Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Fairfield’

Warning Signs You Need Furnace Repair

Wednesday, November 12th, 2014

Unless you’re a heating expert, it can occasionally be difficult to accurately gauge the health of your furnace. Most homeowners don’t bother worrying about this, assuming that any major problems will announce themselves with obvious signs like the heat not turning on. This can sometimes happen, but the goal of any homeowner should be dealing with potential problems before they grow into something major and expensive to fix. The following are some of the most common warning signs that you need furnace repair in Fairfield, OH.

Short-Cycling

When your furnace seems to turn on and off rapidly and continuously throughout the day, that is called short-cycling. Short-cycling is a phenomenon caused by actual or perceived overheating in your furnace system. This can be caused by an oversized furnace, a faulty thermostat, or a clogged air filter. The end result is the same, though. The furnace starts up in response to a request by the thermostat, and begins circulating heat. The furnace control system registers a heat output beyond what the furnace should be producing, causing it to shut the furnace down as a safety measure. After the furnace has cooled a little, it starts up again in an attempt to heat the house and the whole cycle repeats ad infinitum. If you notice your furnace short-cycling, call a professional immediately. Prolonged short-cycling wastes a lot of energy and drastically shortens the life of your furnace.

Increase in Heating Bills

It’s always a good idea to keep a close eye on the cost of your heating bills. Aside from the obvious benefit of helping you budget properly, this is one of the first ways that heating problems present themselves. The average forced air system loses about 20-30% of its heat on average to leaks in the ductwork. That translates to quite a lot of wasted money on heat that never reaches its destination. A sudden rise in your heating bills indicates that your furnace is losing heating efficiency, which is a pretty good sign that you have a problem.

If you’re experiencing issues with your furnace, schedule an appointment with Bartels Heating & Cooling. Our professional furnace repair service covers all of Fairfield, OH.

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Why You Should Consider Zone Control with Your Heating Installation

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014

A new heating installation can help you improve your comfort and your energy efficiency – but what if we told you there was a way to increase both without a huge hassle? There is–a zone control system. A zone control system gives you a level of control over your heating (and cooling) that a single thermostat can’t, and installing a zone control system with your heating installation in Fairfield can be seamless and easy. Bartels Heating & Cooling has specialized in heating and cooling services since 1973, and we have worked with a variety of systems and upgrades. If you are ready to upgrade your heating system in any way, call us today!

What Is a Zone Control System?

A zone control system is a series of motorized dampers that are installed into the supply vents of your ductwork. The dampers are connected to a main control panel, which controls when and how much the dampers open and close in order to maintain the temperature of a zone. Zones are established by you: they can be individual rooms, a group of rooms or an entire floor – the decision is yours. Each zone has its own thermostat, which is also connected to the main control panel. Zones operate independently, which allows you to set different temperatures per zone.

What Are the Benefits of a Zone Control System?

Here are some of the benefits you can gain with a zone control system:

  • Better energy efficiency – a zone control system allows you to use only the cooling and heating you need. This can help reduce the operation of your system, which helps reduce energy usage.
  • Customized comfort – the independent operation of the thermostats in each zone allows you to set a temperature that is comfortable in each area versus setting a single temperature for all areas.
  • Less stress on your system – heating and cooling only what you need puts less stress on your system, which can help reduce wear and tear and prevent premature aging.

A zone control system can help enhance your new heating installation in Fairfield tremendously. Interested to see what a zone control system can do for you? Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our installation experts.

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Duct Cleaning Question: Why Do the Ducts Get Dirty in the First Place?

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

You have probably heard that the ductwork in your home requires regular cleaning—usually once every three or four years—in order for the heater and air conditioner to work at their most efficient, and to prevent the indoor air quality from plunging. Regular professional duct cleaning is crucial for maintaining health, comfort, and energy-efficiency in a home.

However, people often wonder how a ventilation system can reach a level of dirtiness where it becomes necessary for trained experts with special equipment to come to a home to clean it. It’s easy to look over a clean house and think that it’s impossible the ducts could have enough contamination in them to create problems.

But no matter how clean a home appears, dust and dirt and other pollutants will find a way into the ventilation system until they reach a level that makes it necessary to call professionals to remove them. Bartels Heating & Cooling is available to handle the job of duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH when you need it.

Why Ducts Develop Contamination

To understand how your ducts become dirty, you need to first understand how the ventilation system operates. There are two types of ductwork in a home’s ventilation system: the return ducts and the supply ducts. The return ducts draw air in from the rooms in a home, where the blower sends the air through the heating/cooling system. The supply ducts then distribute the conditioned air to the registers around the home and into the rooms. The air is eventually drawn back into the return ducts.

For the most part, this is a closed loop. Modern homes have heavy air sealing on them to prevent heat loss and gain. But this means scant fresh air enters the house to clear away dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and other debris. The contamination in a home enters the return vents along with the air, and then circulates in the closed loop through the ventilation system and the home. Over the space of a single year, the average six-room home will circulate more than 40 lbs. of dust through its ventilation system.

This amount of contamination will start to catch along the sides of the duct walls, beginning a process of accumulation that increases as more dust, dirt, lint, etc. gathers. It only takes about a year for a layer of dust to coat the insides of ducts, and another one or two for this buildup to start creating serious airflow issues for the HVAC system. At this point, cleaning is necessary.

Professionals must handle duct cleaning because it takes special equipment and training to access all of the ventilation system and change the pressure inside it in order to agitate the contamination from the ductwork walls. The process only takes a few hours, and it will restore the ducts to like-new condition, resulting in energy savings and a healthier indoor environment.

Since 1973, Bartels Heating & Cooling has delivered quality duct cleaning to Fairfield, OH and the rest of Southwest Ohio. Give us a call to schedule your duct cleaning with us today.

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How Does Duct Cleaning Help Your Heating and Air Conditioning System?

Wednesday, September 17th, 2014

Fall is a great time to clean and maintain your heating and air conditioning systems, including your ductwork. Ductwork can often be overlooked, mostly because it isn’t as visible as the other parts of your system. But like the other parts of your HVAC system, your ductwork can become dirty, and the best way to remove dirt and dust build-up is with a professional duct cleaning service in Fairfield, OH. Bartel’s Heating & Cooling has been servicing heating and cooling clients since 1973, and we have the trained technicians to help you with all your ductwork needs.

What Happens During a Professional Duct Cleaning?

Here is a general overview of what to expect during a professional duct cleaning appointment:

  • The technician will connect a vacuum hose to your air duct system via access ports. Each outlet is sealed off to ensure no contamination occurs during the cleaning.
  • The technician will remove each grill and thoroughly clean it. He/she may also air-blast the first few feet of the duct to clean the entrance area.
  • The technician then inserts a tool called an air sweep, which is fastened to a high pressure air hose, and sends it down the entire length of distribution ducts. The air sweep breaks loose sticking contaminants like dirt, dust, grime, fungus, and other material that may be inside the ducts. This material is then sucked along the duct to the trunk lines.
  • The technician will replace the grills and clean around them with a HEPA vacuum cleaner, ensuring all supply and return lines have been completed cleaned.
  • The trunk lines (lines which carry the air between the furnace and the lateral ducts) are swept and brushed clean in the same manner as above.
  • The technician will clean the fan, blower compartment, plenum, AC coil, return air compartment and the air handling side of the furnace with an air pressure tool and a vacuum.
  • The technician will check the entire system again to ensure all vent work has been cleaned.
  • The technician will complete a thorough clean-up of the entire work area.

How Does Duct Cleaning Help Your HVAC System?

  • Better energy efficiency – if the build-up in your ductwork was substantial, it may have reduced air flow; this can cause your HVAC system to use more energy as it struggles to achieve the temperature you’ve set. Removing this build-up helps the system to operate normally again.
  • Less stress for your air conditioner – a dirty system is a system under stress; when an HVAC system operates under stressful conditions for long periods of time, it can age the system prematurely. Keeping your ductwork clean helps reduce this effect.

It’s recommended that your ductwork is cleaned every 3-5 years. How long has it been since you’ve had a duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH? If it’s been longer than this, call Bartel’s Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment.

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Air Conditioning Question: What is the Condensate Drain?

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

An air conditioned room is the perfect place to take shelter when it gets too hot. But did you know air conditioners protect against high humidity as well? The concept of air conditioning actually came to be about 100 years ago, developed as a defense against high humidity levels. Today, these systems are much more advanced, and one of the key components in humidity control is the condensate drain.

To understand the role of the condensate drain in humidity control, you must first understand the concept of heat exchange. Air conditioners move heat from inside of your home to the outdoors. This is usually done with a split-system air conditioner consisting of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit which refrigerant moves through repeatedly. Inside, the evaporator changes refrigerant from a liquid to a gas and heat is absorbed in the process. Outside, the condenser coil changes refrigerant from gas to liquid and heat releases into the air.

The indoor coil stays relatively cool as warm air blows over the evaporator and cool air returns to the home. Any moisture from the air begins to collect on this coil as condensation. Much like a glass of ice water on a warm day, the evaporator coil forms water droplets on the outside of the coil which eventually need some place to go.

This is where the condensate drain comes in. First, the water droplets fall into a shallow tray called a condensate pan. Then, water flows either directly into a condensate drain or through a condensate line that leads to an outdoor drain.

Sometimes, condensate drains encounter problems. If the drain line is clogged by debris or because of faulty installation, the condensate pan may overflow and harm your system, or else water may leak into your home. Water leaks are one of the most common reasons homeowners call for air conditioning repair, but these may be prevented with annual maintenance by an air conditioning technician.

If you run into problems with your system, or if you have questions about air conditioning service in Fairfield, OH, call Bartels Heating & Cooling today!

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Questions to Ask When Installing a Generator

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

A commercial generator is an important insurance policy for your company in the event of a long-term power loss. Power outages are especially worrisome in winter, when an extended interruption in electrical service can create immense discomfort and even health risks. Installing a commercial generator in Fairfield, OH is an investment in protecting and maintaining your commercial space in case of an emergency.

However, you cannot simply select any generator for installation and trust to luck. There are many important factors that go into finding and installing the right unit for your business. Call for professionals to handle the installation, such as the experienced team at Bartels Heating & Cooling. Have a few questions ready for your installer so that you know you will receive the ideal generator for your needs.

Some Questions to Ask the Installers About Your Generator

  • How many appliances will the generator run? Generators come in a wide variety of power levels, and you need to make sure that the one you have installed will provide enough electricity to run the appliances you most need during an outage. Every homeowner will have different needs when it comes to a loss of power: perhaps you only require the minimum, such as a few lights, the heating system, and any vital medical equipment; or maybe you want full use of all your regular appliances. Work with your installer to figure out your exact needs so he or she can install the generator that will deliver you all the electricity you require during an emergency.
  • What fuel source is my best option? Generators can run on natural gas, propane, oil, or gasoline. Which model you get will depend on a number of factors, such as the availability of municipal gas lines and the local costs of heating oil. The installer will have suggestions to help guide you toward the right fuel source for your needs, budget, and convenience.
  • How often should I have the generator maintained? A generator is only worth installing if it will come on when necessary. Because you will rarely need to use it (we hope), the generator will sit unused for most of the year, and it might develop malfunctions without you realizing it. It’s essential that you have regular maintenance scheduled to take care of the generator so that it will be ready to work when you actually need it. The installer will know the best schedule for maintenance and help you arrange it so that you will feel assured that the generator will be prepared for the next emergency.

At Bartels Heating & Cooling, we offer full service for generators: installation, repairs, and maintenance. You can reach us 24/7 for the repair work on your generator in Fairfield, OH necessary for it to do its vital job. Our technicians are NATE-certified to make sure you receive the highest quality work. Call us today to schedule service.

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3 Reasons Why Duct Cleaning Is Necessary

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

Try this test right now: Go to one of the vents in your home and unscrew the grate. Now reach inside holding onto a digital camera with a flash (your smart phone should do). Take a photo of the inside, the area just out of your sight. Now look at the image you just captured.

If it isn’t a pleasant sight—something like the lint-catcher of dryer after a large load—then you need to schedule duct cleaning service as soon as possible.

If more than two years have passed since you had your ducts professionally cleaned, you don’t even need to do the test; you’re overdue to have a team come in and use powerful vacuums and agitation equipment to cleanse all the contamination trapped inside your ventilation system. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH.

Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Need Duct Cleaning

  1. Protect your indoor air quality: The U.S. EPA has identified low indoor air quality as a major health threat in the country. Clogged up air ducts filled with dirt, dust, pollen, dander, dust mites, and other debris are a major contributor to the issue. You don’t want all this material collected through the return vents form your home to continue to circulate in the air that you and your family breathe every day. Duct cleaning removes this major reservoir of airborne pollutants from your home.
  2. Shield your HVAC system: The forced-air heater and air conditioner that use the ductwork of your home can suffer damage due to the contamination inside the ventilation system. Dust that enters the cabinets of air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces will increase stress on mechanical components, block up burners, clog filters, and restrict the function of evaporator and condensing coils. This will lead to numerous repairs and a reduced life for your system.
  3. Maintain energy efficiency: Aside from keeping the HVAC system in good shape, maintaining clean air passages for the air conditioner and heater is crucial for system efficiency. Even a small layer of dust coating the inside of the ductwork will create friction against the airflow that will force the HVAC system to work harder than it need to. As the ducts become more congested, you can expect to see a steep climb in your utility bills. Duct cleaning makes certain that your heater and air conditioner have the least resistance possible to providing you with comfort.

Don’t try this at home (at least, not on your own)

Duct cleaning requires professional equipment and technicians who know how to use them; you cannot clean the ducts are your own by sticking a vacuum hose into an open vent. Call the experienced professionals at Bartels Heating & Cooling when you need duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH. Along with duct cleaning, we also offer other indoor air quality services such as installation of air cleaners, air purifiers, UV sanitizers, and energy recovery ventilators.

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Air Conditioning Installation: 3 Factors to Consider When Sizing A New Air Conditioner

Friday, June 20th, 2014

Installing a new air conditioner can be a great thing for your home and family, but if your new AC isn’t sized properly, it can be the opposite. Many factors need to be calculated when determining what size of air conditioner is really the best for your property, so it’s best to work with an experienced professional to ensure that your air conditioning installation service in Fairfield will give you the cooling you need and want for your home.

Factors to Consider

There is one important question to answer when sizing a new air conditioning system: how much cooling do you really need? The answer lies in calculating a number of factors together in order to get the correct answer, and it’s a calculation that is best done with your Bartel’s Heating & Cooling expert.

Here are 3 important factors to consider when sizing for a new AC:

  • Levels of insulation throughout your home – just as insulation is important for keeping heat in your home during winter, it is just as important in keeping the warm air outside during summer. Knowing exactly how your home is insulated, and at what R-level, is a big part of the cooling calculation, and one that should not be missed or overlooked.
  • Floor plan design – the floor plan design of your home doesn’t just describe the layout, it also indicates how air will flow through the property. For air conditioning, there is a big difference between floor plans that are open versus floor plans that have multiple, walled rooms. For instance, you can have two homes that are both 2,000 square feet in size, but if one has an open floor plan, the cool air is going to move very differently through it as compared to the one that doesn’t.
  • Daily heat gain – every home takes on heat throughout the day, but does so at different rates and temperatures. Different factors go into heat gain, such as the orientation of your property, types of windows, natural and indoor shading, etc. Heat gain can raise the temperature in a home anywhere from 10-15 degrees during the summer months, so knowing how many degrees your home gains during the day is an important factor to know before purchasing your new air conditioner.

Make the Calculation Correctly with an Expert

Bartel’s Heating & Cooling has been conducted air conditioning installation in Fairfield since 1973. Our technicians understand how important it is to calculate correctly for the right-sized air conditioner for your property. If you are ready to install a new AC but aren’t sure what size to purchase, call Bartel’s Heating & Cooling today and schedule a consultation with one of our experts.

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How to Know When You Need to Replace Your Water Heater

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Indoor plumbing was one of the first great advances for home convenience. Then came heated indoor plumbing—an amazing plus. Now we accept both as standard parts of our daily lives. Although you can expect always to have a steady supply of water entering your house (barring a serious issue with the municipal supply or break in the water main), the water heater responsible for bringing you hot water for showering, cleaning, and cooking will eventually wear down and need replacement. It’s best to watch for early signs of the decline of a water heater so you don’t get caught without hot water one day and need to schedule an emergency water heater replacement. Here are a few warnings to watch for that could indicate that the water heater is in its final days.

When it’s time for a new water heater in Fairfield, OH, call the experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling. We install, replace, repair, and maintain top models.

Signs of a failing water heater

  • Rapidly running out of hot water: If it seems that your shower is going colder much earlier than it should, or if family members are complaining about the lack of hot water in the house, look into the age of your water heater. If it has exceeded its estimated lifespan, then the problem is likely that the system can no longer efficiently supply energy to the water. Call for technicians to see if the system can be repaired of if replacement is the more cost-effective option.
  • Rust discoloration in the water: The greatest enemy that your water heater can face is corrosion. Once rust enters the tank it will rapidly destroy the system. A water heater will resist corrosion for most of its service life, but eventually corrosion will begin to take hold, and this means the water heater must be replaced. When rust-colored water flows out of the hot water taps, it’s time to call for water heater replacement.
  • Decline in water temperature: When a water heater is too old, it will start to struggle to reach its regular temperature. If you schedule repairs, but they only restore the water temperature for a limited time, then the system has likely passed the point of no return and you should consult with a plumber regarding new installation.

You can always call for experts to look over your heater to see if it is indeed past help from targeted repairs. The professionals can help you choose a new system and install it quickly so you will have your steady supply of water returned to you.

For service or replacement for a water heater in Fairfield, OH, please call our skilled team at Bartels Heating & Cooling. We also offer 24-hour emergency repairs.

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Components of Your Home that Can Affect Your New Air Conditioner

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Ohio summers bring the heat, and one of the best ways to beat the heat is the installation of a whole-house air conditioning system. Air conditioners have come a long way in the last decade, providing cool air more efficiently while also reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted. But an air conditioning system purchase is a big one no matter how you look at it, and ensuring you’ve gotten an air conditioner that fits your home is one of our specialties at Bartel’s Heating & Cooling.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing Your Air Conditioner

In order to ensure that you are purchasing an air conditioner that satisfies the amount of cooling you’ll need for your home, your Fairfield air conditioning installation will require a calculation that involves several components. Some of these components are:

  • Orientation (the direction your property faces) – orientation can affect the daily heat gain of your property
  • Insulation levels – just as insulation is important for holding in heat during winter, it does the same for the cool air during summer
  • Any existing ductwork – older ductwork can be in need of repair or possible replacement to help mitigate potential air loss with a new system
  • Floor plans – an open floor plan has a very different indoor air flow from a multi-room floor plan, something that can affect how your home cools
  • Square footage – how much area needs to be cooled
  • Daytime heat gain – your home will gain heat throughout the day from sunlight and rising temperatures; it is important to know exactly how much heat your home gains in order to determine how much cooling it needs to counteract the heat gain

Why Are These Factors Important?

Each of these factors helps to answer the question, “how much cooling does my property need?” Every home has its own answer to this question, even if one home has the same square footage as another. These factors are also important in helping to determine how much energy efficiency you want in your air conditioner, and what type of air conditioning system you want (i.e., traditional split system, ductless, etc.)

As you can see, multiple components need to be factored in to any new air conditioning installation. For over 40 years, Bartel’s Heating & Cooling has conducted multiple Fairfield air conditioning installations, helping our customers attain the right air conditioner for their property. Not sure about what air conditioner is right for you? Call Bartel’s Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment for an estimate with one of our experts.

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