Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc Blog: Archive for February, 2015

Is It Too Late to Schedule Heating Maintenance?

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Heating systems, no matter what type, should have a yearly maintenance inspection and tune-up in order to ensure that they will work at their most energy efficient and to reduce the effects of wear and tear from age that can lead to unnecessary repairs or an early replacement. The best time of the year to schedule maintenance for a heater is during the fall, a period when conditions are still warm and the heater is rarely necessary, but close enough to the seasonal change that you can feel confident that the system will go into the colder weather in the ideal condition.

To arrange for heating maintenance in Fort Walton Beach, FL that will see that your heater works at peak efficiency and with as few issues as possible, call Kool Breeze and ask about our regular maintenance program.

Because of Florida’s warm climate through much of the year, heating maintenance is something that is easy to let slip past. If you neglected to schedule heating maintenance for last fall, you might wonder if it is too late to schedule it now or if you should just wait until next fall to have the work done.

The answer to this is that it’s never too late for annual heating maintenance; it is far worse for your heating system to miss a yearly inspection and tune-up than for it to have it a few months late. Heating systems will lose efficiency each year they go without regular maintenance, with an average drop of 5%. Worse, you risk the system experiencing a large malfunction that could lead to a complete breakdown—or even the need to replace the entire system. Although Florida experiences short and mild winters, we still can have unexpectedly cold days strike through the spring, and you don’t want to get caught unprepared with a heating system that will stop working the next time you try to turn it on.

When you sign up for annual maintenance for your heater with Kool Breeze, you’ll receive other benefits as well. Our maintenance program includes a yearly tune-up for your air conditioner in the spring (very important to make it through the hot Florida summers) as well as a 10% discount on non-warranty parts and priority service that lets you skip to the front of the line whenever you call for repair work. Contact us today to find out more about our program for heating maintenance in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

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Common Heat Pump Issues

Monday, February 16th, 2015

Heat pumps have become very popular systems for good reasons: they are very energy efficient, they can both heat and cool your home and they have a long lifespan of 20-25 years. But even with all these positive attributes, a heat pump is still a mechanical device and it may need repair at some point. If you have a heat pump system for your home, here are some of the common problems that can develop with heat pumps:

Refrigerant Leaks

Heat pumps work by transferring heat from one location to another; they do this with the help of refrigerant. As such, your heat pump needs an exact amount of refrigerant in order to work properly. Refrigerant leaks can develop in a number of places; telltale signs of refrigerant leaks are low or no heat (or cooling) and/or icing on the coils. Only certified experts can handle refrigerant, and leaks can be tough to find, so any problems that develop with the refrigerant in your heat pump system should always be handled by an expert.

Problems with the Reversing Valve

The reason a heat pump can both heat and cool is because of a component called the reversing valve. This valve can the direction in which the refrigerant flows, allowing the heat pump to offer either heating or cooling for your home. Reversing valves are somewhat complex components; problems that can develop with reversing valves include refrigerant leaks, solenoid issues and getting stuck in a certain position.

Blower Issues

If you have a ducted heat pump system, your system has a blower that blows the cool or warm air into your home. Different kinds of problems can develop with blowers, including loose or broken fan belts, motor issues, electrical issues or problems with the blades.

It’s good for homeowners to know what some of the more common problems can be with a heat pump, but this doesn’t mean you should handle repairs on your own. Heat pumps are complex devices and should only be repaired by trained experts. Kool Breeze has been helping customers will their heating and cooling needs since 1986, so if you are experiencing any kind of issue with your heat pump in Navarre, call us today to schedule your next appointment with us.

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Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Hollywood has always tried to match movies up to the seasons to draw droves of viewers to the theaters: October is packed with fright-offerings, while the winter holidays skew toward warm and pleasing family films (as well as Oscar hopefuls). Valentine’s Day falls in an odd spot when it comes to the movie release calendar, however, since February tends to be a slower time for the film industry. The studios are as likely to slot strange movies that don’t fit anywhere else in their annual schedules into the Valentine’s Day weekend as they are films with powerful romantic appeal.

So, while the second weekend of February has featured hugely successful romantic comedies like Hitch, The Wedding Singer, and (of course) Valentine’s Day, some truly weird choices have debuted in this weekend as well. And a few have even gone on to tremendous success despite the bizarre match with the holiday. Here are a couple of the odder Valentine’s Day movie releases:

  • Dracula (1931): Yes, this Halloween perennial and the start of Universal Studio’s Classic Monsters actually came out on Valentine’s Day! But perhaps this makes some sense, as the Dracula legend has often received a “doomed lover” approach in the many years since Bela Lugosi made the aristocratic vampire a screen icon.
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Does any film seem less appropriate for Valentine’s Day than this unnerving and sometimes very violent psychological thriller? What’s even more astonishing than the film’s release date is that The Silence of the Lambs eventually nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture, an almost unheard of occurrence for a movie released so early in the year.
  • Daredevil (2003): This Marvel comic adaptation featuring Ben Affleck as a blind superhero does contain a romantic subplot, but the stronger connection to Valentine’s Day may just be that Daredevil wears a bright red costume.
  • A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): The least successful of the Die Hard film franchise, this is an excellent example of a studio dropping a film into a weekend where it doesn’t fit in the hopes that it works as counter-programming. (It didn’t.)
  • Wayne’s World (1992): Now here is an example of counter-programming that clicked with audiences. This comedy based on a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into one of that year’s biggest hits and spawned a sequel.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to the movie theater, or you have your own special plans, everyone here at Kool Breeze hopes you and your loved ones have a wonderful weekend.

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What to Do if Your Furnace Won’t Provide Heat

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

A furnace that won’t heat isn’t really of any use to you. As such, it behooves you to get it fixed as soon as possible. Now, you probably don’t have the tools or the expertise to actually repair your furnace yourself. However, there are a few steps you can go through before calling a professional technician. At the very least, you can eliminate some possible causes of the problem. Let’s take a look at what you can do if your furnace isn’t providing heat.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat is the core of your heating system, responsible for actually deciding when your home receives heat and for how long. As such, a malfunctioning thermostat can disable the entire system, even if the furnace itself is perfectly healthy. Have a look at the thermostat and make sure that the settings and temperature are correct. If the temperature is obviously incorrect, or anything else is displaying strangely, then you may have a thermostat issue.

Listen

If your furnace is actually on, but not providing heat, listen for the sound of the furnace’s air handler. The air handler is the part that actually circulates air throughout the house, and you should be able to hear the fan blowing when the furnace is on. If not, then you have an issue with your air handler. It is possible that the motor is burned out, or that some other kind of electrical shortage has deprived the handler of power. Either way, you should shut your furnace down and call a professional if you don’t hear the fan blowing. Otherwise, heat can become trapped in the furnace and cause it to overheat.

Check the Ignition

Faulty ignition is a very common cause of furnace failure. In older furnaces, it’s easy to check if the ignition is working. Simply look for the pilot light burning underneath the furnace. If the light is out, then that’s probably the source of your problem. Newer furnaces are more difficult to assess, as they use electronic ignition systems with little or no visible signs of malfunction. Even so, you should try starting your furnace while watching the burners to see if they ignite. If not, then you probably have an ignition problem.

If your furnace isn’t providing heat, call Kool Breeze. We offer quality furnaces and professional furnace services throughout Pensacola Beach.

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