Boehmer Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Bethel Park’

Tips to Save Money This Winter

Monday, October 12th, 2015

The cold weather isn’t here yet, but there’s a definite chill in the air. Winter can be a very expensive season between heating costs and other winter-related expenses. While you can’t heat your home for free, you can reduce your costs by taking some simple steps ahead of the heating season. Here are some tips from the heating and cooling experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling.

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Suffering from Late Summer Allergies? Upgrade Your Air Filter

Monday, September 7th, 2015

This is the time of year when everyone starts shifting gears from summer relaxing to back-to-school. However, if you are an allergy sufferer this may be one of your most challenging times of year thanks to allergens like ragweed. However, you have a great tool at your disposal for countering the effects of late summer allergies: your AC’s air filter. The standard air filter that comes with your air conditioner isn’t going to help you much, but an upgraded air filter installed by the indoor air quality experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling can help alleviate many of your allergy symptoms.

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How Does a Geothermal System Cool My House?

Monday, August 3rd, 2015

It may seem a strange idea to cool your home using the natural resources of the Earth, but that’s exactly what happens when you have a geothermal system in Bethel Park, PA. However, cool air isn’t generated, as we’ll explain more below. The important thing is that should you be interested in using a geothermal system, or have one that needs servicing, that you hire professionals who have experience with this type of system. The HVAC specialists at Boehmer Heating & Cooling have been working with geothermal systems for a number of years, and can help you with all of your geothermal needs.

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Why Keeping Your Thermostat at a Consistent Setting Doesn’t Save You Energy

Monday, July 13th, 2015

There are a lot of so-called “helpful tips” passed along regularly by friends and neighbors. One of these tips is that you’ll save more energy when you keep your thermostat set at a steady temperature all the time rather than changing it for when your home is unoccupied or at night. Simply put, this is false. It can be hard remembering to turn your thermostat up and down, which is why the experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling strongly recommend installing and using a programmable thermostat in your home. But first, let’s take a look at why keeping your thermostat at the same temperature doesn’t save you energy.

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What Are These Noises from My Boiler?

Friday, March 20th, 2015

Boilers are known for their quiet operation. Unlike forced-air heating systems, which may have loud fans and motors running at all times, boilers have far fewer moving parts, and these are usually out of the way of your living space. You might not notice that your boiler is in trouble until you move closer to the unit itself, but when you hear loud rumbling, rattling, or other noises, it can seem quite alarming.

When you notice odd sounds from your boiler unit or anywhere in your home heating system when you run the boiler, call Boehmer Heating & Cooling.

Common Noises and What They Mean

If you hear a rumbling or rattling noise from the tank of your boiler, it could mean trouble. Most likely, the source of the rumbling is sediment in the tank. Sediment builds up as hard water moves into the pipes with your water supply. Hard water is water that has a high concentration of minerals like calcium and magnesium. These can leave deposits in the tank, which can then rattle around and cause a bit of noise.

More important than the noise, however, is the effect that these minerals have on the performance of your boiler. When sediment builds up too much, the volume in the tank decreases, which means that pressure increases. Long ago, a boiler in this position could be at risk of exploding, but this is not a concern today. Safety features on the boiler should shut down the unit if the pressure becomes too high or water may leak out from a relief valve. Either way, this is not an ideal situation to be in, and you should have a technician look at the system as soon as you can.

Noises from your boiler, from the baseboard heater or radiator, or from the pipes underneath your floorboard can all indicate trouble. Often, noises from locations besides the boiler tank itself could indicate circulator pump trouble. This can lead to uneven heating or none at all.

Call us today at Boehmer Heating & Cooling. We can drain sediment from your boiler or find a suitable solution with our boiler repair service in Bethel Park. In some cases, a replacement is necessary, but we can help you to find the best system for your replacement needs quickly.

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The Basics of an Electric Boiler

Friday, January 30th, 2015

With the massive popularity of natural gas as a fuel source for home heating systems, it’s not surprising that so many people view it as the only option. Though natural gas is a great choice for many reasons, it is thankfully not the only option available. Whether due to limitations on the availability of natural gas, or simply the desire to use a non-combustion system, more and more people are making use of electric heaters in their home. Let’s examine one of the more common electric heaters, the electric boiler, and how it can benefit your home.

How it Works

An electric boiler is actually fairly similar to one powered by natural gas. The only real difference is that an electric boiler eschews any sort of combustion to create heat, instead using several heating elements to warm the water being circulated around the house.

In a gas boiler, the heat exchanger is suspended over the flames of the burner assembly. Water flows through the heat exchanger and is heated by the fire below before flowing into the house. An electric boiler is a little different, with the heating elements actually inside the heat exchanger with the water supply. The heating elements themselves are basically very thick metal wires, coiled and connected to the electricity supply. As the system runs an electrical current through these wires, it meets resistance that causes the coils to heat up. The now-hot heating elements heat the water in the heat exchanger before distribution.

Why Install an Electric Boiler?

There are many reasons to prefer an electric boiler over other heating systems, the first of which being efficiency. Electricity is often more expensive as a fuel type, compared to natural gas. However, natural gas heaters vent a lot of heat out of the house as combustion gases, which are useless to the heating system and dangerous to the homeowner. As an electric boiler does not combust fuel, almost all of its heat goes directly into the water used to heat the house. Electric boilers also require a lot less maintenance, due to their lack of moving parts compared to combustion heaters.

If you are interested in installing an electric boiler, call Boehmer Heating & Cooling to schedule an appointment. We provide quality boiler installation services throughout Bethel Park.

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Pittsburgh AC Repair Question: Why Is My Air Conditioner Not Cooling?

Monday, May 7th, 2012

Designed for one to two decades of life, your Pittsburgh air conditioner is able to run virtually trouble free with just a little maintenance annually.  If these little things like changing the air filter and cleaning the drain are not done regularly, the neglected units can really lose their cooling power.

The Basic Course

Through a process which involves the rapid evaporation and condensation of chemicals called refrigerants, air conditioners use compounds that have properties that allow them to change rapidly from gas to liquid and back again at low temperatures.

Heat is absorbed when the liquid evaporates and transforms into gas, making the space around it cooler.  Compressing it tightly together again, the heated gas condenses back into liquid with a residue of unwanted moisture that must be released and is vented usually to the outdoors.

The newly cooled air is distributed through the house by means of ductworks, pushed by fans driven by electric motors.  As the air moves along, it passes through a filter and can be further de-humidified.

Problems in the System

If the filter is clogged, movement of the cooled air is slowed to the point we might think the unit is broken.  If the condensate drain is plugged, the motor can get damaged and stop producing.  Regular maintenance performed by the home owner or as a service of  Boehmer Heating & Cooling can avoid or eliminate these simple aggravations.

When the heat builds, however, and cool relief seems nowhere near the air ducts, it may be time to call a professional to dig deeper to find the reason and suggest solutions.

Back to Cool

If not serviced regularly, the amount of refrigerant in the coils may decrease over time or the coils themselves could get clogged and impede the evaporation/condensation process.  A leak in the coils could drain the system, rendering the unit useless and wholly unproductive.

There are belts on each of the two separate fan motors which may be worn or loose, causing the fans to blow less efficiently.  The motor may need to be oiled or have a broken part that doesn’t allow it to push the air at all.

Most of the time, these fixes are relatively minor and do not threaten the life of the air conditioning unit.  Schedule an annual inspection and service from a certified Pittsburgh HVAC company like Boehmer Heating & Cooling to take it off your list and stay cool.

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O’Hara Heating Installation Advice: High Efficiency Furnaces and Chimney Concerns

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

When upgrading to a high efficiency gas furnace in your O’Hara home, you may need to make some upgrades to your chimney. Older chimneys built for standard furnaces with normal exhaust needs are not built to the specifications needed by today’s high efficiency models. Not only is it unsafe to leave it as is, but the cost of repairs if you don’t have it upgraded can be substantial.

Down-Sizing

A common concern when upgrading to a high efficiency gas furnace is the issue of condensation and draft. Because the amount of exhaust being vented is reduced by a high efficiency furnace, your current setup is not sufficient for the new model. So, it needs to be reduced in size by a professional to avoid backup of exhaust. Proper chimney sizing is a complex process that requires professional guidelines and careful measurements of all appliances in your home.

Because the chimney often isn’t used at all for a high efficiency furnace (often PVC pipe used instead), the extra airflow in the chimney can become a major issue.

Chimney Condensation

The biggest concern for the chimney when changing the furnace efficiency is condensation. Specifically, acidic condensation droplets can build up in the chimney if not properly stopped. A new chimney liner must be placed in the chimney to avoid excessive corrosion due to the acid droplets. Keep in mind that the efficiency of your new furnace will determine whether you will use the traditional chimney for exhaust or if a new line will be installed to vent your furnace.

When to Take Action

If you have your furnace replaced, your O’Hara technician will likely discuss the chimney situation in your home with you. Keep in mind that this might be necessary and that there might be an added cost involved because of it. Modern furnaces are not designed to accommodate aging chimneys and your safety and the integrity of your house are at risk if you don’t retrofit the chimney if necessary.

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Why Install a Ductless Air Conditioner? A Question From Bethel Park

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

As you explore your options in terms of a new home air conditioning system, you will probably have to decide whether you want a system that uses ducts to get the cooled air around your Bethel Park house or one that is considered ductless. Each type of air conditioning system is appropriate in certain situations, so it is important to understand the benefits of each before you can make a decision.

Duct air conditioning systems are the more traditional type on the market today. They generally consist of an outdoor compressor and condenser unit and an indoor air handler. The outdoor unit passes the cooled air through ducts to the air handler, which then takes over circulating the air through the house and back out to the condenser again.

It makes sense to install this type of air conditioning system if you have a large house or if you have ducts already in place. Duct air conditioners can cool a moderate to large sized house quite effectively and they can also be coupled with zone control systems to give you multiple climate zones within your house.

Ductless air conditioners, as their name suggests, do not rely on a system of air ducts to get cooled air distributed throughout your house. Instead, these types of systems use refrigerant lines to transfer coolant from the outdoor compressor to the indoor, wall mounted units. Each of these indoor units can take care of cooling one or two rooms, but in order to cool an entire house with one of these systems, you will need to install multiple indoor units.

However, these multiple indoor units can all be connected to the same outdoor compressor, and they can also be controlled independently. That gives you much greater control over which parts of your house are cooled and how much energy you are using to cool areas that may or may not be occupied.

Ductless air conditioners are generally more energy efficient than ducted ones, but their real advantage comes from the facts that they can be installed even in places where air ducts do not exist or cannot go. If you do not already have ductwork in your house, installing a duct system will add considerably to the price of installing a ducted air conditioning system. In a case like this, a ductless system is much easier and cheaper to install and certainly makes more sense.

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Energy Performance Ratings for Windows, Doors, Skylights

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

When you are picking out windows, doors or skylights for your home, you will have a lot of factors to take into consideration. Not the least of these is how well or poorly the product in question will transfer heat into your home or help to block it out. Luckily, there are actually energy performance ratings listed on most windows, doors and skylights so that you can make the most informed decision possible about which product is best for you.

But what do these ratings actually measure? There are actually several categories that are reflected on the energy performance label, and understanding what these various statistics mean will help you pick out the best product for you.

For instance, the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is something that reflects how well the window transfers heat from the sun into your home. A low SHGC means that the window lets in very little heat, while a high SHGC indicates a product that allows a great deal of heat to pass through into your home. The right one for you, however, depends on your own particular needs.

If you live in an area with a mild summer but a harsh winter, you may be interested in allowing the sunlight to help heating your home in the winter. And if the summers are not that extreme, you might not mind the heat coming in at that time of year.

The opposite would be true if you live somewhere that has very hot summers, though. In that case you might want to keep out as much heat from the sun as possible and be content to heat the house all on your own in the winter. So the ideal SHGC for you can vary depending on your own particular circumstances.

Other elements taken into account when the energy performance of windows, doors and skylights is measured are the amount of visible light the product lets in, how well it insulates your house, how much air is allowed to leak out through joints in the structure of the product and how resistant it is to allowing condensation to develop.

All of these elements will impact how well you are able to maintain a comfortable indoor environment all year round and how much it costs you to do so. Because of this, it can be worth paying a bit more for a door, window or skylight if it means that you will save on your heating or cooling bills every month because of that product.

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