Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Blog: Archive for March, 2015

3 Common Myths about Gas Furnaces

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Across the country, and throughout the rest of North America, gas furnaces are the most common type of residential heating system, a position they have held for a number of decades. Although other comfort technology has come along, the gas furnace remains at the top of the home heating pyramid because of its heating power and lower cost of natural gas compared to electricity and other heating fuels.

But because gas furnaces are so widespread, they also have a number of myths attached to them that are hard to shake off. Below are three common myths you have heard regarding gas furnaces. To make sure that none of these misunderstandings interfere with your home heating in Farmington, NM, always call professionals whenever you require installation, repairs, maintenance, or simply advice regarding a gas furnace. Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. is one of the most reliable companies to turn to whenever you need quality assistance for your home comfort in the Colorado Springs area.

Myth #1: Gas furnaces are dangerous

The truth is that any heating system poses some potential danger; these are powerful appliances, after all. Gas furnaces can present hazards if they are left without regular maintenance, or if amateurs attempt to service them. But if you make sure that you keep your home’s natural gas furnace in excellent shape, you shouldn’t encounter any safety issues from it—no more so than from a fireplace or a boiler.

Myth #2: The higher you set the thermostat, the faster the gas furnace will heat a home

Gas furnaces have immense heating output, which makes them one of the most effective ways to warm up a home. However, because people associate turning up the thermostat on a gas furnace with making a gas jet burn higher (like on a gas stove), they imagine this means that the furnace will warm up a home faster at a higher setting. But gas jets in a furnace always burn at the same rate: what the thermostat does is control how long it burns. If you crank up the thermostat to the highest setting, it will only keep the furnace running longer, and you will end up wasting energy without receive any faster comfort.

Myth #3: Gas furnaces will dry out your air

No, a furnace will not create unpleasantly dry air… or do anything to make the humidity lower in your home. This misunderstanding often arises because hydronic heating systems like boilers are sometimes called “wet heat” systems. This has nothing to do with moisture in the air; boilers do not put water into your home’s air, nor do furnaces draw moisture out of it. Heating the air is simply raising its temperature, and has nothing to do with adding or removing moisture.

If you have any questions regarding the performance of your furnace or about our heating services in Farmington, NM, never hesitate to give Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. a call. We will help keep your furnace safe and dependable.

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How to Keep Your Commercial AC Bills Low This Summer

Friday, March 20th, 2015

Summer temperatures in Bloomfield average in the high 80s and low 90s, and your business’s air conditioning will usually stay humming every day keeping the workplace cooled down for the comfort and contentment of customers, clients, tenants, etc. Air conditioning costs are probably a large item on your quarterly budget during the summer, but you are probably paying more than you should.

The technicians at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. have some advice for how you can save money with your AC during this summer. If you have further questions, or wish to schedule service for your commercial HVAC in Bloomfield, NM, just give our staff a call.

Ways to lower your commercial AC bills

  • Schedule spring maintenance: This is the key part of seeing that your commercial cooling system works at peak efficiency during the summer, without wasting energy. A commercial HVAC technician will come to your business and provide a thorough inspection for the air conditioning and then tune-up, adjust, and clean it where necessary. The technician will catch any impending repairs so you can have them fixed before the summer starts. These regular inspections and tune-ups will help an air conditioning system retain 95% of its efficiency throughout its lifespan, rather than experience a 5% decline over each year.
  • Install “smart” thermostats: One of the key ways to maintain energy efficiency for an HVAC system is by maintaining a temperature on the thermostat that is comfortable but not wasteful. In a home with a single thermostat, this job is simple. But for a business it is much more complicated. Installing new “smart” thermostat technology will make it far easier. These thermostats learn from your programming and create their own energy-saving program. Not only will smart thermostats help your business save on air conditioning, but you won’t have to worry about constantly monitoring it.
  • Only rely on professional repair services: Whenever your air conditioning starts to show signs that it needs repairs, always call on experienced commercial repair technicians. Going with amateurs or professionals who only have residential experience can end up damaging the AC’s efficiency, making it more expensive to run.

Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. has served businesses in Bloomfield, NM with commercial HVAC services for over a decade now. We want to help you lower your air conditioning bills this summer, and every summer after that, so give us a call today to arrange for the work that will help make your commercial air conditioning the most energy efficient it can be.

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Repairs an Electric Furnace May Need

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

An electric furnace allows homes without a connection to a gas line to enjoy the benefits of a furnace’s heating power. Electric furnaces also require fewer repairs than gas furnaces—but they will still need repair work from time to time.

It is crucial that you never attempt furnace repair on your own whenever you detect that something is wrong with the heater. Although an electric furnace offers fewer hazards than a natural gas furnace, it is still too complicated an electrical device for you to manage unless you have professional training. Instead, call on HVAC experts in heating repair in Aztec, NM, like the skilled technicians at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. We offer 24-hour emergency service.

Some repairs you may need for your electric furnace

  • Heating element replacement: The heart of an electric furnace is the array of electrical heating elements that create the heat that transfer to the air that is then sent out through the blower into the ventilation system. The heating elements consist of coils that grow hot as electric current runs through them. A heating element can burn out, just as any electrical device. If you notice that your electric furnace isn’t providing as much heat as it used to, the issue may be that one of the elements is burnt out and needs to be replaced.
  • Wiring repairs: A malfunctioning furnace will sometimes cause tripped circuit breakers whenever it turns on. When this occurs repeatedly, call on professionals to see what wiring troubles may lay behind this problem and fix them.
  • Blower motor repairs: The motor that runs the blower fan does an immense amount of mechanical work, more than any other part of the furnace, and without regular maintenance it can start to lose lubrication and wear down to the point of burning out. If the airflow from your furnace stops, you probably have a broken blower motor or damaged relays, and a technician can either repair or replace it.

Keep in mind that although an electrical furnace may still continue to operate even with a malfunction, it will operate less efficiently and drain extra power. A poorly working electric furnace can become quite expensive to run! Don’t pay more for home heating than you have to, and never settle for lesser performance form your furnace: call for professional heating repair service in Aztec, NM from Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.

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The Problem with Improperly Insulated Ducts

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015

The ductwork in your home is important. The insulation in your home is important. But do you know how important having the proper amount of insulation for your ductwork is? This is something that homeowners often don’t consider, but poor insulation on the ducts that are responsible for circulating heated and cooled air around a home can have an extremely negative effect on comfort and especially energy efficiency.

If you suspect that you have ducts with poor insulation, or if you need new ducts installed that will have the correct level of insulation, you only need to give Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. a call today. We offer duct insulation in Farmington, NM that will take care of your needs for better comfort and energy savings.

Why duct insulation is so important

To grasp why insulation on ducts is key, picture the extent of your HVAC system, particularly the “V” part (ventilation). The ducts that move through your house are mostly hidden from your sight, but they are extensive, moving through walls, ceilings, the attic, sometimes the garage and basement. That is a great deal of distance for heated and cooled air to travel to reach the room vents, and as the air moves, it will start to either gain or lose heat through the walls of the ducts. It’s impossible to avoid some energy loss during this process, but you want to reduce it to a minimum.

Now consider some of the places where ducts are located, and the difference in temperature in those locations. During a warm New Mexico summer, the attic can grow incredibly hot. Ductwork that moves through here can take on immense heat, and without a layer of insulation to prevent the heat from getting through, it will cause the air conditioned air inside to turn warmer. You will end up with air that isn’t cooled as well as you would like, and the AC will have to work harder.

The same applies during cold weather. The space between walls doesn’t receive heat, and the low temperatures there will allow the heated air inside the ducts to escape to the outside. As result: colder air in your rooms, and an overworked heater in general.

You shouldn’t attempt to insulate your own ducts. This is a specialized job that requires technicians who know the exact type of insulation to use and how much of it is necessary. They can also easily access the ducts without causing damage to your home. If you home is struggling with comfort and energy efficiency during both hot and cold weather, call on Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to check on your duct insulation in Farmington, NM.

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