How Does My Heat Pump Work, and What are the Benefits?

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How Does My Heat Pump Work, and What are the Benefits?

Feb 26, 2020

Family Having Fun

If you have a heat pump in your Hallsville, Texas, home, you know that it keeps your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Heat pumps are efficient and an excellent alternative to traditional furnaces and air conditioners. Let’s look at the basics of how a heat pump works and several benefits you’ll receive from having one in your home.

Heat Pump Basics

Heat pumps are ideal for milder climates, as they transfer warm outdoor air into your home or expel hot indoor air outside. During the colder months, the outdoor air contains enough heat energy for the heat pump to extract heat from outdoors and transfer it inside. During the warm months, the heat pump has its reversing valve switched and draws hot air from inside your house and expels it outside, making your home feel cooler.

How Heat Pumps Work as an Air Conditioner

Once the reversing valve of the system gets switched to cooling mode, the cold refrigerant, whose primary function is to absorb heat, circulates through the evaporator coil inside the interior unit of the heat pump system. From there, the now hot refrigerant ends up in the condenser coil of the outside part of the heat pump system. Fans then blow over the hot refrigerant and expel the heat to the outside. The heat is constantly extracting hot air from inside and exhausting it to the outside in a loop as long as the air conditioner is running.

How Heat Pumps Work As a Heater

During the winter, the reversing valve position gets changed to heating mode. The heat pump system extracts heat energy from the outside air into the condenser coil, which now acts as the evaporator coil. Fans blow this warm air over the refrigerant, which absorbs the heat from the condenser coil and carries the warm air into your home. Again, this is a continuous loop while the heating mode is running.

What Kind of Heat Pumps Are Available?

  • Air-source heat pumps: These are the most common types of heat pumps. They transfer warm air from the inside of the house to the outside and transfer warm outside air inside.
  • Geothermal heat pumps: Geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from your house to the ground and vice versa. Ground temperatures stay at a fairly consistent temperature year-round, so there’s plenty of heat energy for the heat pump to extract.
  • Water-source heat pumps: Similar to air-source heat pumps, water-source heat pumps extract and dissipate heat through a series of pipes laid at the bottom of a body of water. This type of system needs a body of water nearby with a fairly consistent temperature.

What Are Some Benefits of Having a Heat Pump?

  • They’re energy-efficient. Because they don’t generate warm or cool air but simply transfer it, the system uses far less energy than a traditional HVAC system.
  • They last a long time. With proper maintenance, a heat pump can last for 20-25 years, while furnaces and air conditioners may only last 15-20 years.
  • You’ll save money on energy bills. Because the heat pump isn’t generating hot or cool air, it uses less electricity, saving you money on energy bills.
  • You only have one system to maintain. Instead of maintaining a heater and an air conditioner, our service technicians only have to maintain one outdoor unit and one indoor unit.
  • They help reduce your carbon footprint. Because you’re using less electricity to heat or cool your home, and you’re not burning fuel, heat pumps reduce the negative impact on the environment, improving your carbon footprint.

As you can see, heat pumps are very beneficial for your home. To have a new heat pump installed or your existing heat pump maintained, give JD’s A/C a call today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to speaking with you at (903) 336-6401.

Image provided by iStock

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How Home HVAC Zoning Can Make Your Home More Comfortable

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How Home HVAC Zoning Can Make Your Home More Comfortable

February 24, 2020
Family Happy Living Room

Do you want to increase the comfort levels in your Gilmer, Texas, home and save money on energy bills? If so, consider HVAC zoning. Let’s look at what HVAC zoning is and how it can benefit you and your family.

What’s HVAC Zoning?

The ductwork in an HVAC system carries treated air into your home. With HVAC zoning, dampers in the ducting open and close for each room, area or zone when told to by a smart thermostat placed in that room. Each smart thermostat sends a signal to the main electronic control panel that regulates all the dampers in the ducting. The dampers only respond when the thermostat attached to it tells it to open and close.

What are the Benefits of HVAC Zoning?

  • Customized temperature. With a zoned system, each room has its own thermostat. The occupant can adjust the temperature according to the comfort level they want. If someone likes their room warmer or cooler than the rest of the house, they set the temperature to where they want.
  • Eliminates hot and cold spots. If you live in a house where there are different levels or add-on rooms, not all rooms will get heated consistently. With a zoned system, you can set a consistent temperature for all areas of the house, from a warm upper-level room to a cold downstairs area. As a result, you’ll eliminate hot and cold spots.
  • Increases energy efficiency. With a traditional HVAC system, all rooms receive warm or cool air, whether they need it or not. If there’s a room not used, simply set the temperature lower in the winter and higher in the summer. You won’t be wasting energy heating or cooling rooms that don’t need it. Because your HVAC system is working overtime, it’ll last longer, perform better and you’ll save money on energy bills.

To schedule an appointment to install HVAC zoning or have your heater maintained this winter, give JD’s A/C a call today at (903) 759-7483. We look forward to speaking with you!

Image provided by iStock

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Don’t Ignore These Weird Sounds From Your Commercial Heater

Man Suit Listening Hand On Ear

Don’t Ignore These Weird Sounds From Your Commercial Heater

February 22, 2020
Man Suit Listening Hand On Ear

Do you own or manage a business in Gladewater, Texas, and hear funny noises coming from your commercial heater? If so, they could indicate a serious problem. Keeping the heater running in top condition is important for your employees and patrons. Having any weird noises checked as soon as possible is vital. Let’s look at a few uncommon noises and what they might mean.

Grinding

The air handler in the heating system circulates warm air while the heater is running. If the oiled bearings begin to wear out, friction on the air handler increases. If you hear grinding, the air handler could burn out. As a result, you won’t have warm air circulating through your business.

Booming

If there’s gas building up in the heater and it explodes, you’ll hear a booming sound. This is a serious situation that has the potential for a fire. If you hear loud booming, shut the heater off and have it looked at right away.

Banging

This sound usually indicates a broken part is flying around inside of the heater’s housing unit. If left unchecked, the broken part can cause harm to other components of the heater and potentially cause a premature breakdown of the system.

Clicking

Clicking generally indicates a problem with the flame sensor, the burner assembly or the ignition switch. Any faults within the burner assembly need immediate attention as this poses a fire hazard.

Short-Cycling

If your system is constantly shutting off before sufficiently heating the space, that’s called short-cycling. When the system is turning on and off every few minutes, which you usually can hear, it begins to accrue wear and tear at a rapid pace. If left unchecked, short-cycling can cause your heater to malfunction and shorten its life expectancy.

Scheduling routine preventive maintenance will help to eliminate most of these commercial heater issues. Give our professional team at JD’s A/C a call today to schedule an appointment if you’re having any issues with your commercial heater. You can reach us at (903) 759-7483.

Image provided by Shutterstock

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Winter HVAC Maintenance Tasks You Can Do Yourself

Man Inspecting Air Conditioner AC

Winter HVAC Maintenance Tasks You Can Do Yourself

February 20, 2020
Man Inspecting Air Conditioner AC

As a homeowner, you understand that it’s important to schedule maintenance for the HVAC system in your White Oak, Texas, home. That’s because it’s best to leave most HVAC maintenance to the pros. But there are several tasks that are easy for you to do that will help your system run efficiently. Let’s look at four of them.

Change the Air Filter

The air filter traps dirt and dust before any contaminants enter into the HVAC system. A clogged filter restricts airflow. As a result, your HVAC system has to work harder to deliver treated air. Changing or cleaning the filter on a regular basis — about once a month — can help to keep the system clean and working efficiently.

Clean the Vents and Registers

Dirt and dust build up inside and around the vents and registers over time. Dirty vents restrict airflow and pressure builds up in the ductwork. If there’s a pressure imbalance in the ductwork, cold air gets sucked into the room through leaky windows and doors. Keep your system running in top condition by cleaning the vents and making sure there’s no furniture obstructing them.

Keep the Outdoor Unit Clean

Even though you’re not using the air conditioner in the winter, keeping the outdoor unit clean and free from debris helps to preserve it. Clear debris such as sticks or brush, and sweep leaves and dirt off of it.

Clean the Inside of the Furnace Cabinet

Open the cabinet on a regular basis and sweep or vacuum any dirt or dust. Make sure there are no rags or items that may catch on fire or restrict airflow. Keeping the cabinet clean helps the furnace run safely and efficiently.

These are simple tasks that you can do regularly. However, because of the complexity of the HVAC system, it’s best to have our highly trained and knowledgeable service technicians perform most of the maintenance. Give our team at JD’s A/C a call today at (903) 759-7483 to schedule an appointment for your winter HVAC maintenance

Image provided by iStock

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