RESIDENTIAL HEATING

RESIDENTIAL HEATING SERVICE AND REPAIR

Imagine, it’s the middle of winter, temperatures below zero, and you wake up at 5:00 AM, and your house is freezing cold. Your furnace has gone out. So maybe you start a fire in the fireplace, turn on a lantern, or plug in a backup space heater, but you next step is to call a local heating professional. Reaume Heating and Cooling is West Michigan’s first choice for heating emergencies, installations, repairs, and replacements.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR FURNACE?

We’ve got more than 45 years experience in the business, and we can get your furnace or heater back up and running in no time. No matter the make or model, we’re here to help you get your home back to a livable temperature quickly and correctly. For your next furnace emergency, give the experts at Reaume Heating and Cooling a call!

What types of heaters are there?

If you’re building a new home, if you’re thinking it might be time for a new heater, or if you’d just like to know what kind of heater you’ve got going in your basement, you’ve got a few options. From energy efficient models to top-of-the-line cutting edge technology, there’s all kinds of heaters out there for every price point and home. It’s good to know what your options are, so you can make an educated decision that benefits you and your family the most, which is why we’ve put together a list of the most popular types of home heaters on the market. From single room heaters to central heating units, they’re all on here:

Furnaces: Most American homes utilize a furnace for central heat. It’s a popular option because it’s relatively inexpensive to install, and it tends to last a long time. Additionally this heating system functions with ductwork, as do the most popular air conditioning options, allowing both heating and cooling systems to utilize the HVAC ductwork system, which can save a lot of money.

Furnaces are generally powered by electricity, natural gas, or oil, and they function by forcing warm, heated air out into the air ducts, and into your home. Gas and oil fueled furnaces mix the fuel with air, and burn it. The heat from the flames is transferred to air through a metal heat exchanger, where a fan forces the heat out into the ductwork. All of the combustion created in the heating process is vented out of your home through a flue pipe, ensuring that a furnace is safe to use in your home.

Most furnaces are controlled by a thermostat, which you’re probably already familiar with in the living area of your home. This is what tells the furnace to turn off and on, and controls the heat levels in your home.

Boilers: While these are less common in newer homes today, if you have an older home or heating system, you might still have a boiler. Boiler systems are easily identifiable by the radiators placed around the house that distribute the heat.

Boilers use pumps instead of a fan and duct system to warm your house. The boiler itself uses fuel to heat the water in the boiler, which is then pumped to the radiators, distributing heat as it goes. The water cycles through your home, and then returns to the boiler to be reheated. While a boiler is less common than a furnace, it runs a close second for residential homes, and is very popular in larger commercial buildings.

Heat Pumps: A heat pump is essentially a two-way air conditioner. It’s a great choice because it serves as both the heater and the air conditioner all-year round. During the summer, a heat pump takes heat from indoors and moves it outside, and in the winter it does the opposite, releasing heat into the home. Most heat pumps use forced-air delivery systems, usually air ducts, to move heated air into your home. There are actually two types of heat pumps, air-source, and ground source or geothermal.

An air source heat pump uses heat from the air to warm your home, and takes the heat out of the air in your home during the winter. These are a much cheaper option than a geothermal heat pump, but aren’t suited for all climates. In very cold climates, it may be difficult for the heat pump to function properly, though it will work excellently in very warm climates.

A geothermal heat pump takes its heat from underground, since underground temperatures are relatively stable all year round. While geothermal heat pumps can be expensive to install, they are extremely energy efficient. If you plan on living in your home for a long time, or if you have a desire to live sustainably, it might be worth the extra expenditure, based on what you’ll save in energy costs.

Radiant Floor Heating: This is a state of the art option that is guaranteed to please, but it comes at a price. Radiant floor heating is generally a system that circulates warm water through tubes under your flooring. This means you’ll always have warm floor, which also warms you. It’s considered to be very energy efficient, and easily controlled, but it is quite expensive to install. You’ll need an experienced system designer, and you’ll have to be picky with flooring options. You don’t want to cover up your heat source in any way.

Repair Tips for Furnaces

When your furnace goes out, or doesn’t seem to be working right, you don’t always want to call someone right away. It can take a minute for them to get to you, and sometimes you’re not sure if something’s actually wrong. If you suspect your furnace or heating system is having an issue, go through this list of common quick-fixes before you call your inspector. It might just save you a few dollars!

Change the Air Filters: Whatever the problem, this is a great first remedy. Dirty air filters are the culprits for an innumerable amount of furnace failures. You should be cleaning or replacing your filters once a month to keep your furnace running smoothly. It’s a simple task that your furnace repair professional can show you, and it will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Maintenance – The absolute best tip we can give you is to make sure that you schedule your regular inspection. This regular inspection ensures that everything is functioning properly and safely in your home, and prevents the need for any emergency services in the middle of the winter.

Check the Thermostat: Sometimes, a fixing a heat problem is as easy as looking at the thermostat. If you have kids, you know that they like to goof around, and a thermostat is a cool, space-like looking apparatus. If it’s too cold or too hot in your home, check the temperature settings first. The switch should be on the “heat”mode, and you’ll want to make sure the blower is on “auto.” If it’s on the other modes, your furnace will be working constantly, instead of just when it needs to get the room to temperature. Finally, you might check the battery in the thermostat as well. Sometimes they go out, causing the furnace to shut off. Once you replace the batteries you should be good to go.

Reduce Drafts: If your pilot light is struggling to stay on, it might be because there’s too many drafts. If you shut windows and doors in the room, it should easily solve those issues.

Check Power Supply: If your furnace suddenly shuts off, and the thermostat shows only a blank, the heating system might not be getting power. Obviously if the rest of your home has power, it’s probably just a circuit breaker problem. Just reset it and you should be good to go.

Call a Professional: Once you’ve gone through this list and your heating system still isn’t on, it’s time to call a licensed furnace repair professional. Electrical and mechanical problems are very delicate and require expert help. Additionally, if you ever suspect a natural gas or propane issue, you should call for help immediately, and never attempt to address the problem yourself.