Are your holiday decorations in the way of your heating vents?
It is a question to put to yourself this time of year. You may find that some rooms in the house are on the cold side come the holidays, thermostat setting be damned. Or perhaps you have noticed an uptick in your heating bill since you put up the trimmings. Is your fine tree or garland being at odds with your furnace?
At Alaskan Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical our Polar Bears are no strangers to such problems; they see them more frequently than one would expect. We have been putting Arizona homeowners at ease for as long as we have been in business, 1972 to the present. Should you require any assistance, (520) 214-0423 is our number.
The case for unobstructed vents
A properly functioning heating system will put warm air where it is needed in a balanced fashion. Every return and vent has its part to play in the process. Put an obstacle before a supply vent and the room is not going to get the warmth it ought to. Cover a return and the system has to work at drawing in air to reheat it.
You end up with an imbalance. One room is too hot, another too cold and the furnace has to run down the line to make up for it, all of which is hard on the equipment and your energy consumption.
Holiday decorating is the usual cause of blocked vents. In the course of rolling out an area rug, hanging some fabric or moving furniture for a display, one does not always consider what it means for the flow of air.
Usual suspects
There are any number of things the season puts out that can crowd a vent. Be on the lookout for:
- A Christmas tree over a floor vent
- Presents heaped against a wall register
- Some heavy drape or curtain in front of a vent
- Tree skirts and decorative rugs
- Furniture put aside for a holiday piece
- An inflatable or boxed decoration near a return
- Garland making a pass over a register
One of these will cut down on airflow, several of them combined and you will feel it.
Letting the air do its job
There is no need to forgo your decorations to be comfortable. A matter of habit is all it takes to have your system perform as it should. Make a tour of the place and put in mind where every supply and return is; most folks do not know until there is a problem. Then you can put up your decorations accordingly.
Give the air space to go around by keeping a distance between the vent and whatever you put in front of it. Do not put the tree on top of a floor register. If gifts have a way of piling up, put them where they will not block a vent. And do not neglect the returns in your inspection, they are as vital to circulation as the supply vents.
Is your system having trouble?
Your home will tell you if a vent is impeded. You might hear a whistling from a covered vent or the air from a register is not as strong as it should be. The furnace is running of its own accord and the bills are higher than last winter. Some rooms are just plain colder.
If you put the vents right and these things persist then the system itself is at fault.
In that event we can take a look. Worn parts, an old system or a clogged filter will impede airflow and a professional can distinguish that from a matter of decor. Our Polar Bears are on hand 24/7 so you do not have to wait when it gets cold. We have offices in Tempe and Scottsdale and serve Phoenix and Tucson as well.
We can also put you on a maintenance plan with our MVP Program or Club Membership to ensure the system is in good order. Repairs can be financed with approval in a day.
Do not hold your furnace responsible this season without first taking a stroll about the house and allowing your vents to breathe. For help, call us at (520) 214-0423 and let the team at Alaskan Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical see to it that you are warm throughout the winter.