Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for January, 2014

3 Reasons to Invest in Geothermal Heating

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014

Geothermal heating uses the heat of the earth to keep your home comfortable all winter long. No matter how cold the weather can be outside, the temperature just a few feet under the ground remains unchanged. A geothermal system uses that to facilitate a heat exchange – running coils or tubes filled with liquid to transfer the heat and take it back to your home.  But the up-front cost is enough so that you should carefully consider the benefits before making a decision. For more information about installing geothermal heating or any of our heating services in Fairfield, OH, give Bartels Heating & Cooling a call today.

Here are 3 reasons to invest in geothermal heating:

  • Lower bills. While the installation cost can be quite expensive, geothermal heating is extremely efficient with little wasted energy. That means it will cost less to heat your home from month to month than it would with a more traditional furnace. Geothermal systems can also provide very efficient air conditioning in the summer. A geothermal system may add resale value to your home, making it more attractive to potential buyers.
  • Eco Friendly. Geothermal heating system use little energy and produce no pollutants. That makes it a very “green” option for environmentally conscious homeowners looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
  • Fewer repairs. Geothermal systems are known for their durability, and since most parts are located underground, they have few repair and maintenance needs. The underground pipe systems can last 50 years or more.

Other reasons to invest in geothermal heating can vary depending on the nature of your property. If you’re considering investing in a system, then the Fairfield, OH heating experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling can help. Not only can we install a geothermal system quickly and properly, but we can set up a regular maintenance schdule to ensure that it’s running as it should. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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Furnace Guide: 3 Components You Should Know

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

Furnaces don’t last forever, and even the best furnaces break down occasionally. A faulty component can often result in the entire system shutting down, or even worse: can damage to additional components as well. The more you know about how these components function, the better you can understand the ways they affect your heating when they run into problems.

  • Igniter/thermocouple. These two components are basically linked, and sometimes even appear as one conjoined unit. The igniter consists of the pilot light (usually in older furnaces) or an electric igniter (usually in newer ones). The thermocouple controls the flow of gas into the furnace, to ensure that your home isn’t flooded with gas when there’s a problem. If either component is damaged, the furnace simply won’t turn on.
  • Burners. The burners themselves provide the heat, fed by gas that passes through the thermocouple to create hot, intense flames. Burners can malfunction for a variety of reasons, including becoming clogged with dirt and dust.
  • Heat exchangers/venting systems. The heat exchangers transfer the heat from the burners (which often contain toxic gases) into air which can then be blown into your home. The gases move into a venting system which can then safely remove them from your home. The heat exchangers suffer breakdowns when the blowers connected to them malfunction and/or if blockage in the venting system prevents them from releasing the gases.

This furnace guide contains 3 components you should know, but most furnaces contain a great deal more. Hopefully, this will give you a basic idea of how the heating process works and how a breakdown with one component can affect the entire unit. Regardless, if you live in West Chester, OH, furnace repair services can be provided by the professionals at Bartels Heating & Cooling. If you’re experiencing problems with your furnace, pick up the phone and call us today!

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Causes of Boiler Leaks

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014

Leaks are among the most common cause of boiler malfunction, lowering the pressure and preventing the boiler from heating the your home comfortably. They can also be quite subtle: it’s not enough to simply look for a puddle because some leaks are so small that the water simply evaporates. Trained heating technicians know how to hunt down the causes and make repairs accordingly. Here are some common causes of boiler leaks. For more information or for boiler repair, call the Fairfield, OH heating repair experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling.

  • Rust. Rust and corrosion can affect any part of the boiler, especially an older one. Rust around seals and fittings is common, but depending on the boiler, it can pop up anywhere.
  • Bad circulator pump. The pump helps the water move around the boiler system, allowing it to heat your home. When the pump won’t work, the water doesn’t move and the pressure can build up. All that pressure can work on weak fittings and seals until a leak develops.
  • High pressure. Along those lines, excessive pressure from any source can put severe strain on the boiler’s components and result in a leak.
  • Cracks in the body. As your boiler ages, it may develop hairlines cracks and create a leak in the core unit. This is serious because it usually means having to replace the entire boilers.  Cracks are especially prevalent in older boilers that have been around a while.
  • Seals and joints. Depending upon their age and condition, seals and joints are the most obvious places to look for leaks. Unlike the pipes themselves, they don’t have to corrode to create a breach. A poor fitting can be enough to cause a leak (though such fittings are usually easy to fix).

A good heating technician can spot the causes of boiler leaks and make a strong plan for repairing them. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for Fairfield, OH heating repair services. We pride ourselves on absolutely professionalism and we’ve seen countless cases of leaky boilers over the years. Contact us today to make an appointment.

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How Heat Pumps Provide Both Heating and Cooling

Monday, January 6th, 2014

Many homeowners in West Chester, OH have heat pumps in their homes. With only a single unit, they receive both air conditioning and heating. However, heat pump owners often know few of the details about how these wonderful devices do both the jobs of an AC and a heater.

A heat pump isn’t a combo-unit that packages two separate systems together: it uses the same method to provide heating as it does to provide cooling. In this post, we’ll give you a short guide to understanding the dual function of heat pumps.

If you need repairs for your heat pump, or if you’re interested in having one installed, call Bartels Heating & Cooling. We’ve served Southwest Ohio since 1973.

Heat exchange: how the heat pump heats and cools

Heat pumps operate through heat exchange, which neither creates heat nor cold. Instead, heat exchange moves heat from one location to another. If you remove heat from a room, the room will feel cooler. If you bring heat into the room, it feels warmer. A heat pump is designed so that it will move the heat to wherever you need it the most: inside or outside. In the summer, you will want the heat outside. In the winter, you will want it inside.

Here’s how the heat pump manages this. Your heat pump consists of two units, an indoor and an outdoor unit. Flowing between the two units along copper lines is a chemical blend known as refrigerant, which can easily change between liquid and gaseous states. The refrigerant absorbs heat from an evaporator coil located in one of the units, then moves to a compressor, which squeezes the refrigerant to a high-pressure, high-temperature gas. The refrigerant then moves to a condenser coil, where it releases the heat. After that it travels back to the condenser coil to restart the cycle.

During cooling mode, the indoor coil acts as the evaporator, absorbing the heat. When the heat pump goes into heating mode, a reversing valve changes the direction of the flow of refrigerant. Now, the indoor coil acts as the condenser, releasing heat, and the outdoor coil acts as the evaporator, absorbing heat.

Keep your heat pump working for you: repairs and maintenance

Heat pumps are complex devices that require the balance of different components to operate correctly. If you sense something wrong with your heat pump, summon a repair technician immediately. Make sure you schedule regular maintenance once a year to see that your heat pump is working its best and not developing potential malfunctions.

Bartels Heating & Cooling offers 24-hour emergency service when you need help with your heat pump. We also offer excellent maintenance and installation for your heat pump in West Chester, OH.

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