Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Fairfield’

3 Great Options for Quality Heating

Monday, September 30th, 2013

With the numerous advances in comfort systems during the last half century, your options for heating in Fairfield, OH are more expansive than they once were. You no longer need to rely on a standard boiler or furnace when it’s time to install a new system. In this post, we’ll go over 3 options that have gained popularity with Ohio residents over the past decades. One of them might be the right alternative for heating your home this winter.

However, and this is important to know, not every system matches every home. It takes someone with years of HVAC training to gauge which heater fits the unique needs of a house. A bit of knowledge will help you narrow down your choices, but don’t make a final decision unless you have a professional opinion. At Bartels Heating & Cooling, we have NATE-certified technicians ready to give you the advice necessary to make the correct choice and we’ll perform the installation when you’re ready.

Heat pumps

A heater and air conditioner in one! A heat pump is like an AC in most ways—except it can change the direction of heat exchange so it extracts heat from the outside and moves it inside. Heat pumps sometimes need supplemental heat for very low temperatures.

Radiant heating

People have used the warmth radiated from heated objects for millennia: from a hot rock placed in a bed to the old fashioned radiator. But the new radiant heating systems use hydronic (and sometimes electric) power to warm pipes set into your floor to give you an even, efficient, and remarkably cozy heating performance. They also help with air quality since they don’t have to blow air through ducts that can become clogged with dust.

Geothermal systems

You can go green while still keeping warm! A geothermal heat pump extracts heat from the earth through coils buried near your house that carry a water or antifreeze solution. And, like a standard heat pump, the process can reverse to provide cooling. Geothermal systems are highly energy-efficient because they use little fuel to get the job done.

One, or maybe all three, of these options has probably got you excited about the potential benefits. Contact Bartels Heating & Cooling right away to talk over the possibilities. We can schedule an appointment to see how to get the heating in your Fairfield, OH home up to a new level of comfort.

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Proper Sizing and a Successful Furnace Installation

Monday, September 16th, 2013

In Ohio towns like Fairfield, furnace installation is a serious business. Your furnace will keep your home warm and cozy during the long winter months, and you want it to perform as efficiently as possible. That starts with the installation, which should be performed by a qualified specialist utilizing quality parts. But before installation can begin, you need to make sure you have the right furnace for the job. Proper sizing plays a vital role in a successful furnace installation operation.

Furnace efficiency is measured in BTU (British Thermal Units) per hour. Input BTU measures the amount of fuel the furnace consumes, while Output BTU measures the actual amount of heat generated. So if you have a furnace with a input BTU of 90,000 that burns at 90 percent efficiency, you will have an output BTU of  81,000. The heat generated needs to match the space and heating requirements of your home. A professional installer will measure the square footage, evaluate things like insulation and sunlight exposure, and calculate the Output BTU required to heat that area successfully.

It’s an important process because it ensures that your furnace is the most efficient it can be. Call it the Goldilocks dilemma: if the furnace is too small, it won’t heat your house properly. If it’s too large, it will cycle on and off rapidly, expending unnecessary energy and raising your bills (as well as inflicting needless wear and tear on the system). Neither state is one you want, and once the furnace is installed, it’s going to take a lot of time and money to remove it and install another one.  Installation should take place only after the specialist has properly sized the home and made his recommendations.

If you’re thinking about replacing your furnace, don’t hesitate to call upon the experts. Bartels Heating & Cooling offers professional furnace installation in Fairfield, Ohio –  call us today to schedule an estimate!

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Air Conditioning Repair Question: My Geothermal System Won’t Cool

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Geothermal systems use a series of pipes buried in the soil to transfer heat between the ground and your house. In the summertime, the system absorbs heat out from your building and discharges it in the soil. In the winter, the process is reversed, as the system absorbs heat from the ground in order to warm your home. In Fairfield, OH, air conditioning specialists like Bartel’s Heating & Cooling have geothermal system experts available to address problems when they arise. If your geothermal system won’t cool for some reason, it’s time to give them a call.

Problems with a geothermal system can stem from a number of sources. Closed-loop systems use a heat exchanger to transfer heat between the antifreeze that circulates underground and the refrigerant in the heat pump, which heat or cools the air that is circulated in your home. A leak of either component could affect the system’s ability to cool your house. A trained professional can recharge the refrigerant or add additional levels of antifreeze, as wells as identifying the source of the leak and sealing it up.

Open loop systems, on the other hand, often use water in the underground loops; if the water flow is disrupted or cut off by damaged components within the system itself, it will impact the system’s ability to generate cool air. Dirty coils and filters in the heat pump could interfere with cool air as well, disrupting the flow of air and possibly affecting the pressure elsewhere in the system. It may also be a problem with the thermostat itself, which usually needs to be set to cool the house in the summer and heat the house in the winter. If it hasn’t been set properly, it may not be circulating cool air like it should.

Regardless of the causes, a non-functioning geothermal system requires trained experts to properly diagnose and repair. Bartel’s Heating & Cooling offers comprehensive geothermal maintenance and repair services. Our professional staff can diagnose your problem quickly, and we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction.

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Can Poor Indoor Air Quality Indicate a Need for Air Conditioning Repair?

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

Your home’s air conditioning system circulates a ton of air throughout your entire home. Because of that, it should come as no surprise that your AC and your home’s indoor air quality are closely related. So what does the quality of your home’s air say about your air conditioner? Here at Bartels Heating and Cooling, we wanted to put together a quick explanation of the correlation between air conditioning and air quality. Call us if you need any kind of air conditioning repair in Fairfield, OH, and our technicians will be able to get your AC back up and working again quickly.

So what are the signs that your home’s air quality is suffering? Here are just a few of them:

  • Humidity issues – You can probably tell very easily if your home’s air is too dry or too humid. If you have humid air, you will likely notice a stuffy and muggy feeling in your home. If your home’s air is too dry, you may feel itchy because of dry skin; you may also experience more nose bleeds or dry, scratchy throat. If your home is having problems with humidity, particularly if your home gets humid this summer, it could be a sign that your air conditioning system isn’t working well. Your AC will naturally dehumidify the air in your home be extracting moisture out of it in the form of condensation. If your air conditioner has low refrigerant, a clogged air filter, frozen coils or a broken compressor, it might not be able to properly cool your air or dehumidify it.
  • Allergies – If you or someone in your families suffers from allergies, you might start to notice that they’re sneezing more often or that their eyes are itchy and red. Allergies can be triggered by dust and other indoor air pollutants in your home. If you notice excess dust or strange odors coming from your home AC system, it could meant that you need duct repair. Holes or leaks in your ducts can allow outside contaminants to get into your home’s air supply. Problems with your condensate drain can also cause some allergens to form on the AC unit itself.

Maintaining your air conditioning system, including occasional duct cleaning, can help keep the air in your home clean. If you need Fairfield, OH that you need, make sure that you call the specialists at Bartels Heating & Cooling.

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Using Your Air Conditioning More Efficiently

Monday, July 15th, 2013

During the heat and humidity of the summer months, you need to make sure that your cooling system works effectively. Its cooling output needs to satisfy your cooling demands. But another important consideration to keep in mind is that it also needs to cool efficiently. Running your AC is probably one of the chief expenses during the summer months, and with electrical energy costs ever on the rise, energy efficiency should always be a top priority. In today’s post, we’d like to look at some ways you can use your air conditioning more efficiently.

  • Programmable thermostat: One of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to your existing AC is to ensure that you have a programmable, digital thermostat installed in your home. The thermostat is your primary user interface, and as such, it needs to be up to date. Older, conventional thermostats  are only “on” or “off”, whereas programmable thermostat allow you to automatically adjust the temperature depending on the time of say and other factors.
  • Zone control system: A zone control system is also a highly effective way of improving your energy efficiency, though it’s a little more involved than just a simple thermostat swap. It involves the installation of electronically controlled dampers at strategic points in your ductwork that divide your home into separately controlled zones. Each zone has its own thermostat so that you can minimize the cooling in one area of your home and prioritize it in others.
  • Keep your air filter clean: Make sure that your air filter is clean at all times. This relatively inexpensive but crucial part must be kept free of dirt, dust, and other debris if you want excellent cooling performance as well as energy efficiency. When it becomes clogged with debris, then it blocks airflow and makes your system work harder for the same amount of cooling.

Call the Fairfield, OH air conditioning technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling today to hear about what we can do for your home comfort.

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Air Conditioning Tip: Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Repair Services

Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

It’s the case for most things in life that if you put off dealing with problems that they will only get worse. Your air conditioning system is no exception. It is usually best to call for professional air conditioning repair in Fairfield, OH as soon as you suspect that you’re having any AC problems. Call the friendly experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling today to talk with us about any services that you need. Here is a quick explanation of why you should never put off necessary air conditioning repair services.

  • Comfort – If your air conditioning system isn’t working well, it likely means that your hose isn’t as comfortable as it should be. Whether your air conditioner isn’t producing enough cooling or if it is making a strange noise, call early so that your house can return to normal.
  • Avoid larger issues – If your AC unit is having problems, you might be able to keep those problems from developing into even more complex issues by calling for repair as soon as you notice something is wrong.
  • Avoid long-term damage – Often, your air conditioning system can suffer severe damage from very small issues. Even something as seemingly insignificant as an air filter can actually cause tremendous damage if it is allowed to persist. Not only cause these types of problems cause immediate repairs, but they could also impact the life expectancy of your air conditioning system.

One of the best ways to avoid repairs is to get your system regularly maintained by a professional. During regular maintenance visits, your technician will thoroughly inspect, clean and repair every component of your system. This will allow them to find any small problems that could be developing and fix them early. Not only could this potentially help you avoid repairs, but it could also increase the efficiency of your system and extend the life of your equipment.

If you need air conditioning repair in Fairfield, OH, make sure that you call Bartels Heating & Cooling.

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3 Great Benefits of Routine Air Conditioning Maintenance

Wednesday, June 12th, 2013

As the heat of summer quickly approaches, many homes are starting to run their AC systems a lot more. We all want to stay comfortable in our homes and we need our air conditioners to run well in order to make that happen. We often get asked about how homeowners can get more consistent performance from their AC and potentially avoid repairs. Scheduling preventive maintenance is a great way to potentially make that happen. As you run your air conditioning system it will naturally start to degrade and develop problems. Those problems will likely turn into more costly and larger repair issues without the intervention of a professional. Here at Bartels Heating & Cooling, we offer complete services for all different types and brands of AC systems in Fairfield, OH. Check out a few of the benefits of getting regular  air conditioning maintenance.

  • Potentially reduce repair – One of the most attractive potential benefits to regular AC maintenance is that it could reduce the instances of repair. During regular maintenance, the experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling will thoroughly inspect every aspect of your home’s AC system. We will look for those small problems and fix them before they cause any further damage.
  • Extended life – Air conditioning system can actually be severely damaged by small problems that are allowed to fester and linger. By getting regular air conditioning maintenance you could be able to extend the life of your air conditioning system by fixing those issues early.
  • Increased efficiency – The small problems that your air conditioning system develops over time can cause it to have to work harder to cool your home—which reduces its efficiency. By finding the repairing those problems you could be able to return some of that lost efficiency to your air conditioning system.

For all your Fairfield, OH air conditioning repair, installation and maintenance service you need, call Bartels Heating & Cooling. We can fix any problem that your air conditioner might be having and we are dedicated to your complete satisfaction.

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Upgrading Your Air Conditioning System

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Is your AC no longer operating as it once did? Do you have trouble keeping your home cool during the hotter months of the year? If you’re considering upgrading your Fairfield, OH air conditioning system, spring is a great time to do so. Not only do you eliminate the risk of a major breakdown when the heat and humidity are at their highest levels, but you also ensure that your AC will operate at a high level of energy efficiency this summer. Because it’s one of the major energy costs during the summer, your AC needs special attention. For more information about Fairfield, OH air conditioning services, call the experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling today!

Let’s take a look at some things to consider:

  • SEER rating: You may have already come across the acronym SEER, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It’s a national standard that seeks to estimate the ratio between electrical energy input and cooling output. All air conditioning units are given one when they are manufactured and it’s a fairly good indicator of how efficiently your air conditioning system will be. The higher the number the better the efficiency.
  • Ducts or no ducts? Upgrading your air conditioner is an opportunity to consider moving to a ductless mini split system. These systems do not use ducts to distribute cool air throughout your home; rather, multiple indoor air handlers are installed directly in your living space, typically high on a wall, or recessed in the ceiling. They are highly efficiency because of their design, and the fact that ducts can account for up to 30% of energy loss.
  • Heat pump: If you previously had a central air, consider a heat pump. They operate according to the same refrigerant cycle as an air conditioner, but they can also heat your home in the winter. They offer year-round comfort and are highly energy-efficient. They can also be combined with furnaces.

For more information about upgrading your air conditioning system in Fairfield, OH, call the experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling today!

 

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Using a Zone Control System with Your Air Conditioning System

Monday, April 15th, 2013

If you have a forced-air distribution system, then you know that you often end up cooling parts of your living space that are unoccupied. Without anyone there to enjoy that cool air, it is a waste of energy. Energy costs are high enough as it is. Fortunately, there is an efficient solution to such problems. For Fairfield, OH air conditioning services, including zone control systems, call the experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling today!

Let’s learn more about zone control systems:

  • What it is: A zone control system is a set of dampers, thermostats, and other devices that integrate into your existing central AC unit. A professional will visit your home and install electronically controlled dampers that control the passage of cool airflow at particular points in your ductwork. These are assigned to thermostats linked to the air handler.
  • How it works: A zone control system works by utilizing this zone division of your ductwork, and gives you the ability to control each one separately from the others. Whereas before you had only a single adjustment for the entire space of your home, with a zone control system, you can fine-tune and customize the zones of your home.
  • Why it’s a good idea: A zone control system is a good idea because it will improve both the energy efficiency of your home as well as your home comfort. Not only will you be able to shut off the cooling to parts of your home that are hardly used, but you will also be able to configure the temperature of your bedroom differently than that of your kitchen. The one-size-fits-all is an outdate approach. Control your indoor climate while saving energy in the process.

For more information, or to learn about whether your AC can be integrated with a zone control system, call the Fairfield, OH air conditioning experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling today!

 

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Common Types of Air Conditioning Repair

Monday, April 8th, 2013

While we have only just left winter behind, spring is a great time to ensure that our air conditioning systems are ready to go when the summer heat arrives. While there are various types and brands of air conditioning systems installed throughout the area, there are some common air conditioning problems. In this post, we’d like to provide an overview of them, and to describe their possible causes. If your AC doesn’t operate properly, make sure you hire a trained professional. For air conditioning repair in Fairfield, OH, call Bartels Heating & Cooling.

  • Inadequate cooling: If you find that your AC no longer operates as it once did, or you notice a sudden drop-off in its ability to cool your home, then you probably need air conditioning repair. While it may be something as simple as a dirty or clogged air filter, it could also indicate a frozen coil, or a mechanical problem with the blower motor. It’s important not to delay the process of repair because it could lead to further damage.
  • Hot spots: This stems from inadequate cooling, but more particularly from the lack of cooling in a particular section of your home. While it may seem like an enigma that this or that corner can’t cool down, it’s most likely due to a system imbalance. This can stem from a crack or leak in your ductwork. If your ducts cannot adequately extract hot air and replenish cool air, then that cool air may simply not reach certain parts of your home. Your air handler may need to be adjusted. If you have a zone control system installed, then one of your electric dampers may be stuck.
  • Frozen coils: Perhaps the most common cause of a frozen evaporator coil is a clogged air filter. Because of their proximity to each other, if cool air cannot pass through the filter, it tends to build up in the air handler, causing the coil to frost over. Alternatively, there may be a problem with the blower motor itself.

We hope that this gives you some indication about the various types of problems that arise during the course of your air conditioner’s working life. Make sure to get any problems diagnosed by a professional. For air conditioning repair in Fairfield, OH, call Bartels Heating & Cooling today! 

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