Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for October, 2013

Benefits of Radiant Heating

Tuesday, October 29th, 2013

In towns like West Chester, OH, heating costs can easily get out of control. Our cold winters make reliable heating an absolute necessity, and while a traditional gas furnace can do the job, you have a number of other possible options available to you. For example, radiant heating consists of a series of heating tubes or electric coils in your floors to heat your home. Installation can cost more than it might in the case of a gas furnace, but the benefits of radiant heating can easily outweigh the drawbacks. Here’s a brief list of some of the advantages offered by the technology.

  • Improved efficiency. Radiant heating moves warmth directly into objects in the room, including people. That means there’s no heat lost to drafts or other air flow issues, like there are with gas furnaces. That means it doesn’t waste very much of its energy, which means it costs you much less in monthly energy bills.
  • No drafts or cold spots. Because it doesn’t rely on air flow, radiant heating also avoids some of the problems endemic to air flow, such as cold spots or weird drafts. Radiant heating systems also tend to be quieter than normal gas systems, since they don’t need fans to distribute their heat.
  • Resale value. The initial cost of installing a radiant heating system can be at least partially recouped in resale value on the home. Because radiant heating systems don’t cost a lot to run, anyone who buys the home will benefit from its presence, which can increase the asking price when the times comes to sell.

For heating installation services in West Chester, OH, contact Bartels Heating & Cooling for help. We can discuss the benefits of radiant heating with you, then inspect your home to determine whether it will work.  Give us a call today to make an appointment; you’ll be happy that you did!

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Heating Tip: How Humidity Impacts Heating

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

In Fairfield, OH, heating systems often need to contend with humidity as well as high temperatures.  Southern Ohio can get very humid all year round, which can affect your comfort levels no matter where you go. A good heating and air conditioning system can deal with the humidity as well as the temperatures, leaving you enough moisture in the air to keep from drying out your skin without turning your home into a swamp. If you understand how humidity impacts heating, you’ll understand why this is so important.

As human beings, we’re very sensitive to humidity in the air. Excess moisture leaves the body through our skin in the form of sweat, an action that helps keep us cool. Higher humidity in the air hampers that process, meaning that sweat doesn’t evaporate off of our skin quickly enough to cool our body temperature. We stay warmer than we should, and we’re just not as comfortable as we might be. Ideally, we want a relative humidity level in our surroundings to be at about 45 percent.

In addition to their heating and cooling functions HVAC systems can reduce the humidity levels in your house. A heater warms the air which causes water particles to evaporate, lowering the overall humidity levels. That’s why it can sometimes feel excessively dry in your heated home during the winter months. Your heater has sucked all the moisture up. Dry air is just as bad as humid air, since it can make breathing problems worse and irritate your skin if left unaddressed. You can correct the issue by adjusting your heater and/or by using a humidifier to keep the air moist.

A qualified professional can help adjust your heater to meet your comfort levels, and help you with a humidifier if that’s what you need. In Fairfield, OH, heating issues can be treated by Bartels Heating & Cooling. We know how humidity impacts heating, and we can conduct installation and repairs to meet your needs. Call our team of professionals to set up a consultation today. You’ll be glad you did.

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Heat Pump Repair: Compressor Won’t Start

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

Heat pumps operate according to the same basic principles of air conditioning. Refrigerant passes through the compressor, which pressurizes it, and it then goes through the condenser coils, where it dissipates the heat into the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid. The liquid then enters an evaporator system, which returns it to a gaseous state and cools the surrounding air in the process. (The air is them blown into the home with a fan.) Heat pumps simply make this process reversible, allowing you to release either hot or cool air into your West Chester, OH home. Otherwise, it doesn’t significantly differ from the functioning of an air conditioning. But what happens when the compressor won’t start?

The compressor can suffer from a number of possible problems from a lack of cooling capacity (usually caused by a refrigerant leak) to an excessively long cycle (likely caused by general wear and tear). If it fails to turn on entirely, however, you’re likely looking at an overheated or broken-down unit. Many compressor motors have automatic shut-off switches designed to prevent greater damage. Those that don’t might overheat if they are old or suffer from other damage. Regardless, the compressor motor will probably need to be replaced.

In some cases, the compressor may not start because of a problem with the electrical wiring delivering power from your home’s circuit breaker box. Check the box to see if the breaker has been triggered. If it has – and if it keeps triggering when you try to run the heat pump – you likely have something wrong with the wiring and will need to replace it.

A professional heating techncian can usually handle all of your West Chester, OH pump repair needs. If your compressor won’t start, then call Bartels Heating & Cooling for help. We handle West Chester, OH heat pump repair issues of all varieties, and will work diligently to fix the source of your compressor problems. Call us today and get your heat pump back on track.

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Common Causes of Problems with Heating

Monday, October 7th, 2013

Winters in the region can get quite fierce, and a reliable heating system provides you with a warm and comfortable respite for the snow outside. When problems arise, they need to be addressed quickly before your home is deprived of heat. It helps if you can identify common causes of problems with heating in West Chester, OH. The sooner you can spot them, the sooner a trained technician can step in to handle them. Here are a few of the more common heating issues you may encounter.

  • No power.  Obviously if your heater won’t turn on at all, there’s a problem. Many furnaces have components that will automatically shut down in the event of an overload, including the run capacitor, the blower motor and the furnace control board. (They do this to prevent further damage to the system.) Power may also but cut off if there’s problems with the electrical system connecting the furnace to the main power in the house.
  • No heat. A lack of heat may be caused by the fact that the pilot light isn’t lit or a problem with the thermocouple (which regulates the amount of gas that goes to the furnace). If either one is demonstrating problems, it will need to be replaced. In some cases, a lack of heat may stem from a malfunctioning thermostat, which is misreading the temperature and neglecting to turn on the power.
  • Restricted air flow. If the heater is on, but your system isn’t distributing air the way you need it to, there’s probably a blockage somewhere in the system: a filter in need of changing, a damaged air duct, or the like. A trained professional can track down the source of the problem and institute the proper repairs.

Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for heating services in West Chester, OH!

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