10 Myths About Heating Your Home

In today's world. There's a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to heating and cooling your home. So, in this video, we're going to cover ten myths about heating your home and find out which ones are true and which ones are bust.

Hi, I'm Jared from Fire and Ice, and we realize that you may have a lot of questions when it comes to choosing the best HVAC system for your home. In this video, we'll sit down with Arne Jacobson, a residential sales professional for Fire & Ice. Arne has over 40 years of experience. So, he'll tell you ten myths that he's heard over the years.

By the end of this video, you'll have a better understanding of your HVAC system, and you'll be ready to take the next step in selecting the heating system that's right for you.

Heating Myth #1: If I set my thermostat higher, my house will heat up faster

Jared: So, Arne, let's jump in and cover the first myth we see. If I set my thermostat higher, my house will heat up faster.

Arne: Usually when we're running a furnace, it goes back to the time that the furnace was designed for the house and all the building materials that are associated with the house, like the windows, the insulation in the ceilings, the floors, all those have a direct bearing on the size of the furnace that the house requires. It doesn't matter where you set the temperature to, it's going to take its whatever a lot of time that it needs to heat up to that particular temperature based on the size of the furnace in the house.

Heating Myth #2: It’s more efficient to leave the heater at the same temperature all day

Jared: All right. Here's the next myth. It's more cost efficient to leave the heater at the same temperature all day, whether I'm home or not.

Arne: It is better to set back the furnace during the day when you're not home. You want to try to set it back around five degrees or so, which is the most convenient to save on energy and also, to add the time allotment as needed to bring the furnace back up to temperature.

Heating Myth #3: I can use space heaters or fireplaces to replicate the heat of an HVAC system.

Jared: Here's the next myth about heating your home. I can use space heaters or fireplaces to replicate the heat of an HVAC system.

Arne: Space heaters and fireplaces do produce some heat, but not enough to satisfy the whole house. So, the furnace is going to be able to maintain the temperature throughout the whole house and not just the particular area that the space heater or fireplace are in.

Heating Myth #4: Windows matter more than my furnace

Jared: All right, Arne. The next myth is windows matter more than my furnace. Since So, much heat can escape from them.

Arne: That's kind of true and false. They both matter. And we size furnaces based on building materials, and the windows have a big role in that. So, the better the window, the less your heating load is going to be.

Heating Myth #5: Warm air rises, why not just heat the basement and allow it to travel upward?

Jared: The next myth is a good one since warm air rises. Why not just heat the basement and allow it to travel upward?

Arne: In the old days, we used to use what's called a gravity furnace. That's where we didn't have blowers in the furnaces. And it was based on how heat rises and cold air falls. But it was very inefficient to do that because the furnace had to be So, big to be able to transfer that heat. Today's systems are much more efficient at operating and with the use of the blowers in our ductwork.

Heating Myth #6: I need to run my heat constantly in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing

Jared: Here's the next myth we see I need to run my heat constantly in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing.

Arne: You should maintain a certain temperature in the house if there are pipes that are exposed in the house. A lot of times the water lines or water pipes are not in the house. They may be in walls and so forth. That we just can't heat. And so, at those times, the there is a chance for the pipes freezing.

Heating Myth #7: Heat pumps won’t work in freezing temperatures

Jared: So, the next myth about heating your home is that heat pumps won't work in freezing temperatures.

Arne: If we consider freezing temperatures below 32 degrees, he pumps are meant to run down below zero and they are not going to be able to produce the full capacity that's needed from them at those temperatures. So, they would need some source of backup heat whether it would be electric gas, propane. There are, however, new heat pump systems now there are variable speed that one of the great advantages of them is that they are able to run and produce almost hundred percent of the heat down in the teens. So, that has been a big advantage for our industry and our customers.

Heating Myth #8: If I close vents in certain rooms, I can save money

Jared: All right, Arne, here's the next myth. If I close vents in certain rooms, I can save money.

Arne: That's not necessarily always true. We can redirect airflow from one room to another. Without closing the vent all the way, and that will help in some hot, cold spots. But if we close a vent in a particular, say, a bedroom and we have a return air in there as well, we're not pressurizing that room now. So, the return actually puts a negative pressure on the room. And when you have negative pressure in a room, airflow is going to flow in through the ceilings or the windows to bring in cold or hot air. So, it's not always a good idea to close the the registers all the way in in a room.

Heating Myth #9: Fans don’t help in the winter

Jared: So, the next myth we see is that fans don't help in the winter.

Arne: Running a fan continuously on a furnace, in my opinion, always helps because now you're circulating the air throughout the whole house. And if you have hot cold spots, that will become much less of an issue because you're stabilizing the temperatures in all the rooms and then the equipment, the air conditioner or furnace will come on and off as needed. But you're still circulating the air, which, by the way, when you do that, you're also, filtering it. So, that's helping keep the system clean and So, forth.

Heating Myth #10: My furnace is running fine, I don’t need yearly maintenance on it

Jared: And finally, the last myth we see about heating your home is my furnace is running fine. I don't need yearly maintenance on it.

Arne: That's false. So, you should always have yearly maintenance performed on your furnace with the newer furnaces. Now you have to have maintenance to protect the part warranty set are in effect. The furnaces and air conditioners should be also, maintained, cleaned, and serviced to make sure that they're running at their full potentials, even if they're running doesn't mean that they're running properly.

What’s the next step in the process?

Jared: Thanks, Arne, for going in and busting some of those myths. Now that you know a little more about your specific HVAC system, visit our service page to see how we can help you with your specific heating and cooling needs. Thank you for watching, and we're looking forward to making your day better.