Belt-Drive Furnace Fans

If you have a forced air furnace that is more than 30 years old, chances are that it has a belt driven fan. There is a large fan that is joined to an electric motor with a fan belt, much like you would see in a car.

Many modern high efficiency gas furnaces use a direct drive fan with an ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor). These motors use a fraction of the electricity needed to power an older belt drive system. Many new furnaces also have variable speeds for the furnace fan. This also saves energy because your fan runs slower when it's not as cold outside and you do not require as much heat.

Modern homes also rely on the furnace fan to move cool air produced by your air conditioner, in the summer months. Modern ECM's will move more air, more efficiently, which leads to improved air conditioner performance.

Older belt drive, chimney vented furnaces are only about 60% efficient. Many new high efficiency furnaces will be 95% efficient or greater. There's a big saving on your gas bill. The ECM also creates a big saving on your hydro bill.

Belt-drive Furnace Fan

In addition to the energy savings, you'll experience a big improvement in home comfort. Many people are surprised when their new furnace actually keeps them more comfortable during the cooling season. This is especially true in two storey homes. The upper floor will always be warmer than the lower floor in the summer months. A new furnace will move more air, doing a better job of balancing the temperature of your home. In addition, with the ECM motor, if you decide to run your fan continuously to help minimize the temperate difference between the floors in your home the cost for the hydro to run the fan will be significantly less ( up to 80% less).

What are the Energy Savings?

This varies depending on the age and size of your home. We can tell you for sure that if you have an older chimney vented furnace with a belt drive fan, a new furnace will pay for itself.

It costs nothing to have Salmon Plumbing & Heating come out to your home and access your home comfort system. We have financing programs in place so you can purchase your new equipment with low monthly payments. Your energy savings will offset some or all of these payments, depending on the age of your current furnace.

A new furnace can pay for itself. Click here to see our website page.

Boilers Explained

Heating using a boiler system has been in use for a long time and while not well known it is becoming increasingly popular again, with in-floor heating, as people find out about its' benefits.

Traditional furnaces heat air that is pushed through ductwork with a fan. A boiler heats water and distributes the hot water through piping to radiators throughout the house. Modern radiators now look more like electric heaters. New homes with in-floor heating generally use a boiler, but for small areas the water heater may be the source of heat. This type of heating is known as hydronic heating. There is no duct work in this system, although a hot water coil can be installed in a duct system, which is used to distribute heat throughout the building.

In-floor Heating Installation

A boiler system is a very efficient way to heat a building, so in the past larger buildings such as airports and schools used hot water heating. It is very comfortable, providing nice even heat throughout the building.

Triangle Tube Boiler

The temperate does not rise and fall quickly like it will with a forced air furnace. There are more gradual temperature changes with hot water heating. Once the boiler turns off, heat is still emanating from the radiators. People who have hydronic heating are quite pleased with it.

One downside is the complications involved in adding other options to this system. Cooling, humidification and air quality need to be provided by other equipment. Boilers are a little more expensive than furnaces, but historically they last longer than a furnace.

We sometimes get calls to do furnace repairs and arrive to discover that the customer has a boiler. When people buy a home with a boiler, they sometimes think that they'll need to replace it with a standard furnace.

We try to do our job educating people about what their options are. We suggest they run their boiler through the winter and experience its' performance. For cooling, we can easily install a ductless split system to cool the space.

We would prefer a boiler system in many cases, but most new homes do not come that way. The best time to install a boiler system is during the initial build. In general, a forced air system goes into new housing because it is less expensive to install. Custom homes on the other hand are installing in-floor heating systems. It is an extremely comfortable way to heat a home. The Salmon Plumbing shop on Clarke Road is heated by a boiler system with in-floor heat and we have a separate system for cooling the offices and adding fresh air to the building.

If you have a boiler system and need repairs done, Salmon Plumbing & Heating has a lot of expertise in this area. When we get a service call, it is important for us to know that it is a boiler. You need to work on boilers to know them and not everyone has that level of experience. At Salmon Plumbing & Heating, we employ specialized technicians that have extensive experience with boilers.

For more answers to common boiler questions, click here.

For information on new boilers sold by Salmon Plumbing & Heating in London, Ontario, click here.

Carbon Monoxide and Gas Smells

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is colourless and odorless in its pure chemical state.

Some people may think that if they smell something from a gas appliance, that there is no danger from carbon monoxide. The reality is far different. When CO is being produced by an improperly vented appliance there will be other smells.

People need to be aware that if they are smelling something coming from their, furnace, boiler, hot water heater, gas fireplace or whatever there is a very real danger.

To keep your family safe from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, take the following two important steps:

1. Invest in CO detectors. You should have them installed in every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
2. Don’t skip on annual maintenance for your gas furnace or gas boiler. When we visit your home, in addition to servicing your equipment, we check for CO levels. A furnace can produce unsafe levels of CO in your home if it is not properly vented or if a heat exchanger has cracked. This is not something most homeowners are going to find on their own.

If you notice unusual smells around any gas appliance, play it safe and call a professional.

Changing Furnace Filters

How Often Should You Change Your Furnace Filter?

The frequency at which you change your filter depends on two main factors.

The first consideration are factors that contribute to a dirty filter. The number of people in the house, pets, carpets, how often you vacuum and the age of the house all contribute to the amount of dust and particles in the air. If you have a couple of kids and a dog, you’ll probably need to change your filter more frequently than a retired couple with no pets.

The second consideration is the size and type of the filter. Generally, older furnaces will have a filter that’s 1" thick. These filters can be flat or pleated. Pleated filters have more surface area and tend to last longer than flat filters. A 1" thick filter should be checked every 6 weeks and the frequency adjusted according to what you find. If it is really dirty you will want to replace it more frequently. If it still appears clean then wait a couple more weeks. At a minimum, 1" filters should be changed twice in the cooling season and twice during the heating season.

Newer furnaces may have a 4" thick filter that has an accordion (pleated) design. This provide much more surface area for catching dust and does not have to be changed as frequently. The minimum replacement schedule would be annually. We recommend that you check it before the air conditioner goes on in the spring and again when the furnace is going to start up in the fall. As with the 1" filter you may have to increase the replacement frequency if you have a busier household.

Checking Your Furnace Filter

4" Pleated Furnace Filter

It is important to note that your air conditioner requires a clean filter so that it does not freeze up. Air has to be moving freely to prevent that from happening. Clean filters allow your equipment to run more efficiently, and to maintain a healthy environment.

Checking and changing filters is an easy task that most homeowners can do themselves. If you are not sure how to change your furnace filter, just ask our serviceman when you are having your annual maintenance done.

Salmon Plumbing & Heating, serving London, Ontario since 1955.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors are Now Mandatory

As of October, 2014 CO Detectors (Carbon Monoxide Detectors) are mandatory in all residential homes. Carbon Monoxide can kill you. It is created when fuels are not properly burned. Common fuels around the home that can produce carbon monoxide include:

• Natural Gas
• Propane
• Heating Oil, Wood, Coal, Kerosene, Charcoal, Gasoline

Anything that burns fuel can produce carbon monoxide if it is not running properly or not vented properly. Common household appliances that can produce carbon monoxide are:

• Natural Gas Furnaces
• Natural Gas Boilers
• Natural Gas Hot Water Heaters
• Fireplaces, Wood Stoves, Barbecues, Kerosene Heaters, Gasoline Engines

The CO Detector should be placed inside or near primary sleeping areas. You should have a detector installed on each level of your home. CO Detectors are available from your local hardware store. They are easily installed by homeowners. Normally a CO Detector needs to be replaced every 10 years. Batteries in CO Detectors should be replaced annually.

Typical CO Detector, plugs into outlet, battery back-up

The following is a list of physical and environmental indications of Carbon Monoxide:

• Headache, nausea, burning eyes, fainting, confusion, drowsiness that will improve when you have left the house for a period of time.
• People with heart or respiratory conditions, the elderly and children are particularly sensitive to carbon monoxide.
• The air in the home feels stale or stuffy.
• Strong smell of gas when furnace or other fuel burning appliance turns on.
• Pilot light and burning flames are yellow/orange, not blue.
• Pilot lights go out.
• Chalky white powder or soot around exhaust vent or chimney.

For more information on Carbon Monoxide, we'd recommend visiting the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs page.

Annual furnace maintenance by a licensed contractor is important to protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning. Improper furnace venting or a failed heat exchanger can cause elevated CO levels in a home. Salmon Plumbing & Heating technicians check CO levels when we service your furnace. If our technicians find elevated CO levels, they are trained to identify the source and will take immediate steps to protect your family.

Improving Home Comfort with a New Furnace

Many of our customers that buy a new furnace do it to take advantage of energy savings and government rebates.

People are often surprised to discover that their home is more comfortable in both summer and winter.

Some high efficiency furnaces from Daikin and Ruud are multi-stage furnaces with variable speed fans. The fans on new furnaces can move much more air than older furnaces.

During the winter months, the furnace fires at different levels, automatically adjusting to outdoor conditions. On extremely cold nights like we see here in London Ontario, the furnace will fire at a higher level and your fan will run at a higher speed to keep your house warm on frigid nights.

Most of the time in London, during the winter months, the temperature is running between -5C and +5C. During these milder periods, the furnace and the fan will run at a lower setting to maintain your home’s temperature at a constant and comfortable level.

Modern furnaces keep the temperature very close to the thermostat setting, normally not varying more than half of a degree, plus or minus.

During the summer months your furnace fan will allow your air conditioner to do a better job, especially in multi-level homes. Warm air rises and on a hot summer day our homes can become uncomfortably warm on the second floor.

The new high efficiency furnaces will move much more air than older furnaces. That means that your system can deliver more cool air to your upper level in the summer months.

We’ve had customers tell us that "had they known how much better their air conditioner would work, they would have not waited so long to replace their furnace".

Upgrading your furnace is probably a lot less trouble than you think. Just give us a call and we can take a look at your current equipment and give you a pretty good idea what energy savings you could start enjoying immediately. This is all a free service that we offer, with no obligation or pressure tactics.

Many customers are pleased to discover that a new furnace can actually pay for itself. The increased comfort and peace of mind with warranties extending up to twelve years are icing on the cake.

Salmon Plumbing & Heating will assist you with the paperwork for government rebates. We can also help you with financing your new equipment.

Listen to our answers to many common heating questions.