Is your Home ready for the Deep Freeze?

Plummeting temperatures. Frigid wind gusts. Piles of snow. Heavy, slippery, freezing rain and ice. The winter season is not always festive, its accompanying weather threatening the safety of your family and your home. However, much like other weather-related adverse events, a little bit of preparation can ensure a winter sea
son free of unexpected hardships.

What can you do to ensure your home is adequately prepared for this cold winter season?

• Guard against heat loss.
  Added attic and wall insulation, as well as caulk and weather stripping around doors and windows, keep heat in your home and protect against drafts, stretching your fuel supply and heating dollar farther in keeping you comfortable.
  
• Protect against snow and ice.
  Replace damaged or missing shingles to prevent snow and ice-related leaks and structural damage. Clear gutters to prevent ice damming (when melting snow refreezes in gutters and seeps under your roof).
  
• Trim back trees.
  Heavy, ice and snow-laden branches can snap off, damaging your home and property.
  
• Properly prep all modes of water transport:
  • Wrap basement and crawlspace water pipes with insulation sleeves.
  • Remember to trickle faucets during cold weather to avoid frozen/burst pipes.
  • Learn how to shut off the main water valve now so you’ll be prepared in the event of a leak/burst.
  • Turn off exterior faucets whose pipes can burst in a freeze.
  • Drain your irrigation system.
  • Divert water at least 3 to 4 feet from your home’s foundation with addition of downspout extensions.
    
• Clean chimneys and fireplace venting.
  Professionally cleaned and maintained chimneys and fireplace venting protects against creosote fires and unknown blockages that can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
  
• Tune-up your heating system.
  Unless you want to be waiting around in for heating repairs on a cold day, address heating equipment maintenance now. This not only ensures safe operation, of tremendous concern for gas-fired models, but detects problems advance that could result in midwinter issues, boosts efficiency and energy savings, and safeguards the lifespan of your heater.
  
• Don’t put your safety in the hands of an archaic system.
  If you’re pushing your luck with a system you know is on its last legs, consider upgrading before temperature extremes take their toll. Today’s highly efficient heating systems can keep you warm for a fraction of the cost of older models – and offer you additional protection in the form of extensive manufacturer warranties.
  
• Put a 24/7 furnace repair company on speed dial.
  If your current heating and air repair company only offers 9 to 5 service, find an HVAC service provider in your area who understands that issues don’t always occur during normal business hours, and offers emergency service for HVAC repair to keep you and your family safe and warm.

Heating system buckling under the pressure of another snowy winter? Lessen your cold weather woes with the help of H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/is-your-home-ready-for-the-deep-freeze/

The Benefits of Ground Source Heat Pumps

Electrically powered ground source heat pumps, also referred to as geothermal systems, tap into the stored solar energy of the earth. System components, buried deep in the ground to take advantage of the earth’s constant temperature, transfer energy to provide heating, cooling, and occasionally hot water to homes and commercial buildings.
Ground source heat pumps offer many benefits – and some of them may surprise you:

• High efficiency, low cost operation.
  A well-known benefit of geothermal is its efficiency – it’s off-the-charts. Providing a whopping 4 units of energy for every 1 unit of electrical energy, it stomps the competition. The most efficient gas furnace, with an efficiency rating of 96%, can’t get anywhere near the 400% efficiency rating ground source heat pumps deliver. This makes geothermal systems a welcome addition to the grid, as their low electricity requirements reduces peak grid demand, helping reduce both weather-driven brownouts and the need for additional electric plants.
  
• Green & clean.
  Because of their stellar efficiency and the fact that they, unlike other comfort systems, do not emit carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases, geothermal systems are recognized by both the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy as the most environmentally friendly way to heat and cool your home or business. Additionally, they do not emit carbon monoxide, as they do not operate via combustion, offering the opportunity for enhanced indoor air quality.
  
• Long life, low maintenance.
  Compared to the typical furnace, which is capable of lasting 10-15 years with regular HVAC maintenance, geothermal systems usually last 15 years or more, with their ground-based components, or ‘ground loops,’ holding an incomparable 50 year warranty. Housed under the cover of your home or business where they are protected from rain, snow, ice, and vandalism, they suffer far less wear and tear, enjoying added reliability compared to traditional heating and cooling systems.
  
• Quiet operation.
  Unlike air conditioners and heat pumps which require a noisy outdoor unit, the hum of a geothermal system is much like the operation of a refrigerator. That means no more family get-togethers, time by the pool, or gardening interrupted by the noisy clamor of outdoor components.
  
• Increasing affordability.
  Ground source heat pumps, increasing in popularity as home and business owners seek to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprints, are becoming more and more affordable to install, with the average installation only slightly higher than typical HVAC fare. Installation typically pays for itself in two to 10 years – depending on utility rates, the efficiency of your home, and how much energy you use for heating and cooling. Add to this a longer system lifespan and energy savings in the 40-60% range, and you’re talking some serious savings.
  
• Available incentives.
  Because of the green benefits of geothermal operation, federal, state, local governments, and even some power providers offer rebates and incentives toward the purchase of select high efficiency systems.

Looking for a heating and cooling system that’s a little more down to earth? Uncover the benefits of ground source heat pumps. Contact H&H Heating & Air Conditioning, your local HVAC Company today.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/the-benefits-of-ground-source-heat-pumps/

How Many of These Airborne Elements do you Want Out of Your Home?

Today’s families spend 90% of their time indoors, making indoor air quality essential to overall health. Unfortunately, there are many things lurking in the air inside your home, eking away at your immune system and putting your health at risk.
What airborne elements are taking a toll on the health of you and your family?

1. Allergens & particulates
   Feeling under the weather? Dirt, dust, pollen, mold, mildew, and fungi, pet dander, dust mites, cockroach debris, smoke, vehicle exhaust, and more can cause you and your family a glut of issues commonly mistaken for a “cold” – runny nose, sneezing, congestion, nose and throat irritation, coughing and wheezing, and even asthma flare-ups, which may, in fact, be the result of poor indoor air quality in the home.
   
2. Infectious agents
   Germs, viruses and bacteria like streptococcus, pneumococcus, Legionella, tuberculosis, cold and flu viruses, RSV, and even SARS may be lurking inside your home, being distributed through your air ducts to result in frequent bouts of sinusitis, upper respiratory infections, throat and ear infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia.
   
3. Toxic compounds
   Everyday items in your home, from furniture and appliances to cleaning compounds and pesticides, release an array of toxic gases and odors including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, methylene chloride, nitrogen dioxide, toluene, benzene, and even mold mycotoxins. Of particular concern in more recently built homes with tight building envelopes, these toxins can buildup to create air quality many times more toxic than outside air, causing significant health effects including depression, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision, memory lapse, and lung dysfunction. Toxins in homes are so common, of the 120 samples taken from homes undergoing an air quality study in New England, ALL tested positive for endocrine disrupting compounds.

Kicking contaminants to the curb
These above elements don’t just take their toll on your body, each of these items equally takes a toll on your heating and air conditioner too, resulting in poor heating and cooling efficiency and dirty air. Amazingly enough, the same system that suffers alongside you can help you mitigate these concerns…

• Improved air filters
  Utilizing a quality air filter – and cleaning or changing it frequently – is one of the best ways to improve the air quality in your home. Not just your average box-store bargain, today’s top-of-the-line air filters boast technology that offers unrivaled cleaning power and great bang for the buck.
  
• Air purification systems
  Installed in conjunction with your HVAC system, air purification systems can cleanse air throughout your home, instead of a single room as with standalone units, quickly and efficiently reducing bacteria, germs, mold and odors.
  
• UV (germicidal) lights
  Incorporated into your HVAC system’s ductwork (or as standalone systems), UV lights can help control illness-inducing bacteria and microorganisms, offering a great line of defense for your immune system.
  
• Dehumidifiers
  Dehumidifiers work wonders for controlling mold, mildew, and even dust mites, as well as asthma symptoms, and can even help protect the structure and contents of your home.

Ensure household health and keep allergies at bay. Improve indoor air quality with the expert help of H&H Heating & Air Conditioning. Contact us to learn more about our indoor air quality systems today.

This entry was posted in Indoor Air Quality Sytems, Uncategorized and tagged Airborne contaminants, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality on December 24, 2016 by Ila Awasthi.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/how-many-of-these-airborne-elements-do-you-want-out-of-your-home/

Wine Cellar Cooling 101

If you’re like most wine connoisseurs, you have a lot invested in your wine collection. Unfortunately, with an improperly installed wine cellar refrigeration system, your long-stayed collection runs the risk of turning sour. How can you protect your prized collection and still realize the wine cellar of your dreams?

Go with a pro.
Each cellar faces a unique set of challenges during construction. A wine cellar HVAC professional will have the knowledge and experience necessary to help you identify and address each, ensuring the most effective and efficient storage environment.

Educate yourself on essential wine storage conditions.
This includes ideal storage temperature: 55 degrees Fahrenheit; as well as recommended humidity levels necessary to preserve corks against drying, shrinkage and cracks which allow for flavor destroying oxygen exposure, as well as mold and mildew proliferation on labels. In areas where relative humidity drops below 50%, built-in humidity control is strongly suggested.

Feel the heat.
Heat dissipation is critical to cooler performance. Improperly vented, the lifespan of your cooling unit can be put at risk. Ensure the temperature differential is adequate for the desired storage temperature (55 degrees). For example, exhausting your system in a 90 degree environment with a 30 degree temperature differential will only allow you the ability to cool to 60 degrees, making a higher temperature differential a necessity. Luckily your wine cellar professional can help you circumnavigate such installation quandaries.

Understand the nature of the beast, and design for it.
Cooling units are designed to keep things cooled 24/7, 365 days a year. Akin to a walk-in refrigerator, they will run 50-70% of the time to accomplish this – and will make noise while doing so. How much depends upon the location of your cellar and the cooling system exhaust, which will vary based on your chosen system (split or ducted). If noise is of particular concern, make this a predominant factor in the design of your system.

Don’t try to cut corners.
A vapor barrier, framed walls, and insulation are all necessities for proper wine cellar construction. Concrete walls are not appropriate, as they absorb cooling. Remember, the more water and airtight your cellar, the better your performance will be. This equates to less in energy costs, and less wear-and-tear on a unit that is forced to run more frequently to maintain temperature. Additionally, your cooler will also require a dedicated circuit, and properly connected and functioning drain line.

Realize you can’t “get it and forget it.”
Cooling units require annual maintenance and inspections, as well as the daily monitoring of temperature and humidity to ensure the longevity of your wine. If things are looking a little off, emergency service is strongly recommended.

At H&H Heating & Air Conditioning, we offer the widest range of temperature control systems in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and take the time to understand the intricacies of each unique installation. Protect your prized collection and your investment. Contact H&H and schedule your free wine cellar cooling unit installation quote today.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.delcohvac.com/wine-cellar-cooling-101/