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HVAC Answers: Ask an HVAC Expert Anything
When you have a quick question about your furnace or air conditioner, the last thing you want to do is pay a $150 service fee to have an HVAC expert come out to your home and spend five minutes answering your question. While HVAC repairs and maintenance require a service visit, simple questions do not. That’s why we encourage homeowners in the Twin Cities to reach out with any questions they may have about their HVAC systems! No question is too basic or advanced – chances are that many other people have the same question that you do! Do you have a question about your furnace or air conditioner, but don’t know who to ask? Tweet your question to @WelterHeating, message us on Facebook, call us at 612-825-6867, or fill out our contact form! When you ask us for free HVAC answers, you’ll benefit from our owner, Rick Welter’s, decades of experience in the HVAC industry. Rick is a fourth-generation owner of our company, whose has over 30 years of experience as an HVAC professional. To give you an idea of some of the questions we can answer for you, check out the questions that were asked by our Facebook followers down below. 5 Common HVAC Questions & Answers. Answered By HVAC Experts1. How can I set up my new furnace for zone heating?It sounds like your installer either didn’t know or didn’t want to deal with old zone motors. Working with old zone motors is not one of my favorite things either. It’s not uncommon to see old zone motors that don’t work well with new systems. I always recommend replacing the zone system at the same time that you replace the furnace. This will ensure that the zone system and furnace are compatible. Feel free to us and I would be happy to walk you through it or get you a bid for replacing it. On average, new zone motors cost $2,000-$3,500. 2. What should I do if I don’t have heat in the middle of the night, but I also don’t have a service agreement?In the winter, we actually provide furnace repair service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a common practice for HVAC professionals in the Twin Cities area. If you give us a call this winter, we should be there within hours. No service agreement required! 3. How often should I change the filter in my whole-home humidifier?In most cities, you should change the filter in your whole-home humidifier once a year at the beginning of the heating season. If you have well water or hard water, you may need to change it for a second time in the middle of the heating season. In addition, some manufacturers recommend that you look at the water panel after 300 hours of use so take a good look at the new water panel when you put it in. Once you hit 300 hours, inspect it for calcium, rust, or other deposits that would make the water run through the panel too fast. 4. What are the pros and cons of rocket mass heaters?This was an interesting question that left us scratching our heads! Because we primarily work with gas furnaces, rocket mass heaters are outside of our realm of knowledge. However, owning a rocket mass heater sure seems like a neat idea! 5. How can you tell if it’s time to replace your furnace?How often you replace your furnace depends on the age and efficiency of your current furnace. If you’ve owned your furnace for ten or more years, have a technician look at the integrity of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger should be checked every year if your furnace is more than ten years old. If your furnace is 18-20 years old, I would start collecting quotes from companies in order to have a ball park estimate of how much a new furnace would cost. This will help you budget and avoid making rushed decisions if your furnace suddenly breaks down and must be replaced. We’re Here to HelpDo you have a question that wasn’t answered above? Leave a reply below or contact us to ask our HVAC experts your questions on air conditioning repair, furnace maintenance, heating costs, and more. Our heating and cooling professionals are ready to answer. |
When you have a quick question about your furnace or air conditioner, the last thing you want to do is pay a $150 service fee to have an HVAC expert come out to your home and spend five minutes answering your question. While HVAC repairs and maintenance require a service visit, simple questions do not. That’s why we encourage homeowners in the Twin Cities to reach out with any questions they may have about their HVAC systems! No question is too basic or advanced – chances are that many other people have the same question that you do!
Do you have a question about your furnace or air conditioner, but don’t know who to ask? Tweet your question to @WelterHeating, message us on Facebook, call us at 612-825-6867, or fill out our contact form! When you ask us for free HVAC answers, you’ll benefit from our owner, Rick Welter’s, decades of experience in the HVAC industry. Rick is a fourth-generation owner of our company, whose has over 30 years of experience as an HVAC professional.
To give you an idea of some of the questions we can answer for you, check out the questions that were asked by our Facebook followers down below.
It sounds like your installer either didn’t know or didn’t want to deal with old zone motors. Working with old zone motors is not one of my favorite things either. It’s not uncommon to see old zone motors that don’t work well with new systems. I always recommend replacing the zone system at the same time that you replace the furnace. This will ensure that the zone system and furnace are compatible. Feel free to us and I would be happy to walk you through it or get you a bid for replacing it. On average, new zone motors cost $2,000-$3,500.
In the winter, we actually provide furnace repair service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a common practice for HVAC professionals in the Twin Cities area. If you give us a call this winter, we should be there within hours. No service agreement required!
In most cities, you should change the filter in your whole-home humidifier once a year at the beginning of the heating season. If you have well water or hard water, you may need to change it for a second time in the middle of the heating season. In addition, some manufacturers recommend that you look at the water panel after 300 hours of use so take a good look at the new water panel when you put it in. Once you hit 300 hours, inspect it for calcium, rust, or other deposits that would make the water run through the panel too fast.
This was an interesting question that left us scratching our heads! Because we primarily work with gas furnaces, rocket mass heaters are outside of our realm of knowledge. However, owning a rocket mass heater sure seems like a neat idea!
How often you replace your furnace depends on the age and efficiency of your current furnace. If you’ve owned your furnace for ten or more years, have a technician look at the integrity of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger should be checked every year if your furnace is more than ten years old. If your furnace is 18-20 years old, I would start collecting quotes from companies in order to have a ball park estimate of how much a new furnace would cost. This will help you budget and avoid making rushed decisions if your furnace suddenly breaks down and must be replaced.
Do you have a question that wasn’t answered above? Leave a reply below or contact us to ask our HVAC experts your questions on air conditioning repair, furnace maintenance, heating costs, and more. Our heating and cooling professionals are ready to answer.
Call: 612-825-6867
I didn’t realize that 24/7 service was a common practice for HVAC providers. My brother-in-law had some furnace troubles at the start of the year but waited until the next business day to call someone to look at it. I imagine, however, that having your furnace serviced regularly would help avoid the necessity of a late night emergency call.
Hi Luke, Having your HVAC inspected annually is the way to go to avoid that late night call. But, life happen! If you need help late at night or on the weekend, the quickest way to get into contact with us is by phone: 612-825-6867.
I have a 5-ton, 3-phase, Tecumseh a/c compressor that is running on my rooftop unit but is not cooling for the last couple of days ever since we had a heat wave in Toronto. Initially, when I found out that the 40 amp three-pole breaker tripped I reset it but the breaker tripped a few seconds later. So the next day when it was a little bit cooler I went on the roof to check the unit and took the pressure readings by resetting the breaker and allowing the compressor to run. The compressor was running but not cooling. The high side pressure over 270 and the low side pressure was at over 125. So I allowed some of the pressure out from the low side to bring it closer to 90 but then I noticed that the high side was dropping at the same time so it became almost 95. Eventually, both sides were at the same level at 90. I would like to know if this is an indication that this 25-year old compressor is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. I would appreciate your help in this matter. thank you for your prompt response. Jim
Hi Jim,
Thanks for asking. I agree with what you’re thinking.
Sorry for the delayed response. For faster service next time, please complete our form. 🙂
Rick Welter