Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating’

How to Prevent Furnace Repair

Monday, October 2nd, 2017

heating-furnace-repair-technicianMost people never call in a contractor until something in the home breaks. And yet, when it comes to your heating system, many of the repairs you make within a year are largely preventable. The furnace is something you want to avoid repairing in the middle of the winter, when you need your heating system the most. Getting ahead of furnace repairs and maintenance early in the season will help you keep things under control later on.

Let our expert technicians help you understand why it’s important to keep a furnace well-maintained, and what you can do to prevent repairs. Follow these tips in order to make sure you’re safe and comfortable in colder weather.

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Which Heating Installation Is Best for Your Home?

Monday, September 18th, 2017

natural-gas-burners-flame-furnaceThe chill of winter gives you an excuse to curl up in bed with a blanket for a little longer, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to keep warm. Of course, your home’s central heating system is the most effective way to cool off, assuming you have one that’s the right fit. Sizing, efficiency rating, style of heater, and more have an effect on whether you feel warm enough throughout the winter (and not just on lazy mornings spent in bed).

Let our heating experts help you locate the best heating installation for your home—before temperatures drop any more. Give yourself time to consider your options, if you can. Contact our team, and check out the guide below for a primer on the best heating installations for any home.

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3 Reasons to Replace an Older Thermostat

Monday, February 20th, 2017

thermostat-manual-dialThe thermostat is the only part of the heating and air conditioning systems you really interact with. So by now, you may have gotten used to the settings or perhaps the little peculiarities of the controls. Many people keep the same thermostat around for years, even after major heating repairs or even system replacements.

But if you have an older thermostat that has not been replaced for quite a while—perhaps not since before you moved in—it’s time to consider moving on. You can get a thermostat that is much easier to navigate or has far more options than you’re working with now.

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Boiler Kettling: What Is It? Should I Be Worried?

Monday, January 23rd, 2017

Bang! Pop! Clank! We’ve heard homeowners describe a common boiler noise in many different ways, but it’s usually the same culprit: kettling.

Boiler kettling is something that has many causes and many solutions, but the fact remains that you should always have a professional heating technician provide the service it needs. This is the only person who knows just how to diagnose the issue and how to safely make repairs without causing further harm.

Still, it’s nice to know what may be the cause, and whether or not your home is in danger. Check out more on the basics of kettling in a boiler in the guide below.question-mark

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The Right Thermostat Setting for Heating Efficiency

Monday, October 24th, 2016

It’s one of the great debates of many households: which temperature should you set the thermostat to when it’s cold out? It’s difficult to say, since each person may have a different preference, but we do have a few recommendations for better energy and fuel efficiency. If you want to save money on heating costs this year, talk to your family about implementing these changes.

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The Dangers of Using a Space Heater

Monday, December 28th, 2015

Many homeowners have the one room or space in their home that just doesn’t ever seem to warm up during the winter months. It can be annoying and frustrating to deal with a problem like this, as you don’t want to raise the temperature throughout your entire home just to warm up this one spot. A solution for many dealing with this issue is to purchase and use a space heater, but this is ill-advised for a few reasons that we’ll outline below.

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Can a Furnace Be Damaged by Clogged Filters?

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015

You 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.

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Heating Options for the Winter Season

Wednesday, October 8th, 2014

As we begin to move into the cold months of winter, people are beginning to think about the state of their heating system. After maintenance and repairs, upgrades are the most common reason that HVAC professionals are called during this season. If the sheer amount of options for heating your home this winter seems daunting, don’t worry. We’ve assembled some information to help you make the right choice.

Furnaces

A furnace is a quite common and reliable option for heating your home. Furnaces are the core of forced air systems, heating air through combustion and circulating it throughout the house using a fan. Oil, wood, and natural gas are common fuel sources, though natural gas is the most widely available.

Boilers

Boilers distribute heat through water instead of air. This necessitates running pipes throughout the house instead of ductwork. There are a number of options for boiler systems, often referred to as “radiant” heating systems. Baseboard heaters and radiators are more traditional methods of distributing the thermal energy throughout the home. Recently, however, pipes installed in the walls and subfloor of a room have also become popular. Boilers, like furnaces, can burn a number of fuels. Again, natural gas tends to be the most common.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are forced air systems that have a couple of unique advantages associated with them. The first advantage is that a heat pump can operate as both a heater and air conditioner. This is accomplished through a reversing valve that can reverse the flow of refrigerant between the indoor and outdoor units of the heat pump. This obviously saves you the cost of having one unit for each function, as most homes do.

A heat pump is named for its ability to move heat from one space to another. When in heating mode, the outdoor unit will actually absorb thermal energy from the air around it and direct it into the house. Utilizing this thermal energy saves money on your heating bills, because the heat pump doesn’t have to work as hard as other heating systems. This is the second advantage to installing a heat pump.

If you are interested in installing a new heating system for your home in Hamilton this winter, call Bartels Heating & Cooling.

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How the Thermostat Affects Your Heating

Friday, March 28th, 2014

In many ways, the answer to how the thermostat affects your heating in West Chester, OH is self-evident. The thermostat controls when your heater turns on and off, allowing you to precisely control the temperature in your home and raise or lower it when circumstances dictate. Any homeowner can tell you that. The real question becomes how a faulty or broken thermostat affects your heating.

A thermostat can evince problems stemming from a number of sources, including problems with the activation mechanism and an inability to accurately read the temperature. Whatever the cause, the problems soon become apparent. In some cases, the heater won’t turn on when it’s supposed to or will turn off before it has finished warming your home. In other cases, it can keep running well after the household is warm, raising temperatures until they are actively uncomfortable. Sometimes a faulty thermostat can result in rapid cycle, which means the heater turns on and off very quickly multiple times in a short period. This can waste a great deal of energy, as well as increasing wear and tear on the system as a whole.

You might also have a problem with the placement of your thermostat. Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with the unit itself, but because it’s placed in a spot with a high draft, or it lies in an area that gets an excessive amount of sunlight. In those cases, it will often misread the temperature and turn on and off when you don’t need it to. Correcting the issue means moving the location of the thermostat itself rather than correcting any kind of internal problem.

Regardless of the cause of the issue, a good technician can identify it and correct it for you. Bartels Heating & Cooling knows how the thermostat affects your heating in West Chester, OH, and we have the expertise to correct whatever problems may be plaguing it. If your thermostat is faulty or even if you just need it moved somewhere that more accurately reflects the temperature, then pick up the phone and give us a call today. You’ll be glad you did!

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Why Invest in a Variable Speed Furnace?

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

Winter is slowly coming to an end, and with it comes a chance to replace your old, outdated furnace with a new one. Here in Hamilton, OH, a great heating system is absolutely necessary to keep your home cozy and comfortable in the winter, and installing a new furnace is a chance to add some new bells and whistles to your system. For example, you may want to invest in a variable speed furnace, which allows you to adjust the blower between high speeds and low speeds. Why invest in a variable speed furnace? The shortest answer is because it can save you money.

Using the blower’s lower speed means that the air doesn’t distribute as quickly and it takes longer to heat your home. On the other hand, that doesn’t not matter on mild days when the temperatures don’t get that low, and it can save a lot of energy. A lower speed can still get your home to the temperature you want quickly, and the setting means that you’ll save money in the process. When temperatures get colder, you can use the higher setting to keep your home comfortable.

Variable speed furnaces improve the resale value of the home they’re in because of their flexibility. Many of them are programmable, which allows you to further tailor the speed with which you receive heated air to ensure the maximum amount of savings. And because the technology involved is reasonably simple, you can count on a standard technician to perform repairs instead of hunting around for a specialist.

For more on why you should invest in a variable speed furnace, or to discuss your heating options in general, contact Bartels Heating & Cooling. We have years of experience handling heating issues of all varieties, and we can help you determine the best time to replace your old worn-out furnace with one that offers a few more options to save you money. If you need Hamilton, OH furnace service, pick up the phone and schedule an appointment today!

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