Heating

Hot water heat and steam heat are two types of “sealed water-circulating systems” that circulate water heated by a boiler through pipes to radiators. Hot-water heaters are one of the most common heating systems in newer homes, second to forced-air systems. With regular use, it's only normal that you'll need radiator and boiler services to keep your system running smooth. Here are some tips that may reduce the amount of boiler and radiator repairs.

Bleed Your Hot-Water System. The most common problem in hot water systems is unwanted air. At the start of each heating season, you will need to bleed your system. While the system is running, go from radiator to radiator and open each bleed valve slightly, then close it when water starts to escape through the valve. For multi-level homes, start at the top floor and work your way down each floor.

Zoned Heating Systems. Save energy in hot water systems by retrofitting separate zone controls for different areas of large homes, especially when some “zones” are not used often or are on a different schedule than the rest of the home. A heating expert can install automatic valves on the hot-water radiators, controlled by thermostats, in each of the zones. Using programmable thermostats will allow you to automatically heat and cool off portions of your home to match your patterns.

Insulate Pipes. In steam and hot water systems, insulating pipes is very cost-effective because it avoids dissipating heat in unwanted areas. Install fiberglass pipe insulation that can withstand the high temperatures of the delivery pipes.

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FURNACE

Furnace Maintenance or Repairs. As with all HVAC systems, at some point furnace repairs will be necessary. To help extend the life of your furnace be sure to provide regular maintenance. For example, air filtration is critical to efficient heating, so you should make sure to change or clean your furnace filters often and have your furnace professionally maintained before every heating season. It is recommended for your Heating system to be looked at by a professional before winter. If your furnace runs into any problems or just needs to be looked at, give us a call today.

What is a furnace? Simply put, a furnace draws air in from the living space, heats it up and returns it to warm the home. Modern furnaces are forced air systems in three basic configurations based on the direction in which the furnace outputs heat.

Upflow Furnaces
An Upflow Furnace is a furnace that pulls return air in from the bottom and expels warm air from the top. Upflow furnaces are placed in the basement of a home.
Horizontal flow (or cross-flow) furnaces
A horizontal furnace lies on its side, pulling cool air from one side and pushing warm air out of the other.
Downflow furnaces
In this configuration, the furnace takes cold air from the top and discharges warm air from the bottom.

Furnace Fuel Options. Most furnaces use gas—either natural gas or propane. The gas enters a chamber, is ignited by the pilot and heats the air within a heat exchange chamber. The air is blown into the living space through heating ductwork, and the exhaust gases are vented out of your home. Electric furnaces use heating elements, or strips, to warm the air instead of a fossil fuel source. Everything else works the same.