Back in the old days, homes in Kansas City would have a traditional furnace and air conditioner.

When the thermostat called for heating or cooling, the furnace would kick on, and soon we would be warm or cold depending on the season.

You didn’t give it much thought, but did you know furnace technology has changed over the years?

Single Speed Blower Versus a Variable Speed Blower For Your Furnace

In the past, your furnace blower typically had one speed – on. When your thermostat kicked on, the blower would kick on at full speed and deliver the hot or cold air at a high rate of speed.

The thermostat would get satisfied, the system would kick off, and you would then wait for the next time the thermostat called for heating or cooling.

As a result, you would have a quick heat up or cool down, followed by periods where it would get uncomfortable until the thermostat called for the system to come on again.

A variable speed blower works a little bit differently. You leave your fan on all the time, and the blower will ramp down to a low speed when the thermostat is not calling for heating or cooling.

Because of this, the system is always recirculating the air throughout your home. Your comfort is then increased because it takes all that hot and cold air and redistributes it constantly.

This helps to even out those hot and cold spots in your home. When the thermostat calls for heating or cooling, that blower ramps up and delivers the conditioned air at a normal rate of speed.

Variable speed blowers also help two story houses because all the air that rises and falls due to the open staircase can be recirculated throughout the home.

Contact City Wide the next time you need to have the furnace replaced in your Kansas City area home. We’ll be happy to talk to you about the differences!

As we all know from living through Kansas City summers, humidity is a serious problem.

It makes us all hot and uncomfortable and generally miserable, especially when high temperatures are involved as well.

But, as we transition from summer to fall, we start to turn our furnaces on for winter. And when the cold comes, we go from all humidity to no humidity.

As a result our houses turn into a dry, scratchy home.

Whole House Humidifiers Help Solve Dry Air Problems

We are all familiar with the signs. You walk across the carpet and touch a door handle, only to receive that surprise electric shock. A humidifier runs in conjunction with your furnace and delivers moist air to your home.

A humidifier can help:

• Reduce static shock
• Reduce cracking on woodwork
• Keep skin from getting itchy
• Make house feel warmer

Installing a whole house humidifier in your Kansas City home helps alleviate all those issues. Our technicians can easily install one on an existing heating system. Just contact our office at 913-384-6006 with any questions or to schedule an appointment!

As the calendar turns to August here in the Kansas City area, we can see the end of summer on the horizon.

It also means your air conditioner has been working overtime, especially since summer started early in May this year.

Because of that long cooling season, a late season air conditioner tune-up can make some sense. Here are a few reasons why.

Dog Days of Summer Still Need Air Conditioning

There are still at least 4 to 6 weeks of summer remaining. Because of our early summer this year, your air conditioner has been running more than usual.

And when it runs that much, several things can happen:

1. The condenser coils get dirty because the fan pulls in dust and dirt.
2. The fan motor and blade are running more, which can lead to failure.
3. Your indoor filter gets dirty quicker because that motor is running more often.

An air conditioner tune-up can check all of those items and get your system running clean again for the summer stretch run.

An AC Tune-Up Can Actually Help Furnace Season

When you have your air conditioner tuned-up, the technician can also check the blower motor on your furnace to make sure it is running well.

This benefits you in heating season because he can discover any issues that may be happening before it breaks down on a cold night.

In addition, the regular filter change always benefits your system because it traps the dirt and grime and keeps it away from the moving parts of your furnace.

This time of year, air conditioners are running constantly in Kansas City area homes. And with as humid as it has been, that means they are pulling a lot of moisture from your home.

At some point, you may walk down to your utility room and furnace area and all of a sudden there is water all over your floor.

But where is that water coming from?

Your Air Conditioner Produces Condensation

When your furnace is running during air conditioner season, it is pulling all of that warm, moist air from the inside of your home. That warm air then passes over the cooling coil that sits above your furnace. This cooling coil is where the freon comes in from your air conditioner.

As that warm air passes over that cold coil, condensation is produced! Normally that condensation goes out through the line that goes down to your floor drain.

But sometimes, that drain line can get clogged up. And when that happens, it will overflow and get all over your floors. When that happens you can sometimes remove that hose and clean it out to get the residue out of the line.

Your condensation should then flow freely again!

Your AC Coil Drain Pan Might Be Failing

That indoor coil where the refrigerant line comes in has a drain pan underneath it. You won’t see this – it is inside the duct work right above your furnace.

But as those coils age, that drain pan can start to either rust out or crack. When this happens, you will usually see water running down the sides of your furnace and onto the floor.

At this point, it’s best to call an air conditioner repair company in the Kansas City area. If you are not comfortable with any of these repairs, you can always call City Wide at 913-384-6006, and we will send a technician to your home.