Frequently Asked HVAC & Plumbing Questions
If you are concerned about utility bills or are faced with an expensive repair, you may want to consider replacing your system rather than enduring another costly season or paying to replace an expensive component. The utility cost savings of a new unit may provide an attractive return on your investment.
If you plan on financing the purchase, the monthly savings on your utility bill should be considered when determining the actual monthly cost of replacing a system. The offsetting savings may permit you to purchase a more efficient system. Norman Air provides financing through local lenders.
Next, consider any comfort issues in the home. Some products can reduce air stratification and uneven temperatures from room to room. If you have allergies, an indoor unit with an ECM motor will allow you to circulate the air in your home continuously while filtering the air for about the same cost as operating a standard light bulb.
Finally, know your budget parameters and the efficiency of the system being proposed. Does the system offer a payback? In other words, will the monthly savings over time offset the cost of the new unit or efficiency option being considered?
Life expectancy of current system
Paying for repairs to an old or inefficient system often simply prolongs the inevitable. It’s almost like putting a bandage on a serious injury. An older system that breaks down once is likely to break down again … and again. That means more emergency service calls or, worse yet, the risk of damage to your home or to other components of your heating and cooling system.
Operating cost
Even six-year-old heat pumps and air conditioners are considered grossly inefficient by today’s energy efficiency standards. So are most furnaces built before 1980. So you could save up to 60% on your energy bills with new high-efficiency equipment. That’s why installing a new heating and cooling system can actually pay for itself in energy savings within a relatively short time.
Looking at the big picture
Replacing your old furnace with a new higher-efficiency model but leaving your old mechanical thermostat in place won’t allow you to enjoy all the efficiency advantages the furnace has to offer. Likewise, if you install a new furnace but don’t get a humidifier, the air may seem cooler, forcing you to operate your new system at a higher temperature to be comfortable. Plus, you can often save on installation costs if you have several components of your system (for example, a furnace and an air conditioner) replaced at the same time.
Spring maintenance
In the spring, Norman Air can typically check a heat pump or air conditioner for the following:
- operating pressures
- refrigerant charge
- filter condition
- compressor
- fan motor
- capacitors
- belts
- crankcase heaters
- coils cleaning
- lubrication of moving parts
Fall maintenance
In the fall, you can expect Norman Air to check your furnace in the following areas:
- burner and pilot assemblies
- cracks in the heat exchanger
- check the pilot thermocouple
- examine the filter and check vent piping
- test the electronic ignition
- test the fan
- test the limit switch
- burner adjustments
- measure manifold gas pressure
- measure temperature rise
- carbon monoxide test
- set the heat anticipator
- check and adjust belt tension
- examine the draft diverter
- lubricate the fan motor