DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog

How Your Indoor Air Can Impact Your AC Performance

April 29th, 2019

top-view-of-an-outdoor-air-conditioning-unitDid you know that the quality of your indoor air can actually be worse than the outdoor air? This is especially true for humidity. Humidity is something we’re all too familiar with here in the summertime. It’s when there is excessive moisture in the air that it’s harder for us to cool off, since we can’t sweat. High humidity can even cause health problems.

The relative humidity in your home can quickly climb above 50% at this time of year, when it actually should be between 30%–50%. We’re going to talk about this more below, in addition to what it means for you and your health, as well as the health of your air conditioner. Remember, your air conditioner does have some dehumidification properties, but it’s not designed to effectively reduce your relative humidity level to where it should be.

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Why Do Heat Pumps Need Tune-Ups Twice a Year?

April 15th, 2019

white-question-mark-on-blue-circleSpringtime is typically when we encourage homeowners to schedule annual maintenance for their air conditioners. This is a season when HVAC technicians usually have less crowded schedules since they’re responding to fewer emergency calls for broken down heaters or air conditioners, and therefore it’s easier to schedule this HVAC service in Bergen County, NJ.

During maintenance, our professionals do a thorough cleaning, make adjustments, and check for repair needs, to make sure your air conditioner is ready for the season ahead. But… what if you have a heat pump that you use for heating and cooling? It was just maintained back in fall, do you really need a tune-up again?

Well, yes.

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Have You Scheduled AC Maintenance Yet?

April 1st, 2019

air-conditioner-being-worked-onTemperatures are still cool, but with spring officially here now is the time to start preparing for warmer weather. Part of this preparation is scheduling your air conditioning system’s annual maintenance appointment.

There are a few small tasks you can do on your own when it comes to maintaining your cooling system. For instance, you should be changing its air filter every 1–3 months during periods of use (same goes for your forced-air heater), but only a trained and experienced technician can manage the numerous tasks involved with professional AC tune-ups.

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What Boiler Scaling Is, and Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It

March 18th, 2019

gas-pressure-valve-on-boilerHave you ever been told by a plumbing professional that your boiler has been affected by boiler scale? Another name for it is boiler deposits. You might not be sure whether to take this issue seriously as it’s not blaringly obvious that something is wrong with your boiler. In fact, scaling in boilers is actually common.

High levels of minerals in your water—namely, calcium and magnesium—get left behind in the boiler tank and tubes, which can lead to reduction in heat along with a loud banging noise indicating damage is being done inside. That said, if you’re wondering if it’s dangerous for your boiler, yes, it is!

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Do Ductless Heaters Have Unique Repair Needs?

March 4th, 2019

person-turning-on-ductless-air-handlerWhen customers ask us what the best options are for new HVAC systems today, we are quick to suggest ductless heating (and cooling). The reason for this is how efficient and effective these systems are. Rather than operating through a network of air ducts connected to an indoor air handler, like a traditional central air conditioner or furnace, ductless systems have an outdoor unit to which you can connect up to four indoor air handlers. These air handlers are mounted up high on the walls of the rooms in which they are installed, and can be controlled independently of each other.

There are a number of good reasons to go ductless in your home. There are equally good reasons to only trust a professional for the installation! Today, we’re going to look at a downside to ductless systems if yours is not professionally installed. It’s nothing awful, but it requires attention nonetheless. If you don’t know what to look for and expect, you could wind up with significant, costly property damage, and we don’t want that for you. So, what is this downside?

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Help! Why Is the Air Coming from My Furnace Cold?

February 18th, 2019

vent-on-wall-near-floorWouldn’t it be nice if you could completely avoid the need for furnace repair? We wish this was the case, but really the only way of doing that would be to buy a new heating system every time you had a problem, and well, that’s just impractical.

The truth is, even if you take care of your furnace as best you can, you’ll eventually encounter a problem. The best thing you can do for your furnace is learn to recognize the signs that something is amiss, so you can get out ahead of them and schedule your heating repairs right away before the problem has a chance to grow into something bigger. One of the most common heating repair calls we receive is about cold air coming from the vents.

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Poor Heating Maintenance Can Lead to These Problems

February 4th, 2019

technician-looking-over-gas-furnaceFirst, we’ll start off with a bit of good news—if you haven’t scheduled your heating maintenance appointment yet, it’s not too late. Sure, we recommend it in the fall, typically. The reason for this is that it gives you plenty of time to get ahold of a service technician and reduces the risk of an interruption in service. Ensuring that you have your heater maintained at least once a year (twice, if you have a heat pump system) will help it perform at its best, and is more important than what time of the year you have it done.

But you should have it done. The truth is, the biggest and usually the most expensive heating repairs in Westwood, NJ can almost always be prevented with routine tune-ups. It’s during these tune-ups that our pros are able to comprehensively inspect and clean your heating system, make necessary adjustments, and recommend repair needs as we go so that you have plenty of time to get them on your schedule before you need your heater. Skipping or delaying maintenance can lead to a number of heating issues, with two of the most common being a heater that won’t start up, and conversely, a heater that won’t stop running.

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Yes, a Cracked Heat Exchanger in Your Furnace IS Dangerous

January 21st, 2019

Keep silence. Scared woman covering mouth with hands while posing to camera on gray studio background. Shocked girl close lips with palms, speak no evil conceptA cracked heat exchanger is one of those furnace issues that should not—well, cannot—be ignored. Not only is it something that most often happens to aging furnaces that are just about at the end of their lifespan anyway, a cracked heat exchanger is dangerous. It enables carbon monoxide—a tasteless and odorless, yet hazardous, gas—to make its way into your living space.

If you suspect your heater is experiencing this problem, or that you have a gas leak, we would encourage you to call your utility company’s emergency line, first and foremost. If you want help in preventing this from happening, then give our team a call for professional Oradell, NJ heating services, such as maintenance.

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Is Your Heat Pump Showing These Signs of Disrepair?

January 7th, 2019

white question mark on blue circle, on white backgroundWhen you live in a climate as cold as ours gets in the wintertime, your heating system goes through a lot of stress. Make that double if you have a heat pump, which is already strained from keeping you cool all summer.

You are very likely using yours daily to keep your home warm this time of the year, and the more stress that your heat pump is under, the more likely it is that it will develop problems. You can reduce the risk of emergency issues occurring by knowing the signs of a heat pump that needs professional Emerson, NJ heating repairs, though. One of the biggest signs that something is amiss is hearing strange or unfamiliar noises coming from the heat pump.

Here are a few examples of what those sounds might be, and what they might mean:

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These Are the Qualities to Look for in an HVAC Contractor

December 24th, 2018

technician with toolsThere are probably plenty of people out there who would be willing to service your heater, or any other home comfort appliance in your house, but that doesn’t mean they should. Many general handymen (and women) out there don’t actually have much experience specifically in the HVAC industry, and therefore will be learning by using your system as an example—which isn’t a comfortable feeling when you consider how cold our winters get. Do you really want your heater to be a guinea pig?

Fortunately, there are plenty of qualified HVAC contractors out there. But how do you find them? What qualities do you look for? The obvious answer is “someone with a lot of training and experience,” but we’d like to take it a step beyond that and offer you some guidance on exactly what qualities we think you should use to hire your next heating professional.

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