If you are like us it has been the weirdest spring ever. Snow in April, rain, and now you throw in a couple of hot days and we are all totally confused as to what time of year it is. Thank goodness for our sons baseball to keep us on track!!! The Pacific Northwest weather is just so unpredictable.

The great thing about Oregon weather is that you never know if next week we might be hitting the big 85 degree days!!! This is why it is very important to have your air conditioner maintained on a regular basis. This way when you come home from sitting outside for three hours at a baseball game, you can walk into your nicely cooled house and know that your equipment is running smoothly and operating top notch!!!

Do you ever wonder what our techs do when they come out to your home for your yearly maintenance check up? There is a couple of things that should always be done.

Cooling Specific Check Up:
1. Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system’s ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
2. Check your central air conditioner’s refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
3. Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system’s efficiency by up to 15 percent.

There are also a couple of things that you can do yourself:
Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. We are more than happy to show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.

***** Just a little sidenote – Changing of those filters will really help with seasonal allergies. We have dogs, kids, grass and I can tell when I haven’t gone out to change my filter. I just put a little reminder on the calendar to make sure we change them every month.

So, are you ready for your Air Conditioner Check Up??? It’s a great value to your home, equipment and air quality.

Remember Comfort Zone Heating & AC, Inc is a proud Trady Alley with Energy Star of Oregon

Have a wonderful spring!!!!

Can you believe here it is March 13th and we have 4″ of snow in our wonderful little town of Troutdale? Yes, it is true, even though I decided to wear my flip flops today anyway just to pretend it’s spring. It is not very often that I talk about anything else on this website beside Heating and Cooling but I am very proud to be sponsored by Comfort Zone Heating & AC, Inc. for the Relay for Life Fundraiser.

I know that most of us know or have a family member that has cancer. Well, this is the year for me. My sister has Stage 4 Breast Cancer. She only has a 16% chance to make it to the two year mark. Being devastated by this I did what most people do. Research. What could I do? I needed answers. While reading every article that I could find, I came across the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Website.

Being the type of person I am, I signed up on the spot. I have a team of supporters called the Walkers for Knockers. We will participate in the 2012 Relay For Life of Sandy OR in July. It is a wonderful event that raises money for such wonderful things as the Hope Lodge, Road to Recovery, Look Good/Feel Better and College Scholarships. My sister has already been blessed with counseling for her and her family, free rides to and from treatment and a wig for when she lost all of her hair.

When I went to Comfort Zone for a donation, I received much better than that. They jumped in and sponsored our whole team!!!! I know that there are lots of companies that donate, sponsor, and participate in fundraising and charities and I don’t want to take away from their generosity. I do though want to show my appreciation in this bad economy that we are having the support they are giving me and my team. Walkers for Knockers Thank you!!!!!!

If you are a homeowner, renter or live near a home, you are probably being bombarded with letters from contractors or home labor. These letters seem to be for everything that you might need in repair, cleaning or replacement for your home. Since we happen to own our home, we are not left out. I admit, I do read all of them, for helpful hints, discounts and just to see what other companies like ourselves are doing to help our local customers.

Of course, we go a bit further and follow up on each of the advertisements that we might be interested in. Some of these companies spend lots of money on really nice brochures, and others write up a letter telling you about themselves. What really scared me was I went to our local CCB Website and found some very important information. Besides finding out how long a company has been in business, who actually owns the company and if their business license is active, I was able to tell if a company had changed their name, what their CCB Administrative License Actions might be and any CCB Disciplinary Actions that have taken place. Why is this important???? The nicest brochure that I received was from a company that had multiple disciplinary actions. Another had changed the name of the company a few times.

I am not saying that there might be a valid reason for some of these changes, and I would be prompted to check into them further with the BBB of Oregon or to check out their feedback. What I learned was that before I have anybody come clean my gutters or have any work done at our house is to first go to the CCB Website and do a little research. The best brochure is not necessarily the best company.

If Comfort Zone has done work for you personally and you would like to leave feedback for others who might be in need of our services, please go to our website at czheatinging.com or to any of the CCB, Portland City Search, Manta, LinkedIn. We truly appreciate and respect your comments. It is what makes us a better company.

Thank you and enjoy all the sunshine we are having!!!!!

We will go over all of the different financing options that Comfort Zone Heating has and any questions or concerns that you may have on purchasing a new furnace.

Feel free to check us out on Facebook or the BBB of Oregon – Comfort Zone Heating & AC carries a A+ rating.

Having time to do research at this point on what type of furnace to get and all those little details that make purchasing the right furnace for your home really important. I have included a link to Consumer Reports Gas Furnace Guide to give you a jump start. The best thing that you can do is call David. He is certified and trained to offer you the best furnace for your home and budget. It’s those little details of information that really count. Having someone check your existing duct work for leaks and problems will help you save a ton of money besides just installing a new furnace with a higher efficiency. Comfort Zone offers financing, and can help you compare the offers that are being advertised by the furnace dealers also.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their holidays, but take a moment to have us come out and do a furnace tune-up to keep you warm throughout the winter. We would be glad to come out after hours and no additional charge.

Please call 503-667-5595, and our friendly staff will be glad to help you.

I happen to love this time of year – Christmas Decorations in store before Halloween over, family already feuding, weight gain from all the good food! Ok, obviously I am just kidding, but there is one event and that is Black Friday Gresham!!!!! We thought this would be the best time of year to help and offer a 10% off internet coupon for any New or Replacement Furnace/Heat Pump purchased by Nov. 30th, 2011. All you have to do is mention that you read my blog and it’s yours! I have spent the last few days searching through the Black Friday Coupons and have found nothing for Furnaces. Comfort Zone Heating & AC wants to add to the Black Friday Internet savings with our own discount! With Gresham and Troutdale always feeling the cold before everyone else, now is the perfect time to have your furnace inspected for leaks, have insulation put in, and if needed replaced before the cold air sets in.

Call us here at Comfort Zone Heating & AC at 503 667 5595 and mention our Black Friday Home Furnishing Deal!!!!

Winter is fast closing in upon us, and while the weather is still permitting it is time to start winterizing our homes. With our wonderful Oregon luck of wind, rain and at anytime a foot of snow now is the time to be prepared!!!

I have listed a few ideas to help you prepare your home for the winter weather of the Pacific Northwest and of course our very own beautiful Portland Metro area:

Inspecting your home heating ducts: One of the first major sources of energy loss (meaning higher energy bills) is leaky and uninsulated ducts. Sealing and insulating your ducts can help your furnace run more efficiently, lengthening the life of your furnace and of course saving your hard earned money!

Have your furnace inspected: This really goes along with having your ducts inspected because preventive maintenance ensures your furnace will work strong and smooth all winter long, keeping the efficiency and keeping the need for a late night call because your furnace shut off at 9:00 pm and it’s freezing outside!!!

Cleaning out your gutters: The task that we all dislike doing but it can stop the force water from seeping inside your house, which can cause serious structural and foundational damage and that pesky drip on the head when you are unlocking your door! (my personal favorite pet peeve!)

Make sure to check for leaks around windows and doors: Making the switch to energy-efficient windows and doors and ensuring that all leaks are sealed can save you hundreds of dollars a year. If you are unable to do that, make sure to seal off any leaks by using caulking or other home methods around the windows. This will also help in the cost of your energy bills.

Our Home Energy Efficiency Specialists are always happy to help in any way that we can. We are more than happy to come into your home and inspect, give tips, and help you plan on a warm winter instead of a cold freeze!

Stay Warm Everyone!!!

We of course being animal lovers in our family thought this would be an easy and fun way to involve your children in energy saving of the earth and a simple way of saving our birds.

Night-migrating birds rely on celestial cues to navigate, and sky glow from cities can lure them off course, resulting in window strikes. Portland has more than 209 species of birds that migrate through the area. Audubon Portland has documented from several seasons of early morning bird surveys and Wildlife Car Center intakes that over 70 of these species have been involved in window collisions.

This is such a simple cost-effective and energy-efficient way of saving money in your own homes and promoting the “Lights Out Portland” at your place of work. So, please take the time to talk to your children about turning off an extra light or two from 25 August through 15 November dusk to dawn and lets teach them a simple way to save our Portland area birds, save our planet, and of course save a few extra dollars in our own pockets!

If you have any great Energy Saving Tips for our kids – Let Us Know and we will pass it along! Just send us a message!

Thank you!

- Peace of mind for you and your family
- Lower home heating bills
- Fewer furnace repairs and heating breakdowns
- Increased Heating capacity
- Extended Furnace and Heating System life

What does our Tune Up Include?

1. Inspect and tighten all electrical connections and terminals.
2. Inspect, clean, and adjust main gas burners.
3. Remove, clean, and adjust ignition/pilot assembly.
4. Test the capacitor
5. Inspect heat-exchanger(s) & combustion chambers for cracks, rusting, or problem areas.
6. Vacuum out blower compartment; return airdrop, and surrounding area. (No duct cleaning)
7. Inspect the flue assembly and test furnace flue gas drafting mechanism.
8. Test and inspect all furnace safety controls.
9. Test, and adjust gas pressure.
10. Inspect furnace air filters.
11. Inspect and clean furnace blower motor, drive mechanism and fan assembly.
12. Lubricate all fan motors and all moving parts,as needed
13. Measure and adjust blower for correct airflow.
14. Adjust and set proper blower speed(s).
15. Clean, level, test, and calibrate thermostat.
16. Measure and record heating system output.
17. Inspect and test thermocouple output as well as pilot safety switch.
18. Measure and record electrical voltage, amperage, and component resistance.
19. Inspect and test all system transformers, relays, contactors, and controls. Measure performance
20. Seal minor air leaks in plenum and return airdrop.
21. Perform a thorough, electronic carbon monoxide check of the house.

If your car was used as often as your furnace and air conditioner, it would have traveled over 200,000 miles in a year. Your home heating and cooling system operates approximately 3200 hours in a year. If you traveled 3200 hours at 65mph in your car you would have changed your oil 66 times, used 4 sets of tires, performed 4 tune-ups and flushed your cooling system 3 times.

No one would drive that many miles without performing any maintenance and expect for things to function properly. Just like your car, your system needs a tune up and lubrication and cleaning. By performing a precision tune up on your system, you minimize the chance of breakdowns – saving energy and extending the life of your system.

So before our beautiful fall turns into that cold winter, call us here at Comfort Zone Heating to set up the perfect time for your home furnace inspection!

“>Check us out on Manta!!!