Posts Tagged ‘Heating Replacement’

Surrey Heating Replacement Guide: 5 Reasons to Replace Your Furnace

Friday, January 27th, 2012

No homeowner wants to even think about replacing a furnace, let alone do it. Furnaces are expensive appliances, costing anywhere from about $3,000 to $6,000 with installation costs. However, there are reasons to get your furnace replaced. Here are five of the most common.

1. Your furnace is old
On average, most furnaces last about 15 to 20 years, although some can last longer if they are well-maintained. When they get older, they start to have more problems, such as fuses and sensors burning out and frequent breakdowns. Switching now can save you further repair costs.

2. You have an inefficient furnace
Furnaces have made great leaps in efficiency in the past few years. Even if your furnace is only 10 years old, it may be a lot more inefficient than a newer model. A model that’s 97 percent efficient will cut your bills about 20 percent compared to one that’s only 80 percent efficient; plus, it’s more environmental friendly. To see if making a switch is worth it, you need to figure out your bills now and calculate how much the more efficient furnace will save. If you are likely to recoup the cost of a new furnace within 10 years or so, then it’s probably worth it.

3. You use heating oil
Oil and gas prices have been going in different directions for several years now. Gas prices in 2012 have hit lows not seen in a decade, while oil prices have been consistently above $100 a barrel. For those with a heating oil furnace, switching to gas — or even electric — can lead to immediate savings on heating bills. And if the price trend continues, it won’t take long to recoup the cost of the switch.

4. Your house has grown
When a house is built, the furnace that is installed is meant to fit the size of the house. When a furnace is replaced, same principle applies. However, if you have put an addition onto your home or turned a large unheated space into a heated one, you may need a larger furnace.

5. Rebates or other savings programs
You may be able to take advantage of tax credits or rebates offered by your local utility to buy a new furnace that is more efficient than your old one.

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Richmond Heating Replacement Checklist: What You Should Consider Before Upgrading

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

How do you decide if it is time to replace your old furnace or upgrade your heating system? In our line of work, we’ve come across many homeowners faced with this dilemma. We recommend that homeowners use the following checklist to decide if the benefit of buying a new heater is worth the purchasing cost.

1. Are your heating bills high? We all know that the price of gas or electricity, depending on your system, is high. However, what many homeowners don’t know is that their furnace starts becoming less efficient after 15 to 20 years in operation. This means that the furnace requires more power to operate, thereby forcing you to pay more for your heating bills. If it’s possible, we recommend comparing your heating bills from the same month over a span of three to five years. If you see a steady increase, then it’s likely your furnace is affecting your heating bills. Consider upgrading to an energy efficient model.

2. Have you repaired the furnace recently? Every homeowner knows that repair costs are expensive. Ask yourself how many times the repairman has been out to check your furnace during the past two years. Excessive repairs are a sign that a furnace is reaching its end, leaving the household without heat. Not only is a complete break down uncomfortable, it’s also downright dangerous in the winter. It’s better to prepare a budget plan that allows for purchasing a new heater than face the high costs of emergency heating repair.

3. Is the heat level the same all over your house? One of the signs of a malfunctioning furnace is that it stops heating rooms as effectively as it once did. For example, if you notice that there is a severe temperature difference between two bedrooms, then this is likely due to your furnace not being able to heat them evenly. Upgrading your heating system can fix this problem.

4. Do you think your furnace is safe? There’s more to worry about with an old furnace than just excessive repair costs. A furnace’s age determines how likely it is to potentially start a fire or even begin to leak carbon monoxide. These are serious threats that can affect the safety of your entire family. Furnaces that are older than 20 years present the greatest safety hazards. They need to be replaced by safer, more energy efficient models.

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Vancouver Furnace Replacement- Another Happy Customer!

Monday, December 5th, 2011

If your furnace won’t make it through another winter, replacing it before it breaks down entirely is really the best option. Why waste money paying for repair after repair for a furnace is that is on the way out? There are several signs that your furnace getting old, including frequent repairs, higher utility bills, and uneven heating. If you have noticed these problems in your home, it is probably time to upgrade you heating system.

There are many benefits to a newer furnace, not only will it make your home more comfortable but it will also cut down on your heating bills. Most furnaces today are very energy efficient, which makes them better for the environment and less expensive to operate than older furnaces.

If you are thinking about replacing your furnace, contact Milani Plumbing, Drainage & Heating to get the job done right! Here is what Gavin Gee told us about his recent furnace replacement:

Overall I was very impressed by the people at Milani plumbing who helped replace our very old furnace with a new Lennox G61MPV.

Greg Eldridge was the company rep and he was very helpful in explaining the work to be done and answering questions. He was also very reasonable when it came to discussing pricing and different options.

Dave Radey and Damon Skuce were the service technicians and were absolutely very professional, focused and methodical in all aspects of the installation. I especially appreciated hearing the trade-offs for venting before the work was done plus being informed of a potential plumbing issue left by a previous company.

We are very happy with our new Lennox furnace, particularly the very even air-flow and temperature throughout the house. We are confident we made the best decision to have Milani install it.

Thank-you very much :-)

Gavin Gee

Thanks Gavin! We try hard to make sure that all of our customers are completely satisfied. Whether you need repairs for your heating system or high pressure drain jetting, our technicians are ready to provide the best service possible in the Greater Vancouver Area.

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Benefits of Replacing Your Furnace: A Tip from Langley

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

You are about to make one of the largest purchases in your life – a new furnace. Maybe your old furnace is on life support and needs immediate replacement or you are looking for a better, more efficient furnace that will raise the comfort level of your Langley home while reducing utility bills and carbon emissions.

If the furnace in your basement, crawl space, or attic is 15-20 years old, it may be a single-stage 80% percent efficient model, which doesn’t meet the higher efficiency standards of today’s models. It uses more energy, i.e. gas, oil, or electricity, to operate. And a single-stage furnace does not always provide even heating to all rooms in the home, based on the varying winter weather conditions. There may be large temperature variations from room to room.

Your new furnace will likely be more efficient and environmentally friendly than the one it is replacing – which are the two biggest benefits to replacing an old furnace. So, let’s take a closer look at these benefits, which link energy efficiency to the latest technology – namely two-stage furnaces and variable speed motors.

Two-stage furnaces start out by running in a first stage, which uses less than 70% of its capacity. This stage works well on moderate winter days. On colder days, the furnace will meet your extra heating demand by adjusting to the second stage in the heating cycle. Since the furnace spends most of its time operating in its lower capacity (first or single stage), it burns less fuel than a traditional furnace that always runs at full capacity and then shuts off when heating demand is met. You will see lower utility bills and a shorter payback period on your new furnace investment.

Variable-speed motors can actually save you money on your energy bill as they consume less electricity than standard motors. Variable speed furnaces save you money by having a higher SEER rating. SEER is the abbreviation for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. The higher the SEER, the more energy efficient the unit. The low operating costs of a variable speed furnace can allow you to run your furnace blower. With the low operating costs of the variable-speed furnace you can constantly run your blower without the worry of driving up your utility bill, allowing for continuously filtered air.

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Happy Halloween Weekend! (and When To Replace Your Furnace)

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Everyone at Milani wishes you a Happy Halloween weekend! We hope you have a great time dressing up and eating lots of candy! And since you want to be warm when you get back from trick or treating, here is some information how to know if it is time to replace your furnace.

Replacing the furnace in your North Vancouver home is probably not something you want to think about. After all, a new furnace is a big investment and not something you probably have too much experience with. And sometimes having your current system fixed or tuned up is all you need to get your home heating situation back on track. But there are certain situations in which it makes more sense to just go ahead and get a new furnace rather than simply patching up the old one.

For instance, if you have to call for either minor or major repairs to your furnace on a regular basis, it’s probably time to consider investing in a replacement. All of those repairs cost money and chances are that the furnace you’re paying repeatedly to replace isn’t going to last that much longer anyway.

Rather than continuing to dump money into a furnace that just isn’t cutting it anymore, you’ll be better off making the investment in a new unit. The truth is, you’re going to have to do it sooner or later and by buying a new furnace now, you’re actually saving all of the money you would have spent on repairing the old one for another year or so.

Also, a furnace that requires such frequent repairs is probably not functioning all that efficiently either. When you replace it with a newer model, you won’t just save money on repairs. You’ll also likely notice a considerable savings on your monthly energy bills because of how much more efficient your new model is.

Even if you haven’t been repairing your furnace often, you may be able to notice some signs that the old unit isn’t quite up to the task anymore. If you’re suddenly having some significant humidity problems in your house or if your home isn’t being heated evenly, there’s a good chance your furnace is on its way out.

And, in fact, even if your furnace is functioning just fine but is more than 10 years old or so, it’s very likely you’d benefit by replacing it. That’s because the newer furnaces available now are so much more energy efficient than their predecessors that the savings you’ll incur monthly will quickly make up for the initial installation investment.

Of course, you don’t want to get rid of a good furnace if you don’t have to. But if your furnace is getting close to the end of its expected lifespan, you may very well benefit by putting out the money for a new one now so you can start saving right away on your monthly energy bills.

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When Should You Replace Instead of Repair Your Heating? A Question from Anmore

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

We all dread an expensive repair in Anmore, whether it is a car that needs a new transmission, a leaky roof that needs new shingles, or electrical wiring that has been chewed up by a wild animal. Equipment repairs are a necessary evil. We often try and put bandages on things that we know should be replaced but we just can’t afford to replace them.

The same can be said about your home’s heating system. When your heat goes out or your home just doesn’t seem to be heating up to the setting on your thermostat, your first inclination is to check and see if it is running. Some people will put their hand over a heating vent to check for hot air while others may go into the basement or mechanical room to listen to hear if the furnace is running. Maybe there is a blockage in the ventilation system or a blown circuit breaker, two relatively easy fixes.

If the furnace isn’t working after checking the obvious symptoms, your next move is to call for service. Any qualified heating professional would be able to diagnose your problem and offer suggested repairs. Something relatively minor like a bad circuit board or blown fan motor are not real expensive repairs and are the best option versus replacing the furnace. And you may keep experiencing the same problem and getting the same repair work done – anything to avoid an expensive replacement.

But at some point the vicious cycle will come to an end. Your repair bills will begin to inch their way past the cost of replacing the furnace. You can only bandage a problem so long before it becomes “unfixable.” You may not want to pay an expensive replacement bill but consider the alternatives.

First is the obvious – it costs too much to keep repairing the furnace. Secondly, you never know when the furnace may break down and its failure to operate could have dangerous effects on the people in your home, especially if someone is sick. Third, your furnace may not be able to keep up with the heating demand due to lifestyle changes, i.e. an addition put on the house, carpeting removed and wood floors exposed, a new window, door, or skylight added, etc. Your old furnace may not have been designed to keep up with these changes and the repairs are only delaying the inevitable.

Ask yourself if everyone in your home is comfortable during cold weather. If most answer no, it may be time to consider replacing that old furnace with a new, energy efficient model that uses today’s technology – and leaves a smaller carbon footprint – to keep up with the demand for heat, in any sized building or home. Your decision to replace your old heating system could be as simple as the need to use modern technology to solve your indoor comfort problems.

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