The Good News: For Every Problem, There is a Solution (for HVAC, anyway). A furnace that stops working is never fun. Nobody likes to be cold, and if you have small children or elderly family members living with you, low indoor temperatures can pose real risks to their health. Still, we’re grateful we don’t live in say, Minnesota, where a broken furnace can result in ... Continue Reading
Is Your Home Too Cold? Here’s How to Troubleshoot Common Problems with Your Furnace
Easy Fixes Will Keep You Warm All Winter We may not have snow here in the San Gabriel Valley, but we do get cold winter mornings. Even in the Southland, nobody likes the feeling of a cold house, condo or apartment when it’s chilly outside too. If your furnace goes on the fritz, here are some simple guidelines for handling everyday fixes before they turn into larger ... Continue Reading
The Fall Furnace Question Everyone Asks
Is This HVAC Issue Happening at Your House? With cooler nights and even the occasional rainstorm, many Southern Californians are turning on their furnaces right about now. And like the flocks of Canadian geese migrating south, the crisp mornings and the crunch of colorful autumn leaves underfoot (okay, maybe it’s just one or two leaves), there is one question on many ... Continue Reading
Don’t Let Your Furnace Go the Way of The Cleveland Browns This Season: Get a Tune Up Instead
Avoid an HVAC Losing Streak with a Sensible Maintenance Strategy It’s bad enough they have to live with an embarrassing 0-16 losing streak this season. But what’s even worse? Many of the players are still in Cleveland right now. As one of the coldest cities in the United States, it's currently topping out at a high of 7 degrees. And hey, if they handle their furnaces like ... Continue Reading
Is My Furnace Working Correctly? Don’t Wait For Your Energy Bill To Find Out
Red Flags to Look For When Operating Your Heating System Of course we’ll always suggest you call a licensed professional to evaluate your HVAC system at least once a year. It’s the safest way to ensure your heating and air conditioning units not only function efficiently, but also last for a long time before needing replacment. However, we understand that sometimes ... Continue Reading
Carbon Monoxide and HVAC: A Safety Primer for Fall
It’s Time to Check Your Detectors for Peace of Mind Winter is almost here. Soon, the temperature will get pretty darn cold, especially at night, and turning on the furnace will seem like the most sensible thing to do to keep your home and workspace comfortable. Before you do that, however, do us a favor. Check your carbon monoxide detector batteries. Change them, if ... Continue Reading
From the Found on the Internet File: Furnace Memes!
We spend some time every day looking at HVAC news, and we couldn’t help but notice recently the number of amusing memes there are out there about furnaces (well, amusing to us, but we’re in the business). A few of them raise some pretty good questions, too. Exploding Furnaces and Seismic Shifts Okay, we’ve all been there, living in Southern California and earthquake ... Continue Reading
Arctic Circle HVAC And Other Fun North Pole Facts
Reindeer Hides and Up to Date Heating Systems Required It may feel like we’re living in the Arctic Circle with this cold snap, but some really do call the area around the North Pole home. Whether you count Santa Claus as one of those residents or not (and we sure do), there’s far more going on in this fascinating area of the world than most people realize. Keeping ... Continue Reading
What is a Variable-Speed Furnace?
What is a Variable-Speed Furnace? In the mild Pasadena climate, you need a furnace that can keep the chill away without blasting out hot air. A variable-speed furnace does this by adjusting its output to meet your needs. Modern Motors Offer Greater Flexibility The motor in an older, mid-efficiency furnace can run on a "high" and "low" speed. The furnace runs on high ... Continue Reading
Need a New Furnace? Keep these Tips in Mind When You’re Shopping in Pasadena
Need a New Furnace? Keep these Tips in Mind When You’re Shopping in PasadenaWhether you're shopping for a furnace for the first time or you haven't shopped for a heating system in a while, you may be pleasantly surprised by the sophisticated features available today. For example, some furnaces automatically adjust heat and airflow output in increments as precise as one ... Continue Reading
HVAC Inspection Pasadena: Properly Inspect Your HVAC System for Mold and Dirt
A clean HVAC system is essential for ensuring the quality of your indoor air and for protecting your respiratory health. It's therefore important for you to look at several HVAC components to make sure everything is functioning properly. If, after you inspect your HVAC system, you suspect that it needs cleaning, you should arrange an inspection date an HVAC ... Continue Reading
Simple Ways to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter Weather
Simple Ways to Prepare Your Furnace for Winter WeatherWe're still several weeks away from the end of cold weather, which means protecting your heating equipment is as important as ever. If you've been procrastinating and still need to prepare your furnace for winter, you should utilize these tips immediately: Schedule a tune-up: If your furnace still hasn't been ... Continue Reading
Tight Ductwork: It Really Does Keep You Warmer and Cooler as Needed
Tight Ductwork: It Really Does Keep You Warmer and Cooler as Needed A tight ductwork system is important to prevent heat energy losses from air leaks and conduction through duct walls. If your home has uneven heating and high energy bills, it could be a duct issue, and not so much a heat pump or furnace issue. Here’s why. ... Continue Reading
Might a Modulating Furnace Be Your Best Option?
Might a Modulating Furnace Be Your Best Option? Imagine your home's heating system as a series of roads and the hot air produced by the furnace is traffic. In a traditional single-stage furnace, traffic is stop and go. Each car is either stopped or traveling at full speed and spends lots of energy shifting to either stop or attain full speed. Conversely, with a ... Continue Reading
How Activated Carbon Filtration Improves Your Indoor Air Quality?
How Activated Carbon Filtration Improves Your Indoor Air Quality? One of best ways to maintain excellent indoor air quality in your Pasadena-area home is regularly inspecting your HVAC system’s air filters and changing them when needed (generally every two to three months). Much attention has been paid to the MERV ratings for particulate filters used in heating and ... Continue Reading
Heat Pumps a Good Fit for Warm Climates
Heat Pumps a Good Fit for Warm Climates Heat pumps are considered a much more energy-efficient way to heat and cool a home than air conditioning and furnace alternatives. A heat pump is capable of delivering one-and-a-half to three times more heat energy than the energy it uses to run. Heat pumps are becoming an increasingly favored type of heating and cooling option, ... Continue Reading
Cracked Heat Exchanger: The Three Things You Should Know
Cracked Heat Exchanger: The Three Things You Should Know Having a cracked heat exchanger is no laughing matter. Unfortunately, many homeowners don't know exactly what this entails. If you want to take care of the furnace in your greater Los Angeles area home, it is important that you are aware of three things: ... Continue Reading
Air-Tro’s Furnace Troubleshooting Tips — Even Greater L.A. Homeowners Need Them
Air-Tro's Furnace Troubleshooting Tips -- Even Greater L.A. Homeowners Need Them Before the weather gets a bit cooler here in Los Angeles, it's important to ensure that your furnace is working correctly. To be sure that your system is in good condition, you should understand how to troubleshoot it properly. ... Continue Reading
Make Sure Your Home Has The Necessary Safety Precautions, And Use A Carbon Monoxide Detector
Make Sure Your Home Has The Necessary Safety Precautions, And Use A Carbon Monoxide Detector As of July 1, 2011, California law mandates that all single family homes have carbon monoxide detectors. This law applies to existing homes (including yours!) as well as to the construction of new homes. ... Continue Reading
Why Upgrading Your Furnace Can Make Sense, Even If The One You Have Isn’t All That Old
Why Upgrading Your Furnace Can Make Sense, Even If The One You Have Isn't All That Old If your furnace has become a constant source of trouble in your household, it may be time to consider a replacement. In fact, it’s recommended that furnaces approximately 15 years of age or older should be replaced due to a relative lack of efficiency. Even if your current model isn’t ... Continue Reading
