As we head toward the coldest season of the year, you may be looking for a new heating system, or looking to add heating to a section of your home, like a mud room or laundry room. Radiant heating can be a great choice for either need, but within the category of radiant heating, you have a choice to make, namely what type of radiant heating you’d like to use for your home in Hamilton, OH. The heating experts from Bartels Heating & Cooling are here to give you a quick overview of the two choices and how they can work in your home.
Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category
Are You Considering a Radiant Heating System for Your Home?
Wednesday, November 4th, 2015Do You Need to Replace Your Heating System?
Monday, October 5th, 2015It came quick: that chilly weather in the morning and the evenings, chilly enough to make you think about turning your heat on. Did you find yourself hesitating because you ended last heating season questioning whether or not your heating system was going to continue to run as needed? It may be time for replacement, and to help you determine this before the cold weather sets in, here are three factors to weigh:
Have You Scheduled Heating Maintenance Yet?
Monday, September 28th, 2015We are at that time of year where the days are warm and comfortable and the nights are just chilly enough to need a blanket. It may not be time to fire up your heating system yet, but it will be soon, and you want to make sure that no matter what type of heating system you have, it is ready to work and work well. The best way to ensure that this happens is to call the HVAC experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling and schedule an appointment for heating maintenance for your home in West Chester, OH.
The Key to Quality Furnace Installation
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015If you need a new furnace, it can be tough to pick someone for the job. You want to make sure that your new heating system runs properly, and you also want a technician who will treat your home with respect. Sometimes, homeowners resort to allowing a friend or family member with limited HVAC knowledge to install the new unit as this is someone they feel they can trust. However, if you don’t choose an experienced professional for furnace installation, it may end up costing you far more than you expect.
Here’s what you should know: the only way to ensure quality heating installation is by choosing an expert for the job. The highly qualified technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling will make sure that your new heating system runs as efficiently as possible.
What Can Go Wrong with an Amateur Installation
There are a lot of things that may go wrong if you choose an amateur for heating installation. For one, you may end up with a unit at is not the proper size. This is a big deal because a furnace that is too large will use a lot of energy and may short cycle. A furnace that is too small will not heat the home completely and may expire sooner than it should.
Furthermore, there are a lot of risks when you’re working with a gas furnace. If the unit is not set up just right, you could risk a natural gas leak. Setting up the ventilation system or making sure that your existing flue pipe is compatible with the furnace is also important in preventing CO leaks. You don’t want to leave this job to someone without experience. Every component must be just right in order for it to work properly, which is why you should hire an expert for any heating installation job.
Furnace installation involves intensive knowledge of heating systems, which our technicians already have. Put your trust in the highly qualified, skilled people at Bartels Heating & Cooling as we take pride in our work and have provided quality furnace installation in Hamilton and the surrounding area. Call us today!
What to Check before Calling for Furnace Repair
Monday, February 16th, 2015When your furnace stops working or begins to malfunction, your first instinct is probably to call an HVAC technician to examine your system. That’s a good habit to develop, but before you call for professional help there are a few things you should check first. It is possible that your furnace malfunction is actually very minor, and something you can fix yourself. Even though you will likely need to call a professional anyway, examining certain parts of your system beforehand can help isolate and identify the problem. Let’s take a look at what you should check before calling for furnace repair.
The Thermostat
The core of any central heating system is the thermostat. It is the brain of your furnace system, which will not act without an order from the thermostat. As such, a malfunctioning thermostat can pretty effectively cripple your entire furnace. If your furnace stops working, you should always check your thermostat before doing anything else. Examine the display on the thermostat and make sure that all the information and settings are correct. An incorrect display is a sign that something is wrong with your thermostat.
The Air Filter
The air filter is responsible for protecting your furnace from dust and debris that blows in from the ducts. Though it does this job well, the filter has no way to rid itself of any particles that it collects. If not cleaned or changed out every 1-3 months, the air filter can become clogged. This restricts the air flow through the system, trapping heat inside the furnace and causing it to overheat. When this happens, it trips a device called the “limit switch,” which shuts the furnace down as a safety measure. If your furnace suddenly shuts down and won’t restart, it is possible that it overheated due to a dirty air filter. If you replace your dirty air filter, that might be all that is needed to solve the problem.
If your furnace is experiencing any sort of issue, call Bartels Heating & Cooling to make an appointment today. We provide professional furnace repair service throughout the West Chester area.
Noises You Shouldn’t Hear from Your Boiler
Wednesday, February 4th, 2015Boilers are some of the sturdiest and reliable home heating systems on the market today. They have fewer moving parts than most systems, which means fewer chances to have a breakdown. However, boiler systems are not invulnerable. There are a few problems that can arise with boilers of which you should definitely be aware. Most of those problems begin with unusual noises coming from the boiler itself. Let’s examine some of the noises that you really don’t want to hear from your boiler, and what you should do if you do hear them.
Rumbling
A rumbling noise coming from your boiler is a sign that it is kettling. Kettling is a serious issue that is caused by mineral deposits building up on the inside of the boiler’s heat exchanger. These mineral deposits are caused by hard water (water with a high mineral content) running through the boiler over a period of years. As the water runs through the heat exchanger, it deposits small amounts of minerals on the walls of the pipe. Eventually, these mineral deposits build up enough to restrict or block the flow of water through the heat exchanger. This causes the water to evaporate in the pipe, creating steam and putting immense pressure on the heat exchanger. This is what causes the rumbling sound you hear when a boiler is kettling. If you hear this sound, you should shut your boiler down right away and call a professional to fix it.
Gurgling
A gurgling sound is often heard in the pipes that are connected to the boiler, and run throughout the house. Gurgling is often accompanied by uneven heating, or even no heating at all depending on the layout of your heating system. It is caused by air bubbles in the pipes, which impede the flow of water and lessen the system’s ability to heat. The way to solve this problem is to drain all the air out of the system, which is best done by a qualified HVAC technician. Once the whole system is purged, the gurgling should stop.
If you are hearing strange noises from your boiler, make an appointment with us by calling Bartels Heating & Cooling. We provide quality boiler repair in the Hamilton, OH area.
Why You Should Consider Ductless Heating Installation
Friday, January 30th, 2015Ductless cooling has gained a lot of popularity, but with heat pump technology, a ductless system can heat your home, too. There are a few reasons to consider the installation of a ductless system in your Fairfield home, but first let’s take a look at how a ductless system heats your home.
How It Works
With a ductless heating system, heat pump technology is used to both heat and cool your home. The key component that allows the heat pump to both heat and cool is the reversing valve. The reversing valve can change the directional flow of the refrigerant in your system, which is what allows the system to offer both heating and cooling. During the winter, the heat pump, which the outdoor unit, absorbs heat from the air and concentrates it; the heat pump then disperses this concentrated heat into your home’s living spaces. In the summer months, the opposite happens: the heat pump absorbs the heat in your living spaces and transfers it outside.
Why Consider a Ductless Heating System?
If you’ve used combustion heating systems in the past that needed fossil fuels to operate, you know how much money can be spent every winter heating your home; with a heat pump, this expense is entirely eliminated. Why? Heat pumps don’t generate heat; they transfer it from one location to another with the help of refrigerant. As such, they don’t need fossil fuels and use only a small amount of electricity to operate. Another great benefit of a ductless system is that you don’t have to worry about air loss from ductwork because you don’t have any ductwork. The indoor blowers are connected directly to the outdoor unit via a conduit in an exterior wall, and the heating process doesn’t begin until you start the indoor blower. The indoor blowers are also benefit because they operate individually; each one can be set at its own temperature, giving you zone control in your home. Lastly, heat pumps have a longer lifespan than combustion heating systems: combustion systems have an average lifespan of 15-20 years, while heat pumps have an average lifespan of 20-25 years.
If you’ve been looking for an efficient, quiet heating system for your Fairfield home, you may want to consider installing a ductless heating system. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule an appointment for professional heating installation service!
Can a Furnace Be Damaged by Clogged Filters?
Tuesday, January 13th, 2015You may know that the filter(s) used along with your HVAC equipment help to eliminate contaminants from the air that you breathe. Forced-air systems would recirculate dirty air if there was not a barrier set in place, but a furnace filter can trap particles like dust and bacteria so that you can feel a little better about the indoor air quality.
If you wait to change a dirty filter for too long, it may affect the quality of the air. But more likely, you’ll notice the effects on your heating system first. A dirty furnace filter restricts airflow to the furnace, leading to higher energy spending, poor heating performance, and even a potential heating breakdown.
Your furnace requires a certain amount of airflow in order to operate properly. When your unit was first installed, technicians made precise measurements to make sure that the heating capacity of the furnace was enough to heat the home completely without using excessive amounts of energy. When not enough airflow can make its way into the furnace to be heated, the unit will consume too much energy in an attempt to get your home to the desired temperature.
But the high energy spending is not necessarily the biggest problem you may face. If your furnace takes longer to meet heating demands, parts can begin to become overworked. Your furnace may break down well before its expected lifespan and you’ll probably notice reduced heating in one or more areas of the house.
If your heating system is already struggling to heat your home, changing the filter may not be enough. While it is possible that the clogged filter contributed to the problems with your HVAC system, it’s also likely that the other parts have begun to break down as well and will require professional service.
Changing the filters every one to three months is a job you can do on your own, but heating repair is best left to professionals. You can also ensure your unit is working properly by scheduling maintenance annually and calling for repairs at the first sign of trouble. We offer professional heating services in the Hamilton area. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule an appointment with us.
Reasons Your Boiler Isn’t Giving You Heat
Wednesday, January 7th, 2015Boilers are one of the most dependable ways to provide warmth to a home through a long winter. Thanks to their small number of mechanical parts, boilers suffer from a reduced level of wear due to use, and that means an extended lifespan and few repair issues.
Of course, no heating system can work entirely without problems, and a boiler may encounter malfunctions that will lead it to stop providing heat. When your house grows cold because the boiler is no longer working, it requires the assistance of trained HVAC technicians to fix it. You will find quality boiler repair service in Fairfield, OH that will get your house warm once more at Bartels Heating & Cooling. We have 24-hour emergency service for when that troublesome boiler problem cannot wait.
Possible Reasons for a Boilers Not Providing Heat
Please note that these causes of boiler failure are for your information to help you better understand the heating system. Do not attempt to diagnose or fix the problems on your own.
- Burner won’t ignite: This is the most common cause of a boiler failing to provide heat. If the gas jets on the burner will not ignite, no heat will warm up the water in the tank. The trouble may be due to a failed electronic igniter/pilot light, or perhaps trouble in the gas line. Because of the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning from tampering with a gas main, only call on professionals to find out what is wrong with the burner.
- Broken circulator pump: This pump is one of the small number of mechanical components required for a boiler to operate. The pump removes the heated water from the tank and sends it to the baseboard heaters and radiators throughout the house. If the pump should break, no hot water will circulate. Repair technicians will need to replace the pump.
- Failed heating elements: In electrical heat pumps, a pair of heating elements inside the tank is responsible for raising the water temperature. If these elements fail, you will need to call for professionals to replace them before the boiler will provide warmth again.
- Thermostat malfunction: Sometimes the source of heating system failure can be traced to the thermostat on the wall. A thermostat that loses its connection to the boiler will fail to turn on. You should always check your thermostat first when a heating system isn’t working to make sure that a mistaken setting isn’t responsible. However, if the thermostat problem runs deeper, it will require professionals to fix it.
Make sure you look out for early warning signs that the boiler is having problems, such as difficulty igniting the burner or odd sounds coming from the tank. This will help you know to call for repairs before a full failure occurs. Our technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling are standing by to deliver boiler repair in Fairfield, OH whenever you need it. Give us a call today.
Why Consider a Dual Fuel Hybrid Heat Pump Installation
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014There can be a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to any kind of home product or whole-home system. In specific to heat pumps, a common piece of misinformation is that a heat pump won’t work during the winter; this isn’t true. It is true that there can concerns about a heat pump working as it should during very cold weather – those days that are under 32 degrees – but it isn’t true that a heat pump can’t work at all. Additionally, with a hybrid heating system, you can avoid any heating capability issues with your heat pump and very cold weather. First, let’s take a look at why there’s concern around heat pumps during the winter.
It’s Chilly Out There
Air-source heat pumps provide heating by absorbing the available heat in the air, concentrating it and blowing the warm air into your home. As the temperature outside falls, the available heat in the air decreases; this can force your heat pump to work harder, making it less energy efficient and more challenged to meet your heating needs. A great solution to this is the hybrid heating system.
What Is a Hybrid Heating System?
With a hybrid heating system, you get the best of both worlds: a heat pump as the main source of heating (and cooling) your home with a back-up gas furnace. This allows you to have a secondary system to heat your home when the outside air temperature falls below 32 degrees.
How Does a Hybrid System Work?
With a hybrid system, your heat pump is furnished with an outdoor temperature sensor that works in conjunction with a dual-fuel thermostat. A set-point temperature is programmed into the sensor that tells your heating system when to switch from the heat pump to the gas furnace for heating; typically this temperature is a few degrees above the freezing mark. When the outside temperature reaches the set-point temperature, the heating system automatically switches from using the heat pump to heat your home to the back-up gas furnace. There is also a set-point temperature at which the gas furnace will switch back to the heat pump.
Benefits of a Hybrid System
With a hybrid system, you get the benefit of using a heat pump as your main source of heating and cooling. This gives you great energy efficiency, the longer lifespan of a heat pump and the gentle heating and cooling of a heat pump. The back-up heating of the system means you’ll never be cold, even on the chilliest of days.
For quality heating installation of a hybrid heating system in your West Chester home, call Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule a service appointment!