Bob and Tim were on their way to a “low heat” call at a residence when the dispatcher called them back and told them that the homeowner had called and explained that the furnace was hot, but the home was cold. The dispatcher had told the owner to shut the furnace off until Bob and Tim arrived. 

What factors prevent fans from not performing as specified? There are numerous reasons why fans may fail to perform as specified, but first it is important to understand what defines acceptable performance.

Bob and Tim arrived at their fifth service call of the day. They were both wet from servicing a heat pump outdoor unit in the snow. This was a no heat call for a gas furnace. The weather was cold and there was no heat at all in the house. 

In this troubleshooting problem, the customer’s general definition of the situation gets more specific when you arrive at the site and discover that the reason there is no heat is because although the burners ignite on a call for heat, the air handling system never starts, and the system’s limit control shuts the furnace down.

Bob and Tim have gotten together after work to discuss the oil furnace service call that they were on earlier in the day. Bob had asked Tim if he would be willing to stay after work and review the call and Tim readily agreed.

Energy conservation can save 5 to 30 percent on energy bills which can translate into thousands of dollars a year for homeowners. Tim Bryant, owner of Bryant Energy Services, shares some advice for keeping customers comfortable while improving the efficiency of their homes. The key is a home energy audit.

Bob and Tim were on their way to a no heat call. It was an oil heat application and Tim was anxious to work on an oil system. He had not seen an actual oil heat installation, only in the school lab. Those are great, but not like the real thing at a customer’s house.

In this month’s troubleshooting problem we have a customer who can only tell us that their heat pump “isn’t working” and “the temperature in the building isn’t right.” When you arrive, you confirm the system isn’t operating properly. The indoor fan motor is running normally, but the building temperature is far from the thermostat set-point.

Bob and Tim have arrived at a “no cooling” call at a commercial building location. They went first to the thermostat and noticed that the indoor fan was running, but there was no cool air coming out of the air registers.

In an effort to reduce the more than 700 deaths that occur due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning each year and ensure a safe winter heating season, northern Virginia HVAC contractor Jones-Rogers Inc. emphasizes the importance of an HVAC system check-up to avoid the risk of CO exposure.