Boehmer Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Mt Lebanon’

Taking Care of Your Furnace Before the Season Ends

Monday, March 9th, 2020

technician-working-on-furnaceFor the most part, the weather in our area is relatively predictable throughout the year. As we transition into spring, however, it really could go either way. We may start seeing much warmer temperatures in just a couple of weeks, or we could have some more cold weather ahead. If the former occurs, you’ll likely be tempted to turn off your furnace for the season and not give it another though. However, if you have repair needs, delaying them could leave you with a headache and a costly repair bill.

Ignoring any sort of heating system malfunction can cause it to turn into a much bigger problem, leaving you with a broken down heater next fall when you need the system the most, or depending on the circumstances even a malfunctioning air conditioner—for example if the problem is a ductwork or an air filter problem.

But how do you know when you actually have furnace problems that need managing? We’ve provided some helpful signs below.

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Mid-Season Heater Needs to Be Aware Of

Monday, February 24th, 2020

heating-vent-in-wallWhat if someone asked you, “what’s the last thing you need right now?”

You probably wouldn’t have a fast answer off the top of your heat, but what if one of the options was “a broken down heater”?

We’re guessing this got your attention! The fact of the matter is, if there is any time of year that a furnace is going to break down, it’s right around this time of the year, when your heating system has already been through a lot of work and is struggling to do more. Fortunately, if you had fall maintenance done before this season began, you likely have little to worry about.

What if you skipped maintenance, though? Or what if you have an aging furnace and you’re not even sure of its status? Well then keep reading for some common problems we get calls for mid-season, and if you notice your furnace exhibiting any of these symptoms, please give us a call!

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Never Ignore This One Furnace Problem

Monday, October 22nd, 2018

Technician looking over a gas furnace with a flashlight before cleaning it.There are a number of reasons a homeowner may choose to invest in an electric furnace over a gas-powered system. For one, they may not even have access to their municipal’s gas line. Another reason might be that they’re worried about the safety hazards that a gas-powered system presents.

That’s not to say gas furnaces are inherently dangerous. In fact, today’s systems are built much sturdier than those of the past, and so long as you have your system professionally installed and serviced by trained professionals, you shouldn’t have much to worry about.

However, just like any other powerful appliance, gas furnaces do need routine maintenance done. And skipping this service certainly can leave you in danger—in danger of a carbon monoxide leak due to a cracked heat exchanger.

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Could Your Thermostat Be Broken?

Monday, August 1st, 2016

The first step you take when your air conditioner isn’t working is to check the thermostat. It’s always possible that someone has changed the settings by accident, or even that the thermostat is out of batteries.

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The Hot Humid Air Makes Your AC Work at Maximum Capacity

Monday, June 20th, 2016

When temperatures reach their peak this summer, your air conditioner will be working at maximum capacity. Most air conditioners (those without variable speed settings) only run at one speed. They are on or they are off. So when it’s hot out, your air conditioner has to run for a lot longer to reach the temperature you’ve set on the thermostat.

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Don’t Skip Routine AC Service This Year

Monday, March 14th, 2016

This year, be sure to call technicians to your home for a routine maintenance visit, no matter the age of your AC system. Many people decide to skip AC service for a year or two because they got maintenance last year, or because their air conditioners are only a couple of years old. But maintenance is a vital service for comfort and efficiency in the spring and the summer.

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Has Your Heater Broken Down in the Middle of the Night?

Monday, February 8th, 2016

In our area, we cannot go for very long without a working heating system. When the heater breaks down, you need it to start working again ASAP, especially if there are seniors or small children in the home, and if you have no alternative means of keeping warm. So what can you do when your heater breaks down in the middle of the night?

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How Can Lime Scale Cause Problems for My Boiler System?

Monday, December 28th, 2015

There are many parts of our state that are pastoral or rural, leaving many homeowners getting their home’s water from a well. This isn’t a bad thing, but water that comes directly from a well tends to be “hard water,” aka, water that has high mineralization. This mineralization can actually be healthy for people but not so healthy for your plumbing system, which will include your heating system if you use a boiler to heat your home in Mount Lebanon.

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How Does a Geothermal System Heat?

Monday, November 23rd, 2015

It can be hard to imagine how any heating system works without generating a flame of some sort, or using electricity to power a heating element. But there is a device that heats using refrigerant: the heat pump. And in a geothermal system, the ground-source heat pump is one of the key components of the system. A geothermal system works very differently from traditional heating systems, and understanding how they work can help you decide if a geothermal system is a good HVAC option for your home in Mt. Lebanon, PA.

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How a Home Energy Audit Can Help Your Home This Winter, Part 1

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Homeowners are always looking for ways to save on energy bills, particularly during the long winter months, when it seems they just climb and climb. But you can’t do anything about the problems you don’t know about, and this is where a home energy audit can really help. Using several specific kinds of tests, the experts from Boehmer Heating & Cooling can pinpoint the exact locations where your home in Mt. Lebanon, PA may be losing air and/or the appliances that may be driving your monthly energy bills up instead of down. First, let’s take a look at what a home energy audit consists of.

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