Honest Abe’s Home Services is a full-service heating company. We offer numerous heating and furnace services to ensure your comfort throughout the winter months. Our main priority is to keep your family safe and secondly, your home warm. Our technicians are trained in the latest technology in order to offer the best diagnostic capabilities and we always use upfront, flat-rate pricing. This means that you will know the cost of the job before it ever begins!
The Benefits of Heater and Furnace Tune-Ups
All too often people forget to schedule a heater or furnace tune-up and yearly maintenance. When this happens you could be setting yourself up for failure, especially if your unit is more than a few years old. To be clear, the term ‘heater’ can encompass furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, or any other system used to warm your home--but no matter which type of heater you own, it will need yearly maintenance and tune-ups. Here is a quick look at a benefit of scheduling this service before winter sets in:
- Technicians can visually inspect your heater for damage or wear and tear. This allows them to point out possible problems which will mean less chance of an emergency call
- Almost all heaters use some sort of combustion and combustion means that they produce carbon monoxide (a deadly gas.) Detecting leaks any leaks will keep your family safe from the harmful effects of this byproduct
- An energy efficient heater is a cost-efficient heater. Minor fixes can make a huge difference in your electric bill and carbon footprint
- Systems that are maintained and tuned-up on a yearly basis will generally have better longevity than those that are left unserviced
Signs Your Heating System Needs Repairs
Sometimes even the best maintenance won’t prevent a minor or major issue from occurring. If your heater does show any of these signs, it is best to call us sooner than later as ignoring the problem will often make it worse.
- Strange, Loud Noises: You never want your heater to wake you up with noisy operation, which is why any strange noises indicate a part that is loose or a broken belt
- Abnormal Smells: This may include plastic burning or the scent of the fuel used to operate your system, i.e. natural gas.
- Discolored Pilot Light: Pilot lights should be blue. If they are orange or yellow, there may be a carbon monoxide or combustion problem
- Inadequate or Uneven Heating: When in use, your heater should warm your home evenly to the temperature set on the thermostat
- Carbon Monoxide Alarm: If your carbon monoxide alarm has been tripped, call us immediately and attempt to air out your home. If it continues to sound, evacuate as carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and deadly
What To Consider When Installing a New System
New heaters are expensive and there isn’t really a way around this fact. However, if you choose to have a professional installation, you can ensure that your heater functions properly for years to come. In addition, consider a few other benefits when installing a new system:
- Sizing - our technicians can direct you to the best size furnace for your home. One that is too big or too small will cost more to operate due to their inefficiency
- Safety - installing a furnace can be dangerous because it can deal with combustible fuels and electricity. Most people do not have the knowledge safely install a new heater
- Warranty - many manufacturers offer warranties on their products but oftentimes they are voided by a non-professional installation. We can ensure your warranty stays intact
- Correct duct sealing - when ducts are not sealed correctly, they will leak the warm air you’re paying for. Our technicians make sure that your ducts are airtight so you don’t waste money
- Reliability - heaters are delicate systems and a simple mistake can permanently damage them, preventing the unit from being completely reliable. We know how to avoid potential damages so that your heater works flawlessly for years to come
How Do Heat Pumps Work?
Heat pumps are the exception to the statement that heaters use combustible fuels to function. A heat pump system actually uses refrigerant and electricity to transfer heat from the air outside to the inside of your home. As the refrigerant collects heat from the outside, it expands and is sent to the inside compressor. The compressor pressurizes the gas back into a liquid, expelling the heat into your home. Because a heat pump transfers heat and doesn’t actually create it, it is very cost-efficient.
In addition, a heat pump can be reversed in the summer months and used as a cooling system for your home. There aren’t many downsides to using a heat pump but if the weather is extremely cold, it may not heat your home enough. Having a secondary heat source may be advisable but will be less expensive to run due to needing to create less heat.
The Honest Abe’s Difference
It is common for heating and furnace companies to take advantage of people’s emergencies and it gives other honest companies a bad reputation. Honest Abe’s Home Services is here to begin changing that perspective. If you have a plumbing, heating, or AC emergency outside of regular business hours, we will never leave you without help! We'll send a technician your way to help get the situation under control until morning. This way, you can rest easy knowing we're on the job.
Once they have arrived at your home, the tech will diagnose the problem, present all available options, and then give you an upfront, flat-rate price. Our goal is to never to leave you feeling like you were taken advantage of, but instead like you received the excellent customer service we always strive for!
