Design Comfort Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

How High-Efficiency Heating Systems Save Money

Monday, March 13th, 2023

green home on seesaw with money symbol

When it comes to heating installation in Salt Lake City, UT, it’s understandable that people want to spend as little money as possible. Furnaces are expensive pieces of equipment and no one looks forward to the time when their heater finally conks out and purchasing a replacement is inevitable.

However, no one wants to buy a new heater only to have issues with it soon after. Not that a brand-new system is going to break down or need repairs. We’re talking about performance here. Lower-priced heating systems are not very energy efficient which means they don’t save much on energy bills. You might not be entirely happy with your home comfort level either.

Homeowners who have a bit more to spend when it comes to upgrading their furnaces often wonder just how much more should they spend. Let’s review high-efficiency heating systems to see if one is right for you.

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Furnace Red Flags to Watch Out For

Monday, January 16th, 2023

One of the questions we hear a lot from our customers is: How do I know it’s time for a new furnace? Unfortunately, there’s no easy, textbook answer and it varies from homeowner to homeowner. That’s because there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration. 

However, there are some major signs that you probably need either furnace replacement or furnace repair in Salt Lake City. One of these is the age of your furnace. Furnaces have lifespans of 10-15 years so if your furnace falls within this range, it’s considered an “aging” furnace. Because aging furnaces tend to have a lot of problems near the end of their service lives, keep reading to learn the furnace red flags to watch out for.

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How To Avoid Heating Repairs This Season

Monday, December 19th, 2022

grandpa-riding-sled-with-grandaughter

The first day of winter is almost here. With the storms we’ve been having, that probably isn’t a surprise. Despite the storms, our beautiful winter weather is one of the perks of living here and many Utahns look forward to this time of year.

However, one of the essential things that lets you enjoy the brisk weather is having a heating system that’ll keep your home warm and cozy when the coldest temperatures set in. A dependable heater isn’t a luxury in Utah; it’s a necessity. How confident are you in your heater’s ability to see your family through the coldest weather with no hiccups?

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Why Is a Cracked Heat Exchanger a Serious Issue?

Monday, December 5th, 2022

gas-jets-of-a-furnace

If you use a gas-powered furnace to heat your home, it’s important to be aware of things that can go seriously wrong. A cracked heat exchanger is high on this list. While many of these systems have a safety feature to turn the furnace off if something malfunctions, the signs of a cracked heat exchanger can be subtle and insidious.

This is not a minor repair by any means and isn’t something you should try to handle yourself. If you think you have a cracked heat exchanger, you need to call an HVAC professional ASAP as this is a serious safety issue. Let’s look at the signs of a cracked heat exchanger so you’ll know if this has happened in your home and what you should do about this type of furnace repair in Salt Lake City.

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Potential End-of-Season Heating Repair Needs to Be Aware Of

Monday, March 28th, 2022

animated-gif-checklistTemperatures have certainly started to warm up recently, and with these warmer days, it’s almost time to turn our attention to our home cooling systems. Have you scheduled maintenance for yours, yet? Maintenance helps your HVAC systems work as efficiently and effectively as possible, for as long as possible, by allowing our professionals to thoroughly inspect, clean, and adjust the components that need it.

That said, while this service is important and you’ll see us discuss it more as we progress into spring and then summer, it’s not the time to start ignoring your heater. In fact, if you’ve noticed some troubling symptoms with your heating system, you should probably give us a call to see if you need repairs. Putting this off could leave you with a broken-down furnace when you need it the most, either when we go through another cold spell this spring, or when you need it in earnest next fall.

Read on to learn more about some of the common end-of-season heater repair needs you might come across.

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Staying Warm While Awaiting Furnace Repairs

Monday, February 28th, 2022

technician-working-on-furnaceSo your heater is struggling, huh? If you have a technician on the way, then you’re in good shape! Unfortunately, though, we can’t always show up as quickly as you’d like–and on the chilliest of days, even 30 minutes can seem like a lifetime.

Fortunately, not all is lost! We have some tips for things you can do to keep warm while waiting for your furnace repairs–try these out and before you know it, we’ll be at your door ready to work on your furnace needs.

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The Benefits of a Duel Fuel System in Salt Lake City

Monday, January 3rd, 2022

floor-ventIf you’re asking what a dual fuel system is, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Before we jump into how one of these systems can benefit you and your home, we’ll go ahead and answer this question first.

The thing about a gas furnace for your heating needs is, it’s not perfect. It can be too powerful on milder winter nights, meaning that it’s drawing more energy than is really necessary to keep you warm. An electric heat pump isn’t perfect either–it actually struggles to work as a heating system if temperatures drop too terrible low during the winter, which can be a real pain in Salt Lake City!

It’s too bad that there isn’t something that combines the two, right?

Wait, that’s exactly what a dual fuel heating system is! Read on to learn more.

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It’s Not Too Late for This Vital Heating Service

Monday, December 20th, 2021

burners-inside-furnaceTemperatures haven’t reached their chilliest just yet here in the Salt Lake City area, but they sure are cold. We’re certain that you are using your heater on a regular basis, as you should be. But have you already scheduled heating maintenance? If not, it’s not too late! Maintenance is a service that requires highly trained and experience technicians–it’s really not a simple service that homeowners can just do by running through a checklist. That said, there is one small maintenance task you can and should do–change your air filter every 1-3 months so it doesn’t get too clogged up and restrict airflow.

The rest of your maintenance needs to be done by a professional! After all, you want your heating system to work as reliably as possible for the rest of fall and all throughout winter, right? And we can’t stress enough just how important it is to have this service done routinely–once a year for a traditional furnace or boiler and twice a year for heat pump and ductless systems. This is the only way that you’ll be able to operate your heater at its best. Read on to learn some of the benefits of this service.

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Tips for Staying Warm This Winter

Monday, December 6th, 2021

man-shivering-in-homeOur number one tip for Salt Lake City homeowners to stay warm this winter is to ensure that their heating system is in good shape. This means scheduling maintenance for it first. Maintenance tune-ups should be scheduled once a year (twice, if you have a heat pump system) to keep the system working as efficiently and effectively as possible, for as long as possible. Maintenance tune-ups even help fend off up to 85% of the repairs that a heater may ever need in its lifetime.

But what if you haven’t had maintenance in a while, and your heater broke down? This is of course an emergency and you’ll want to call us right away. However in the meantime, while you wait for repairs, you want to do whatever you can to stay comfortable. Read on for some tips on how to do so.

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Is It Time to Call Our Pros for Your Struggling Furnace?

Monday, October 25th, 2021

woman-wrapped-in-blanket-sipping-from-mugWhen you purchase a furnace for your home, you expect it to keep you warm. That’s literally its only job, right?!

Well, a lot goes into its functionality to do that job. For instance, it’s important that you invest in routine furnace maintenance. Once a year, you should have professional HVAC technicians comprehensively inspect, clean, and adjust your furnace. This ensures that it works as efficiently and effectively as possible, for as long as possible. Not only that, routine maintenance helps fend off up to 85% of the repairs your furnace might ever need in its lifetime.

How?

Just like any other major home appliance or piece of equipment, and even just like your car, components suffer from wear and tear over the years. When we do the inspection part of your maintenance appointment, we check for signs of this wear and tear, and then we alert you to it. This allows you time to get furnace repairs on your schedule, without allowing those small “wear and tear” issues to grow into a much bigger problem that could lead to a complete system breakdown.

Of course, it’s still possible that repair needs can crop up in between maintenance sessions–especially if you have an aging (10-15 years old) furnace. So, it’s good to know the signs of a furnace in disrepair so you can give us a call for your struggling heating system. Read on to learn what some of these signs are!

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