Certified Comfort Heating and Cooling - Louisville KY

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Archive for Heating

Where should I set the humidity in the winter?

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (0)
Saturday, January 28th, 2012

As we pass our mid-winter point in Louisville, you should already be using your whole house humidifier. Many humidifiers have automatic controls that vary the humidity setting with your indoor temperature setting and the outdoor temperature. What if you don’t have an automatic control? Where should you set the humidistat? Why does it matter?

If the humidity is set too high, you’ll cause sweating on the windows. This is especially true in older homes with windows that aren’t thermally efficient. Sweating windows will cause the wood sills to rot. The same will happen around doors. Plus, a setting too high is an energy and water waste.

Low humidity levels can lead to a long list of issues. Your nasal passages and throat will become irritated. Low humidity levels also have negative consequences for your home. Low humidity levels causes the structure to contract. Doors don’t shut quite right. Windows will leak more. Low humidity levels also promote the spread of germs. Recent studies have found that low humidity levels increase the longevity of flu virus in the air (ABC News).

So, where do you set it? Humans are most comfortable with humidity levels between 35% and 50% in the winter. This amount of moisture in the air will keep your nasal passages moist as well as our skin. It also keeps static discharge from occurring when you walk across the carpet and enough moisture in your furniture and structure to protect them.

Don’t have a humidifier? Give us a call at 244-4328. We’ll be more than happy to provide a proposal for a new humidifier.

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Categories : Heating, IAQ

Dry Winter Air

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (0)
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Do you get dry itchy skin in the cold Louisville winter? Are you concerned about your wood floors and furniture being too dry? We can help with a whole house humidifier.

Whole house humidifiers are mounted on your furnace duct system and controlled automatically by a humidistat in conjunction with your thermostat.  Three primary types of humidifiers are steam, fan powered and bypass. The steam humidifier uses significantly less water than the other two. It also works well with all types of heating systems.

In addition to making the air moist, it will also make the ‘cooler’ air more comfortable. This allows you to keep the thermostat a couple degrees lower for the same comfort level. In turn, you save on your heating bill.

Honeywell TruSTEAM humidifiers are the preferred choice of Certified Comfort. We’ve installed them in our own homes as well as customers’ homes. Call 244-HEAT today to schedule an appointment to see which humidifier is right for you.

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Categories : Heating, IAQ

Why Air Flow is Critical to HVAC Life

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (0)
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

One of the many things we check on our service calls is system air flow. Air flow is critical to a long lasting air conditioner and furnace. Why? Let me explain.

I’ll first cover the heating side, your gas furnace. Inside your furnace is a heat exchanger. The flame shoots inside the heat exchanger and the fan blows air across the outside. If the air flow is insufficient, the heat exchanger becomes too hot. This excess heat stresses the metal. Over time, this stress leads to cracks in the heat exchanger. That is a fire and carbon monoxide hazard. By law, we are required to disable and tag a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger until the furnace is repaired or replaced.

What about the cooling side? Above your furnace is an air conditioning coil. Refrigerant (you may call it freon) flows inside the coil. The furnace fan blows air across the coil to cool the air and your home. When the air is cooled, heat is being transferred to the refrigerant. We need enough heat added to the refrigerant to boil all of it because the compressor in the air conditioner is designed to only pump gas (completely boiled refrigerant). If there is any liquid, compressor damage will occur.

In summary, proper air flow is important to both the heating and cooling sides of your HVAC system. There’s nothing more important during the design and installation of your system. Proper air flow ensures a long lasting system.

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Categories : Cooling, Heating, Maintenance
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Waiting To Replace Your HVAC System

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (0)
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

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So, you are considering selling your Louisville home but your air conditioner is not working well. Do you live with it thinking you won’t be in the home in a couple of years or replace it with an energy efficient air conditioner and furnace?

Three reasons to replace that dinosaur system now.

1 – If it’s more than ten years old, it’s up to 30% less efficient than today’s minimum efficiencies. You’ll save on energy consumption with a new system.

2 – Utility rates increase every year. No matter how much we dislike it, LG&E gets their rated increase approved annually whether it’s electric or natural gas rates. Back to point number one, you’ll save money with a new system.

3 – Let’s say you you do put your house on the market. The buyers will use the age and condition of your heating and cooling system as a negotiating point. A new HVAC system eliminates that point. Plus a stack of lower utility bills is on your side of the negotiating table.

If you can afford to do it, purchasing that new system makes sense.

Contact us today at 244-4328 to arrange an in-home consultation.

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Categories : Cooling, Heating
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HVAC Tax Credits Revisited

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (1)
Saturday, December 18th, 2010

The Bush era tax cuts have been extended along with several tax credits.  Among those extended are the 25C tax credits for HVAC upgrades. In 2010, qualifying heat pump and furnaces were  eligible for a 30%  credit for the first $5000 in upgrades ($1500 maximum). What qualifies? See this link. (Energy Star site.)

In 2011, this credit rolls back to the 2008 levels. Here’s a summary (hat tip to ACCA Insider):

For 2011, eligible taxpayers would be able to claim up to $500 in tax credits for installing energy efficient equipment, but the most a taxpayer could claim for a qualifying central air conditioner or heat pump would be $300, $150 for a qualifying furnace, and $50 for a qualifying advanced main circulating fan.

The tax extender package reinstates the lifetime credit caps, which disqualify any homeowner who has claimed more than $500 in 25c tax credits since January 1, 2005, from any further credits.

The tax extender package also modifies some of the minimum standards to qualify for the tax credit. The qualifying guidelines for natural gas and propane hot water boilers, and oil furnaces and hot water boilers are increased to 95% AFUE. Changes to the qualifying standards for central air conditioners, and heat pumps in effect in 2009 and 2010 remain the same for 2011.

The short version: If you waited until 2011, you may still be eligible for $500 in credits if you haven’t claimed the credit since 2005.

Call today 244-4328 or use or contact page to schedule an in-home consultation.

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Categories : Cooling, Heating

Cracked furnace heat exchangers

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (1)
Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Annual heating and furnace tuneups are key to maintaining  your system in peak operation conditions. They also find potential safety issues. We conducted a furnace tuneup this morning for a new maintenance agreement customer and found crimp rings failed on the Goodman heat exchanger.

Furnace Heat Exchanger with Crimp Rings

We first noticed flames rolling backwards from the center burner. After shutdown, we pulled the blower assembly and found crimp rings laying atop the assembly.

The crimp rings are inserted into the eyelets and used to hold the heat exchanger together. You can see the eyelets in the heat exchanger in this picture. When the crimp rings fail, you typically see cracks surrounding the eyelets. You can see the cracks on either side of the upper ring here.

These cracks are caused by expansion and contraction of the metal over the years of operation. These failures are accelerated by lack of maintenance and improper airflow.

Heat exchangers with cracks should never by operated. They are a fire and carbon monoxide danger. Simple stated, cracks don’t get smaller. They only grow in size.

If your system has been diagnosed with a heat exchanger failure or crack, give us a call or contact us today. We’ll be more than happy to provide you with a proposal for a new furnace or replacement heat exchanger.

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Categories : Heating, Maintenance

Dry Winter Air in Home

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (1)
Sunday, November 7th, 2010

When repairing or installing new furnaces, I’m often asked about dry air in the winter. Many people associate dry air with running the furnace or heat pump. Neither type of heating system removes moisture from the air. The air is simply heated as it passes through the equipment. There is no change in moisture content.

The dry air in the home is caused by infiltration (Wiki Definition) of outside winter air. During the winter months, there are typically two causes of infiltration: prevailing wind and stack effect. Winter months are typically accompanied by a prevailing wind that pushes cold dry air into the cracks of your home. Stack effect (hot air rising) also causes dry cold air to be drawn into the lower areas of your home. Older homes or poorly constructed new homes are more susceptible to both phenomena.

What can you do to prevent this infiltration? Seal your home. There are many different places that your home can be sealed. Energy Star website has a great DIY article on sealing home leaks.

If you have taken the steps to seal your home and it is still too dry, you can add a humidifier. For years, I emptied, cleaned, and filled our portable humidifiers. Bleh. What pain! We installed a steam humidifier by Honeywell last winter. So nice. Our humidity is comfortable in the home twenty-four hours a day with no hassle of the portable humidifier. I installed several for customers last winter, and all are quite pleased with the comfort provided.

If you’d like further information, please give us a call at 244-4328 or use our Contact page.

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Categories : Heating, IAQ, Maintenance
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Louisville Furnace Tax Credits

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (2)
Sunday, September 26th, 2010

Do you own a furnace or heat pump in Louisville that is in need of major repairs? Did you know there are tax credits available for new furnace, air conditioners, heat pumps, and hybrid heat systems? The Stimulus Act provides a 30% tax credit for eligible furnaces and systems. This 25c tax credit is for the first $5000 dollars spent on eligible HVAC equipment.

These tax credits are set to expire on December 31, 2010. At this point in the legislative calendar, they are not expected to be extended into 2011. If you’re thinking about a new system, this will be the best year to have the work done.

Additional incentives from Certified Comfort include a free 10-year parts and labor warranty on all new York systems. That’s 10 years of worry free heating and cooling. $1500 Tax Credit plus a 10-year Parts and Labor Warranty. A winning combination for sure.

If you have any questions, please contact us using our Contact Page or calling 244-4328. We’ll be more than happy to show you the products available and answer any comfort questions you might have.

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Endless Summer

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (0)
Thursday, August 12th, 2010

The air conditioning repair season has been full tilt since the middle of May. The heat doesn’t seem to want to leave any time soon either. Louisville weather forecast shows low to mid 90s for the next ten days.  However, school is back in session in many Kentucky districts. That means cooler air isn’t too far. Yet, the last thing on your mind is your furnace or heat pump.

We’ll start scheduling fall furnace heating tuneups after Labor Day in just a few weeks. What should you expect for a heating tuneup?

Meh. We’ll cover that later. It’s just too darn hot to think about a heating season tuneup right now. Enjoy the rest of  your summer and be sure to call us if you need air conditioning service.

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Categories : Heating, Maintenance
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HVAC Filters

By Rob Benefiel · Comments (1)
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Air conditioning systems in Louisville are under a tremendous strain this year. One big thing you can do to help is using the right filter and changing the furnace air filter.

Do you have trouble remembering to change your HVAC filter? Are you asking yourself what is a filter? Here’s a short video with some helpful tips to remember to change your filter.

As always, please feel free to ask any questions in the comment sections. If you need service or a new system, give us a call at 244-4328 or use our contact form.

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