Archive for the ‘furnace filtration’ Category
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Thanksgiving may be over, but we are just beginning the winter season here in Chicago! The worst of it is yet to come, but we have found that many homeowners are already having big problems with their heating systems. One of the more common complaints we get are about furnaces that turn on an off every few minutes. This problem is refereed to as short cycling in the HVAC industry The home never gets to the desired temperature because only a little bit of heat is put out of the unit when it does cycle on. The temperature on the thermostat is never met and the homeowner is left frustrated and confused. This problem could be caused by any number of issues, but Four Seasons has a solution for them all! Here are some of the most frequently found problems:
- Dirty System: Systems that haven’t been cleaned in ages are often the source of overheating problems. A simple clean and check from Four Seasons could be enough to get the system going again.
- Dirty Filter: Dirty filters block airflow and consequently cause the furnace to overheat as it attempts to keep up. A unit that is overheating will shut itself off as a safety mechanism but as soon as it cools off it will attempt to turn itself back on. This causes the short cycling symptoms and could be taken care of with a simple filter change. (more…)
Tags: filter change, Four Seasons, furance repair, Furnace, furnace cleaning, furnace sizing, Heating, IL, Lake Villa, oversized, replacement, Sauk Village, short cycling, Skokie
Posted in Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration, maintenance | Comments Off
Friday, November 25th, 2011
Not all furnaces are created equal, and if you have had a high efficiency furnace installed in your home over the past couple of years, you may have already begun to notice some of the differences between your new unit and your old system. The biggest difference is seen every month on your energy bills. Most homeowners that upgrade find that they send much less on energy to heat the home and yet receive more comfort than the old system was ever able to provide. However, Four Seasons wants to point out one difference between the old system and new system that may require you to make one more maintenance check periodically throughout the winter.
Technological Improvements Save Energy
Traditionally furnaces were vented through the chimney of the home. This was an inefficient way of getting the excess combustion gases out of the home, but in the process actually spent more energy than the furnace used to create heat. Hundreds of your hard earned dollars were being wasted in the combustion process and were never actually turning into usable heat for the home. The new high efficiency furnaces sought to improve upon this by creating a more efficient combustion and venting process. (more…)
Tags: Algonquin, blizzard, Chicago, combustion, Four Seasons, Furnace, Heating, IL, maintenance, obstruction, PVC pipes, save money, service call, snow, venting, winter
Posted in Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Safety, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration, maintenance | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
When customers call into Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning for a furnace repair service call, we always ask for a general description of the problem. The answer is usually some variation of, “The heat doesn’t work!” One such variation of this problem would be that the furnace is not producing enough heat. The vents are pumping out somewhat warm air, but the home just seems incapable of getting to the temperature set on the thermostat. If this describes your furnace, the problem may be located in the furnace or it could possibly be a problem elsewhere in the home that is affecting your furnace’s ability to keep you and your family warm. Four Seasons can help you sort it out, and below are some of the potential causes of your problem.
What’s Holding Back Your Furnace?
- Dirty Filter: Believe it or not, a dirty furnace filter could be what is stopping your furnace from working at its full potential. A clogged filter blocks airflow and the small amount of air that is getting by isn’t enough to heat the home efficiently. Given more time, the clogged filter will eventually choke the furnace and stop it from providing any heat at all! If you haven’t changed the filter in months and you have this problem, change the filter before you spend your money on a service call and see if you notice an improvement in your comfort.
- Filthy Burners: If the filter is clean, the problem may be located inside the furnace. Dirty, poorly adjusted burners can also be a source of this problem. A way to see if this could be causing your problem would be to take a peek inside the furnace while it is running. If you see flames that are any other color than clean burning blue, you have this problem. Orange and yellow flames aren’t as hot as blue flames, but a simple cleaning and adjustment from your Four Seasons technician could get things running normally once more. (more…)
Tags: burners, Chicago, filter, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace filter, furnace repair, Hazel Crest, Heating, home comfort specialist, Homer Glen, IL, Insulation, not enough heat, replacement, sales, service call, sizing
Posted in Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Tips and Suggestions, attic insulation, furnace filtration, maintenance | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 29th, 2011
As we slowly begin to accept that summer is over, we start the transition from warm weather to cold. We pack away our tank tops and shorts. We replace weather stripping and switch the thermostat over to “heat,” but what we really should be doing is changing our filter. Every year, hundreds of homeowners recycle the same filter from month to month without ever giving it a second’s thought. They allow it to become clogged and riddled with debris and dust from around the home. This filter is holding you back from having proper indoor air quality and a properly functioning furnace. Four Seasons is here to set things straight with a reminder to change your filter with the change of the seasons.
High Efficiency Filters
Many homeowners have graduated from using the cheap fiberglass filters and upgraded to a higher efficiency filter. These filters do not have to be changed as frequently as fiberglass filters do, and though this may be convenient, it also makes it very easy to forget about the furnace filter all together. However, you must not let your furnace fall victim to the consequences of an old filter. (more…)
Tags: air flow, Air Quality, Chicago, Crown Point, Crystal Lake, debris, dust, fiberglass, filter replacement, Four Seasons, high efficiency, IL, maintenance, old filter
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Monday, September 26th, 2011
Have you entered your home from outside and noticed multiple odors? Is it from cooking, dirty laundry, smoking or trash that needs to be taken out? Does your home smell musty? You can purchase spray, plug-in or standing air fresheners or burn countless candles to try and mask these odors, but the expense of these products can add-up! Why not invest in a Healthy Climate Media Air Cleaner instead?
Capturing and Eliminating Odors
The air cleaners offered by Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning work with the heating and cooling system in your home. They will help to bring cleaner air into your home and help reduce the amount of money spent on air fresheners. They do this by getting to the source of the problem and not just masking it like air fresheners do. These filters actually capture and remove odor causing particles from the air like molds and other debris. When it comes to cooking and smoke, these filters come with an activated carbon filter option that can capture these scents and leave behind nothing but fresh, clean smelling air. (more…)
Tags: Air Cleaner, air freshener, air purifier, Air Quality, clean air, Elk Grove Village, Elmwood Park, filter, Four Seasons, IL, masking odors, media filter, odors, winter
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration | Comments Off
Friday, August 26th, 2011
Remembering to change the filter in our furnaces every month or every 60 to 90 days is just another thing to add on to each of our “to-do lists.” That list of tasks we have no time for and often find ourselves far behind in completing is always growing longer and longer, and you may find yourself picking and choosing which tasks fall by the wayside. We would like to take this moment to strongly recommend that your filter changes are not one of the tasks you neglect. We are pretty sure you have heard of the many problems caused by dirty filters and consequently dirty furnaces and air conditioners, but we have one problem you may have not even realized was possible.
Filter in the Blower
Every year, Four Seasons service technicians visit homes that have filters jammed in the blower compartment. For those that may not know, your filter does NOT belong in the blower compartment. In fact, if this happens in your furnace, you are most likely going to have to replace that blower. How does this happen? Well, the problem began by the filter being installed improperly and was progressed to this level of damage when the homeowner forgot to check and change the filter regularly. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, blower compartment, blower motor, cleaner, filter, Four Seasons, Furnace, Hometown, IL, installation, maintenance, monthly, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, prevention, serviceman, technician
Posted in Air conditioning, Heating, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration, maintenance | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
It starts as a slight rattle that you try to ignore. Within weeks that rattle now sounds like there is a train plowing through your basement every time the HVAC system turns on. What is causing this noise? An imbalanced blower motor is the culprit. No matter which system you are using, air conditioner or furnace, the blower motor is always in operation. This fan circulates air through the duct work in your home, and the slightest disturbance in its function could result in a massive part failure. At Four Seasons, we have recently noticed that many of the homeowners encountering this problem have a similar root cause to the issue. The true problem lies within the duct work, but the good news is, this doesn’t have to be a problem in your home too.
Debris in the Blower
When we send out a technician to run a call like this, they often find that the motor became unbalanced because a bit of debris got into the blower compartment. Candy wrappers, old receipts, and even plastic army men have been known to find their way into the blower motor. These tiny objects have the power to destroy this rather expensive part of your system, and they traveled through your duct work to do so. (more…)
Tags: bacteria, Berwyn, blower motor, blower wheel, Chicago, debris, Duct Cleaning, duct work, filter, Four Seasons, Furnace, Hanover Park, IL, maintenance, Oswego, save money, spores, viruses
Posted in Air conditioning, Duct Cleaning, Heating, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration | Comments Off
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
If you are in the market for an air purification system, then you have probably noticed how complex and confusing some of these air quality improvement systems can be. Special chemicals, monthly filter changes, and water refills are among the problems that many homeowners find with the majority of air quality systems. Although these units may boast about their ability to remove particles from the air in your home, why does it have to be so complicated? Well, with Four Seasons it doesn’t. Our air quality improvement systems offer simple and effective pollutant removal, and when you think about it, isn’t that all that you are looking for?
Simplifying Air Quality
- Air Cleaners: Air cleaners like the Healthy Climate 16 Media air cleaner from Lennox work just like your furnace’s filter, but better because they have the ability to remove far more debris than the typical furnace filter. This particular unit is incorporated right into your duct work and it will remove over 95% of particles down to 0.3 micron. It is also able to remove over 90% of bioaerosols and microbes down to .01micron. It does all this with basically no need for maintenance besides one yearly filter change that can be handled during your normal furnace cleanings. (more…)
Tags: air cleaning, air filter, air purifier, Air Quality, Chicago, duct work, Four Seasons, HVAC, IL, improvement, installation, micron, professional, Round Lake Beach, Sauk Village, UV Light
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Health, furnace filtration | Comments Off
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Every year, thousands of homeowners stand by the old saying, “If it isn’t broken don’t fix it,” and decide not to have their air conditioners cleaned and maintained by a professional like Four Seasons. Within a few years time, these are also the people that find themselves with an air conditioner that doesn’t cool the home efficiently and energy bills that are through the roof. There are several problems that tend to arise with poorly maintained air conditioning systems, but one of the more serious issues a homeowner can face is clogged coils. Our servicemen at Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning see hundreds of units in this condition every year, and it’s a problem that is easily prevented.
Your Air Conditioner Coils
Every central air conditioning system has two coils. The evaporator coil is located inside the home near the furnace and the condenser coils are located in the unit located on the exterior of your home. Both are susceptible to buildup of dirt, dust, and other debris, and need to be cleaned yearly to prevent clogging. (more…)
Tags: Chicago, clogged coil, comfort, condenser coils, cost, debris, energy bills, evaporator coil, Four Seasons, maintenance, Naperville, nature, repair, summer, Tune Up
Posted in Air conditioning, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration, maintenance | 3 Comments »
Friday, March 25th, 2011
When it comes to getting the air inside your home clean, many homeowners believe that the furnace filter is getting the job done. These people probably change their cheap fiberglass filters on a regular basis and believe that fancy air purifiers and air cleaners are for germaphobes that fear even the smallest of unseen particles. Well, Four Seasons is here to tell your that just changing the furnace filter on a regular basis is not enough to keep the air in most homes clean, and if you are one of those homeowners that uses cheap fiberglass filters as your replacement, the air in your home is probably much more contaminated than you may even realize.
The Trouble with Furnace Filters
The real problem with furnace filters is that purchasing a high quality filter every month or every 3 months can get very costly very quickly. For many homeowners it is much easier to purchase a stack of cheap thin fiberglass filters and replace them every month. The problem is that these cheap filters, though they may save you a few bucks, do very little to capture particles that float around in the air of your home. In fact the only particles they do catch are large dust particles, and if they catch anything smaller it is due to the fact that the filter is clogged with dust that makes it harder for tiny particles to get through. (more…)
Tags: Air Cleaner, air filter, Air Quality, Chicago, Country Club Hills, fiberglass, filtration, Four Seasons, Furnace, IL, Lennox, particles, River Forest
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Health, furnace filtration | 1 Comment »
