Thursday, February 28, 2008

Heating System School & Furnace Repair Training Opportunities

Heating and climate control systems are installed in virtually every residential and commercial building in the United States, and as the population grows, so will the number of Heating and climate control systems in use. This is one of the major reasons that the US Department of Labor list the HVAC job field as one of the fastest growing job markets in the United States through 2014.

With major heating system technician job market expansion comes a greater demand for trained heating service people. Heating System Training courses, which can be taken to become a Certified Heating System service person are quite cost effective and can be completed in as few as a few months. Many technical schools and trade schools offer heating repair training and heating installation classes. It is important that you choose the right heating school for your needs. It is suggested that you research your heating school training options and find a school that offers all of the following services:

  • Hands on heating system and furnace training
  • On site heating repair training
  • Credits acknowledged by University of Phoenix and many other universities and technical/trade schools
  • An experienced faculty and staff with industry experience
  • Financial aid assistance
  • Graduate placement assistance programs

Courtesy The Refrigeration School Inc Learn More About Heating System Schools

Both residential and commercial buildings are serviced by heating mechanics that must carry out installations, service the systems, and provide the needed repairs. Furnace installers, other wise known as heating equipment technicians, use the blueprints and specs to put in oil, gas, electric, solid-fuel, and multiple-fuel heating systems. Once the central equipment is set up, technicians will also put in fuel and water lines, ducts and vents for air, and pumps along with other parts as needed. Technicians will ensure that the system is performing properly, as well as making the proper connections between wires and their controls. A combustion test using carbon dioxide or oxygen testers will be used to check that the system is indeed working as desired.

In addition to furnace installations, heating techs will maintain and repair maintenance and the system as needed to make sure it is functioning properly. For example, technicians will make adjustments on the burners and blowers during the fall and winter because they are used the most during those seasons. When a system is failing, the thermostat, burner nozzle, and controls will be inspected in an attempt to identify the problem.

Whether this is your first job, a career change to a better job or the ability to upgrade your current job, The Refrigeration School, Inc (RSI) iof Phoenix AZ s an essential stepping-stone in your career path. RSI does not offer a simple "job placement" service but instead, we help you develop your career and give you the tools and strategies you need to take advantage of career opportunities.

The Refrigeration School, Inc or RSI trains you in the technical services that are needed today including Heating Repair training and Heating System school. RSI offers not only HVAC training but also assistance in seeking financial aid and our Placement Assistance staff works with each graduate to find the right employment.

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Residential Heating Oil Furnaces

State of the art technologies bring heating oil systems into the 21st Century.

Furnaces no longer just blow hot air through the house. Whether you are looking at upgrading your present heating oil system or installing a new one, one fact remains constant: heating oil systems are better and smarter today than they have ever been before!

They are designed as the focal point of a comprehensive, efficient, clean and safe system to heat your home. But it?s not all about heat. The same ductwork that connects the furnace to the rest of the residence can be used as the conduit for other forms of conditioned air as well. For example:

? Cooling with central air.

? Moisture control with a humidifier

? Eliminate dusts and pollens with a central air cleaning system.

Innovative technologies are producing heating oil furnaces with efficiencies in fuel-to-heat conversion ranging from 81% to 95%. The use of low-mass combustion chambers and improvements in the design of heat exchangers, coupled with high-pressure flame retention burners and innovative microprocessor-based controls are just several reasons for this leap in efficiency.

Modern furnaces can save you money, too, as an effective way to cut energy costs! Efficiency in the use of your heating oil pays for itself while providing an increase in comfort, peace of mind through confidence in the equipment and low exhaust emissions promote a cleaner environment as well. Several of these innovations are highlighted below:

? ?Smart? controls: The latest in micro-processing technologies allows the system to automatically adjust itself to changing environmental requirements resulting in fewer ?on/off? cycles. This reduces fuel consumption, wear on equipment, exhaust emissions and electrical usage by the system.

? High-pressure flame retention burners: Hotter flames with less air and fuel required are evidence of improvements in the high-flow atomization and vaporizing technologies used in the newer burners today.

? It?s safe: Fuel oil, in its natural liquid state, won?t burn. It must be vaporized to ignite. It will not burn if a lit match is thrown into a puddle of it. By virtue of this quality, it cannot explode when exposed to a spark or flame. Also, heating oil fumes are not poison like natural gas.

? Clean Burning: The average oil burning system emits 6 ounces of particulate emissions (soot) per year or roughly 1/8th of a pound of soot for every ton of fuel oil burned. That marks a 95% improvement over the last 25 years or so. There are no federal regulations on heating oil emissions.

If you heat with another source of energy or are building new, then you should be aware that heating oil is a viable option to meet your family?s heating needs.

Heating oil technology has kept pace with the competition from other heating options and in some cases surpassed it. If you currently heat with oil, then it is a safe bet that it will continue to serve you well into the new century before us.


For more information on Home Heating Oil Prices and energy solutions, visit Home Heating Oil Prices Do your research,save yourself some money. John Bogdanski a renegade Oil Heat marketing executive, rips open the curtain,exposing the industry.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Add On Wood Furnace - Are You Adding Heat or Headaches?

On the face of it, the addition of an Add On Wood Furnace to your existing furnace sounds like a great idea. If you cut, split and season your own firewood, you already know how much money you're saving over your propane poor neighbor.

Installing a wood furnace also tames the unavoidable messiness of burning wood by moving it to the basement.

Best of all, you can purchase a basic add on wood furnace for less than an inexpensive pellet stove.

However, the complex installation of an add on wood furnace goes a long way towards canceling out the benefits. When you install an add on furnace you not only have two furnaces; you now have two thermostats, two blowers, two plenums and two chimneys. Not to mention the connecting ductwork and dampers.

You don't have to be a home heating expert to imagine all the possible scenarios for failure.

As with any other type of furnace, the warranty and building codes requires installation by a licensed HVAC professional.

But this requirement alone doesn't necessarily guarantee your add on furnace will be installed for maximum efficiency. Simply because someone's been installing gas furnaces for 30 years doesn't mean their first attempt at installing an add on wood furnace will be a complete success.

Another problem that wood furnace manufacturers never address is a convenient way to store and transport a winter's worth of firewood without making hundreds of trips up and down the basement stairs.

Finding the least expensive way to heat your home will always involve trade-offs. As with an add on wood furnace, buying the cheapest appliance to burn the cheapest fuel is not without its drawbacks.

Improve your home with Alternative Heating

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Heat Up Your Fat Burning Furnace

Food is the most important factor in burning off excess body fat. You have heard eating more fruits and vegetables will contribute to greater loss of body fat. Fruits and vegetables provides your body with more nutrients without all the excess empty calories which in many cases is stored as body fat. If you are not exercising often and at a high level of intensity this is one way to keep your body fat levels in check. Keeping your intake of lean meats in balance with your intake of starches will help to maintain balanced blood sugar levels keeping you in the fat burning zone. The whole idea is to always burn fat even when at rest. Having high blood sugar is counter productive to fat burning.

Exercise is next, which elevates your heart rate and respiration which starts the process of activating the release of stored body fat to be used as fuel for much needed additional energy. This is a critical part of the fat burning process. If however, you are only burning sugar it will be very difficult to reduce your body fat levels. Your objective is to raise your heart rate just a little higher than when it is at rest and to keep it there for a minimum of twenty minutes and building up to one hour or more at a time. Try to do this this at least five times per week by walking, bike riding or any form of aerobic exercise that you enjoy.

Lean Muscles is the furnace that keeps your metabolism running on high. Whenever someone says their metabolism is slow it is usually someone who is not doing any strength training or only does the bare minimum. Increasing this metabolic furnace is a must to keep the body fat from escalating. Almost everyone can benefit by training with some basic bodybuilding principles. Performing muscle building exercises for all of the muscle groups on your body a minimum of two times per week, three or four is better depending on your experience and fitness level. If you are not strength training you are not doing all you can to achieve your fat loss goals.

Roy Gutierrez is a personal trainer located in Tampa Florida. He has been helping his personal training and weight loss coaching clients achieve their goals for more than fifteen years. Get a FREE subscription to his biweekly newsletter, available when you visit http://www.stayfitafterforty.com

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An Indoor Wood Burning Furnace May Mean a New Career

Are you looking for an immensely cheap way to heat your home? Every year, you get that bite cutting into your pocket book every year when the mercury on the thermometer dips low. This article is really to give you some information on the indoor wood furnace and the outside wood furnace. First of all, it may sound elementary but it's useful to learn a bit about wood and some of its burning characteristics. A cord of wood stands 4 feet wide and 4 feet high and 8 feet long. In this measurement, there is an allowance made for air pockets, so you're going to get about 85 ft.? out of a cord of wood. One pound of wood on the average produces 7500 BTU's of heat, regardless of the species.

One important consideration to remember is that dense heavy wood will deliver more heat per cord. You'll want to take this into consideration when comparing prices for different kinds of wood. Each log contains moisture, and it takes about 1,000 BTU's to evaporate the moisture from each pound. Dry wood produces 10 to 30% less creosote and is more usable to heat your home. It's a good idea to burn drier wood for an indoor wood burning furnace. A good practice to get into is to cut or buy green wood in the early spring or late winter, dry it as quickly as you can by cutting it to length and stack it so the air can circulate through the pile. If you stack the wood outside, make sure you cover it from the weather and hold it for 18 months, or if you can, indoor storage is certainly more preferable. Here is a very interesting tip for you! If you fell your own trees for your furnace, cut them in the spring or summer and leave them "unlimbed" until the leaves wither, as they will draw moisture out of the wood. Cut the wood to the longest length possible to fit in your firebox, as the longer it is, the longer the fire will hold. Seasoned wood carries about 20% moisture content.

One type indoor wood furnace is made by several manufacturers and you may want to consider goodman furnace as one of your choices. Essentially, all you do is put unsplit logs into the firebox and ignite them with kindling and paper. The firebox is ceramic and as the fire grows, fresh air flows through the air intake manifold and fans the flames. After the gas is heated to a temperature of 2,000?F, it then flows out of the firebox and down the flame path toward the exhaust vent. This incredibly hot air moves toward the vent and its energy passes through a fluid flowing through an internal heat exchanger. This heat transfer fluid reaches 180?F before circulating to an external heat exchanger, usually mounted on the back of the furnace. The energy produced by the furnace is then passed to the home heating system. This heat exchanger is usually sold as an option.

To control the operation of the furnace, there are usually dual aquastats. One controls the damper on the air intake manifold by monitoring the temperature of the heat transfer fluid. When the desired temperature is reached, the damper closes, shutting off the flow of fresh air and thus extinguishing the fire. When your home cools off and more heat is needed, the damper opens and the furnace re-fires. Heat that is stored in the refractory walls of the firebox will support automatic re-firing for up to two days. The second aquastat is wired to your home heating system, and will continue to run for a short period of time after the furnace shuts down and will dissipate residual heat from the fire.

The decision as to whether an outside wood furnace or an indoor wood furnace would be more suitable for your application will depend upon your personal preference. As the name implies, the outdoor wood furnace sits outdoors, much like a utility building and is usually 50 to 100 feet away and may be safer than an indoor one. The outdoor furnace concept is simple, safe and effective. The outdoor application also removes the danger of a wood- stove fire in the house. If you're considering a wood-fired heating system for your home, be sure to consult with the experts online. Also visit your local dealer and learn more about whether an indoor wood furnace or an outside wood furnace would be more suitable for you. Good luck!

Terry Price is a successful publisher and author on the topic of the home heating systems at: http://www.furnace-water-heaters.com/outdoor-wood-furnace.html Remarkable cash savings exist with the right furnace application - http://www.furnace-water-heaters.com/radiant-floor-heating.html Did you enjoy this article? http://www.digg.com/about

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Benifits of Electrostatic Furnace Filters

As an Air Quality/Duct Cleaning specialist I am often consulted upon for my educational experience regarding indoor air quality issues. With the advancements being made in air filtration I am often asked for my opinion on various filtration options one of which are electrostatic furnace filters. As a duct cleaning technician myself, I am a strong advocate of electrostatic air filters.

I have written a brief summary of the benefits of owning such a filter

-Savings: Electrostatic air filters will help keep heating components and A/C coils from being coated with dust particles. Dirt is the #1 cause of heating & cooling system failures, and a cleaner system also operates more efficiently which saves you money on both energy consumption and equipment repairs. Additionally, Electrostatic filters are permanent which save you money on disposable filters.

-Allergy Relief: Asthma, allergy and respiratory symptoms can be significantly reduced when exposure to dust, pollen, mold spores and animal dander is controlled by the electrostatic properties of these filters.

-Housekeeping: Household dust will be collected on the electrostatic media of the filter when the furnace or A/C system is operating. Less frequent dusting will be a welcome benefit to housekeeping.

-Environmentally friendly: Electrostatic filters are a permanent lifetime filter, you will no longer have to toss out disposable filters every month into the landfill (The environment will love you for it)

-Easy to maintain: Instead of replacing your standard throw away filter, an electrostatic filter simply needs to be cleaned periodically to achieve best filtration results and optimum furnace efficiency.

Keeping your Air and Your HVAC system clean:

Having your duct system professionally cleaned is a vital part of dramatically improving the indoor air in your home. The addition of a high performance air filter will provide many benefits and intervals for duct cleaning. Electrostatic high performance efficiency furnace filters removes dust, pollen, mold spores and animal dander as the air circulates through your central system. Clean, filtered air benefits the entire family. Children and the elderly are most effected by indoor air pollution and will benefit greatly from the clean air that exits from this filter.

How does it work?

Electrostatic filters work on the principal of "static electricity" not "electricity". The filter media has a Negative charge throughout the entire surface which is enhanced by air passing through, Tiny particles such as dust, pollen and mold have a Positive charge and are therefore attracted to the filter like a magnet . These particulates are the culprits of our indoor environmental air pollution. Electrostatic furnace filter is designed to trap these particles and remove them from the air that you breathe

Pat Johnson - President of Enviro-Pure Air Care Residential Duct Cleaning in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Visit their electrostic filter page at Furnace Filters Ottawa

Pat has many years experience in the Duct Cleaning Industry and has written numerous articles on the subject.

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

When Looking At Heating For Your Home Consider High Efficiency Gas Furnaces

In today's increasingly energy conscious society, one must consider the energy efficiency of every product they purchase. Whether it's your car's gas mileage or how much electricity your refrigerator uses, we've all become more aware of our energy usage.

There are two main reasons for this, and they're pretty obvious. One, inefficient energy use costs more money. It's safe to say we're all looking to lower our bills and switching to energy efficient appliances is a big step in that direction. The other reason to use high efficiency appliances is the understanding that many of our energy sources are finite. In other words, eventually we'll run out.

One of the biggest users of energy in our homes and workplaces are the heating units. Just like most other major household products, gas furnaces have become more efficient than ever before. Natural gas is an economical method for home heating and now you can find all sorts of high efficiency gas furnaces on the market.

High efficiency gas furnaces tend to cost more than conventional gas furnaces. This is for a couple reasons. They're not yet produced on the same scale as conventional furnaces so there are still cost factors to overcome which have to be passed on to the consumer. Secondly, high efficiency gas furnaces employ the latest technologies, which, as we all know, always kicks up the cost of a product. Innovation isn't free. However, keep in mind, that this is just an initial start-up cost. Sure, you may be laying down more money at the outset, but the money you'll save with a high efficiency gas furnace will soon make up the difference and even pay for itself in the end.

Investing in a high efficiency natural gas furnace is well worth it, and let's not forget the environment. An energy efficient furnace will use less fuel, which means using less natural resources, and which means releasing less greenhouse gases into our fragile atmosphere. That's a cost that can't be calculated in dollars.

These days, gas furnaces have stickers on them which gives their AFUE number. AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. A high efficiency natural gas furnace will have a AFUE number ranging from the high 80's to the high 90's. Furnaces with AFUE's below that range are considered medium efficiency. Such furnaces cost less but will also save you less in bills.

Another thing to look for when shopping for a high efficiency natural gas furnace is an Energy Star sticker. If it has an Energy Star label, that means its AFUE rating is in the 90's.

Remember, no matter how energy efficient your furnace is, you need to maintain it properly and keep it, along with your vents clean. A dirty or poorly maintained furnace will cause a drop in efficiency and increases in cost and fuel consumption.

There is plenty of helpful information available online and from your local furnace dealers. High efficiency natural gas furnaces may cost more at first, but the money you save and the benefit to the environment makes them a wise investment.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as electric heaters at http://www.fireplacesandelectricheaters.com

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