Nobody that I know wants to freeze to death. That may sound funny if you live in Jamaica where heating is not required in a structure because the weather hardly dips below 70 degrees.
But I was born in Chicago. The first time I brought my wife back there she got a taste of zero degrees on one New Years Eve on the Navy Pier. Funny story but this is about heating. There are many kinds of heaters. Some use different fuels, some have different methods of distribution to warm the living space and some people choose things for their own personal reasons. For the rest of us, when you buy a home, you get what is there. For thousands of dollars more you can change it. But most folk simply want it to work and not worry about it.
This area of the site will discuss many parts of heating systems. Things to watch out for in most areas that you will have access too. This will not be a class on rebuilding the famous basement heater in “Home Alone” but still there will be some helpful notes. If you remember anything, try to remember that it is okay to clean things. Maybe even a once-a-year spring cleaning. More likely a cleaning when fall and winter come. Below are some examples to get started on the subject of heaters.
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Heater Service
Sometimes using a vacuum to clean a heater before lighting the pilot again in winter is a good idea.
When the dust and pet hair get this thick, the appliance will smell terribly if you turn on a heater. It is surprising how many people think they will die. It is not Carbon Monoxide, its dust and hair!
At this point, the dust and hair layers are truly a fire hazard.
When the children start throwing things into the heater, it is best to have some deep cleaning for safety reasons.
A wall heater that discolors can have a clogged exhaust. This also was painted with wall paint that is not heat resistant. That is just the wrong thing to do.
Another big clue to service a heater is heavy ash or carbon in the burner chamber.
If you cannot figure this one out, it only takes one fire to teach a lesson on cleaning a heater.
Flame rollout and heavy soot in the attic should scare you. This needs servicing, cleaning and maybe adjusting burners, etc.
Heater Age
Heaters can run for a long time. The older the heater, the parts were made in a different era. Cast...
Heater Base
To avoid starting off with confusing statements, heaters are installed in many ways. The “base” of the heater is depending...
Heater Burner Chamber
Any gas-fired heater that you see today has a burner chamber to contain the flame. You basically cannot see inside...
Heater Enclosures
There is the enclosure that means the closet where the heater is located in a structure and the same term...
Heater Exhaust Vent
Extracting the byproducts of combustion sounds almost scientific. Down to earth terms would possibly put it like this, “I don’t...
Heater Gas Lines
Gas valves have changed over the years. Older valves needed a good wrench and there are specialty tools to open...
Heater Return Air
The return air can simply be a ducting at the filter in a ceiling or wall or may be at...
Heating Types and Systems
There are number of types of heaters. A choice of heating installation can be the fuel sources, geographic location and...
HVAC Ducting
There are several types of ducting available that can be used in a forced air unit. Again a “forced air...
HVAC Filter
There are a number of materials that can be used for the filtration of a forced air unit. Putting that...
HVAC Supply Air
When I am cold, I want heat. When I am too hot, I want cooling. Cry babies aren’t we? Welcome...
Recall on Heaters
There have been fires in the past from the incorrect installation of forced air heating units. Some of the reasons...
Thermostat – Heat
We all are aware that the thermostat has control over when the machine turns on and off. Just turning on...