Heating & Cooling Frequently Asked Questions

• Make sure the contractor is licensed and insured in the state of Michigan.
• The contractor should use name brands.
• Technicians should be certified.
• Contractor must file city permits for all installation work.
• Contractor should make you feel comfortable.
• Contractor should have excellent references.

Simply, if you have an 80% efficient furnace, it basically means for every dollar spent on fuel, 80 cents is used to heat the home and 20 cents is lost up the chimney.

Furnaces are rated with efficiency levels. What does this mean?

Furnaces are rated with Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). The minimum AFUE number is 80. The efficiency improves with a higher AFUE number.

Both furnaces will heat the home equally well, but the 90% furnace is more efficient, saving you approximately 10% in operating costs.

• 80% furnaces typically vent up a chimney because they have high exhaust temperatures that remove products of combustion.
• 90% furnaces have such a low exhaust temperature that they have to be power-vented directly outside in PVC pipe.

A chimney liner is made of metal and it is placed in an existing brick chimney so everything vents properly. If you are replacing an old, inefficient furnace with an 80% or 90% efficient furnace, you will need to have the chimney liner replaced as the old chimney flue is too large for new vent requirements. If the chimney is metal, it usually does not need a liner.

Almost all brick chimneys need a liner because the flues are generally too large. Metal chimneys usually do not need a liner.

If your furnace has a standard (replaceable) filter, change it once a month. If you have an electronic cleaner, clean it every three months. If you have a whole house HEPA cleaner, you need to replace it once a year.

Of course. We charge a diagnostic fee; if we discover a problem that needs correcting, we'll explain it to you and quote a flat fee to do the work. That fee will include a one-year parts and labor guarantee. We'll do the same with air conditioning and other products installed by companies that won't follow up with maintenance service.

Reset the furnace - the reset switch looks like a light switch that's on your furnace. To do this, turn the switch "off" for 20 seconds, then back on. Even if this works, be sure to call us to check your furnace. The fact that it did not start on its own indicates a problem.

Definitely. We can save time - which saves you money by sending our installers only once.

Furnaces are rated with efficiency levels. How are air conditioners rated?

Air conditioners use a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The minimum is 10 SEER, but should be 13 SEER. The efficiency improves with a higher SEER number. Every time the rating increases by one point, the efficiency increases by approximately 10%. Beginning January 22nd 2006, all newly manufactured equipment will require a minimum SEER of 13.

Freon (R-22) central air conditioners cannot be manufactured after the year 2010. The Freon (R-22) refrigerant cannot be manufactured after 2020. Since Freon (R-22) will be made on a limited basis, it will become very expensive, just like Freon (R-12).

410A is the refrigerant of choice to replace Freon (R-22). It is environmentally friendly and cools equally to R-22. You may have heard it called PURON–the brand name from Bryant.

• Remove the air filter on the furnace and clean it.
• Turn the damper on the furnace to "Summer."
• If you have a humidistat, turn it from 35% to 0%.
• Twenty-four hours before starting your air conditioning, turn the disconnect back on.
• Wash the condenser unit (that's the unit outside your house). Set your hose nozzle for a fine spray of water and spray from the top down.
• Turn on your air conditioning and enjoy the cool comfort inside.

Both Furnaces and Air Conditioners should be checked yearly to ensure warranty and guarantee highest efficiency. 

Spray it with Fantastic or 409 cleaner, let it dry and reinstall it. Or put it in your dishwasher. Use a soap that leaves no film and be sure to protect the thin "piano" type of wires in the cleaner from the spikes in the dishwasher tray. One way is to set the cleaner on top of glasses that are placed over these spikes in the dishwasher.

1. Keep windows and doors closed during prime ragweed season.
2. Ventilate your home. Use exhaust fans when you cook or shower.
3. Filter the air with an air cleaner and make sure you clean the filter regularly.
4. Treat the air with an ultraviolet air treatment system.
5. Maintain the right relative humidity between 45%-65% as recommended by the EPA.