LB Heating & Air Conditioning

What a winter so far!

I hope many of you have enjoyed the mild winter. I must admit we are all surprised by the weather and the lack of snow on the ground. The holidays were not the same.
But the mild weather might be an opportunity. As many of you know, the ECO ACTION Rebate program is coming to a close. March 31st is the deadline and we are only 8 weeks away. If you haven’t yet replaced your old furnace (and maybe old AC), this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the weather. Let us assure you that once the deadline passes, the rebates will be gone.

It’s HOT out there; don’t lose your head!

If you’re looking for central air conditioning, ductless air conditioner, or an attic air conditioner, you should be extra careful during the hot weather.  Unscrupulous contractors (vultures) prey on customers at this time because the heat makes people do things they normally wouldn’t do.  You see; these vultures love impetuous buyers.  They thrive on impatience and with a low cheap price, they have the perfect environment to thrive and spread their appetite.  Why?  This weather (heat) makes customers impatient and forget to look at the bigger picture.  Instead, they look at the price and figure the cheapest is the best.  That decision gets a lot of homeowners into trouble later on.

Don’t lose your head!  You should take the extra time to review who and what the company is and has to offer outside of the box it is selling.  Ask questions like where are you located?  Or are you licensed with the city to operate as a business?  If you go to the city of Toronto website (www.toronto.ca) you can find a business license locator page.  If the contractor you are considering is NOT licensed with the city, what does that tell you about the contractor?

Spring is in the air!

Many homeowners are starting to think about home renovations now that spring is in the air.  Often they start to layout their first plans and the topic of heating and air conditioning should come up along with kitchen and building plans.

Now is the time to call a heating contractor for those preliminary ideas before you get to ahead of yourself with renovation and building plans.  Regardless if your just considering an addition or renovating the basement, you have to consider the HVAC.  That means if you want to put in floor radiant or add more ducting to an existing furnace, you should consult a heating contractor sooner rather than later.

Many homeowners layout the renovation such as furniture placement in a room or washroom/kitchen layout before consulting a heating and air conditioning contractor.  Afterward, there are disagreements between the heating and ac contractor and the designer/homeowner.

Avoid the pitfalls so many others have not.  Call us for a free consultation before you get to that point.  We are happy to help!

Happy Holidays!

We would like to wish all our customers and our friends a Happy Easter and Passover during this holy week.  We hope you all get some time to relax and spend some quality time with your friends and family.

Its been an especially hard and challenging time these last 3 months for many of us and we deserve the break.

Cheers!

Happy New Year! Save an extra $250 on the purchase of a new High Efficiency Gas Furnace

Until the end of February, we are offering an extra $250 Rebate on the purchase of any new ECM Variable Speed High Efficiency Gas Furnace or High Efficiency Condensing Gas Boiler!

We know a lot of homeowners are aware that the rebates from the manufacturers have expired and we’ve decided to step up and fill in that gap for the next 6 weeks or so.

So if you’re in the market for a new High Efficiency ECM Furnace or Condensing Boiler then don’t hesitate and call us for a quote now!  You could already be enjoying the gas savings and extra comfort of a new furnace or boiler.  What are you waiting for?

Post Renovation Blues

In the past few years, many of our clients have taken advantage of the renovation rebates that various levels of government have had to offer.  Along the way, our clients have taken advantage to “update” their houses with some cosmetic and some major renovations.  While that is a win-win situation for all, many of our clients call us afterward to service their “new” furnace. Why?

What we tend to find is a lot of dust and dirt collect in the furnace during the renovation.  We find wood debris; we find drywall dust; and we find pieces of renovation lint and dirt.  First, more care must be taken by the general contractor to maintain and clean the filter on the furnace during their project. Second, the furnace is not meant to function as a construction heater.  Homeowners should demand that the general contractor takes “care” of the furnace by supplying supplementary heat and cover register holes with masking tape or newspaper.

The result is a dirty and poor operating furnace that requires “extra” attention and care.  A lot of customers seemed to be miffed about the prospects of “cleaning” a furnace that was only installed a “few” months ago but ultimately the decision to “clean” the furnace so quickly is a matter of poor preparation and attention.

So next time you hire a general contractor to work around the house, ask him or her what they are prepared to do about protecting your heating system.  Maybe they should include in the cost a cleaning of your heating appliance after they are done all their work.

Please Help-Water Leaking from my Furnace!!

In the last few weeks, our service department has experienced an increase in the number of calls from homeowners about their furnaces leaking water or “flooding their basement”.

In short, their furnaces are “boilers” (appliances that heat hot water through radiators).  And the water leaking is not the boiler but the Pressure Relief Valve (PRV).

The reason the PRV is leaking is because the boiler is operating at too high a pressure level (usually +30PSI) and the PRV is releasing that pressure down to something more reasonable (15-18PSI).

There are a few remedies.

First, if the boiler has not been maintained in a while (more than a year), the boiler might need a “good” elbow cleaning.  The pressure build up is a result in a “congested” heat exchanger where the products of combustion don’t exit the boiler properly and consistently.  This will also result in high levels of Carbon Monoxide (CO)!

Second, if you have one of those old Ceiling Expansion Tanks between the joists of your basement, it might be full and need to be drained.  (see our article section for a conscience explanation). 

 Third, the Automatic Water Feed Valve is not regulating the pressure correctly in the system and causing the pressure to “build” up unnecessarily.  This will result in the PRV opening up occasionally and will require the AWF valve to be replaced.

Fourth, the PRV due to age and use might have lost is calibration over time and now is constantly dripping water no matter what the pressure in the system reads.  Again, this will require replacement of the PRV.

Nevertheless, its not a catastrophe as so many of my customers think it is.  The PRV is just trying to tell you that things are not right with your Heating System and it requires a little TLC.

IF this happens to you, don’t worry.  Just call our office and ask for a service call.  One of our experienced service techs will be happy to come over and address your concerns.

It’s been a while but…..

I know I haven’t posted anything new in a little while.  This summer was busy even though the weather was lousy.  Thanks to all our customers who supported us during this challenging time.

Fall started slow but has really picked up in the last few weeks.  Many customers are taking advantage of all the savings.  With tax credits, grants, and rebates, there is no better time to replace that old clunker you call a furnace.  Plus with additional incentives for air conditioning replacement, why not replace it also?!?

Don’t Fret. Spring will arrive!

I know the weather has been topsy turvy the last few weeks. You don’t know if you should put away that winter coat or keep it handy.

As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Spring will arrive.  That means many of you will start to think about summer and that always leads to air conditioning. 

Keep in my mind, a well maintained AC is important for the long term life and efficiency of your appliance.  So don’t forget to get your AC look over in the next month or so to make sure you are ready for another season!  Call us for your annual tune-up before its too late.

Happy Easter and Passover everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We would like to wish all our customers, future and old, a Happy New Year!  We would also like to thank all our customers for a successful year and for their loyality over the years.  We are proud of our achievements and it shows in the number of repeat and referal business we have done. 

We wish you all a happy and joyous night.  Please be careful and don’t drink and drive.  We all want you to arrive home safely.  Finally, we at LB HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING CO. wish all our customers a successful and healthy upcoming New YEAR!