Glendale Heating 101: Common Problems and Quick Fixes

When the winter chill sets in, a well-functioning heating system becomes a necessity in Glendale. As your trusted Los Angeles HVAC company, American Cool and Heat is here to guide you through common Glendale heating problems and provide quick fixes to keep your home warm and cozy.

Uneven Heating

Problem: One of the most common complaints in Glendale homes is uneven heating. Some rooms may be toasty while others remain frigid, creating discomfort and wasted energy.

Quick Fix: Check for blocked or closed vents in the cold rooms. Ensure all vents are open and unobstructed. If the problem persists, consider a zoning system that allows you to control the temperature in different areas of your home independently.

No Heat at All

Problem: Your heating system refuses to produce warm air, leaving you shivering in the cold.

Quick Fix: First, check your thermostat settings. Ensure it’s set to “heat” mode and the temperature is higher than the current room temperature. If the issue persists, inspect your furnace’s pilot light. If it’s out, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to relight it. If you’re uncomfortable doing this, contact a professional.

Strange Noises

Problem: Unusual sounds like banging, squealing, or rattling are coming from your heating system.

Quick Fix: Strange noises often indicate loose or damaged components. Turn off your heating system and check for any visible loose parts. Tighten screws and bolts carefully. If the noises continue, contact a Glendale heating expert for a thorough inspection.

High Energy Bills

Problem: You notice a significant increase in your energy bills without a corresponding increase in comfort.

Quick Fix: First, check your air filters. Dirty or clogged filters force your system to work harder, consuming more energy. Replace filters regularly. Next, ensure your home is properly insulated and sealed to prevent heat loss. If the issue persists, have your heating system inspected for efficiency problems.

Short Cycling

Problem: Your heating system turns on and off frequently, never staying on long enough to heat your home adequately.

Quick Fix: Short cycling can be caused by a variety of issues, including a clogged air filter or a malfunctioning thermostat. Start by replacing the air filter. If that doesn’t solve the problem, consult a Glendale heating professional to diagnose and repair the issue.

Weak Airflow

Problem: The air coming from your vents feels weak, and your rooms aren’t warming up as they should.

Quick Fix: Check your air filters, as clogged filters can restrict airflow. If that doesn’t help, inspect the ductwork for any visible obstructions. Ensure that vents are fully open and unblocked. Weak airflow can also result from a malfunctioning blower motor, which should be addressed by a professional.

Thermostat Problems

Problem: Your thermostat is unresponsive, inaccurate, or behaves erratically.

Quick Fix: Ensure your thermostat is receiving power and is correctly wired. If it uses batteries, replace them. If you have a digital thermostat, check for a reset option in the manual. If these steps don’t resolve the issue, it’s time to consult a Glendale heating technician to diagnose and repair or replace the thermostat.

Ignition Issues

Problem: Your furnace’s pilot light or ignition system isn’t functioning properly, preventing your heating system from starting.

Quick Fix: If you have a pilot light, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to relight it. If you’re not comfortable doing this or have an electronic ignition system, contact a professional to inspect and repair the issue promptly.

Foul Odors

Problem: Your heating system emits strange or unpleasant odors when it runs.

Quick Fix: Foul odors can be caused by dust or debris burning off heating elements. In this case, the smell should dissipate after a short while. However, if the odor persists or is accompanied by smoke or a burning smell, immediately turn off your heating system and contact a heating repair specialist to investigate the issue.

Glendale Heating Regular Maintenance Prevents Problems

While these quick fixes can resolve many common heating issues, regular maintenance is the key to preventing problems and ensuring your heating system operates efficiently. Annual maintenance by a professional heating repair company like American Cool and Heat can catch and address issues before they become major problems, ensuring your home stays warm and comfortable throughout the winter.

Understanding common heating problems and their quick fixes can help you stay warm and comfortable during the chilly Glendale winters. Remember that if you encounter any issues that you’re unsure about or can’t fix on your own, it’s always a wise decision to consult a qualified Glendale heating technician. At American Cool and Heat, we’re here to provide expert heating repair services to keep your Glendale home cozy all season long.

Your Local Glendale Heating Pros Explain the Importance of Insulation

When thinking about your home and the various systems and features that you need to put in place in order to ensure efficient and smooth running, it would be fair to say that having great insulation is one of the most important things, but perhaps one that is talked about the least! Sure, a good quality HVAC system can do a lot of hard work to make sure that your home is cooled and heated when you need it to be, but without good insulation, there is only so much benefit that you can get. With this in mind, here are some of the reasons why having good insulation in your home is so important, from your local Glendale heating professionals!

It Can Lower Your Energy Bills

With rising energy costs being a worry for households all over the world, anything that you can do to lower your own outgoings is essential. Having good quality insulation set up on your property can help to reduce the cost of your heating and cooling expenses by up to 40%. This will of course depend on things like the size of your home and the type of property that you live in, but there is no doubt that insulation can ease the strain and job of the HVAC system you install.

It Reduces Heat Loss

If your home is poorly insulated, then it will suffer a higher degree of heat loss when you are attempting to warm up the rooms in the cold months. Good insulation will prevent hot air from escaping, instead trapping it inside your home and putting it to the best-intended use. This also means that you don’t have to run your HVAC system at higher levels to achieve a normal amount of heating, as everything will be kept inside rather than a percentage being wasted.

It Reduces Your Environmental Impact

We are all becoming increasingly aware of our individual impact on the environment, and one of the biggest benefits of good insulation is that it reduces your thermal energy consumption, which in turn reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that is being emitted into the atmosphere.

Comfort For You And Your Family

Ultimately, spending a little bit more on good quality insulation in the short term will serve to make you and your family much more comfortable and happy in the long term. It prevents things like condensation and mold, and that is essential for keeping everybody healthy at home for the foreseeable future!

If you need any kind of maintenance or repair for your own Glendale heating, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with the best in the business at ACAH – HQ Glendale – American Cool And Heat. One of our experienced, skilled engineers will be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have, and in no time at all, we will be visiting your problem to solve any issue that you are having. We look forward to being able to help!

3 Tips for Picking the Most Efficient Heating System

The heating system keeps your home comfortable during winter. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most expensive components in your house. For that reason, energy-efficient Glendale heating is a huge consideration if you wish to keep the overall cost down. In this post, you’ll learn how to choose the most energy-efficient unit you can install in your home. 

1. Understanding Glendale Heating System 

To know how efficient the heating system is, you must first understand how it is rated by efficiency. The heating system uses Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) to measure the percentage of energy use that goes into heating the home. A furnace that has 85 AFUE means that every dollar spent on energy, 85 cents of it comes from heating the home. On the other hand, heating pumps aren’t rated by AFUE. Rather, it’s rated by HSPF. It represents total heat output. To know what heating system your house is using, ask an HVAC technician. 

2. Knowing Which is More Cost-Efficient: Heat Pumps or Furnaces? 

Heating systems work differently. But there are two main types of heating systems in Glendale homes. 

• Heat pumps. They are more energy-efficient. This system uses different ways to heat and cool the air in the house. It uses refrigerant to cool the air when it’s in cooling mode. It extracts heat from air when it’s in heating mode. Because of that, a heat pump doesn’t fare well in colder climates. 
• Furnaces. They are the most common heating system in LA. Their efficiencies vary widely. Newer units are highly efficient. They also run on gas, electricity, or oil. The cheapest one to operate is a gas furnace. However, it’s not as efficient as air-source heat pumps. 

Between the two main types, though, it’s difficult to say which one you must choose when it comes to energy efficiency. But the rule of thumb here is that the more modern the system is the more energy-efficient it will be. When you choose to use a furnace heating system, you need to opt for an AFUE. If you pick geothermal heat pumps, they can significantly lower your energy bills. however, their installation cost can be quite expensive. 

3. Maintaining the Heating System 

But no matter how efficient your system is, its efficiency goes down every time you use it. Hence, it’s vital to regularly maintain it. Regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that all components of the systems are checked for any issues. And if there are issues, the technicians will patch them to prevent them from getting worse. 

You should not wait for your heating system to shut down before you have it serviced. Instead, you need to service it once a year. How often to service it depends on how you use it. But once a year is reasonable. 

To know more about regular Glendale heating maintenance and find out which system is better for your house, then give us a call to get a free estimate: (818) 722-8634.

What are the Reasons for Uneven Home Temperatures?

Is your Glendale house dealing with uneven temperatures? How long has it been going on? If there’s a room in your house that feels like you’re inside a refrigerator, then it’s a sign that you need to call a Glendale heating repair service. Having uneven temperatures is simply unacceptable. The good thing is that American Cool and Heat can solve it for you. 

How Can Glendale Heating Repair Solve Uneven Temperatures? 

The solution will depend on the reason. To know the reason, our HVAC technician will perform a home energy audit. This process requires assessing your home and auditing the areas in the house with energy loss opportunities. Your house might have drafty doors or windows. The HVAC ductwork might be leaking. Keep reading to know more. 

Leaky Air Ducts 

They create several numbers for your house. And it’s one of the things that HVAC professionals will look into. A ductwork leak can result in one of the rooms receiving insufficient heat. Fix the leaky air ducts by calling our professionals. 

Zone Control Issue

Zone control is a ductwork system. It has dampers that enable the heating system to heat an area of the house called a zone without affecting another area of the home. Unfortunately, a damper can get stuck. As a result, the room that needs heating isn’t getting it. 

Clogged Air Filter 

Air filters are prone to clogging. Clogged air filters can cause multiple problems. Remember that air filters block due, dirt, and other debris. If they are clogged, they can perform their function properly. They can restrict airflow causing the system to run longer to achieve the desired temperatures. As it runs longer, though, it makes the system inefficient. The warm air won’t reach all rooms of your house that’s why you experience uneven home temperatures. 

Thermostat Trouble 

When the heating system’s thermostat senses incorrect temperatures, it causes the heater to run for too long. This situation can be alleviated by a simple calibration. It’s a quick fix. However, in some cases, the error is a sign of a connection problem between the heater and the thermostat. There’s no quick fix to it. You can’t just calibrate it. Instead, you need a professional to troubleshoot the misbehaving thermostat. 

Frequent On and Off

Short-cycling is the process that involves the HVAC system to cycle on and off frequently instead of undergoing regal heating cycles. Unfortunately, this short-cycling is inefficient. It can lead to uneven temperatures. If your system is short-cycling, it’s best to call a professional to resolve the issue. 

The Result of Lack of Furnace Maintenance

Call a Reliable Professional 

There are other reasons the heating system in your Glendale home is causing uneven temperatures. Call our Glendale heating team today to schedule a repair or home energy audit. Please dial (818) 722-8634.