The Clean Air Act Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating Installation’

The Difference Professional Installation Services Make

Monday, December 21st, 2020

ac-technicianThere has been a lot going on in our area lately. If anything, it makes it easier to hunker down inside our homes and find new ways to entertain ourselves and our loved ones for extended periods of time. Netflix and Hulu can only offer so much: break out the backgammon and chess boards!

But we digress.

Spending extra time at home isn’t bad. But it can be uncomfortable without a reliable heater. Whatever your situation, if you are ready to get a good whole-home heater in your home, it is important to get this job knocked out sooner than later. It is also important to have a professional be the one to perform your heating installation in Portland, OR.

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Is an Electric or a Gas-Powered Furnace Better?

Monday, December 7th, 2020

If you’ve been trying to get through our many cooler months with a space heater and some heavy layers, it is high time that you made the leap to schedule a heating installation in Portland. The main question you will need to ask yourself is what type of heater will work best for your home.

Your first option is likely to be a furnace. Furnaces are great systems for keeping homes in the Portland area nice and warm, no matter what the weather throws our way. Unlike the furnaces of yesteryear that used wood or coal, today’s units are able to use more efficient means to create heat. That means, if you are going to opt for a furnace, you get to choose between a natural gas or electric model.

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Choosing the Right Heater for You

Monday, March 16th, 2020

dog-under-blanket-cold-homeMaybe you’ve been struggling to keep warm this winter because you’ve been trying to keep warm with a space heater instead of using your regular heater, since using the central heater would cost far more. Those portable space heaters can be handy in specific circumstances, but they  aren’t a lasting or effective solution to heating your whole home. If you have had to subsidize the heat in your home lately with a small plug-in system, it may mean that you need to replace your overly expensive heating system.

The next question, of course, is which heating system to install in its place? We can help you decide on what system will meet your needs best.

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Replace Old Heating Systems Quickly

Monday, February 19th, 2018

heater-repair-serviceOlder heating systems can be put to the test whenever the winter weather gets cold. And as much as we might like them to last throughout the winter, not all of them have it in them. And when your heating system is ready to be turned in for something new, you need to make the replacement quickly, lest your home be without heat and turn into an icebox as a result. How can you recognize when a heater is having problems, and what should you keep in mind as you go about getting it replaced? The more you know, the faster it will be to act.

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Power Levels Matter in New Heating Systems

Monday, December 11th, 2017

heating-installation-servicesWith winter fast approaching, temperatures are dropping every day. Now is the time to install a new heating system in your home, especially if your older one isn’t up to the task of keeping your home warm for another winter. Getting a new system put in now means not having to worry about your old heater breaking down just when you need it the most, or snow or similar inclement weather making a replacement session more problematic. More importantly, replacing your system now gives you the time to make a proper estimate: allowing you to make proper estimates and find the best heater for your home.

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Does Your Home Need a New Furnace?

Monday, November 27th, 2017

new-heating-systemWinter is on the way, and with cooler temperatures comes a need to carefully assess the state of your furnace. A comparatively new furnace is probably all set for the next few months, but as your system gets older, it’s going to struggle to do its job more and more. Eventually, you’re going to need to get it replaced, and if your furnace is on its last legs, it’s probably better to do so now, before the winter begins, than to deal with a breakdown and replacements later on in the year.

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Do I Need a Professional for Infrared Space Heating Installation

Thursday, January 29th, 2015

Even if the majority of rooms in your home are heated by a central heating system such as a furnace or radiant heat source, there’s still a chance that some rooms are lacking the heating power necessary to take full advantage of them during the cold winter months. If you need to heat a small space like a detached garage, workshop, enclosed patio, or warehouse, connecting radiant heat piping or forced-air ductwork to the space can be costly, and since a lot of heat can escape from these often-uninsulated areas, you’ll end up paying a lot more every month as well.

Infrared heaters work by heating individual objects and people in the room. Invisible infrared light is absorbed into the skin. As long as the infrared rays can reach you, you’ll feel warm, which is why these heaters work best in small spaces. Infrared heaters can run on different heat sources; while most run on electricity, you may be able to purchase a natural gas model instead. Some use infrared light and heat exchangers to blow warm air into the room, while others just emit light into the room. In any case, it may seem as though installation would be fairly simple. So why would you choose a professional for infrared space heating installation in Beaverton?

The Professional Difference

One of the main reasons to choose a professional for installation is to ensure the proper size. Any heating system will suffer if it’s not sized properly for the space to be heated. An oversized heating system will draw more energy than it needs, resulting in higher energy bills. And an undersized space heater may never allow the room to reach the temperatures you desire. Professionals will take many factors into account when sizing your system, including the size of the room, the number of people who use it, and any irregularities in the shape of the room.

Another reason to select professionals is to get a thorough inspection of the system before it begins to run. Technicians can best assess whether the unit uses the proper amount of voltage or fuel, and if the space heater is located in an ideal space for maximum heat.

Call the professional heating technicians at Clean Air Act for your infrared space heating installation in Beaverton for quality service and to safeguard against any potential issues.

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What Are My Options for Heating Installation?

Thursday, January 15th, 2015

With the massive variety of home heating systems on the market today, many homeowners find themselves at a loss when shopping for a new heater. There are so many different types, each substantially different from every other, that the scope of choice can be overwhelming. Luckily, we’re here to help. Let’s take a look at some of your options for a new home heater, along with the pros and cons of each.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are unique among heating systems, in that they move heat from one place to another instead of creating it. They are very energy efficient, as they don’t burn any kind of fuel to create heat. Instead, they use a unit on the outside of the house to siphon thermal energy from the surrounding air. This thermal energy is then sent inside to the rest of the heat pump, where it is released to warm the air being circulated through the house.

Heat pumps are great for people who want to save money on their heating bills every year. However, they do tend to suffer in very cold environments. This is because the air holds very little thermal energy at sub-freezing temperatures, making the heat pump less efficient.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heat pumps are just like air source heat pumps, with one big exception. Instead of siphoning thermal energy from the outside air, geothermal systems leech heat from the ground. Once you get around 15 feet underground, the temperature is always at 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. A geothermal system uses an underground refrigerant loop to harvest this heat from the ground, and use it to heat the house.

A geothermal system possesses all of the advantages of an air source heat pump, without the disadvantage of losing efficiency in very cold weather. The one disadvantage that geothermal heat pumps possess is that they have a much more involved installation process. For those willing to invest in the system, however, the geothermal heat pump provides a great return on investment.

If you’d like to know more, contact Clean Air Act. We provide heating installation services throughout Clackamas.

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Why Air Handler Installation Makes Sense

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

The air handler is an essential component for any forced-air heating system. The blower fan in this unit does the job of distributing the air from the HVAC cabinet and sending it into the ductwork toward the vents, maintaining a continual airflow. In heat pumps and air conditioners, the air handler also contains the refrigerant coils necessary for conditioning the air. Without an air handler, the heated and cooled air you need for your comfort would never reach you.

Air handlers can be installed with a new HVAC system, or added later as a replacement for an older air handler. Contact Clean Air Act in Portland, OR for heating or HVAC installations that require expert work with an air handler.

It’s vitally important that you have professionals take care of air handler installation. Air handlers aren’t simply fans: they house powerful blower motors hooked to fans inside casings, and also include dampers and filters, and, if necessary, heating and cooling elements. An air handler must be properly sized to fit a specific furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner. If you update your current HVAC system, or if you get a new one, you will also need to have new air handler installation from a professional to make the two work together properly. Have technicians inspect your new HVAC system so they will know what kind of air handler you need.

Air handler installation requires specialized work. The flanges of the air handler’s cabinet must hook up to the ductwork system as well as the HVAC system cabinet, and then wired into the power system as well as the thermostat that controls the fan. (Thermostats have separate wires to control the fan and the heater/cooler.) For heat pumps and ACs, the air handler must also connect to the refrigerant line.

It’s possible for an air handler to break down before the HVAC system fails, in which case you can have a replacement put in instead of needing to replace your whole system. With professional assistance, you’ll find a new unit that works superior to your old one.

For excellent work with air handlers, look to Clean Air Act. We have over a decade of work with cooling and heating installation in Portland, OR. If you’re experiencing poor airflow from your vents, or if you wish to update your HVAC system, call us for help with air handler installation.

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3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Attempt to Install Your Own Heater

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

If the time has come to replace your decrepit old heater, or if you’ve just built a new home, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once, “Why can’t I save some money and handle the installation myself?”

We hope you quickly discarded this thought. But if it’s still knocking around in your brain, we’ll give you 3 very good reasons why you should entrust this large undertaking to a professional, experienced company. Once you see that you should go to the experts, we hope you will choose Clean Air Act for your Portland, OR heating installation.

1. It may be illegal

This depends on local codes and the type of heater you plan to install. However, in many jurisdictions, laws prevent anyone without a permit from installing or repairing a gas-powered appliance that connects to a municipal supply line, or that connects to any sort of exhaust system. You can check local laws to make sure… but the better route is simply to entrust the job to someone who does have a permit: a professional installer.

2. It may be dangerous

There are some good reasons why city and state laws often prohibit homeowners without licenses and permits from doing their own installations. The main one is that unskilled work on a heating system presents major health hazards. Work with natural gas lines can lead to leaks that expose people to toxic fumes and the risk of explosions; electrical heaters carry the danger of high voltage shocks. Even if you manage to install a heater without injuring yourself, you won’t know if the heater is running safely: a gas-powered heater could slowly leak carbon monoxide, and an electric heater could be a potential fire hazard because of faulty wiring.

3. It will need further repairs

It’s almost guaranteed that if you try to perform an installation without any professional assistance, you will not get the job done effectively. Although the heater may appear to run adequately, it will soon start to malfunction and require repairs. The money you “saved” by going solo will end up spent on numerous repairs to keep the system running. Eventually, you will need to scrap the whole heater earlier than you would have if you relied on professional installation from the beginning.

We understand that homeowners like to feel self-sufficient and want to find ways to save money. But a complex home heating system is not a place where you should cut corners or experiment with your toolkits. Too much rides on this system working properly. Stay safe and warm—and legal—by calling in an expert HVAC company for your Portland, OR heating installation.

Clean Air Act offers comprehensive installation on many different kinds of heating systems. Contact us today to get started with a superb installation for your home.

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