There are a number of reasons why homeowners choose to install a heat pump system: they are energy efficient, offer longer lifespans than other heating and cooling systems, and can both heat and cool your home. But for all the positives a heat pump system offers, like other heating and cooling systems, your heat pump won’t last forever. What are some of the signs to be aware of with your heat pump, in terms of replacement? Here are some to keep in mind:
Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Heat Pumps’ Category
3 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Heat Pump
Monday, July 27th, 2015Why Won’t My Heat Pump Cool?
Monday, May 18th, 2015One of the biggest benefits of owning a heat pump is that it is a dual-mode system, providing heat during the winter months and cool air during the summer months. However, switching between modes can sometimes be an issue for a few reasons, as we’ll discuss below. No matter what the issue with your heat pump in Oxford, DE, you should always call an expert for help. Heat pump systems are complex, and allowing someone to work on them without the proper training and expertise can lead to other more serious issues, in addition to potentially being more costly. The NATE-certified technicians at Bartels Heating & Cooling are available day or night, so if you are experiencing an issue with your heat pump, call us today!
Why Does the Outside Unit of My Heat Pump Run in Heating Mode?
Wednesday, March 11th, 2015When 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.
Consider Heat Pump Installation for the Transition from Heating to Cooling Season
Friday, April 4th, 2014Spring is here and with it comes a slow transition in most households, as they turn their furnace off and start prepping their air conditioner for the summer. That makes it an excellent time to trade out your old HVAC system for a new one, possibly a heat pump which combines the features of a heater and an air conditioner in one. Here in Fairfield, OH, one of our heating installation technicians can discuss the specifics with you, and well as giving you some reasons to consider heat pump installation for the transition from heating to cooling season. We’ll discuss a few of the more general ones below.
Heat pumps provide a number of benefits for those so interested. They often cost less to run than a traditional heating or cooling system, saving you money in your monthly bills and reducing your environmental impact in the bargain. Then there’s the convenience of combining a heater and an air conditioner into a single system, used throughout the year and able to provide heating and cooling in equal measures. Though the up-front cost is a little more, the long-term savings of regular use could save you a great deal.
Furthermore, spring makes an ideal time to make the change, when temperatures are mild and you don’t need heating or air conditioning the way you would in the summer or the winter. That gives you maximum flexibility in terms of scheduling the installation. You can find a time that works for you instead of rushing in front of the next heat wave or winter storm. That lowers stress and makes the process of installation much easier.
If you’re considering heat pump installation for the transition from heating to cooling season, now is obviously the time to act. And when you do, Bartels Heating & Cooling is ready to help. Our Fairfield, OH heating installation services include heat pumps and our trained staff has the experience you need to do the job right. Call us today and let us show you what we can do!
How Heat Pumps Provide Both Heating and Cooling
Monday, January 6th, 2014Many 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.
Heat Pump Repair: Compressor Won’t Start
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013Heat 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.