Beaverton, OR has its share of cold and rainy Christmas days, and yet our weather here isn’t quite so cold as it might be in the Midwest or East Coast. You need every advantage you can to trim bills and keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If a new heater or HVAC system is on the agenda in the next few months, you might want to consider a heat pump, which combines the functions of heating and air conditioning into one. The system isn’t dissimilar to an air conditioner, but a few key differences combines some considerable benefits.
The Benefits of Heat Pumps
December 26th, 2016How to Select the Best Heating Service
December 19th, 2016Heating systems come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional forced-air furnaces to ductless systems and geothermal systems. But all of them need to function as advertised in order to keep your home warm during our Oregon City, OR winters, and all of them will eventually suffer a breakdown or require repairs. A heating system repair technician can be as important to your quality of life as a good doctor or mechanic. But how can you select the best one for your needs? Specifics vary, but there are a few pertinent traits you should look for.
Why Do I Need a Humidifier?
December 12th, 2016Winters in Portland, OR are cold and snowy, and you may be surprised to find that dry air is a persistent problem in your home. We live in a very rainy part of the world, and in the summer our problem becomes removing moisture, not retaining it. But dry air can do more than just make you uncomfortable. Luckily, there’s a long-term solution available to fix the problem for good: whole-house humidifiers.
The Benefits of Ductless Heating
December 5th, 2016Most of us are used to traditional centralized heating and air conditioning systems in our Tigard, OR homes. They generate heated or cooled air in a single spot, then use a system of ducts to blow the air through the rooms of your home. It’s an effective system, but it’s not the only option out there.
More specifically, you could use ductless heating and air conditioning systems, which adopt a more decentralized approach. Instead of one single unit, it uses multiple units placed throughout your home. Each one functions for a single room or section, distributing the load for the entire home. Ductless systems cost more to install, and they’re not for every household. But if you find that centralized models just aren’t doing the job, you might want to think about the benefits that a ductless system can provide.
How to Watch for Duct Breaches
November 28th, 2016Most homes in the Portland, OR area use a system of ducts to transfer air from the HVAC system to the four corners of the home. The ducts are typically hidden behind the walls, in the attic or similar out-of-the-way locales. That helps keep them protected from damage, but when damage does occur, it can be very hard to spot. Damage to your ducts can take place when animals crawl into your space, when work on other parts of the house goes awry, or sometimes when the bolts or connections between duct pieces wear out.
How to Adjust Your HVAC System for Holiday Gatherings
November 21st, 2016Thanksgiving is upon us, and you may be hosting friends and family for a holiday gathering this week (or perhaps later in the holidays). That can have a subtle yet undeniable impact on your HVAC system — rarely an emergency, but certainly something that you can mitigate to lower costs and help your home be as comfortable as possible for your guests. Here in Beaverton, OR, temperatures are falling by the day, and it’s likely to be fairly cold once Turkey Day arrives. Here are a few tips to help make your home the perfect environment for your get-together.
Beware of Dry Air This Winter
November 14th, 2016As temperatures fall here in Oregon City, OR, the air becomes drier, which most of us are accustomed to. What’s less apparent is how that dry air creates issues in your home, and what can be down to help stop those issues. Luckily, you can respond to low humidity levels by installing a whole-house humidifier in your home. But why does that work and what kinds of issues does it fix? We’ve got the breakdown right here.
IAQ Products Make it Easier for Your Heater
November 7th, 2016Indoor air quality products can provide a number of benefits to your Tigard, OR home: from lowering humidity levels to reducing the spread of germs and illnesses. But they have an added benefit as well. When working in conjunction with your heating system, they can help your HVAC system do its job more effectively. How can your IAQ systems benefit your heater? That depends on the IAQ product you purchase, but the specifics can include:
Do You Need a New Air Handler?
October 31st, 2016An air handler is an important part of your HVAC system, especially here in Portland, OR where both heating and air conditioning are priorities for most of the year. It’s what moves the air from the HVAC unit through the ducts in your home, providing filtration as well as fan power to ensure maximum efficiency. Most are designed to work without a problem for many years, but like any other component in your home, it will wear out eventually. When it does, you need a professional service to install a new one. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.
Infrared Space Heaters Address a Number of Problems
October 24th, 2016Winters are cold enough in Beaverton, OR to devote some serious thought to your home’s heating system. You need a system that can meet your specific needs, not just one that does a generic “okay” job. The more efficient your heater is and the more tailored to the specifics of your household, the less it tends to cost you in wasted energy.