When to Repair vs When to Replace Your Heater

October 4, 2024

Deciding between repairing or replacing your heater can be a tough choice. It’s crucial to weigh several factors, such as age, efficiency, and repair costs, before making a decision. By understanding these considerations, you can ensure your home stays warm and comfortable without breaking the bank. Assessing the Age of Your Heater One of the first things to consider is your heater’s age. Most heating systems have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. If your unit is approaching or has exceeded this age, it may be time to consider a replacement. While regular maintenance can extend the life of your heater, older systems tend to be less efficient and may not perform as reliably as a newer unit. Evaluating Repair Costs Another key factor is the cost of repairs. If your heater requires frequent repairs or the cost of a single repair is more than 50% of the price of a new system, a replacement might be a more economical option. Continuous repairs can add up over time, making it more cost-effective to invest in a new, more efficient heater. Considering Energy Efficiency Older heating systems often use more energy to provide the same level of comfort as newer...

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Regular Furnace Cleaning Keeps Your Furnace Efficient

January 14, 2024

If your Burbank, CA home has a furnace that supplies its heat, you likely bought it because of its efficiency. Besides heat pumps, you won’t find heating systems anywhere near as efficient. However, your furnace can start to lose efficiency over time if you don’t maintain it properly. Here is how regular furnace cleaning can keep your furnace running at peak efficiency. What Causes Furnace Efficiency Losses? The efficiency of your furnace depends on how well it carries out the combustion process and how much of the resulting heat it can capture. However, if the combustion process is inherently dirty it can cause your furnace’s burners to lose efficiency over time. So, too, can dirt build up inside your furnace’s heat exchanger, which can interfere with the transfer of heat from combustion gasses into your home’s air. On average, those factors can cause up to a 5% efficiency reduction after a single year of operation. And if left unchecked, the losses only escalate from there. How Regular Furnace Cleaning Restores Efficiency During a furnace cleaning, our HVAC technician will thoroughly clean your furnace’s burners so that incoming fuel burns as completely as possible. They will also clean your furnace’s heat...

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Three Reasons Why Your Heat Pump Is Loud

November 18, 2020

In places with moderate climates like Burbank, CA, a heat pump is an energy-efficient way to maintain indoor comfort all year long. Most of the time, a properly installed heat pump operates quietly, and all you’ll hear is the whoosh of air in your vents and a click on and off at the start and end of a heating cycle. However, there are three reasons why your heat pump may be louder than usual on certain occasions. 1. Switch to Defrost Mode In the wintertime, your heat pump will occasionally go through defrost cycles. The purpose of the defrost cycle is to melt ice that has built up on the coils. The defrost cycle is noisier than a heating cycle. The sound should stop within 15 minutes. 2. Debris in Outdoor Housing Debris may have fallen into the outdoor unit’s housing. A tree branch, bird’s nest, or something else could be stuck in there. Each time the fan turns, it hits the debris. After the end of a heating cycle, power off the heat pump. Take a look to see if there’s debris stuck in the housing. If you can see it but can’t get to it, a service call...

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Are Heating Tune-Ups Necessary?

November 8, 2019

At , we offer affordable maintenance plans to keep your climate systems running at their best. In the autumn, our technicians will come to your home and give your furnace a careful inspection. We recognize that our customers are always looking to save money. The long-term benefits of an annual heating tune-up definitely outweigh the short-term savings of skipping this service. Higher Efficiency When we first install your system, everything is carefully calibrated to give you the most power and efficient heating possible. Over time, things will change. The low-level vibrations that happen when the system runs can make the settings less precise. The dust that accumulates over several months can make the system less responsive, so it has to work harder to pump warm air into your home. All of these factors can impact the unit’s efficiency. During an annual tune-up, our technicians will recalibrate, clean and lubricate the system. It will run to the best of its ability, saving you money on heating costs. Fewer Unexpected Repairs When our technicians look at your system, they can find small problems that could turn into larger issues. It is only natural that parts will wear out over time. When an...

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Understanding the Core Differences Between Heat Pumps and Furnaces

March 14, 2019

If you’ve purchased a new home or you’re looking to upgrade the heating system that’s currently installed on your property, you should understand the differences between a heat pump and furnace, both of which are designed to provide for all of your heating needs. Once you know more about how these systems differ, you can decide which option is right for you. What Is a Heat Pump? A heat pump is a type of system that’s very similar to an air conditioner but with the added benefit of including a heating component. These systems can be placed in cooling mode during the summer, which allows them to operate as an air conditioner. A heat pump doesn’t create heat, which makes it very energy-efficient. Instead, these systems remove heat from the outside air before transferring it indoors, which is done with electricity. Heat pumps can also be zoned, which means that you can set the system to different temperatures for each room in your home. What Is a Furnace? A furnace is a system that makes use of fuel to create heat that’s circulated throughout the home. This heat can be created from such fuel sources as oil, gas or electricity....

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Trouble Ahead: Signs That Point to a Heating System Problem

February 19, 2019

The most obvious sign that your heating system has a problem is when it stops working altogether. If you had only known sooner, you wouldn’t be making an emergency repair call in the middle of the night. Here are some common warning signs that a heating system problem may be on the horizon. Your Furnace is More Than 15 Years Old Like many things in your home, furnace technology continues to improve each year. By the time your furnace is 15 years old, its ability to run efficiently has dropped a great deal, especially when compared to a more modern furnace. For example, most old furnaces can only heat at a single setting. Modern furnaces have low and high heating settings, burning less fuel over time. The same goes for the air handler in your furnace. Older models run at a single speed, while modern air handlers blow air at multiple speeds depending on demand. Loud Noises Every heating system makes some amount of noise as the burner ignites or circulating fans turn. However, when a system begins to fail, you may hear the high-pitched whining of a loose motor belt, the rattle of loose screws, or the scraping sound...

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4 Signs You Need Furnace Repair

December 14, 2018

Are you worried about the reliability of your Burbank furnace this winter? Furnaces have an expected useful life of about 15 to 25 years with proper preventative maintenance. If your furnace is nearing these ages and/or you have not had it inspected and repaired, you could experience a breakdown this winter. Here are a few of the common signs of an impending furnace failure. 1. You Feel Like You Are Always Repairing Your Furnace As furnaces get older, they need more frequent repairs. You may find yourself replacing the blower, heat exchanger, burners and pilot lights. These repairs can quickly add up and make you feel like your furnace is unreliable and near the end of its expected useful life. To determine if you should continue repairing your furnace or replace it, look at your repair bills over the last 12 to 24 months. If the repair costs are significant, you may want to have one of our professional furnace repair technicians at Certified Service in Burbank evaluate your current furnace and provide you with an estimate for a new energy-efficient furnace. 2. Your Furnace Is Always On If your furnace is constantly running, it’s a sign that it isn’t...

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