"Since 1990 making your house feel like home"
FAQ
Are you confused about the features of your heating or cooling systems? Don’s Heating & Cooling offers professional services and products and can even provide guidance for making the right choice. Here are some of the frequently asked questions related to the various products we offer.
Air Exchangers
Removing excess humidity, airborne pollutants and odors from your home is done with proper ventilation. Indoor air contains 100 times more pollutants than outdoor air and on average, people are spending 90% of their time indoors. If one of your family members suffers from headaches, chronic fatigue, poor concentration’ respiratory conditions, aggravated allergies, asthma or bronchitis, proper ventilation with an air exchanger may be your solution.
An HRV or ERV has two fans, one to exhaust stale air from the house, one to supply fresh air into the house and a heat exchanger to transfer heat or energy from one airstream into another. During the winter, heat is transferred from the warm indoor exhaust air into the cold outdoor supply air, inside the HRV heat exchanger. In the summer, heat is transferred from the warm outdoor supply air into the cool indoor exhaust air inside the HRV heat exchanger, reducing the temperature of the fresh air coming in.
HRV’s (Heat Recovery Ventilators) are ideal for colder climates, like most of Canada, where homes need to be heated the majority of the year whereas ERV’s (Energy Recovery Ventilators) work in all climates, especially locations with hot, humid summers, where air conditioning is used most of the year.
Air Purifiers
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. They were developed to capture radioactive dust particles and they take care of common allergens such as pollen, mold spores, dust, etc. A HEPA filter removes 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns.
An air purifier is an appliance that reduces the concentration of airborne contaminants in a designated area or the entire home according to the specifications of that particular air purifier. This is helpful for people suffering from allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity and other respiratory-related problems.
Warning Tags
(Red Tags)
Warning tags are issued on any appliance or piping system that uses natural gas when a licensed gas technician has identified a hazardous issue. For example, if a defective heat exchanger is identified, it can release carbon monoxide, an odourless and colourless gas, which can cause serious health problems if undetected. Carbon monoxide is harmful because it can rapidly accumulate in the blood, reducing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.
If carbon monoxide is leaking from a cracked heat exchanger, there is a chance of it mixing with the air that is generated by the furnace and pushed through the vents in your home. To prevent this danger, a red tag is applied to your furnace, your local utility is notified, and your natural gas is turned off.-
Type A: If a licensed technician has identified an immediate danger, for example, a severe carbon monoxide leak, your furnace gets a Type A red tag and your natural gas will be turned off right away.
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Type B: If the furnace does not pose an immediate danger to the homeowner, a Type B warning tag will be applied to the furnace and the local utility notified. This tag gives the customer a specified period of time to have the equipment repaired or replaced. If corrective action is not taken within the stipulated timeline, your natural gas will be turned off by the local utility.
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If you received a warning tag, you should immediately call us to inspect your equipment. In some cases, a furnace can be repaired but in more serious cases, the equipment often needs to be replaced. Dealing with natural gas, water and electricity requires extreme care. Our experienced, licensed technicians approach all jobs with safety as a priority.
Furnaces
This depends on the type of filter you use and the amount of time the blower or fan operates on your furnace. The more time the fan operates the more frequent any filter will have to be replaced. The larger the surface area on any given filter means the filter will have to be replaced less often. If you have a typical 1” filter, you should replace it once a month on average. Some filters are changed every 3 months while others can last for as long as a year.
Gas furnaces should be serviced annually, to ensure the equipment is operating at peak efficiency and to guarantee manufacturer warranty coverage.
If your furnace quits in the middle of winter, being left in the cold is the last thing you want. If you’ve been suggested by a contractor that your furnace needs replacing and it is 15-20 years old it is a good idea to take the advice. If it is the cost of a new furnace that is stopping you, consider that the older model may deliver as little as 55% of their heat to the home whereas a new model can be up to 97%, therefore saving money in heating costs.
Under standard manufacturer’s warranties, parts that fail during the warranty period due to a defect in the part are covered, but it does not cover labour. A warranty certificate should have been provided with your new equipment specific to your unit.
The arrow should point in the same direction as the airflow which in most cases will be towards the furnace, in between the return air and furnace.
The average person breathes in over 35,000 pints of air each day, which is filled with billions of dust particles and allergens. Your furnace filter cleans your indoor air significantly. Although filter maintenance will not lower your bills, your health benefits are numerous and it has been proven that a well-maintained furnace with special attention paid to replacing the filter will prolong the life expectancy and cut down repairs to blowers or other components exposed to dust damage.
Proper sizing provides the best comfort and efficiency. Don’t think ‘bigger is better’ or ‘smaller is cheaper’. If the furnace is too large it heats too quickly and shuts off, whereas if it is too small it will not be able to heat the house to the desired temperature on cold days. Either too big or too small will result in temperature swings in your home.
Humidifiers
For many reasons:
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The air in your home will absorb water wherever it can; from your skin, your pets, your furniture and even your house plants. This can result in a dry throat and nasal passages, physical discomfort and leaves you more susceptible to cold, flu and infection.
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Dry air cracks expensive woodwork, floors, artwork and furnishings
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Static electricity that is caused by dry air can damage computers, DVD players and other electronic equipment
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Dry air causes gaps in window and door frames, letting cold air in and increasing your heating costs
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The ideal humidity for a home is between 35-50%. However, this depends on both the outdoor temperature and your family’s personal comfort level.
You should replace the humidifier pad at least once a year. Minerals will build upon the pad over time, reducing its ability to absorb water and also preventing warm air from flowing through the pad.
Air Conditioners
This depends on many variables:
The quantity and quality of the insulation along with the direction your home faces.The size of your ductwork.
The type and quality of both windows and window coverings.
The number of people living in the home.
The personal comfort level required by those living in the home.
Square footage of the home.
The capacity of the furnace.
Central air conditioning should be serviced annually to ensure that the equipment is operating at peak efficiency and to guarantee manufacturer warranty coverage.
Yes and no. If your furnace is older than 15 years it is often more difficult due to the fact that the fans or blowers may not be large enough to accommodate the additional air-flow needed to make your air conditioner operate at peak efficiency. Also, older furnaces are generally not prewired for air conditioning, meaning additional work may be needed to accommodate air conditioning.
Make sure your air filter is clean. A dirty air filter can block air flow. If both the fan and compressor are coming on, there may be a low charge. If only the fan is coming on, the compressor could be burned up.
It is generally a good idea to replace the indoor coil if you are also replacing your air conditioner. Changing the indoor coil may be critical to optimizing performance, efficiency and the savings potential of your new system.
Ductless split and mini-split air conditioners are made up of two parts. The outdoor compressor and indoor wall-mounted units are connected to each other only by a refrigerant line, rather than ductwork. These systems are easier to install in places that don’t have ductwork or where it wouldn’t be practical to fit ducts in. They also allow you to control the temperature in the room where the cooling takes place.
Ductless splits are a good option for a lot of people, particularly those who don’t already have ducts in place in their home. Mini-splits are great for additions when you don’t want to pay to extend the ducts.