I recommend to my readers that they keep a steady setting on their thermostats during the day. This is true in winter as well as summer—it helps the HVAC system avoid continual stopping and starting, which drains extra power. For a comparison, I like to sleep on a couch in the sunlight, and if I had to keep getting up and moving every ten minutes because the sunlight kept switching position, I’d use up a lot more energy than if I just could stay in one place. 

But what if you are keeping the thermostat steady, but notice that the furnace is turning on and off rapidly anyway? If your furnace isn’t running for at least 15 minutes at a time before it cycles down, something may be wrong. I’ll go over some possible problems to help you see if you need furnace repair in Knoxville, TN to solve the problem.

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Tags: Heating System Repair, Heating System Replacement, Knoxville
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Why Does My Furnace Keep Stopping and Starting So Much?

When winter comes to an end, it’s time to think about how your furnace managed over the season. This will help you know if you need any important furnace service in Knoxville, TN (such as repairs or a full replacement) during the coming stretch of the year when you won’t need to rely on your heater daily.

This is when I get out my pen and help you go through a checklist “performance overview.” I’d love it if I could tuck the pen behind my ears, but I don’t have stand-up ears like German Shepherds, so I’ll just have to grip the pen in my mouth when not using it. Anyway, let’s get into this informal overview. 

Please note: This casual exercise is not a substitute for annual heating maintenance in fall. When you need actual heating work done, you’ll want our pros to be there to do it!

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Tags: Heating System Repair, Heating System Replacement, Knoxville
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Time for the Annual Furnace Performance Overview!

We’ve all been there on a winter night: The house feels awfully cold, and you want to get the rooms warmed up as fast as you can. You look at the thermostat on the wall and see that it can go as high a 90°F. That’s far too hot, of course, but if you crank the thermostat up that high, it will at least mean the house will warm up faster. The heat will come roaring out of the vents!

Except … that’s not how home heating works. And trying to get “faster” heating by pushing the thermostat up so high can be bad news for an HVAC system in Knoxville, TN. 

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Tags: Heating System Repair, Heating System Replacement, Knoxville
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Trying to Heat Your Home “Faster” With the Thermostat? That Won’t Work

It’s getting to be the bundling-up time of the year—Thanksgiving is over, December is here, decorations are going up, and snow will soon arrive. And if you’ve got a furnace that isn’t getting the job done, ‘tis the season to get a new one.

If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll know that I’m always a careful watchdog when it comes to suspicious HVAC “contractors” who are looking to get a fast buck from customers by telling them they need to get new ACs or heaters every ten years. Honest and trained technicians like the ones at Russell & Abbott will always tell you when a furnace repair in Knoxville, TN is the better option. We aren’t going to pressure you into purchasing a new system when it’s unnecessary.

But today I’m here to talk to you about when it is necessary. Don’t just take my word for it on this blog! Please call our team for an expert—and honest—opinion about that faulty furnace.

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Tags: Heating System Repair, Heating System Replacement, Knoxville
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on When a Furnace Goes Bad, Maybe It Needs to Be Replaced