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What is the difference between a furnace and a boiler? |
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A furnace uses forced hot air to heat a home, whereas a boiler uses steam or hot water. |
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What things can I do myself to ensure that my furnace operates safely and properly? |
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There are several things you can do:
- Make sure you are not storing anything flammable, such as gas cans or lawnmowers, near your furnace.
- Change your furnace filters frequently, at least once every 2-3 months. Dirty filters can restrict air-flow, causing your furnace to be less efficient at heating your home.
- After several months of not running your heat, turn it on just to make sure it is working. You don't want to wait until the first cold day of autumn to find out that your heat doesn't work.
- Have your furnace properly maintained with a professional tune-up. Carroll Home Services can perform a tune-up on your system to keep it running at maximum efficiency. Contact us today to arrange a service call!
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Should my furnace be serviced on a regular basis? |
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Yes, we recommend servicing your furnace yearly. The services we perform in our yearly tune-up are:
- Test and adjust oil burner for maximum efficiency.
- Inspect combustion chamber.
- Clean and check electrodes and nozzle assembly.
- Install oil filter cartridge and burner nozzle.
- Oil all motors on burner, fans, and circulators.
- Check and adjust pump pressure.
- Check all safety and operating controls.
- Vacuum furnace and flue pipe, including chimney base (where accessible), when necessary.
- Balancing of heating system
- Bleeding of radiators
- Purging of heating system
This yearly tune-up is performed free of charge when you purchase one of our Carroll Home Comfort Plans. If you'd like to have your furnace serviced by one of our highly skilled technicians, or if you'd like to purchase a Home Comfort plan for your furnace, contact us today!
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How do I know when my furnace needs to be replaced? |
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The two main factors to pay attention to when it comes to replacing old equipment are age and efficiency rating. As a general rule of thumb, you probably want to replace equipment that is older than 10 years. Since efficiency ratings have gone up dramatically in the past 10 years, replacing older equipment can save you money in the long run on your energy bills. More efficient equipment uses less energy to keep your home comfortable.
If you'd like, one of our friendly, knowledgeable comfort consultants can contact you to discuss replacing your equipment. Click here to provide us with your contact information so that a Carroll Home Services representative can respond to your needs.
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Where is the emergency switch located? When should this be used? |
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The emergency switch is usually located at the basement's exit, at the top of the steps or near a back door. This switch is identical to a light switch, but it usually has a red switch plate. It should only be used when you need to cut the electricity to the furnace in case of a problem. |
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Where is the reset button located? Why should you only press it one time? |
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The reset button is always red and is usually located on or near the burner. On systems that are 40 years old or older, the reset button is located on the smoke pipe. When the reset button is pressed it causes fuel to flow into the system. It is a bad idea to press the reset multiple times, because it can cause the system to flood. |
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What is a prime and start? Is this procedure different for a furnace than a boiler? |
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A break in the fuel line or an empty fuel tank would make it necessary for a technician to perform a prime and start on a furnace or boiler. To do this, the technician must first trace the oil line to the pump and loosen the bleeder valve. Then he must attach an oil line to the pump, press the reset button on the system, and allow the line to run until there is a steady stream of oil reaching the furnace or boiler. This process is the same for both a furnace and a boiler. |
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