HVAC News

Why Is My Furnace Blowing Cold Air?

By Gina Kraman
Dowe & Wagner

Cold air blowing out of your home’s vents in the summer:  nice. Cold air blowing out now, with the furnace on?  Something’s wrong, which may be a simple problem, or indicate a major repair.   In the fall, when people switch their thermostat to heat, they hope to hear the reassuring hum of a functioning furnace, and feel the gentle stream of warm air.  After 10 minutes of waiting and no activity, or room temperature air blowing from the vent, what should homeowners do?

Tom Eppers, co-owner, Dowe & Wagner, a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) company serving residential and commercial customers in Illinois and Wisconsin, advises to check the furnace’s air filter.  A filthy filter can impede airflow, and cause the furnace to overwork, overheat, and sometimes shut off as a safety feature.   Filters should be replaced regularly, according to the furnace’s manufacturer’s instructions.  If there are allergies or pets in the house, the filter may need to be changed more often than the typical monthly recommendation.

According to HVAV experts, a simple cause of a furnace blowing cold air is not switching your fan setting to “auto.”  The “on” position instructs the fan to work continuously, even when it’s not heating the air.  In the “auto” mode, the fan will only blow warm air, operating when the furnace is running.

For older furnaces, cold air streaming from the vents could indicate a blown out pilot light.  The owner’s manual details how to re-light it safely.  If it doesn’t remain lit, an HVAC professional may need to be called.

If the air starts warm but soon turns cold, the flame sensor may need professional cleaning.   An annual maintenance visit to clean and service your furnace twice a year helps prevent equipment breakdowns.

For more information, contact Dowe & Wagner, a full-service heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning company at (815) 678-3000, or visit

http://dowewagnerinc.com/

Sourced: http://www.nwherald.com/sponsored/articles/2016/11/02/19788493/index.xml

Honeywell Tours Major Cities to Promote T Series

As homeowners learn more about “connected homes,” HVAC contractors are realizing they need to be able to present themselves as connected home experts; as much, if not more so than the salesman in the big box store. And it helps when manufacturers lend a hand with product positioning.

With that in mind, Honeywell has introduced its T Series portfolio of connected and non-connected

The Lyric T Pro

thermostats, including the Lyric™ T6 Pro Wi-Fi for professional installation.

Developed to help contractors manage complexity and maximize opportunities while providing customers with the features and usability they seek, the entire T Series streamlines Honeywell’s long-standing expertise in home comfort.

To introduce the product to contractors and distributors, Honeywell product managers embarked on an October  road trip, with stops in Baltimore, Long Island, Chicago, Milwaukee, Dallas and Vancouver.

“We’re very pleased with the reception we’ve been getting from contractors. And, it’s not really a surprise, because we spent an enormous amount of time talking to contractors about what they want in a connected thermostat,” said Nate Kraft, director of home comfort, Honeywell.

“All of these products are fundamentally built off of things contractors and distributors told us, and

Nate Kraft explains key differentiators found in the T Series. TM

are rooted in all that we learned from them,” Kraft said. That feedback included concern over big box store product availability.

“One of our basic principles was to design the non-connected and the connected thermostats in a way that contractors never find themselves in a situation where a customer says they can buy the same product at a store for a lower price,” Kraft explained. (A Lyric T5 Wi-Fi product is for consumer and DIY applications.)

“It made the conversation more complicated. Explaining some of those details to a consumer is challenging. We want to stop that from happening. And, in addition to just the look, and having a space between the retail and professional products, we’ve built in a ton of differentiation for contractors, with the features, tweaks and settings we know the contractors want,” Kraft added.
Features of  the new thermostats include easy, time-based scheduling; real-time status availability; a new vacation mode; and temperature hold settings.

In Baltimore, Honeywell provided information on a variety of products. TM

From product selection and easy installation, to customer support and future upgrades, the T Series is engineered to deliver confidence. To further integrate into a home, the Lyric T6 Pro benefits from the newly updated Lyric app (V3), as well as Honeywell’s growing partnership ecosystem, which includes Apple HomeKit™* for control via Siri and the new Apple Home app in iOS 10, compatibility with Amazon Echo, Stringify, and others.

For HVAC contractors, every model in the T Series uses Honeywell’s new UWP mounting system, offering a cleaner, faster installation. When a customer wants to change from a non-connected T Series thermostat to a connected model, the UWP mounting system means that the cover plate can be swapped without needing to also replace the wall plate. Setting up a T Series thermostat is straightforward via steps and menus that contractors are already accustomed to, meaning greater

Honeywell product team answered questions related to the T Series. TM

clarity and usability, and less time.

Greg Perry, president of an Aire Serve HVAC franchise in Prince Georges County, attended the Baltimore road show. He said he’s excited about the selling opportunities the new thermostats provide for contractors.

“I’ve always loved Honeywell’s products. I love the swap-outs, and that you can upgrade without replacing the back plates. If a customer starts with a non-programmable thermostat, and the next year decides they want a programmable, it’s a very easy upgrade and upsell. Being able to do the WiFi, bring in the integration of the low bandwidth inside the home, will take them to the next level,” Perry said.

“I think this product is a winner,” said distributor Ray Mikell, vice president of HVAC/hydronics sales for Thos. Somerville Co., Upper Marlboro, Md.

“The simplicity, the added features, and the opportunity for contractors to walk in, evaluate a situation, simplify the labor process, and upgrade, make it a win-win situation for the customer and the contractor,” Mikell said.

Thos. Somerville Co. has distributed Honeywell products for more than 20 years.
“Without a question they’re the leader in the industry not only with thermostats, but across their entire product line. It’s a pleasure to deal with Honeywell’s representation, quality of product and what they stand for,” Mikell said.

Honeywell’s slate of connected products now include three main products:
• RedLINK Wireless Systems, for customers who want the convenience of remote comfort control and require a more robust solution.
• Wi-Fi thermostats, for customers who value the flexibility of remote visibility and control, and simply want to get connected.
• Lyric Round™ Wi-Fi thermostats. The second generation Lyric Round Wi-Fi thermostat is for customers who want the freedom to stay in touch with their home’s connected systems to maximize savings, comfort and security.

The Honeywell Contractor Portal provides 24/7 access to home conditions and system performance, helping them to proactively diagnose potential issues before they become costly problems. The Contractor Portal connects to all Honeywell RedLINK and Wi-Fi thermostats, Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats purchased at retail, and the Lyric Round Wi-Fi thermostat.

Visit contractorpro.com for additional information.

Sourced: http://contractingbusiness.com/residential-hvac/honeywell-tours-major-cities-promote-t-series

Make Your HVAC Website a Sales Driver

According to the 2016 American Home Comfort Study by Decision Analyst, more than half of homeowners are using the Internet for research when it’s time to purchase home comfort systems. They’re going online to search for answers to their heating and cooling questions more often than relying on an HVAC contractor’s recommendation. For HVAC companies that want to thrive and grow, this shift in consumer behavior must be viewed not as a threat, but as an opportunity.

To transform your HVAC website into a true asset for your company, you have to improve your content. Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer.

Your HVAC company’s website is one of your most important assets. Many potential customers are turning to the Internet when making purchasing decisions, and you’re missing out if your website is missing the mark.

Is your company website delivering new sales and placing your business ahead of your competitors? If not, it’s time to transform your website into an asset that produces great returns. It’s easier and cheaper than you think.

Does Your Website Present the Right Information?
When a homeowner goes online to do HVAC research, they likely know a little bit of information already, but are seeking clarity and a betting understanding. Your HVAC website should position your business as the homeowner’s go-to source for heating and cooling information to fill in their knowledge gaps and make the homeowner feel more comfortable. If it doesn’t currently, make the following changes to improve your results.

Beef Up Your Content
Is your website missing informative content? Perhaps you have high-level content on your site, but is your site lacking the comprehensive details homeowners are searching for? To transform your HVAC website into a true asset for your company, you have to improve your content. Put yourself in the “shoes” of the consumer – someone that doesn’t know anything about heating and air conditioning – and create content that anticipates their questions and concerns.

Your HVAC website should position your business as the homeowner’s go-to source for heating and cooling information to fill in their knowledge gaps.

Expand the information that’s already on your website to include details. For example, instead of just listing “furnace installation” as one of your services, explain the customer experience from sales consultation through the install, expand upon what types and brands of heating systems your business installs, discuss your labor warranty, and tell people why your company is the best choice. Those are the topics homeowners are looking for when they search your website for information. They already know you perform furnace installation. This is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors, and take a more educational, consultative approach with your audience.

Mix Up Your Media
When adding content to your heating and cooling website, it’s easy to go too heavy on text. Websites which are too wordy and appear as huge blocks of text are hard to digest and a turn-off to readers.

Instead of filling your site with only written information, add other media which is informative, yet visually stimulating. Photos, infographics, and videos break up that heavy text look and provide information in a new format, which can be better for viewers who absorb information differently.

With the right CMS, you can easily upload new articles and pictures to your website or add customer testimonials to enhance your credibility.

• Images enhance text, and increase one’s willingness to read text content by 80 percent and improve one’s retention of information by 65 percent.1
• 90 percent of Internet users say that their purchase decisions are influenced by product videos. Video content is informative, memorable, and helps build consumer trust.2

Not only will better content improve customer understanding, it will also improve your website’s performance; increased visibility and better search rankings are benefits which will positively impact your business. Enhanced online content will deliver information which consumers are searching for, build your reputation as a knowledgeable industry resource, and bring new customers and sales to your company.

Is Your Website Affordable, Easy to Manage
and Customer-friendly?
No matter how motivated you are to take advantage of these trends in online consumer behavior by improving your online reputation and gaining new customers by enhancing your company website, you won’t do it if your website is expensive to operate and difficult to manage. Are you are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars per month to build and manage your website? Do you have to contact a website developer to make simple content updates? Does your current website not include the basics like a contact form, customer testimonials, completed job photos, or the ability for your customers to make online payments? If so, it’s time to make a change.

Get a Great CMS
A content management system (CMS) allows you to log in and make changes to the content on your website without the need for a programmer. With the right CMS, you can easily upload new articles and pictures to your website or add customer testimonials to enhance your credibility. There are many content management systems that are very capable and free to use once you pay for hosting and setup.

Is Your Website Mobile-friendly?
We can all agree that the use of mobile devices like phones and tablets is the new normal.  Mobile internet browsing and research used to be a very small percentage of overall web traffic, but now the trend is for over half of internet traffic to come from a mobile device.  Your website must be fully responsive, which means it automatically resizes to look good on any screen – desktop, laptop, tablet or phone. A mobile friendly site is proven to increase engagement and sales, and Google gives higher rankings (read: more traffic) to websites that are mobile friendly. A fully responsive mobile friendly site is considered “table stakes” in 2016 and beyond.

Make Your Website the Customer ‘Go-To’ Site
The trend of homeowners moving their research to the Internet should be viewed not as a threat, but as a huge opportunity for the savvy HVAC business owner. Your company website is one of your most important assets. By making the right investments in content and technology, you can position your contracting business to win in our increasingly “online” world.
1 bit.ly/37Stats
2 bit.ly/31VideoMarketingStats

Will Housh is the founder and CEO of HVAC.com and former owner of a successful residential and commercial HVAC contracting business.  HVAC.com is dedicated to helping HVAC contractors become more productive and profitable through its membership program and access to its online Command Center, which includes the ability to create modern contractor websites that are easy to manage.

Cred: http://contractingbusiness.com/residential-hvac/make-your-hvac-website-sales-driver