Posts Tagged ‘furnace cleaning’
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
As Americans, we inherently have busy lives full of things to remember on a day to day basis. Maintaining the heating and cooling system may not be a task that needs to be completed every day, but for most, checking the furnace’s filter just once a month is still too much of a task to remember. In order to make sure things continue to work properly, many homeowners will invest in fancy filters that can last for multiple months, so that they don’t have to remember to change the filter every 30 days. However, some of these homeowners are finding that despite the manufacturer’s claims that the filter should last 3 months or longer, the filter still needs changing every 30 days. Before you blame the manufacturer, take a moment to consider that the problem might not be your filter; it might be your HVAC system and the air quality in your home!
Finding the Source of Air Quality Problems
It is recommended that once you replace your filter or upgrade to a new type of filter you check it every 30 days to make sure that it is able to handle to air quality in the home. For some, 30 days comes and the filter that is made to last 3-6 months is still in good conditioner. For others, the filter already needs to be changed. The problem lies within the home’s air quality. You may have animals or other factors that are contributing to the dirty air in the home or you may just have filthy ducts. As the furnace circulates air through them, debris is picked up and caught by the filter. When this debris is excessive, it can waste a filter in 30 days or less. (more…)
Tags: 30 days, air conditioner, Air Quality, Chicago, cleaning, Duct Cleaning, Evergreen Park, filter replacement, Flossmoor, Forest Park, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace cleaning, furnace filter, IL, maintenance, Tune Up
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Duct Cleaning, Furnace, Home Services, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration | No Comments »
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
Your furnace is your home’s source of comfort. As long as that unit keeps running and continues to keep you and your family warm, there is a sense of security in the home. However, your furnace can quickly turn into a source of danger if you don’t take the proper precautions. Having a furnace in the home is like having a well ventilated and circulated fire in the home. It is able to keep everyone warm, but in the process is creates harmful combustion gases that must be expelled from the home. When everything is working properly and well cared for, venting these harmful gases is not a major concern. Yet, when maintenance falls by the wayside, the furnace can cause dangerous problems for your family. Luckily Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning is around to help you keep your furnace in check.
Heat Exchanger Deterioration
Not maintaining the furnace yearly could lead to a variety of problems that will require any number of repairs. But, the problems that a lack of maintenance can cause for your furnace’s heat exchanger are what truly concern us. The heat exchanger expands and contracts with every cycle of the furnace. Over time this will lead to the development of cracks and holes in the steel of the heat exchanger. Nearly all furnaces will meet this fate if they are in operation for long enough, but the goal is to prevent this from happening for as long as possible. That means that you must have yearly furnace cleanings performed on the system along with regular filter replacements. (more…)
Tags: air flow, Alsip, Chicago, comfort, filter replacement, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace cleaning, Hanover Park, heat exchanger, Heating, heating problems, HVAC contractor, IL, maintenance, maintenance checks, over heating, Safety, yearly cleaning
Posted in Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Safety, Tips and Suggestions, furnace filtration, maintenance | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Homeowners across Chicagoland are looking for quick and easy ways to save money on their heating bills this winter. Many have invested money in new systems, improved insulation, and other energy efficient home improvements, but others want to save money without having to spend money. We honestly can’t blame them, but it is extremely important to know what you are doing before you make a change that could damage your furnace or your home. One such change involves closing off registers or vents in rooms that are not used very frequently.
Restricting Furnace Air Flow
When you close off registers to certain rooms in the home you can run into a few problems. The main problem is caused when you close off too many registers in the home, and this can happen inadvertently as well. If you close more than 30% of the registers, you could start chocking the furnace. Your furnace needs a certain amount of airflow to run properly, and when you close off registers, you deny the furnace some airflow. A bed, dresser, or other piece of furniture placed too close to a register or over one could also lead to airflow problems in your furnace. This could lead to premature part failure and overheating of the system. In the end you would pay more on your energy bills because the furnace would have to work harder to heat the remaining rooms in the home. (more…)
Tags: air flow, Bridgeview, Burbank, burst pipes, Chicago, closed registers, cost, energy bills, Four Seasons, frozen pipes, Furnace, furnace cleaning, furnace maintenance, furnace tune up, IL, plumbing, registers, save money, vents, Worth
Posted in Air Quality, Furnace, Heating, Management, Savings, Tips and Suggestions | Comments Off
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
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
Most of us like to make resolutions every New Year in order to set goals for ourselves. We resolve to do everything from losing weight to making more money, and even though we may put forth a good effort for the first few months, these self improvement resolutions are often forgotten before a real improvement is ever made. This year, why don’t you try something a little different? Here at Four Seasons, we want to encourage you to use this year as a chance to make some much needed energy efficient improvements in your home and Four Seasons can help!
Home Improvement Resolutions
- Replace the Furnace: The older the heating system is, the better the chances are that it is extremely inefficient. If you were to swap out that old unit with a high efficiency Lennox system from Four Seasons, you could save up to 30% or more on your energy bills every year!
- Improve the Efficiency of the Furnace You Have: If you unit is fairly new and rated at 80% AFUE or higher, you may want to just consider starting a maintenance routine this year. A seasonal tune-up from Four Seasons will keep that unit running at peak efficiency for years to come, and prevent problems that could shorten your system’s lifespan. This service will also help you get the most out of your heating system this year! (more…)
Tags: attic insulation, Brookfield, energy efficiency, Four Seasons, furnace cleaning, furnace sales, home improvements, IL, Joliet, Justice, Lennox, programmable thermostat
Posted in Heating, Home Services, Savings, attic insulation | Comments Off
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning has many services and products that can potentially offer allergy symptom relief to many this winter season. Winter allergies can often be as bad if not worse than the spring and summer allergies that most of us are accustomed to hearing about, and being cooped up indoors, for months at a time, makes those with allergies very susceptible to the indoor air pollutants that plague thousands of homes in Chicago and the Chicago land area. Duct cleanings, furnace cleanings, air purifiers, and humidifiers are all excellent options to decrease the presence of allergens in the home, and Four Seasons can make implementing these products and services in your home a breeze this winter season.
- Duct Cleaning Services: Four Seasons offers professional duct cleaning services that will clear the pollen, dust, mold, and dander from your duct work system. These are allergens that are constantly circulating in the air when the furnace is running, and a duct cleaning will greatly reduce their presence in your home.
- Furnace Cleaning Services: Yearly furnace maintenance tune-ups are important if you want to keep your furnace running reliably all winter long. But, these cleanings can also help relieve allergy symptoms. A dirty furnace is packed with dust and other allergens and as the air in your home passes through the furnace to be warmed, it picks up these allergens. These particles are then delivered to all of the rooms in your home. Combine this service with a monthly filter change and a duct cleaning, and you will greatly improve your indoor air quality. (more…)
Tags: air purifier, Air Quality, allergy, Chicago, Country Club Hills, Crest Hill, Duct Cleaning, dust, Four Seasons, furnace cleaning, humidifier, mold, pollen, Riverdale, winter
Posted in Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Health, Heating, maintenance | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
Life is busy especially at this time of year! With all of the running around shopping, cooking, and preparing for parties, furnace care often falls to the wayside. Months may pass without ever thinking about the heating system, and suddenly there is a breakdown. You travel down to the unit, pull the filter, and find that it is packed with debris and dust. This seems to be the cause of your breakdown. Unfortunately, you haven’t stocked up on replacements, so you figure that for the time being you will just let the unit run without a filter until you can get to the store.
The furnace starts back up and everything seems to be working fine. The only problem is you never do remember to replace the filter, and in a matter of weeks you have a very costly furnace repair on your hands. Running a furnace without a filter is like a death sentence for the unit’s internal components. It is one of the biggest heating mistakes you can make, and here at Four Seasons we find this mistake a lot more than we would like to. (more…)
Tags: blower motor, Chicago, dust, filter replacement, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace cleaning, furnace filter, Homewood, IL, maintenance, Oak Lawn, Tinley Park
Posted in Air Quality, Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, furnace filtration, maintenance | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
As of the year 2007 it became an Illinois law that every home must have carbon monoxide detectors installed. Nevertheless, many households have yet to comply, and of those that have installed detectors many have allowed them to fall into disrepair over the years. Among the appliances in your home that can leak carbon monoxide, furnaces and boilers that are poorly cared for are often the source of this deadly gas. Yearly cleanings performed by professionals are the best way to keep your system in check. But, accidents do happen, and that is why carbon monoxide detectors are so crucial to your family’s safety in the home.
Here at Four Seasons, we understand the importance of encouraging homeowners to install and maintain their carbon monoxide detectors. These are some CO detector maintenance checks that you and your family should be performing on a regular basis: (more…)
Tags: Boiler, Carbon Monoxide, Chicago, Four Seasons, Furnace, furnace cleaning, heating services, Home Services, IL, maintenance, Safety, Shorewood, Western Springs
Posted in Boiler, Furnace, Health, Heating, Home Services, Informational, Safety, maintenance | Comments Off
Friday, November 26th, 2010
Don’t know who to hire for your seasonal tune-up, duct cleaning, or furnace repairs? Well, this year, look no further than Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning for all of your HVAC system’s needs! What makes Four Seasons any better than other heating and cooling companies? There are many things that set us apart in this business, but our customer service ethic is defiantly one of the big ones.
We strive to have the utmost honesty and integrity when working with our customers, and in order to sweeten the deal, we always offer coupon and special discounts to take some of the load off of investing in their homes heating and cooling systems. These days we are offering three discounts that visitors to the Four Seasons website can take advantage of through December 31st 2010: (more…)
Tags: Alsip, Chicago, coupons, discounts, Duct Cleaning, Four Seasons, furnace cleaning, furnace repair, Hillside, IL, indoor air quality, maintenace, Oak Lawn
Posted in Air Quality, Duct Cleaning, Furnace Repair, Heating, Quality, Savings, maintenance | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
One of the most frequently asked questions in the HVAC industry is, “How often should I change my furnace filter?” Unfortunately, there isn’t one straightforward answer that we can give you because there are several factors that play a role in the condition of the filter. Obviously, the first step would be to check the packaging on the filter itself. Usually it will have a recommended length of time after which replacement will be needed. However, here at Four Seasons, we don’t want you to suffer the consequences that come from having a dirty filter, so we recommend that you check the filter monthly. If it is dirty, replace it. If not, wait another month and check again. But, some families should be checking their filters more frequently. These are people who have:
- Pets- pet hair quickly clogs furnace filters
- Several people living in the home- the more people in the home, the more dust and debris that will be floating in the air
- Recent construction in the home- Dust and debris from drywall and other construction materials will cause the filter to need to be changed more frequently (more…)
Tags: air filter, Air Quality, Chicago, debris, dust, Four Seasons, furance filter, furnace cleaning, furnace sales, HVAC, IL, Justice, Lisle, Midlothian, pets, smoke
Posted in Air Quality, Air filtration, Furnace, Health, furnace filtration | Comments Off
