Bounds Heating & Air

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5 Things You Should Check During Winter HVAC Maintenance

With winter underway, it’s time to perform some HVAC maintenance to ensure you’ll be comfortable all winter long. Bounds Heating and Air share the things you shouldn’t miss when you inspect your HVAC system.

How Often Should You Replace Air Filters in Your Home? 

Ideally, air filters should be checked at least every six months, then once a month during cooling and heating seasons. This is a critical step if your home has a split system heat pump, as the same system is basically pulling double-duty for the whole year. Make it a point to clean the air filters (or replace them, if disposable) when they’re dirty.

How to Clean Heat Registers

Just like the air filters, the grilles and registers should be clean and free from obstructions. Brush the grilles to remove dust and dirt, or wash and dry them if removable. Anything that’s blocking the registers can reduce their efficiency so make sure the vents are not blocked by furniture, carpets, or rugs.

How to Clean Furnace Heating Coils

Both condenser and heating coils should be clean, otherwise, the dirt could affect your heating system’s efficiency. Depending on the type of HVAC system, it may require professional cleaning. If this is the case, contact an HVAC repair expert like Bounds Heating and Air before winter sets in.

How to Test a Thermostat

Test the thermostat and make sure it works. You might need to perform some troubleshooting in case it’s not working. Check the contacts first and make sure they’re clean. You may need to change the batteries and reset the thermostat. When you’re feeling air but it’s not warm, try setting the thermostat a few degrees higher, wait a few minutes until you feel warm air, then set it back to your ideal temperature.

Check Other Non-HVAC Components

In addition to the heating system, check other parts of your home that could affect your HVAC system’s performance. Those include checking windows for drafts, as well as inspecting the weatherstripping on your windows and entry doors. An airtight, insulated enclosure ensures your heating system doesn’t consume more energy than it should.

To learn more about our heating and air conditioning repair, maintenance, and installation services, call Bounds Heating and Air today at 352-472-2761. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule a free estimate. We serve Newberry, FL, and surrounding areas in Florida.

Thermostat Tips and Tricks for Lower Energy Bills in 2022

The past few years have been difficult, but the new year offers opportunities to turn that around! So in the spirit of making 2022 as excellent as possible, the experts at Bounds Heating & Air have curated this list of tips and tricks to ensure you can save some extra money this year.

Tips and Tricks

Use the Optimal Settings

One excellent way to keep your energy bill low in the new year is by optimizing your thermostat’s settings so that your HVAC system doesn’t have to work too hard during the hot and cold seasons.

Summer Settings

While it is tempting to crank the air conditioner during a hot Florida summer, you can keep a little extra cash in your pocket by setting your home’s cooling system to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you are home. If you and your family will be away from home for more than four hours or more, you can save even more by increasing your home’s temperature to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. While these settings won’t offer the same reprieve from the heat, they will still keep your home comfortable and your wallet fat.

Winter Settings

Florida’s moderate winters are not nearly as taxing on your HVAC system as the summer months, but you can still find some savings once the temperatures begin to cool. By setting your thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime, you can reduce the energy consumption of your heating unit, saving you some extra money this winter.

If you can’t stand the cold, try slowly dropping your settings one degree at a time, this should allow you to acclimate to colder temperatures while still reaping the money-saving benefits.

Turn the Temperature Down When You Aren’t Home

If you often leave home without adjusting your thermostat, you are leaving potential savings on the table. If you are going to be away from your house for more than 4 hours or are going to sleep, you should consider dropping your settings. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, turning your thermostat down by 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours a day can reduce your energy bill by as much as 15 percent annually.

Install a Smart Thermostat

If you often forget to adjust your thermostat’s temperature or find it to be a tedious task, a smart thermostat can be a worthwhile investment. Modern thermostats like the Nest learning thermostat can learn your schedule and save you money by automatically changing to a more energy-efficient temperature when you’re not home. According to a white paper from Nest, people saved an average of $131 to $145 a year by installing their learning thermostat.

If you’re looking to upgrade to a smart thermometer, the expert technicians at Bounds Heating & Air have you covered! Contact us online or give us a call at (352) 472-2761 to get your installation scheduled today!

Should I Upgrade to a Two-Stage or Modulating Furnace?

Trying to find the furnace that is best for your home can be a complicated process. That’s why we compiled this list of pros and cons to ensure you get the heater that’s right for you!

MODULATING FURNACE

Modulating furnaces are perfect for homeowners who tend to be picky about their heat settings. These systems are designed to adjust their flame in small increments to give you tons of options regarding how much you want to heat your home.

Pros

Greater energy efficiency- Modulating furnaces are the most energy-efficient heaters on the market. Because this system can adjust its flame in slight increments, it can reach an incredible AFUE rating of up to 98%, which means that for every dollar worth of fuel consumed, 98 cents goes toward heating your home. With a rating like that, you should start to see a noticeable drop in the cost of your energy bills right away.

Increased control- No other furnace type has nearly the same amount of temperature control as the modulating furnace. These units allow you to keep your home within one to two degrees of the temperature of your choice. Modulating systems have adjustable heat settings and often come equipped with a variable-speed blower, which will significantly reduce hot and cold spots in your home.

Cons

Costly- These furnaces are the most expensive on the market. While they’re the best at what they do, not everyone can throw as much as $10,000 toward a furnace installation.

Is it Right for Me?

The modulating furnace is an excellent investment for those who aren’t looking to move anytime soon. The energy savings from this system often pay for themselves in anywhere from 3.5 to 5 years, after which you should have at least 15 more years of ongoing heating savings.

TWO-STAGE FURNACE

As the name suggests, a two-stage furnace’s burner runs at two different levels. For example, these burners can run on high heat during the winter and low heat for more moderate days.

Pros

Cheaper option – The two-stage furnace’s most significant advantage over the modulating furnace is its cost. On average, a two-stage will cost around a couple thousand less with insulation than a modulating unit.

Cons

Less Control- Two-stage furnaces do not have as much control of the temperature as modulating furnaces. While this heater will still eliminate hot and cold spots as well as temperature swings, it doesn’t provide nearly the same amount of control over the temperature as a modulating heater.

Decreased Efficiency- While a two-stage heater is more efficient than other models, it simply can’t compare to the modulating furnace as the increased control of the burners allows you to operate at lower capacities instead of having to choose between hot and cold.

Is it Right for Me?

If you’re not 100% you have found your forever home, the two-stage furnace is a better option. This system combines the best of both worlds by providing you with cheaper up-front costs while still increasing the value of your home and heating your house well.

Ready to upgrade your furnace? Bounds Heating & Air has experienced technicians who can handle whatever heater you decide is right for your home. Contact us online or give us a call at (352) 472-2761 to get your installation scheduled today!

6 Pro Tips for Troubleshooting Your Heater

While Florida’s winter is relatively moderate, it is still nice to have your heat available when you want it. Finding that your heater isn’t working well (or not running altogether) can be stressful, but you may not need to call an HVAC technician just yet.

First, try some of these tips to troubleshoot what may be happening — then give the pros at Bounds Heating & Air a call:

HEATER NOT WORKING

There can be a litany of reasons behind why your heater isn’t running, and not all necessitate you hiring a professional to handle the issue.

Check the Thermostat

The first move you should make is to check your thermostat. While you may assume that your thermostat’s settings are what they’re supposed to be, you should still make sure it is set to “heat.” For the heater to switch on, the temperature on your thermostat may need to be at least five degrees above room temperature.

Also, check to see if your thermostat is set to “auto” versus “on.” If it’s set to “auto,” the heater should start up automatically when your home’s temperature drops a few degrees below the temperature specified on the thermostat. If your thermostat is set to “on,” then your system’s fan will continue circulating air even if your heater isn’t heating it. This setting can make it feel like cold or room temperature air is coming from your air vents, so you may want to switch to “auto.”

It’s best to make sure your settings are correct to avoid the embarrassment of hiring a technician only to find out nothing was wrong.

Check the Circuit Breaker

If your thermostat settings are fine, you should check your home’s breaker panel and look for the circuit that controls your heater’s indoor unit. If you own a heat pump, also check the circuit associated with the outdoor unit. If you find that the breaker has been set to the “Off” position, or it’s in the middle, you should test your breaker by flipping it back and forth. After flipping the breaker, make sure that it is placed in the “On” position.

Flipping the switch will restart the circuit that controls the heater’s indoor unit. If it’s still not working despite resetting your circuit breaker, you might have an issue with the wiring in the circuit or the circuit breaker itself. In that case, it’s better to hire an experienced professional to fix your problem.

Check the Furnace Door

As a safety precaution, some furnaces won’t run unless their door is closed securely. Double-check that the door is in place by opening it and firmly shutting it.

HEATER STRUGGLING TO WARM YOUR HOME

If you turned your heating system back on for the winter and found it struggling to warm your home effectively, the problem may not be as severe as you might think.

Replace Your Clogged Filter

If your furnace is struggling to produce the usual amount of heat, this could signify that your furnace’s filter is clogged. This common maintenance chore is a relatively easy fix and is an excellent way to improve your air quality.

Air filters typically last for up to 90 days, but heavy HVAC system use can clog a filter in as little as 30 to 60 days. Replace the filter with a new one but make sure your filter is pointed in the right direction because that could hurt its effectiveness.

Clear and Clean the Space Around Your Furnace

Did you know that heaters require proper airflow and ventilation to function well? If your heater isn’t working well, you might need to declutter and clean the surrounding area.

If the area around your furnace is surrounded by objects, it can hurt how effectively your home is heated. Not only can clutter around your furnace affect your heating, but it also represents a potential fire hazard.

Regularly cleaning the area surrounding your heater is a great way to maintain its health while removing the flammable items from the site. Dust and lint also pose a fire hazard and can cause clogs sooner than usual, which requires you to replace your filter more often.

Check Your Vents

Blocked vents could be hurting the heat flow in your home. It would be best if you walked through your home, checking all your ducts to make sure that they’re unblocked. You should remove any piece of furniture or debris blocking the openings of your vents to allow the heat to flow freely throughout your home.

If all your attempts to troubleshoot your heating system fail, call (352) 472-2761 to have the experienced professionals at Bounds Heating & Air handle all your HVAC issues.

Yes, You Still Need to Tune Up Your Furnace In Florida: Here’s Why

Down in Florida, we typically find ourselves relying on our air conditioners much more than our furnaces. That being said, even if you don’t run your furnace that often, it’s still important to keep up with its routine preventative maintenance.

WHY IS FURNACE MAINTENANCE IMPORTANT?

Preventative maintenance for your furnace is important for three main reasons:

1. Routine maintenance makes your furnace safer.

This is especially true if you own a gas- or oil-burning furnace. These types of furnaces burn fuel to produce heat. That process of burning fuel (combustion) produces some toxic flue gases, such as carbon monoxide.

During a routine maintenance appointment, a technician will check your furnace to make sure that those toxic flue gases are being safely vented outdoors and are not mixing with your indoor air. The technician will also inspect your furnace for any fuel leaks that could create a fire hazard.

2. Maintenance helps reduce wear and tear on your furnace.

Even a correctly installed, well-built furnace needs to be serviced and adjusted every so often. As the machinery whirs and runs, parts can lose lubrication, move out of alignment, or loosen.

That type of wear and tear makes your furnace a less effective machine, and it will end up working harder to compensate for its declining performance. The harder the components work, the faster they wear out, which means you’ll end up replacing parts (or even the entire system) much sooner than you’d otherwise have to.

3. Your heating system operates more efficiently with routine maintenance.

As mentioned above, a neglected system with wear and tear has to work harder to perform its job. This means that your furnace will use more energy to warm your home than it should have to. By keeping up with routine maintenance, you’ll notice that your energy bills don’t jump up during the colder months of the year.

Gainesville Preventative HVAC Maintenance

At Bounds Heating & Air, our technicians take pride in providing dependable service and thorough HVAC maintenance. Backed by over three decades of experience, we are Gainesville’s go-to for heating and cooling services. Contact us online or give us a call at (352) 472-2761.

Newberry
25645 West
Newberry Road
Newberry, FL 32669
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Phone Number
352-472-2761

Gainesville
3205 Southwest
40th Boulevard, Ste A
Gainesville, FL 32607
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License Number
CA-CO57642