Heating

From the long, hot Sacramento summer days to the chilly winters in Placerville, our favorite thing about our Northern California home is the varied and awe-inspiring climates found throughout the region. Most of us bask in a mild, Mediterranean climate year round, enjoying all the Golden State has to offer in the great outdoors from camping to hiking.

We might live in California, but we aren’t immune from chilly nights and cranking our furnaces. Even if it seems to be chugging along and working fine, your old dinosaur of a unit might be guzzling energy, sending your heating bill through the roof. If it’s probably time to have your furnace serviced, or even replaced, it’s time to call Bell Brothers.

The Lifespan of a Furnace

The average furnace lifespan is roughly 15 years. An aging furnace, no matter how well maintained, will lose 1% of its efficiency each year. Your furnace probably had a standard Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of roughly 80% when it was installed. As it’s aged, that efficiency has only gotten worse. Modern furnaces, though, have new technologies and refrigerants that require less energy, with AFUEs of up to 99%. Let the experts at Bell Brothers provide you with options on replacement during your free in-home consultation. Our technicians are here to keep little toes toasty warm and heating bills easy on the budget.

PIPING

Your furnace’s gas line should be thoroughly inspected prior to connecting a new furnace, examined for signs of wear like cracks and leaks. Connectors may also be incompatible with a new unit, or an extender may be needed.

ELECTRICAL SERVICE

Unless you’ve upgraded your electrical system, it’s likely to be as old as the furnace you’re replacing. Electrical panels and wiring will age and deteriorate, causing potential fire hazards. An HVAC technician should carefully examine your electrical service and wiring connections before installing a new unit.

THERMOSTAT

If you’re replacing a very old furnace, consider also installing a smart thermostat to save energy—and money. If you’re keeping an existing thermostat, know that faulty thermostat connections are one of the major causes of operational issues with new heating and cooling systems. An HVAC technician should thoroughly inspect it before and after installing the new unit.

FLUE PIPING

There are national and local codes that dictate where the flue must be located and where it vents to the outdoors. Flues located on the sides of buildings have height restrictions based on its distance from the building and other structures, like covered walkways.

DUCTWORK

Ductwork must be inspected when purchasing a new furnace. It’s likely that the new unit may have supply and return air openings in different spots than the original furnace did, so existing ductwork will have to be altered to accommodate the new openings. Duct connectors also need to be replaced, as they’re usually damaged during the demolition of an old unit. Finally, inspect the ductwork for leaks—it’s guaranteed to save you time and money down the road.

INSULATION

A good HVAC technician will evaluate the existing ductwork insulation when installing the new unit. Any tears or holes will cause air to leak, and cost you money.

Installing a New Furnace

The fact is, installing a new furnace requires more than just moving out the old one and setting a new one down in its place. There are many other components to your HVAC system that need to be taken into consideration—especially if they’re as aged as your furnace. That’s why it’s important to inspect the entirety of your heating system. We’ve seen it all, and we offer thorough inspections of all components and recommend replacements when necessary for the health of your home and HVAC system.

A SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC TEST

We have the diagnostic tools to examine all the components of your furnace, accurately pinpointing any problem areas.

AIR FILTER CHECK

While you can DIY a filter change, a qualified professional can install the right high-efficiency one for your unit, making sure it’s installed correctly so air can easily move through it.

FAN INSPECTION

A check of your fan and motor will ensure they’re clean and operating correctly. We also check the motor belt, housing, and for overheating and alignment issues.

PILOT LIGHT CHECKS

If your pilot light isn’t working correctly, gas could be leaking into your home. We make sure it’s clean and easily lighting up.

SAFETY INSPECTION

We conduct a full safety inspection for the health of your furnace and your family, including thermostat calibration, inspection and tightening of wires and contacts, heat exchanger inspection, an airflow check, and more.

Furnace Maintenance and Servicing

Machines are a lot like the human body—we have to take the best care of them that we can but, even then, they still age. If your furnace is pretty old, you may start to have more complicated, compounding issues making it difficult to determine the root of the problem. At Bell Brothers, we’ve had a lot of experience diagnosing old units and, with our technician’s combined knowledge and experience, we can diagnose and repair almost any trouble spot, no matter how complex. If our inspection reveals trouble, our technicians are prepared to make repairs on the spot before leaving your home. Some of the features our 30-point maintenance tune-up and repair service includes are below:

A FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATE

We offer energy efficient auditing services and load calculations to evaluate how much energy your home is using—and how much heating and cooling your home actually requires from a new unit. This can make a big difference when deciding whether to upsize or downsize your existing, rundown furnace.

EXPERT BRAND ADVICE

Bell Brothers has over 20 years of experience in residential HVAC with expert knowledge of top brands. We give you the right recommendations for your home heating needs to balance comfort, cost, and energy efficiency.

HOME DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION

An experienced, licensed HVAC technician will install and start up the new furnace in your home. We promise you’ll be thrilled with our visit and back it up with our 100% buyback guarantee.

YEARLY SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

We recommend annual maintenance for every furnace. Bell Brothers has developed a thorough 30-point tune-up to clean and calibrate your furnace guaranteed to have it in peak condition for winter, wherever you call home in the range of Northern California climates.

Replacing Your Old Furnace

A furnace is an investment. You need the expert knowledge of an HVAC professional to ensure it’s properly installed and maintained. Every technician at Bell Brothers sees it as our duty to not only find you the right furnace for your home and budget, but to install and maintain it, keeping it running at its peak for years to come.