Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for October, 2014

The Importance of Sizing in Boiler Installation

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

Although the technology of home heating has advanced a great deal from the early days of coal-burning furnaces, a few things have never changed. For example, a boiler is still an excellent method to keep your home warm during even the harshest winter. In fact, boilers have never offered more advantages than they do today, since they help prevent a decline in indoor air quality because they use the clean power of radiant heating and do not require ductwork. A gas-powered boiler installation is an excellent investment in your family’s comfort through the winter, and any other chilly time of the year.

Boilers have a number of special considerations when it comes to installation, so you must leave the work to trained professionals. Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning has kept Chicagoland toasty warm since 1904, so we’ve done more professional boiler installation jobs than almost any other company you might hire. Put your trust in that kind of generational experience when you need boiler installation in Lincolnwood, IL and other parts of Chicagoland.

Sizing a Boiler

One of the reasons that professional boiler installation is essential is sizing. A boiler needs to be the right size to provide the amount of heat to your home necessary for your comfort. Boilers come in many sizes, from units that heat up a one-bedroom home to units designed to warm an entire building. Determining what size boiler will work for your home is more than a question of the how much space the boiler must heat. Professionals need to weigh a number of factors to measure how well your home traps heat and how much heat the people and appliances inside generate. The installers determine all this through a complex heat load calculation that combines all the relevant factors. After completing a heat load calculation, the professionals will know how powerful a boiler your home needs.

You might think that it’s safer to simply err on the side of a boiler that more powerful than necessary. It’s easy to understand why a boiler that’s too small is a problem—you won’t receive sufficient heat—but what’s wrong with one that’s too large? The truth is that an oversized boiler will be incredibly inefficient and waste large amounts of money to operate, all to deliver you a level of heating that’s uncomfortable. You do not want to guess when it comes to boiler sizing: there’s a right size for your home, delivering comfort and energy-savings, and it requires heating professionals to find it.

Sizing boilers has long been part of our job at Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. Call us today if you are ready for a boiler installation in Lincolnwood, IL this fall to prepare for winter. We will see you receive the best heating system possible.

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Why Consider a Ductless Mini Split Installation

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014

Ductwork seems like it’s an essential component for a central forced-air heating and cooling system. Unless you only plan to cool down a single room using a window air conditioning unit, you need ductwork to carry the conditioned air through a home and into the various rooms.

However, this isn’t true: there are central heating and cooling systems that operate through forced air but do not need any ductwork at all. They are called ductless mini split heat pumps, and for some households they are an ideal year-round comfort solution. A ductless system combines the power and reach of a central system with the point heating and cooling of a window unit.

To find out more details about installing ductless mini split systems in Morton Grove, IL, call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. We have helped keep Chicagoland comfortable for more than a century.

Reasons to Consider Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

The first reason that ductless mini split systems are a good idea to consider is that they are heat pumps, which offer both heating and cooling. You have all your comfort packaged into one system.

The second reason is that eliminating the ductwork in a home means you will have a more energy-efficient HVAC system. Ducts permit an amount of energy loss along their length that reduces the efficiency of the heater and air conditioner hooked up to them. Ductless mini splits send their conditioned air directly into rooms through individual blower units set up in the rooms throughout the house, each of which hooks up to the outdoor unit. With the air coming straight from the blower and into your living room, there’s very little room for energy loss.

Removing the ducts also removes a source of air contamination. Ductwork will develop dust, dirt, dander, pollen, and various other pollutants over time, and unless you have regular professional duct cleaning these pollutants will enter the air you breathe. Going ductless will help improve your indoor air quality. It will make a major difference if you have people in your household with allergies or asthma.

Finally, you should consider going ductless if you are planning new home construction or major renovation. Without needing to plan for air ducts, you will have much greater freedom when it comes to design, and you will also have more space available.

As with any home comfort system, a ductless mini split is not ideal for every home: if you already have existing ducts in your house, you should probably choose a standard forced-air heat pump that can hook up to these ducts. But for older home without room for ducts, or for new construction project, looking into ductless mini split systems in Morton Grove, IL is a fantastic alternative to standard ducted systems. Call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning today and let us help you locate the best option for your home.

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Signs You Need Professional Duct Repair

Monday, October 13th, 2014

People often underestimate the importance of the ductwork in the HVAC system of their home. It’s easy to take for granted that the ducts will stay in good shape no matter what happens, since most of the time they are out of sight–and therefore out of mind.

However, ductwork that sustains damage from corrosion and age, or which received poor initial installation, will have a severe negative effect on how well your HVAC system operates. It can mean a drop in comfort and an increase the contamination that enters your indoor air. When your ducts have gaps, leaks, or bad connections, they must be taken care of with a professional duct repair service to restore their integrity and protect your comfort, budget, and health.

Look to experience when you need duct repair in Northbrook, IL and other parts of Chicagoland: Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. We have been in business so long that we are only two years younger than the invention of the air conditioner itself! We also offer 24-hour emergency service for your convenience.

Look for These Warnings That it’s Time for Duct Repair

  • Hot or cold spots: Broken ductwork will create spots in your house that are the wrong temperature from what you want. If you have the heater running during winter, but certain rooms still feel too frigid, you probably have busted ducts preventing proper airflow from reaching those rooms. The same problem applies in reverse to the summer, when you will notice abnormally warm rooms while the air conditioner is running.
  • Strange noises from the ductwork: As air flows through the ventilation system, the ducts will expand and contract with the changes in heat. An occasional “popping” noise when the heater or AC first comes on is normal. But loud rattling and shaking noises that happen continuously are warning you that the ducts are loose or damaged in some way and need repair work.
  • Higher utility bills: An HVAC system trying to send conditioned air through leaking or broken ductwork will have to battle uphill to reach its expected temperature. That means the system will draw more energy, and your heating and cooling bills will start to climb. If you notice a rise in your bills that you cannot account for because of increased use or a change in energy costs, you are either dealing with a malfunctioning comfort system or damaged ductwork. Call for HVAC professionals right away.

Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning is a full-service company for home comfort, from AC and heater repairs to indoor air quality solutions. We can handle your needs for duct repair in Northbrook, IL: just give us a call at the first sign of trouble.

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What Is Aeroseal Duct Sealing?

Wednesday, October 8th, 2014

The ductwork in a ventilation system must retain an airtight seal along its length or else it will cause a drop in air pressure from the heater and air conditioner. If your home experiences a decline in comfort due to low airflow from the vents, or if you notice a rise in heating and cooling costs for which you cannot account, the culprit may be a loss of integrity in the ductwork. Fixing leaking and damaged ducts requires indoor air quality specialists armed with the best technology—such as Aeroseal Sealant.

Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning has been in business for more than a century taking care of ductwork in Evanston, IL and throughout Chicagoland. We use Aeroseal to help provide the best service possible for when you need duct sealing.

How the Aeroseal Process Works to Repair Your Ducts

The Aeroseal process is different from most standard duct sealing methods, such as using mastic sealant or metallic tapes. Where other techniques approach the ducts from the outside, applying the sealant to the holes, Aeroseal uses an approach from the inside. This process is faster, more thorough, and can reach difficult to access ducts such as those in the attic or underneath flat roofs.

What happens during the Aeroseal process is that polymer particles are released into the ventilation system after the air inside the ducts is pressurized. The pressurized air escapes through any available opening, and the polymer particles are drawn toward these holes, where they adhere to them and build up until the leak is completely sealed. To make sure the process works, a computer monitors the internal pressure of the ducts until it detects that the leakage had been sealed. This will eliminate all leaks, including many you may not have known about.

Although Aeroseal is an efficient and effective method for duct sealing, not all ductwork or types of damage will benefit from it. The process works best for smaller leaks. If you have more extensive damage in your ventilation system, technicians will use hand-sealing with mastic or metallic tapes to take care of the problem. As long as you rely on experienced indoor air quality professionals for the work, you can rest assured that your ducts will receive the type of sealing they need.

Call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning whenever you require repairs for your ductwork in Evanston, IL. We will determine the ideal method to seal up your ducts to protect your HVAC system and your quality heating and cooling.

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Is a Boiler a Wise Choice for Installation in a New Home?

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

There are a lot of choices out there for home heating systems – so many that it can be confusing to determine which kind of system is best for your home. Working with a trained professional can go a long way toward helping you determine what system is right for you; additionally, understanding the basics of different systems is also helpful. Today we’re going to review boiler systems, and we’ll outline some of the benefits these systems can provide. If you have questions about the installation of a boiler in Park Ridge, IL, call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning and schedule an appointment with one of our trained experts.

How Does a Boiler Work?

Boilers are part of a hydronic heating system – a system that uses hot water (or the steam from hot water) to heat your home. The water is heated by a flame that is commonly fueled by either gas or oil (fuel can also be a solid fuel, like wood or wood pellets) via a heat exchanger. Once the water heats to the right temperature, it is pumped through a system of pipes that connect to the distribution outlets, which can be radiators, baseboard heaters or hydronic floor heating. When the water cools, it circulates back to the boiler for the next heating cycle.

What Are the Benefits of a Boiler?

Boilers offer a number of benefits which make them worth considering:

  • Good energy efficiency – today’s boilers have become quite energy efficient – as high as 90% – making them an option for many homeowners.
  • Even heating – the heat that emanates from a distribution outlet in a hydronic system is gradual: as such, the heat can feel more comfortable than forced hot air.
  • No dust circulation – because a boiler system is a closed system, you don’t have to worry about circulating dust. This can be especially helpful for families with allergy sufferers.
  • Quiet operation – the only noise a boiler makes is when it is heating up the water; otherwise, the distribution and heating are silent.
  • Easy to zone – if you want to establish different heating zones in your household, this can be easily achieved with the piping system of a boiler.

Boilers have been around for a long time, which can sometimes give the impression that they may not be as good or advanced as other heating systems; this simply isn’t true. Boilers have benefited from advances in technology just as other heating systems, so if you are contemplating the installation of a new boiler for your home in Park Ridge IL, call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning today to schedule an appointment!

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