Go through this quick check list to understand what to do next.

• No air coming out of the supply vents?
• No cool air or not cool enough coming out of the vents?

If your air conditioning system needs professional help and your in the Portland Oregon area Call or contact us (503) 636-5371

As a consumer you may of  had heard the term HVAC but did not no what it meant. Well if you have ever been curios here  is your  answer.

HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) is the technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics,fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. Refrigeration and is often added to the HVAC abbreviation as HVAC&R or HVACR or ventilating is dropped as in HACR (such as the designation of HACR-rated circuit breakers).

HVAC is important in the design of medium to large industrial and large office buildings also marine environments such as aquariums, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with temperature and humidity, as well as “fresh air” from outdoor environment.

So when you see a heating and air conditioning company refer to itself as an HVAC company or use that term in their marketing literature or their internet presence they are really saying they are a heating and cooling company. We don’t use the term with our customers or when communicating with the public because it will often confuse them since they are not part of the HVAC they would have no reason to know what it mean. .

For more information check Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HVAC

Before and After Pictures of another installation last week. The Nelson’s are getting their $2040 before expiration on 12/31/10.

Get more details on Federal, State and other Rebates here.

Frank D. will get $2040 in tax credits and Incentives for choosing a high efficient furnace and on demand hot water heater.

Get more details on Federal, State and other Rebates here.

If your furnace starts leaking carbon monoxide how would you know?

Carbon Monoxide is a odorless, tasteless and invisible so you could inhale it day after day for years without knowing it.  Carbon monoxide can cause gradual death if inhaled over time or it could cause sudden death if you breathe in a large enough amount of the gas.

Because Carbon Monoxide is not detectable by humans it can be very dangerous and having a broken furnace that needs repair can become a critical issue if it involves a carbon monoxide leak.  Your own survival is a good reason to have your heating system cleaned and serviced once a year by a reputable heating and cooling company.

Another way of preventing carbon monoxide poisoning is by installing a carbon monoxide detector in the same area your furnace is.

It may seem to that you don’t hear about carbon monoxide poisoning very often but it happens more than you think because not all incidents of it make it beyond the victims local news and if you think about it car accidents don’t happen that often either but if you have been involved in a major one of some you know has you realize what a life changing experience it can be and so it will be if carbon monoxide poisoning happens to you.

So if you have your furnace serviced and make sure the furnace is repaired so you can avoid carbon monoxide leaks.

Information on Carbon Monoxide from the EPA

Carbon Monoxide emissions for the Portland Oregon area

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning a Public Health Perspective

Also visit Carbon Monoxide Kills for more information

You can purchase a carbon monoxide detector many places, here are the selection available at Home Depot.

If you live in the Portland Oregon area and are concerned about carbon monoxide poisoning in your home don’t hesitate to call us, 503.636.5371

When it comes to indoor air quality there is a lot not to see!

72 trillion microscopic irritants/allergens make their way into your home every day!  Irritants like pollen, dust, pet hair, dander, dust mites, lint,mildew, tobacco smoke, fungus,bacteria and cooking grease.  Did  you know that many of these irritants are too small to be filtered by your nose and throat so they get deep into your lungs.

Studies show that your homes indoor air could be 5 times more polluted than the air outside your door.

Do to the fact that modern homes are better insulated and built so that they are sealed tight. This is done so that there is no loss of cold air in the summer or hot air in the winter. The down side to this is there is not an exchange of indoor and outdoor air so your indoor air becomes more and more stuffy or polluted. Because of these facts the Environmental Protection Agency has ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to public health.

There are things you can do to circulate the air in your home like opening windows periodically circulate the air or running the blower on your heating system to circulate the air.  These methods are not really practical due to the fact that you would have to constantly have to be opening windows and given that fact that most people live busy lives would not find the time or energy to constantly spend time circulating air.  The practical answer for todays modern homes is the use of an air filtration system such as the American Standard AccuClean System.

Up to 99.98% Cleaner Air Inside Your Home.

The American Standard AccuClean home air filtration system removes 99.98% of unwanted particles and allergens from your homes air.

The AccuClean System filters allergens such as mold, dust mites, pollen, animal dander, pet hair and more.

The system can prevent odors by remove cooking grease particles and smoke from burnt food.

Key Benefits  Include:

• Removes up to 99.98% of  the allergens from your home’s air
• Filters particles smaller than 1 micron
• is 8 times more effective than the best HEPA air filter
• AccuClean is 100 times more effective than standard 1″ filters or ionic type filters
• It’s reusable filter is easy to clean

The AccuClean System is constructed of heavy 18-gauge metal to protect the filter and internal electronics, a power door to provide easy access the internal components and features a filter status display and safety interlocks that automatically shut down the system if the door is opened for any reason. The system is designed for flush fit on both sides and rear of equipment cabinet. System includes a 10 year electronics warranty and a 5 year parts warranty

Lots of people never think about their heating system or furnace until the first cold snap and the furnace won’t come on. Then you scramble to figure out what to do and if you need to call a professional.

If you want to avoid calling a professional because the problem might be something simple to fix and you would like to avoid the expense of a service call try these steps.

• Check the thermostat to make sure it is on and turned up.
• A dirty filter can and will cause your furnace to malfunction so check the filter.
• Check the main power source at the circuit breaker box and then go to the emergency cutoff switch.  The emergency switch usually look like a regular wall switch except the cover is typically red (but not always, sometimes they have white cover plates).
• Make sure there is gas is getting to the furnace, did you forget to get the propane tank refilled or pay the natural gas bill? If  you forgot to pay your gas bill the gas company will put a lock on the meter so check the meter for signs that the gas has been shut off  there. Some gas companies will lock your meter if there is a suspected gas leak, if the meter is okay then proceed to the furnace. There should be a valve on the gas line next to the furnace if this valve is in the close position the gas is not getting to the burners. You can usually tell if  the valve is open because the valve handle will in line with the gas pipe. If the gas-cock or valve is open then check the gas valve located inside the panel where the gas burners are, look at the top of the valve to see if it is the on position, if it is move on to the next step.

Warning: Today many furnaces have electronic ignition otherwise know as intermittent pilots. You should not attempt to light an intermittent pilot gas furnace. It is not only not possible to light an intermittent pilot gas furnace it is dangerous because you have now gone beyond your capability to deal with a non-functioning furnace and you should call a professional. If you unsure whether you have an intermittent pilot gas furnace or not look at the gas valve, if  it doesn’t have a pilot position on the knob then it is an intermittent pilot.

Now that you’re inside the panel and you have determined that there is a pilot, check to see if  it is pilot lit. If  it is lit and your furnace still won’t start then the it  is time to call a furnace professional because your heating systems problems are probably beyond the scope of your ability and proceeding beyond your understanding of the system could be dangerous.

Gas-Cock or Valve, Shown here in the on position.

If you are in the portland oregon area you can call us for help, rose city heating & air, 8946 sw Barbur Blvd. Portland 97219, (503) 636-5371

Variable speed heating

Variable speed heating could be referred to as Smart heating because the furnace is able to control the air flow and burn rate of  the burners through the use of a Two-Stage furnace by employing a Two-Stage system and intelligent thermostat is able to moderate the flow of air to the current air temperature.  A standard furnace can only run the furnace at full power, full on or full off.  With a standard non-stage system the thermostat is designed to wait until the air temperature has reached a critical level before activating the system to run at full power to heat the air back up to the desired temperature. This causes the temperature to fluctuate to between the highs and lows of the comfort range. This type of a system compared to a variable speed heating system is both less efficient, less comfortable and more expensive.

A Variable speed heating system is able to run the furnace blower and burner at less than full power.  This allows the system to keep the air temperature constant with out the highs and lows. The system uses less energy because it doesn’t have to run the furnace and blower and full power. All of these factors create a consistent comfort level without the highs and lows of a conventional heating system.

A Freedom 90 Furnaces (Gas) 2 Stage w/AccuClean from American Standard

Most people never think about their furnace, it runs year after year without fail. In reality many people do have furnace problems that require them to hire a heating and cooling company to service their system and eventually everyone’s heating system will have trouble at some point.

While your furnace is running without fail it is slowly become more and more inefficient, so not having it serviced once a year can actually cost you more money than an annual service call.  This is true for two reasons.

1. Your heating system becomes more and more inefficient with time costing you more and more money to heat your home or business.
2. Just like your family car a poorly maintained furnace will eventually lead to costly repairs.

So for the cost of service call from your heating and cooling company you can save money and avoid major repair bills.

For more information on proper maintenance and repair click here.