Furnace Tips

Let’s talk about your furnace. You know, that box that sits next to your water heater, or perhaps in the depths of your basement.

(We hope it’s not as ominous looking as this one.)

Did you know that in order to maximize your furnace’s efficiency it should be cleaned every year or more?

It seems obvious, the the costs associated with having a plumber clean your furnace annually is more cost efficient than having an emergency serviceman dispatched at an inconvenient time! Regular maintenance can lower energy and fuel costs because your system won’t have to work as hard in order to get the job done. On that note, did you know that systems that have regular maintenance last an average of five to ten years longer.

There are many benefits to having a high-efficiency furnace installed in your home. High-efficiency furnaces can save you hundreds of dollars a year in heating costs. A furnace with an efficiency of 95% or higher can typically deliver heat savings of 20% to 35% more when compared to old furnaces. Furnaces from 1970 and earlier are in the 60% AFUE range! Older furnaces are also more susceptible to being damaged which might just leave you having to search furnace repair more often than you think.

Good news: You can offset the cost of having your high efficiency furnace installed and ensure that you keep your heating bills lower by servicing your furnace every year. In the long run, your furnace will have paid for itself in energy savings, and you’ll be helping the environment too!

Thermal Expansion Tanks

Expansion tanks are small in size, but their function has a big impact in the home. Read below to learn about thermal expansion tanks.

As hot water tanks heat up, thermal expansion causes the water heater tank and water pipes to expand and contract. This creates tiny weak points in your water heater and water pipes and wears these products down over time.

Thermal expansion tanks absorb the expansion water created when the water tank heats up. This helps extend to the life of the hot water tank and your house plumbing.

Some newly built homes will not have expansion tanks because they have floor drains in mechanical areas so that expansion water can continually run off into the floor drain from a special run-off valve, but in older homes and homes that do not have a floor drain, it is highly recommended to add an expansion tank for preventative safety.

The garburator seems like it can handle most things, but it has its limits. Learn what is okay and what should stay away from your garburator.

NEVER attempt to clear your garburator when it is turned on.

Fat or grease: This should not go down the garbage disposal or any drain. It will eventually cool and harden and stay that way. The best way to dispose of it grease is to pour it into a jar while it’s hot and once it cools, put it in the garbage or green bin.

Onion skins: Onion skins may seem harmless, but they are thin and can easily stick to the inside shredder ring of your disposal, eventually causing major problems. It’s best to put these in your green bin or composter.

Fibrous or stringy vegetables & fruit: The stringy part of fruits & vegetables like celery can easily be cut by the garburator blade, but similar to onion skins, the rest can wrap around another part and cause damage.

Coffee grounds: These little leftover caffeine beans don’t harm your disposal itself, and might make it smell nice – BUT they can cause a lot of damage and clog the drain pipes below the garburator and throughout your home. Put these in the green bin instead.

Egg shells: Similar to the vegetables, the membrane on the inside of the egg can wrap around parts of your device that they shouldn’t touch and cause your garburator to malfunction. (Yes, green bin it!)

Bones or fruit pits: While the garburator has powerful blades, they usually cannot stand up to the strength of the bones and pits which cause significant damage. Often this kind of damage requires a garburator replacement.

Pasta, rice & breads: These foods are like the cotton swabs in a toilet. Since the pasta, rice and bread can stick together, they can absorb a lot more water and block your drain.

Additional things to avoid: Shrimp shells, pennies, jewellery, banana peels, silverware, hands and fingertips.

Tips and Tricks for your Hot Water

In our economic climate, it’s not unusual to want to save a little money! Here are some water heater tips to stretch your dollar.

• Check the temperature setting on your water heater and inspect for possible leaks. The recommended setting is 70 degrees Celsius.
• Don’t leave the hot water running when you rinse dishes, brush your teeth or shave. This will reduce the amount of energy that is needed to heat the hot water in your tank and save on your energy bill too!
• Take short showers and run more shallow baths.
• If you don’t mind having lower water pressure in the shower, install a low-flow faucet aerator or low-flow showerhead to save on water consumption and reduce water heating costs.
• Switch from an ENERGY STAR certified water heater (rebates are usually available)
• Go tankless! Switch to a tankless gas water heater for significant energy savings.
• Wait to wash clothing and dishes until you have a full load.
• Use cold water when you run the dishwasher or mashing machine. (Cold water laundry also helps to keep your colors brighter longer!)
• Buy a high-efficiency washing machine when you need to replace your clothes washer.

Let’s talk about your furnace. You know, that box that sits next to your water heater, or perhaps on its own in the depths of your basement.

(We hope it’s not as ominous looking as this one.)

Did you know that in order to maximize your furnace’s efficiency it should be cleaned every year?

The cost associated with having a plumber clean your furnace is incomparable to the cost of having an emergency serviceman dispatched on a cold winter (or early spring) night! When searching for a local plumber to clean or repair your furnace you will want to search online for furnace and ac repair, the reason being is the majority of tradesman that can fix or service your furnace also work on air conditioning as well, and as air conditioning is more popular the majority of tradesman tend to advertise for air conditioning services first and furnace services as an additional service even though they are fully trained in both.

There are many benefits to having a high-efficiency furnace installed in your home. High-efficiency furnaces can save you hundreds of dollars a year in heating costs. A furnace with an efficiency of 89% or higher can typically deliver heat savings of 20% to 35% more when compared to old furnaces. Furnaces from 1970 and earlier are in the 60% AFUE range! Older furnaces are also more susceptible to being damaged which might just leave you having to search furnace repair more often than you think.

Good news: You can offset the cost of having your high efficiency furnace installed and ensure that you keep your heating bills lower by servicing your furnace every year. Did you know there is even Fortis BC rebates available for installing a new furnace? In the long run, your furnace will have paid for itself in energy savings, and you’ll be helping the environment too!