Although manufacturers of heating systems build their products to last for many years, a heating system will eventually reach a point in its service life when it can no longer do an efficient or effective job of keeping a home warm. Although regular maintenance and prompt repairs will help a heater endure for as long as it can, a time will come when you will have to make a choice about whether it is worthwhile to continue to repair the system, or to have it replaced with new installation.

You do not need to make the choice on your own, however: heating professionals like the staff at Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning are available to help you choose between “repair and replace.” When it comes to heating installation and replacement in Fresno, you can trust in our many decades of experience to guide you toward the best choice for comfort and long-term savings.

When Is Replacement The Best Option?

To get started with answering this question, you need to check the age of system against the manufacturer’s expected lifespan for it. If the heater is at or over the estimated lifespan, then you should already be considering replacing the unit—even if it is currently working well. The system is at the age where it will likely soon begin to decline, and getting a head start on a more efficient new heating system. If the heater is still a few years away from the end of its lifespan estimate, you should keep repairs as an option, but call for a technician to look over the system to give you a better idea.

If you have started to call for repairs on a regular basis for the heater, you will probably save money if you retire the system and replace it with a new one. A good rule of thumb to follow is that if a necessary repair will cost half of what it will cost to replace the heater, you should replace instead of repair.

A rise in your heating bills that will not come down no matter what repairs or maintenance you have done is usually a strong sign that the heater has entered into an irreversible decline. When you call for repairs, the technician will be able to tell you the best route to take.

All of the heating technicians at Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning are NATE-certified, and when you call on their services, you will receive the answer you need to find out whether it’s time for repairs or new heating installation and replacement in Fresno, CA.

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Here in Fresno, heating installation services offer a wide variety of heating options, which can prove quite bewildering if you haven’t had to deal with heating systems a lot. Consider, for example, the question of packaged HVAC vs. split systems: “which is right for me?” you may ask. You can’t answer that until you know what each system entails and what the potential benefits and drawbacks are. We’ve provided a brief breakdown below.

Packaged HVAC systems are those that combine a heater and an air conditioner into one single unit. They’re usually placed outside the home, either next to an outside wall or in some cases on the roof. (Businesses often prefer rooftop units because it saves space, and homes can adopt similar principles should they wish.) They usually use a system of ducts running throughout your home (typically in unobtrusive places such as the attic or crawlspaces), which blows hot or cool air into various rooms and passageways to gradually warm the air.  That allows the unit to function as efficiently as possible, and gives you a single set of controls with which to run it all.

A split system, on the other hand, uses components both inside and outside your home. A furnace on the inside component heats the home in the winter, while an external compressor provides cool air in the summer time. Like package HVAC systems, they use a series of ducts to distribute the air. Because the components are split up in this way, they’re less space efficient than packaged units and require more room. They also cost more to install, since the process requires more finesse and delicacy to properly assemble. On the other hand, once assembled, they tend to be more energy efficient than packaged units, and require less power to do their jobs.

When contemplating packaged HVAC vs. split systems, which one is right for you depends on the specifics of your circumstances. The Fresno heating installation services technicians at Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning can help you make the right choice, then install your new unit with efficiency and care. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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Heating is largely a concern for the winter months here in Central California, which is when repairs are most likely necessary. No one worries about fixing a heater in the summer when temperatures top 100 degrees, and here in Fresno, heating installation services can easily perform repairs when they arise. But rather than waiting for a breakdown to occur, you can take steps to prevent the problem from ever coming up. Here’s how to avoid heating repairs in Fresno before they start.

In the first place, it pays to have a regular maintenance session schedule at least once a year. A trained technician can come to your home and go over your heater to check for any potential problems. If one arises, you can schedule a session quickly before the problem gets any worse. Furthermore, a maintenance session will clean off dust and dirt, tighten loose fittings and perform other “tune-up” services that reduce overall wear and tear. A cleaner furnace has fewer problems with its burners, won’t causes as much friction on moving parts, and won’t need to expend as much energy to do its job.

Another good step is to simply pay close attention to the functioning of your heater, and call in a technician the moment anything out of the ordinary arises. Your furnace doesn’t need to stop functioning to indicate that it could use a little TLC. For example, your monthly energy bills may go up even though you aren’t using you air conditioner any more than normal. Or you may notice a strange sound whenever you turn your heater on that wasn’t there before. It may not stop the heater from functioning right away, but the risk grows the more time that goes by.

Regardless of the circumstances, you need a reliable Fresno heating installation technician on call to help avoid heating repairs before they start. Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning handles maintenance issues, we operate in Fresno, heating installation services are part of our services as well, and we can discuss all of your options with you before we start work. Pick up the phone and give us a call today. You’ll be glad that you did!

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Here in Fresno, heating installation is a serious business. Our winter nights can get surprisingly cold in the Central Valley, and your heater needs to reliably combat them for many years to come. A heater that isn’t right for your property will cause you unnecessary headaches, as well as monthly heating bills that are higher than they need to be. In particular, the size of the heater plays a huge role in its efficiency: not its physical size (though that may be a factor depending on the space you need to fit it into) but its heating capacity as measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units). Here’s why having the proper sized heater is so important.

Generally speaking you need about 50 BTUs of heating capacity to heat one square foot of space. This is a very rough estimate and can be changed by factors such as the amount of insulation in your home and its exposure to sunlight. A trained professional can make an accurate assessment and determine how many BTUs you need to adequately heat it.

As you may suspect, a heater that produces too few BTUs won’t be able to do its job. It will work too hard – increasing wear and tear on its components – and you may never feel warm enough in certain parts of the house.

At the same time, a heater that produces too many BTUs may cause an equal number of problems. That may seem counter intuitive, but in fact it makes perfect sense. Heaters use the most amount of energy (and create the most strain on their components) when they’re starting up or turning off. Accordingly, you want your heater to run at a steady pace for at least 15 minutes at a time, possibly more. A heater that produces too many BTUs for your space will cycle on and off too rapidly, which also increases energy consumption.

In order to work with maximum efficiency, a heater thus needs to follow the Goldilocks Rule: neither too small nor too large but just right. That’s why having the proper sized heater is so important. In Fresno, heating installation service is provided by the experts at Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning. We can ensure that your heater is properly sized for your living conditions, so give us a call today!

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