Ok folks. Our heating systems are often neglected and overlooked when it comes to routine maintenance. I'm going to share something with you that just happened to me.
About 2 years ago I had Coastal Comfort install a new Central heat and air conditioning unit for both my first and second floor. I decided to go with a heat pump system since it would put everything on one bill. I figured since I was replacing an old outside package unit which used propane to heat and a compressor for A/C (commonly called a hybrid system), anything would be better than the old, inefficient unit I had.
They installed a new 3.5 ton unit for the first floor and a 2.5 ton unit on the second floor. They also installed an emergency heat strip inside the air handlers in the event it got colder that the heat pump could handle. for the first two years everything was fine. I noticed that about 1 1/2 months ago my heating system didn't feel as though it was working properly. On the coldest nights, the system could only heat the house to about 64 degrees and was running constantly. I believed it was due to the fact that it was a heat pump (which won't heat as well as the new hybrid systems on really frigid nights) and there were many consecutive days when the temperature never rose above freezing. I let it go even though the system ran constantly and the thermostat indicated that the system was running in "Emergency Heat" mode for days on end. As the days got warmer and the system continued to run in Emergency Heat mode, I was convinced something was wrong.
I called Kevin Coleman, owner of Coastal Comfort, and explained the situation. He sent over one of his techs, Tim, who went to work right away to troubleshoot the problem. Within 15 minutes he determined that my compressor was bad. Luckily my outside compressor unit was a York unit which has a five year warranty. My new compressor was ordered and is enroute as I write this. While Tim was here I asked him a few questions in order to find out what I could do in the future to keep my system running in optimum condition and possibly prevent future problems. Tim recommended the follwing:
1) Replace the air filters in the cold air returns every thirty days as a rule of thumb. They may have to be replaced more or less frequently base on your individual situation, i.e. if you have dogs that shed a lot, etc.
2) Have your heating system serviced annually by licensed professionals so that potential problems may be identified before they occur.
3) If you suspect your system is having a problem, call your HVAC tech right away.
If I had followed number 3, I would have saved a good bit of money. My electric bill was about $700 higher last month because my system was running in Emergency Heat mode which causes the electric heat strips to be activated. These strips use tremendous amounts of electricity. These strips would not have been used had the compressor been working properly properly.
I recommend Coastal Comfort for all of your HVAC needs. They offer prompt, courteous service at a reasonable price. They even cover geothermal units.
http://www.coastalcomfort.com/
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