MILFORD COOLING & AIR CONDITIONER SERVICE

Heating Systems: A Quick Comparison

Heating systems come in many different forms and configurations. When choosing one for your home, it is critical that you take several factors into account: efficiency, cost, capability and maintenance. The following is a quick overview to give you some options when planning to purchase or reinstall your current heating system.

Forced Air

Forced air is the most commonplace heating system in place, especially in new construction in most parts of the country. Forced Air Heating heats air through a standard furnace using natural gas, propane, oil or electricity.

The heated air is then pushed through ductwork throughout the house by a circulating fan.

The main advantages to this type of heating system are many. The furnace, depending on size and energy source can create the highest efficiency for certain types of homes.

The unit also can accommodate a dual purpose in that it can also serve as the central source for air conditioning and ventilation as well – the only one of these heating systems that can do so. Forced air can also integrate such add-ons as filtration and humidification units.

Forced air systems can, however, have some drawbacks. The units generally require more maintenance than others. They also require an extensive system of ducts in even small homes. Ducts can take up space, alter designs and can be difficult to reach to clean and service. For small to medium homes, these units generally provide the highest efficiency at the lowest cost.

Radiant Heat

One of the most popular new systems is radiant or ambient heat. Generally, it can come in the form of a hot water tube embedded in a floor or wall – although a radiant heating system can also refer to wood or coal stoves, fireplaces or other fuel-burning heating systems placed in the open.
The advantages to radiant heat are many, but so are the disadvantages. In the case of tubing laid in the floor or wall, the heat is uniform and consistent throughout the home. Architectural design is not affected as it is an “invisible” heat source, allowing for wide design choices. However, if repairs are needed, the system poses severe problems with access and potential structural upheaval.

The heating cycle is slow, as well,
1000
so it is not recommended for spaces with rapid, repeating and extreme temperature changes. Ambient heat does not offer a ventilation or air conditioning option at all. Ambient heat offers a high installation cost and a potentially very high repair cost. But the boiler heating the system, if chosen wisely, can offer a very high efficiency factor.

Hot Water Radiant

Usually knows as “hot water baseboard” heating systems, this heating option pushes hot water through tubing (usually copper) installed at the bottom of each room’s walls. The heat is circulated purely through convection, meaning that no ventilation or circulating device is needed, making the system very quiet.

While the system offers high efficiency at low installation cost, the structure can impede certain designs in homes. Repair is not usually a consideration. As with ambient or radiant heat, the choice of the boiler usually determines the efficiency of this particular style of home heating system.

Again, a separate air conditioning and ventilation unit is required.

Steam Radiant

Similar to hot water radiant, steam radiant uses a series of pipes or tubes to warm the home through convection. While the system is still in use in some older construction and in some European homes, this system is not used much in the United States.

Also similar to water radiant, the system can be very efficient when the proper type of boiler is used and powered by an appropriate fuel source which may include propane, oil, electricity or alternate energy. An air conditioning and ventilation system would be a separate system entirely.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs) are unlike either Forced Air or Radiant heat entirely – and are perhaps the most exciting new technology offered in home heating systems. The concept of a GHP is to take heat or cold and to displace it by using long pipes running into the ground. Since the ground at the buried depth is normally a fairly consistent (and comfortable) temperature, the heat or cold is displaced, returning a comfortable temperature to the home.

The advantages are enormous efficiencies and savings – in the range of upwards of 70% over other heating or cooling sources. However, the cost and construction can be prohibitive to achieve these efficiencies. Certain home sites may not be able to take advantage of this system, and maintenance can be extremely high.

Which is Right For You?

Each system does offer advantages and disadvantages to each potential homeowner. Taking these all into consideration, particularly selection, maintenance and repair, as well as response time for service or an emergency should all be taken into consideration.

By: Duane

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The furnace is hot and every once in a while the burner will come on for a short time and then go off again. But the blower that should be running to circulate the hot air from the furnace to the house is not working. How can you fix that? It really isn’t very hard.

It does not matter what the fuel of your hot air furnace is. If the blower is not circulating the air through the heater then you are not getting warm. The function of the blower is to move the heat from the heater to the space that need to be heated.

A few simple tests can tell you what your problem is. Do you have power going to the motor that runs the blower? If you have power going to the motor and it is very hot than maybe the blower wheel has come lose and it is stuck on something that is keeping it from turning. Try to turn the wheel to see if it is stuck. If the wheel is not hitting anything and just turns hard then the bearings of the motor are bad and the motor needs to be replaced. In some rare cases the motor has little tubes to the bearings and some oil can be worked into the bearings to free them up. This is a long a tedious process, but I have done it successfully a few times.

If the wheel is hitting something, then try to see if it can be fixed. Sometimes the set screw will just come lose from the shaft and repositioning the wheel and tightening the screw will fix the problem.

Sometimes power will be going to the motor and nothing at all is happening. Replacing the motor is then the only option. The worst case that happens and is one of the most common problems is for the hub of the blower wheel to brake off. This lets the inside of the wheel fall down on the motor shaft. The metal from the wheel will saw off the shaft of the motor rather quickly as it is spinning trying to run the blower. The result of this is a ruined wheel and motor.

This gives a brief overview of some of the many things that may happen to your blower in your hot air furnace. I have encountered many other things over the years, but these are the most common problems. It will give you a few things to look for if you are having problems. Be very careful because many times the edges of the metal pieces are very sharp. You can be cut very easily when checking or handling these parts. I know and have the scars to prove it! Do not be in a hurry and be safe.

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