No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Knoechel Heating in Harmony have answers. Whether you have questions about choosing new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we are here to help. Our online FAQs answers provide a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 724-806-1195.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for regular tune-ups, such as oil changes or checking out possible issues, your home comfort system should receive the same kind of attention. Regular maintenance by a professional technician provides numerous benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems operate efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost varies depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Knoechel Heating at 724-806-1195 to obtain a quote.
Two-stage heating permits the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Approximately 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is kept on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to work for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also give more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, increased air filtration and energy efficiency.
Knoechel Heating has a selection of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the correct solution for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, functioning similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 724-806-1195 to learn more about the technology we carry.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a number of differences. Furnaces today are designed to give more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are crafted to operate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers provide your heating system an extra lift so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help decrease noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Knoechel Heating for the efficiency standards for Harmony.
Knoechel Heating carries a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help reduce the amount of energy they require to operate. Aside from choosing products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you can consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives regular maintenance by a trained expert can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only certain areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you aren’t using.
  • Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you want when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on heating and cooling costs.
Knoechel Heating is well-known in the Harmony area and you can depend on them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the best solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home with lots of air pollutants floating around. So, to improve IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least once a week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is great for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it harder for airborne pollutants to escape. We carry products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and routine cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and removing particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help prevent particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We recommend that you meet with one of the professionals at Knoechel Heating and have them assess your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you decide which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Many homeowners believe that air conditioners make the air in your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from your house, sending the hot air outside. That hot air goes across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the hot air outside. This process continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined by region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Knoechel Heating will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re searching for a replacement system.
You can find these numbers on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker should be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located around the top of the sticker. M/N denotes model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a few ways to determine what size system will best suit your home, but the most reliable way to size a system is by having your local Knoechel Heating technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a handful of other factors.
Yes, because dirt and other debris can impede your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is normal to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also include defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in those types of conditions.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is its hottest, the high setting starts up, and when its cooler or more mild, the low setting handles the duties. Most of the time, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting kicks in, you may not realize it because it can generate such even temperatures for your comfort. This also means a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and improved humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a variety of reasons why it could be doing so. The most frequent reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can take care of as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Knoechel Heating. Contact them at 724-806-1195 with any other questions.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot of considerations. Thats why its nice to have such a great variety of choices from Knoechel Heating. Whether you’re looking for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are a number of thermostats that you have to choose from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the experts at Knoechel Heating will be able to help determine what options fit your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually take care of both your heating and cooling needs year-round. When its hot outside it runs like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets turned around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and may produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we think you should also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are created to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other part as a complete system, efficiency may be affected.
      • As with many products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These advances most importantly include better heating and cooling efficiency, but also include improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old typically need to be replaced. Not only do they consist of outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than newer models. Adding a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with better comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system could send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You should visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shares carbon offsets as it happens.
In most locations, rain will be enough to keep the solar modules clean. If you reside in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water can help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to wash solar modules.
The best thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Knoechel Heating has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help increase the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Browse our available products or contact us at 724-806-1195 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a large part of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Knoechel Heating can help reduce these costs. If you’re looking for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the larger the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, don’t forget about these additional factors:

      1. Is your system regularly maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will work more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Do you need a zoning system? If there are spaces in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
      3. Have you installed a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may lower your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning your home allows you the ability to section off areas of your residence and control the thermostat differently in each area. Zoning tends to be best for when you have areas of your house that are infrequently used or when you and your family are always in disagreement of what the temperature in each area of your home should be. Zoning systems are almost noiseless and efficient, giving you more control over the comfort of your home. Learn more about the equipment available from Knoechel Heating.