How to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter

Posted on September 8, 2017

Keeping safe and warm this upcoming winter should be a priority for everyone in Philadelphia. To ensure that you do so, you’ll want to start preparing your Pennsylvania home’s furnace before temperatures begin to drop. The last thing you’ll want, after all, is for your furnace to have trouble heating your home effectively once you’re depending on it.

The experts at W.F. Smith can help guide you through your furnace preparations this fall. Schedule furnace maintenance or an inspection by calling (215) 273-3901 or contacting us online today!

How to Prepare Your Furnace for Pennsylvania Winters

The following are a few tips for preparing your furnace properly so that you can depend on it to heat your home as effectively and efficiently as possible throughout the winter season:

Replace your furnace filter – There’s a good chance that you didn’t replace the filter after you stopped using your furnace sometime last spring. Check the filter and either replace it or clean it (if needed). A dirty filter will obstruct the flow of hot air throughout your house, which means that not only will it be difficult to keep your home as warm as you like it, but your furnace will have to use more energy to try to heat your home up.
Clear the space around the furnace – Once you begin using your furnace, you won’t want anything flammable to be located near the unit or else you’ll have a fire hazard on your hands. Remove anything that’s stored too close to your furnace and sweep the area around it clean as well.
Clean the vents throughout your home – Remove the metal lid from your vents so that you can reach in with the extension of your vacuum cleaner to suck up any dust and debris that’s present. This will help ensure that the heat your furnace is producing is flowing unobstructed out your vents and throughout your house.
Clean the air ducts – Like cleaning your vents, cleaning your air ducts will help improve airflow – as well as the quality of your indoor air. However, this task is generally best left to the professionals since getting into your ducts can be very tricky without the right tools.
Schedule a professional inspection – A professional inspection can reveal any issues that your furnace might have that you didn’t know about. By taking care of these issues, you’ll reduce the risk of having your furnace break down on you in the middle of winter when you are depending on it the most. A professional inspector will also lubricate moving parts as well as clean dirty parts, thereby ensuring that your furnace will work as efficiently and effectively as possible. You should schedule an inspection on a yearly basis in either September or October if possible.

These are some of the tips that you should follow to make sure that your furnace is prepared for the upcoming winter season. These tips can help prevent the need for furnace repairs and replacement during the winter and can help you keep your heating costs down as well.

To schedule a professional furnace inspection, repair, or replacement, be sure to contact us at W.F. Smith today.

10 Signs You Need a New Furnace

Posted on February 16, 2017

gas furnace

If you have an older furnace you may be wondering if you should give in now or wait it out and see what happens. Sometimes your furnace is trying to tell you something and watching and listening for certain signs can give you a good indication that it is time to replace your old furnace. Once replaced, you and your family will be able to enjoy comfort levels like never before. Check out the infographic below for some essential benefits of getting a new furnace:

Is Your Furnace Telling You Something?

These 10 signs are a good indication that your furnace is trying to tell you that it is close to the end of its life.

Rising Energy Bills – Rising energy costs can be a definite sign that something is wrong with your furnace. If you have noticed your energy costs rise swiftly your furnace is having to work harder and replacing it may save you a lot of money in the future.
Uncomfortable Home – If your furnace is having trouble keeping up with your home’s heating needs, your furnace may be reaching the end of its life. Replacing your old unit can help keep your home comfortable all winter long.
Excess Repairs – If you are spending a lot of time scheduling repair appointments, your furnace is likely ready to give up the ghost. In the long run you will save money by not having to call for repairs all the time.gas furnace
Strange Sounds – While some noises can be fixed, squealing and clanging can sometimes occur as your furnace ages. Sometimes a furnace will continue to get louder and louder as it ages.
Yellow Flames – If you have a gas furnace checking the flame can give you a good idea as to what is happening. If you have a yellow flame instead of a blue flame your furnace may be producing excess carbon monoxide.
Weak Air Flow – If you notice that the hot air coming out of your vents is not very strong your furnace may have major issues with its motor. Sometimes the motor can be repaired but depending on age it may be better to replace the unit.
Excess Dust – If you have noticed more dust in your home your furnace is no longer doing a good job at removing airborne particles.
Rust, Cracks, or Corrosion – If you take a look at your furnace and you notice rust, cracks, or corrosion then for safety reasons you need to have your furnace thoroughly checked. Once these things start occurring your furnace is showing its age and replacement is imminent.
Cycling or Not Cycling – If your furnace is cycling on and off a lot or it just staying on constantly, this is a good sign that your furnace is no longer working correctly
Completely Inoperable – If your furnace is more than 10 years old and it just stops working have someone look at it, it may be an easy fix or it may be trying to tell you something.

Choose W.F. Smith for Furnace Replacement in Philadelphia

A furnace is one of larger investments you’ll make for your home. When doing so, you should trust the professional in charge of the installation. Our team members are not only good at their job, but they excel at it. Check out the video below to see why W.F. Smith should be your go-to when it comes to your HVAC needs:

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If you have a furnace that has reached the end of its life, contact the team at WF Smith today for furnace replacement services.

How to Choose a Newtown, PA HVAC Contractor

Posted on July 7, 2016

Choosing an HVAC contractor in Newton, PA isn’t as easy as just calling up the first number that you find. The last thing you want to do is hire an irreputable contractor that may overcharge you or do a poor job. The following are a few tips to help you choose an HVAC contractor in Newtown you can rely on!

Look Up Google Reviews

One of the advantages of the Internet is that it makes it pretty easy to look into a company’s reputation. If customers have been ripped off or have had a bad experience with a certain company, they’re sure to leave a poor review. Check the Google reviews on the contractors you’re looking at.

Remember, even the best contractors may have one or two bad reviews – just make sure that you compare the amount of good reviews as well.

Check the Better Business Bureau

Look the contractor up on the Better Business Bureau’s website. There, you’ll be able to find customer reviews as well as any complaints that were filed against the company. If a lot of complaints were filed with the Better Business Bureau, you may want to avoid working with that contractor.

However, if there are only one or two complains, delve a little further to see if they were resolved. Just like bad reviews, complaints can occur – it’s what the contractor did to resolve them that matters. Of course, if there are dozens of complains, you may want to look elsewhere.

Ask For Recommendations

One of the best ways to find a good HVAC contractor is to ask friends and family for recommendations. Not only can they give you the name of a contractor that they were especially happy with, they may also provide a name or two of who you should avoid.

Look For Customer Testimonials

What better way to get an idea of what customers think of a company than through customer testimonials? A contractor that is proud of its quality service will seek out customers to provide testimonials. While written testimonials are a good indicator of the contractor’s quality, video testimonials are even better.

Check Out Their Website

A high quality HVAC contractor in Newtown, PA that takes great pride in their work will typically try to set up a professional looking website – like ours for example! They want their website to reflect their quality, after all. A contractor that couldn’t be bothered with their website, which means it runs poorly or looks like it was set up a decade ago, might not care about the details and may not put the kind of effort into their business that you would like to see.

Check Their Google Ranking

HVAC contractors with high Google rankings typically have a lot of happy customers. It’s usually indicative of their popularity, which is usually a good sign of their quality.

If you are looking to hire an HVAC contractor in Newton, PA, then be sure to use these tips or contact our team for information on our HVAC services in Newtown today.

Why Is My Air Conditioner Blowing Hot Air?

Posted on May 16, 2016

AC Unit Not Cooling? Here’s Why…

The temperature is starting to heat up as we head into the summer season, which means that you’re going to want your air conditioner to be working as effectively as possible. If you turn your air conditioning unit on and it begins blowing hot air, then obviously something is wrong.

The last thing you want your air conditioner to do is to heat your home instead of cooling it, after all.

Reasons Your Air Conditioner Blows Hot Air

The following are a few reasons why your air conditioner may be blowing hot air:

Your outdoor unit is clogged – Central air conditioner systems make use of two units – one of which is located outside of your home. These units work in tandem to remove heat from your home. However, it needs unrestricted airflow to the condenser coil located in the outdoor unit to be able to do this.

If the outdoor unit is clogged up with dirt, leaves or other debris, it will restrict the airflow, causing the indoor unit to blow hot air. Just clean the outdoor unit in order to remove whatever was blocking the airflow.

Your outdoor unit has lost power – In some cases, the outdoor unit may have lost power while the indoor unit continues to operate. This can result in warm air blowing through your vents. This can happen if the breaker to the outdoor unit tripped or because the emergency shutoff switch was flipped.

Simply reset the breaker or the emergency switch. If either trip again, contact a professional. The reason it’s tripping constantly is because there is most likely a serious electrical problem with the air conditioning unit.

The coils are dirty – If the air conditioner’s coils are dirty, it’s going to restrict airflow, which can result in hot air being blown through your vents.

Your coils won’t get dirt if you schedule an annual air conditioner inspection – a professional will clean the coils while performing a thorough inspection of your air conditioner.

Your air conditioner is low on refrigerant – Without the proper levels of refrigerant, your air conditioner system won’t be able to effectively remove heat from your home. Usually, if your refrigerant levels are low, then there’s a leak.

A professional HVAC technician will identify the leak, fix the leak and re-fill your unit with the proper amount of refrigerant.

Your thermostat is set wrong – Believe it or not, but if your thermostat is set improperly, then it could cause your air conditioner to blow hot air. Check your thermostat and make sure that it’s not set to “HEAT” or that the fan isn’t set to “ON.”

If the fan is set to “ON,” then your fan will be blowing air through your vents even when your air conditioner isn’t working to cool the air it’s blowing. It’s why you might be feeling warm air blowing through your vents.

Air Conditioner Repair in Philadelphia

These are some of the reasons why your air conditioner may be blowing hot air. Be sure to contact W.F. Smith to schedule an air conditioner repair today.

Central Air Conditioners vs. Window Air Conditioners

Posted on April 13, 2016

When it comes to purchasing a new air conditioning unit, there are a lot of factors that you will want to consider before coming to a decision. These factors include the energy efficiency of the unit, the cost and the easiness of installation. While comparing various air conditioning units, you’re going to come across two common types – window air conditioners and central air conditioners.

The following information will help you determine which best suits your needs:

Central Air Conditioners vs. Window Air Conditioners: What’s the Difference?

Window air conditioners are very different than central air conditioner. A central air conditioner involves many more parts. Typically, there is a condenser unit that sits outside of the building, whether it’s in the yard or up on a roof. The condenser uses a set of pipes to run coolant into the air handler. Central air conditioners also make use of the duct system within the building in order to distribute cool air throughout individual rooms.

A window air conditioner is a single unit that contains no other parts. The unit has a condenser, evaporator, thermostat and fan already built in. The unit is designed to be wedged into a window frame and is most effectively used to cool single rooms.

Central Air Conditioners vs. Window Air Conditioners: What’s Cheaper?

The window air conditioner is by far the easier one to install since it doesn’t need to be connected to a duct system in order to disperse air. All you need to do is open up the window and fit the unit between the frame before shutting the window down onto the top of the unit. This is something that you can easily do on your own.

With a central air conditioner, you are going to need to hire an HVAC professional to have it properly installed. Central air conditioners will also require regular inspection and maintenance, neither of which are necessary with window air conditioners. These costs are all going to add up, making the window air conditioner a cheaper purchase.

Central Air Conditioners vs. Window Air Conditioners: What’s More Efficient?

When you look at the stats, it may seem like a window unit will use less energy. The average window unit uses between 500 and 1,440 watts of electricity in order to run, whereas a central air conditioner in the average-sized home uses around 3,500 watts. Part of the reason why central air conditioners use so much energy is because they need to use moving parts in order to disperse the cool air throughout the home.

However, a window unit is only effective at cooling one room at a time. This means that to cool the entire home, you would need window units for every room. This becomes less energy efficient and more costly than operating a central air conditioner – especially since new technology, such as automation and zoning – allow central air conditioners to be even more efficient than before.

Questions? Call W.F. Smith!

Keep these things in mind when choosing an air conditioner and be sure to contact W.F. Smith today for additional HVAC advice. We’ve serviced Philadelphia’s HVAC needs for 70 years!