HOME > SAN DIEGO HEATING / FURNACE REPAIR AND SERVICE

When your Heating System doesn't work efficiently and needs profssional service, we can arrive to your home, office or business any time that it is convenient for you. Call us 24 hours 7days a week at our toll free number:

800-434-7282

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We work on all the Heating/ Furnace units brands including:

TYPES OF HEATING SYSTEMS

Gas and Oil Heating Systems

Inside the furnace or boiler, fuel is sprayed into a combustion chamber where it is mixed with air and burned. The combustion products are vented out of the building through a flue pipe. The flames heat a metal box called a heat exchanger. In a furnace, air is heated in the heat exchanger, while in a boiler, water is heated in the heat exchanger. For hot-water systems, the water is heated to about 180°F; in steam systems, the water is boiled, creating steam.

Heating system controls regulate when the various components of the heating system turn on and off. The most important control from your standpoint is the thermostat, which turns the system or at least the distribution system on and off to keep you comfortable. But there are other controls in a heating system, including aqua stats, valves, vents, fan thermostats, and dampers

Maintenance and Tune-ups Recommended to be done only by Heating System Technicians

Oil-fired systems should be tuned up and cleaned every year, gas-fired systems every two years, and heat pumps every two or three years. Regular tune-ups not only cut heating costs, but they also increase the lifetime of the system, reduce breakdowns and repair costs, and cut the amount of carbon monoxide, smoke, and other pollutants pumped into the atmosphere. System modifications to improve energy efficiency can be made when the service technician is there for the annual tune-up (see the next section).
The company that sells oil or gas usually has trained technicians who can test your furnace or boiler, clean it, and tune it for optimum efficiency. Independent contractors provide this service as well. A complete tune-up usually costs $50-100 and reduces your heating bill from 3-10%. Some companies perform these services as part of a regular service contract. Check to make sure that all of the services listed below are included.
Tests the Technician Should Perform During a Tune-up. The service technician will perform a number of tests to determine the system's performance and efficiency. Incomplete combustion of fuel and excessively high flue gas temperatures are the two main contributors to low efficiency. If the technician cannot get the combustion efficiency up to at least 75% after tuning it up, you should consider installing a new system or at least modifying your present system to increase its efficiency. Note that the combustion efficiency is different from annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). For older burners, the AFUE can be estimated by multiplying the combustion efficiency by 0.85. Thus, if the combustion efficiency is 75%, the AFUE is around 0.75 x 0.85 = 64%.
The technician should measure the efficiency of your system both before and after tuning it up and provide you with a copy of the results. Combustion efficiency is determined indirectly, based on some of the following tests:

1) flue temperature

2) percent carbon dioxide or oxygen

3) smoke number

4) carbon monoxide

5) draft.

Carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the primary end product of fossil fuel combustion. Too little carbon dioxide indicates incomplete combustion. For an oil burner, the CO2 concentration should measure between 10 and 12%. For gas, it should be between 7 and 9%. If an oxygen reading is taken instead, it should be between 3 and 6% for oil systems, or between 5 and 7% for gas systems.

Smoke

Smoke indicates lack of complete combustion and is usually not present in gas systems. On a scale of 0 to 10, the smoke number should be no higher than 1.

Carbon monoxide (gas only).

Carbon monoxide indicates incomplete combustion and should be kept below one-tenth part per million (0.1 ppm) for safety reasons.

Draft

Correct draft promotes complete combustion and reduces net loss up the chimney. A pressure gauge measures the overtire draft through the combustion chamber, and the breach draft through the flue pipe. Overtire draft pressure should be between 0.01 and 0.02 inches of water, and breach draft should be between 0.02 and 0.04 inches higher than the overtire draft. If you have a sealed combustion or induced draft system (a fan pushing exhaust gases out), this is less important.

Cleaning

Parts to be cleaned include the burner (nozzle, electrodes, and filters), combustion chamber, heat exchanger surfaces, oil line filter, and flue pipe. (Oil nozzles and filters are often replaced rather than cleaned.) Sediment should be removed from the boiler and steam lines; corrosion inhibitors may be added to the boiler.

Adjustments

Air and fuel flow adjustments will be made based on the results of the efficiency testing. The internal thermostat on the furnace or boiler (aquastat or fan thermostat) should be calibrated to turn on and off at the appropriate temperatures.

Pumps and Fans

Pumps and fans should be inspected and lubricated if necessary. against. You can reduce this loss by placing reflectors between the wall and the radiator. You can make reflectors from foil-covered cardboard, available from many building supply stores. The reflector should be the same size or slightly larger than the radiator. The foil should be periodically cleaned for maximum heat reflection.

Increasing the Heating System Efficiency

All these measures for boosting the efficiency of your furnace or boiler require a professional with the proper training and tools.

Reducing system size. If you have an older gas or oil system, and if you've added insulation, upgraded your windows, or tightened your house, chances are that your burner runs for only a fraction of the time, even in the coldest weather. Having your heating system con stantly turn on and off is like driving in stop-and-go traffic: you don't get very good mileage. A simple way to reduce this waste is by decreasing the rate at which oil or gas is fed into the burner. In some cases, how ever, generating of gas systems violates local building codes and voids manufacturers’ warranties. Check with your local code officials or knowledgeable contractors before proceeding.

With oil systems, the service technician can install a smaller nozzle, which costs just a few dollars and can cut fuel bills by 5-10%. Nozzles are sized according to fuel flow rates, the specification plate on your burner should include an acceptable flow range-, and an average range would be from 0.50 to 1.25 gallons per hour (GPH). Nozzle size should not be reduced more than 25-30% below the lowest firing range on the specific catenulate.

With gas systems, reducing the nozzle (or orifice) size is tricky; costs and savings will vary widely depending on the system. On a unit that is highly oversized, both the nozzle orifice and the baffles could be changed at a cost of $60-80, with possible savings of 10-15%. The orifice size should not be reduced more than 30%. Consult a gas heat service technician to find out if size reduction is possible for your system.

Boilers for steam systems should not be downsized.

Draft reduction (oil only)

The draft test will determine whether excess heat is being lost up the chimney. This problem is particularly common in systems that were converted from coal to oil. If the draft is too high, your service technician should install a barometric damper in the flue pipe. This will cost from $20-80 and can reduce fuel use by 5% or more. If a barometric damper is already there, it may simply need adjustment.

New oil burner installation

If you have an old, inefficient oil burner but are not ready to replace the whole thing, have a flame-retention burner installed. It will mix oil and air more thoroughly, operate with less air flow, and send less heat up the chimney. In addition, a flame-retention burner will block air flow through the burner when the system is not running, reducing heat loss up the chimney. Flame-retention burners cost $400-500, depending on whether a new combustion chamber and controls are needed. A properly sized flame-retention burner with reduced nozzle size should save 10-20%. You'll do even better, though, replacing the whole furnace or boiler with a state-of-the-art high-efficiency model. Modulating aqua stats (hot-water boilers only). An aquastat regulates boiler temperatures, keeping the water within a prescribed temperature range, usually around 180°F. Unfortunately, it will keep the water just as hot even when there is little need for heat, such as during spring and fall months. A modulating aquastat (or outdoor reset) senses outdoor temperature and keeps the boiler water only as hot as needed. Brand-name aqua stats such as Enertrol or Mastermind sell for $150-350 and reduce fuel consumption by 5-10%. You can control an aqua stat manually as well

Time delays relay (hot water boilers only)

Another strategy for con trolling boiler water temperature is the time delay relay. When the room thermostat signals a need for heat, water heated earlier is circulated through the radiators without the boiler turning on. If circulation of warm water is not sufficient to heat the home within a specified time, the boiler burner fires to further heat the boiler water. With a time delay relay, circulation of lower temperature boiler water can provide adequate heating during milder weather. A time delay relay can be in stalled by a contractor for $50-75 and yield savings of 10%.

Pilot less ignition (gas only)

Electronic ignition eliminates the pilot light that ordinarily burns constantly. It costs from $100-250 and has a three- to eight-year payback. Electronic ignition is difficult to install on existing systems and should be undertaken only by someone who is very experienced in this type of work.

Automatic flue damper

The automatic damper is a metal flap that closes off the flue when the burner shuts off. Flue dampers cost from $125-400 installed and can cut fuel consumption by 3-15%. Savings are highest with steam boilers, large hot-water boilers, and warm-air furnaces that are located in heated spaces, where heated room air can escape up the chimney. If the heating system is located in an unheated basement or if it has a flame retention oil burner, savings will probably be less than 5%. If you have an older oil burner, converting it to a flame retention type is generally a better investment
There are two types of flue dampers: thermal and electric. Thermal dampers respond to the presence of hot flue gases, while electric dampers are wired directly to the burner. Although electric dampers cost more, they also save more, usually making the extra cost worthwhile. Caution: flue dampers are not suitable for all gas heating systems. Ask your service technician whether a flue damper is appropriate for your system.

Flue economizer

Flue economizers are devices that recover heat from the hot gases going up the flue. They are expensive, costing $200-800, and generally not recommended. It is almost always better to replace or modify inefficient systems. If you install a flame retention burner instead, for example, you will improve combustion efficiency and reduce the amount of heat going up the chimney rather than trying to recover that heat as an afterthought. Flue economizers also frequently have corrosion problems.

Duct sealing

A contractor can test your ducts to determine the extent and location of leaks. Traditionally, ducts are sealed using mastic, which is applied to the outside of duct joints and other leak sites. A new alternative to mastic is aerosol-based duct sealing ("Aero seal"). A machine connected to the ductwork blows a latex aerosol throughout ducts to seal leaks from the inside. This system can reach leaks in hard to reach or inaccessible spaces and effectively seals leaks up to 1/4" in diameter.

Adjustable radiator vents and valves

To reduce heat flow to unused rooms, valves on some hot-water radiators may be turned down. Valves on steam radiators should al ways is completely on or off, not in between. An alternative for steam radiators is to install an adjustable air vent, typically costing about $10-15 at hardware and heating supply stores. These vents are screwed onto the radiator in place of existing vents, and they control how much steam gets into the radiator to heat it up. You can get even greater control with either steam or hot- water radiators by installing thermostatic radiator valves. These valves allow you to select the temperature of each room. When the designed temperature is reached, the valve shuts the radiator off. These valves cost $50-125 each installed, and can be a less expensive way to create separate heating zones, compared to repiping the whole house.

Clock thermostats

Setting the thermostat manually works well but is inconvenient. More convenient is a clock thermostat that will turn on the heat a half-hour before your alarm goes off in the morning. Some clock thermostats have several different set-back periods, helping you save energy when you go off to work and the kids leave for school. Clock thermostats cost from about $40 for simpler models, which allow one or two set-back periods each day, to $150 for models that allow separate programming for each day of the week. Most clock thermostats will pay for themselves in about a year.

Tankless coil water heaters. If domestic hot water is provided by your heating system boiler with a tankless coil, then during the summer the boiler must operate constantly just to provide hot water for showers, washing dishes, etc. There are several ways to avoid this waste. The simplest but least convenient is to install a timer switch so that you can turn your whole heating system off at night and when you are away during the summer months. Another option is to install a stand-alone, gas-fired water heater to use in the summer when your heating system is off. A third option is to install an indirect water heater that draws heat from the boiler (like a tankless coil), but stores the hot water so that the boiler does not need to run as frequently. This option is usually the most cost-effective alternative to tankless coils in cold climates.
A fourth solution may be to buy a solar water heater. In most areas of the country, solar water heaters can provide nearly 100% of summertime hot water needs, thus complementing your wintertime boiler-produced hot water perfectly. Although this system requires a large capital investment, it is the best solution from an environmental standpoint, because solar energy produces virtually no pollutants, in contrast to fossil fuels and electricity.