ServiceMax Blog: Archive for December, 2016

Things Your Heat Pump May Do in Winter (That Aren’t Really Problems)

Tuesday, December 27th, 2016

So, is this your first winter using a heat pump to provide cozy comfort to your house? Whether it’s because you have moved into a new home that has a heat pump installed, or you had the heat pump installed yourself earlier this year, you need to know a few things about what happens during winter. There are some behaviors you may notice from your heat pump that seem alarming. But they are actually normal and not necessarily indications of malfunctions that require repairs:

Continue Reading

Will a Heat Pump Water Heater Work Well in Winter?

Monday, December 19th, 2016

There are more options for water heaters today than there were a few decades ago. Back then, “water heater” almost always meant a storage tank water heater, a system that uses a supply of water kept at a constant temperature inside a tank using gas jets or electrical heating elements. But today there are tankless systems as well as systems that rely on different sources of power, like the heat pump water heater. This type of heat pump removes heat from the surrounding air and then applies it to the water. A heat pump water heater is extremely energy efficient and costs much less to run than a standard electric water heater.

Continue Reading

Get Your Generator Maintained before the Serious Cold Hits

Monday, December 12th, 2016

The temperatures in Chicago are dropping rapidly into the 30s and 20s, and of course it’s only going to get colder. We hope that you’ve already scheduled an inspection and tune-up for your heating system (it’s always best to have this arranged in the early fall) so that your heater can have an easy time for the rest of the season. But have you arranged for maintenance for your home’s standby generator? If you haven’t, call our generator specialists right away!

Continue Reading

Why Is There a Burning Smell from My Furnace?

Monday, December 5th, 2016

We’ve now come to the time of year when furnaces fire up and stay running for long stretches at a time. But as you get ready to enjoy a cozy home, you may detect an acrid odor coming from the vents. Does this mean there’s something seriously wrong with the furnace, possibly something that’s a safety hazard? Do you need to call our technicians to come fix it?

We’ll take a look at what these burning odors may mean, and what to do about them.

Continue Reading