Protect your family from carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is called “the silent killer.”  It is an odorless, colorless gas that’s a by-product of gas combustion.  CO can cause illness or death before you’re aware of its presence.  Fortunately, with good ventilation and well maintained, properly adjusted gas and wood burning appliances, the chances are good you will have little to fear from carbon monoxide.

Unfortunately, many homeowners neglect appliance maintenance, which can be fatal.  According to the U.S. EPA’s James Raub, CO may cause more than half of all fatal poisonings.  “Fatal cases,” claimed Raub in the journal, Toxicology, “Also are grossly under-reported or misdiagnosed by medical professionals.”

Where CO Comes From

To start, background levels of carbon monoxide are always present in the atmosphere.  Some occurs naturally from volcanic activity and forest fires.  Automobile and industrial emissions also contribute to background levels.

In the home, carbon monoxide can come from tobacco smoke, unvented gas space heaters and appliances, and automobile, lawn mower, generator, and other small engine exhaust that enters the home.  You can minimize these risks by avoiding the indoor use of unvented appliances, by leaving your garage open when your car is running (and by not leaving the engine on while the car is in the garage), by starting and stopping small gas engines outside of the garage, and by locating gas generators outside away from doors, windows, or vents.

Carbon monoxide can also occur in the home when a gas appliance’s flue is improperly sized, becomes disconnected, or the flue becomes partially restricted.  A bird nest in the wrong place, for example, may become deadly.  Flues should be checked at the start of each heating season.

Another potential source of carbon monoxide is your home’s furnace.  Heat sections should be checked each fall to ensure the heat exchanger is leak free.  Additionally, properly adjusted burners not only mean more efficient operation, but less risk of carbon monoxide resulting from incomplete combustion. 

Backdrafting

Backdrafting occurs when the pressure inside the house is less than the pressure outside the house and the exhaust from natural drafting gas appliances is sucked back into the house.  Backdrafting is more of an issue today than the past due to tighter construction standards.  A bathroom fan may be enough to create negative pressure in a tightly sealed house.

Backdrafting can also result from leaking return air duct work, wood burning fireplaces (a fire can pull several hundred cubic feet of air out of the house each minute, causing appliances to backdraft), high wind conditions that result in high pressure on the windward side of the house and low pressure on the downwind side, and so on.

You can minimize the potential for backdrafting by installing modern, energy efficient gas furnaces, wood stoves, and water heaters that feature sealed combustion systems.  Sealed combustion appliances draw outside air for combustion and exhaust combustion by-products outdoors.  Since indoor air is not used for combustion, backdrafting is not a concern.

Another option is power vented furnaces or water heaters.  These products use indoor air for combustion, but use a fan to exhaust combustion by-products outside.

Everyone Recommends

Annual Heating System Maintenance

There’s a reason virtually every utility, consumer group, government agency, and consumer publication recommends annual heating system maintenance.  Good maintenance can save the lives of you and your family.  A heating professional should check for leaks in the heat exchanger, adjust the burners, clean and check the venting system, and more.

A heating system combustion safety inspection and tune-up is virtually free.  The adjustments that ensure you receive a clean burn also save energy.  Over the course of the heating season, the energy savings can easily exceed the cost of the tune-up.

An efficient, well-maintained heating system is also an environmentally friendly system.  Since you save money on utilities, tune-ups are like buying carbon credits from yourself.

There are many good reasons for getting a tune-up now and none for waiting.  Delaying only delays the energy savings.  Call us at 918.610.7300!

  

Which Furnace is Right for You?

Selecting The Right Furnace Can Lower Your Heating Costs

 “Heating and cooling equipment typically use more energy than other appliances.  The inevitably shows up every month on the energy bill,” says Joel Kinsch, President of Elite Service Company Heating and Air Conditioning.  “Buying a furnace is an important investment, and you should know what to look for to help you purchase the unit that will meet your needs and consume less energy.”

High Efficiency

Consider purchasing a high efficiency model.  They can help reduce your energy costs as well as conserve our natural resources.

 When selecting a furnace, pay close attention to the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).  The AFUE number represents how efficiently a furnace converts fuel to energy.  The higher the AFUE percentage, the more fuel-efficient the furnace will be.  The U.S. government’s established minimum AFUE rating for a furnace is 78%.

Energy Star

It’s also important to look for Energy Star products.  This means the product meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards by using less energy, which reduces pollution.  Energy Star products reduce energy use by 20-40 percent.  To qualify for an Energy Star, a furnace must have at least a 90% AFUE.

Variable Speed

A furnace with variable-speed technology lets you take control of your comfort and energy bills.  This feature ensures a home receives the precise amount of air required to keep a family comfortable.  Besides providing exceptional comfort, this technology also saves homeowners money on their energy bills because highly efficient variable-speed motors consume less electricity than standard furnace motors.  The variable speed motor delivers air throughout the home in both heating and cooling modes.  In continuous fan mode, a furnace with a variable-speed motor consumes only 60-80 watts of energy, compared to 400 watts of energy for typical furnaces.

Call Elite Service Co. today and ask about your furnace options!  918.610.7300

Is Your Furnace From the Jurassic Period?

Is your heating and air conditioning system so old it belongs in a museum?

Maybe it’s not as old as T-Rex, but if it’s past its prime, it could be eating you for lunch with high utilities.

When is a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump past its prime?  How old is too old?

A couple of years ago, Appliance Magazine published a report of the life expectancy one could expect for a range of appliances, including central heating and air conditioning equipment.  The life expectancy is determined from past experience and sales data.  The average life of an appliance isn’t the age the appliance wears out and dies, though some do.  It is also not the age when you should replace.  Some would argue that many homeowners wait too long to replace their heating and air conditioning system.  The average life expectancy shown below represents the average number of years before most homeowners purchase a replacement.  The estimates shown below represent the expert judgment of the Appliance Magazine staff, based on input from manufacturers, industry trade associations, government statistics, and a variety of other sources.

When you exceed the minimum life expectancy, you can feel good about the service you have received from your system.  You have gotten good use out of your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump.  However, if you wait too long to replace your system, you risk paying more in utilities and repair costs than you will spend on the equipment itself.  It’s usually less expensive in the long run to replace earlier instead of later.  In the end, you still must replace your equipment.  Wait and you will pay a premium for energy usage and repairs.

Heating & Air Conditioning Life Expectancy In Years
	Low	High	Average
Fans, ceiling	7	18	13
Air conditioners, room	7	16	12
Air conditioners, unitary	8	19	13
Humidifiers	6	13	10
Furnaces, electric	9	20	14
Furnaces, gas	11	23	17
Furnaces, oil	13	23	18
Portable heaters	8	13	11
Heat pumps	6	21	14
Dehumidifiers	9	13	11
Room heaters, vented gas	7	18	13
Room heaters, unvented gas	13	23	18
Water heaters, electric	6	21	14
Water heaters, gas	5	13	9

The importance of a matched HVAC system...

Radio and TV ads for online dating services stress the importance of finding people you are compatible with - finding the right match, so to speak.  If the right match is important with people, then it is critical with HVAC equipment.  People are flexible; machines are not.

The existing indoor coil is used between 1/3 and 1/2 of the time when air conditioners are replaced.  The tolerances in older, less efficient air conditioners were loose enough that they could be hooked up to an old coil and blow cold air.  You didn't get your promised efficiency, but you did get cold air.

Due to government regulations, today's air conditioners are 30% more efficient than last year's.  Today's air conditioners are highly efficient.  To get the maximum efficiency from your system, is important to provide them with the right match indoors.

A matched system helps ensure you receive:

1. design efficiency
2. stable, reliable operation
3. proper humidity control
4. equipment longevity

If you have any other questions about matched HVAC systems, call us at 918.610.7300!

Is My HVAC Equipment Worth Fixing?

Yes, we can repair any problem with your heating system in most cases.  But is that really what you want?

Usually repairs make sense, but sometimes they do not.  How do you know when it’s not worth fixing?  For each person, the answer is different.  In this blog article, we will give you the information you need to make an intelligent decision, to determine when you are at risk of throwing good money after bad.

As heating systems age, their performance declines.  They have a harder time keeping up with heating demand.  Efficiency falls.

As parts age and wear, breakdowns increase in frequency.  It becomes increasingly likely that you will be faced with the hassle and inconvenience of a repair during the coldest time of the year (when equipment is running the hardest), when service companies are backlogged.

According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, many gas furnaces and boilers installed before 1990 were no more than 50% to 60% efficient when new (remember, efficiency declines as equipment ages).  If you own one of these furnaces, half your fuel bill may be for waste heat that’s vented up the flue!    By contrast, today’s modern high efficiency furnaces and boilers convert more than 90% of your gas into heat for your home.

If your equipment has a few years on it and you are facing a repair of several hundred dollars, it may be time to consider replacing it.  Remember, Not only can you apply the money you would spend on the repair towards the new system, but you save the expense of more repairs this year or the next. 

A rule of thumb is to multiply your repair bill times the age of the furnace.  If the result is 3,000 or more, replace it.  If it is less than 2,000, repair it.  If it’s in between, repair it if you plan on moving within the next couple of years.  If not, consider replacing.  With a ten year old heat pump or a fifteen year old furnace, you will need to replace it in a few years anyway.  Today’s repair may be little more than money down the drain.  It can make more sense to spend money on a new system instead of more repairs.

How Can I Save The Most Money Today?

With convenient financing programs, you can finance the entire cost of a new heating and air conditioning system.  Payments are low and may be entirely offset by your utility bill savings from a modern, new, more efficient system.  Plus, you will not have the nasty surprise of more unexpected repairs.  Your out-of-pocket costs are usually less when you replace your equipment and finance it.

Will Comfort Improve?

Yes.  Newer, more efficient heating systems usually result in dramatic improvements in the comfort of your home.  Of course, it may be necessary to replace old, worn, leaky duct systems to ensure you get the most from your system.

Why Won't My Home Get Comfortable?

Many homeowners think that the key to comfort is to get a bigger, more powerful system.  Wrong!  More often than not, heating and air conditioning systems are oversized to begin with.  When an air conditioner is too large, it can actually make comfort worse.

Comfort in the home can be affected by many things.  The most common culprit is the air distribution or duct system, but comfort is also affected by air cleanliness, humidity, insulation, and even the room registers.

According to the American Comfort Survey™ only 40% of homes are comfortable in all rooms at the same time.

Fans for residential heating and air conditioning systems are rated for 0.50” of external static pressure (resistance).  Some filters eat up 0.35” or more, resulting in a series of comfort and air quality problems.

A southwestern utility study of new homes found that nearly all had improper refrigerant levels with the worst having only 62% of the correct amount.

A southwestern utility found that the average home has duct leakage of 25%.  A northeastern utility found 51% of homes studied needed duct repairs, resulting in a 20% to 23% leakage reduction.  A southeastern utility documented that duct repair saves homeowners an average of 17% on utilities.   A western states utility found savings of 17% for cooling and 12% for heating.

How Can I Fix My Comfort Problems?

The first step is to correctly identify what’s wrong.  The frequency of obvious problems occurring can be amazing.  When a western utility hired an engineering firm to investigate customer complaints of high energy bills among certain heat pump owners, they found that one home in three had disconnected ducts!  Another common problem is improper refrigerant charge and refrigerant leaks.  It’s not unusual to find filters with too much pressure drop, return air systems that are too small, the wrong fan setting, thermostats out of calibration, and insulation problems.  Sometimes the problems are obvious to an alert technician and simple to correct, yet sometimes a more extensive diagnostic procedure is required, as in cases where the entire air distribution system is out of balance.  In all cases, the first step to a solution is an investigation and diagnosis.

Will a New System Fix My Problems?

A new comfort system is not always a silver bullet.  If it is sized wrong, installed incorrectly or if the duct system is ignored, the problems may even get worse.  However, consumer research studies have shown that owners of new systems are far more likely to be satisfied with their comfort system.  Consumers who paid a little more to invest in a better system, from a better contractor were much more likely than to report higher satisfaction levels.   A thorough upgrade of your heating and air conditioning system by a good, quality contractor should solve the problems.   One by the low bidder may not.

Once Solved, How Do I Keep Them Solved?

Modern heating and air conditioning systems are very reliable, considering their duty cycle.  They will run for years without maintenance, but not without a price.  To maintain comfort levels and operating efficiencies, the system must be serviced annually.  The energy savings alone will pay for the cost of the service.  With heating and air conditioning systems, maintenance is truly free.

Oversizing: The #1 Mistake in Air Conditioning Design

In HVAC, bigger is not necessarily better.  It is the most common mistake we see in air conditioning design.  Compared to a correctly sized system, an over-sized system cools poorly, costs more to operate, is noisy, and has a shorter lifespan.

Design occurs in the field

HVAC systems are not designed in the factory.  They are designed by HVAC contractors.  Each system is unique to the home it will be servicing.  We account for your home's design, layout, the type of construction, its orientation tot he sun, shade, our local weather, and (most importantly) your lifestyle.  How you plan on using your air conditioner has a big impact on the design.

After we collect the necessary information, we will perform a load calculation (a highly specialized set of engineering calculations).  Sometimes, we make the calculations on the spot.  Other times, we return to the office to use special design software.  When we perform the calculations in the field, it is not unusual for us to double check them in the office.

You will be unhappy with a HVAC system, no matter how reliable and well-made, if other components of the design are wrong (i.e. poor field fabrications, sloppy installation, etc).

The impact on comfort

When an air conditioner is over-sized, it powers on, runs for a few minutes, lowers the air temperature at the thermostat to the setting, and stops.  A few minutes later, the air temperature rises, and the system powers back on.  This is called short-cycling and is indicative of an over-sized system.

The impact on accoustics

The HVAC system and duct system should be designed together.  If the system is sized larger than the duct system, the volume of air pushed through the ducts raises air velocity, creating what feels like a windstorm in your home.  Noisy grilles, registers, and diffusers indicate over-sized equipment or under-sized ducting.

The impact on efficiency

Short-cycling is not efficient.  It takes a lot more energy to start a motor than to keep one operating.  With your air conditioner, you start three motors: the compressor, the condenser fan motor, and the indoor fan motor.  In addition, you are operating larger, more expensive motors than you need.

Think of a properly sized HVAC system as a fuel-efficient car rolling down the highway.  The over-sized system, by contract, is like a 1960's muscle car in stop-and-go traffic.

The impact on equipment longevity

Short-cycling causes your equipment to wear out sooner.  Just like an old car with lots of highway miles has a longer life than one used for city driving, a correctly sizes air conditioning unit will outlast an over-sized unit.

A continually running air conditioner does not guarantee that it is sized correctly.  Over-sizing covers up other problems.  For example, if your system is over-sized and has a refrigerant leak, it may not be readily apparent until the compressor fails.

If your air conditioner starts and stops regularly on very hot days, it's probably over-sized.  Call Elite and have us perform a load calculation for your home.  Call us today!  918.610.7300