Archive for April, 2012

What Do You Have to Learn to Be an HVAC Tech in Lacey

Monday, April 30th, 2012

No matter how the style, usage and materials change in buildings, there will always be the need for heating technicians in Lacey, especially in the winter and AC technicians durring the hotter days of summer.  The wide variety and complication of systems requires certain knowledge to maintain and install them.

If you’re looking for a dependable and lucrative career, being an HVAC technician makes good dollars and sense.  As either a self-employed contractor or as part of a larger company, the business of heating, venting and air-conditioning homes, businesses and institutions is sure to be always available.

Areas of Focus

Depending on the interests of the individual, there are various ways to be involved with HVAC systems.  Some choose to participate only in the initial stages of designing, estimating and selling systems to the customer.  Others focus on the installation while still others are only involved with the regular maintenance and service of existing systems.

An independent sub-contractor may need to be expert in all areas of HVAC systems where a team of technicians can concentrate on their selected interests.

The Road to Certification

HVAC refers to many different kinds of systems powered by numerous different types of energy.  Improvements in the technology create an ever changing fast paced body of required knowledge.  Experience is the best teacher but cannot alone keep technicians up to date.

Most certification programs are based on three to four year apprenticeships combining on the job training with classroom lessons. In community colleges and vocational tech schools, a shorter period is required, only two years for an associate degree that teaches the basics of repair and maintenance as well as air conditioner installations.

No matter which way you choose, final certification is given by either the North American Technician Excellence program or the Air Conditioning Excellence Coalition.  With an official certification in the HVAC field, prospects for better employment and higher wages are nearly guaranteed.

What to Learn

HVAC systems are very technical and full of details.  Installation and maintenance of the systems requires many skills, including working with different kinds of piping, motors, pumps, compressors, ductwork, screens and filters.  You learn the difference between boilers and furnaces, refrigerators, coolers and air-conditioners.

There is so much variety and detail to learn that many individuals choose to focus primarily one or several areas instead of trying to be fully expert about all parts.  No matter the focus, an HVAC tech has opened the door to a satisfying career and steady income.  Please call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more.

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Posted in Air Conditioner Installation, Air Conditioning, Heating Technician in Lacey | Comments Off

Save Big on Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Only a few days left to save 15% on Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps at Bob’s Heating and Air Conditioning! Savings drop to 10% beginning May 1st. Call us today!

Posted in Air Conditioning, Heat Pump Systems, Heat Pumps, Promo | Comments Off

Asbestos and Indoor Air Quality in Lacey

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

As a Lacey resident you’ve probably heard how bad asbestos can be for the human body, but did you know it could be in your home right now, posing a potentially dangerous health risk to your family? Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used for centuries as a flame retardant and insulator in homes and clothing. In the 1970s it was discovered that asbestos was not safe because of how easily it frays and enters the lungs. Workers and homeowners exposed to frayed asbestos have a much higher risk of a particular type of lung cancer called mesothelioma, which may not show up for years.

So, if asbestos is present in your home, careful testing and inspection should be performed to determine if it poses an immediate risk to anyone in your family.  If there is a slight risk for exposure to asbestos, or any indoor pollutant that should be inspiration enough to improve your home’s ventilation and air filtration.

Where Asbestos Comes From

Asbestos is most commonly found in homes built before 1978 in the insulation, acoustical material, fireproofing, or floor tiles. While home insulation is a common culprit, so too is the insulation placed around pipes and floorboards in the basement.

When the asbestos laden material starts to deteriorate or is damaged, it begins to flake or fray into the air, emitting extremely small particles that are easily breathed. High levels of asbestos in your indoor air are not necessary to expose your family to risk, though they do substantially increase that risk.  For these type of contaminates consider installing a HEPA air filter in your air ducts to capture some of these harmful particles.

What to Do If You Suspect Asbestos

It’s impossible to know for sure if insulation contains asbestos without testing. If you know for sure that there is asbestos and it hasn’t been disturbed, leave it alone. Asbestos is only dangerous when it breaks off and enters the air you breathe. So, the most common abatement technique is to cover it so it cannot get into the air supply.

Contractors are frequently required to carry asbestos removal certification that not only shows they are trained in proper techniques for covering it up, but that any removed asbestos is properly disposed of. If you suspect a problem with your insulation, even if you’re unsure what material it contains, call a contractor immediately for testing.

If testing shows that asbestos is present and it has been damaged, your contractor will recommend an abatement technique to either remove or cover that insulation permanently. Even if asbestos is left behind but is well covered, it should pose no future risk to your family.  Please contact Bob’s Heating and Air Conditioning to set up an indoor air quality test.

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Posted in Air Filtration, HEPA Air Filter, Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off

Spring Newsletter

Friday, April 20th, 2012

Check out our Spring Newsletter for informative articles on your Air Conditioning and Heating needs, along with promotions, customer testimonials, a health tip, and a delicious spring recipe for you to try!

Tulips

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The Room by Room Benefits of Ductless Splits AC for Seattle Homes

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Ductless splits air conditioners in Seattle are designed to eliminate the need for ductwork in a home where space is at a premium. Usually homeowners with older homes – those built before the 1970s – have very little space to work with when it comes to installing the ductwork a traditional central air conditioning system requires. These homes are often heated with radiant boiler systems and have window units to provide cooling in warmer weather. As a result, cooling costs can be extremely high each summer and the house usually isn’t comfortable during these months.

Ductless air conditioning offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the cost of installation is significantly lower than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning when you call for an estimate.

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Central Air Conditioning System, Ductless Splits Air Conditioning in Seattle | Comments Off

Lacey Heating Contractor Guide: Which Fuel is Right for Your Home?

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Lacey homeowners all want to save money on household expenses and utility bills. We turn off lights when we leave the room, take shorter showers and make sure the kids don’t keep the refrigerator door open. These small habits help, but still we all want to save a little wherever we can, right?

One area where people are constantly looking for ways to save money is home heating. Everyone wants to be comfortable and warm in their homes, but that costs money, so homeowners are always on the lookout for the most effective and cost efficient way to keep the house warm.

What is the most cost effective fuel for home heating?

Is it natural gas, electric, fuel oil or propane? How about less conventional heat sources like wood or geothermal pumps?

We all wish there was one easy, all-encompassing answer to this question, like a heating magic bullet that would keep every family warm and happy for pennies on the dollar. Unfortunately, there isn’t. It depends on too many factors for any one solution to work for everyone.

Probably the biggest factor that plays a role in the cost of a particular fuel is its local availability. Resources are available differentially, so that while one option might be cheapest for a family of five in Andover, Massachusetts, the analysis is entirely different for a single person in Kearney, Nebraska.

What is the most cost effective option for you?

That is a better question, but still not one that is necessarily easy to answer.

To figure it out, you need to carefully analyze several factors:

  • Local availability (see above)
  • Local climate
  • Size of your home
  • Your family’s needs
  • Existing heating equipment
  • Your budget

Armed with this information, you can do a careful comparison and choose the perfect heating system replacement for you. For assistance you can use an online calculator to compare fuel costs, such as this one from the Energy Information Administration or this one from Hearth.com. Or, if all else fails, call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning for a professional assessment.

Comparing fuel costs and choosing the right solution for you may take some time, but the savings can be well worth it.

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Posted in Heating, Heating System Replacement, Home Heating | Comments Off

How Much Electricity Does a Gas Furnace Use?

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

The answer to the question “How much electricity does a gas furnace use?” could sound like a silly question; in fact, electricity is necessary for several important tasks as part of the more efficient gas furnaces.

Lighting the Torch

Gas is the fuel that fires the flame that heats the air that warms your Seattle home, but electricity is the spark that lights the gas.  The flame is not roaring all the time or just ignites spontaneously.  Think of the athlete igniting the Olympic torch.

A low voltage electric signal from the thermostat opens the valve that controls the amount of gas flow and therefore the flame.  A solenoid coil in the valve senses gas and ensures flame to prevent an explosion or leakage, then opens wide to let the heating begin and shuts down when the desired temperature is reached.

Blown Away

All that heated air must be moved through the ductwork and distributed room to room to create the comfort and this is done by a motor-driven fan which is the largest use of electricity in a gas furnace.  The motor turns on and shuts down according to the relationships between flame, heated air and the thermostat setting.

Known as a draft inducer, a second fan is employed to remove the toxic fumes that are the residue of the burned gas.  These fumes which can be deadly are usually pushed through a PVC pipe to the exterior and released safely into the atmosphere.

Sum Total

The amount of electricity used to ignite the flame is very small, phased through a low-voltage impulse wire, nearly too small to even show on your meter.  Most of the electrical energy contributing the critical role of powering the two fans in gas furnaces adds up typically to less than 600 watts at any given time or about the same as a few light bulbs.

While gas furnaces are much more efficient and less costly than any kind of electric heat, they are useless (and even dangerous) without that little bit of electrical help.

If you have any questions about how your Seattle heating system works, give Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning a call today!

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