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Even with regular heating system maintenance, you may eventually need a boiler repair service or even a boiler replacement in order to maintain indoor comfort in your home. There are certain signs to look out for that indicate it’s time to consider replacing you heating and cooling equipment, or improving the performance of your overall system. If the following indicators are present it may be time to call a professional contractor to help you with your appliance.
Choosing the right boiler for your home is a very important task. There are so many makes and models available, that it makes choosing the right contractor critical. The Energy Experts have extensive experience and the right tools to assist you with making the best choice for your home. A new boiler is a long term investment that you want to make sure keeps your home and budget comfortable.
Here is some helpful information on the different types of boilers available to you.
A domestic boiler is a large home appliance in charge of heating your home. A domestic boiler can be powered by a variety of fuel sources among the most popular is natural gas. Essentially a domestic gas boiler works by heating water and distributing it through a system of pipes that extends into every room to heat your home. If you need to purchase a new domestic gas boiler for your home, here are some points to keep in mind.
Making sure your tankless water heater is properly installed and maintained will optimize its energy efficiency, especially since water heaters are one of the many appliances we rely on every day. Whether gas or electric, they are generally very dependable and quiet. A tankless water heater can last for a decade or more, and save you money as long as proper annual maintenance is performed.
Proper installation of your tankless water heater depends on many factors, so it is important to have a qualified and licensed plumbing and heating contractor install your tankless water heater. Before selecting a contractor request estimates in writing, obtain references, check the company with your local Better Business Bureau, and make sure they have a proper permit.
Tankless water heaters are now designed to last 20- 30 years. This is done by owning a high quality water heater, and by preforming a little maintenance on it. Without maintaining your tankless water heater investment you might only get half that time.
Water qualities are different all over the country, and even good water has minerals in it that over time will build up on the interior walls of the tanks heating chambers. The industry standard recommendations are once per year turn the tankless water heater off, and flush out with white vinegar and water using a submersible water pump to remove the calcium deposit buildup. You can find submersible water pumps at most home improvement and hardware stores.
Buderus solar is one of the largest and most reputable manufacturers in the world. They have been manufacturing and designing solar water systems for over 25 years, and continue to invest in research and development to bring innovative, high quality, solar products to the market.
A Buderus solar thermal system for hot water consists of a solar collector, a pump station, and an indirect hot water storage tank. The solar collector, which is located on the roof, collects the sun’s energy and transfers the heat to the storage tank via the tanks internal heat exchanger. The storage tank in turn allows the hot water to be stored until it is used. The controller activates the system’s pump when there is enough solar energy to create hot water. Even on a cloudy day, light penetrates the cloud layer and heats up the solar collectors.
An existing Buderus wall hung or floor standing boiler can be combined into the solar system as a back-up for domestic hot water. The solar system can also complement the boiler for space heating by reducing the number of boiler starts, saving on costly fuel.
A typical Buderus residential solar hot water system using 2-4 collectors takes about 1-2 days to install depending on location and roof type. Larger commercial systems take longer because of the scale, equipment, and labor required. The typical life expectancy of a Buderus solar hot water system is 20-30 years. If the system is properly maintained, it can last over 30 years. Every 5 year, the heat transfer fluid should be checked and replaced. The pipe insulation and controller settings should also be checked as part of the annual system check-up.
A residential solar water heater will offset greenhouse gas emissions by about 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. That’s equal to the amount of CO2 released by an average vehicle every 1,700 miles!
You can get your home ready for the winter season by tackling easy and inexpensive projects that will save you money in heating bills in the long run. Here are a few simple winterizing suggestions to help you prepare your home and your wallet for the cold weather months.
Contact a local HVAC company to have your HVAC system serviced. Make sure they inspect the duct system for leaks, as this can cause warm air to leak outside instead of being distributed throughout your home.
Insulating your attic reduces unwanted heat loss out of your home during the winter months and air conditioning in the summer months. A quick way to determine if you need more insulation is by looking at the floor joists. If the joists stick up past the insulation levels, you probably need more. If the joists are hidden under the insulation, your attic is thoroughly insulated.
In addition to checking insulation, weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door. Seal up holes in the attic that lead down into the house such as open wall tops and ducts, and plumbing or electrical runs. Any hole that leads from the basement or a crawlspace to the attic is a big energy waster.
If you wish to close off your chimney, install glass doors or inserts to keep the heat from getting sucked out of the house. If you are going to use your fireplace, hire a chimney sweep to clean it out annually and inspect the damper for proper opening and closing to minimize the chances of heat escaping.
Using weather stripping around doors will prevent cold air from entering your home. As you check all of your exterior doors make sure the weather stripping is intact. If the weather stripping has deteriorated or is non-existent, install it on the sides and top of the door. The bottom of every exterior door should have a sweep running along the bottom.
Make sure all double hung windows are pulled up. Sometimes the top half may slip down unknowingly if the catches are not securely locked. If you have a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
When your central heating and cooling system is in its best condition, it provides a great mix of efficiency and comfort. On the other hand, if it is left without proper maintenance, that efficiency crashes and so does your wallet.
Most maintenance for central heating and cooling systems should be left to the professionals, but some general upkeep can be performed by homeowners of any skill level. Here’s a list of suggested maintenance for central heating and cooling systems to ensure you keep the cost of comfort at its lowest.
Air filters on central heating and cooling systems block dust, pollen, and other small particles from entering your home. Eventually, these air filters become clogged by these particles, causing a reduction in energy efficiency from 5 to 15 percent. Ignoring air filter maintenance is like throwing away the money you spent on a better unit. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that filters be replaced every one to two months during the season. Some central air conditioner filters are reusable while others are disposable. Before you replace your air filter, check to see which kind you have.
Central air conditioners feature drains used to remove condensation and humidity. These can become clogged over time. Unclogging the drains is simple. Just push a wire through the drain channels to knock out the gunk.
Other maintenance should only be done by professionals or homeowners with advanced knowledge. These include:
The evaporator and condenser coils collect dirt overtime, limiting air flow and the amount of heat removed by the air conditioner. These should be cleaned, at most, every year.
Fins on the evaporator and condenser bend over time, which blocks air flow. When this occurs, the fins should be straightened.
The blower may wear down over time and need an adjustment to boost air flow.
If your air conditioner has too much or too little refrigerant, an essential chemical component that creates cool air, your system will operate inefficiently.
A furnace relies on a filter to block out dust, mold, and other particles, which collects dirt over time, leading to falling energy efficiency. Your filter should be changed regularly, as much as once a month during seasons when it’s in constant use. A filter change takes just a few minutes.
If you have natural gas, check whether the pilot light is on and that it’s blue. If you’re trying to heat your home but getting nothing except cold air blowing in, a pilot light that’s gone out is the likely problem. If the pilot light is yellow or orange, there may be a mechanical issue with the system.
Other maintenance should only be done by professionals or homeowners with advanced knowledge. These include:
Belts inside your central heating dry out and become worn over time, this reduces efficiency. These should be adjusted and lubricated, at the most, annually.
Dirt will inevitably end up in your central heating, requiring a professional cleaning. Nearly all elements of the furnace must be wiped down and cleaned out. A dirty furnace can significantly reduce efficiency. Get a contractor to clean your furnace every few years.
Heating an old house is a balancing act often met with trouble. Many early homes were built without any type of central heating system (unless you count the chimney) meanwhile others are faced with aging, and incompetent systems.
Unless you are planning to remodel your house, you probably have no other choice in the matter but to deal with systems such as these: existing steam or hydronic radiators powered by a broiler, or forced air ducts fueled by a furnace. Even if you don’t intend to tear out your floor, there are ways to incorporate new technology that will make your system more competent, and more comfortable to live with.
Landowners have long complemented central heating systems with wood or gas burning fireplaces, stoves and inserts. These often proficient components may boost warmth in a gathering room or even heat a small house at prices that make sense to most homeowners, but there are plenty of other choices that can resolve heating problems or increase comfort in chilly spots like entries, porches, and bathrooms.
Got a steam or hot water system with indisposed radiators?
No need to throw out the boiler with the bath water when you replace the broken one with a new one. Choices can consist of nearly silent baseboard units that melt into the wall, flat-fins units that tuck under windows, or streamlined tubular radiators that look like the originals you may already have.
Want to know more about better heating your home? Get in touch with Oehlert Bros. to find out how!
Double protection prepay program is a smart protection program that is meant to keep the check of heating oil and make sure it is always ready to give out high performance. The efficiency of heating oil is necessary as this would help you to manage your routine home operations and all the more give you peace of mind. The Double protection prepay program protects you in two ways. You can prepay for your heating oil needs and as the result you get extremely low prices for heating oil. The benefit of prepaying is that you don’t have to pay extra when the prices of heating oil surge up, and when they surge down you will pay the lowest price. It is a win-win situation for you and you are always at the advantage.
Double protection prepay program is a double bonanza given by the company to the homeowners who are otherwise seriously concerned about paying for more as the price of heating oil increase. The whole idea behind double protection prepay program is to save hard earned money, and besides provide high efficiency heating oil for your requirements. Just guess, if the heating oil in your home is not working efficiently, you might have problems with the energy saving devices that use heating oil With the help of double protection prepay program, the heating oil is always under the check and that too without spending some real hard earned money. Under the smart and exclusive prepay program you get double saving and you are always on the win-win side. In many of the other heating oil prepay programs; you have to pay when the prices of the oil increase, and when they go down, the price of heating oil remain stable on the upside.
If you are still confused about the smart double protection prepay program, then you ought to know very well that double protection prepay program is exclusively designed for the homeowners who otherwise like to move ahead taking care of their routine budgets. It is quite obvious to find here the Double protection prepay program is a budget program where you have all the reasons to go for the good budget and high performance and efficiency budget programs, and you don’t have to worry out it. Double protection prepay program is a yearly program, and you have to make sure that you consistently follow this program. If you don’t then it is very natural that the heating oil out there in your home will not be efficient enough to generate high performance energy for routine use.
So are you ready to go for Double protection prepay program and keep your home energy efficient and safe?