Posts Tagged ‘Maple Valley’

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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HVAC System’s Condensate Drain Line for Fife Residents

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

There are a lot of components involved in a properly working Fife HVAC system. One component that many people overlook is the drain line for the air conditioning system. Your air conditioning system has condenser coils that sweat the water drawn from the air in your home as it is cooled by your AC unit. These coils produce a significant volume of water, especially when it humidity is high, so a condensate drain pan is installed to capture the moisture and keep it from damaging your home.

A drain line from the drain pain out of your home is required to transfer all that extra water, but it can easily become clogged by debris in the area or simply from heavy condensation. If this happens, the drain line might need to be cleared or even replaced.

Inspecting your Condensate Drain Line

Full inspection of your drain line involves checking quite a few components, so I will point you to Inspectapedia for a thorough rundown of what you should look for (and some pictures to show you what you don’t want to see). But, in short, you want to look for evidence that your condensate drain is overflowing or that the liquid in your drain pan is backing up into the air handler.

You may also notice that there is no liquid coming out of the condenser – a sign that there may be a major problem in the system that needs immediate inspection. If this happens, make sure you check for blockages and if nothing is present, call a contractor.

Cleaning Your Drain Line

Each year, it is recommended that you clean your drain line to make sure it is clear and ready for the summer’s heavy cooling and high humidity. The simplest way to do this is to disconnect the drain line and attach a hose to blow the line clear. This can get a little messy, so make sure you dress for the occasion. Another option if you have a wet/dry vac is to attach the hose to the end of the drain line and suck free any moisture still in there. Most wet/dry systems have attachments for drain line clearing or you can order one.

If your drain line is not clearing properly or you think there may be structural damage suffered during the winter, call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning for some air conditioner maintenance. If you have regular maintenance done on your AC system each spring, this should be part of the process so make sure you write down any questions you have for when the contractor visits your home.

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Attic Fans – Cool Your Maple Valley Home Quickly

Friday, February 10th, 2012

When you’re worried about keeping your home cool in the summer, having a good air conditioning system is probably the first thing that comes to mind. And a high-quality, energy efficient air conditioner is definitely an important component of your home comfort system. But if you really want to get the most out of that air conditioner without paying too much in energy costs, you should look into having an attic fan installed as well.

The Value of a Good Attic Fan

So why do you need an attic fan if you already have an air conditioner? Well, to begin with, a great deal of the heat that comes into your house during the summer does so directly through the roof of your home. As the sun beats down on your roof hour after hour, heat is constantly being transferred through the roof and into your attic. And as the temperature in your attic rises, some of that heat is transferred to the air in your living spaces as well.

Of course, with your state of the art air conditioner in place, you probably won’t even be aware that this is taking place. But because the heat coming into your attic raises the temperature in other parts of your home, your air conditioner is working that much harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in all living spaces, and will potentially need air conditioning maintenance. And that means it’s using more energy than necessary to keep your house cool.

One easy way to combat this situation is to put in an attic fan. Many of these devices even run on solar power, so once they’re in place, they cost you virtually nothing to operate. A good attic fan will switch on anytime the temperature in your attic gets above a certain level and will work quickly to channel that extra heat right back outside. This means that your attic temperature will stay at a reasonable level, and the rest of your house will not be impacted by the heat coming in through the roof.

While an attic fan isn’t a terribly complicated piece of equipment to install, it’s worth it to have the job done by a professional because it does involve cutting a hole in your roof all the way through to your attic. A professional can make sure that the hole is in the proper place and sealed up tightly so water, bugs and other debris don’t find their way in.

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Orting Heating Installation Tip: Things to Consider Before Your Upgrade

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Many Orting homeowners who heat their homes with an older heating system—whether it’s a furnace or a heat pump—may want to consider upgrading to a more efficient system. Older furnaces with an AFUE rating of less than 80%, for instance, could be costing you a lot more than you realize in heating bills.

While it is a significant initial investment, upgrading to a more efficient furnace or heat pump will pay for itself in energy savings. Before you decide on whether or not an upgrade is right for your home, here are some things to keep in mind.

Fuel Costs

Some types of fuel, such as electricity, are more expensive in certain areas. Depending on where you live, you may want to compare the cost of fuel before choosing a heating upgrade. In fact, natural gas may or may not be available to your home. Check with your utility company to find out what types of fuel are available and which ones would be more cost-efficient for heating your home. You can always call a qualified HVAC technician at if you have any questions about a heating system upgrade or the products we offer.

Insulation

Whenever you are thinking about upgrading your heating system, you’ll want to make sure your home is properly insulated and sealed. If you purchase and install a highly efficient furnace, it won’t save as much in energy bills if your house is poorly insulated. Get a home energy audit with a local energy resource organization if you aren’t sure. You might want to also consider upgrading your old windows and doors, or installing storm doors and windows to improve air tightness.

Property Value

A lot of homeowners forget that any upgrade or remodeling project will increase the value of their home. Not only will a heating system upgrade lower your heating bills; it will also add value to your home and property. Always make sure you choose the right system for your home so that it lasts as long as possible.

If you are considering upgrading the heating system in your Orting home, call Bob’s heating to speak with one of our HVAC experts to ask about our quality products and installation services.

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Question from Camano Island: What Is Refrigerant Pressure and Why Does it Matter?

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Refrigerant is often called the “lifeblood” of mechanical cooling devices in your Camano Island home like refrigerators, heat pumps, and air conditioners. You can compare refrigerant to human blood – it flows to all major components using pressure and gravity. The main function of refrigerant is to transfer heat through a closed loop system. Various heating and cooling (HVAC) components require different operating pressures to move refrigerant and process the “refrigeration cycle.”

In a nutshell, the refrigeration cycle involves refrigerant, which changes from a liquid to a vapor and back to a liquid again by the addition of pressure and heat. In a refrigeration system, pressurized refrigerant passed through an expansion valve into an evaporator and pressure is reduced. The evaporator is a tube which passes by the area to be cooled. When the pressure drops, this liquid refrigerant changes into a vapor, which absorbs vaporized heat from the area around the evaporator. After the heat is absorbed by the refrigerant, it flows to a condenser, where it passes over coils, absorbs heat from the hot vapor, and condenses back into a liquid. The liquid is returned to the compressor and the cycle begins again.

Today’s refrigerants – especially those used in residential applications – are broken down into two different types, labeled R-22 and R-410A. R-22 is made up of a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) chemical, which has been found to be damaging to the Earth’s ozone layer. It has been replaced by R-410A, which is made up of a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) chemical and will eventually be phased out by the year 2020. One of the biggest differences between the two are their operating temperatures. HFCs operate at much higher refrigerant pressure.

You don’t have to understand the refrigeration cycle to know that today’s high-pressure HFC refrigerants require different test instrumentation and retrofitted or upgraded mechanical equipment. The change in operating pressure is a small price to pay for a cleaner environment everywhere, including Camano Island.

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Evaporative Coolers

Friday, June 10th, 2011

If you’re looking for an effective alternative to a traditional air conditioning system for your home, an evaporative cooler is a great option to investigate. This is not new technology by any means, but evaporative coolers are rapidly gaining popularity these days for several reasons. While these aren’t the perfect solution for every home, they’re definitely worth taking a closer look at if you’re interested in cutting your cooling costs.

Here are some of the benefits of evaporative coolers:

  • Energy Efficiency – Because they cool air through evaporation, evaporative coolers use much less energy than traditional air conditioners to achieve the same results. This will take a big chunk off your energy bills each month.
  • Competitive Pricing – You can buy just about any size evaporative cooler for less than a comparably sized air conditioner. And just like air conditioners, evaporative coolers are available in a wide variety of sizes so you should have no trouble finding one to fit the space you need cooled.
  • Easy Installation – Whether you opt for a smaller window unit or a larger centralized one, evaporative coolers are at least as easy to install as air conditioners if not more so. The smaller units are made to fit into windows just like a comparably sized air conditioner, and central evaporative coolers operate through the same air ducts as your central heating system. They’re easy to integrate into your home and often less labor intensive than a central air conditioner to install.
  • Complete Air Circulation – With an air conditioner, you need to have your windows and doors sealed up tight to keep the cooled air from escaping. But because evaporative coolers work by cooling outdoor air as they bring it into your home, they require other doors and windows in the house to be open to function efficiently. As the evaporative cooler blows cooled air into the house, it pushes hotter air out, leaving you with a comfortable environment and a constant supply of fresh air.

Of course, evaporative coolers aren’t the right choice for every situation. They work extremely well in areas with hot, dry climates, but they have a harder time cooling your home when the air outside is hot and humid. They also require water to keep their cooling pads moist, and if you live in an area where drought conditions are common, it may be difficult to keep up with their water consumption.

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