Frequently Asked Questions
Can you inform me about the carbon monoxide alarm?
As gas furnaces begin to age and are utilized in the winter months, we highly recommend that a carbon monoxide alarm be installed to monitor any dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. If levels are high, a loud sound will alert you and your family members notifying you that it is time to open windows and doors and exit the building.
Do you have any summer tips?
Your Air Conditioner has a pvc 3/4 ” pipe that drains condensation from the system, whether it is above in the attic, basement, or crawl space; by adding a “T” valve to the line the opening exposed you can pour a mixture about half and half Clorox and water in a small container like a shampoo bottle, that will keep mold from building up and clogging the line.
Does A&H Heating offer free estimates?
We provide free estimates on replacement on Heat and A/C systems, with a written proposal good for 30 days.
How can I tell if my Furnace or Air Handler needs repairs?
Here are some signs to watch for and listen to warning you something is going wrong:
1. Unusual sounds: As a motor begins to wear squeaking or grinding noises are heard, or slow starts and stops become repetitive.
2. Strange odors coming through the vents is a sign the motor windings are beginning to burn, when this occurs, turn your system off.
3. The blower motor runs continuously, or stops completely.
How much water does my A/C produce in the summer?
My thermostat has new batteries and still my furnace is not coming on any suggestions on what I should do?
Several things come to mind on what to try next before calling for service if bad weather occurred in your area check your main breakers, if not tripped, check power on/off switch at furnace, switch off then switch back on, check panel doors to furnace making sure they are engaged correctly. If all the suggestions were performed and still not working, its time to call a service technician.
My thermostat is blank and nothing is working, what do I do?
Most thermostats, not all, depend on batteries to power up and run your equipment; a good reminder to replace batteries yearly is to replace on special dates in your family a birthday, anniversary, etc.
Our basement floor was recently flooded with water from our A/C equipment, what can be done to prevent this from happening again?
Generally, a condensate pump is used to expel water through a tube to ground level outside. Should it fail, water has to go somewhere (your floor) the solution would be installing a water drip pan under your equipment with a safety float that is electrically wired into your unit to shut system off as your pan begins to fill. See Tip #1 to help solve this issue.
What are some Fall and Winter tips before Winter begins?
1. Turn your thermostat to heat mode making sure that it is working properly, old thermostats use mercury and that can be very inaccurate
for temperature control, consider replacing with a more modern digital readout thermostat.
2. Make sure Air Supply vents and return air registers are not covered by drapes, furniture, toy boxes,etc this will help reduce the load for a more
economical operation .
3. Avoid excessive use of your exhaust fans, kitchen and bath fans will draw warm air out and thus increase energy use from your equipment
running longer.
4. Your ceiling fans have to modes of rotation CW and CCW, in winter months set your fans on the slowest speed and reverse it to gently
push air down in the CW position.
What is my family breathing in at our home and how can I minimize air pollutants?
Why are my circuit breakers in main panel box keep tripping?
If resetting breakers is a normal event, breaker in panel could be defective, a short in equipment, furnace, air handler, outside unit, may be tripping breaker, that is not a normal occurrence and it needs to be solved before further damage occurs to equipment or wiring.
With Spring and Summer approaching running your system in cool mode for the first time, here are a few things to look for if its not cooling:
A. Is the outside unit running?
B. Is outside fan running?
C. Check Main breakers in house panel box for any breakers to unit is tripped, check outside disconnect box making sure power source is available to unit.
Ice build up around the outside unit is caused by several reasons
A. Check that outside and indoor fans are running if they are not shut system down before further damage is done
B. Check indoor filter and replace if over 3 months passed from last change
C. Low refrigerant will cause ice build up, inside, outside, and connecting copper lines.
D. If A,& B checked out and still ice is evident your system some where refrigerant is leaking out
Maintaining an open environment for your outside unit
A Same as your car needs fresh air to stay cool while driving to keep from over heating, so does your outside unit
B. When cutting your lawn avoid lawn clippings, and debris from hitting your unit
C. Cut back vegetation, weeds, and overhang branches that surround your unit a minimum of 2 feet
Why is it important to ensure all air supply registers and return grills are open and free flowing?
Whether Summer or Winter check to ensure all air supply registers and return grills are open and free flowing with no obstructions, toys, boxes, furniture, etc from blocking the air entering back to the indoor unit, or supplying the air to the structure to prevent hazardous consequences.
Summer Tip #1
Summer weather brings on Ants and Bugs, for what ever reason they are attracted to the electrical components within the outdoor units. these bugs will cause the unit to malfunction or keep it from starting; to prevent these little critters from entering the unit, use a safe pesticide, spread around the base of the unit occasionally.
Summer Tip #2
During electrical storms we can encounter a power surge traveling through our lines leading to our homes; a surge protector installed by a qualified electrician or your local power provider is the way to go, however if thats not affordable, go to your thermostats and switch to the off position till the storm passes, this may save the units from any spikes in line voltage.
Summer Tip #3
Periodic cleaning of the outside unit is a must, when fans are clogged, air cannot circulate causing the unit to overheat creating the system to reach high pressures and temperatures beyond the name plate maximum it can cause the system to shut down, can cause compressor failure ,also wires and electrical components to possibly burn up
Summer & Winter Tip #4
Here are 2 photos of what an inside Blower motor looks like when homeowners fail to change their filter, every 3 months is recommended, unless high traffic in & out occurs within the home; this family had 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 3 teenage siblings, in this case, once a month filter change is highly recommended.
Fall and Winter Tip #5
We recommend during fall like weather, to have an annual gas furnace inspection by a licensed HVAC contractor; photo #1 all appears to be ok, however, photo #2 with continued inspection revealed a potentially dangerous situation for this family of 4, finally, photo # 3 after tear down, shows flue lines rusted out in need of being replaced.
Winter Tip #6