Common FAQ`s

 How often should I change my furnace filter?

Answer : If you use a 1″ disposable filter you should check it once a month and change as needed. A 1″ pleated filter picks up more dirt and should be checked monthly and replaced about every 3 months. A high efficient pleated filter that is 4″ to 7″ thick can be replaced yearly. If you run your fan constantly as with a variable furnace you may have to change filters twice as often as mentioned because of increased total daily air flow. Don’t forget air conditioning season – it’s the same filter to be checked!

           I have a humidifier pad. How do I keep it clean?

Answer: You can clean your humidifier pad by soaking it in a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar. [Alternate answer] It may be acceptable to use the vinegar soak on old rotating sponge type humidifiers; however, it would not be recommended on the newer evaporative panel humidifiers. The newer evaporative panel humidifiers have a chemical coating on the panel material which helps disperse the water evenly over the panel. The chemical coating should not be removed. The water panel in the newer humidifiers should be replaced once a year or more often in special cases.

 

 What are my guidelines for setting a thermostat while on vacation?

 

Answer: When you go on vacation be careful not to set the home thermostat at too low of a setting. The heat exchanger of your furnace can be irreparably damaged if the temperature of the air coming into the furnace is too low. Typically furnace manufacturer’s recommend a minimum return air temperature between 55 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Check with your particular manufacturer to determine how low you can set your thermostat.

 

 What is SEER and how should I use that information to select an air conditioner?

 

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER): For residential homes, some countries set minimum requirements for energy efficiency. In the United States, the efficiency of air conditioners is often (but not always) rated by the SEER. The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient is the air conditioner. The SEER rating is the BTU of cooling output during its normal annual usage divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours (W·h) during the same period.

 

Today, it is rare to see systems rated below SEER 9 in the United States, since older units are being replaced with higher efficiency units. The United States now requires that residential systems manufactured in 2006 have a minimum SEER rating of 13 (although window-box systems are exempt from this law, so their SEER is still around 10). Substantial energy savings can be obtained from more efficient systems. For example by upgrading from SEER 9 to SEER 13, the power consumption is reduced by 30% (equal to 1 - 9/13). It is claimed that this can result in an energy savings valued at up to $US 300 per year (depending on the usage rate and the cost of electricity). In many cases, the lifetime energy savings are likely to surpass the higher initial cost of a high-efficiency unit.

 

 How can I get my second floor cooler in the summer?

 

: Install an attic vent fan (not to be confused with a whole house fan) this will automatically run in hot weather and cool down the attic. The cooler attic will help keep the second floor cooler or turn on the furnace blower for constant circulation at the thermostat ( fan on). When the first floor is cool and the a/c shuts off and the blower in the furnace will continue to send air upstairs. This will balance out the temperature from first to second floor.

 

NOTE from Barry A.Sherer, CGA, Owner of Sherer Heating And Air Conditioning, LTD, www.shererheatingandair.com:

 

“Having been an HVAC contractor since the mid seventies, I too, have many stories, some of which can save lives. I am now a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certified “Shell Specialist” and have learned to look at the home and how it functions as a whole.

I have installed several attic ventilation fans but one summer day I received a call from one of my long time customers with a problem with their carbon monoxide detector going off. Now, I thought these people were nuts for calling me in the middle of the summer because their first finger was pointing at the furnace I just put in earlier in the spring.

To make a long story short and not go into all the CO checks I put that basement in, I found that on hot summers days when the attic got hot and the vent fan came on, it ran for hours at a time with no rest. Because the A/C was on, all the doors and windows were naturally closed. This fan, running at 1,100 cfm was actually putting the attic in a negative pressure when it ran. The problem was that there was not enough soffit ventilation to make up this negative air pressure.

After it ran long enough the fan started to pull air from other places, which happened to be from the basement which was connected to the attic by way of the gaps around the chimney, the plumbing pipes and the holes around all the numerous wire penetrations into the attic. This fan actually pulled the hole house into a negative pressure and the easiest route for the air to be made up was to back-draft the water heater. This was one case where the homeowner may have saved his own life by not only buying the carbon monoxide detector, but by also calling the professioal to find out how to solve the problem. 

 

Since I have become an ENERGY STAR contractor, I have had the priveledge to be the contractor to have the “attic fans” be included in the worst case senario checks when the home inspections are performed.”