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27 November 2013

Have Your Furnace Checked Now Ahead Of The Coldest Wintertime Temps

By James Aikins


If you are going to purchase a resale home in 2013 / 2014 ,most likely its set up with central heating rather than say room to room electric heating. In one swoop they cover the entire real estate . On top of that if you renovate or add an addition its a snap for a heating professional for them to work with . Make your kitchen larger or increase the space of a living room and its no big deal to rearrange or even upgrade the setup . Hence its no accident that central heating systems rule the roost in American as well as Canadian castles.

Before the work is done have a heating trades professional do the workup. This includes both the layout and physical size measurement. Have them do the full detail on your furnace. The model number is often stamped on a plate on the backside of the unit. Or it may be necessary to contact the manufacturer of the unit for the full specifications to get a good handle on the situation . It may be necessary to compare the capacity of the current furnace to verify if it is capable to accommodate additional load or area. Or it may be time to consider an upgrade to a more energy efficient furnace. We are not all in Obama's minions when it comes to either being green or being able to afford expensive upgrades. It makes wisest and best sense to do your homework well. If unsure - furnaces are a big ticket item - its best to call in a competent trusted contractor from a respected firm. If you have either the background , skills or fortitude you might want to do the research yourself. Options and paths include online researching on the internet as well as visits to big box store heating parts areas as well as the contractor dept desk. Big box stores seem to search out and hire former tradespeople and contractors for their staff. It seems both these people have the training, background and want a regular job with a consistent and regular paycheck. When you are finished your job it never hurts to call a heating trades outfit as well. Most trusted heating contractors actually don't mind this. They don't consider your call a waste of time - but prudent. Good tradespeople and professionals have pride in their job and trade. These traits are what earned them their glowing reputations. They actually would prefer you call them before rather than after the problems and any emergency events. On top of that if you do run into issues later "who are you going to call ?"

If your expansion area is more than 600-square-foot, it is advisable to create new duct run starting from the furnace to ensure equal distribution of air. However, if you will direct all of the heated air into the new system, then trouble may occur because it will steal air volume from the other runs. Thus, the farthest room will experience huge problem if airflow is redirected.

When it comes too fireplace and fireplace safety - be it the beauty of a natural log fireplace or a natural gas / propane gas one - always make sure that fireplace screen is free from sparks. Be sure to consult your electrician to ensure that electrical circuits are sufficient to carry peak loads such as radio, electric heaters, lamps, etc. It can be said that around your home or office that it never hurts to play it safe rather than sorry. Always buy appliances with recognized label to ensure that it passed all necessary safety test and standards.

Remember always that safety around the home is everybody's concern. Fires can happen in a flash of an instant. It is not as if you have an hour or two when fire begins to rage and time to take action. Prevention when it comes to home fire prevention is key. Simple as that.




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