When you smell a bad odor coming from your furnace, your first instinct should be to leave the house immediately and call an HVAC professional. If the smell is reminiscent of rotten eggs, that might be a sign of a natural gas leak. It’s very dangerous, potentially deadly and not worth taking any risks. If you know how to turn off your gas line, do it, but only if you can manage to do it quickly.

Not all furnace odors are dangerous—but they still can put a kink in your holiday plans.

Does it seem like as the weather gets colder, it smells like your house has a sewer problem? If the aroma comes and goes and only happens in winter, it might be a faulty cooling coil. In some cases, the furnaces’ condenser drain is linked right to the sewer system.

The cooling coil inside the furnace is in charge of gathering moisture from the air in the home. Moisture gathers on the coil, and it needs to drain—sometimes right by the sewer opening. Incorrect installation can lead to a smelly situation.

Can’t We All Get Along?

It’s almost always the job of a plumber to take care of connecting this part of the furnace. No matter what the reason, an occasional sewer smell is your red flag. It’s not dangerous, but it’s certainly annoying. Luckily, it’s also simple and affordable to fix.

You may need to drain the condensate directly to the sewer via a new P-trap, ensuring there’s at least a one-inch separation between pipes. This separation lets the furnace fan do its job, sucking in the sewer gases via a drainpipe. This simple fix will keep those odors at bay. Another strategy is putting a tiny amount of water right in the open drain in order to create a water seal at the trap’s bottom.

Smell This!

Does your furnace smell musty when it kicks on? It might be exactly what you think—mold growing and festering. Of the thousands of mold species, very few are life-threatening. However, you can’t be sure without an expert opinion. If you have a humidifier connected to your HVAC system, swap out the air filter for a quick fix.

Dust and debris has been collecting in the ducts all summer, and now you’re blowing it around the house. Your best bet is to clean vents and ducts before using your furnace, but if you forgot, then rest easy knowing the smell should dissipate in a few days. (If it doesn’t, call an HVAC pro immediately).

For all your furnace odor fixes, call Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning today.

The HVAC market around the world has been on the rise, especially in the US where ReportsnReports cites 2015 as a 10-year market high for the industry. Above average growth doesn’t do these numbers justice, and market researchers say the US HVAC industry is the healthiest it’s been in years. The full report is available online, including dozens of analysis charts. Overall, the US residential HVAC market is promising lower gas, more consumer satisfaction, and a stable job market for qualified HVAC technicians.

Homeowners are installing greener furnaces and A/C units in new homes, and flipping houses or renovating them has become more common. The housing market is swiftly getting back on track, with home prices increasing in many regions. One of the best ways to improve the value of a home is with an energy efficient HVAC system. You may even score a tax break or incentive, some of which are state- or city-specific, so be sure to check with your CPA before making that final purchase.

A Healthy Market

Overall, consumers report a better selection and more competitive pricing, while experts point out lower raw material costs, and all of these factors contribute to the boost in this market. Analysts say that the current pace should be sustainable, and when it comes to competitive risks around currency, that doesn’t impact the HVAC market. Relatively speaking, weather conditions in many parts of the country have been mild (save for the drought in California). Moderate temperatures lead to smarter HVAC purchases with fewer people rushing out to buy an air conditioner—any air conditioner!—which causes a steadier HVAC market.

It’s estimated that next year, the US HVAC market will enjoy a five percent growth, and ductless will stay at the top of the heap as “most popular.” In fact, it might make up 15 percent of the entire industry including residential and commercial alike. The majority of manufacturers are offering low- and mid-level price increases for the coming year, with the report HVAC Equipment to 2019 expecting the US demand for HVAC to go up 6.8 percent through 2019 to reach an astonishing $20.4 billion total industry.

Cooling Things Down

Considering all aspects of HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), it’s expected that the air conditioning component will continue to be the most in-demand. Luckily, this is the perfect time of year to replace or service your A/C. Heading into the winter months, you want to make sure your entire system is in great working order. It’s also the last two months to make a savvy tax purchase, so check with your CPA and see if any makes/models will get you a bonus.

Can’t decide if you should repair or replace your HVAC, or a part of it? Rely on an expert who’s on your side and suggests the best, most cost-effective solution. Call Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning today for all your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) needs.

If passed, the pending 92% furnace law could cause the price of furnaces in the United States to soar out of control.

The Department of Energy has proposed a law that all new combustion systems need to be at least 92 percent efficient, as ranked by the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) system. AFUE measures combustion systems like furnaces and boilers, telling shoppers how efficient each system is.

Wrong Numbers

The DOE made many assumptions about installation costs, which after closer analysis, weren’t correct. That destroyed the original economic analysis of a combustion system’s life cycle. The end results looked fantastic for homeowners at first blush — but critics say that the DOE was exaggerating the benefits.

In some cases, homeowners may not be able to justify having a furnace functioning at 92 percent, with over one-quarter of southern homeowners never enjoying a payback. Only homeowners in select regions will benefit from this standard, and that has many wary of the proposal.

The installation costs of a 92 percent furnace can be staggering. No matter how much you may save in energy costs, in some situations you’ll never enjoy a true payback. Venting will also cost more for these furnaces compared to basic, non-condensing options.

The chief technical advisor of AHRI recently released figures from its own study and found that many times, the justification for 92 percent standards just aren’t there.

More Than One Type of Green

Many homeowners and HVAC professionals want greener options for heating and cooling. However, requiring homeowners across the country to only install highly energy-efficient combustion systems that are much more expensive up front might not be the best approach, particularly when over 30 percent won’t ever get a payback.

The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power drafted a law that would put off the DOE’s proposal to require the 92 percent standard, but the final ruling likely won’t be made until the end of the year.

If you already have a furnace or boiler installed that isn’t 92 percent efficient, you will not be required to replace it if the law passes.

Homeowners interested in greening up their current system can start by scheduling routine maintenance checks and adopting best practices to reduce consumption (like bundling up a little more in the winter). Call Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning for all your furnace needs, from installation to annual inspections.