

One possible solution? The whole-house air purifier. Read on to learn more!

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Why Does My Furnace Keep Shutting Off Early?

December 13th, 2021
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When you live in a climate such as ours, it’s essential that you have a fully functional and highly efficient heating system in place. So when your furnace starts acting up, it can definitely be frustrating.

One of the most common calls we get in regards to a malfunctioning furnace is about a heater that shuts off earlier than it’s meant to–before it completes a full heating cycle. This is a process called short-cycling.

While short-cycling doesn’t pose a danger, like other problems with a gas-powered furnace might, it can certainly cause damage to your furnace, leading to expensive repairs or even a premature system breakdown and replacement need.

So what causes this? Well, there are a few different potential culprits, which we’ll dive into below. Read on!

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Look Out for These 5 Odd Behaviors From Your Furnace

November 15th, 2021
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There’s no denying that when it’s winter in our climate, you need a reliable and efficient furnace. There’s also no denying that this furnace needs professional maintenance, at least once a year, to operate at its best.

Of course, even with maintenance, there’s always a chance that you may need unexpected Vancouver, WA furnace services. Your furnace, after all, is just like any other important home comfort appliance in that it suffers from natural wear and tear. The trick is, knowing the signs that your furnace needs repair before it has the chance to lead to a breakdown. Read on as we uncover some odd behaviors you might want to watch out for from your furnace, and give us a call if you notice any of them!

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Do I Need Air Filters or an Air Purifier for My Home?

November 1st, 2021
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This is a question people often have about improving their home’s indoor air quality. The topic of air quality in buildings has become more important than ever over the last few years, and our customers want to know the best path toward healthier air. With so many options available for cleaner indoor air quality, it can feel overwhelming to anyone unfamiliar with HVAC services. This is why people sometimes boil their concerns down to the question: “Air filter or air purifier?”

The answer to the question is … you can have both. This isn’t an either/or situation. Often, the best way for a house to have great indoor air quality is with both an air filter and air purifier installation in Vancouver, WA. 

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Why Am I Not Getting Enough Hot Water From My Water Heater?

October 18th, 2021
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It’s one of those annoyances you hope doesn’t happen to you, but chances are it will at some point: you turn on the shower one morning and discover that the hot water is lukewarm, or it quickly starts to fluctuate in temperature. Something is wrong with the water heater so that it’s not producing a steady flow of hot water the way it usually does. But what is causing this? And can it be fixed?

Several problems with a water heater can lead to a drop in either water temperature or hot water volume. We’ll look at some of the most common below. If there isn’t a simple answer to the problem, call our experts to examine your water heater to see if it needs repairs or possibly a full water heater replacement in Vancouver, WA.

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Is a Gas Furnace Dangerous?

October 4th, 2021
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This is a question HVAC professionals hear often. Gas furnaces are the most common method to heat homes in the United States, but homeowners also know that natural gas can create health hazards through combustion or leak of toxic gasses like carbon monoxide. Are natural gas furnaces a serious potential hazard for your house?

Our answer is two-part:

  1. Gas furnaces are designed with safety uppermost in mind and will not pose any danger to a household under most circumstances. If they did, they’d never be allowed in homes in the first palace.
  2. Gas furnaces have the potential to become dangerous, which is true of any gas-burning appliance. However, you can mitigate this potential to almost nothing with the proper steps.

Follow us below to learn more about gas furnace safety—a little knowledge can go a long way.

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Have Your Changed Your HVAC Filter Recently? Here’s Why It’s Important

September 6th, 2021
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If you polled all professional HVAC companies and asked them what is the one piece of advice they would give homeowners about their heating and cooling systems, almost all would give the same answer:

Please regularly change the HVAC system’s air filter! Every one to three months.

It’s a simple job, taking only a few minutes, and it makes an enormous difference in how the AC and heater run. Perhaps because it’s so simple, people often forget about it and leave the filter in place. When the filter becomes clogged, it creates serious problems that can lead to needing heating or air conditioning repair in Portland, OR.

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It’s Getting Time for Your Annual Furnace Tune-Up!

August 23rd, 2021
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Yes, it’s still summer, and we can expect more hot weather in the future. That doesn’t mean you can’t start planning ahead, especially when it comes to something as vital for the coming fall and winter as the furnace that keeps your family warm and safe. We have almost reached the time of the year to schedule regular furnace maintenance. 

We always recommend our customers have their furnace tune-ups and inspections done in September or October. This prepares furnaces in plenty of time for the arrival of the serious cold weather, and it takes advantage of a slower time of the year for our HVAC pros. When our schedules aren’t packed with emergency AC repairs, we have an easier time finding convenient slots for maintenance appointments.

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