DES MOINES, Iowa With the sharp dip in temperatures this week has brought and no warm-up in the forecast, the few remaining hold-outs likely caved-in and turned on the furnace Tuesday morning. For some, thats when the problems started.

It happens every year. As soon as the mercury dips service calls for furnaces go up. At Wyckoff Heating and Cooling they had more than 350-calls for service Tuesday.

What happens is theyll wait till its 20-degrees outside and then they fire it on. Well the problem is it hasnt been maintained, technician Brett Flinck said.

And thats going to cost you. Experts say it will save you money in the long run if you maintain your furnace with regular checkups and by changing your furnace filter every month.

Flinck says regular maintenance of your furnace doesnt just make it operate better, it also reduces the chances that your house could catch fire.

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First Cold Snap has Furnace Repair Businesses Busy

The cold weather is keeping furnace companies across the Kansas City metropolitan area busy.

Some homeowners said they're trying to have routine maintenance done, but they can't get a spot on the schedule until December.

Experts said that kind of preventive work is worth it.

Midwest Heating Cooling and Plumbing technicians said homeowners can change furnace and humidifier filters, but it takes expertise to really check out how well a furnace functions.

Many companies provide fall and spring maintenance work for between $150 and $200 per year.

Newer, more efficient models also need checkups, too. Jack Lambert. of Midwest Heating Cooling and Plumbing, said in some cases newer furnaces need more attention.

"It's all sealed up. You can't even see the burners anymore, so that's why you need a professional to check certain things, like gas pressure and the motor," Lambert said. "You've got to make sure this runs to the flue to clean out the fumes of the flue and, if for some reason this would clog up, the pressure switch turns the heat off."

A faulty furnace can also release dangerous carbon monoxide gas into a home. Experts recommend having carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of a house.

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Cold spell keeps furnace repair companies busy

Oberlin, OH (PRWEB) November 12, 2014

The FILTERSCAN WiFi air filter monitor from CleanAlert LLC was today recognized with a 2014 Best of Whats New award from the editors of Popular Science Magazine as part of its annual competition. The innovative monitor appears in the Home category in Popular Sciences December issue, which can also be found online at http://bestofwhatsnew.popsci.com/cleanalert-filterscan-wifi# .

The $99.95 wireless monitor and notification service takes the guesswork out of the important chore of changing air filters by sending text and e-mail alerts to your smartphone or tablet computer. Preventing an air filter from becoming clogged keeps a heating and cooling system performing efficiently and can help homeowners gain up to $200 in annual energy savings. But the FILTERSCAN WiFi is not just for the home. It can be used in commercial buildings as well.

The Best of What's New Awards is Popular Science Magazine's top honor, and the 100 awardees are selected from a pool of thousands. Each winner is handpicked and revolutionary in it's own way," said Cliff Ransom, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. Winners of Popular Sciences Best of Whats New Award tend to change what the future will look like. This years 100 honorees are no different: They are revolutionary in their respective fields.

Using patented technology to determine a filters remaining life, the wireless monitor can determine the very point when a filter becomes too clogged with dirt, dust, pet dander and other particles to perform effectively, explains Terry L. Reavis, Vice President Sales & Marketing for CleanAlert, known for its innovative airflow-sensing solutions.

According to Reavis, most homeowners wait too long to change their air filter, allowing pressure to build up in an HVAC system, which increases energy costs, decreases equipment life and reduces indoor air quality.

Just like an automobiles gas gauge, the FILTERSCAN takes a scientific approach to maximizing a homes air quality by monitoring how much cleaning power remains in an air filter while in use, says Reavis. Clogged filters are the primary cause of home heating and cooling system failures that can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Clogged filters can also strain the blower on a system, making it operate less efficiently and increasing utility bills by up to 15 percent.

For more information on FILTERSCAN WiFi, please visit CleanAlert.com.

ABOUT BEST OF WHAT'S NEW Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year; breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. The winners the Best of What's New are awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science, the most widely read issue of the year since the debut of Best of What's New in 1987. Best of Whats New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 12 categories: Aerospace, Automotive, Engineering, Entertainment, Gadgets, Green, Hardware, Health, Home, Recreation, Security and Software.

ABOUT POPULAR SCIENCE Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the worlds largest science and technology magazine; with a circulation of 1.3 million and 6.8 million monthly readers. Each month, Popular Science reports on the intersection of science and everyday life, with an eye toward whats new and why it matters. Popular Science is published by Bonnier Active Media, a subsidiary of Bonnier Corporation.

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New Air Filter Monitor, FILTERSCAN WiFi, Wins 2014 Best of Whats New Award from Popular Science

How often should I have my furnace checked?

I recommend getting your heating equipment checked annually.

Heating specialists recommend new gas furnaces be checked every couple of years, until they are five years old. At that time, yearly servicing is recommended.

If you have an oil furnace, their nozzles and oil filters need to be changed every year. Prolonging that will greatly decrease the efficiency of your furnace.

In a forced air furnace, a filter protects the blower and motor from damage due to dust and dirt intake. A regular furnace filter should be changed every month during the heating season. During the cooling season, it's best to check monthly and replace it if it becomes dirty.

I have seen some filters so dirty that I was surprised the furnaces could even run.

Some specialty filters do not need to be changed as often, but check with a heating specialist before you use these filters. Some of the specialty filters are so dense they can restrict the air flow of the furnace and make it work harder to do its job.

Running your furnace without a filter or a dirty filter can do serious damage to some of the components, especially the heat exchanger, which is the most important part of a furnace.

If you have a new high efficiency furnace installed and it no longer needs to go to the chimney and has PVC chimneys that go out the sidewall and the gas water heater is left in the chimney by itself a chimney liner for the water heater must be installed. Without the furnace in the chimney anymore it doesn't draft as well.

If you see you have thermal vent dampers in the furnace chimney and water heater chimney they should be removed. You can easily identify them. It says thermal vent damper right on them. They are known for sticking shut and kicking carbon monoxide into the house. I had one last week that was kicking over 200 parts per million of carbon monoxide for about 30 seconds until it finally opened up. This is an easy repair; the thermal vent damper is removed and the vent pipe is extended to take the place of where the thermal vent damper was.

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Ask the Inspector: Furnace checkups

Q: My home to-do list is getting long and complicated. Which home projects are best left to professionals?

A: Now that winter is nearly upon us, there are many seasonal projects that require our attention around the house.

But throwing time and money at the problem will only go so far. The fact is there will be jobs and tasks that lie outside of your realm of expertise.

It is good to know your strengths. But when it comes to expensive, time-consuming home projects, its even better that you understand your weaknesses.

Rolling up your sleeves and attacking a project without the necessary qualifications can lead to disastrous results. The tiniest leak can sink the mightiest ship.

Before you start swinging a hammer, here are some home projects that you might want to seek extra help for if you are a novice.

Electrical

A houses electrical grid is its nerve center, and some projects call for more than just flipping a fuse switch.

Older houses can have worn or outdated wiring systems. What might have been an easy fix at the house you lived in five years ago wont necessarily work at your new place.

If you live in an older home, leave these projects to professionals who are familiar with past methods of electrical wiring.

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For challenging projects, get a professional | HomeWork

Plano, Texas (PRWEB) November 07, 2014

talklocal is launching in Plano, Texas to connect consumers to the right service professionals by phone in about 90 seconds. In a city once named one of Forbes Top Suburbs For Living Well, the local services marketplace will bring time-saving convenience for residents facing everyday challenges like home renovations, help with broken heating and cooling systems, and car repair.

TalkLocal matches and connects live professionals to live consumers in about 90 seconds - at least 50x faster than other local services marketplaces out there, according to the TalkLocal teams own research.

The service was founded by a small business owner whose phone lines were inundated with frustrated consumers who were calling 3 or 4 companies before finding the professional who matched their needs.

To hear from an available service professional in about 90 seconds, consumers follow only 3 simple steps:

1) Enter location, availability, and service details at http://www.talklocal.com.

2) Standby as TalkLocal's algorithm rapidly filters through the citys thousands of businesses, finding the best match based on

3) Pick up the phone to talk to a local pro who knows the problem and wants to help on the consumer's schedule.

Free to consumers, member businesses get a free preview of each matching job and only pay a small flat rate when they opt-in and talk to an actively searching customer.

In over 50 service categories like roofing, cleaning services and heating & cooling, TalkLocal takes the hassle out of finding the right local professionals.

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TalkLocal, Virtual Conscierge Service, Launches in Plano, Texas

Heating and Cooling Repair/Contractors/ Oceanside/Furnace Repair/HVAC
http//www.airbyecs.com + http://www.yelp.com ... Heating Air Conditioning/HVACHeating and Cooling Repair + Affordable prices + Erudite Comfort Solutions + Family Owned + http://www.yelp.com + home...

By: Airbyecs.com- Erudite Comfort Solutons

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Heating and Cooling Repair/Contractors/ Oceanside/Furnace Repair/HVAC - Video

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) November 06, 2014

On October 20, The Wall Street Journal published an article estimating that overall heating costs for American homeowners would be much lower this winter than in years past. Homeowners, the article states, can expect heating bills to be as much as 27% lower than last year, thanks in no small part to a winter that is expected to be a lot milder than last year's constant string of blizzards and bitterly cold days.

Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc., a veteran heating and cooling company based in St. Louis, believes that The Wall Street Journal's predictions are likely to come true. Jeffrey Vitt, Vice President of Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc. is urging homeowners to take extra steps this year, both to keep costs low and homes safe.

"It's a good idea to do an annual maintenance run through; if your system is not clean, it may not operate properly, which would mean decreased efficiency and higher heating bills," Vitt notes. "Also there are safety aspects to consider: a furnace, for example, can fail if it's not tuned up. A malfunctioning furnace not only increases energy bills, it can also be a significant safety issue."

Beyond his tips for keeping home heating and cooling units running efficiently and safely, Vitt goes on to say that many of the most common issues can keep furnaces from starting altogether. "One of the most common issues we see when performing furnace repair services is a failed ignition system. The gas can be on, but the furnace just won't light. Obviously, we need to get this fixed right away to keep our clients' and their families warm and healthy."

Speaking on the accuracy of The Wall Street Journal's article, Vitt said only, "there's no doubt in our minds that this winter will be more affordable for American homeowners, but they have to take steps to keep their air systems in great shape if they ever want to see those savings."

About Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc.

Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc. has been in business since 1954, providing the St. Louis community with heating and air services ever since. According to the team, its never too early to be thinking about the next season, and getting a St. Louis furnace repair done. For more information, visit them online at vittheatingandair.com.

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Vitt Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc. Responds to News That Winter 2014 Could Be a Cheap One for Homeowners

Eau Claire (WQOW) - Several school referendum questions appeared on Tuesday's ballot, and voters approved more than half of them, including in the Altoona, Osseo-Fairchild and Mondovi school districts. This has the Eau Claire Area School District looking at its future.

There are over 11,000 students in the Eau Claire Area School District, and those students have growing needs.

That's why the district is discussing major projects now, like overhauling heating and cooling systems and repairing roofing. Richard Spindler, the school board president for the Eau Claire Area School District, said, "This first meeting is really just a discussion. Certainly a demographic of trends might affect that discussion if we should move forward with any facility changes."

One school that has been in need of significant repair is South Middle School. Last year, the district said the work could cost up to $22 million. One way to pay for those repairs could be through a referendum. Spindler said, "South (Middle School) has a number of facility needs that we need to be looking at."

Daniel Van De Water, the executive director of business services for the Eau Claire Area School District, said, "The district certainly wants to plan for the future. And, at some point in the future, it's going to be necessary to seek referendum dollars in order to do major project work, really in all the buildings in the district."

And, the school board president said the discussion needs to happen now. Spindler said, "Those discussions take a long time. You know, I don't want to suddenly decide, 5 months before an election, 'Oh, we need to do this'. We need to talk about it now, and see how it plays out over time and how the community feels about it."

In 2011, voters approved a nearly $52 million referendum. Much of that money went to expansion and improvement efforts for Delong Middle School.

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ECASD committee discusses referendum basics

AC Maintenance Glendale 800) 215-8151 Climate Control
http://www.climatecontrolla.com (800) 215-8151 AC Maintenance Glendale Cooling and Heating Repair in Sherman Oaks When you live in Sherman Oaks, where extrem...

By: Michael E. Mueller

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AC Maintenance Glendale 800) 215-8151 Climate Control - Video