If you are a homeowner, you are almost guaranteed to have to deal with heat repair problems at some point. This article will run you through some basic diagnostic steps to help you get a fair estimate; it is not meant as a do it yourself guide, nor should you try to fix your heating system yourself.

There are potential hazards not only in damaging your HVAC system, but you run the risk of personal injury if you try to repair it yourself. For your own sake, please leave the work to the professionals!

This article is meant to familiarize you with common heating issues. This way, you are better prepared to get an estimate, and you may even be able to identify a dishonest contractor.

Checking Your Ducted Heating System for Problems

In all cases with electrically run systems, the first place to check for a failure is the breaker or fuse box. If a breaker is flipped or a fuse is blown, your solution could be as simple as flipping the breaker or replacing the fuse.

If that does not fix the problem; whether your breaker/fuse is flipped or blown, or if it immediately flips or blows after you close it, you at least have some information to provide to the contractor about your ducted heating system.

If the problem could not be solved at the breaker or fuse box, the next place to check is your thermostat. Sometimes friends and family will change your thermostat's settings or even turn it off and forget to tell you. If your thermostat settings are not out of the norm, then you should check your air filters.

Unless you have specialized electrostatic filters, this is an issue you can take care of yourself. Filters should be changed once a month as a general rule. A filter that has gone longer than this without being changed can dramatically affect the air flow in your system, which can cause problems with it working effectively.

Over a long enough period of time, inadequate maintenance on your filters can cause even more pressing problems with your system. If changing your filter does not fix your problem, it is definitely time to call a professional.

Identify Your Heating and Cooling System

Not every heating and cooling system is the same, and different systems have different needs. To narrow down heating problems, you need to know what kind of heating system you have. These come in 3 types: Heat pumps, furnaces,and boilers.

Heat pumps are becoming more and more popular. Simply put, heat pumps move warm air to cooler areas, and cool air to warmer areas. These are outdoor units for the most part, but there are also some that operate indoors.

Furnaces are easy to find, but telling them apart from boilers can be slightly more tricky. Both can be found indoors, and usually in "out of the way" places such as the attic, garage, basement or (in the case of furnaces) in a dedicated closet. The main way to identify furnaces is that furnaces heat the air directly and blow it into ducts.

Boilers, on the other hand, heat water contained in pipes and radiators, which can then either heat rooms specifically, or provide heat that can be blown through duct work. Few homes use room radiator heating anymore. In either the case of boilers or furnaces, and sometimes with heat pumps, natural gas is the usual fuel that is used for heating your home.

Keeping Your Head With Heating Repair Service

There are two primary causes of heating repair problems. One is that it's a result of a faulty installation;the other is bad maintenance.

If you have already had someone try to fix your problem, it is also possible that they did not adequately fix your heating problem, or they may have inadvertently caused another problem.

When your contractor makes his estimate, he will probably ask you if you have checked the breaker/fuse box, the thermostat and the filters. Having already done this, you will have saved a lot of time and effort in the estimation process. He can then go on to check the duct-work, look more in-depth at the thermostat, and at the heater itself.

The net result is that as you shop around for a good estimate for your heat repair, you will have shaven off about 15 minutes for every contractor to make his estimate. This can save you a substantial amount of time searching for the right contractor, and that is all the earlier that you can get your home warm and toasty again.

You can also see through the contractors that say you have a "radiator leak" when you know you have a furnace!

Are you in need of a Las Vegas heat repair provider that handles any job no matter how big or small? Try a company that has been in the area for decades and knows the seasons of Clark County like the back of their hand. Sahara Air has 24 hour dispatch at (702) 796-9677. Visit our website for more information at http://www.SaharaAir.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Blake_Ballard

(NAPSI)-Increasingly, homeowners are seeking alternative sources of energy that can meet their needs in an emergency.

When a home loses power, off goes the heat, out go the lights, the food in the refrigerator spoils and the garage doors can become disabled. Losing power for days, weeks or even longer can be costly, inconvenient and dangerous.

While many homeowners have tried to address their need for electricity in an emergency with a portable generator, portability may not be the key. Experts such as the American Red Cross suggest that during power outages, permanently installed stationary generators are better suited for providing backup power to the home than portable generators.

An automatic standby generator can sense an outage and respond immediately. There are no extension cords to plug in, gas tanks to fill or switches to flip. Plus, portable generators-if misused-can cause hazards such as carbon monoxide poisoning from toxic engine exhaust, electric shock or fire.

However, in the past, some have found the cost of automatic stationary generator systems to be prohibitive. The good news, according to Jake Thomas of Generac Power Systems, is that all that is changing. There are now automatic standby systems available at nearly the same price as a portable generator.

Said Thomas, "Our new 7-kilowatt [kW] CorePower System consists of a generator and transfer switch conveniently packaged together at a price point significantly less than any other automatic standby generator and switch combination on the market-for as little as $1,799. Its compact design is engineered for easy maintenance and serviceability and is ideal when space is at a premium."

Automatic standby generators operate on natural gas or liquid propane vapor, eliminating the fuel storage, spillage, spoilage or odor concerns that are common with gasoline or diesel models. Because of their favorable emissions profile, gaseous-fueled generators, such as the new Generac CorePower System, are becoming increasingly popular as an environmentally conscious solution for backup power needs.

For those who want to go even greener, Generac's new EcoGen generator is the first automatic standby generator designed and warranted for off-grid use when used in an alternative energy system. Whether one is living off grid by choice or as a requirement, EcoGen is considered an affordable, reliable, propane-fueled alternative to traditional standby and portable generators.

Generac introduced the first gaseous-fueled automatic home standby system in 1989 and has been the leader in standby power ever since with its popular Guardian Series line.

For more information, visit www.Generac.com or call (888) GENERAC.