DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog : Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

4 Ways Maintenance Can Help You Avoid Heating Repairs in Bergen County

Monday, November 26th, 2012

During the winter, you most likely use your heating system every day, so its important to keep it functioning effectively. Yet some people put off getting regular maintenance for their heating systems. At DB Heating and Cooling, we respond to countless calls for heating repairs in Bergen County. We thought it would be helpful for our community if we put together a list of the benefits to having regular maintenance performed on your heating system.

Reduced Repairs

One great benefit to regular heating maintenance is the potential to reduce costly repairs. When you have a heating technician looking over your system every day, they can catch small issues before they turn into larger, more expensive problems.

Extended Life

With more repairs and better care, comes a potentially longer life. When your heating technician is able to spot small problems early, you can avoid the catastrophic problems that some repairs can cause if they are ignored.

Greater Efficiency

Over time, everything starts to break down. As your heating system begins to age, moving parts will start to wear out and start to make the system work harder. After a while this can negatively impact the performance of your heating system. With regular maintenance, your heating technician can replace and tend to parts of your system that would otherwise begin to break down. This increases the overall efficiency of the system.

More Reliability

In addition to all of these other benefits, you will also most likely experience an increase in reliability from your heating system. Just like a car that doesn’t receive regular maintenance, your heating system will turn on and run more reliably when you have someone inspecting it and tuning it up regularly.

If you’re interested in scheduling heating maintenance for the heating system in your Bergen County home, contact the experts at DB Heating and Cooling. We have years of experience offering comprehensive heating services throughout the Bergen County area. Give us a call today! 

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Why You Should Not Put Off Heating Repairs in Your Waldwick Home

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Have you noticed a decline in the performance of your home heating system? Do you know that there is a problem but keep coming with excuses about why you have not scheduled the necessary repair service? DB Heating & Cooling is here to tell you that putting off home heating repairs is one of the worst things that you can do for the heating system in your Waldwick home. Don’t make the same mistake that countless other homeowners make each and every year. If you know of or even suspect any problems with your heater, call for the professional heating repair service you need to fix the problem immediately. Your comfort depends on it.

Why is Scheduling Home Heating Repair Service So Important?

There are a lot of reasons why it is necessary to schedule heating repair service as soon as you discover or suspect a problem with your heater. To begin with, poor heating system conditions and damaged heating components can have a seriously detrimental effect on the efficiency with which your heater operates. This means that you will wind up paying more in energy costs for less performance from your heater.

In addition to reduced efficiency, problems with your heater are always immediately recognizable. This means that by the time you notice a problem it may have been developing for some time. In the time that it has taken you to recognize the problem, it may have already caused further damage to your system. The early detection and repair of heating problems is integral in preventing further, more costly damage to your system.

How Do I Know When to Schedule Service?

Okay, so you know to schedule heating repair service as soon as you notice a problem. Now the question is just how do you identify that problem. There are a number of warning signs that you can keep an eye out for that will alert you to an issue with your heater. Any noticeable decline in heating performance can indicate the need for repair service, including the development of cold spots throughout your home or inconsistent heating output. A rise in your heating costs without a corresponding increase in usage is another warning sign. Even strange sounds and unusual smells are cause enough to schedule service.

Who Should Handle My Heating Repair Service?

The next important question that homeowners face is who to trust with their heater repairs. It is important that only highly trained professionals repair your heater. In the Waldwick area that is as simple as calling the heating experts at DB Heating & Cooling. We’ll make sure that your home is heated efficiently and effectively all winter long.

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Benefits of a Ductless Mini Split System in Oradell

Monday, November 12th, 2012

With all of the home heating and air conditioning systems on the market today it can be difficult to determine which heating and cooling option is best for your Oradell home. Discussing your heating and air conditioning options with a local professional service provider is the most fail-proof way to ensure that you are investing in the best heating and cooling system for your home and personal heating and cooling habits. If you are not familiar with ductless mini splits and the potential benefits that they hold for your home and comfort take a few minutes to review this helpful information from the home comfort professionals at DB Heating & Cooling. You may decide that a ductless mini split system is the best choice for your home, and DB Heating & Cooling can help you verify that decision.

First of all, the most obvious benefit of a ductless mini split system is right in the name. This heating and air conditioning option completely eliminates the need for ductwork in your home. While a properly installed, well-maintained duct system can efficiently and effectively circulate conditioned air throughout your home, ductwork is often one of the biggest reasons for inefficient energy use. By removing ductwork from the equation, ductless mini splits also remove this risk. A simple conduit containing refrigerant and power lines is all that is needed to connect the outdoor condenser unit to the indoor, wall-mounted air handlers that this type of heating and air conditioning system uses. These air handlers, up to four per outdoor unit, heat and cool the rooms of your home individually and directly.

The use of these multiple air handlers also makes it easy to create temperature control zones in your home and to maintain individual temperatures within each zone. This is a great way to boost energy efficiency in your home, helping to reduce energy costs. You no longer have to heat empty bedrooms because you want to keep the dining or living rooms comfortable. Likewise you choose to lower the temperature in the kitchen if you are doing a lot of cooking and begin to overheat while still keeping the rest of the house perfectly warm.

Whether you want to cut down on the amount of energy that you use in your home or simply avoid the cost of a duct system installation, ductless mini splits may be the solution that you’re looking for. If you think that a ductless mini split system installation is right for your Oradell home, call the heating and air conditioning professionals at DB Heating & Cooling. We’ll help you make the best decision for your comfort.

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Bergen County Furnace Guide: Different Types of Furnace Filters

Monday, November 5th, 2012

A good filter for your Bergen County home’s furnace is a must. Because that device heats and blows air throughout your home, you want to be sure that it doesn’t recycle contaminants and bacteria that could easily be captured at the air handler. That’s why it’s vital to choose the right furnace filter on the first try. Here are some furnace filters to consider and their various benefits to your home and family:

  • Electrostatic – Most electrostatic filters are permanent and must be washed on a regular basis. They are electronically charged to capture particles as they pass through, much like a magnet. These filters are effective because they are both physical and electronic. However, keep in mind that they are only as efficient as the cleaning they receive.
  • HEPA – HEPA is the highest rating available for a filtration system, removing up to 99.9% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns. However, they are also inefficient when used in furnaces as they severely reduce air flow. They are not often recommended for this reason.
  • Pleated – Pleated filters come in both reusable and permanent forms and can be either purely mechanical or electrostatic. There is a very wide range of efficiency ratings for pleated filters so make sure you analyze your home’s specific needs before selecting any one pleated filter.
  • Activated Carbon – Activated carbon is unique from the other three filter types because it effectively removes fumes, odors and chemicals from indoor air along with other larger particles. It is recommended that if you choose an activated carbon filter, you supplement it with a pleated or electrostatic filter (or choose a combination filter) to remove all unwanted components from your home.

There are a lot of options when it comes to furnace filters. To make sure you get only the best air quality, talk to a Bergen County furnace professional such as DB Heating & Cooling who can help you determine which pollutants are the biggest problem in your home.

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Which Fuel is Right for Your Home?

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Homeowners all want to save money on household expenses and utility bills. We turn off lights when we leave the room, take shorter showers and make sure the kids don’t keep the refrigerator door open. These small habits help, but still we all want to save a little wherever we can, right?

One area where people are constantly looking for ways to save money in Waldwick is heating. Everyone wants to be comfortable and warm in their homes, but that costs money, so homeowners are always on the lookout for the most effective and cost efficient way to keep the house warm.

What is the most cost effective fuel for home heating?

Is it natural gas, electric, fuel oil or propane?

We all wish there was one easy, all-encompassing answer to this question, like a heating magic bullet that would keep every family warm and happy for pennies on the dollar. Unfortunately, there isn’t. It depends on too many factors for any one solution to work for everyone.

Probably the biggest factor that plays a role in the cost of a particular fuel is its local availability. Resources are available differentially, so that while one option might be cheapest for a family of five in Andover, Massachusetts, the analysis is entirely different for a single person in Kearney, Nebraska.

What is the most cost effective option for you?

That is a better question, but still not one that is necessarily easy to answer.

To figure it out, you need to carefully analyze several factors:

  • Local availability (see above)
  • Local climate
  • Size of your home
  • Your family’s needs
  • Existing heating equipment
  • Your budget

Armed with this information, you can do a careful comparison of the options available to you. For assistance you can use an online calculator to compare fuel costs, such as this one from the Energy Information Administration or this one from Hearth.com. Or, if all else fails, call a your local Waldwick heating contractor for a professional assessment.

Comparing fuel costs and choosing the right solution for you may take some time, but the savings can be well worth it. Call DB Heating & Cooling, Inc today if you need heating service in Waldwick and the surrounding area!

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Woodcliff Lake Heating Question: Can Your Heating System Warn You of a CO Leak?

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

Carbon monoxide is a health risk. It is an odorless gas that is produced as a natural byproduct of combustion. So, any time something burns, carbon monoxide (CO) is released into the air.

As long as the area is properly ventilated, the carbon monoxide cannot build up in the air to a dangerous level of concentration. For example, if you are around a campfire or charcoal that is burning outside, you are generally safe.

In the home, the danger arises when combustion is not properly ventilated and this toxic gas is allowed to seep into our living spaces.  To help mitigate that risk, it is important to know some warning signs. Your heating system gives off some warnings that can tip you off to danger, so be on the lookout for these three signals:

  1. Carbon monoxide detector goes off. Some heating systems these days have built-in carbon monoxide detectors, which can provide an extra measure of safety. Whether you have one of these systems or not, your home should still be equipped with a CO detector. If it begins sounding the alarm, get everyone out of the house immediately.
  1. A fume vent is leaking. Fuel-burning furnaces have vents to move combustion gases out of the house safely. If you notice this vent is leaking on your heating system, CO may be seeping into your house. Shut down the furnace, open windows for ventilation and have the fume vent repaired immediately.
  1. Smoke backing up from the fireplace. If you have a fireplace and you notice smoke in the room while using it, stop using it immediately. Your chimney may be blocked or leaking, preventing the smoke from rising and venting properly, which means CO can get into your house. Do not use the fireplace again until you have had the chimney inspected.

Please take care and note this is just a simple guide. There are other risks and warnings of carbon monoxide.

For any heating service in the Woodcliff Lake area, give DB Heating & Cooling a call today!

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Woodcliff Lake Heating Tip: How to Check if Your HVAC System Is the Right Size

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Do you ever feel that your Woodcliff home just doesn’t get cool enough during the warm months or warm enough during the cold months? You have tried to adjust your thermostat to the right comfort level but it just never seems right. And on top of that, you notice that your utility bills keep going up and up. Even when you dial up the thermostat in the summer and dial it down in the winter to saving on energy usage, your bills are still about the same.

You could try adding fans and shedding clothes during the warm months or wearing sweaters and crawling under a pile of blankets in the cold months. But do you really enjoy living that way? There must be another solution as to why your heating and cooling (HVAC) system is just not keeping you comfortable – and affordable.

That air conditioning condensing unit sitting in your backyard and the furnace in your basement should be making your home as comfortable as possible. But in many cases, they are not.  That’s because whoever installed those HVAC system components didn’t do their homework on your home. The components were sized incorrectly. If a furnace or air conditioner is sized incorrectly, it usually cannot keep up with the demand for heat or cold and often puts such a burden on the equipment. As a result, regular failures and repair bills are commonplace.

And it may not be the fault of the installing HVAC contractor. Over the years your home may have undergone renovations including additions and new windows, which have increased the square footage or demand for more heating or cooling. Those renovations may not have included upgrades to your home’s HVAC system.

So how do you check for the right size? Call a professional HVAC contractor and ask for an audit for your home. The audit will include several key checks including a load calculation, which adds in the size of your home’s living space, number of door and windows where heat loss or gain could occur, and a check of heat loss or gain through leakage in cracks, roofs, crawlspaces, etc. An audit will determine what size of furnace or air conditioner is needed to meet the heating or cooling needs of your home and its own individual characteristics. Your HVAC contractor may also factor in the number of building occupants and normal usage patterns, i.e. having a home office or stay-at-home parent versus a working family where your home is occupied mostly at nights or on weekends.

All of these factors are considered when determining the equipment size. In air conditioning jargon, you will hear about tonnage of cooling capacity. An example may be a 2.5 ton air conditioning unit for a 2,000 square foot home. In furnace jargon, you will learn about Btu ratings, which are British thermal units. Most furnaces are sized in 20-25,000 Btu increments. Each is matched to the cooling or heating needs of your home. Your Woodcliff  HVAC contractor will likely recommend using a programmable thermostat, too. That way, you can set the temperature of one or more zones in your home to when each zone is occupied.

Make sure you don’t hire someone who “guesstimates” how much cooling or heating capacity you need for your home. Find a qualified Woodcliff heating professional who will make the correct calculations and who will qualify their recommendations. A properly sized HVAC system will equate to manageable utility bills and above average indoor comfort.

Call DB Heating & Cooling Inc to learn more about proper heating installation!

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Allendale NJ Heating Question: What Causes Cracks in a Heat Exchanger?

Monday, October 8th, 2012

Your Allendale NJ furnace is designed so that the heat – and the combustion byproduct produced inside – doesn’t interact directly with the outside air. This design is to ensure you have a safer furnace.

The metal piece that separates the furnace heat from the outside air stream is called the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger performs a very important function, and if it is broken or cracked, it can’t work properly.

A cracked heat exchanger is very common problem with Allendale NJ heating systems, as well as one that should be repaired as soon as possible. But what causes a heat exchanger to crack? Here are some of the most common reasons:

  • A long period of normal use. A furnace heat exchanger naturally expands and contracts with the heat of the furnace, over and over again as the furnace is turned off and on to heat the home. Over several years, this stress can crack the metal.
  • Poor air flow, often caused by dirty or obstructed vents, can result in poor air flow through the furnace. This overworks the furnace, which can crack the heat exchanger prematurely.
  • Poor, incomplete or improper combustion can also cause a heat exchanger to crack. When the combustion process is less efficient – which can also be a result of poor air flow — your furnace’s burners have to run hotter and longer to heat your home, which means extra stress on the heat exchanger.

Essentially, if a furnace is running at less than optimal efficiency for an extended period of time, the heat exchanger is put under additional stress beyond the usual and can crack prematurely. Therefore, the best way to prevent a cracked heat exchanger is proper maintenance, particularly keeping all vents clean and unobstructed and getting an annual maintenance inspection.

If your heat exchanger does crack, do not hesitate to call DB Heating & Cooling and get it repaired.

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Hohokus Heating Question: What Is an Electronic Ignition?

Monday, October 1st, 2012

Gas furnaces are very complex pieces of equipment. Modern ones in particular are designed to use as little gas as possible, and to recapture as much of the heat generated from burning that gas as can be done safely. One of the many safety and energy-efficient advances in furnace technology in the least twenty years is the electronic ignition.

The Purpose of Electronic Ignition

In older furnaces in Hohokus, a pilot light would stay lit continuously whenever the heating system needed to be available. That meant continuously burning gas throughout the fall, winter and spring months for those times when heat was needed. It was inefficient and unsafe, especially in older devices that didn’t have safety valves.

Today, furnaces are built with electronic ignitions – small devices that only ignite the gas supply when the thermostat is on. there are two types of electronic ignition used in boilers and furnaces today.

  • Intermittent Pilot – An intermittent pilot is unique in that it releases a spark through an electronic component to the gas pilot, lighting the gas burners.
  • Hot Surface Ignition – Hot surface ignition uses an electronic filament (like a lightbulb) to heat up and ignite the burners when the thermostat calls for heat.

Both devices are designed to use a very small amount of electricity and reduce the amount of gas needed for continuous operation of your furnace.

Safety Benefits of an Electronic Ignition

While gas efficiency was a big part of the transition from pilot lights to electronic ignition, safety was an equally big component. Whereas before, the pilot light was continuously lit, meaning gas was continuously flowing into the furnace, today’s furnaces are essentially off when not in use. This means less of a chance that gas will flow unburned or that the pilot will get dirty or burn too soft, releasing carbon monoxide.

If your Hohokus furnace still uses a traditional pilot light, consider having it upgraded to electronic ignition, not just to save gas but to keep your home and family safer. For more information about features in new heating systems, give DB Heating & Cooling a call!

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Emerson Heating Guide: Simple Steps to Prevent Heat Loss

Monday, September 24th, 2012

There are two fundamental ways to make your Emerson house warmer. One is to generate heat, which is the job of your furnace or boiler. The second is to keep the warm air in — and thereby keep cold air out — which is the job of your system of insulation.

The idea that the physical structure of a home can be a component of your Emerson HVAC system is one that is often overlooked, but when you think about it, it makes sense. The insulation, windows, doors and building materials that comprise your home are designed to keep the place warm against the cold and vice versa.

So, when bolstering your Emerson HVAC system to promote efficient heating, it is important to also consider heat loss and how to prevent it. This is a process that can get out of hand if you go overboard, so it is important to prioritize. Let’s look at the top 3 places to start when trying to prevent heat loss.

  1. Doors and Windows:  If you have older doors and windows, they could be a source of heat loss in your house, even if they are always closed. Replacing your windows and door with Energy Star rated ones will make sure that you are not losing heat to the outside AND still getting all the heat energy from the sun. Installing storm windows or putting up heavy curtains in winter can also help cut down on your heat loss.
  1. Seal off drafts. If any opening to your house, such as windows and doors, is improperly sealed, improperly installed or if the surrounding construction is deteriorating, you can lose a lot of heat. Check any drafts that you notice that might indicate a problem, and also if your vents and air ducts are leaky.
  1. Start at the top. If you want to go farther in sealing your house up against the cold, it is time to work on the insulation. When installing new insulation, remember that heat rises, so you get the most bang for your buck by starting at the top. If you only have the budget or time to insulate one space, make it the attic. You can work down from there.

These areas should be your top three priorities on your mission to prevent heat loss in your home. If you start here, you will get the best gains with the least effort. For more information about heating your Emerson home, give DB Heating & Cooling a call!

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