If something is failing or going amiss with your HVAC unit, chances are, your HVAC unit is letting you know something is not quite right. However, most of the cues come in the form of sounds that many of us may overlook. If you hear your HVAC unit grinding, squealing, screeching or squeaking, it is letting you know it needs help. I was unaware of these cues and overlooked them. It ended up costing me a lot of money in repairs. I want to make sure that does not happen to other people, so I made this website. I hope you learn how to interpret the noises your HVAC unit is making so you can get it the repairs it needs before you incur a costly repair, or worse, permanently ruin your unit for good.
When your normal heating system goes down in your home, the first thing you will do if you are like a lot of homeowners is reach for whatever space heaters you have hanging around to get you by until help arrives. While you wait for help with your heat pump or heating system from an HVAC repair technician, you could easily spend your days cold and burning a lot of power with a space heater. To make the most out of the situation when you have to use a space heater for warmth, there are a few helpful tips to keep in mind.
Raise the space heater up off the floor for more even heating.
If you are like most people, you will just sit a space heater in the floor and turn it on because of the assumption that heat rises anyway, which is true. However, on the floor, there are way too many obstructions in the way for the space heater to adequately heat a room in most cases. You will usually get a room that is better heated with a space heater if you situate it higher up. So pull out a chair or table and set the space heater up off the floor instead.
Use aluminum foil or sheet metal to better heat a room.
If you have ever been in an older home that relies on a wood stove, you will notice that a lot of times the wall behind the stove is covered with a sheet of metal. While this is partially in place to protect the wall, a thin sheet of metal also deflects heat for a more even room temperature. Therefore, you can achieve similar results by setting up a sheet of metal in behind your space heater or even taping up a few sheets of aluminum foil to the wall.
Contain the space you are trying to heat.
Most space heaters are designed specifically to heat just one or two rooms. Therefore, if you have no heat in the entire house, a space heater will do little to provide a lot of heat. Contain the area you want to stay warm by blocking entryways and doors with heavy blankets. If possible, create a designated area where the family will send the most of their time, such as in the living room or a bedroom. It is also worth noting rooms on the lower floors of the home which are centrally located are usually easier to heat than those with outlying exterior walls or on upper levels of the house.
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