Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for March, 2015

The Key to Quality Furnace Installation

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

If you need a new furnace, it can be tough to pick someone for the job. You want to make sure that your new heating system runs properly, and you also want a technician who will treat your home with respect. Sometimes, homeowners resort to allowing a friend or family member with limited HVAC knowledge to install the new unit as this is someone they feel they can trust. However, if you don’t choose an experienced professional for furnace installation, it may end up costing you far more than you expect.

Here’s what you should know: the only way to ensure quality heating installation is by choosing an expert for the job. The highly qualified technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling will make sure that your new heating system runs as efficiently as possible.

What Can Go Wrong with an Amateur Installation

There are a lot of things that may go wrong if you choose an amateur for heating installation. For one, you may end up with a unit at is not the proper size. This is a big deal because a furnace that is too large will use a lot of energy and may short cycle. A furnace that is too small will not heat the home completely and may expire sooner than it should.

Furthermore, there are a lot of risks when you’re working with a gas furnace. If the unit is not set up just right, you could risk a natural gas leak. Setting up the ventilation system or making sure that your existing flue pipe is compatible with the furnace is also important in preventing CO leaks. You don’t want to leave this job to someone without experience. Every component must be just right in order for it to work properly, which is why you should hire an expert for any heating installation job.

Furnace installation involves intensive knowledge of heating systems, which our technicians already have. Put your trust in the highly qualified, skilled people at Bartels Heating & Cooling as we take pride in our work and have provided quality furnace installation in Hamilton and the surrounding area. Call us today!

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How Efficient Is a Geothermal Heat Pump?

Friday, March 20th, 2015

One of the latest trends in energy efficient heating and cooling is the use of geothermal energy. Geothermal heat pumps draw from the thermal energy in the earth to transfer heat to the air in your home for heating, and to move heat back to the earth in the summer. If you decide you want a new geothermal heat pump for your home in West Chester, OH, contact the friendly professionals at Bartels Heating & Cooling. If you’re still concerned about whether geothermal energy is worth the investment, read on.

Many people wonder how much money they will save over time. Of course, we cannot give a definitive answer, as this depends on usage, the size of your household, and a number of other factors, including the cost of electricity in your area. Geothermal heat pumps do still use some amount of electricity in order to move around the air, but this is minimal when compared to the traditional air-source split system air conditioners.

If you had an older conventional split-system AC, then you will likely notice energy savings right away. When you dig deep enough into the ground, the earth remains at a constant temperature, usually around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This means they may be more effective in cooler weather than heat pumps which pull thermal energy from the air. Water or a water-refrigerant blend moves through an underground loop system to absorb this energy, which is then transferred to the refrigerant in your heat pump.

Furthermore, this system uses far fewer of the earth’s natural resources, which makes it a great system for those who are at all environmentally conscious. The initial cost maybe high, but over a number of years, the savings should compensate for the additional cost. But all of this is only true if you choose a professional for installation. Professional sizing and installation is a vital step in ensuring efficiency and performance. If the unit is over- or undersized, you may use up more energy than you need.

Call the friendly experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling to learn how you can get geothermal heating and cooling in West Chester, OH.

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Why Does the Outside Unit of My Heat Pump Run in Heating Mode?

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

When a technician installs a new heat pump in your home, you’re usually told that it’s an efficient heating and cooling system. However, you may not be too sure as to how this unit functions. How can a single system provide both heating and cooling for a home? And why, unlike with other heating systems, is the outside unit running when you switch it into heating mode?

Here at Bartels Heating & Cooling, we can answer all of your questions about our comprehensive heat pump installation service in Fairfield. Call us today for maintenance, repairs, or installation. We provide quality service from HVAC technicians who care about the caliber of the work they perform.

Heat Pump Operation

When a technician installs a heating and cooling system in a new home, these units are usually entirely separate from one another. Often, a forced-air heating system like a furnace is installed inside of the home and a split system air conditioning system goes both inside and out. The air conditioning coils may sit atop of the furnace, and they likely share a blower fan, but otherwise the units operate independently of one another. Therefore, when you run the furnace in the winter, the outside unit should not run as it only functions as part of your air conditioning system.

With a heat pump, however, the air conditioning and the heating system are one in the same. Just as with a normal AC unit, refrigerant absorbs heat from one area to another. Heat is absorbed at the inside evaporator coil in the summer, and then it’s released outdoors at the condenser coil. With a heat pump, the process reverses in the cooler months. Refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside air and moves it indoors with the help of a reversing valve and multiple check valves. This is highly efficient because it takes less energy to move heat than generate it.

Call the professional technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling for heat pump installation, repair, or maintenance in Fairfield today. These are some of the most efficient systems on the market, helping you to save money over time while offering the performance you need.

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Visit Us at the Cincinnati Home & Garden Show

Friday, March 6th, 2015

Cincinnati-Home-Garden-Show-®-Hart-Productions-Consumer-Trade-Show

Bartels Heating & Cooling will be participating in the 2015 Cincinnati Home & Garden Show again this weekend! We were thrilled to see everyone who stopped by the Carrier booth to say hello last Sunday, but we’ll be back in action tomorrow – Saturday, March 7 – from 4:00-9:00pm.

The home and garden show runs through Sunday, March 8 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. The show will be open from 10:30am-9:00pm on Saturday and 10:30am-6:00pm on Sunday. Stop by to see what’s new, check out the latest trends, get tips and ideas from tons of home and garden experts, and of course come see us at the Carrier booth. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Water Heater Repair Guide: The Dip Tube

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015

You rely on your water heater for many of the most important activities you do during the day for your health and comfort. You use hot water to shower, wash your face, clean your home, and prepare meals. If your water heater is not keeping your water as warm as you would like it to, repairs can seem urgent. But you may delay water heater repair out of fear that the water heater may need replacement.

Actually, one of the most common repair needs for water heater that is a fairly simple fix for a trained contractor is a broken dip tube. The dip tube is a long plastic pipe that lets cold water in to the bottom of the unit. There is a burner or electric heating element located toward the bottom of the tank. Once the water heats up, it rises up to the top of the tank. Then, a small tube at the top of the tank allows the warm water to exit. The dip tube can fall into a state of disrepair, but a trained technician may be able to solve the trouble quickly.

There are a few things that could go wrong with the dip tube over time. It may develop small cracks that allow cold water to seep into the tank, lingering at the top. This means that you may notice bouts of cold or lukewarm water from your sink or shower rather than an uninterrupted stream of hot water. The dip tube may even simply break in half. When this happens, you might run out of hot water far too quickly.

This shouldn’t be a problem you have to live with. Call a technician for repairs as soon as you suspect a problem. And be sure to schedule annual water heater maintenance as well. This involves a few key adjustments to the system as well as a thorough examination of your entire unit to make sue something like a broken dip tube doesn’t go undetected for too long.

Count on the people at Bartels Heating & Cooling for quality water heaters and services in Hamilton. We pride ourselves on quality customer service and strive to keep your experience as positive as possible.

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