JOB Heating & Air Conditioning’s wonderful staff will be more than happy to provide you with an estimate for any home comfort improvement that you have in mind. They also offer training classes at your personal site for maintenance and they also offer home heating tune-ups. JOB are Trusted Saskatoon Furnace experts and they can also help you with all your Saskatoon plumbing needs! 

Winter Safety Tips For Your Home From JOB Heating & Air 

What does that do and why does it matter?

I was recently in two Saskatoon residences with gas inspections to investigate the source of carbon monoxide in the homes. Thank heavens both homeowners had carbon monoxide detectors,  that in my opinion, saved their lives. Both days I went home and checked my CO detector.

When was the last time that you checked your CO Detector?

Go do it now then come back and finish reading…
So how this works is usually the fire department or Sask Energy get a call,  then they visit the home with their carbon monoxide meters to assess the level and then, if reading show and issue they red tag the furnace unit and shut off the gas. The Red Tag program provides a consistent means for gas utilities, propane distributors, gas contractors or others deemed appropriate by the chief gas inspector to report unresolved gas-related deficiencies or identify reoccurring design flaws. The issuing of red tags is only done by a licensed gasfitter.

What to do when you have a red tag.

The homeowner should then call us to come to correct the problem. We will go through the furnace and water heater with a fine-tooth comb to attempt to find the source of the carbon monoxide.

Sometimes it is a crack in a heat exchanger, however, sometimes the furnace and water heater are working exactly as they should. It is then incumbent upon us to investigate why the carbon monoxide is present in the home. In these locations we often find that the homes are drawn into negative pressure, what that means is that the homes are exhausting more air than fresh air coming into the home. As you may remember from science class,  areas of high pressure always go to areas of low pressure. So what happens is the high pressure outside finds a way into the area of low pressure (inside the home) through any possible route. If the doors and windows are closed then the only other hole in the home is the chimney. Air begins to flow down the chimney to replace the air that’s being exhausted out of the home. So why is that an issue? This becomes a problem when the furnace or water heater begins to fire and there is no draft up the chimney. This then results in the products of combustion (carbon monoxide) being vented into the home.

What can homeowners do to prevent this from happening? 

There are items in your home to prevent this from happening. In most cases, the insulated vent that runs from the outside of your home into the furnace room brings what we call combustion air. The combustion air helps to regulate the pressure of your home preventing your home from getting into a negative air pressure situation. This is also the air that is used when the furnace or water heater are firing up and sometimes this air supply can become blocked. On occasion, we have found that homeowners will purposely block the intake because they don’t like the cold air coming in.

I need to stress how important this is and that by blocking this you are putting yourself and your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. So please don’t block this or if you have, open it up immediately.

Another more common problem is that the air intakes themselves become blocked. These intakes appear from the outside like exhaust vents but when you bend over and look up inside them they are in fact air intakes with a screen that needs to be clear of all debris. A good rule of thumb is to walk around the perimeter of your home and look for these vent/intake hoods. Look up inside them and clean them up. This is a simple 10-minute job and this will help to protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Do your intakes look like this? 

• Go outside today walk around your home and clean these intakes.
• Check your carbon monoxide detectors
• Check your smoke alarms. 

These 2 devices save lives every day you just don’t hear about it. If you don’t have a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector buy them and put them in your home today. I promise you they save lives.

Then have us come out and do a furnace tune-up. We test the furnace and ensure it is functioning as it should be, in addition, we clean the parts of the furnace that you cannot.  

Contact Jeff and team at JOB Heating today. Jeff Bolton. Owner- JOB Heating and Air Conditioning

JOB products and services include:

• Furnaces

• Boilers

• Air Conditioners

• Water Heaters

• Gas Lines

• Garage Heaters 

JOB Heating & Air Conditioning  Trusted Saskatoon Furnace, Boiler and Air Conditioning Experts

JOB. Heating & Air Conditioning  are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers 

Gibbon Heating & Air Conditioning has been serving Saskatoon and surrounding areas for over 25 Years, Gibbon is a "Total Service" company with trained technicians who are able to provide customers with solutions to all their SASKATOON Heating & Air Conditioning requirements!

Gibbon Heating and Air Conditioning are TRUSTED SASKATOON Air Conditioning & Furnace Professionals

Gibbon Heating and Air Conditioning Experts Give Tips for Troubleshooting Furnaces

Change the Furnace Filter Monthly

You would be surprised at how quickly dirty filters can degrade the performance of a furnace. When filters are dirty, your furnace has to work much harder to blow air through the dirt and dust on the filter. As the pressure builds up, it could cause the blower to shut down. It’s as easy as checking your filters on a monthly basis and changing them if they are dirty.

Clean the Fan Unit Regularly

Similar to a dirty furnace, a dirty or clogged fan unit will also make it harder for your furnace to push air through your house like it was designed to do. Removing a furnace fan unit requires a bit of technical know-how, but it is fairly simple and safe. Once you have it out, you can clean it with a brush or cloth, and a vacuum.

Check Ductwork for Debris and Joints

Sometimes it seems like it is only one or a few rooms that are not getting heat. If this happens, quickly check to see if all of the registers are opened properly and the cold air returns are not blocked. It is also a good idea to check all accessible ductwork to see if there are any issues with joints and seams.

Check the Gas Valve

It is also possible that the gas valve could have been accidentally bumped or shut off. It can happen if working around the furnace, moving things or even just cleaning up. Gas valves are labeled clearly and you can feel safe turning it to the on position. Once you have it in the right position, the furnace should start up again.

Common Repair Issues that Require Expertise

Saskatoon, if you are looking for a Trusted company to help you with your home or business Heating or Cooling system problems or to find the best and most high efficient air conditioner or furnace for your home, J.O.B Heating and Air Conditioning is who you need to call! If your family suffers from allergies a new furnace that filters and helps to eliminate those unwanted allergens will make a real difference. 

The amazing staff at J.O.B Heating & Air Conditioning will consult with you to get something that fits your exact and specific needs and budget. 

J.O.B Heating and Air are Trusted Saskatoon Heating and Air Conditioning Pros!

I get to spend a good deal of time explaining to customers what you should ask for when choosing a contractor. We have all heard about the usual things. "Check the reviews", yes I agree that reviews are important but how many of the are legitimate? How many reviews are there because the contractor earned them and how many are there because he paid for them. How many are there because he has a disgruntled employee or a ruthless competitor and of course how many are there because they are real? 

Further to the reviews here are a few things to notice when they are in your house. What are they looking at and what questions are they asking? My Dad tells me that I have 2 ears and one mouth so it should be 2/3 listening and 1/3 talking. What that means is the contractor should be asking questions about your home but also how you live in that home? How can he or she offer you a product or service without knowing how you intend on using that product or service? In the case of an air conditioner are they looking to ensure that the unit can be placed where you would like it? Or are they looking for the most direct route that would save them time and money? Are they just automatically going to the "best" option because well its the Mercedes who wouldn't want it? In reality most of us drive  Chevy's or Fords. 

I believe that there are a couple of documents that they should show you. You should see their contractor license. In the case of heating contractors they should show you their gas licence. So many times guys hang their shingle out and say I can put that water heater in for you and the never take out a permit so the inspector never knows to go see the job. They end up making a mistake when installing it that causes you to have no hot water at the most inopportune of times.  Further to that if that contractor doesn't have a gas licence when the gas inspector issues a deficiency he has to issue it to the homeowner and if the homeowner does not correct it they could loose their gas service. 

Another document you should ask to see is their Workman's Compensation Board letter of good standing. This lets you know that they have a commitment to safety and they pay there premiums to the WCB which gives you an indication of their financial status. You should also ask to see their insurance certificate. How much coverage do they have? Is it enough to cover the worst case scenario? Check the dates, is everything you are seeing current?

If you are going to get a job done and you are researching the job and the equipment on the Internet please be careful with where you are getting that information. Is it a trusted source such as a manufacturer or a professional group or is it just some blow hard on a message board. When you are planning on researching equipment or contract work I think the best place to start is the glossary. Learn what the terms used are and mean. In the heating business we use terms such as delta T. Sounds impressive right? All it means the the difference between the supply temperature and return temperature. I've heard many contractors say "if you can't dazzle them with knowledge baffle them with BS". This can't be farther from the truth. If he can't explain what he's doing or selling in terms that you will understand then he doesn't completely get it himself. 

Now having said that sometimes in contracting there isn't absolutes, that is to say you never know what you'll find in a wall or under a cement floor. When dealing with new products the contractor will have to research it and get back to you. Don't be afraid if a contractor tells you this. This shows diligence and a commitment to getting it right the first time. 

Every job isn't going to go perfectly the best contractors are the one's that have a game plan in place to deal with problems when they arise. Having a plan means the problem gets repaired quickly and with as little disruption to the homeowner as possible. Remember even Mike Homes makes mistakes, he just gets to edit them.

- Jeff Bolton

At J.O.B Heating and Air they strive to hold up the values of Trusted Saskatoon! Find them online at www.jobheating.com or check out their listing here in the Saskatoon AIR CONDITIONING & FURNACE Directory of excellence!

At Razor Heating & Air Conditioning, the primary focus is to provide Saskatoon and surrounding area customers with quality work, prompt service and innovative real world solutions to everyday mechanical and home comfort issues.

Here are TEN things you didn't know about air conditioning. 

Nobody expects your ears to perk up when overhearing a conversation about air conditioning. As far as most homeowners are concerned, as long as they’re cool when they need to be and warm when they need to be, what else is there to care about? So, this goes out to everyone politely stifling a yawn when their HVAC technician starts explaining the ins and outs of their air conditioning unit. Air conditioning can be interesting!

To prove it, here are our Top 10 Fun Facts About Air Conditioning.

1. Forget comfort - the first air conditioner, designed by Willis Carrier in 1902, was designed to control the humidity in a New York publishing house. Its effects helped ink to dry faster and smudge free, as well as keeping the paper from expanding and contracting.

2. Do you love catching a summer blockbuster at the movie theatre? You can thank air conditioning. Moviemakers released their big pictures during the summer because people sought out the air-conditioned buildings to escape the heat.

3. Air conditioning makes springtime bearable. Allergy sufferers and asthmatics can thank air conditioning for providing them with clean, filtered air indoors.

4. All those “40 is the new 20” people can thank AC for prolonged life expectancy and the world changing advances in medicine. Without cool, controllable environments, certain medicines could never have been created and certain illnesses could never have been cured.

5. You wouldn’t be reading this article if it weren’t for air conditioning. That’s right, you can thank AC for the development of computer technology and manufacturing.

6. Vegas wouldn’t be VEGAS if it weren’t for AC. In fact, hotter states like Texas, Florida and Nevada can thank air conditioning for their population booms. Without AC, America’s economic power would rest squarely in the northern states.

7. It’s cool to be green. Manufacturing companies are making the switch from the old standard refrigerant, R-22, to R-410A. Removing chlorine from air conditioning refrigerants makes them ozone friendly.

8. High ceilings and open floor plans weren’t just pretty designs for homes. They were made to optimize air flow in a hot building. Now, you can live and work in towering glass buildings (thanks to air conditioning, of course).

9. Before buildings had central air conditioning, industries and even the government took a summer vacation along with school. Think things happen too slowly in D.C. now? Imagine working with 2-3 less months. Yikes!

10. Kids, thank your lucky stars! Even though summer vacation started out as a way to escape the heat, schools kept up the practice even after gaining air conditioning. 

Trusted Saskatoon's Heating and Cooling Experts, Razor Heating and A/C are here to help you with all your need Heating, Air Conditioning, and Indoor Air Quality Needs. Contact them today!