Allergy sufferers know that at this time of year as the temperature rises, so do pollen counts. While the flora and fauna releasing the pollen are outside, it isn’t hard for allergens to get inside and into your HVAC system. A great way to drastically reduce allergens from swirling around your home with your forced air system is to use a mechanical air filter. It is true that your HVAC comes with a standard air filter, but this air filter’s job is not to improve your indoor air quality; it is to keep large particles of dirt and dust from coating your HVAC system. If you want a mechanical air filter that will help your allergies, the experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling can help. Just give us a call, and we’ll schedule you an appointment.
Boehmer Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh’
Is Your Air Filter Ready for Allergy Season?
Monday, May 25th, 2015Customize Your Cooling with a Zone Control System
Monday, May 11th, 2015Temperatures are finally moving up instead of down, and if you haven’t turned on your home’s AC yet, you will soon enough. Then comes the battle: the endless fight over the right temperature. We’ve all been there, with someone turning the temperature up while another one turns it down. But if you have a zone control system, that battle no longer exists. Why? Because when your home is divided into different temperature zones that all operate independently from one another, you no longer have to engage in the Battle of the Thermostat. As you may suspect, professional installation is the key to attaining all the benefits a zone control system has to offer you, and the experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling are here to help. Call us today, and let us show you what a zone control system can do for you and your home in Pittsburgh, PA.
Why Is There Frost on My Air Conditioning Coils?
Monday, May 4th, 2015Spring is fully underway and with it, summer can’t be far behind. The Pittsburgh, PA area experiences bouts of high heat and humidity throughout the summer months, which means that homeowners need to have their air conditioners fired up and ready to go. One of the most obvious signs of trouble is the appearance of frost on your coils, something that most laymen would see as normal. The air conditioner is supposed to make things cold. Why should a little frost raise an issue? In point of fact, however, frost on the air conditioning system represents a serious problem, required professional service to correct. “Why is there frost on my air conditioning coils?” you ask. Because your refrigerant is likely leaking.
Benefits of Replacing Your Thermostat
Monday, April 27th, 2015Spring is here, which offers homeowners a chance to examine their heating and cooling system between the snows of winter and the heat of summer. Nowhere is that more important than your thermostat, which controls all aspects of your HVAC system. A malfunctioning thermostat needs to be replaced quickly: here in Pittsburgh, PA, weather is usually too hot or too cold to go without it. But even if it’s working just fine, the benefits of replacing your thermostat are hard to ignore. Here’s a brief list of some of the things a new thermostat can bring you.
Is It Time for AC Replacement?
Monday, April 20th, 2015Spring is a great time to assess your home’s needs, and if it’s time to replace an outdated air conditioner, now is the perfect time to do it. It isn’t always obvious when it’s time to replace an air conditioner, especially when your system is still running, so our experts have listed a few factors to consider. One thing that never changes is that it’s imperative to hire an expert for your AC work, especially for a system replacement. Our specialists can help you size and install a new replacement for your Pittsburgh, PA, home, so just give us a call today!
Ways to Avoid Air Conditioning Repair This Summer
Monday, April 13th, 2015If we could offer you an air conditioning system that was guaranteed never to break, we’d do it in a Pittsburgh minute. We can’t do that because such an air conditioning system doesn’t exist, but what our experts can offer you are some great tips on how to avoid air conditioning repair and reduce your incidence of repair.
Make Air Conditioning Maintenance Part of Your Spring Cleaning This Year
Monday, April 6th, 2015As our temperatures edge a little higher each day, our attention starts to turn towards the warmer weather. We may not be fully ready for spring cleaning yet, but this time of year is perfect for scheduling maintenance for your air conditioning system in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. Hiring a professional to perform a full tune-up on your AC system brings benefits that will last all season long, and scheduling your maintenance appointment now gets you ahead of the crowd. So what kind of benefits can you and your AC gain from a spring maintenance appointment with your Boehmer Heating & Cooling expert? Let’s take a look:
Benefit #1: Better energy efficiency.
During a maintenance appointment, your air conditioning system is thoroughly inspected, cleaned, lubricated and adjusted to optimize performance. Your AC was made to operate at a certain level of efficiency, and without regular maintenance, your system can lose up to 5% of its original efficiency each year it isn’t maintained. Annual maintenance helps your system regain its energy efficiency levels.
Benefit #2: Helps prevent future repairs.
The thorough inspection your AC system undergoes during a maintenance appointment allows the technician to spot both existing and developing problems. If the issues are small, such as frayed wiring or a stretched fan belt, these items can be repaired during the appointment. Should a bigger issue be discovered, such as a refrigerant leak, you’ll be advised of the problem so that you can make additional plans for having the problem repaired by an expert. The steps of maintenance help get you ahead of potential repairs and also help you control existing ones before they can become bigger.
Benefit #3: Extends the life of your system.
Maintenance keeps your air conditioner in good working order, which means the system won’t operate under unnecessary stress. Stress is the number one reason that air conditioners can prematurely age, which can lead to frequent malfunction, breakdown and a need for early replacement.
When you start to clean this winter’s dirt and grime from your home and yard, don’t forget to include your air conditioning system in the spring cleaning. The experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling are ready to help, so schedule an appointment today!
Where Your Home May Be Losing Energy
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015Do your monthly energy bills seem out of your control? Are your family members uncomfortable even when the air conditioning and heating system is running? Does it seem like you have to run the AC or heater for hours before the house finally cools down or heats up? If so, your HVAC system, your family members, and your wallet can benefit from a home energy audit in Pittsburgh from Boehmer Heating & Cooling. A comprehensive energy audit involves tests and inspections which help you to learn where your home is losing the most energy.
- Leaks around windows and doors – A blower door test can help technicians to learn whether there are areas of your home through which air can leak in or out. Even a few minor cracks can really add up, and a technician may recommend replacing the doors or windows.
- Duct leaks – The ducts are a common source of energy loss. Since most ducts are hidden from your view, you have no way of knowing when there are cracks and holes that allow air to leak out into unoccupied spaces like attics or crawlspaces. This forces your AC to work harder and may increase your cooling and heating costs by 30%.
- Inadequate insulation – Insulation is a barrier of sorts, involving layers of material which keep heat from moving in or out, to an extent. This is important in both the winter and the summertime, and even if you already have insulation in parts of your home, this may not be enough. A technician will inspect your attic and perform tests that help to determine where insulation is lacking, where it needs replacement, and how much insulation is necessary to keep you comfortable and limit your air conditioning and heating usage.
- Faulty HVAC equipment – During an energy audit, technicians look over your furnace, boiler, air conditioner, heat pump, and/or water heater, inspecting each component to look for any areas that could use a tune up or a repair, since worn down parts contribute greatly to excessive energy use.
A home energy audit can bring these items to your attention, as well as any filtration issues that may affect the quality of the air in your home. Call the professional HVAC and energy-efficiency experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling to schedule a thorough energy audit in Pittsburgh today.
3 Tips to Avoid Heating Repair
Wednesday, March 25th, 2015At Boehmer Heating & Cooling, our technicians are committed to a positive customer experience. But that doesn’t mean that you want to see our experts all the time. Scheduling heating repair is never an ideal situation, no matter how friendly, knowledgeable and clean the technicians are. If you’d like to avoid heating repair in the future, follow these tips for a heater that works as well as you need it to.
1. Keep the Thermostat at an Efficient Setting
When your heating system runs at full capacity day and night, it can begin to take its toll on the unit. Parts can start to wear down until your entire system eventually struggles. While maintenance can delay this effect, keeping your heating system running at an efficient temperature is a good way to make sure it does not wear out too soon. When you’re away, program your thermostat to keep the heat turned off or to lower the temperature below what you’re used to, and then to heat back up after you arrive.
2. Schedule an Energy Audit
Have a professional visit your home for an energy audit to find out which parts of your home allow heat to escape and use up energy. A more efficient home can lead to reduced heating times, or you may feel that you can shut off your heat altogether at times. After an energy audit, you may learn that you need to seal air leaks or add some insulation. These steps keep your heater running smoothly and efficiently so that it does not become overworked.
3. Get Professional Maintenance Each Year
A professional maintenance visit can extend the life of your system and prevent repairs. A technician may make a few adjustments to your system and clean up some of the dirtiest components. Afterwards, the tech will let you know what still needs repair, if anything, so you can schedule it at a later date rather than waiting for a heating breakdown.
Call on the help of the friendly people at Boehmer Heating & Cooling for our quality heating repair service in Pittsburgh, PA. We provide energy audits, maintenance, repair, and more, so call us first for all of your HVAC needs.
Potential Problems with a Boiler’s Circulator Pumps
Monday, February 16th, 2015Boilers can heat homes in two ways: with the steam created from the hot water or with the hot water itself. Steam flows on its own through your system’s piping because it is under significant pressure, but hot water systems need a little help pushing the hot water through the piping; this is where circulator pumps come in. As you can probably imagine, problems with a circulator pump or pumps means that the hot water needed to heat your home; should this happen, you’ll need to call for heating repair in Pittsburgh, and you’ll want to call professionals you can count on. Boehmer Heating & Cooling has been helping customers in the Pittsburgh area with heating since 1933, and we bring this experience to every job we do, so call us today!
Types of Circulator Pump Problems
There are a few kinds of problems that can develop with circulator pumps, such as:
- Leaking – when leaks develop with a circulator pump, they typically develop at the joints where the pump meets the pipe into which it is soldered. The reason leaks are likely to occur here are that the pump has rubber phalanges that act as seals at these joints, but these seals can sometimes dry and crack, which causes leaking.
- Electrical issues – circulator pumps need a small amount of electricity to turn the wheel inside the pump, known as an impeller. A relay switch is responsible for delivering this electricity, and if the switch becomes faulty, the electricity won’t be delivered as needed.
- Broken impeller – as mentioned above, the small wheel inside the pump is the impeller, and its job is to push the water forward. Impellers look like miniature water wheels, complete with small blades that help push the water forward. Impellers can crack, which hamper their ability to push the water forward as needed, and the result is usually low heat.
Circulator pumps are critical to the proper operation of your heating system, and as such, should only be repaired by a trained professional. If you are in need of heating repair in Pittsburgh, call Boehmer Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment.