Heating & Cooling Repair: Tips and Step-By-Step Guides

Tutorial describes types of plastic high efficiency furnace vent piping (ABS, PVC, CPVC) and types of furnace vent systems such as direct vent (two-pipe) and non-direct vent (one-pipe).

Tutorial describes how to troubleshoot a high efficiency direct-vent condensing furnace.

Tutorial describing the function and operation of a furnace pressure switch used on conventional and condensing furnaces.

Describes the construction and components of the high efficiency condensing furnace and how it compares to a conventional furnace.

This tutorial describes the various types and efficiencies of gas furnaces found in the home including high efficency, standard or mid efficiency, low efficiency, single stage, two stage and modulating furnaces.

Tutorial review the most commonly used air conditioning and cooling systems in the home including window air conditioner, portable air conditioner, ductless or split system air conditioners and central air conditioning.

Tutorial describes how to troubleshoot and repair common central air conditioning system problems.

Overview of the home air conditioning system and how it works.

Tutorial describes how to troubleshoot and repair a steam radiator including air valve or air vent.

Tutorial describes how to easily clean a clogged radiator air valve that is stuck open.

Describes the residential home boiler, piping systems and boiler controls.

Describes how venting air valves work on a steam radiator, the sizes of the valves and where they are used in a residential steam boiler heating system.

Tutorial describes how to inspect and repair a standing pilot light flame in a gas furnace.

This tutorial will describe the next generation home furnace thermostat, the IP thermostat that allows control from the unit or remotely over the internet.

Tutorial describes why rooms may be cold in your home and what you can do to warm them up.

This tutorial describes the differences between the two types of hot water boiler expansion tanks (diaphragm and horizontal steel tank) and how to re-charge them with air for proper functioning of the hot water boiler system.

This article describes tips to try when the burner on your oil fired boiler will not start. You can often get the burner firing before the need to call a service technician.

This tutorial describes how to easily replace a furnace thermocouple in an older style standing pilot furnace or an electronic flame sensor in a newer style electronic ignition furnace.

Tutorial describing safety issues surrounding gas and electric dryers including venting.

This tutorial explains a very important dryer repair involving cleaning your dryer ducts of dangerous lint build up, a major source of dryer fires. It photo documents the steps involved in cleaning your dryer of lint in the lint trap and in dryer ducts.

Describes how to turn a gas valve on and off such as when disconnecting or installing a gas dryer or gas stove.

Describes the two main types of electronic furnace ignition, Furnace Intermittent Pilot and Furnace Hot Surface Ignition.

Describes how the effectiveness of furnace filters are measured using Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV.

Overview of the furnace standing pilot versus electronic ignition.

Tips on how to diagnose problems and fix your electric wall heater.

Tutorial describing the types of electric heaters typically found in a home including cove, wall, toe kick and baseboard.

Tip on how to determine the right size electric room heater for your needs.

Describes how the home loses heat and what repairs bring the highest benefit.

This tutorial describes how to troubleshoot a window mounted room air conditioner.

This tutorial describes how to maintain a window mounted room air conditioner.

Tutorial on maintaining the outside condensing unit of a central air conditioning or heat pump system.

Tutorial on how to install a home thermostat for heating or cooling for gas forced air or hot water heating systems.

Identifies common problems, causes and fixes for various conventional gas furnace problems.

This tutorial describes and covers the troubleshooting and repair of gas fired boilers that heat water for hot water or hydronic home heating systems. These boilers can be fired with gas or oil, but the components are similar.

You must make sure to use the proper type of thermostat for your furnace. Mismatching equipment is dangerous. Learn the differences between millivoltage, low and high or line voltage systems and how to identify what type of system you have.

Describes the most common types of home heating systems including forced air, hydronic hot water baseboard, radiant in floor heat, steam heat radiation and Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP).

The gas electronic ignition furnace is the most common type of new furnace but requires a special understanding of its components for repair of hot surface ignition and intermittent pilot systems.

Detailed photo tutorial for installing the AprilAire Space-Gard 2200 whole house high efficiency air filter

Tutorial on thermostat troubleshooting for mechanical thermostats such as Honeywell, White Rodgers, Lux

Describes the thermostat heat anticipator and how to adjust it

Overview of home furnace thermostat types including digital programmable, mercury and mechanical contact thermostats as manufactured by Honeywell, White Rodgers and others.

This tutorial describes how a furnace pilot and thermocouple work and how to light a standing pilot on a gas furnace.

Assembly of often used terms in heating and cooling systems for the home

Tutorial explaining and graphically depicting the various components of the home furnace mounted humidifier.

Follow these simple tips for seasonal maintenance on your furnace to help keep it running efficiently and safely.

Fall checklist for getting your home ready for winter.

Description of how to perform a monthly filter inspection and replace a paper or fiberglass media furnace filter for improved indoor air quality and energy conservation.

This U.S. Department of Energy overview of all types of heating and cooling systems provides an excellent reference of energy conserving and performance issues to consider if you have to replace or upgrade.

This comprehensive checklist provides you a way to evaluate your home and identify and prioritize potential energy efficiency upgrades.

Review this helpful guide to home heating safety tips.

This helpful reference provides an overview of the various options you have when replacing your water heater including conventional, on demand (tankless), indirect, even solar.