DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog : Archive for January, 2014

Is My Thermostat Causing Problems with My Heating System?

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

It’s good to keep your thermostat in mind whenever you have issues with your furnace, heat pump, or boiler. No matter what type of heater you have, if the thermostat won’t work, the heater won’t work.

For heating repair in Oradell, NJ that extends from your thermostat to the innermost workings of your heater, call DB Heating & Cooling.

How Your Thermostat May be Causing Problems

The most frequent difficulty that heating specialists see with thermostats is a miscalibration in the heat sensor. Modern thermostats use a device called a thermistor to gauge heat; a thermistor registers electrical resistance that increases with the ambient heat, which a processor then translates into data for the system to read. A fault in the thermistor will make it sense incorrect temperatures, and it will start turning your heater on and off at the wrong times, leading to uneven heating or too much heating. Sometimes, the miscalibration will cause the heater not to turn on at all. Technicians can easily recalibrate the thermostat.

Electrical trouble can also plague thermostats. Most thermostats are connected to the heating system using five different wires, which control turning the heater and the fans on and off. Crossed and broken wires can cause the thermostat to lose its connection to the heater, or cause the heater and the fans to run continuously. Repair technicians with knowledge of thermostat wiring will need to fix this problem.

If you have an older manual thermostat, or even a standard digital model, you should consider upgrading to a programmable or wireless model. Even if the old thermostat isn’t creating “problems” for your heater, it is probably making it less efficient.

If you do not have training with HVAC repair, you will not be able to easily determine if a thermostat is causing the problems you are encountering with your heater. Professionals will need to make the diagnosis so they can provide targeted repairs.

DB Heating & Cooling is glad to assist you with any thermostat issues, as well as any heating repairs in Oradell, NJ that you might need.

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Is There Such a Thing as a “Best” Heating Option?

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

You want the best you can afford for your home and your family, and that certainly extends to finding the best option for heating your home—especially during a fierce winter. But with so many options available today for heating systems, it may seem impossible to find the “best.” Does such a thing actually exist?

Yes, it does. But that “best” is not the same for everyone. There is an optimal choice for heating your home somewhere on the market, but to find it, you will need the assistance of professionals who can put their knowledge and equipment to work to analyze your home’s heating needs.

For assistance finding the best, call DB Heating & Cooling. We are fully insured and EPA-certified to deliver you quality assistance on heating in Emerson, NJ.

Some Options

The most popular types of heating systems are furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps. However, that only scratches the surface, since these systems come in a variety of models and sizes. Furnaces, which heat air and then distribute it through ductwork, can run from electricity, natural gas, or propane. Boilers, which circulate heated water to baseboard heaters or radiators, can use electricity, natural gas, or oil. Heat pumps, which use electricity to move heat from one place to another and can also function as air conditioners, have many different options across models.

How to Narrow Your Selection

First, call up a professional HVAC contractor and arrange for a heat load calculation to be done for your home. A heat load calculation takes into account the many factors in your home that contribute to heat loss and gain: insulation, square footage, number of windows, heat given off from appliances, number of people in the house, etc. This complex equation will tell you what capacity you need in your heating system.

The heating expert will then work with you to combine your budget and your available fuel source to determine a heating system that will 1) provide you sufficient heat; 2) do so at a cost-effective level, and 3) function with your current energy supply.

Professional installation is vital for getting the top performance from your heater. Let the same company that helped you select the heater also install it. DB Heating & Cooling is ready to help you make your choice and then install your new heating in Emerson, NJ so you can enjoy a safe and cozy winter.

 

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There’s Rust on My Furnace, Should I Call for Repairs?

Monday, January 13th, 2014

Furnaces do not use water in their heating cycle the way that hydronic systems like boilers do. It would seem strange for rust to form on a gas furnace—yet it still happens. If you discover rust on your furnace, you may need repairs—or even a replacement furnace. Regardless of the outcome, you should call professionals to take a look at your heating system to decide the best path to take.

DB Heating & Cooling has technicians ready 24 hours a day to work on your furnace repair in Bergen County, NJ. Don’t delay calling, because a rusty gas furnace is a potential safety hazard.

Rust and your furnace

Rust can occur on a gas furnace because of the reaction of combustion fumes and metal. Usually, the proper venting of exhaust will prevent this from occurring, so if you have a newer furnace and notice rust developing on it, you may have ineffective venting.

However, even with the vents working right, rust can start on a very old furnace. If your furnace is over 20 years old, the appearance of rust is often a sign that you should schedule a replacement. A furnace that has worked effectively for 20 years has more than lived up to its potential, and it is probably time to retire it before it retires itself—at a very inconvenient time.

Rust poses a particular danger to your furnace and you: corrosion across the heat exchanger. If a heat exchanger starts to corrode, it can develop cracks which will allow carbon monoxide exhaust to escape into the cabinet and possibly into your living spaces. This is why you should always take rust seriously and summon repairs when you notice it. A technician will be able to fix any problem and offer advice about whether the time has come to replace the furnace. If you gas to heat your home, you should also have carbon monoxide detectors installed.

Regular maintenance will help

You can help avoid rust in the first place with regular preventive maintenance. If you enroll in a maintenance program with a professional HVAC contractor, you will receive a yearly check-up on your furnace that will catch rust and the venting problems that can lead to it. A maintenance specialist will replace any damaged heat exchangers. Your furnace will run safer, and it will also run more efficiently.

DB Heating & Cooling offers customized maintenance plans to take care of your furnace. We can also handle any furnace repair in Bergen County, NJ, from corrosion to burned-out motors. Don’t hesitate if there’s an issue with your furnace: call DB Heating & Cooling today.

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AFUE: How Furnace Efficiency Is Measured

Monday, January 6th, 2014

You are ready for a new furnace in your Emerson, NJ home. However, trying to decode and navigate all the statistics on your various choices for heating installation can be bewildering, and without help you have a good chance of purchasing a furnace that will not only give you inadequate warmth, but will also perform inefficiently.

In this post, we’ll explain one of the most important stats to know about when picking a furnace: AFUE, which measures how efficient the heater uses burns a fuel to heat your home. However, you’ll need even more information than this to make the best choice, so call on DB Heating & Cooling for the assistance you will need.

AFUE = Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency

AFUE stands for “annual fuel utilization efficiency,” and it is a measure of how effective combustion devices like furnace and boilers operate. Unlike a steady state, peak measure of heating efficiency, which is done over a short period, AFUE measures the average heat output over a full year.

AFUE is expressed as a percentage. The percentage is a measure of how much energy the furnace converts into useful heat. The higher the AFUE percentage, the less fuel the furnace wastes during the conversion. For example, for a mid-efficiency furnace that has an AFUE of 84%, the furnace creates 84 BTUs (British Thermal Units) for every 100 BTUs of natural gas put into it. This means a waste of only 16% of the available fuel.

Modern furnaces, especially natural gas furnaces, score high AFUE ratings. Older furnaces used to have only AFUE of 55-65%, but today many can score in the 90s. This is one of the reasons furnaces remain popular today for heating homes.

AFUE and selecting a furnace

Having a high-fuel efficiency furnace can means large energy savings. However, AFUE only measures the direct production of heat, and does not account for heat loss from other sources, such as from ducts and home insulation leaks. Therefore, although AFUE is an important factor in picking a furnace, it should not be the only factor. A high-efficiency furnace may save money with efficient heat, but that heating may not actually be effective. This is why you should have professional installers assist you in picking a furnace so that you get a model that will deliver you the combination of effective heating and efficient energy use that will work the best for you.

DB Heating & Cooling works on jobs both large and small when it comes to furnace installation in Emerson, NJ. We will help you find the furnace that will match your home and your family, and give you pleasant winters for many years to come.

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