it’s summer but my cooling system is freezing!
when the cooling season begins, one of the most normal hitchs that customers call four seasons about involves some sort of ice buildup on the air conditioner. from frozen lines outside to ice that develops from the external condenser all the along the joinions into the houtilize , we have seen it all, and unluckily, there are a number of different factors that could be causing this issue. for many though, the hitch is that the refrigerant in the system is leaking out and four seasons will need to come out for the repair.
refrigerant line leaks
the winter season can be brutal for an unsheltered or poorly maintained cooling system. damage from storms has been knowadaysn to cautilize leaks within the refrigerant lines of the cooling system, but worn out age or lack of tune-up is typically the cautilize . buildup of dust and additional particles on the coils or rust development within the machine can both create it very easy for a leak to develop within a refrigerant line.
shut down and thaw
if you locate ice developing on your cooling system at the beginning of this upcoming summer season, the first thing you must do is shut the machine down! once the system is off, call four seasons. a frozen cooling system is impossible to diagnose or repair and depending on how bad the machine iced up, it could take 4 to 8 hours to thaw completely! the sooner you shut the system down the greater ! four seasons will get a serviceman right out to your houtilize to decide the cautilize of your hitch. whether it is a refrigerant leak or a different cautilize all together, four seasons can repair the cooling system right on the spot, 24 hours a day!
Proper size of furnaces
When replacing a furnace, the most important thing is to make sure that the replacement is sized correctly for the home. It is all too easy to fall into the pattern of just looking at the BTU input rating of the old furnace and replace it with a new one with the same input and this is a major mistake. The number one reason new furnaces fail or parts prematurely wear out is the installation of an incorrectly sized furnace, so this really does matter.
The key in terms of sizing is to determine the output (BTU = British Thermal Units) needed to heat the home. As furnaces get more efficient the input decreases in order to get the same output (BTU’s) needed to heat your home. Older furnaces range from 50% to 70% efficient and new furnaces now start at 80% and go up to 95+%.
This may seem a bit confusing, however it’s important to get it right.
Example:
- 100,000 Btu input with a 60% efficient furnace = 60,000 Btu output
- 100,000 Btu input with a 80% efficient furnaces = 80,000 Btu output.
So if you need a BTU output of 60,000 to heat your home, you would down size your input rating of the new furnace to 80,000 BTU’s. Depending on the manufacture of the new furnace, they will increase in size by around 20,000 BTU.
Factors in correctly sizing your new furnace:
- Square footage of your home
- Windows
- Ceiling height
- Insulation in walls and attic
- Size of existing duct work
To the home owners out their, make sure your technician measures your home and does a load calculation as well as measures the duct work to ensure they allow enough air to move through the house for the new furnace. Newer furnace models rely on more air flow to heat your home then older models, so duct sizing is very important.
Hope this helps or at least leads to informed questions all around.
Chicago Heating and Cooling, Chicago Furnace, Chicago Boiler, HVAC Manufacturers, About Chicago 
Protect yourself from Radon
Indoor air quality is a topic of great concern for most people. While the degree of impact to health of anyone source of air pollution varies depending on personal susceptibility. Their are some such as Radon gas that can endanger anyone. Here are some things you should know and do if Radon is a concern for you.
First, radon has been around for ever. It only started becoming a wide spread issue in the last century. The principal cause of this problem has actually been advancements in how houses are build.
Radon is a contaminant that impacts indoor air quality worldwide. It is odorless, tasteless and invisible gas which is produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in soil and water. Radon gas can accumulate in homes, buildings and drinking water, and cause lung cancer. It is responsible for an estimated 20,000 deaths per year in the United States. Lung cancer is the only known effect on human health from exposure to radon in the air.
Where older homes “breath” newer homes don’t for many reasons. While most are good, you need to take into account this potential build up.
You have many solutions to chose from to handle this issue. Some strategies include ventilation in your rafters. Quality insulation like blown insulation will let radon and gases move up with the hot air in your homes. During the summer months this hot air can be vented outside helping to cool your home and remove Radon build up at the same time. Another strategy is to seal your basement. This creates a barrier that restricts or prevents Radon from entering your home, instead it follows your foundation and seeps up naturally around your home and is quickly dispersed by the wind.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with communities interested in increasing public understanding of radon. For more information, please visit the EPA’s radon web page.
You may also wish to view information on how to have your home tested for or protected against radon.
Orland Park Heating and Cooling, Orland Park Furnace, Orland Park Boiler, HVAC Manufacturers, About Orland Park 
stop overpaying for refrigerant and upgrade
with the state of the economy in recent years, many houtilize owners have had to create give ups and become more frugal with the method they spend their cash. since of this fact, many would rather repair rather than substitute their existing air conditioning system. but, replacing the machine nowadays may be the more economical choice. not only are the newer systems more energy efficient and so cheaper to operate in the long run, they also utilize a much less expensive refrigerant to take amethod warmth from the air in the houtilize .
the scartown of r22
your current cooling system most likely utilize s r22, a kind of refrigerant that is no longer produced, and is so much more expensive than the new r410a refrigerant that is utilize d in newer energy efficient cooling systems. the only r22 left out there is refrigerant that was produced years ago or has been reclaimed from worn out air conditioning machines. the cost of this refrigerant has doubled over the past year and the prices are only going to continue to rise.
a great reason to upgrade
one of the more normal cooling system hitchs are leaks. leaks in the system let refrigerant to leak out and if enough escapes, the system will not work properly. refilling an r22 system will cost you a pretty penny and investing that much cash in a machine that will most likely only last some more years is clearly a throw amethod . invest that cash instead in a new air conditioning machine. r410a is much cheaper to substitute down the line, and the energy savings will create the investment well worth the trouble. create every penny count this summer and upgrade to a r410a air conditioning system.
consequences of a dirty coil
if you have been looking into getting the cooling system cleaned and maintained for the season, you have most likely gotten many mixed messages during your searches on the internet. of course the hvac companys are going to tell you that their service is valuable, but is there truth to their claims? some may try to convince you that this service is a throw amethod of your difficult earned cash, but don’t take them at their word! if you were to take a peek at their cooling bills or at their cooling system, you would most likely locate a system that is falling apart and a utility bill that is sky high!
the condition of the cooling coil
odds are their cooling coil is a wreck! this valuable component of your air conditioning system is responsible for removing the warmth and excess humidity from the air in your houtilize . when the coil is covered in years worth of dirt and debris, these are some of the consequences you may see:
- enhanced cooling cost: the longer it takes for the cooling system to take amethod warmth from the air in your houtilize , the more it will cost to run the cooling system. a dirty coil cannot take amethod warmth and humidity from the air efficiently, and as the coil gets dirty the efficiency of the cooling system is decreased. you could be paying much more than necessary to cool the air in your houtilize and your dirty coil could be the source of your hitch.
- enhanced operational noise: the longer it takes the coil to take amethod warmth from the air in your houtilize the higher the cooling load will be on the system. when the cooling load enhances so does operational noise. don’t have the noisiest cooling system on the block and have your cooling system cleaned annually.
- decreased comfort: dirty coils aren’t able to take amethod as much warmth from the as they would if they were clean. it will be much difficult er for your cooling system to keep up with the temperature you have set on the thermostat and so your comfort will suffer. eliminate high humidity and high temperatures with a thorough coil cleaning!
- decreased lifespan: those houtilize owners that do not value annual tune-up will locate themselves replacing their cooling systems much sooner than those houtilize owners that take a moment to maintain their systems. a small investment every year will keep you from making a large investment earlier than necessary.
it’s time for your annual cleaning!
having a cleaning performed annually will advantage the entire cooling system but it has even greater value for the heart of you’re a/c: the coil. protect your comfort, your wallet, and your ears from the effects of a poorly maintained coil and call your favorite hvac serviceman right now!
Take the 2 degree pledge
Want to know a great way to save money on your heating and air conditioning?
Did you know that if you lower your home temperature 2 degrees in the winter you will cut your gas bill by 10%? Most homeowners don’t even notice a difference. Try it and don’t tell your spouse or children. See if they notice. 95% of homeowners don’t see a difference in their comfort level.
Some times the smallest things have the biggest impact.
For more more money savings tips, check out our G0-Green section.
Little Things Save Energy
We know that this summer has been extremely hot throughout the midwest especially for folks in Chicago. As a result of all the consecutive days near 90 degrees you are sure to see a rise in your energy bill as you strive to stay cool. There are many little things you can do which can help you save money and save energy. When we say little things we mean everyday examples of things that we may take for granted that actually do use a fair amount of energy.
One of the things we often neglect is the many items in our homes which are plugged in even though we are not using them. While our AC is running all day so is our computer, DVD player and video game consoles. Maybe the blender and toaster are still plugged in from the last time you used them. Because cooling our homes in summer and heating our homes in winter account for much of our energy cost it is important for people who would like to stay within a certain budget to look for ways to save energy and thus save money on their utility bills.
Because temperatures can change drastically from year to year it can be very helpful to practice take the little steps to save energy since you can’t anticipate what those costs will be. Not everyone has an energy efficient furnace or air conditioning system in their home so the more steps you take such as using a programmable thermostat can save you greater amounts of money over time.
exhaust gas intrusion
the snow in the the greater metropolitan region area has caused several problems for property owners. from crippled rooftops to sore backs, snow removal can take a toll on you, your family, and your house. high efficiency heating system have taken a beating, and if you haven’t checked already, you should take a look at the systems disperse. heating system create dangerous disperse gases that need to be vented out of the house. older heating system use chimneys to vent these dangerous gases, but newer, high efficiency units use plastic pipes that vent directly out of the heating. these pipes are often only a few feet off of the ground, and when the snow reaches beyond this level, it could cause major problems.
carbon monoxide (co) backup
one of the chemicals that are found in heating disperse is carbon monoxide (co). this dangerous gas can make you sick and at high levels it can cause death. sometimes when the flue pipe is blocked, carbon monoxide (co) can back up into the house and circulate through your air ducts. your house should have carbon monoxide (co) monitors that will alert you to changes in to the levels of co in your house, but if not, you need to have them implemented as soon as possible. many heating system have protection mechanisms to shut down the system when the vent becomes blocked, but accidents can happen.
call your local correction technician today!
if you know where your heating vents, you should be careful to monitor the amounts of snow in that region. clear any snow away from the vent, and review periodically that the region remains clear. if you are not sure of where the vent is or if your heating shuts down due to a clog in the venting line, you need to call your local correction technician heating and cooling. we are available around the clock to help you keep your heating working securely and efficiently for the remainder of this winter season.
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Chicago Heating and Cooling
top 5 benefits of an energy assessment| plainfield, addison, berwyn
are you looking to make energy effective upgrades in your house? do you have to stay on a budget? do you want to help save our planet? not sure where to begin? well, your local correction technician can help! our skilled house energy assessments will help you answer all of these questions and many more! a skilled house energy assessment is the only way to effectively improve your home’s energy efficiency, and plan for your home’s future. though you may not know it, energy assessments have several benefits that you can take advantage of today. these benefits include:
- heating and cooling cost: inefficient heating and cooling systems or air leaks in the house can be a major source of energy loose. an energy audit could help you pin point the source of your heating and cooling loose, and making those upgrades could save you 20-30% on your bills.
- power bills: your energy assessor from four seasons can help you save coin on your power bills too! by figuring out how you and your family use power, your energy assessor will show you areas where cutting back will have the biggest return.
- return on investment: your energy assessor will prioritize your energy efficiency upgrades so that the upgrades you make will get you this highest return in the fastest amount of time.
- enjoyable environment: making energy effective upgrades in the house will allow your heating and cooling appliances to function the way that they were built to. that means that you and your family will enjoy an increased level of enjoyable environment all annually round!
- carbon footprint: by having your local correction technician perform any of the energy effective upgrades that our assessor suggests you will reduce your home’s carbon footprint. doing your part to save our planet feels good and it is every homeowner’s responsibility.
if these sound like upgrades you want to make in your house, call your local correction technician today to time line your energy assessment!
top 5 benefits of an energy assessment| plainfield, addison, berwyn is a post from: heating and cooling heating correction
24 hour furance also recommends this great site: Chicato Heating Cooling
beware of disaster correction scams
this winter has been pretty intense for much of the country and the thousands of pound of snow that have been dropped from the sky have done their damage. many homes have suffered collapsed roofs, broken windows, and damaged decks, and as a result, nearly every scam artists has jumped on the house correction scam bandwagon. they know that insurance companies will be paying out thousands of dollars, and they want their share. unfortunately, many property owners will fall victim to their trickery, but if you know how to protect yourself you will find a legitimate business to put your house back together.
the telltale signs
- entryway to entryway solicitation
- unsolicited phone calls
- offering left over supplies from other jobs
- asking for a hefty deposit on the spot
- pushy sales tactics
- asking to sign over an insurance review
- demanding that you sign a contract right away
- asks you to get the home permits
- no legitimate references
- no license to effort in your town
research, research, research
if you ever have a doubt about the way that a correction technician runs his business or if you feel uncomfortable, that is a red flag telling you to get this person out of your house. listening to your intuition could end up saving you hundreds or thousands of your hard earned dollars. don’t fall victim to this scam and do your research. the protection and protection of your house and your coin are at risk if you make the wrong choice. review with the better business bureau and your local government, and you are sure to find someone who can put your house back together without being scammed.
24 hour furance repair also recommends this great site: Best rated heating cooling companies