Max Sr & Paul Schoenwalder Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, A Corp. Blog: Archive for January, 2018

The Difference Between Two-Stage and Regular Furnaces

Monday, January 29th, 2018

furnace-burner-litWhen you’re shopping around for a new furnace, you might start to develop a new vocabulary. There’s the AFUE—Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency—that helps you determine the efficiency of your new system. And another set of terms you may see used often are as follows: “one-stage,” “two-stage,” and “modulating” furnace.

You might notice that modulating and two-stage furnaces receive a higher rating for efficiency and performance (or simply find that the price for these units is higher). Wondering why this is? Does a two-stage or modulating furnace really make that much of a difference? Find out in today’s guide to these powerful systems.

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What You Should Know about Boilers and Scaling

Monday, January 15th, 2018

gauge-boiler-water-heaterThe boiler is an incredibly reliable heating system. Many people keep their boilers for decades (although this can be unsafe, and we recommend replacing them before their 15-20 year lifespan is up). Yet, boilers can still run into their share of trouble. One of the most common issues our customers come across in a gas hydronic boiler has to do with something called scaling.

If you hear noises from your boiler, notice a drop in performance, or want to have routine maintenance to ensure your system is in good shape, give us a call! Otherwise, read on to find out what scaling, or mineral buildup, can do to affect your system.

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Why Won’t My Heat Pump Heat Anymore?

Monday, January 1st, 2018

question-mark-blue-whiteA heat pump is a highly efficient air conditioning and heating system, all in one. Most heating systems, like furnaces and boilers, have to generate heat using natural gas or large amounts of electricity. Heat pumps use electricity, but they only have to move heat, rather than generating it. This results in much lower energy usage than comparable systems, especially if you purchase a high-efficiency heat pump.

However, like any system, a heat pump can run into trouble. One of the most alarming is when a heat pump just won’t heat! You might hear that the fan has turned on and the system appears to be running—so why don’t you feel any heat from the vents?

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