The central heat unit sits next to the ductwork in this home's basement. To troubleshoot your central heating unit, start with the simple things that go wrong and work up from there. To help keep costs down, isolate or identify any problems you might have and fix the ones you can yourself. Sometimes, a little attention can prevent larger problems from occurring and might save you from having to call a heating repair professional. Thermostat Check the thermostat for power and proper settings. Turn on the thermostat and set the temperature so the heater comes on. If it does not come on, locate the circuit breaker for the central heating unit and verify that the breaker is functional. Turn it off and on again, in case it has tripped. Check the furnace door for complete closure. A little switch inside the door shuts off power to the unit if it is not activated properly when the door is closed. For a battery-operated thermostat, check or change the batteries. Also check for burnt or blown fuses if your service panel is so equipped.

Filters Locate the cold air returns in the house and remove the screens to check the filters. wet around ac unitFilters require cleaning at least twice, if not more times a year, depending on the usage of the system and the amount of airborne dust in your home. cost of new carrier ac unitIf you have a central heating unit combined with an air conditioner, replace or clean filters in the spring and fall to ensure maximum operation of the your furnace Dirty filters will cause the central heating furnace to operate poorly. plug in ac unit for carsIgniter or Pilot Light Gas and propane central heating units light the gas or propane via an electronic igniter or pilot light. After verifying that the thermostat has power and is operational, and the heat doesn't come on after setting the thermostat to call for heat, shut off the gas reset valve inside the unit.

Wait five minutes before turning it back on. If this reset action doesn't reset the igniter, verify that you have gas. If gas is available, and the igniter doesn't light after the reset, replace the igniter or call a professional. If the unit has a pilot light, check for flame. Follow the reset procedure for resetting the pilot light. Other Considerations Check that registers are open and there is good air flow. Closed registers affect the ability of the system to deliver heated air properly. After cleaning the filters and checking for power and ignition, and you still don't have air flow, check the blower motors in the furnace. Some blower motors are belt-driven, and require belt replacement periodically. Look for a frayed or cracked belt that has lost its tension. Serious problems require the services of a certified technician. If you don't have experience with these minor repairs, call a furnace repair professional. References Hannabery HVAC: Service TipsFurnace Compare: Furnace RepairPreferred Home Repair: Troubleshooting A Home Furnace ThermostatTrane: Troubleshooting Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a Correction

Storing heat may be the last thing you think of when turning on an air conditioning unit, but one model takes advantage of the sweltering weather to heat water while cooling the air. The aptly named Air Conditioner Water Heater, or ACWH, from Hotspot Energy has a condenser unit that sits outside of the building, collecting heat that the air conditioner compresses and expels from inside. The heat passes through a copper heat exchanger that connects to a home or building’s hot water tank. According to the company, the unit can cool a 1000-square-foot room and heat about 100 gallons of water per day. At its peak, the ACWH can provide 18,000 BTU, or 1.5 tons of cooling using 1333 watts per hour. Heating water while cooling a building can help save energy, since the heat recovery process eases the load of the air conditioner. The unit has to be installed relatively close (ideally within 150 feet of) the water heater, however, and only heats water when the air conditioner is running and there is enough hot air to warm the water.

Using the unit on a mild summer day won’t make a significant dent in water heating costs, but it could have an impact for homes with multiple residents who use hot water throughout the day to shower or wash dishes. HotSpot Energy, which makes the ACWH, sees buildings as large solar thermal collectors, ripe for gathering heat. Although the unit can be installed anywhere, it was designed with the southern U.S. in mind, where many residents use air conditioners during spring and fall, in addition to summer. Commercially, the company envisions restaurant kitchens, laundromats and server rooms benefiting from their technology. Just learned a house we purchased has a heat pump vs a traditional heater. The heat pump / AC unit configuration outside, blower inside. We live in the phoenix AZ area, and an efficient AC unit is critical. AC works pretty well, heat pump works fine too. But is this combined unit more or less efficient than a traditional AC unit and seperate electric heater?

Warm climates are good candidates for heat pumps. Heat pumps have more efficiency in heating mode when the ambient temperature is warmer, less efficiency when the ambient temperature is colder. If the outside temp falls too low, the heat pump stops providing useful heat. This is why heat pumps are often supplemented by "emergency" electric heaters that kick in when the outside temp falls too low. Heat pumps can be more efficient than electric resistance heaters because they only need to move heat energy around, rather than create heat. When the outside temp falls too low, however, it takes more energy to move around the very small amount of available outside heat than it would to just create the heat with an electrical resistance heater. This typically occurs around −18 °C (0 °F) outdoor temperature for airAlso, as the heat pump takes heat out of the air, some moisture in the outdoor air may condense and possibly freeze on the outdoor heat exchanger.