DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog

The Composition of Snowflakes: Are No Two Alike?

December 25th, 2014

“No two snowflakes are alike.”

This is a statement nearly every schoolchild has heard at least once, either while crafting unique snowflakes with a sheet of folded paper and some scissors or while learning a lesson on the science of snow. While even most scientists don’t quite understand what causes a snowflake to form such complex and beautiful columns and points and branches, one thing is for certain, the composition of snowflakes guarantees that no two will ever be identical.  However, it is possible for two snowflakes to appear to be nearly exactly alike.

A snowflake begins to form when a piece of dust catches water vapor out of the air. Water is created when two hydrogen molecules attach to an oxygen molecule. The two hydrogen molecules are angled from one another in such a way that they form a hexagonal shape when they come together during the freezing process; thus, a snowflake begins as a simple hexagonal shape or as layers of hexagons called diamond dust. The emergent properties that follow from the original hexagon are what differentiate one snowflake from another, as the humidity, the temperature in the air, and many other factors (some of which remain unclear to scientists) allow each snowflake to form in an entirely unique way with a seemingly endless variety of shapes.

However, in 1988, a scientist named Nancy Knight claimed to have located two that were the same while studying snowflakes as part of an atmospheric research project. And it appeared to be so; when put under a microscope, the emergent properties looked nearly identical. But while it is feasible that two snowflakes can appear to be exactly alike on the outside, they are never identical on an atomic level. Deuterium is an atom that appears attached to about one in every 3000 hydrogen molecules in the air. Because there are millions of atoms that make up a snowflake, the random assortment of deuterium in any two snowflakes—even in two that so very closely resemble one another—simply cannot be the same.

Here at DB Heating & Cooling, we’d like to remind you to grab a cup of cocoa and relax with your family this holiday, perhaps by crafting some unique snowflake creations of your own. We wish you a very happy holiday season, from our family to yours!

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How Heat Pumps Work for both Heating and Air Conditioning

December 18th, 2014

More and more homeowners countrywide are installing heat pumps for their myriad of benefits. Perhaps the most unique benefit to using a heat pump, however, is its ability to act as both a heater and an air conditioner. Let’s examine how this functionality is made possible, and why it’s such a huge advantage for the heat pump over other systems.

Anatomy of a Heat Pump

In order to understand how a heat pump can switch functions, you must first understand the different parts of a heat pump. There are two main parts we’ll be discussing in this part, the interior unit and the exterior unit. As you might have guessed, the interior unit is inside the house while the exterior unit is outside. These two units are connected by a refrigerant line, which flows into a coil housed in each one. These coils are the most important part of the system. When the heat pump is turned on, one coil will evaporate refrigerant while the other will condense it back into liquid. When the refrigerant evaporates, it leeches thermal energy out of the air and into the coil. When the refrigerant is condensed back into liquid, it releases the captured thermal energy so that the system can heat the house.

The Reversing Valve

The key to the heat pump’s dual functionality is a part called the “reversing valve.” In a normal system, like an air conditioner, the refrigerant flows only one way between the two coils. There’s a condenser coil and an evaporator coil, and the two never switch. The reversing valve works by reversing the flow of refrigerant, thereby making the condenser coil the evaporator coil and vice versa. This means that each coil can either take heat from the area around it or release heat instead. It is in this way that the heat pump can move heat back and forth in either direction between the house and the outside air.

If you’d like to know more about heat pumps, call DB Heating & Cooling. We install heat pumps throughout Bergen County.

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What Types of Air Treatment Services Are Available in Hackensack?

December 12th, 2014

Unfortunately, every time you take a breath, you risk inhaling contaminants that could make you ill or cause sinuses to act up. Luckily, many contractors offer indoor air quality services that help eliminate contaminants which could otherwise be harmful to you or your family members. Let’s go over a few of the most helpful product installations and services you may decide to use in your home to protect the air quality. For superior air treatment services in Hackensack, you should rely on the expertise of DB Heating & Cooling.

Whole-Home Air Filtration Systems

A whole-home air filtration system works in conjunction with your forced-air heating and cooling system to eliminate particles that your home’s air filter tends to miss. The best unit for your home may be one of the following.

  • Air Cleaners: An electronic air cleaner is installed in the ducts and uses high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration or an ionization process to eliminate over 99% of contaminants that enter the ducts.
  • Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers: The level of humidity in the home contributes greatly to your home comfort, and too much moisture or a lack of moisture can affect the quality of the air. High humidity can lead to mold growth while no humidity means dried out sinuses, in which case a dehumidifier or humidifier may be necessary.
  • UV Germicidal Lights: UV lights can be installed in the ductwork to stop mold growth and kill microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.

Duct Cleaning

Many homeowners are surprised to learn just how many contaminants may be living in their ducts. Dust can cling to the lining of the ductwork and blow into your home as the HVAC system’s fan runs at full speed, knocking particles loose and sending them back into the air you breathe. With duct cleaning, experts use powerful vacuums and brushes to reach hidden areas of ducts and eliminate the problem.

Duct Sealing

Finally, duct sealing is another service that improves the efficiency of your air conditioner and heater and helps to prevent contaminants from moving into your home. If there is a hole in the ducts, particularly around a dusty area like an attic or crawlspace, pollutants can get sucked into the ductwork.

To clean the air in your home with any of these professional air treatment services in Hackensack from trained experts in the field, call DB Heating & Cooling today!

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What Does a Trane Furnace Have to Offer in Bergen County?

December 4th, 2014

The most popular heating installation in the U.S. today is the gas furnace. Furnaces are reliable, effective, and efficient, and today’s models can cut monthly costs dramatically over similar furnaces built decades ago. At DB Heating & Cooling, we’re proud to install and service one of the most trusted brands in furnaces, Trane. Trane has been manufacturing heating systems since 1910 and is recognized worldwide as an industry leader in residential heating. Learn more about why a Trane furnace may be the right fit for your home.

  • Options to Suit Any Home: When you need a new furnace, the size and style are both extremely important in making sure you have an efficient, long-lasting system. A heating system that is too small will not completely heat your home and will wear down too quickly, while a system that is too large will use way too much energy. The various Trane furnaces, oil or gas systems from any of their highly efficient models, are available in all sizes so a technician can make sure you get the right unit for your home.
  • High Efficiency Ratings: All Trane furnaces have a high AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) and some even go above and beyond. The AFUE is a percentage that indicates how much of the fuel your system uses actually goes into heating your home. Some of Trane’s highest rated furnaces, in their XL, XV, and XC lines, have an AFUE of over 94%. Compare that to the 50-60% average AFUE of furnaces created a few decades ago and you’ll see instant monthly savings when you replace with Trane.
  • Long Lasting: Trane furnaces are designed to last a long period of time and to withstand the harsh winters here in Bergen County. And when you get annual maintenance from a Trane dealer, you can be sure your system has an even better chance of exceeding its expected lifespan. With maintenance, your unit is cleaned, adjusted, and inspected, which helps you to know about repair needs early on and keeps your unit running more efficiently for longer.

Hear more about the many benefits of Trane furnaces in Bergen County. Call DB Heating & Cooling to speak with a friendly professional today!

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10 Facts You Should Know about Thanksgiving

November 27th, 2014

Thanksgiving has been celebrated as an official holiday in the United States for over 150 years, so you may think you understand all there is to know about this family feast. Most of us have heard the story of the pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving in 1621 after arriving in North America on the Mayflower. But did you know that only about half of the people on this ship were actually pilgrims? This fact is one of ten things that may actually surprise you about the Thanksgiving tradition!

  1. Although we often consider Thanksgiving a holiday unique to the United States, many other countries and cultures celebrate their own set of harvest-time and thanksgiving traditions. In Korea, Chu-Sok (or “fall evening”) is put on in remembrance of forefathers on August 15th of every year. Brazil celebrates a contemporary version of the U.S. holiday. Chinese, Roman, and Jewish cultures all have a history of harvest celebrations as well.
  2. President Harry S. Truman began the tradition of a ceremony held before Thanksgiving during which the president receives a turkey. George H.W. Bush was the first to pardon the turkey instead of eating it.
  3. In Minnesota alone, farmers raise over 40 million turkeys a year. In fact, U.S. farmers produce about one turkey for every one person in the country.
  4. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the average American will gain about one to two pounds every year during the holiday season.
  5. On the other hand, turkey is naturally high in protein and has been known to support and boost immune systems to protect against illness and speed up healing. So feast on!
  6. Abraham Lincoln issued a “Thanksgiving Proclamation” in 1863, but a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale can be credited with the idea. While Thanksgiving had been celebrated at different times of year in many areas of the U.S. for years, it was Hale, prominent magazine editor and author of the rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” who urged Lincoln to finally establish the national event.
  7. President Franklin D Roosevelt once tried to change the date of Thanksgiving to the second-to-last Thursday of the month in order to extend the holiday shopping season and boost the economy.
  8. Only about half of the people on the Mayflower were what we would consider today as “Pilgrims.” The other (approximately) 50 people were simply trying to find a way over to the New World.
  9. Gobble, gobble! Click, click? While male turkeys make a gobbling noise, females (hens) do not; it’s often described as a clicking.
  10. Even though we celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, the month of June has been declared National Turkey Lovers’ Month by the National Turkey Federation so you can continue the celebration in the summer as well!

From our family here at DB Heating & Cooling, we’d like to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Choosing the Right Filter for Your Hillsdale Home

November 17th, 2014

Do you wonder about the cleanliness of the air your family breathes every day? Indoor air quality is of the utmost concern to many homeowners, especially those with compromised immune systems, allergies, and asthma sufferers. An air filter in your HVAC system filters out particulates that may lead to such problems, but there are many types of air cleaners available on the market today. How do you decide which one is best?

Look at the MERV Rating

One of the ways to tell if you have a quality air filter installed is by checking the MERV rating. The MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) is the system used to indicate the effectiveness of a mechanical filter, like the ones included in your HVAC system. If you use the standard filter that came with your unit, it may be in the low range of filters, with a MERV of around 1-4. But if you choose a filter with a MERV closer to 12-16, you’ll filter out additional particles that a less effective filter may have missed like mold spores and some chemical residue.

HEPA Filters

If you’ve done a lot of research on the topic, you may have seen information about HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, the most effective type of filters, removing 99.97% of particulate contaminants from the air. However, it’s important to note that, for most homeowners, a HEPA filter is actually not the best choice. These filters remove a large amount of contaminants because the fibers are wound so tightly together, which can also inhibit airflow. An HVAC system needs a certain amount of airflow to cool or heat a home, but a filter that is too thick may prevent this, causing your HVAC system to become overworked and possibly to break down.

Ask a Professional

Your professional indoor air quality technician is the person who can best choose the right type of filtration system for your home. Sometimes, a regular filter isn’t enough to keep pollutants out of your home. You may need to install a dehumidifier to prevent mold, or UV germicidal lights to kill bacteria and viruses living in the ducts as a supplementary precaution against air pollutants.

Call the indoor air quality experts at DB Heating & Cooling to find out about all of your options for air cleaners in Hillsdale.

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How Does a Ductless Mini Spit Work for Heating?

November 10th, 2014

Ductless mini-split systems are a fairly new addition to the heating system market. Though they are gaining in popularity, there are few who know how ductless systems actually work. Let’s take a look at what ductless mini-split systems do, and why you might want one.

What is a Ductless Mini-Split?

Most ductless mini-split systems are essentially heat pumps. Rather than rely on combustion to create heat, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another. A ductless mini-split is constructed of two different units, an interior and exterior. When the heat is turned on, the exterior unit evaporates the refrigerant in its heating coil, drawing thermal energy out of the air and into the coil. This absorbed thermal energy is then sent to the interior unit by way of the refrigerant line, where it is used to warm and circulate the air in the room. A ductless mini-split system has no ducts, obviously, and can only heat one room at a time.

Why Install a Ductless Mini-Split?

The first thing you should consider before choosing a ductless mini-split system is what eschewing ducts can do for you. Systems that use ducts lose about 20-30% of their heat on average to leaks in the ductwork. That’s a substantial waste of energy, and it results in a higher heating bill. Ductless systems deliver warm air directly from the unit to the room, completely avoiding the loss of heat and saving you money. Since ductless systems are already energy efficient (by virtue of moving heat instead of creating it) installing one can save you a sizeable amount over time.

Though you may be tempted to consider it a disadvantage to only be able to heat one room at a time, remember that multiple ductless mini-splits can be installed in a home at once. Each ductless unit will have its own corresponding thermostat, allowing you unparalleled control over which rooms you want heated and to which temperature. This will allow all the members of your household to determine the climate that is most comfortable for them, which central heating cannot do.

If you’re interested in installing a ductless mini-split system, call DB Heating & Cooling. We install ductless heating throughout the Waldwick area.

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Choose a Peerless Boiler for Your New Heating Installation

November 3rd, 2014

Many years ago, choosing a boiler for your home was a fairly simple process. Most boiler models offered comparable performance and efficiency and operated in a similar fashion, so homeowners merely needed to consider the initial price. Today, you have far more options for boiler installation in Bergen County, with varying levels of efficiency and above average performance.

The heating experts at DB Heating & Cooling stand by the efficiency and performance of Peerless boilers as a superior choice for boiler installation. Learn more about the benefits of choosing this option for heating and find out about the unmatched quality of Peerless boilers in Bergen County in today’s post.

Choosing a Boiler for Heating Installation

Boilers are the preferred heating choice of many homeowners, for a few good reasons. For one, boilers evenly distribute heat throughout a home, unlike forced-air heating options like furnaces which have been known to be somewhat inadequate. Boilers generate hot water and move it to a terminal point like a radiator, baseboard, or floor piping to provide radiant heating. And radiant heat simply feels more comfortable, because it radiates throughout a room instead of blowing through vents. Boilers are also known for their quiet operation, high efficiency, and durability.

The Efficiency of Peerless Boilers

Whether you are choosing a boiler for installation in your new home or replacing an older boiler, the efficiency of Peerless boilers is tough to beat. Boiler and furnace efficiency is represented by a percentage known as the AFUE, the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency of the unit. If the AFUE is very high, it means that most of the energy your boiler uses goes directly towards heating your home. For greater initial savings, you can choose a Peerless Series 63 with an AFUE rating of up to 83%. This is quite an upgrade if switching from an older unit, as those built 20-30 years ago had an efficiency close to 50-65%. But to save a lot more every month, you may choose a Peerless Combi 160, which boasts an AFUE of 93%, or a Peerless Purefire at an efficiency rating of 97.3%.

Be sure to speak with a professional technician at DB Heating & Cooling to find out more about installing Peerless boilers in Bergen County.

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What Types of Contaminants Do UV Germicidal Lights Eliminate?

October 27th, 2014

Achieving the best indoor air quality for a home sometimes requires more than using mechanical air filters to trap contaminating particles. The ductwork in a house can collect biological pollutants that will lead to serious threats to the health and comfort of the people indoors—and standard filters and even electronic air purifiers will not do much good against these intruders.

Almost any home can start to develop biological contamination inside its HVAC system, usually because of high humidity. A dehumidifier is helpful for prevention, but when it comes to fully protecting your indoor air quality from biological pollutants, you will need to have installation of ultraviolent germicidal lights, also known as UV air purifiers. The professionals at DB Heating & Cooling are available to help you with installing UV germicidal lights in Paramus, NJ. Give them a call today.

What UV germicidal lights remove from your home

The concept of ultraviolet radiation to kill biological contamination originated with a Noble Prize-winning doctor at the turn of the century; the doctor discovered that the high frequency UV lights helped with treating tuberculosis. UV radiation strips away the nuclei of cells, killing the cells and preventing them from reproducing. Aside from its medical uses (UV germicidal lights are a basic part of modern hospital sanitation), this power kills off the following pest in a home’s HVAC system

  • Mold and mold spores: This is one of the most common dangers that can infiltrate a home’s ductwork. Some molds are harmless (although you still want to get rid of them because they can cause ductwork damage) but other send out toxic spores that lead to a variety of health issues. UV germicidal lights kill off both the mold and the spores.
  • Viruses: The same way the UV lights inside a ventilation system of a hospital help to prevent the spread of infectious viruses through the ducts, they can also eliminate viruses from moving through your home.
  • Bacteria: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes UV treatment as an effective way to eliminate harmful bacteria that can cause a number of illnesses. Most types of harmful microorganisms will not survive exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Let professionals evaluate your indoor air quality

Before you decide on installation of UV germicidal lights in Paramus, NJ, you should know exactly what is causing trouble for your indoor air. If you have trouble from molds, viruses, bacteria, or other harmful microorganisms, we will set you up with an effective UV air purifier to make your home safer. You can also rely on us for regular maintenance and any necessary repairs to keep the system running.

Call the experts at DB Heating & Cooling to find out what air quality issues you have, and then find the right system to eliminate them.

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The Consequences of Neglecting Duct Repair

October 20th, 2014

The ductwork in your home carries cool or warm air through the vents that lead into your home. The ducts are an important part of your HVAC system, yet few people give them much thought. When the furnace, heat pump, or air conditioning system won’t seem to keep your home quite as comfortable as it should, some people may pass it off as a normal occurrence while others assume it means the HVAC system is in need of repairs. However, it’s just as likely that your ducts have cracked, torn, or have loose connections, and you need a trained technician to examine your HVAC system as well as the ductwork.

It may be difficult to detect when your ducts are in need of repair. But the majority of homes in the U.S. have some sort of problem with the ducts, which causes homeowners to pay more every month and could lead to problems with the heater or air conditioner. If you’re unsure as to whether you need duct repair, be sure to call a technician, like one of the friendly professionals at DB Heating & Cooling in New Milford. Here are some of the ways that neglecting this valuable service can hurt you in the long run.

  • Higher Costs: When your ducts have holes, conditioned air escapes through the ducts instead of into your home. Yet, you still pay more money on your utility bills for the air that is produced, meaning you pay extra on an HVAC system that expends part of its energy cooling or heating an empty space, such as an attic. Calling for duct repair increases the efficiency of your unit, saving you some money every month.
  • Poor Performance from Your HVAC System: Of course, as that air escapes through the ducts, less of it will reach your home, which means it takes longer to feel the full effects of your heating or air conditioning system. Duct repair will help your HVAC system cool or heat your home more quickly, keeping you more comfortable every day.
  • HVAC Repairs: Finally, faulty ductwork may lead to HVAC repairs. With broken ducts, your HVAC system has to work harder and run for longer periods in order to get your home to the desired temperature. This can cause certain parts to wear down or become overworked and fail suddenly.

If you need duct repair in New Milford, or if you need an HVAC inspection to diagnose reduced performance from your ducts, call the professionals at DB Heating & Cooling today!

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