Heater Working too Hard? Give it some TLC

Is your heater overworked and overlooked? Many don’t realize their heater is working too hard until they start feeling uncomfortable, get a coronary-worthy utility bill, or worse – start experiencing strange sounds and smells. Luckily, you can prevent these issues with a bit of HVAC TLC.

Heater Struggling to Keep Up with Temperature Extremes?

Learning how to service a heating unit for winter weather can help your system roll with the punches…

• Help your system breathe easier.
  A common culprit of heating repair, homeowners often overlook picking up air filters for home air conditioner and heating units during the winter. Despite less outdoor activity and leaving windows and doors closed this time of year, the dry winter air is a prime season for dust, dirt, and allergens to become airborne. As these gather in your air filter, it becomes increasingly difficult for your system to move air through system components and your home. This taxes the system, reducing performance and efficiency. To avoid this, your filter should be changed once every 3-months, at a minimum.
• Clear the air.
  Clear the airspace surrounding your air vents, ensuring they are free and clear of obstructions by furniture and drapery. Ditto for your outdoor unit, which should be kept clear of grass, leaves, and other debris. Keeping these areas clear ensures proper airflow which is detrimental to the performance and longevity of your heater.
• Give your system a break.
  With the addition of a smart programmable thermostat, you can give your system (and wallet) a break. Setting the thermostat temperature to a colder temperature (mid-60s) while you’re away or asleep reduces wear-and-tear and energy costs. And with today’s smart ‘learning’ thermostats, you don’t even have to worry about programming!
• Avoid the ER. 
  As in HVAC emergency repair. Scheduling routine annual maintenance in the late summer or early fall, before the height of the heating season, can help you identify hidden issues before they leave you in the cold with a broken down system. This professional maintenance will also help you manage non-DIY-friendly care, such as…
  • Calibrating the thermostat and verifying proper thermostat function.
  • Verifying proper refrigerant levels and inspecting for leaks that can make it difficult for your system to keep up with heating needs.
  • Cleaning evaporator and condenser coils to remove dirt that can reduce heat transfer and efficiency (on heat pumps).
  • Identifying and addressing fan and blower issues that can leave you in the cold.
  • Checking the ductwork for leaks and design flaws that can drastically reduce system performance.
  • Identifying venting issues and damaged components that can lead to dangerous carbon monoxide safety issues (on furnaces and gas-powered boilers).
• Consider retirement.
  If your heater still isn’t keeping up despite all efforts, it may be time to send it on a permanent vacation. Learn more about the remarkable energy efficiency ratings of newer heat pump and furnace models and how they can help you get a handle on your monthly utility expenditures while staying more comfortable.

Looking for an air conditioning service company that will give you a break? Contact H&H Heating & Cooling today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/heater-working-too-hard-give-it-some-tlc/

Here’s How you can Stay Warm without Breaking the Bank this Winter

Is it possible to stay warm this winter without draining area energy supplies along with your household budget? With energy costs continually rising and environmental concerns always on the radar, heating and cooling companies get a lot of questions surrounding energy efficiency and comfort. How can you stay warm without succumbing to high heating bills or suffocating yourself in itchy layers and blankets?

These 6 Tips Can Help You Keep Warm Without Busting Your Budget

1. Run Your Heating on a Timer
   Rather than cranking the temperature (way) up and back down, or running your heater at the same temperature all day, save money by running your heater on a timer, lowering the set temperature and turning it down to the mid-60 when you’re asleep or away from home. This is easily and inexpensively accomplished with a smart programmable thermostat.
   Heat pump? Avoid heating repairs by choosing a heat-pump-compatible thermostat model.
2. Keep Drafts at Bay
   Add weatherstripping around doors and windows to reduce drafts, or hang curtains or blankets in a pinch. Caulk and spray foam the many small holes in your home surrounding plumbing, cables, and electrical, which can collectively allow in as much cold air as leaving a window open. Surprise influx of cash? Invest in double or triple pane insulated windows for added protection against heat loss.
3. Insulate
   In addition to ensuring your home has sufficient insulation for you climate, a common issue found in older homes, insulate your home from within with the addition of:
   • Insulating Curtains
     Insulating curtains are an easy an inexpensive way to guard against heat loss. The thicker the better – but if you’re caught blind-sided by a blizzard, any covering will help in a pinch, from plastic and shower curtains, to old blankets and rugs.
   • Rugs 
     Uninsulated floors can be responsible for up to 10% of heat loss in your home. Adding area rugs to tile, wood, and laminate flooring can help combat this, acting as an insulator, retaining heat, and keeping your feet warm to boot.
4. Hook Up a Humidifier
   Humidity holds warmth in the air, making the simple addition of humidity via a whole house humidifier a great way to feel warmer without cranking up the heat. As an added bonus, it will also protect your skin and hair from winter’s dry climate, fighting chapped skin and safeguarding you from static electricity.
5. Eat-In
   Not only will you save money and eat healthier by cooking at home, you will also warm up your home.
6. Avoid Frostbite
   Keep a trusted 24/7 HVAC repair company on speed-dial in the event of heater issues during winter weather extremes, while preventing the need for service with a regular annual heating tune up in Malvern. Even employing all of the above methods won’t keep your home warm if your HVAC system breaks down on you due to neglected maintenance or overlooked mechanical issues.

Already ready for spring? Ensure a more enjoyable winter season with the help of H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/staying-warm-without-breaking-the-bank-this-winter/

With this year’s record-breaking winter weather, heating and cooling companies are seeing an increase in requests for dual fuel heat pump systems. What is a dual fuel heat pump, and could it solve your winter woes? Read-on to discover more about this increasingly popular home comfort solution…

What is a Dual Fuel Heat Pump?

A dual fuel heat pump is simply a system that combines a heat pump with a gas/oil furnace or boiler into a single, multi-functional system. These systems take advantage of the efficiency of both heat pumps and furnaces/boilers, providing optimal comfort and amazing energy savings.

How Does A Dual Fuel Heat Pump Work?

Dual fuel systems are highly efficient, making them among the best heating and cooling units you can buy. These multi-tasking systems are capable of generating both air conditioning and heat, switching between heat pump and furnace/boiler operation as needed to offer homeowners the best of both worlds.

Why Combine these Technologies?

When temperatures remain above 35-degrees F, heat pumps work to transfer heat, moving it into the home in the winter and out in the summer. Highly-efficient, at these temperatures heat pumps can transfer 300% more energy than they consume, offering higher efficiency levels than the 95% AFUE/efficiency ratings of newer furnace models in moderate weather. However, when winter temperatures plummet below freezing, there is little to no heat in the air for heat pumps to take advantage of, reducing heat pump performance and efficiency, and leaving solo heat pump systems to rely on the costly use of electric heat strips to reach comfortable temperatures. This is where a hybrid dual fuel heat pump system shines, kicking over to oil/gas furnace or boiler operation and using shared HVAC components to provide a more effective, cost and fuel-efficient form of winter heat.

Dual-Fuel Drawbacks

Though dual fuel systems offer many benefits, there are a few drawbacks. For those replacing a single system, there may be additional costs in upgrading to a dual fuel model. Upgrading your electrical service and wiring upgrades may be necessary to accommodate a heat pump, as could running gas lines to accommodate a furnace/boiler. Bottom line: These systems typically cost more to purchase and install than a single heat pump or furnace system alone but cost far less to operate over the long run, and this investment should be carefully considered.

Ensure the Best Heating & Air Conditioning Solution for Your Home

In the market for a new heating unit for your house? H&H Heating & Cooling offers a carefully chosen selection of home comfort solutions from trusted brands like Bryant, Lennox, Trane, and Rheem. Contact us to learn more about our 100% money-back ‘no lemon’ guarantee and A+ BBB-rated services, uncovering if a dual fuel system might be a good fit for your home and budget. Schedule an in-home consultation for a complimentary competitive quote from our EPA-certified home comfort team today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/what-is-a-dual-fuel-heat-pump/

Indoor Allergies? Here’s how your HVAC can Help

For allergy sufferers, spring can be a mixed blessing, bringing warmth… and pollen. Luckily you can banish the bad-side of the highly-anticipated spring season with a little help from your friendly neighborhood HVAC company.

How Can My HVAC System Help Me Combat Spring Allergies?

The best heating and air conditioning companies understand the role an HVAC system plays in maintaining indoor air quality and health, and how to create a cleaner, healthier home environment that is more pleasant for allergy sufferers. How can heating and cooling units be an ally in the allergy arena? You can use your HVAC system to reduce allergy-producing particles in your home in these 5 ways:

1. Reduce allergens with a better air filter.
   Home air filters are a great first line of defense against allergens. And while basic filters do a decent job of keeping the big chunks of dirt off internal AC components, they don’t do much for smaller particles that effect indoor air quality. For this, a HEPA air filter with a MERV rating of 10+ is best. Be careful when shopping, avoiding ‘HEPA-style’ filters, which don’t offer the same performance as true HEPA-rated filters. Before installing, consult a pro for necessary HVAC adjustments to avoid straining your system and causing damage.
2. Change your air filter regularly to prevent the spread of allergens through your home.
   Regardless of the filter style you choose, regular filter changes are essential to reducing allergens in your home and supporting improved indoor air quality. Dirty filters spread contaminants through your home – and force your system to work harder to distribute air. Unless your technician informs you otherwise, most common filter styles require changing every 1-3 months for optimum performance.
3. Step-up your system.
   Step-up your HVAC system with an air purifier addition. Indoor air quality systems such as air purifiers, ionizers, and UV light air purifiers can greatly reduce the number of allergens, bacteria, and other contaminants in the air in your home. Electrically-charged air purifiers attract and trap small particles as they travel through the system, and UV light filtration can destroy harmful mold and germs, preventing distribution through your home via ductwork.
4. Regularly inspect and clean ductwork.
   Poorly sealed, leaky ductwork can grab allergen-inducing particles from your basement, crawlspace or attic. Prevent dust buildup in ducts by having them regularly inspected during annual system maintenance. When ducts become dirty, have them professionally cleaned to remove dust, dander, pollen, insects, and other debris that can spread through your home and worsen allergy symptoms.
5. Keep humidity levels in check with a humidifier/dehumidifier addition.
   Keep relative humidity levels at 40% with the aid of a whole house humidifier/dehumidifier addition. Too damp, and allergy-inducing mold/mildew can quickly develop. Too dry, and allergen-inducing particles remain airborne longer, becoming more easily spread.

Don’t sneeze your way through spring and summer. Enjoy the warm weather season in the refuge of your home with the help of the pros at H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted on  https://www.delcohvac.com/indoor-allergies-heres-how-your-hvac-can-help/

Is Dual Fuel better than Gas

Scratching your head over whether you should be shopping for furnaces or heat pumps? Why not enjoy the best of both worlds with a dual fuel system for your home.

What is a Dual Fuel System?

Dual fuel systems are among the best heating and cooling units on the market. They combine both a furnace and a heat pump into a single, multi-functional, highly-efficient system. Providing both air and heat, they truly offer the best of both worlds.

What Makes Dual Fuel Systems So Efficient?

The ‘dynamic duo’ of heat pump and furnace technology:

• Heat Pumps
  Heating and cooling companies know heat pumps are highly-efficient, removing heat from the outdoors and transferring it into your home. In cool (not cold) weather, they are more efficient than furnaces. Non-combustion, they do not produce carbon monoxide. Air is passed over a coil in the system. This coil is warmed in the winter, and cold in the summer when the system works in reverse to provide air conditioning. However, heat pumps aren’t perfect. They struggle to provide heat when temperatures dip in the 30s, relying on electric heat strips, which are more expensive to use, to supplement heat.
• Furnaces
  Natural gas prices are relatively low, making gas furnaces an efficient heating method in the bitter cold of winter when energy usage is highest. Newer furnace models with 95% AFUE ratings (efficiency ratings) use 95% of energy (gas) as heat, expelling just 5% as exhaust (waste). Heat produced feels warmer than heat pump generated warmth, which blows cooler. But furnaces aren’t perfect either. Gas heat isn’t as efficient as heat pump warmth when winter temperatures are warmer (40s-50s). With improperly/over-sized systems, they can heat the home too quickly, leaving warm and cold spots. The hotter heat they produce can dry skin. These combustion systems also produce carbon monoxide, making annual professional inspection a necessity to ensure safety, as well as the addition of a carbon monoxide monitor.

Dual Fuel Systems Deliver

Providing optimal comfort and efficiency, dual fuel systems combine both these systems into one high-performance unit: Heat pump components are used to cool and heat the home when the outside temperatures are moderate. Then, when temperatures are frigid, the system is switched to furnace mode for superior comfort and performance.

Is A Dual Fuel System For Me?

Dual fuel systems make a cost-effective option when you have access to gas lines. If your home currently has only one of these systems (heat pump OR furnace), however, there may be additional costs involved in upgrading to a dual fuel system: Either upgrading your electrical system to accommodate a heat pump, or running gas lines to your home to accommodate a furnace may be necessary.

Purchasing a heating unit for your house is a major investment. Reduce the stress with the help of your friendly neighborhood H&H Heating & Air Conditioning pro. Discover our ‘no lemon’ guarantee, learning more about available government and utility incentives on these amazingly efficient systems. Contact us today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/is-dual-fuel-better-than-gas/

5 Signs your House has Poor Indoor Air Quality

You spend a great deal of time obsessing about the way your home (and its contents) look. But how much time have you spent considering what you can’t see: Your home’s air quality? EPA research indicates the air indoors, where you spend about 90% of your time, is often far more polluted than the air outdoors. If you or your family members suffer frequent headaches, sneezing, wheezing, and respiratory issues, or other health problems, your home may be harboring a hidden menace.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Look To The Source:

• Chemicals & VOCS
  Common household cleaners, air fresheners, paint, varnish, textiles, as well as the adhesives used to hold together household furnishings can release hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals can irritate your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, as well as cause nausea. Newer, more tightly-sealed homes more easily trap these pollutants.
• Germs & Allergens
  Ductwork can collect and distribute dirt, cold and flu germs, mold spores, and allergens like dander, dust mites, and pollen throughout your home.
• Humidity Issues
  Persistent odors? Unpleasant musty odors could indicate mold/mildew issues in the home, especially when paired with peeling paint/wallpaper and a ‘clammy’ feel. Dry, chapped skin, sore throat, or frequent cough? Wood furnishings and structural components with rapidly-reproducing cracks? Your home may be too dry.

Take Action

• Upgrade the Air Filters for Your Home Air Conditioner
  A HEPA filter with a MERV rating of 16 can remove around 99% of common particulates, including 90% of bacteria and germs and 50% of chemical VOCs.
  NOTE: Perform this upgrade with the help of a pro, who can adjust blower settings to reduce strain and help you avoid HVAC system damage.
• Invest in a Whole Home Air Purification System
  A whole house air purification system, including a UV air purifier, attached to your HVAC system, can help you combat most indoor air quality threats. Bonus: They install in less than an hour and add less than $10/month to your utility bill.
• Consider Humidity Control
  Including whole home humidification and dehumidification with a built-in hygrometer (moisture meter). Keep your home between 40-50% humidity for maximum health and comfort.
• Smarten-Up Your Thermostat
  Today’s Smart Wi-Fi thermostat models not only monitor temperature settings, providing more efficient HVAC system use, but help you monitor humidity levels and keep track of common maintenance such as air filter changes that can effect indoor air quality. Not sure which model is best for your home/lifestyle? Your local air conditioning company can help.
• Air Things Out
  Air out your home as weather (and air quality) allows, particularly during times of increased airborne pollutants such as painting/sanding.
• Go Au-Natural
  Choose natural, organic furnishings, including zero-VOC paints, and solid wood furnishings over particle board and glue-laden furnishings, which will reduce nasty vapor buildup in your home.
• Keep it Clean
  Vacuum, mop, and dust regularly to reduce indoor pollutants. Avoid chemical cleaning products in favor of natural alternatives to uphold air quality.

Create a healthier home environment for your family with the help of H&H Heating & Air Conditioning today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/5-signs-poor-indoor-air-quality/

Common concerns with Humidifiers

Humidifiers offer welcome relief in dry, bitter winter months. Bringing moisture to the air that can help control skin and respiratory ailments common with winter weather such as chapped skin and lips, irritated eyes and throat, inflamed nasal passages, allergies, cough, and sinus headaches, heating and cooling companies know humidifiers solve a variety of problems. However, like any appliance, there are some risks to consider with humidifier use.

Humidifiers come in a variety of styles, including portable/room units and whole house humidifiers, steam, ultrasonic, and impeller models, each with their own operational intricacies and risks:

• Dirty water
  Most common in portable units with a reservoir, as opposed to whole home units which take fresh water as needed via your home’s water supply, humidifiers with dirty water from filter or tank cleaning neglect can emit contaminated water into the air. This can result in flu-like ailments, or in severe cases, pneumonitis or Legionnaires.
• Excess humidity
  Some humidity in the air is good, however, you can have too much of a good thing. Your local indoor air quality service can tell you lots of tales surrounding the dangers of excess humidity. Mold, mildew, bacteria, dust mites and more thrive in damp environments. With portable systems, it is not uncommon for mold to grow where moisture has continuously accumulated on nearby walls/ceilings. This can negatively impact occupant health and worsen respiratory problems.
• Mineral buildup or ‘white dust’
  Pure, clean water is essential to humidifier operation and lifespan. Unfiltered, hard tap water contains high levels of particle and minerals compared to purified and distilled water. These will not only be distributed into the air and onto surrounding surfaces, aggravating respiratory issues, but can buildup up on essential humidifier components, causing them to wear down faster.
• Risk of burns
  Traditional humidifiers emitting moisture via steam carry the potential risk of burns. Whole house or central humidifiers, attached to heating and AC units, however, do not emit steam. This safeguards the children and elderly, those most at-risk, from burns.

How to Handle Humidifier Concerns

Most humidifier issues result from improper maintenance and cleaning. To avoid humidifier-related issues:

• Clean all essential components per manufacturer instructions regularly.
• Change filters regularly and do not allow water to sit in the humidifier too long.
• Carefully monitor humidity levels. If your humidifier doesn’t have a built-in hygrometer, as is common with portable models, pair it with a standalone meter to safeguard proper moisture levels in your home. The EPA and Mayo Clinic recommend indoor humidity levels be kept in the 30-50% range.
• Ensure a supply of clean, pure water to your purifier. If you do not have access to distilled water, consider the addition of a reverse osmosis system.
• Remove visible scaling (mineral buildup) regularly with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide.
• Opt for a whole house humidifier from your local home air conditioning company, which not only requires less maintenance, but operates more precisely, safely, and efficiently than portable models.

Patience with your portable humidifier all dried up? Contact H&H Heating & Cooling today.

This blog was originally posted on https://www.delcohvac.com/common-concerns-with-humidifiers/