DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog : Archive for October, 2013

Why is My Living Room Colder Than the Rest of the House?

Monday, October 28th, 2013

Westwood, NJ heating issues are compounded not only by our cold New Jersey winters, but by the fact that we have many larger and older houses within our city limits. This can create unique heating issues that some homeowners may struggle to resolve.“Why is my living room colder than the rest of the house?” The answers may vary depending on the kind of house you have.

In the first place, heat rises, which means the upper stories of your home tend to be warmer than the lower stories when you run the heat. Since living rooms tend to be located on the ground floor, it stands to reason that they would not be as warm as a bedroom or similar top-story room.

A more serious issue may arise with the ducts that distribute the warm air to the rooms in your home. If you live in an older house, the ducts in your home are probably older too, which means they are more susceptible to leaks and other damage. If the warm air is leaking out before reaching your rooms, this can cause cold spots in your home. If your living room suddenly became colder, the problem may also be a blockage in the ducts. Dirt and dust can build up, and there may even be blockage deeper in the system which diverts the hot air to other parts of your house. A trained professional can hunt down the problem and restore the ducts to their proper functioning.

If you’re asking “why is my living room colder than the rest of the house?” call the professionals at DB Heating & Cooling for help. We handle Westwood, NJ heating systems of all varieties, and stand ready to address issues of drafts, cold spots and rooms where your heating is less than perfect. Call us to set up an appointment today.

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Emerson, NJ Boiler Repair Guide: Hissing from Your Boiler

Monday, October 21st, 2013

If your home has a boiler keeping you warm during the chilly months, then you probably haven’t noticed them at work that often. There’s a good reason for this: boilers run with minimum noise. They are one of the quietest home comfort systems on the market. You don’t have to deal with the thumping and whooshing sounds of a furnace when you’ve got a boiler.

When a boiler does make an unexpected sound, you need to look into it. Boilers rarely need repairs because they have few moving parts, but not even the most advanced model is invulnerable. If you hear a hissing sound coming from your boiler, it might be time to schedule repairs. Hire experienced technicians to handle boiler repair in Emerson, NJ. DB Heating & Cooling can make sure to cure your boiler of whatever ails it.

The main reason for a hissing boiler is overheating. There are a number of different causes for this that you might need to investigate. One is an increase in limescale inside the tank. Limescale can result from having water with excess calcium and magnesium in it. Having scale removed can be a large task that will need expert work from a technician.

Fortunately, the other main reason for overheating, a buildup of silt at the bottom of the tank, is a simpler fix. Dirt and sand and sometimes enter the boiler tank through breaks in pipes or at loose connections. The silt gathers at the bottom of the tank, and the reduction of space inside will cause the tank’s water to overheat. Get a professional to flush the system, and this should take care of the problem. Scheduling regular maintenance will help prevent this in the future—and it will help with preventing limescale as well.

A jammed circulator pump might also cause hissing in a boiler. This sometimes happens at the start of the heating season because the inactive boiler has picked up corrosion and rust on the pump. A professional should also have little problem fixing this.

If you hear your boiler hissing, please do not become overly anxious: it’s unlikely your boiler is about to explode. However, this does require attention before the boiler sustains further damage and stops working entirely. You don’t want to lose all those fantastic benefits of a boiler right when you need them the most! Look for boiler repair in Emerson, NJ from DB Heating & Cooling.

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Westwood, NJ Heating Guide: What Is a Thermocouple?

Monday, October 14th, 2013

If you’ve taken an interest in how heating your Westwood, NJ home works, you may have come across the term “thermocouple” and heard that it’s an important part of your system. What exactly does this component do?

We’ll try to give you an answer to this question while avoiding too much heavy tech-talk. If you want more information about how thermocouples operate and why they are important to your home heating, contact a professional company like DB Heating & Cooling.

Thermocouples are small devices that determine heat levels. The principle behind their operation is deceptively simple. They are made up of two different pieces of metal that are joined at one end. The dissimilar metals produce higher voltage as the heat around them increases. This occurs because of the “Seebeck Effect,” discovered in 1821. The different metal types vary based on the temperature range they are intended to record. If hooked up to a computerized system, the voltage is translated into a temperature reading. Thermocouples can therefore serve as a guide to machines that require temperature readings in order to operate.

Thermocouples have numerous industrial and scientific uses. In the home, thermocouples are occasionally found in thermostats, but not often any more. The main use you’ll have for thermocouples is if you have a gas-powered heater, where they serve an important safety function. A thermocouple determines if the pilot light is burning. Should a pilot light shut off, unburned gas can begin to build up in the combustion chamber and become a hazard. However, if the thermocouple detects the pilot light has gone out, the voltage to the gas supply valve will cease and the valve will close, preventing this issue.

Because the thermocouple does a vital job in preventing gas build-up, its failure can become a serious issue. Although thermocouples are small, they aren’t something you should try to replace yourself: you are, after all, dealing with flame, voltage, and a flammable gas. You will also not know the proper type of thermocouple to get. If you suspect a problem with your gas-powered heater, no matter if it’s a thermocouple or a break in the line, call in a professional HVAC technician to take care of the matter. Do not risk your own safety.

DB Heating & Cooling offers 24-hour emergency service, so give us a call anytime you think you have a problem with your heating system in Westwood, NJ!

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Is a Boiler Installation in Waldwick the Right Option for You?

Monday, October 7th, 2013

Boilers have been around for hundreds of years, and they are still a popular choice for home heating, and for very good reasons.

A boiler might be the best choice for a new heating system in your home. We’ll share some of the advantages of boilers to help you with your decision.

However, don’t make a choice like this on your own. Because of the unique requirements of each home, no “one-size-fits-all” heating option exists. If you want help figuring out whether a boiler installation in Waldwick, NJ will give you the best results possible, call up the technicians at DB Heating & Cooling today.

  • One of the first things to keep in mind about boilers is that they can run off different fuel sources. The most common are electricity, natural gas, and oil. The type of boiler you get will probably depend on what fuel your home currently uses.
  • A major advantage that boilers have is that, unlike heat pumps and furnaces, they contain few moving parts. Boilers will therefore need fewer repairs and have longer lifespans than other systems. Because they don’t use forced air to send heat around your home—instead channeling hot water to radiators or baseboard heaters—they offer cleaner air. The spread of heat is also more even than that of furnaces.
  • Modern boilers operate quietly; most of the noise comes from the burner under the tank, which is usually far from your living space.
  • There are some important savings associated with boilers as well: they cost less to install initially than most heaters, and gas-powered boilers have high energy-efficiency ratings.
  • However, boilers do take longer to provide heat than furnaces or heat pumps, since they have to heat up water first.

Make sure to have a professional advise you about boiler installation. A heat load calculation done on your home will help you find out about your specific needs, and if a boiler will meet them.

DB Heating & Cooling installs some of the top brands of boilers in homes throughout Bergen County. For your Waldwick, NJ boiler installation, look no further than our staff of HVAC experts to give you the quality work you want.

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