Burning up that Energy Bill
Sean here with some tips on how to beat the cold,
or at least not having to pay (as much) to be warm.
It’s no joke that it is freezing outside! Today and all week around here will be into the -25*c (-10*f) mark. Our furnace will be putting in some heavy OT hours! Granted it is original and over 20 years old, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be getting some help!
So what are a couple simple things that can be done to combat the cold? – take a look.
1. Regularly replace that filter! You can see below the difference between one of our used ones and a new one. Ours was really dirty because of all the renovations we are doing that kick up the dust. You do want to make sure you replace it the same way you take it out. Usually there is a little arrow indicating the air flow direction.
GROSS!
2. You can check for solid connections to the vents. From the top it looks good right? And it feels like the hot air is coming out, but…………………….
As you can see from underneath it probably could be a little more snug! Sometimes it’s not only at the vent connections where it’s loose, but even at elbow or other galvanized tube connections. We are lucky, (well kind of, I would rather have a finished basement - which is on the list) for us our basement is unfinished so inspecting these connections is pretty easy. If you have a hanging ceiling, you would have to do a little more work and pop up some tiles. If you had a dry walled ceiling you might face some bigger challenges. Inspecting underneath may not be available, so you could take off the vent cover and inspect from the top.
Either way, once you have tightened all the connections you should be running smoother!
Also you could check for poor design/build quality. (Sometimes I wonder who passes these things on final inspection)
AGGGHHHH!!! Clearly not the same size tube, talk about being in-efficient
Take that cold!!!
Now if only we could do something for the snow, which is falling in record numbers here. I was thinking maybe a heated driveway???? I would even agree to paint it white and add some distressing….JK
Depending on your certain furnace make & model you can do other maintenance like replacing belts or topping up lubricants, but that sometimes requires shutting the whole thing off.
Another good point would be to completely replace the old furnace(like ours – which we will eventually be doing) with a new high efficiency one. They cost a-lot up front and can be a pain to have to deal with the install but they do pay for themselves in the long run.
Now you can rest easier and warmer knowing you will not be wasting money on energy.
Take Care-
Sean &
or at least not having to pay (as much) to be warm.
It’s no joke that it is freezing outside! Today and all week around here will be into the -25*c (-10*f) mark. Our furnace will be putting in some heavy OT hours! Granted it is original and over 20 years old, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be getting some help!
So what are a couple simple things that can be done to combat the cold? – take a look.
1. Regularly replace that filter! You can see below the difference between one of our used ones and a new one. Ours was really dirty because of all the renovations we are doing that kick up the dust. You do want to make sure you replace it the same way you take it out. Usually there is a little arrow indicating the air flow direction.
GROSS!
2. You can check for solid connections to the vents. From the top it looks good right? And it feels like the hot air is coming out, but…………………….
As you can see from underneath it probably could be a little more snug! Sometimes it’s not only at the vent connections where it’s loose, but even at elbow or other galvanized tube connections. We are lucky, (well kind of, I would rather have a finished basement - which is on the list) for us our basement is unfinished so inspecting these connections is pretty easy. If you have a hanging ceiling, you would have to do a little more work and pop up some tiles. If you had a dry walled ceiling you might face some bigger challenges. Inspecting underneath may not be available, so you could take off the vent cover and inspect from the top.
Either way, once you have tightened all the connections you should be running smoother!
Also you could check for poor design/build quality. (Sometimes I wonder who passes these things on final inspection)
AGGGHHHH!!! Clearly not the same size tube, talk about being in-efficient
Take that cold!!!
Now if only we could do something for the snow, which is falling in record numbers here. I was thinking maybe a heated driveway???? I would even agree to paint it white and add some distressing….JK
Depending on your certain furnace make & model you can do other maintenance like replacing belts or topping up lubricants, but that sometimes requires shutting the whole thing off.
Another good point would be to completely replace the old furnace(like ours – which we will eventually be doing) with a new high efficiency one. They cost a-lot up front and can be a pain to have to deal with the install but they do pay for themselves in the long run.
Now you can rest easier and warmer knowing you will not be wasting money on energy.
Take Care-
Sean &