No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Northwest Services in Toledo have answers. Whether you have questions about selecting new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we can assist. Our online FAQs answers give you 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 419-574-6033.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for routine tune-ups, such as oil changes or looking at probable issues, your home comfort system should get the same kind of attention. Regular maintenance by a professional technician provides a variety of benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost varies depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Northwest Services at 419-574-6033 to receive 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. Around 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is set on the low setting, enabling your two-stage unit to work for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also offer more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
Northwest Services has an assortment of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make small adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 419-574-6033 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 created to offer 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 created to work with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers provide your heating system an extra bump 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 boosted 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 Northwest Services for the efficiency standards for Toledo.
Northwest Services has a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help lower the amount of energy they require to operate. Aside from selecting 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 ongoing maintenance by a trained professional 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 don’t typically utilize.
  • 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 need when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on utility costs.
Northwest Services is well-known in the Toledo area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We carry a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to giving customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the appropriate 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 weekly, 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 challenging for airborne pollutants to escape. We offer 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 eliminating particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help avoid particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We recommend that you meet with one of the professionals at Northwest Services 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.

Lots of homeowners believe that air conditioners make it cooler in your house, but it actually removes the heat from your house, moving the hot air outside. That hot air moves across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the heat outside. This procedure 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) raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined regionally and carry varying requirements based on your location. Northwest Services can help 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.
These numbers are located on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker is white with black letters and have both of these numbers located near the top of the sticker. M/N stands for model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a few ways to determine what size system is the best fit for your home, but the most reliable way to size a system is by having your local Northwest Services 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.
The short answer is Yes, because dirt and other debris can hinder your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is not unusual 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 in its hottest weeks, the high setting is used, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting. Most of the time, the lower setting will take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting is in use, you may not realize it because it can maintain such even temperatures for your comfort. This can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and enhanced humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a couple of reasons why it could be doing so. The most common reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can change as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Northwest Services. Contact them at 419-574-6033 with any additional questions.
Choosing the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think through. Thats why its nice to have such a wide variety of choices from Northwest Services. Whether you’re searching 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 pick from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the pros at Northwest Services will be able to help determine what options fit your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a bit confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs all year. 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 switched around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and might produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we advise you to also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are designed to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other unit as a total system, efficiency might be affected.
      • As with a lot of products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These developments most importantly include improved 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 have outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than newer models. Getting a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with improved comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system may send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You may visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also displays carbon offsets as it happens.
In most regions, 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 rinse solar modules.
The right thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Northwest Services sells programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help enhance the efficiency of your HVAC systems. View our available products or contact us at 419-574-6033 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 Northwest Services can help lower these costs. If you’re shopping 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 higher 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 typically maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will run more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Would you benefit from a zoning system? If there are areas 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. Are you taking advantage of a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may reduce your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning systems give you the opportunity to divide parts of your home and control the temperature differently in each room. These systems are best for when you have parts of your house that are seldom used or when you and your family are often in disagreement of what the temperature in each area of your home should be. Zoning systems are quiet and efficient, enabling you to have more control over the comfort of your family home. Learn more about the zoning systems available from Northwest Services.