Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Glenview’

Tips to Boost Your Furnace’s Efficiency

Monday, October 23rd, 2017

furnace venting outdoorsWinter will be here soon enough, and chances are that it will hit hard once it’s here. But that’s just part of living in the Chicagoland area, right? This may be the case, and we might be “used” to cold temperatures and snowfall, but it doesn’t hurt to have a great heating system on your side. Having a great heating system is about more than reliability and effectiveness, though: you want a heater that’s going to work as efficiently as possible. Our winter season is too long and too cold to be overpaying for your comfort.

Sure, you could contact us for Glenview, IL furnace service, such as heater replacement, but this might not be necessary—especially if your furnace is less than a decade old. The truth is, there are other things you can do besides servicing or replacing the furnace itself that could help boost your home’s heating efficiency.

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Times When You May Need a New Air Conditioning Installation

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

This is the season of year when people begin to think about preparing their homes for warm weather. One of the big questions on homeowners’ minds: “Is the air conditioner ready for another summer?” If the AC in your home has already worked through many Chicagoland summers, or if it is showing signs that it’s coming to the end of its service life, now is the best time to arrange to have a new AC installed.

If you are looking for a trusted name in air conditioning installation, look no further than Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. Where some companies can boast about 10 years in the business, we have more than 110! Call us today for help deciding if it’s time for a new AC installation for your home in Glenview, IL, or if repairs will still do the job.

Here are times when new air conditioning installation is a good idea:

The Current AC is Extremely Old

It’s wise to keep any appliance running as long as possible so you receive the most return on your initial investment from it. But when an air conditioner is older than its manufacturer’s estimated lifespan, it will start to rapidly deteriorate and cost more to run than it should and risk an inconvenient break down. Even if you are still receiving adequate cooling from a system that is more than 15 years old, you should consider putting in a fresh system.

The AC Needs a Repair That is Too Expensive

How expensive a repair can you afford for your air conditioner before replacing it is the more cost-effective solution? Check on the price of installing a new AC. If the estimate for the repair is half or greater than the cost of a new installation, you should definitely go with the new installation.

The AC Costs More to Run Than Before

You should keep a close watch on your energy bills each month to see if they start to rise. If you notice that your energy bills during the summer continue to mount when the AC is running, and repairs and regular maintenance don’t change the trend, you should consider new air conditioning installation.

We understand that you may be hesitant about making a decision about putting in a new air conditioner. It is, after all, a major installation. The experts at Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning are happy to help you with the choice. Schedule a maintenance session with one of our technicians, and he or she will be able to tell you if it’s the best time for new air conditioning installation in Glenview, IL.

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Repairs That a Boiler May Need

Friday, March 20th, 2015

Boilers have heated homes in Chicagoland for many decades, and they remain popular even with many other heating options available such as heat pumps and furnaces. One of the advantages of boilers that keeps them competitive in the HVAC market is that they require fewer repairs than most systems. But fewer is much different than none, and you may at some point find your boiler isn’t living up to performance expectations. When that happens, call on heating professionals to provide you with the necessary repairs.

For professional boiler repair service in Glenview, IL or other parts of Chicagoland, call up the company with more than a century of experience with heating and cooling: Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning. We offer 24-hour emergency service for your convenience and peace of mind.

Some common boiler repairs

  • Fixing leaks: Leaking most often occurs because of poor initial installation (one of the many reasons you must always seek experienced professionals for this job), with poor soldering on the connectors causing water to escape. Water may also start to leak due to spikes in pressure. Never allow leaks to continue without immediate repairs, since they not only indicate serious problems with the boiler, but they can lead to water damage.
  • Cleaning the burners: For natural gas boilers—the most popular type—dirt and grime can accumulate across the burners and make it difficult for the burners to ignite. This will lead to a loss of heat. You should never try to make any repairs to a gas boiler yourself: allow the professionals to remove the burner and clean it, or remove any rust flakes that are interfering with its performance.
  • Descaling the tank: If your home has issues with hard water, this can have a negative effect on the water heater. Limescale from the minerals in hard water will start to build-up along the inside of the tank. Because limescale is an insulator, this accumulation can cause a temperature imbalance in the tank that will create a rise in pressure. Repair technicians will flush the tank and descale it to resolve the problem.

Make certain that you watch for signs that your boiler needs to have attention from repair professionals: strange rumbling noises from the tank, an unexplained increase in energy bills, and a loss of heating power in the home. Call Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning right away, and our skilled technicians will come to your house and restore your boiler in no time at all.

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How Do Air Conditioners Earn the Energy Star Sticker?

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

When it comes to air conditioning in Glenview, IL, residents can’t take chances. Summers in the Midwest and be hot and humid, and a reliable air conditioner can be your best means of keeping your home cool and comfortable. When performing their duties, air conditioners should be as efficient as possible, a status that can be measured with the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating. The higher the rating, the more efficient the air conditioner. The most efficient units earn the Energy Star sticker, a fast way to determine which units are the most energy efficient. How do air conditioners earn the Energy Star sticker? A quick primer can be found below.

The Energy Star sticker is issued by the U.S. Department of Energy in an effort to reduce our overall consumption of energy and promote green technologies.  As of 2006, all new air conditioners need SEER ratings of at least 13 in order to be sold in the U.S., though older units could still maintain an older SEER rating. The Energy Star sticker, however, needed to represent a higher standard. Here in the northern half of the country, central air conditioners and air-source heat pups need a SEER rating of at least 14. If they were part of a split system using two or more forms of fuel, the standard is even higher: a 14.5 SEER rating in order to use the Energy Star Sticker.

If you don’t have a centralized system, the requirements are a little less stringent, since single-room heat pumps and air conditioners tend to be more efficient by default. (You can turn them off in parts of the house you aren’t using, which you can’t do with a centralized system.) Depending on their capacity, they need an EER of between 9.8 and 11.2 for air conditioners, 9.8 and 10.4 for heat pumps in order to get the sticker.

Regardless of how air conditioners earn the Energy Star sticker, those with the sticker can save you a great deal of money over their lifespan. If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, Glenview IL has the experts at Shavitz Heating & Air Conditioning to help. Contact us today to set up a consultation and let us show you what we can do!

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How Boiler Pipes Get Clogged

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

We’ll bet that if you have a boiler installed in your home, you have rarely needed to schedule serious repairs for it. The reason for this is that boilers contain fewer mechanical moving parts than other home heating systems, so they do not wear down as fast.

Still, you will occasionally need repairs, and one cause for calling up technicians to get your boiler work again is clogging inside the pipes. Clogs can happen to any system that uses pipes. Because the water in a boiler moves in a closed system, you won’t experience as many clogs as say, a kitchen sink, which has new material introduced into all the time.

So how do clogs in boilers happen? We’ll look at some of the main causes. When you need boiler repair in Glenview, IL, whether it’s for clogs, overheating, corrosion, or anything else, a qualified and trained HVAC specialist should be consulted to help you fix the damages. Call up Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning to get professional help with any issues with the boiler pipe.

Some causes of boiler pipe clogs

Hard water is one of the main reasons for blogs in boiler pipes. Hard water contains a high level of mineral content, and if hard water was originally put into your boiler, it will eventually cause problems throughout the system, such as overheating in the tank. The minerals in hard water will leave deposits in the pipe walls, and should these become thick enough, it can cause clogging to occur. The best way to stop this is to have a repair technician flush out the system and replace it with softer water.

Rust is another common culprit for pipe clogs. Boilers are designed to resist rust as much as possible, but rust will start if too much oxygen gets mixed into the system. Repairs will be necessary not only to eliminate the clogs, but also to find out what has caused the rust to start.

Another possibility is that sediment from underground has entered the pipes. If some of the boiler pipes run underground, a break or leak will cause dirt and debris to infiltrate. Not only can this cause clogging, but it will result in a sediment build-up inside the water tank, which can lead to overheating.

Call boiler repair professionals

Just because boilers do not often require repairs, doesn’t mean that the repairs they do need are easy to do. If you think you’ve got boiler pipe clogs interfering with your system, or if your boiler shows any signs of malfunctioning (rumbling, leaking, loss of heating) call a heating specialist for boiler repair in Glenview, IL. Make your first call to Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning, where we’ve kept boilers working smoothly since 1904.

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Why You Shouldn’t Use Duct Tape on Your Ductwork

Friday, January 10th, 2014

It seems like a natural fit; using duct tape to fix your ducts. The name alone suggests a natural fit, and duct tape is an extremely versatile tool that can be used in a wide variety of situations. Unfortunately, HVAC ductwork isn’t one of them. Duct systems experience a unique set of conditions which duct tape is completely unsuited for. Here in Glenview IL, ductwork problems should be resolved by professional ductwork service contractors. Trying to seal a leak or clean up dust with duct tape only wastes your time.

Here’s why you shouldn’t use duct tape on your ductwork.

Ducts depend on a clean seal to function. If leaks spring up, they will bring in non-conditioned air, which makes it harder to achieve the temperature your home requires. That means the HVAC system needs to expend more energy, costing you in monthly heating/cooling bills. Furthermore, leaky ducts may bring in dust from outside the system, then spread it throughout your home. That lowers the quality of your indoor air, as well as exacerbating allergies for family members who suffer from them.

All of which is a lengthy way of saying that when leaks arise, they need to be properly sealed. And duct tape simply can’t do the job effectively in this instance. A study by the University of Berkeley found that most forms of duct tape couldn’t last three months when sealing the breach in a duct, and some brands failed within a few days. They were the only kinds of sealants that didn’t work.

That’s why you need a professional service to seal your ducts, ensuring that they stay closed and don’t leave your system vulnerable to outside air. A good service knows what sealants to use with particular duct systems and how to make sure the leak is sealed for good. All of your duct and other indoor air quality service needs in Glenview can be handled by the experts at Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning, who know how to do the job properly. If you know why you shouldn’t use duct tape on your ductwork, the next step is to give us a call. We’ll make sure the issue gets handled right.

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