What Is The “Stack Effect”?

 Furnaces have long lives

There are many factors that determine how long a furnace will last, but overall, they average lengthy lifespans. Conventional and mid-efficiency furnaces last about 18-25 years. High-efficiency furnaces last about 15-20 years.

 The “Stack Effect” describes how air moves through a building

The Stack Effect principle refers to the movement of air through spaces, most specifically, the rising of heat in buildings. In the cold winter months, the warm air in the building is less dense than the cold air outside. That warm air bubble wants to rise up and out of the building.

This rising air causes cold air to be drawn into cracks at the bottom of the house. This is why your basement is colder than your highest floor. This is also why leaky houses consume larger amounts of energy.

 In Britain, “furnace” has a whole different meaning

In Britain, the term “furnace” only refers to industrial metallurgical furnaces used for smelting iron ore, lead or copper. In America, we call this type of industrial furnaces “blast furnaces”. The Brits call their heating systems “central heating”.

 The word “furnace” has Greek origins

It’s said that the name comes from the Greek word “fornax” which means oven.

 They really do require maintenance

Did you know that a 6 room house collects an average of 40 pounds of dust a year? You can see why regular maintenance of your HVAC is so important! A Well working and maintained furnace will produce cleaner and healthier air.

Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns call us toll-free @888-315-5564

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Protect Your Pipes While You Are On Vacation

Ways to help avoid frozen pipes while on vacation

Traveling in the winter months might be a break in your routine, but don’t forget to think about your plumbing before you leave. What can you do?

• Set the thermostat in your house no lower than 55°F (12°C). Also, be sure to replace the battery in your thermostat.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it’s warm enough to prevent freezing.
• Shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it may be deactivated when you shut off the water.

Your pipes freeze, what might you do?

What if your pipes still freeze, despite your best preventive measures? First step: Don’t panic. Just because they’re frozen doesn’t mean they’ve already burst. Here’s what you can do:

• If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical plumber.
• Do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water. You could be electrocuted.
• Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame because it could cause a fire hazard. Water damage is preferable to burning down your house!
• You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe using a hairdryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of the pipe.
• If your water pipes have already burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve in the house; leave the water faucets turned on. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it.
• Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your HVAC or plumbing needs call toll-free @888-315-5564

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Your Essential Furnace Checklist For Very Cold Days

5 ways to help your furnace deal with extreme cold weather

1. Keep your air filter clean. When it’s freezing cold outside, your furnace needs all the help it can get in order to keep your home warm. That’s why it’s extremely important to ensure that you have a clean air filter installed during extreme cold weather in order to stop your furnace from working harder than it needs to.
2. Hold off on setting back your thermostat. Normally, it’s a great idea to lower your thermostat’s temperature setting. during the hours that you’re away from home in order to conserve energy. However, this can cause more trouble than it’s worth when it’s excessively cold outside because it will be harder for your furnace to bring your home back up to your desired at-home temperature. Keep your thermostat set at a consistent setting until the weather warms back up to normal temperatures for this season.
3. Be prepared for colder indoor temperatures. Your furnace can only maintain a differential between outdoor and indoor temperatures to a certain degree. During extremely cold weather, some furnaces might not be able to bring your home all the way up to its desired temperature level. Instead of cranking up your thermostat (which won’t help the matter), try wearing warmer clothes and blankets around the house to stay warm.
4. Keep vents clear in high-efficiency furnaces. The vents that are used in high-efficiency furnaces lead outside of your home and are located near ground level. This leaves them vulnerable to getting clogged with ice and snow. When it’s extremely cold out, check to ensure that those vents stay clear so that your system doesn’t develop performance or safety issues.
5. Ask a neighbor to check on your house when you’re gone. If your furnace goes out during severely cold weather, it can leave your home more susceptible to other potential problems like frozen pipes. If you’re going to be away from home for a while and you know that we’re expecting colder weather than usual, have a neighbor check to make sure that your heat is working so that you can catch problems before they get worse.
6. Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your HVAC or plumbing needs call toll free @888-315-5564

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