4 Most Expensive Furnace Repairs and How to Avoid Them
Winters in Denver can be hard, especially when your furnace is not heating your home correctly. If you turn on your furnace only to find that it is not working, is not heating your home correctly or it is making strange noises, you will want to call for furnace repair.
Some furnace repairs can be quite costly. Here are four of the most expensive furnace repairs and how you can avoid them.
Blower Motor and Capacitor: $500 – $1,500
Simple blower motor repairs might run $150 to $450 while complete replacement could cost $1,500 depending on the brand. This motor and fan, known as a squirrel cage fan, pushes the air through your ducts. Lack of regular cleaning leads to unbalanced or damaged blades.
How to avoid: Regular inspection, cleaning, and keep up with air filter replacements. It is important that the blower motor be inspected and cleaned every so often to ensure it is running at full power.
Draft Inducer Motor: $500 – $1,500
A simple fan wheel in the draft inducer motor is inexpensive to replace, but replacing the entire unit can cost up to $1,500, depending on the model and brand. The draft inducer motor pulls the combustion gasses through the heat exchanger and pushes those gases out the flue to prevent carbon monoxide buildup, so it’s very important to fix if broken.
How to avoid: Regular inspection and a reliable carbon monoxide monitor.
Circuit Board: $500 – $1500
Replacing a furnace circuit board can cost up to $1500 depending on the brand and age of the unit. The circuit board is responsible for operating every component in the furnace and without it your furnace will not function. High efficiency models will cost quite a bit more while single-stage models may be less than $1000.
How to avoid: Regular inspection and cleaning. Unfortunately, a circuit board is a piece of technology and simply fails sometimes, but if the furnace is not well maintained, the circuit board’s lifespan shortens.
Gas Valve: $400 – $1,000
A furnace gas valve allows natural gas or propane to flow to your unit. Furnace gas valves occasionally stop opening and closing properly with age. If this valve does not function, it could be a hazard to your health and home as gas or propane will freely flow from the furnace without combustion. Gas valves are rarely repaired because the labor cost surpasses the cost of a new part.
How to avoid: Regular inspections and cleaning. If there are particles interfering with the gas valve’s ability to close completely, gas could be leaking into your home.
It is very important to take preventative measures with a furnace because one small issue can cause many more. Many of these issues can be prevented with regular inspections and cleaning.
Are you in need of a furnace inspection, cleaning, or repair in the Denver Metro Area? Grand Home Services is located in Aurora, Colorado, and provides HVAC and heating services throughout Denver. Contact us today!
How Often Should I Replace My Air Filters?
You may not think too much about your HVAC system filters, but these filters do an important job in keeping it running efficiently and effectively.
Air filters work to filter allergens out of the air before they hit your home. This could be dust, pollen, pet dander and other floating particles. As the air is pulled through your vents and into your home the filter works to trap these particles sending the clean air into your home.
What Happens When Filters are Dirty?
When your home’s air filters get dirty they can become clogged. This causes your HVAC system to have to work harder to push the heated or cooled air into your home. This can put stress on your HVAC system and can also cause your energy bills to rise.
Dirty filters also do a poorer job at keeping the air entering your home clean.
How Often Should You Change Your Air Filter?
How often you should change your air filter depends on your home’s individual circumstances. It is recommended you change your filter at least every 8 – 12 weeks, however, the following events may mean you need to change your filter out more often.
- Pets – If you have pets you may want to change your air filter on a monthly basis. Pet fur and dander can quickly build up on and around your filter causing blockages.
- Heating and Cooling Season – If you are having a particularly hot summer or cold winter, you may find your AC system is on more. This means more is being filtered out of the air and your filter is likely getting a workout. In this case changing your filter, every 6-8 weeks can help.
- Allergies – If you or someone in your home has bad allergies, changing the filter out more often can help relieve some of the symptoms. In this circumstance, a monthly change will help.
- Bad Air Quality – If the air quality in Denver is bad, and we do have those times, it is a good idea to change out your filter more often as more allergens will make their way into your vents.
Changing out your filter on a regular basis will protect your system from having to work too hard and prevent dirty air from entering your home.
More Questions About Air Filters?
If you have further questions about your HVAC system’s air filters the team at Grand Home Services are here to help. We will not only answer your questions, we can also help install or replace air filters in your HVAC system. Contact us today.
How To Stay Cool Without An Air Conditioner
Homes across Denver have many different types of cooling systems including central AC, window AC units, swamp coolers and no air conditioning at all. If you don’t have an AC unit of any kind there are some things you can do to keep your home cool.
Staying Cool in Denver without An Air Conditioner
The temperatures in the Denver area can climb quickly and running an AC unit can become and expensive feat. Whether you are trying to lower your bills or you just don’t have an AC unit, these tips can help you keep your home cooler.
- Keep Blinds Closed – This is important on those windows in your home that get the sun beating in. By keeping your blinds closed you can prevent some of that heat build up caused by the sun, inside your home. You may also want to consider adding thermal or blackout curtains.
- Use Fans – Ceiling fans, box fans, and pedestal fans can all help keep your home cooler. Have box fans running at night to pull in the cool air then use pedestal fans to direct the cool air where you need it most. Pedestal fans can be used anywhere in your home to help circulate the air.
- Close Windows During the Day – It is a good idea to cool off your house using fans overnight then close up the windows, trying to trap the cool air in. This will help keep your home cooler for a longer period of time. As the sun sets, you can start opening up the windows again.
- Use Cotton Sheets – If you have fleece, polyester or other heavy feeling sheets and blankets on your bed, swap them out with simple cotton sheets. Cotton feels much better and will help keep you cooler in the summer.
- Use a Cooling Pad – Cooling pads for your bed and pillows can help keep your body temperature down at night so that the heat doesn’t keep you tossing and turning.
- Cook Outside – Heat from the oven, stove, and even the toaster oven can quickly heat up your home. Now is a great time to take up grilling. You can enjoy a little fresh air and not heat up your home while you are cooking.
Improve Home Comfort with an Air Conditioning System
By following some of these tips you can help bring the temperature inside your home down. If you would like to have your current AC system inspected to get it running more efficiently, or you would like to install an AC system in your home, the team at Grand Home Services can help. Contact us today!
Now that it’s Fall, it means that Winter isn’t far away. This means that you are going to depend on your gas furnace more regularly to stay warm. However, whenever you use a heating appliance, you have to make safety your number one priority. The following are a few important safety tips to follow when using your gas furnace:
- Keep the space around your furnace clear – Not only do you want to make your gas furnace easy to access for maintenance reasons, but you should keep all flammable items far from your furnace. The last thing you want is for the heat your furnace produces to accidentally catch something on fire.
- Make sure there’s nothing combustible near the furnace – In addition to making sure that the area around the furnace is clear, make sure there’s nothing combustible anywhere near the furnace. Items like paint thinners can be a serious fire hazard if stored too close to your furnace.
- Replace your air filters regularly – When a filter becomes dirty and clogged, it needs to be replaced immediately. If you don’t, the filter will end up blocking the airflow of your furnace. This could cause the heat exchanger to overheat, which in turn could result in cracks and carbon monoxide leaks.
- Know the location of your gas shutoff valve – Make sure all the adults in the home know where the gas shutoff valve is in case you need to turn the gas supply off in case something goes wrong.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors – If there’s an issue with the combustion process of your gas furnace, it means that it could produce a potentially lethal amount of carbon monoxide. Because the gas is odorless, tasteless and invisible, you need carbon monoxide detectors to warn you. Install carbon monoxide detectors on each floor and make sure to test them every year.
- Install smoke alarms – Like carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms can help save your life by warning you about a problem before it’s too late. A smoke alarm can warn you of a fire that has just broken out, thereby giving you time to get everyone to safety before addressing the fire. Install them on every floor and test them regularly.
- Schedule a fall furnace inspection – One of the best ways to prevent safety issues is by having your furnace inspected by a professional. A professional HVAC inspector will inspect and clean your furnace and determine if it needs repairs or replacement. An inspection will help ensure that your furnace runs effectively and efficiently.
- Contact a professional if there’s a problem – If you think that there’s a problem with your furnace, such as a gas leak, then call an HVAC professional immediately for emergency services.
Be sure to keep these safety tips in mind as you begin using your gas furnace on a more regular basis this fall and upcoming winter. To schedule a gas furnace fall inspection in the Denver area, be sure to contact us today.
Most Energy Efficient Home Heating Sources
Here in Denver, we can experience some cold snaps during the winter months. These cold snaps make us think about our home heating and our energy bills. If you are looking for a way to heat your home that is the most effective and the most efficient, there are some choices that may be better than others. (more…)
