HVAC, Heating, Air Conditioning, H&H Heating and Air Conditioning, Essington, PA

Surge Protectors, they are worth the investment

Joe — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:50:31 +0000

With today’s high efficiency boilers and furnaces that utilize expensive circuit boards surge protectors are an excellent way to protect your comfort systems investment.

Routine scheduled service is the best way to keep your system operating at peak efficiency. Two times a year (spring and fall) are the best times to have a HVAC contractor come out to visit and tune up the equipment.

Stormy or extreme weather can pose serious problems to your comfort equipment, I like to think that surge protectors are like guards watching over your system and keeping it safe and secure during these dark stormy times.

The surge protector main job is to monitor the levels of electricity coming into your HVAC system. In the event that a surge occurs for any reason by lightning strikes, defective wiring etc the surge protector should immediately cut off power to the comfort equipment.

Some surge protectors require to be reset after they shut down, you should always consult with the installing company to see what the proper procedure is.

If you need more information about these devices call an HVAC or Electrical company. Please don’t try to do this job yourself , this is not a weekend warrior project.

Flood damaged Heaters are Potential Hazards

Joe — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:08:24 +0000

It seems these days we live in a unstable environment when it comes to issues like global warming, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods. When I was growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia in the quaint town of Ridley Park, Hurricane Gloria blew into town and caused a lot of damage. I remember helping my father with the aftermath of the storm. He would be the operator of the 5 gallon wet-dry vacuum and I would be in charge of emptying the 5 gallons of the nasty brown water down the basement toilet.

I remember my dad commenting while we worked on the clean up that this must be the “100 year old flood” I was I asked what he meant by that ? He went to explain that every 100 years comes a terrible flood and it seems that this was our 100 year flood or was it? Since 1985 I think we have 3 to 4 of them.

Flooding basements not only damage rugs, walls and contents they also can be a real problem for your homes heating system. Some homeowners believe that drying the damp appliance by blowing air from a fan and relighting the pilot will do the trick. Some appliances will relight and operate but this is not the recommended procedure. Any gas or oil fired heating appliance that comes in contact with water should be inspected by qualified heating technician before being turned on.

Heating Manufacturers like Bryant, Rheem and Bradford White along with the manufactures who produce the gas valves and safety controls like Honeywell, Robert Shaw and White Rodgers all agree the that if any of these components get wet replace them, It comes down to safety.

Burnham Boiler Company has posted information on their website with a red flashing tab labeled “Flooded Boiler Information”

Kudos to Burnham for posting this valuable consumer safety content; I have copied and pasted their information below.

Flooded Boiler Information

U.S. Boiler Company hopes that everyone can recover from the recent flooding that has occurred as a result of Hurricane Irene and sends its condolences to those who have experienced losses.

For those who may have experienced a flooded boiler, we want to provide some important information that you should know for replacing your flooded boiler. The attached bulletin provides more information for you and your contractor.

Whenever you need service, repairs, or replacement of a home heating boiler, you should always consult a professional heating contractor/dealer who can assess and recommend appropriate actions for your specific installation.

U.S. Boiler Company, Inc.
Manufacturer of Burnham Brand Boilers
Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA

Flooded Boiler Information

Why Choose Radiant Floor Heating?

Joe — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:39:39 +0000

The best heating system a house can have is the one you don’t realize is there. No radiators clanking in the night. No vents whooshing like a jet preparing for takeoff. No dust-spewing ductwork to run up your allergists’ bills. Just an even blanket of heat, right where you want it. It’s truly invisible. But a radiant floor system has more than just aesthetics going for it. It’s also a highly efficient way to heat a house, increasing comfort as it reduces energy costs.

In a radiant setup, the warmth is supplied by hot-water tubes or electric wires buried underneath the floor. As the invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up any objects they strike, which radiate that captured heat in turn. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because the surrounding surfaces aren’t stealing warmth from your body.

Contrast that with what happens in a conventional forced-air heating system, the kind found in most American homes. Air blows out of the registers at a well-baked 120 degrees, rises to the top of the room where it quickly sheds heat, then drops back down as it cools. The air in the room becomes uncomfortably stratified: Your head can be bathed in warmth while your toes lie in the frozen zone. Then there’s the problem of cycling. The result is a phenomenon called “the cold 70,” which is what you feel right after the hot air stops pumping from the registers. Those jarring ups and downs are absent with radiant floors, which may reach 85 degrees, tops, on a frigid day. The warm air still rises, but it does so evenly over the entire floor, so the coolest air stays up at the ceiling.

There are two basic ways to supply this gentle, even warmth: hot water or electricity. Electric radiant, which uses zigzagging loops of resistance wire, is generally retrofitted to a single room, such as a bathroom or kitchen. (See “The Floor Electric,” above.) Hot-water “hydronic” systems—the most popular and cost effective way to heat an entire house—circulate water from a boiler or water heater through loops of 1/2-inch polyethylene tubing. The flexible tubes can be installed in a variety of ways: on top of the subfloor in grooved panels or snap-in grids; clipped into aluminum strips on the underside of the floor; or embedded in poured concrete. Once the system is in place, you can cover it with most types of finish flooring, including hardwood and tile. Carpet, however, can be tricky, especially if it has thick padding underneath.

Hot-water radiant costs more to install than other types of heating systems—from $6 to $15 per square foot depending on the method, whether you’re starting from scratch or retrofitting, and where you live. (New builds where the tubes are buried in concrete slab tend to be the least expensive). And you’ll still need a separate air-conditioning system for cooling. But if the price tag puts you off, consider this: Once it’s up and running, a radiant system can be up to 30 percent more efficient than forced-air heating, depending on how well insulated a house is. And there’s no comparison when it comes to comfort. In that category, radiant always wins, feet down

gas fire places or wood fireplaces?

Joe — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:53:34 +0000

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose. Its that time of year again when the smell of wood fires fill the night air and smoke billows from the chimney tops. That you can’t get from a gas stove but you can get a clean, efficient and ease of clicking a remote control thermostat to start a cozy simulated wood burning fire.

Cost: If the financial impact is your only consideration, gas is the way to go. Everything about a wood burning fireplace is more expensive then a gas fireplace. Gas fireplaces require much less structure. The chimney is simpler and you have more flexibility in the installation. Some can be direct vented out through an exterior wall, with no vertical chimney at all. Wood burning fireplaces require a more substantial flue, be it cement block with clay liner chimney, or a multi-layer stainless steel chimney system. Cost of installation can easily be twice as much for a wood burning installation then it would be for a gas installation.

Cleanliness: Again, gas comes out on top. With wood you have wood debris tracked through the house when you bring the fuel in. Ash is the residual results of a wood fire, you have to haul that out of the house. Cleaning the chimney, something you need to do at least once a season with a wood fir

Safety: Once again gas comes out on top. Modern gas appliances, a gas fireplace counts as an appliance, have safety shutoff’s, to prevent gas from leaking into the house. If you have a gas hot water heater the burner system is pretty much exactly the same as what is in a gas fireplace. If you can find a fireplace that has electronic ignition it will save you a measurable amount of money. The pilot on most fireplaces is quite large and will be burning all the time unless you shut off the fuel supply going to the fireplace. The level of flame is always the same, you can’t build too big of a fire in a gas fireplace.

Wood on the other hand creates creosote in the chimney. You always have the danger of a chimney fire. This danger is compounded if you burn Green (fresh cut) wood. By building too large of a fire you may over heat the chimney, endangering the house as well.

Convenience: With gas it can be as simple as pushing a button on a remote control, and presto you have just the right amount of flame and heat instantly. No waiting for it to take hold and burn, instant gratification. With wood, you will have to bring the fire wood in, get some kindling and start the fire. With practice this can go smoothly, but if your kindling is wet, or your out of newspaper starter, it can be a lesson in frustration.

Efficiency: Gas is on top on this one also. Most gas fireplaces have a glass front. This stops the warm air in the house from going up the chimney when your not using the fireplace. It also allows better control of the combustion air and assures the combustion air is coming from outdoors, not from the living space.

Wood fireplaces tend to siphon warm air out of the house when not in use. Being open front they also send room air up the chimney when in use. That’s the reason corners of the room away from the fireplace will actually be cold as the heat tends to hang right around the fireplace and not spread throughout the house.

Authenticity: With all these pluses in favor of gas fireplaces, your probably thinking who would ever think of installing a wood burning fireplace. If you enjoy walking up to the door of a house burning wood. Smelling the scent of the fireplace drifting through the neighbor hood. Sitting in front of an open hearth fireplace with some pine logs snapping as the flames lick and flicker here and there. A river stone fireplace may take a number of hours to heat up and make the room comfortable, but once you get it there you may never want to leave its presence.

If you enjoy the time in the woods required in dropping and limbing trees for your own use to heat your home, wood heat is for you. Splitting by hand, or even using a log splitter will warm you from head to toe. It’s hard work guaranteed to keep you in shape. It’s said that wood will heat you three times, once when you cut and split the wood. Again when you haul it into the house, and yet a third time when you actually burn the wood.

Insurance: Before you choose between gas or wood, give your home owner’s insurance agent a call. Some companies add a surcharge to cover the increased risk of a wood burning fireplace, while other companies refuse to cover them all together. Most will accommodate a gas fireplace, but it’s better to check before you proceed.

Air Tight Wood Stove: Maybe efficiency is high on your priority list and you happen to have a 20 acre lot of suitable trees for a source of fuel. Today’s well designed wood stoves can hold a fire all night. With a modest effort you can supplement your existing source of heat with a wood stove. There are a variety of styles and types available that do an excellent job of providing all the heating needs of any size home. Some even have a wood heated boiler which is housed in a separate small structure. Keeping all the mess and fire hazard away from the structure it’s actually heating. Hot water is circulated from the boiler house to radiators throughout the main structure.

Electric Fireplace: In recent years electric fireplaces have come on the market that have an amazingly realistic appearance to them. They provide a similar amount of heat as is provided by a portable space heater. Helpful, though hardly enough to be a prime source of heat. With a Hologram like flickering flame, they almost look like a real flame. Almost, though not quite.

There are many options available, surely one of them will give you some enjoyment. It’s always nice to have an alternative source of heat for times when the electricity has gone out. The time to prepare for such a situation is well before you need it. When installing your fireplace be sure to follow all directions very carefully. Your city may require an inspection before you can close in the area around the fireplace. It’s always best to make a few phone calls before diving in.

Are you ready for the iPod Thermostat?

Joe — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:45 +0000

If you own a smart phone you’re 1 of 33% of Americans lucky enough to be able to check your email, search the web and now control your home comfort system that is if you have a Wi-Fi signal you can grab onto. Meet the Nest Learning Thermostat co-founded by Tony Fadell, one of the creative minds that helped bring us the iPod and is probably why the circular color touch screen has functions very similar to the iPod.This new style hi tech thermostat has a lot of cool features, it changes from blue to red depending on when the heat or air conditioner is operating, it also can program itself by keeping track of your temperature changes and for all of my energy saving carbon footprint reducing freinds after my own heart a pretty green leaf appears if the temperature setting saves energy according to Nest’s standards. The feature I like the best is the remote control that you have when you are not home giving you the ability to change the temperature settings from your pc, tablet or smart phone a must for vacation homeowners.

The Nest Learning Thermostat has a suggested retail price of $249. According to Nest, you can install the thermostat yourself in just 20 minutes, without the need of a professional installer. This I am a little on the skeptical side, I have seen do it yourself homeowners burn up transformers & control boards on their HVAC equipment when trying to install a thermostat recently purchased from a big box store. I would leave this part to a heating and air conditioner professional.

Can space heaters save you money?

Joe — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:09:01 +0000

Now that colder weather fast approaching so will the consumers piling into the the big box stores to purchase space heaters, They have all different kinds, electric floor models, electric table top models,wall mounted gas and of course kerosene units. The big question is can they save you money? if the heating system in your home is 20 years or older they probably can save you a couple of extra bucks at the end of the month providing you set your thermostat down while operating these portable units.

Does the risk warrant the reward, for what you pay to purchase and operate these appliances and the obvious hazards that they create you maybe better served by upgrading your old heater or if if money is tight like so many of us are experiencing in these hard economic times by adding a programmable set back thermostat can save you up to 10% and investing in a heater tune up is another way to help you save money without the fumes and the hazards of that kerosene heater burning in the middle of the living room.

Safety Tips for this Autumn Season

Joe — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:32:09 +0000

As the days grow shorter and the leaves start to fall, here are some safety tips that hopefully you will follow as we set back our clocks:

Replace the battery’s in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire departments recommend that you have at least one smoke alarm on every level and a carbon monoxide alarm within 15 feet of bedrooms
Have your heating system inspected by a licensed heating professional. This service is to help insure that your heater is burning and venting properly, it will also help to reduce operating cost, utility company’s have reported this can save you up to $400.00 in one heating season
Have your chimney inspected by a certified chimney sweep
Replace your furnace air filter
Practice a fire drill
Keep all candles away from little ones reach
Never operate a gas appliance like a barbeque grill or a generator indoors

I hope you find this information helpful for you and your loved ones.

The IntelliCon Control can save you 20% on your heating bills

Joe — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:40:38 +0000

This is a remarkable control that can pay for itself in as little as 4 months. A microprocessor-based, fuel-saving control for hot water (hydronic) heating systems. The HW reduces fuel consumption, wear on parts, flue emissions and electrical usage, when installed on any new or existing gas or oil burner. The HW+ saves energy by adjusting the burner run pattern to match the system’s “heat load.” Its action is similar to the industry-accepted method of “outdoor-air temperature reset control,” but does not require an outdoor-air temperature sensor or the need to profile the building in order to adjust the “reset” controller properly. The HW+ determines the “heat load” by using an easily installed strap-on temperature sensor that monitors the boiler’s out-flow water temperature and the rate that this temperature is changing. So if you want to save money this winter and reduce your carbon footprint consider this remarkable control.

Features

For systems up to 300,000 BTU
Illuminated LCD display shows fuel consumption savings, operating modes, system diagnostics and operating temperatures
Patented process reduces fuel consumption—typically 10% to 20%
Short payback period—typically 12 to 24 months
UL listed, “Energy Management Equipment”
Increased savings without replacing or upgrading costly system components
“State-of-the-art” microcomputer controller
Easily installed plug-in sensor(s) (includes 1 required sensor)
Simple installation by qualified installer
Easily programming with no special tools required
Maximum efficiency year-round
Reduces maintenance and extends boiler life
Fail-safe operation
Guaranteed to reduce fuel consumption
15-year replacement warranty for breakdowns or defects

2011 Tax Credits for High Efficiency Comfort Systems

Joe — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:33:16 +0000

Tax Credits for Homeowners
Part of the tax extender bill passed by Congress in December 2010 made significant changes to tax incentives for federal taxpayers who install qualified energy efficient retrofits in their home, including higher efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment in their primary residences. An eligible taxpayer may claim up to $500 in tax credits, subject to caps based on the type of equipment installed.

You may now qualify for tax credits equal to 10% of the costs (up to a $300 limit) for installing a high efficiency central air conditioner, heat pump, or hot water heater. You may also qualify for tax credits equal to 10% of the costs (up to $150 limit) for installing a qualified furnace or hot water boiler. A smaller tax credit of 10% of the installed costs (up to $50 limit) is available for installing a system with an advanced main air circulating fan.

Don’t waste any time because these tax credits are only available for improvements made in 2011. Not taking advantage of this incentive just leaves money on the table.

What Is Considered a High Efficiency Unit?
A split system central air conditioner must meet or exceed 16 SEER and 13 EER; package system central air conditioners must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 EER.

An air source heat pump must meet or exceed 15 SEER and 12.5 EER and 8.5 HSPF, in order to qualify for the tax credit. Package heat pump systems must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 SEER and 8 HSPF.

Natural gas furnaces, propane furnaces, natural gas hot water boilers, propane hot water boilers, oil furnaces, and oil hot water boilers all must meet or exceed 95% AFUE.

For the advanced main air circulating fan credit, the fan must use no more than 2% of the furnace’s total energy. If the fan is qualified, but the furnace is not, you will not be able to take 10% off the cost of the entire furnace. Ask your HVAC contractor to break out the cost of the fan in your bill. You can get a 10% tax credit on the cost of the fan alone. If the furnace is qualified, but the fan is not, you can still take the 10% tax credit on the full cost of the furnace.

Remember to always check with a CPA to make sure you qualify for tax credits.

DIRECT ENERGY A NEW CHOICE FOR PHILADELPHIA ELECTRICITY CUSTOMERS

Joe — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 23:55:32 +0000

First thousand customers to enroll get free furnace tune-up

to prepare their homes for winter

Philadelphia, PA (November 17, 2010) As rate caps are lifted in South Eastern Pennsylvania starting January 1, 2011 – nearly 1.5 million residential electricity customers in the PECO service area will be able to pick which company supplies electricity to their homes. Now more than ever, consumers are conscious of managing their energy bills going into winter and looking for simple ways to ease the pressure on their pocket books.

With this in mind, Direct Energy is offering a competitive, guaranteed fixed-price electricity deal – with no cancellation fee and the bonus of a free furnace and air conditioning tune-up and safety check for the first 1,000 customers who enroll beginning today. Direct Energy, one of North America’s leading energy companies, is building on its 10 years of experience in supplying residential and business customers across the state to extend its electricity service to the PECO area.

The Direct Energy electricity deal:

12-month guaranteed fixed-price electricity at $0.0942 per kWh
No cancellation fee
Senior citizens and military personnel will receive a discounted rate of $0.0922 per kWh
Free furnace and air conditioning tune-up and safety check for the first 1,000 customers who enroll worth up to $ 300*

“We believe that customers should have a choice when it comes to their electricity supplier. With rate caps lifted, it allows for a level playing field for other electricity suppliers to offer customers a competitive price. Consumers like to shop around for great deals for their home, whether it’s buying a new TV or finding the right cell-phone or cable package. Now, thanks to the legislative and regulatory support for competition in the energy market across the state, electricity customers in the Philadelphia area will finally have the power to choose their electricity supplier” said Steven Murray, President of Direct Energy’s residential business.

Direct Energy is committed to providing competitive pricing and innovative products to help people manage their energy needs. Together with its home services company, H & H Heating and Air Conditioning and our franchise partners in Pennsylvania, it is delivering a new offer to the first 1,000 customers who enroll to help get their homes ready for winter. Each of those customers will receive a year’s free membership to the “Comfort Silver Club” maintenance program which will provide a precision tune-up and safety check of their homes heating and air conditioning equipment.

According to the Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for 43 percent of a typical home’s energy costs. Combining proper equipment maintenance with other efficiency measures can cut consumers’ heating- and cooling-related energy usage by 20 percent or more.**

The company already has a strong and committed presence in Pennsylvania that serves residential, small business and commercial and industrial customers. Currently the company serves residential customers in PPL, Pike County, Duquesne Light and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania service areas, from its regional headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia residents can find out more about Direct Energy’s products by calling toll- free toll-free on 888-734-0741 or visit www.directenergy.com.

For more information on the benefits and the value of Comfort Silver Club membership from

H & H Heating and Air Conditioning – check out host.iphost3.com/~oldhh