newbie post-- house heater question

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mustangbaxter

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I have a Lennox Elite Forced air heater in my house. These last few days we have had high temps in the mid to upper 20's. the heater doesent seem to warm up the house like it has in the past. Is there something wrong with the heater, or is it just too cold outside. I have double pain windows, and added insulation in the ceiling. Anybody have any suggestions to heat up my house?

thanks Jenn
 
Im not extremely familiar with heating units and whether they are capable to heat the space depending on their size. But the cold weather will always make it seem a little colder, as it won't keep the inside warm for quite as long. (that's why, unfortunately, you see an increase in your bill come winter). But I know that in my house the windows and insulation aren't the problem, but the doors. For some reason the doors weren't properly installed which causes some horrible drafts. Until I get the chance to replace the doors, we have placed blankets or towels near the bottom. I would also have someone who does heating and cooling and come out to take a look. This shouldn't cost anything for them to check. Keep in mind some, not all, but some may try to convince you that your unit needs repair or updating even if it does not. You should probably have a couple estimates to be sure.
 
Welcome Jenn:
I agree with Cibula about having 2 or more people to look at the situation. Meanwhile, maybe I can fill in the void or even negate the need for contractors. First, I think of Nevada as mostly desert land, is the 20 degrees considerably lower than your normal temperature?
Heating units are sized according to the cubic space to heat, insulation, the temperate zone and some other things. When all these things are brought together we can come up with a size that will NORMALLY do the job. In order for the unit to be efficient it should not be sized for below normal cold weather. It should even loose a few degrees in extreme weather, especially at night and it should run all the time during that kind of weather. Otherwise, in normal weather it should do a good job, kick off once in a while and keep you toasty warm.
I know that is a lot of rambling but I hope it helps you to understand your system better.
Glenn
 
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