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/

Radiant Floor Heating 101

Tired of riding out the winter in sweats because you can’t afford those heating bills? Radiant underfloor heating is among the most efficient heating methods on the market, keeping not only your toes toasty, but everything in the room from floors to furnishings warm and cozy – and that’s not where the benefits of radiant heating end…  

Hydronic advantages
With proven efficiency up to 30% better than forced air systems, hydronic (liquid) based radiant floor heating loses no warmth to duct loss, as well as far less to leakage (air loss around doors and windows) than forced and convection-style radiators. Quick response times and individual control of each and every room offer additional energy savings. Allergy sufferer? Radiant floor heating systems do not dry out nasal membranes and distribute allergens throughout your home like forced air systems. Hydronic systems also require little electricity, providing off-the-grid operation and the potential for use with a wide variety of energy sources for heat – natural gas, propane, fuel oil, wood or solar heat, ground source heat pumps, boilers, and more, alone or in combination.

What does hydronic mean?
Hydronic means liquid based. Liquid based systems are the most popular and cost-effective of radiant floor heating methods, utilizing a heat source (boiler, solar, etc.) to warm water to between 100 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, then circulating it though tubing laid in a pattern under the floor to provide warmth. Typically designed to heat an entire house, zoning valves may also be used to separate areas of your home and better regulate room temperatures. While today’s designs employ updated technology, this subfloor heating method has been around since ancient Roman baths, and was even used in Frank Lloyd Wright’s late 1800s housing designs.

Does it have to be installed on a new home, or can it be retrofitted?
Radiant floor heating can be used in both new and existing construction thanks to varied installation methods…

• Wet installations
  Wet installations place tubing or cable in a thick concrete foundation slab or in a thin layer of concrete atop subfloor. They are the oldest form of modern radiant floor heating systems. Professional installation is necessary for these installations, as additional floor support may be necessary for slabs not resting on solid earth.
• Dry installations or “sandwiches”
  Dry installations "sandwich" radiant floor cables or tubing in an air space between two layers of plywood. Rapidly gaining in popularity, they are faster and less costly to build, however these systems must operate at a higher temperature to maintain warmth as they heat an air space versus a solid mass (concrete), which is better able to contain heat.

How much does a radiant heat system cost?
The installation cost of hydronic radiant floor heat varies by the size of your home, location, type of installation (wet or dry), floor covering, and necessary labor. To schedule a free quote by our radiant heat installation professionals, contact H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

Are Geothermal Heat Pumps a Good Choice for heating my home?

About 100,000 geothermal heat pumps are installed each year across the United States. Interest in geothermal heating and cooling technology has increased dramatically in recent years alongside the desire for lower utility payments and climate change and energy dependency concerns. For those pondering any one or combination of these issues, geothermal heat pumps may offer an ideal solution.

Efficiency: “Desuperheater” you’ve been looking for
A ground-source heat pump (GSHP), also referred to as a "geothermal" heat pump, is an efficient beast, pumping out more heating and cooling per unit of energy consumed than conventional systems - 25 to 50% less, to be exact. Coupled with an additional device called a “desuperheater,” it can save you on water heating costs to boot, heating the water used in your home in the summer for free, and cutting winter water heating costs by about half.

Benefits: What’s covered...

• Easy compatibility with “zoned” space conditioning – keeping different parts of your home at different temperatures.
• Radiant heat compatibility with desuperheater systems.
• Improved humidity control, with levels at near-perfect, 50% RH levels.
• Space-saving above-ground hardware that requires less room than conventional systems.
• Fewer moving parts, and sheltered components with parts carrying long warranties: 20+ years for heat pumps; 25 to 50 years for pipes.
• Reduced energy consumption and emissions at levels 44% below air-source heat pumps and 72% below electric resistance heating.

Site characteristics
The layout and landscaping on your property will determine horizontal or vertical system design. Geology and hydrology also play a role in determining compatible hardware for you system, with certain variations requiring more or less piping for temperature control. However shallow ground temperatures are constant throughout the U.S., making professional installations possible nearly anywhere.

Economics: Seeing the forest through the trees
With the right combination of climate, soil conditions, and system features, geothermal heat pumps offer savings that vary by installation type:

• New build
  Installed in a new home, you can recoup your geothermal heat pump investment in 2 to 10 years through lower utility bills. Include the costs in your mortgage and gain a positive cash flow from day one.
• Retrofit
  Retrofit installations offer much lower utility bills, leading to investment recuperation in the same 2 to 10 years as those installed with new builds.

Incentives: Following the dangling carrot
For those yearning for a geothermal heat pump but cringing at costs, there are a ton of breadcrumb trails to follow to savings… Energy efficient mortgages from your local lender can cover this and other energy saving improvements to your home. Also available, federal and state tax incentives alongside those from your local power provider to help you more easily afford this greener, cleaner technology.

Installation: Not for the do-it-yourselfer
Specialized knowledge and equipment is key to geothermal heat pump sizing and installation. Ensure success with the trained professionals at H&H Heating & Air Conditioning. Contact us to learn more about geothermal heat pump installation at your site today.  

How to Maintain the Efficiency of your Water Heater if you have Hard Water

Hard water can cause serious problems for appliances, especially your home's water heater. Mineral buildup inside your water heater tank consisting of calcium, magnesium, and other deposits can greatly reduce its lifespan. Luckily, you can prevent unexpected troubles – and the untimely demise of this often overlooked but frequently used appliance - with a little bit of routine maintenance.

Sneaky sediment
Just as your HVAC system needs maintenance, so too does your water heater to keep mineral sediment from building up and clogging fixtures. Its mere operation – heating water – produces the sediment that lines your tank. The hotter the water, the greater the sediment buildup, making turning down the temperature a smart move not only to prevent burns and over-inflated utility bills, but to protect the efficiency and lifespan of this appliance.  

Flushing – It’s not just for the toilet
You can rid your water heater of sediment much the same as you would rid waste in the bathroom – with a simple flush. How can you accomplish this?

• Turn off the power and/or the gas.
• Close the shutoff valve on the cold water supply pipe.
• Release pressure in the tank by turning on a hot water faucet anywhere in the house.
• Drain the water, taking care to remember it is scalding hot, and must be handled carefully. Two-to-three gallons should be sufficient.
• Close the drain valve. If it won’t close completely after the flush, you may need a replacement.
• Restore water supply so your tank can fill.
• Note noises indicate air in the system, and are not harmful.
• Red alert! Turning on your water heater before it has refilled with water could permanently damage the heater – or create a dangerous situation.
• Turn on a faucet in your home to purge air in the system.
• Turn the power back on/re-light the pilot.
• Repeat this flushing process every four-to-six months.
• If you are unsure of your ability to complete any of the tasks above, enlist the help of a dependable service and maintenance heating repair professional.

De-liming: Not a DIY endeavor
Notice a hard buildup on the surface of your tank’s interior during flushing? This hard lime or scale buildup results from tanks that go too long between flushing or cleaning, or in systems heating extremely hard water. As with scale, it can also cause operational issues, reduced efficiency, and shortened system life. Flushing will not clear it. Removing it requires the use of strong chemicals which, if used improperly, could create dangerous conditions including etching and damage to your tank, exposure to acid burns during cleanout, water contamination, and even explosion. Do not try this at home. Reducing lime scale buildup in your tank is better and more safely managed by turning down the temperature of the heater (120 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended), flushing your tank if you are capable, and calling a pro for regular professional maintenance including a more thorough cleaning and inspection of essential components such as electrodes and pressure relief valve. 

Hot water heater left you high and dry? H&H Heating & Air can help, with after-hours and emergency services to get your life back afloat. Contact us today.