| Subject | Janitrol Gas furnace vent motor won't start. |
| Question |
I have a Janitrol gas furnace only 2 years old, and recently the main power line failed and the unit was surged on and off several times due to line power failing and then being reapplied. The model is gmt070-3A ser nr 0306608809 Initial investigation shows the following… If you have questions such as this, please call Smiley Heating and Cooling for immediate dispatch of a technician to solve the problem.
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January 10, 2008
Troubleshooting Furnace Problems No heat
Here is some of the most common problems that you might encounter when your furnace is failing:
Be extremely careful, as you may be in the vicinity of 120 volts ac power. Electrical power in this range can be fatal so watch out for any bare wires.
1. First make sure the thermostat is set high enough so that the system is calling for heat. Just to be sure move the control to full heat. That way if the thermostat is simply reading wrong we will find out now. Be sure to reset the thermostat back to normal heat when testing is done.
2. Don't overlook the system switch. Make sure its in the heat position. For a heat pump the three possible positions are heat, off, cool.
3. Make sure your fan mode switch is in auto. Some thermostats may not have this function.
4. Don't overlook the SSU switch. It must be in the on position. You can normally find it on the outside of your furnace or on the ceiling or wall near your furnace.
5. Be sure to check the fuse holder near the SSU switch if you have one. You should use an ohmmeter to check this fuse. If you have no way to test this fuse, simply replace it. Be sure to place the furnace in the full off postion before tampering with the fuse.
6. Install a new fuse and turn the system back on.
7. If no results, check the main electrical circuit breaker panel. This is a gray box which encloses all the circuit breakers for the entire home. Be sure it is in the on position. If it feel sorta sloppy, move it firmly to the off position and quickly snap it back to the on position. Many times when these circuit breakers pop, they may assume a mid way position between on and off and my be deceiving.
8. Make sure the furnace door and panel are tightly closed, as they have a disconnect switch that will disable the entire system if the panel or door becomes even slightly dislodged.
9. This inspection is extremely important if you have recently changed a filter in this area and may have disturbed the panels or door on the furnace.
10. If your system has a pilot light, make sure it is lit. Most of the new units have an electronic ignition and therefore no pilot light. If you still can't restore your heat then call us at Smiley Heating and Cooling at 757-455-8650. We may be able to help you over the phone and if not we can dispatch a technician promptly. Please visit our website at Smiley Heating and Cooling
Author
Tom Chambers
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January 8, 2008
A Career in Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC)
You see the term HVAC here and there, and its simply a short way to say heating ventilation air conditioning. More and more today, the need for temperature control in homes, and buildings is more of a necessity than a luxury. Without proper heating, cooling and ventilation, mould sometimes goes wild. This becomes an extreme health hazard. Good climate control is one of the very best methods of preventing mould growth.
The highly trained folks that install, maintain and repair the climate control systems in your home and work space are known as HVAC technicians. The demand for highly skilled HVAC technicians such as the Smiley Heating and Cooling technicians are in high demand. Smiley is careful to make sure only highly skilled HVAC technicians service your expensive equipment.
New equipment is becoming more and more complex each year. If you have not had formal technical training in one of the many technical schools, you will be handicapped in the field of HVAC today. As a matter of fact I would go so far as to say you are actually a danger to yourself and those around you. The technical schools of today provide greater exposure to the latest developments and changes that are occurring at an ever increasing rate. At todays rate of change, technicians are continually being sent back to factory and technical schools just to keep up.
The technical schools of today is not a holiday, as they cover such items as electronics, computers, chemistry, science and physics. A study of electronics is an essential element for the qualified technician. As I have discussed in previous articles, the most difficult task for a technician is that of determing the size of unit that will be needed to properly maintain the level of heating and cooling that is required. This is one of the most frequently abused items today. Many times the contractor simply replaces the failed unit with an exact replacement without considering what improvements have been made to the home. It is possible that home improvements in recent years, like the addition of insulation, or possibly room addons have made the old system totally inefficient. During a system change, a highly experienced technician must evaluate the entire situation.
In many cases, the technician may be servicing equipment in difficult and inaccessible locations which may require him or her to be in good physical condition. Who knows, you may have to run away from the dog or crawl under a very low house to access a furnace.
An attempt to set up your own business, can be a huge financial challenge. Equipment of today is very expensive and makes it difficult for a beginner to start his own business, even after years of on the job training with a previous company.
If you are a top notch technician in the Hampton Roads area contact Smiley Heat and Cool for a confidential interview. Only the best quality technicians need apply, but if you make the grade we do have some great benefits.. Confidential appointments can be made by visiting our web site at http://www.smileyheatandcool.com and filling out the contact me form or you may call 757-455-8650.
Author
Tom Chambers
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January 5, 2008
Annual Furnace Tune UP and Maintenance Do it yourself.
Annual Furnace Tune Up and Maintenance is something you can do yourself with proper instruction.
The ever rising cost of keeping our homes comfortable in the winter has become an expensive task for all of us.
In the year of 2006, it was not unusual for heating bills to soar to more than $2,000 for the year, so it is imperative that we do everything possible to reduce the soaring costs of heating our home.
One thing is for certain, if we do a thorough tune up on the heating system, it will run more efficiently and therefore save us money in the long run. Based on that, it will be well worth the cost of a good tuneup in regards to saving money.
The major and most important parts of a typical home heating system consists of three major components.
The first component that I will discuss in detail is the thermostat. The thermostat is probably the item that we are most familiar with, as we frequently use it to control the room temperature. We lower and raise the temperature to get the room at a comfortable heat for us.
When the temperature in the room drops below the setting we have selected, the thermostat causes the blower motor to come on and move the hot air from the furnace into the individual rooms. For the purpose of distributing the air throughout the room, heating ducts are used. As the fan runs, it pulls the cooler air from the house and passes it through the furnace where it is warmed and then returned to the room. The fan continues to move the cool air out and the warm air in until the temperature reaches the preset value that we have set into the thermostat. At this time the thermostat sends a signal to the furnace to shut down.
You may have noticed the blower continues to run for a few minutes after the thermostat has signalled the furnace to shut down. The furnace shuts down immediatley, but the fan continues to run to force all the hot air out of the ducts.. That way the hot air in the ducts is not wasted.
If you decide to get a tuneup, as I strongly recommend you should, it can cost up to $100 and sometimes more. Please remember, a furnace is a mechanical system and routine maintenance is absolutely mandatory to keep the system running efficiently and safely.
If you are mechanically inclined, it may be possible for you to do the tuneup yourself and save some money. However if you can afford it, I strongly recommend you use the services of a professional such as Smiley Heating and Cooling. They are specially trained to take care of every requirement of the furnaces mechanical system.
If you decide to tackle the project yourself, here is some of the important things that must be looked at:
1. First using a strong light, inspect the outside of the furnace. There should not be any black soot around the outside of the furnace.
2. Next you should turn up the thermostat on the furnace to make the burner light off. The flames in the burner should be blue and steady. If you have a yellow flame, orange flame, or if the flame is flickering you have a problem that needs attention. When the flame is not blue, its time to stop your do it yourself inspection and call the professional.
IF the flame is ok then it is safe to continue our inspection.
3. Now lets turn the thermostat down so the flame goes out and wait for the furnace to cool. An added safety precaution is to turn off the circuit breaker for the furnace.
4. Next step is to remove the sides of the furnace and using a long nozzle, vacuum any dust that may have accumulated inside the furnace. Use a damp rag to wipe the blades of the fan.. Use soap if they are unusually dirty. Check to see if the blower fan has oil cups. If so we need to place some oil drops here to extend the life of the motor. Many of these motors are sealed and do not need oiling. IF they have oil cups, just give them a couple of drops of oil.
5. Some of the furnaces have a fan belt between the motor and the fan. Be sure to inspect the fan belt for a tight fit and no unusual wear or cracks. Most motors have the fan mounted directly on the shaft and therefore have no fan belt at all. It is a simple process to check the belt tension. Simply press down on the belt approximately half way between the motor and the fan. If the tension is correct, the belt should not push in more than a half inch from it straight position.
6. If all is well at this point, its time to replace the covers and turn the circuit breaker back on.
7. Next be sure to move the thermostat up again to cause the furnace to light off and run just to make sure all is well.
8. If the furnace and fan fail to run, turn the circuit breaker back off and try reinstalling the side panels, as many have a switch in the panel area to shut down the fan when the panels are removed. If the panels are not fully installed, the disconnect switch may not have closed and of course the fan will not run and the furnace will not heat.
9. Don't forget to turn the circuit breaker back on once you have determined that the panels are seated properly.
10. The last item to be taken care of is the filter. This filter should be changed at least once a month during the entire heating season.
Give yourself a pat on the back, as now your furnace is ready for the Winter.
Even if you do your own inspections each year, I strongly recommend that you have a professional do this inspection at least every few years just to be sure that you have not missed anything.
Last item is that I strongly recommend a Carbon monoxide detector be installed. This colorless, odorless gas can be deadly.
IF the detector indicates a buildup of carbon monoxide, call a professional immediately.
Author
Tom Chambers
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January 3, 2008
Correctly size your heating and cooling installation.
Its extremely important that the sizing of your Heating and Air Conditioning Systems be done correctly.
Without a doubt, there is nothing more important than correctly sizing a new heating and cooling installation. It is easy to both oversize and undersize the installation. Correctly sizing is extremely important in regards to comfort, efficiency, and lowest operating and maintenace costs over the lifetime of a completely new system installation.
Systems normally run 12 to 15 year range before requiring replacement, but once they reach the 10 year point, they often become unreliable and less efficient than the new modern systems as improvements in technology is occurring on a daily basis.
Several national surveys have reported that more than half of the heating and cooling installations are not sized correctly by the HVAC contractors.
The most common sizing mistake is in oversizing. This error in judgement not only makes the new system cost more to install, but also causes it to operate inefficiently, fail more often, and costly to operate. IF the heating equipment is oversized, it often creates large temperature swings in the house. This can cause an uncomfortable atmosphere and wasted energy. When the air conditioner (and heat pump) do not run long enough to properly dehumidify the air, this can result in the "clammy" feeling and mold growth which is unhealthy and is present in many air conditioned houses.
It is the installer/contractor's job to perform the correct sizing calculation for the building. Many installers only check the "nameplate" (the label on the unit that has the Btu per hour output among other things) of the existing system and sell you one just like it, or even worse, one that's larger. This is a not a correct sizing method and not in your best interests! Rest assured, that a Smiley Heating and Cooling installation will be done in a professional manner and a thorough analysis of you needs will be accomplished before anything else is done.
Before homes became tightly constructed as they are now, it was not unusual to install air conditioners and furnaces that had two, three or even four times the required capacity. Additionally many people have installed new windows, caulking,insulation and weatherstripping to their homes. Due to all the possible improvements made by the homeowner, nulls the contractor's ability to use the nameplate to determine what size system is required. If the name plate is used then it is likely to result in a system that is oversize. Improvements made to reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer should permit you to install a smaller system. The more efficient smaller system while remaining comfortable, will allow saving large amounts of energy over a period of many years which can result in a substantial savings in dollars.
Many replacement installations are done simply by replacing the existing configuration with similar equipment without a thorough evaluation to determine if the original package was optimum for the home. Due to many improvements in the efficiency rating of new systems, many times to replace the existing unit with one of the same size would result in a system larger than what is required. This is just as bad as undesizing a system. It is important that all relevant factors be considered in the new or replacement installation.
A huge number of factors must be considered when designing a new installation: some of the most important include:
Some of the most significant factors for correctly sizing a cooling and or heating system include:
The weather temperature extremes in you particular area.
The amount and type of insulation installed in the dwelling.
Number of windows, window sizes, their locaction and particular type.
Infiltration rate of the air throught the house
Number of occupants, their ages and needs such as asthema etc.
What the occupant actually prefers in regard to furnace or heat pump.
Number of occupants, their ages and needs such as asthema etc.
Ready availability of utilities such as using a heat pump when gas lines may be too expensive to install
Trees size and shape and orientation in regard to whether or not they block sun rays.
What type of lighting and what major appliances will be giving off heat.
In some cases you may be able to get a correct sizing calculation before signing a contract for the gas or electric utilites for little or no cost to you. This will give you some assurance that the HVAC contractor is doing right by you.
When the evaluation is in progress, pay close attention as a good estimator will measure ceilings, walls, floor space, and and all windows to be able to determine the room volumes. Additonally there should be an assessment the R-value of the home's insulation, windows, and building, to also include the materials used in the construction of the home. The rate of air leakage in the building is a valuable tool to determine if additional insulation and sealing is required for the best efficiency overall.
One of the very best methods of determining air leakage in a home is a test called blower door test.
If the contractor walks in, and simply looks at the existing unit, and recommends that the replacement unit be the same size, or larger, then he obviously is not taking into account any changes or improvements that have been made to the house nor is he looking at the possibility of an original error in the sizing the original unit.
Occasionally the HVAC contractor may ask you how many square feet in the house. If he offers a unit size based on square feet, he is 'sizing by Square foot' and is one of the most commonly used methods which is very inaccurate. It is not unusual for a contractor to use a rule of thumb that says a one ton (12,000 btu) for each 500 square feet of area. Interestingly enough, the next contractor may be using a different rule of thumb and come up with a very different requirement.
Author and Heating and Cooling expert
Tom Chambers
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Save money using Attic Fans to cool the Entire Home.
Attic fans can be lifesavers during the summer months. It is not unusual for attic temperatures to soar above 170 degrees during the hottest part of the summer. One of the items used extensivley to fight these high temperatures is the ridge vent. Rige vents can disperse heat more effectively than the attic fan alone. Not only can these attic fans reduce the temperature of the attic, additionally they provide ventilation for the entire house. This makes the overall temperature of the house more comfortable throughout the summer months..
During the summer, built up heat in your attic can react like a giant radiator and spill over into the rest of your home causing an increase in your utility bills due to the need for additional air conditioning. During the winter months the attic is certainly cooler, and increased moisture can result in mildew, mold, floorboard and beam damage.
The most effective way to solve these problems is thru simple ventilating. Natural ventilation using attic fans can increase air flow significantly. When the air in the attic hits pre-set temperatures the fan will remove the hot air and pull in the cooler air. During winter months the humidistat will remove moisture in order to perevent dampness and moisture accumulation.
Attic fans can be designed to ventilate your entire house. Some times central air can be expensive and inefficient, especially in older homes. Attic fans sometimes work on the same principle as opening a window, pulling in the cooler outside air and moving it through the entire house. The newest invention in heating and cooling is the solar attic fan. These fans are installed on roof tops and collect natural energy from the sun. The use of solar power to cut down on utility costs is enviromentally friendly and reduces overall costs.
For your ventilating needs always consult a professional. Smiley Heating and Cooling is ready and willing to help you in anyway possible.
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January 2, 2008
How Air Conditioners Work.
How air conditioners work.
Today's air conditioners are more efficient and more comfortable than ever.
Smiley Heating and Cooling is dedicated to providing you cool, comfortable clean air whenever and whereever you need it. The air conditioner in your home is a relatively high investment and Smiley can help you decide exactly what type and size cooling unit you need for your particular size of home.
Below are listed some of the different air conditioning packages that are available.
Split System Air Conditioners
Ductless Split Systems
Package Air Conditioners
Window or Wall Units
Evaporative Coolers
As you have seen, air conditioners come in all sizes and shapes.
How an Air Conditioner Works
To help explain how an air conditioner works we can use the example of evaporation. If you were to hold your hand close to your mouth, lets say about 6 inches, now blow on your hand. It should feel cool, even though the temperature of your body is warmer than the air around you, the air passing across your hand will feel cool. The reason for the coolness, is caused by a factor called evaporation of the moisture on your hand.
From earlier school, we remember that they taught us that when a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat. In an air conditioner we use a liquid called refrigerant. You may be more familiar with the term Freon. This refrigerant (freon) moves through the air conditioning system by a compressor. The refrigerant is sent thruough a coil called the condensor and this is where it is cooled down to remove heat. The removal of the heat from this liquid freon turns the gas back into liquid.
So bottom line is that your indoor unit which we call the air handler passes air across the indoor evaporator coil, and that absorbs heat from the air into the refrigerant (freon) in the coil. Now the refrigerant flows out to the outside where it passes thru the condensor coil.
So bottom line is that an air conditioner does not make cool air, it simply removes the heat from the air resulting in a cooling of the air.
Air conditioners are available in many sizes, capacities and prices. The most common type which I am sure you are familiar with is the window air conditioner. The window unit is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to cool a small area.
Author
Tom Chambers
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How Heat Pumps work.
I will be providing you a detailed explanation as to how a heat pump works. If you have some difficulty following along with the explanation which will get pretty technical, please refer to a previous article that I have written titled How an Air conditioner works.
To begin in the simple mode, a heat pump is very much like an air conditoner. As a matter of fact, an air conditioner looks and works just like a heat pump when the heat pump is in the cooling mode… In other words, it is doing exactly what an air conditoner will do when cooling.
However the heat mode is another story, as it must reverse its role and becomes a heating device.. The air conditioner can never reverse itself and become a heating device. Believe it or not, even when its freezing weather outside, the heat pump absorbs heat from the zero degree air outside and converts that energy to heat for us to use on the inside of the house. I know it sounds impossible to extract heat from zero degree air, but it is not black magic, as we have been doing this for many years.
Basically we pass refrigerant through the outdoor coil, and as the outside air passes over the outside coil, the freon absorbs the heat from the air even at relatively low outside temperatures. After the refrigerant passes through the outdoor coil we run it thru a compressor which will increase the temperature of the refrigerant to the point that it actually gives off heat when passed through the coil that is located inside the house.
Now don't get me wrong, its not easy to get heat from zero degree air, so as it might be expected, the heat pump works better in warmer air than in cold air, but it is still able to extract heat from relativly cold air. Now since its efficiency does decrease rapidly in regard to gathering heat from the cold air, on the very coldest days, we sometimes are required to kick in a back up heat. This backup heat is generally electrical in nature similar to the base board heat many of us are familiar with. The blower pushes air across the electrical heating coils any time the heat pump is having difficulty keeping up and provides heat when the heat pump is no longer able to extract sufficient heat from the cold air.
So you might ask, if the heat pump needs an electrical backup source, why don't we just use the electrical source to begin with and do away with the very expensive heatpump? The reason is very simple, as the heat pump can produce as much as 3 to 4 times more heat for the money as electrical base board heat or other souces of electrical heat, and heat pumps are rapidly becoming more and more efficient every year.
We can find heat pumps of all sorts today… such as window units, package units, split systems and PTACs. A good way to tell if your outside unit is a heat pump or air conditioner, is to look inside the outside unit. If it has a switching valve, then it is a heat pump. The switching valve is used to allow the refirgerant to flow in one direction for heating and in the opposite direction for cooling..
Ok so you say what is a switching unit… for the laymen, here is another easy way to determine if the unit is a heat pump or air conditiioner… Look at the thermostat… if the thermostat has a backup or secondary heat, then you can be relatively sure that your unit is a heat pump. However if its an air conditioner unit then it must have another source to heat the home . It is usually a gas furnace or other method.
A different sort of heat pump is called a Geothermal Heat Pump. This type unit does not have the outdoor unit with the fan. Normally this system has a method whereby water pumped from an under ground well passes over the coil. This allows the refrigerant to extract heat from the water drawn from the well. Without a doubt, the geothermal units are the most efficient systems currently on the market. They work especially well since the temperature of the water from the well is at a constant temperature, compared to the extreme changes of the outside air which a normal heat pump must deal with.
The geothermal heat pumps are expensive compared to a regular heat pump, but they are more efficient and less troublesome. Of course there is an added expense of digging and maintaining one or two wells, as normally the water is pumped from one well and returned to the other. If you cannot find an outside unit, then most likely you have a geothermal system.
Smiley Heating and Cooling is expanding in the Elizabeth City area of North Carolina.
Author
Tom Chambers
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January 1, 2008
Will a Programmable Thermostat Save You Money?
Will a Programmable Thermostat Save You Money?
Have you ever considered upgrading your old mechanical thermostat to one of the new fangled Programable Thermostats? It can save you a ton of money over the long haul and in this article I will show you how.
In the past the electronic thermostats were relatively expensive but recently the have become more affordable and actually pay for themselves in short order due to the savings in energy costs.
Some of the more complicated programmable thermostats control seperate zones and divide the house into two or more sections with each area having its own thermostat. In some cases they actually open and close dampers in the ductwork to provide the most efficient transfer of the warm or cool air.
Many of the programmable devices can be set to bring the temperature of the room up 30 to 40 minutes before you wake up so as the have the home warmer when you get up. If you are out, it can lower the temperature and then again before you return, it can smoothly bring the temperature back to normal by the time you return home.
If you are interested in saving some energy costs directly, generally for each degree you reduce the temperature will save in the ball park approximately three percent off you heating bill each year. If you can handle dropping temperature at night by 6 or 7 degrees, and pull up some more cover, the heating bill can be further reduced by $120 to $130 per year.
Some think that a programmable thermostat will improve your heating and cooling unit. That could not be further from the truth, and is only a wives tale. But if managed carefully, it will allow you to maintain your temperature at the absolute optimum condition.
Without a doubt, the programmable thermostat is the least expensive part of your HVAC unit. Generally the cost ranges from $30 and $150 for the actual part. If used properly, it can pay for itself in short order.
Smiley Heating and Cooling can provide you thermostats for your every need.
Author
Tom Chambers