When is it time to replace your home heating system

 

 It's never an easy nor inexpensive prospect in replacing the heating system in your home.

From scam artists knocking on your door and being aggressive in their sales tactics, this can be overwhelming and confusing.

We have been replacing furnaces, boilers and HVAC systems for many years. We are an authorized Lennox dealer so you know you are getting a reputable product.

Furthermore, never expect an exact heating system replacement quote over the phone. There are too many variables in every furnace installation, boiler installation Some companies who solicit heating equipment over the phone, without so much as a site visit, are merely trying to get their foot in the door. Once there, the price will inevitably change as he may have overlooked many gas safety issues among other things. And other items not noticeable unless a site visit is performed. Chimneys require a thorough inspection and in most cases when replacing a mid-efficient furnace with a new high efficiency model the chimney must be what we call in the market donated Especially pay attention in these areas not commonly seen. For example your attic where the chimney passes through the attic area before being vented to atmosphere. The B-Vent should not have any signs of corrosion in particular. They are not to be perforated at all, ie holes through the B-vent. B-vent transitioning through an attic space or other unheated space a prone to more condensation problems due to the potential extreme temperatures produced through the combustion process. 

 

I hope you can obtain enough basic knowledge from this article to prepare questions for each bidding contractor. Remember to call any references the conractor might off, check the BBB (Better Business Bureau) Do ever feel pressured from the first furnace salesmen start knocking, nor ever pay a deposit upfront. Reputable companies typically do not charge anything upfront. These salesman are slick and they could convince the unprepared to spend more money than is needed. And yes, all furnace and/or boiler replacement required permits. We also compare apples to apples as equipment type is better than others. Obviously some furnace brands are far superior and much less trouble than others. 

ECM or (electrical communicated motor) use much less power to run than the old blowers in your current furnace. 

Provided they are installed correctly, setup combustion wise and serviced on a frequent basis the furnace should provide years of trouble free operation. Additionally they can achieve up to 95-95% in efficiency. This is also the time to think about installing a humidifier and in upgraded filter system for cleaner air and less problematic for those suffering from asthma 

Are your gas lines legal, big enough and adequate enough to supply gas to all the gas appliances in the house, ie. fireplace,natural gas bbq, gas range or gas dryer.They all add gas load to the equation.

 

We take pride in our work, and will treat your home like our own, with care. Whether the task is a boiler to a furnace, our technicians can not only install the units, they also service and repair the same equipment. 

 

A basement inspection in the area around the furnace of ductwork is a wise idea. We need to know whether there are

both fresh air supply to the return ducting and whether there is an existing combustion air supply. These items are only relevant during the installation of high efficiency condensing furnaces. Also check for a functioning humidifier.

Some humidifiers are superior than others depending on the humidifier make, model and the size of the home.

 

Our boiler installations are top notch, efficient. We use only quality boilers and related components for years of trouble free operation. All our installations are guaranteed to be trouble free. We perform a combustion analysis to ensure a proper burn with less boiler service problems down the road. Here is and example of the quality IBC boilers we use.

 

Alberta General Plumbing

12180 40 Street SE,

Calgary, AB

403-390-1115 

Website: WeFixHeating.ca 

Email: info@generalplumbing.ca

 

Servicing Cochrane, RedWood Meadows, Bragg Creek, Millarville, Strathmore and many points between. 

Give us a call, we can help you through all facets of the heating system replacement.

High efficiency condensing heating systems.

One sure fire way to help cut your home energy consumption is by replacing older heating or cooling equipment. High efficiency condensing furnaces or boilers, if properly designed, set up and maintained regularly are the perfect solution. There are incentive grants available for such items as a new furnace or boiler. Click HERE for the Energy Efficiency Alberta website to obtain more information. We can help steer you in the right direction according to your needs. It's never a one size fits all as far as high efficiency condensing gas boilers or furnaces. It pays to so some homework and make some calls to reputable professionals.

We are an authorized Lennox dealer installing quality Lennox heating equipment and air conditioning equipment. Humidity plays an essential role in our dry winter weather. HRV's or Heat Recovery Ventilator provides timed air changes within the structure. Removing excess humidity and odors.

We set up and calibrate the boiler or furnace to within operational parameters.

We tackle the simple to the complex job. From inception, through design and throughout the installation process. And we stand behind our work 24 hours a day.

As far as high efficiency boilers are concerned, there are a myriad of choices out there. This could well be one on the more expensive items you may buy for home. Be prudent with your decision and don't always take the lowest quote.

Remember, you only get what you pay for. Do it right. 

Alberta General Plumbing 

403-390-1115 

Website: http://CalgaryBoilerService.ca

Email : info@generalplumbing.ca

Caleffi hydronic zoning controls.

I often dread the call in the dead of the night at -20C, that someone somewhere has no heat. Problem, some zones were not heating sufficiently, or shut down completly resulting in a rather cool home. If you will notice the picture, of the knot of wiring, near the bottom of this article, you will notice the nightmare encountered in troubleshooting the no heat call. Hours of wire tracing was required in order to begin troubleshooting. The best option would have been to use a zone valve controller, offered by Caleffi products that would have been more suited for this situation.

We use a wide variety of Caleffi zone control equipment. Zone valves, actuators, radiant floor distribution manifolds and the Caleffi zone valve switching control.

Caleffi offers individual zone control actuators including standard zone valves. These zone valves come in numerous fitting options including solder, IP connections and now even Propress.

As shown, the connections are easily accessible, confirmation of thermostat and end switch communication.
Multiple pump outputs offer many pump switching options. And dedicated DHW and space heating temperatures.

Caleffi manufactures a composite plastic radiant floor manifold, shown on the left. It makes a heck of alot of common sense to utilize these quality Caleffi zoning products. Caleffi manufactures manifolds from brass or a composite plastic. Click here for more Caleffi radiant manifolds. There are numerous options available in radiant manifolds. They offer adjustment of the flow out of each zone including accurate flow indicators. Other options would include zone actuators for multi zone switching.   individual zone loop can be adjusted to match the zone flow needs.


Give us a call to see which best suits your needs. Or see their products catalogue
Caleffi offers more out of the box usable hydronic equipment and components.

This nightmare junction box shown on the left is the most common method used to wire in zone valves or actuators. shows the knot of wiring that a boiler service technician may No, no, no this is not the industry best standard for zoning control. Imagine just having to unravel this knot of a mess to even begin troubleshooting.This just happens to be a boiler service technician worst nightmare. The new Caleffi ZVR series of zone switching control was the best solution with this particular situation.

Its would be simple common sense, would it not, if some form of zone switching control was used upon initial installation of the boiler system and controls. It is not common practice it seems for common sense to prevail. As was the case on this particular project.

Alberta General Plumbing
12180 44 Street SE
Calgary, Alberta

Phone: 403-390-1115

For our Website: Click here 
Email: info@generalplumbing.ca

Reznor Gas and Hydronic Unit heaters

Reznor unit heaters are among the leaders in unit heater design and ease of service. From the direct vent Reznor gas unit heater to the boiler fired hydronic hot water unit heaters.
Both are equally effective in my mind. Though I would prefer the hydronic unit over the gas model, if I was designing the system. In many cases, tubing is not installed at the time the floor was prepped and poured. I have also used these hydronic unit heater as a source of secondary heating in large shop, dock or warehouse locations where opening outside doors are necessary.

The units pictured are smaller residental unit heaters, sized correctly for the application.

Proper combustion setup,for a IBC SL45-260 high efficiency boiler

IBC boiler combustion analysis setup

     IBC boilers are among the best high efficiency condensing boilers currently on the market. Made in Canada, they are designed for our Canadian temperature extremes.

     One must keep in mind that these boilers are only as good as the boiler service technician installing them. A well experienced boiler installer will utilize industry best practice in installation methods, proper setup and service intervals to maintain efficiency.

     One final commissioning step, often overlooked in the installation and setup process, is a combustion analysis to ensure combustion parameters are within factory specifications. On this particular boiler a slight increase of CO2 was needed which was achieved by turning the gas:air ration adjustment screw roughly 1/2 - 3/4 turns counterclockwise. Each boiler may require more or less CO2 depending on local conditions such as altitude. A quality combustion analyzer, calibrated yearly, is needed to set up combustion on boilers or furnaces.

For example, on an IBC SL 45-260 boiler, the (Natural Gas) CO2% acceptable ranges.  These results must be confirmed within the Installation and Operation manual for each IBC boiler model. 

CO2% HIGH FIRE range 9.1%- 9.7%         Target 9.5%

CO2% LOW FIRE  range 8.4% – 9.0%         Target 8.7%

with less than 120 PPM CO (Carbon Monoxide) 

Manifold gas pressure, inlet gas

manifold test port and

high fire gas:air ratio,

CO2 adjustment screw location

Combustion test port location

Final efficiency readout following setup

 From initial planning, hydronic system design, boiler installation to boiler setup, boiler system maintenance and repair, we can complete all stages of a hydronic system installation.

Alberta General Plumbing

403-390-1115

Or email for more information: info@generalplumbing.ca

Or our website: Calgary Boiler Service

 

Caleffi hydronic equipment

Caleffi hydronic heating system components

Caleffi boiler pressure feed regulator.

Caleffi air separator

     

Caleffi hydronic system controls, air and dirt separation, for optimum removal of entrained air to mitigate the corrosive effects of dissolved or entrained air in closed hydronic heating systems. Available suspended and magnetic particulate removal filters reduce internal erosion on boiler system piping and boiler system components such as pumps, zone valves and boiler heat exchangers.

Caleffi radiant floor distribution, zone valves and zone valve controllers. Boiler system pressure regulators, auto float air vents, mixing manifolds for low temperature radiant slab heating. 

Caleffi hydronic zone valve controllers.

Caleffi hydronic zone valve controller.

Caleffi radiant floor manifold and actuators

Radiant floor distribution manifolds, zone valves and zone actuators. Pairs well with the Caleffi zone valve controllers.

The quality choice for optimum zone and loop flow control. Adjustable flow controls for tighter temperature control for radiant floors, radiant slabs and snowmelt applications.

Caleffi propress zone valves.

We install only quality boiler systems using proven hydronic system components, using industry best practices during installation.

Alberta General Plumbing 

Plumbing, Heating and Mechanical Contractor 

12180 44st SE

Calgary, Alberta

403-390-1115

Caleffi composite radiant manifold

Plumbing and Heating

IBC SL series burner view port

Alberta General Plumbing, Plumbing, Heating and Mechanical Contractor in Calgary

Lennox high efficiency furnace

We service, repair and maintain all furnace makes and models.  Carrier, Lennox, Heil, Payne, Kenmore, Intertherm, Trane, American Standard furnaces, and many more.

We install quality Lennox products. Lennox furnaces, Lennox air handlers or Lennox fancoil units, Lennox air conditioning systems.

Lifebreath fresh air furnace

NTI Matrix whole house system

Hydronic air handlers, fan coil units, Navien tankless hot water heaters. Boiler systems, boiler service and boiler repair.

We service and repair all brands and models of boilers, tank less hot water heaters and hydronic fan coil and air handlers.

IBC, NTI, Lochinvar Knight, Laars, Veissmann, Baxi, Buderus, Bosch and others.

Navien NPE 240 hot water heater

Alberta General Plumbing and Heating

Calgary, Alberta

403-390-1115

info@generalplumbing.ca