FAQ's
 
The best contractors educate you on all aspects of a complete home comfort system. Below are some frequently asked questions which may help you. If you would like to speak with someone, please give us a call.

How does a home comfort system work?

Your home comfort system is essential to keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It also helps protect you from allergens and pollutants year round. A home comfort system is made up of four major components: a thermostat, a furnace, an air conditioner or a heat pump and an indoor air quality system.

Starting with the thermostat, the command center for your comfort system, when the temperature inside drops below or rises above the thermostat setting, the thermostat signals your comfort system to kick on or increase power.

In the case of the furnace, whenever the temperature gets too cold, the thermostat starts the fan motor so that the system’s fan can begin drawing room air through vents and ductwork. When air reaches the furnace cabinet, it passes through a filter, air cleaner or other air quality system. It also moves through a heat exchanger, which warms the air. Then, heated air is blown back into ducts and living areas.

During summer months, the furnace is still working, even though it’s not heating rooms or burning fuel. It acts as an air delivery system for the air conditioner, located outside the home.

So how does the air get cooled?

When the thermostat senses the temperature is too warm, it activates the air conditioner compressor, which pumps refrigerant through a loop of piping that runs between the outside air-conditioning unit and indoor cooling coil. As refrigerant passes through the cooling coil, typically installed on top of the furnace, heat is extracted from the indoor air circulating around it. The furnace blower then sends the conditioned air to living spaces through ductwork.

That’s basically how a home comfort system works. Keep in mind, not all systems are created equal.

No heat?
There may be a simple solution! Before you call for service, check these 10 items. Remember: If you don’t feel comfortable checking these items, give us a call and a service technician will complete the check of your heating system.


1. Is the thermostat set to the HEAT position?


2. Is the temperature set at least 3 degrees above the current room temperature?


3. Does the thermostat use batteries and are they dead?


4. If the thermostat has a fan switch, is it ON? If you can’t hear the fan and there is no air coming out of the registers, there may not be power to the furnace. The next item to check is the electrical panel:


5. If the furnace has a breaker, has it been tripped? (If it has, then the switch will be between the ON and OFF positions.) If it has been tripped, reset the breaker by switching it all the way OFF and then ON.


6. If the furnace has a fuse, has it blown? If so, replace it. WARNING: If the breaker keeps tripping or the fuse keeps blowing, have us look after it. If you have checked the above items and the furnace is still not running, check the actual heating unit:


7. Is the emergency shut-off switch for the furnace ON? (If you have this switch, it will look like a regular light switch and will be located near the furnace.)


8. Are all access doors and panels to the furnace secured?


9. If the furnace has a standing pilot light, is it lit?


10. Does the furnace have an adequate fuel supply?

Why do people replace their furnaces?

You may want to consider replacing your furnace if:

  • Your furnace is more than 15 years old. Furnaces built today are more efficient and breakdown less often
  • You want to change fuel types (e.g., from electric to natural gas)
  • You have expanded your house and the existing furnace cannot handle the new heating load
  • You have an older furnace that is not compatible with the new air conditioner you would like to buy

To keep your new furnace working at its best, consider investing in a maintenance plan. Early warning signs can be detected and addressed before serious problems occur (saving you money!). Also, a well maintained system will minimize energy consumption, prolong the life of your equipment and reduce the likelihood of emergency calls.

What’s the right size of furnace for my home?

To determine the correct furnace size for a given house, a heat-load calculation must be performed. This calculation takes into account a number of factors including the size and orientation of the house, the local landscaping, the number of windows, and the number of occupants. Too large a furnace means you will use (and pay for) more fuel than necessary; too little means you won't be comfortable. Northern Air ClimateCare can advise you which size is best for your situation. The sizing of your furnace is critical to proper operation; never leave this to guess work.

Do I need to get anything else for my new furnace?

To ensure compatibility, it's a good idea to think about adding furnace accessories at the time you buy your new furnace. Some accessories include filters and programmable thermostats.

Filters - Furnace filters have two purposes:

1. To protect the inner workings of the furnace and the condenser coil of the central air conditioning system (located in the furnace) from dust and debris.

2. To improve indoor air quality by trapping harmful particles. The standard fiberglass filter that comes with a new furnace provides the minimum basic protection. We recommend one of the following types of filters:

HEPA filter – This filter is made of fine borosilicate fibres that are pressed together to form a net-like structure with openings large enough for air to pass through but too small for most particulates. The filters are made in sheets which are pleated to achieve maximum surface area. The filters contain the highest amount of carbon possible to ensure efficiency and maximum use.

Electrostatic filter - This filter attracts particles using a static charge created by air moving over the filter. It protects the furnace and air conditioning coil, and traps a wide range of bioparticles such as pet dander, bacteria, moulds, and pollen. This filter must be washed and dried monthly and lasts about five years.

Pleated fabric filter - The pleats in this filter provide a large surface area for capturing particles. It traps all that an electrostatic filter can, and is somewhat more effective. This filter should be replaced approximately every three months (check it every month to see if it is dirty).

Media air filter - This filter has a high-efficiency pleated medium that can trap all that the pleated fabric and electrostatic filters can. However, this filter requires minimal maintenance – you simply change the media cartridge once or twice a year.

Programmable thermostats - Programmable thermostats allow you to set the temperature in your home according to time of day or even day of the week. Models with “setback” options can reduce your monthly heating bill by up to 15%! In addition, according to Energy Star, programmable thermostats are more convenient and accurate than manual thermostats and improve your home’s comfort. They contain no mercury and are better for the environment, since using less energy helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production.

Should I have my ducts cleaned?

If there is substantial visible mold growth inside sheet metal ductwork or on other components of your heating and cooling system, ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris, and/or you haven't had a duct cleaning performed on your home, we encourage you book an appointment today.Contaminants in your Home Comfort system can aggravate asthma and allergies. Our duct cleaning process can help eliminate bacteria and fungus to improve your indoor air quality. Cleaning your air ducts can protect everyone in your home from breathing contaminated air.

What if I moved into a new home?

Your new home may not be as clean as you think. During construction, your air duct system is open allowing wood shavings, drywall dust, dirt, trash, and carpet fibres to settle or be swept into your system. Cleaning your air duct system is the only way to thoroughly remove these contaminates.

Click here to learn more about duct cleaning.

How can I keep my home properly humidified in the winter?

Keeping your home’s humidity between 35-40% can help reduce the effects of many unwanted conditions. If frost or condensation forms on your windows, the humidity level is too high. If your hardwood floors start to separate, the humidity is too dry. Weather-stripping and caulking can help control humidity. You can also install equipment, such as bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans to reduce humidity. Humidifiers can be used to add humidity. Give us a call for more information, we can help determine what will work best for your home.

How often should I have my equipment serviced?

Heating and cooling equipment should be serviced at least once a year. An ideal situation is to have the heating system checked in early fall and the air conditioning checked in the spring.

Why should I have my equipment serviced?

Annual servicing includes cleaning the system, checking for any problems or potential problems and adjusting for peak efficiency. The benefits include:

  • Increased dependability
  • Prolongs the life-span of the equipment
  •  Find potential problems and fix them quickly
  • Provide maximum efficiency which lowers energy costs
  • Maintains safe and healthy operation
  • Reduces the chance of a break-down which, if happens at night or on weekends, repair rates are higher

How do I find a contractor who will do a good job?

Ask people you know who have had a heating or cooling system installed and if they would recommend them. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Check out customer testimonial pages and see what customers say about them.

Glossary of Terms

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) is a measure of a furnace's heating efficiency. The higher the AFUE percentage, the more efficient furnace.

A British thermal unit (Btu) is a standard measure of heat energy. One Btu is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Its metric thermal equivalent is 252 calories per hour. As a unit of power, one Btu/h equals 0.2929 watts (W). Manufacturers classify the size, or capacity, of an air-conditioning unit in terms of Btu/h.

Cooling capacity, measured in British thermal units per hour (Btu/h), indicates the quantity of heat a room air conditioner can remove in one hour.

Cooling load, also expressed in Btu/h, refers to the maximum amount of heat that can build up in a space without a cooling system.

A watt (W) is the standard unit of power; one kilowatt (kW) equals 1000 watts. You purchase electricity from your utility by the kilowatt hour (kWh), equivalent to the amount of power required to operate one 100-W light bulb for 10 hours. To estimate how much electricity an appliance uses, multiply the wattage of the machine by the number of hours it will run.

Energy efficiency ratio (EER) is a comparative measure of how much cooling an air conditioner provides for each unit of electrical energy that it consumes under standard operating conditions. A unit's EER is calculated by dividing its cooling capacity by its electrical power input at a specific temperature. In general, the higher the EER, the more efficient the unit.