First Choice Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Furnaces’

Furnace Repair Cost vs. Furnace Replacement Cost: What You Should Know

Monday, April 1st, 2019

piles-of-moneyWhen the winter weather finally ends during spring is one of the best times to consider making a big change with your home’s central heating system. Most years you won’t need to make any major changes—as long as the furnace is receiving regular maintenance and hasn’t shown signs its losing efficiency/dropping in performance. (Always be on the look out for a spike in your heating costs as a sign the furnace may be aging rapidly.)

However, if your furnace has recently given you trouble, you may be thinking about putting in a new one. Or, you could choose to have repairs and keep the furnace running for a few years. When comparing the cost of repairs against the cost of replacement, there are a few things to keep in mind.

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The Winter Home Stretch and Your Furnace

Monday, March 4th, 2019

winter-sceneYep, it’s still winter. It’s plenty cold. But we’re now in March, and this means the first official day of spring is a few weeks away. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll instantly start to enjoy warmer weather—but it does mean we are in the home stretch.

This is an important time for the furnace in your home. This heater has already put in months of hard work to protect your family’s comfort. During this final stretch of winter is when it’s most likely to suffer from a malfunction or possibly even a full breakdown. Please don’t take for granted the furnace will sail through until the day when you can shut it off for the season! Here are a few things about your furnace in Fenton, MI to consider at this time of year.

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What’s This “Tonnage” Mean for a New Furnace?

Monday, February 4th, 2019

When the time arrives for a new installation of a furnace in Brighton, MI for your house, you’ll have to navigate plenty of numbers and stats aside from the price of the unit. For example, there’s the AFUE rating, which is how the energy efficiency of a furnace is rated. The higher the percentage, the more efficiently it uses fuel.

One number you’ll hear often is the tonnage of the new system. It’s vital that your furnace has the proper tonnage for your home. What does this actually mean, and how do you find the right tonnage?

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Heating Repair Myths You May Believe

Monday, November 26th, 2018

woman-with-glassesWe’re now in what we in the HVAC business call “heating season.” It’s when home heaters turn on and work steadily all the way through the early spring—and sometimes longer than that.

As you settle in for the end of the year with your home’s furnace, boiler, heat pump, or other central heating system, we’d like to provide you with some information to dispel common myths about heating repair. Because we live in an era of instantaneous info available through the internet, it’s easy for these fictions about heaters to spread. Once you know the reality, you’ll be able to take the best possible care of your household heater.

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Are There Risks If I Miss Furnace Maintenance This Fall?

Monday, October 1st, 2018

Furnace-standardYou don’t need us to tell you how important a working furnace is in this part of the country. We deal with harsh winters, and they can sometimes stretch into April. A home’s furnace is essential for getting a family through even a single day of winter.

But even though you know the importance of your furnace, have you considered skipping out on its regular maintenance for this year? (Or possibly you forgot it needs maintenance at all?)

Please don’t do this! Arranging for a professional inspection and tune-up for your gas furnace is easy to do: you only have to call us and schedule a convenient appointment. And there are many risks you’ll avoid this way! Below we’ve listed the problems you’ll dodge thanks to fall furnace maintenance:

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Last Furnace Check: Does Yours Need Repairs?

Monday, April 2nd, 2018

girl-welcomes-warmer-weatherOur recent weather has been rainy and in the 40s. That’s much warmer than during the dead of winter, but it’s certainly not a full spring thaw. But these are probably the last few weeks you’ll be using the furnace until fall. You don’t necessarily need to shut the unit down since most furnaces now use electronic ignition systems and won’t waste power using a standing pilot light. But you also should make sure the furnace doesn’t have any lingering repair issues before you stop using it.

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Should I Shut Down My Furnace When Warm Weather Arrives?

Monday, March 19th, 2018

furnace-flamesIt’s the first week of spring! That doesn’t mean the weather will instantly turn warm, of course. But it does signal the start of making plans for the coming change in weather. We strongly recommend using the time to schedule maintenance for your air conditioning system so it’s ready to go on the first day of hot weather.

But when air conditioning systems turn on, does that mean furnaces should turn off? All the way off? That’s a good question.

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Keeping Your Furnace Effective in Late Winter

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

furnace-repair-technicianWe still have plenty of winter left to go, and the farther into the season we move, the more danger the heating system in our homes will be at suffering from a drop in heating effectiveness. To keep your Howell, MI furnace operating at its peak levels—and with lowest chance of suffering a malfunction or breakdown—there are a number of steps you can take. We won’t get into arranging for regular maintenance, which is something to have done in the fall. (If you did forget to have maintenance in the fall, don’t worry—it’s not too late to call us now and have it done.)

Below are three things you can do that will protect your furnace from overwork and a loss of heating power during the remained of winter.

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Boilers vs. Furnaces: The Great Debate

Monday, November 13th, 2017

boiler-residentialThe fall is the most popular period for replacing old heating systems or arranging for a new heating installation. People are usually thinking hard about the coming winter, and the weather is still warm enough that they can go without heat for the short period necessary to have the new heating system installation done.

There are many types of residential heaters, but there tend to be two major ones that people find themselves deciding between: the furnace and the boiler. These are the most common types of residential (and commercial) heating systems. They work in different fashions, and both have their own advantages. Let’s take a look at these advantages to help you get a better sense of the continual debate: “Install a furnace or a boiler?”

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