home sectionhome sectionFor 20 years the Chevrolet Astro Van provided plenty of seating space for families, and a large amount of cargo space for those using it as a work van. The Astro Van was equipped with Chevy's 4.3 liter V-6, which went through plenty of changes in it's lifetime. In 1996, the 4.3 liter engine had a sequential fuel injection system that had a history of clogging due to fuel contamination. If your 1996 Chevrolet Astro Van had problems with this, you could experience a rough idle, long cranking time, or misfire conditions. GM did place a recall on this system,…
Marketing claims for expensive furnace filters are often targeted at allergy sufferers and those with respiratory ailments. The most expensive filters claim to block particles that can exacerbate allergies, asthma and other breathing problems. While those claims might be technically true, the actual indoor air quality delivered by an expensive filter is rarely worth its premium price.
Space heaters provide additional heat in rooms where you need it most, making them an effective way to supplement your central heating system. Proper placement of your space heater can not only maximize comfort for your family but also reduce your risk of fire and other potential hazards associated with home heating.
Installing a new propane tank on a grill is something you'll have to do fairly regularly. Install a propane tank to your Weber gas barbecue grill with help from a seasoned home improvement expert in this free video clip.
So long as you be good to your electric furnace, your furnace will in turn be good to you. Find out about electric furnace maintenance with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
Recovering electric dryer heat is something that you can do in a couple of different ways depending on the specifics of the situation. Recover electric dryer heat with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
When repairing an electric space heater, one thing that you're definitely going to need to have access to is a Phillips head screwdriver. Repair an electric space heater with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
An unfortunately large number of things could potentially be causing an electric furnace odor. Troubleshoot an electric furnace odor with help from a Foreman for Lighty Contractors in this free video clip.
Repairing and fixing a gas furnace heat exchanger shouldn't require you to spend hundreds of dollars to consult professionals. Repair and fix a gas furnace heat exchanger with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
Replacing a gas furnace filter only requires the right tools and a little bit of know-how. Replace a gas furnace filter with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
A short burn cycle in a gas furnace can develop issues for one of a few distinct things. Troubleshoot the short burn cycle in a gas furnace with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
Gas furnace burners can malfunction for an unfortunately large variety of different reasons. Troubleshoot your gas furnace burner with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
A gas furnace might occasionally refuse to light for a few different reasons. Troubleshoot a gas furnace that will not light with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
replacing a furnace gas valve doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg in expensive repair bills. Repair a furnace gas valve with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
Gas furnaces need to be cleaned and maintained in very particular ways to ensure their longevity. Clean and maintain gas furnace with help from a plumbing, heating and cooling specialist in this free video clip.
Similar to dryers, some baseboard heaters use a thermal cutoff switch. This switch cuts off power to the heater in the event the temperature becomes too hot. This is often due to a bad thermostat. If your baseboard heater is not turning on and heating as it should, it might be a bad thermostat or possibly a bad thermal cutoff switch. Testing a baseboard heater's thermal cutoff switch requires removing the switch from the unit.
Miller gas furnaces, made by Nordyne, are designed for use in manufactured houses, but are also found in garages, cabins and in areas where a regular furnace might not fit. When the weather turns cold, and it becomes necessary to use your Miller gas furnace, you must follow some standard steps to ensure the furnace lights properly. Before you light your furnace, have your gas supply company’s phone number handy should you need to contact them in the event of a gas leak.
Reliable heat is an absolute must in the harsh, cold winters of many regions. Weil-McLain sells a variety of user-friendly gas furnaces designed for residential use. A Weil-McLain furnace should provide you with heat for many years, but you must perform a few regular maintenance procedures to keep your furnace running at peak efficiency.
Fireplace cabinets, also known as mantels, are perfect for framing an electric fireplace. By making your own cabinet, you can give the focal point in the room a custom look. When designing a fireplace cabinet, keep strength in mind. While aesthetic appeal is important, a fireplace mantle needs to be strong enough to function as a display shelf if you want to display family pictures or decorations. To make a fireplace cabinet, you need to have basic woodworking skills and should mind the electric fireplace manufacturer’s instructions regarding the clearance requirements.
Insulation is highly combustible and easily can ignite if it comes into contact with the high temperatures radiating from your baseboard heaters. According to Crooked River Ranch Fire and Rescue, insulation and all combustible materials should be kept at least three feet away the front and top surface of baseboard heaters. Since insulation can hang loose, you need to take extra precautions when installing it to ensure your home’s safety.
Many older model furnaces are vented through a home’s brick chimney. To prevent breakage and leaks, brick chimneys are often sealed with rubber or tar coating. Over time and exposure to the elements, the original coating begins to fail and causes chips and cracks to occur on the bricks and mortar. Keep your furnace vented effectively by resealing the brick chimney. Prepare the chimney bricks and mortar before applying the first layer of replacement sealant.
Preparation is the key to easy and successful installation of a furnace, which is usually done during construction while house walls are open and access is easy. Location is the first step. Install an upflow style furnace in a utility room in a house built on a concrete slab foundation, with ductwork to distribute the heat routed through the ceilings. Put a furnace for a raised floor house outside, preferably near the center of a back wall. Install a replacement furnace in the same location as the old unit. Check building regulations for rules on placement and installation.
Electric furnaces are equipped with a series of metal coils that warm the air around them. A blower then pushes that warm air out of the furnace and through a series of ducts to distribute it throughout the house. While electric furnaces do have maximum temperature allowances due to mechanical and safety considerations, malfunctions and improper maintenance can cause the coils to not heat properly. Troubleshooting and maintenance can help the coils burn hotter and the furnace operate at peak efficiency.
The two primary energy sources for residential hot water production are electricity and gas, although solar hot water heaters are also gaining interest among environmentally conscious homeowners. The decision to convert your hot water source from electric to gas may save you some money on your utility bill depending on where you live. Water heated by electricity can cost up to three times as much as water heated by natural gas, according to the California Energy Commission.
Slant fin aluminum baseboard heaters allow you to heat your home through the installation of individual heating baseboard units in each room without having to install a costly, central heating system. When a baseboard heater stops working, you will know because all other rooms will have heat except for the one with the broken heater. Before you go about replacing the heater, though, reset the electricity at the circuit breaker in your home just to ensure the circuit hasn't failed. If the individual heater still isn't working after you reset the breaker, and all other baseboard heaters are functioning, it's…
Ductwork for heating and cooling systems is normally installed during construction or installation of a new unit. Ducts must be matched to the output or airflow of the unit and must be balanced, with a return system to collect "used" air and take it back to the unit. Adding supply ducts, such as putting heating outlets in a new room or addition, may require adding return ducts to keep the system in balance. Always check the instructions or user's manual for a new furnace for output and ductwork requirements.
Hot water baseboard heaters are radiators attached to the lower part of your home's walls that utilize hot water to provide heat. A boiler heats the water in the main unit and then pumps it through piping to each baseboard heater in the home. The heaters are low to the ground to make them less noticeable and because heat rises once it enters a room. Baseboard heaters should run quietly, and unusual noise indicates an issue that requires troubleshooting.
Furnace vents can become clogged for several reasons. Animals or debris, such as leaves, can blow into the vents. However, snow and ice clogging the vent is more likely. This happens when the pipe isn't properly insulating. You can fix these problems with regular maintenance and by taking care of your pipes. Keep your pipes warm in the winter so air continues to circulate as needed.
People living in warmer climates may consider switching from a gas fireplace to an electric one. Gas fireplaces may only see use a couple of months each year, but electric fireplaces can be used all year around because they make flames and heat separately. This lets you enjoy the ambience of a fire any time of the year, and use the fireplace as a supplemental heat source only when the weather is cold.
Gas and electric furnaces are two common heating options for residential buildings. Together with heat pumps, they have largely replaced older oil furnaces. A furnace conversion is designed to switch furnaces from one fuel to another. This process is not illegal, but converting a gas furnace to an electric furnace cannot be done because of the different components in each system. Conversion only works with fuel systems, and electric furnaces do not use any fuel.
If your home has a gas leak in your furnace you may not be aware until its too late. Check for gas leaks in a furnace with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
You need a lot more than just your nose to check for gas leaks in a home. Find out how to properly check for gas leaks in a home with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
If your furnace is making loud noises, isn't adequately heating the home or your energy bills have skyrocketed, faulty operation or equipment may be to blame. A proper diagnosis is necessary before you make any decisions about whether to repair or replace the furnace. Oftentimes, newer furnaces may simply need a good cleaning. However, if the the unit does need repair, you'll need to consider a few things to determine whether you should invest in your current furnace or purchase a new one.
The furnace draft vent — also known as the draft assembly — pulls air through a furnace’s heat exchanger unit and sends it through a vent pipe into the outside air. This process creates a draft inside the furnace unit, which feeds the fuel combustion chamber. Replacing a furnace draft vent helps a furnace to operate at a full-efficiency level.
Furnace ducts and vents connect a home’s heating and cooling system to its interior living spaces. The proper hook-up of room vents helps ensure living spaces receive adequate amounts of airflow. Each room vent connects to a duct line that runs from the main heating and cooling unit. Room vent sizes may vary depending on the size of the incoming duct line.
An Arcoaire EPD furnace operates by using coil glow plugs to ignite and not a pilot light. To light the furnace, you must have the unit set up to your homes main gas supply and plugged into an electrical outlet. The unit should stay lit until a glow plug goes bad unless there is another issue with the furnace.
Venting a gas furnace with a flue helps remove combusted gases from your home. These gases contain harmful toxins such as carbon monoxide, and require a direct conduit from your furnace to the outside. Venting methods and installation procedures vary and special considerations in some setups. Important differences exist between the terms duct and pipe -- flue venting traditionally uses the latter term over the former.
A furnace room is an enclosed space in a home or basement that houses appliances such as the furnace, dryer, washing machine, water heater and air conditioner. Furnace rooms are typically small to save space elsewhere in the home. However, without adequate ventilation the appliances inside won't be able to function properly. You can make several small changes to your furnace room to supply enough ventilation for combustion air to enter the space as needed.
Whether it’s a master bedroom, living room or enclosed patio, heating a 1,000-square-foot room with a space heater offers enormous benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using a space heater often proves more cost efficient than operating a home’s central heating system. Space heaters typically use less energy as well.
Most Payne furnaces have a control panel where the standard furnace functions, such as the power switch, are located. There is also a set of function lights that illuminate when the furnace is on and when errors occur. The R-W error code indicates that there is a problem when the furnace calls for heat and attempts to run. This is frequently accompanied by a “12” on the control panel, or a light flashes 12 times in rapid succession.
Fahrenheat baseboard heaters are manufactured by Marley Engineered Products of Bennettsville, SC. The manufacturer offers a line of 12 electric baseboard heaters, which are designed for easy installation. They come in lengths ranging from less than 3 feet to 8 feet, and they can weigh from about 6 pounds to 18 pounds. All Fahrenheat electric baseboard heaters are installed the same way.
Natural gas is a common method of providing a home with energy for heating and cooking. It’s also used for heating water and drying clothes. Specific codes determine the installation of the pipes that carry the gas through out the home, and knowing the right size of the pipes is of critical importance to ensure the plumbing is up to code.
Mikuni's range of carburetors are a common sight on nearly every Japanese motorcycle ever built, ranging in form from a simple round-slide carburetor to the more-complex constant velocity carburetor. While a Mikuni carburetor is reliable and generally requires little attention beyond regular cleaning, problems can and will occur. A fuel leak, starting from the carburetor's vent tube, can be worrisome affair for many motorcyclists. In order to fix the problem, you need to understand what causes the leak in the first place.
The International Oil and Heating Company was founded in 1919 and later became NORDYNE in the 1980s after a series of mergers and acquisitions. They manufacture a variety of heating and cooling systems for homes and businesses. Gas furnaces require an influx of oxygen to help the gas ignite. If the furnace isn't igniting or heating properly, a lack of oxygen may be to blame for the issue. Troubleshooting a NORDYNE furnace with this issue helps save you the money on repair if you find the cause of the problem.
An electric fireplace can add a sense of warmth to your home and enhance the appearance of any room. Some electric fireplaces also contain heaters to supplement your home's heating system. Unlike a traditional fireplace, an electric unit does not involve flames. Although some electric fireplaces come with enclosures, you can build your own enclosure to customize the appearance of your fireplace.
The sequencer on an electric furnace is a switch mechanism that activates the different heating elements inside the unit. A sequencer is essential for proper furnace operation, because if all the elements were heated simultaneously, the demand for electricity would pop a fuse or trip the circuit breaker. If the furnace is not heating normally, or if you can see that some elements are glowing orange but not others, the sequencer may be defective. A simple circuit test using a multimeter will let you determine in less than a minute whether the part is broken.
Andersen windows contain gas, which gives them higher insulation properties than regular windows. They are used in colder climates and can boost energy savings because of the amount of heat saved. However, some homeowners may be alarmed if the windows start to lose gas. This can be a benign issue or a cause for concern, depending on how much gas is being lost. Inspect your windows carefully to determine the appropriate course of action.
International Comfort Products sells gas furnaces under several brand names, including Heil. Some of the company's furnaces have a pilot light, and it’s easy to tell if it’s lit by visually inspecting it. Newer furnaces use a hot surface ignitor to light the burners. If you can’t see a pilot light on your furnace, you may have one of these systems.
Goodman Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1975 and began making central air conditioners and heat pumps in 1982. Today, the company manufactures and distributes a variety of light commercial and residential cooling and heating systems. Like other gas furnaces, Goodman furnaces have blowers. A blower pushes the heated air into ductwork that distributes the air throughout a home. If the Goodman furnace in your home starts malfunctioning, troubleshooting it yourself can help you save the cost of hiring a professional service technician.
Home furnaces use various types of fuel, including gas and oil. By burning these fuels, furnaces generate and deliver heat to your home through a system of ducts and vents. Determining the type of fuel your burner uses requires understanding the type of furnace you have and where it gets fuel from. Each type of furnace uses only one kind of fuel.
