AeroSeal is the fastest growing method to improve the duct system in your home. Recently highlighted on the Today Show and This Old House, it’s fast becoming a ‘standard’ improvement on any home performance project. Visit www.BarronHeating.com/AeroSeal to watch an educational video on its use and function
AeroSeal Infographic
November 25th, 20135 Reasons Not to Install Your Own Water Heater
November 19th, 2013
You may not select the right water heater for your needs and specifications.
It’s not as simple as replacing a 30-gallon hot water heater with another 30-gallon model. There are thousands of sizes and options available today. Fuel source, energy efficiency, fast recovery, venting and anticipated demand must all be considered in order to determine the correct model.- Local codes and ordinances may not permit self-installation.
Regulations governing water heater installation vary by city. Professional contractors are familiar with the rules and regulations in each city they service. - Installation requires materials and knowledge most homeowners don’t have on hand.
Installation involves much more than just attaching a water line. A professional contractor arrives with all the fittings, pipes, parts, tools, venting materials and valves needed to install the job correctly the first time. Most also include removal and disposal of your old water. - A professional contractor may be able to repair your hot water heater instead of replace it.
If your hot water heater’s problem is diagnosed as a defective heating element or faulty valve, it can be fixed. A contractor’s experience is the difference between a minor repair and unnecessary investment in a new water heater. - Contractors provide safety and security you can live with.
Professional contractors are licensed and bonded to ensure your safety. Most provide warranties covering each installation. The local building authorities inspect all work, as required by code to protect your family’s health and safety
Posted by Wes Diskin
Turning down the heat will save you money. Simple really
November 12th, 2013
There are literally dozens of things you can do to cut back on your heating (and cooling) costs. These range from things like getting a high energy efficiency system to just making sure that you have adequate insulation in all parts of your house. But too many people overlook one of the simplest things that you can do to cut down on your monthly heating bill, and that is to turn the thermostat down.
Of course, you did not pay for that high tech home comfort system just so that you could walk around cold all winter long. You certainly want to keep your house at a temperature that is comfortable, but what does that really mean?
The normal default setting for a home heating system is usually somewhere between 72°F and 75°F. If you have your thermostat set somewhere in this range in the winter, you are probably quite comfortable indoors. In fact, you might not even need a sweater. But would you really notice if it was a degree or two cooler? Would it be incredibly inconvenient to put on a sweater or sweatshirt after all?
The truth is that most of us will be just as comfortable at 69°F as we are at 72°F, and the effect that small adjustment can have on your heating bill is actually pretty significant. In fact, you will save an average of 3% on your monthly bill for every degree you turn your thermostat down. Drop the temperature down by three or four degrees and that will give you up to a 10% monthly savings – hardly something to turn up your nose at.
And setting the regular temperature in your house a bit lower is not the only way your thermostat settings can save you money. You will also save quite a bit if you take the time to turn down the temperature when you leave the house and when you go to bed at night. There simply is no reason to pay to heat your house when you are not there and you will certainly be rewarded with a lower energy bill for your efforts.
Posted by Wes Diskin
Have you changed your furnace filter?
November 5th, 2013
No matter what type of furnace you have, it’s important to remember to change or clean the filter on a regular basis. This is a relatively straightforward process and doesn’t require any professional help. However, if you’re not sure how to go about doing it, you can always have your heating technician demonstrate the process for you on their next regular maintenance visit.Indeed, changing or cleaning out the furnace filter is an important part of regular furnace maintenance. However, it often needs to be done more than once a year. The specific amount of time that you can go between filter changes depends on many things, but typically it’s good to check on it once every three months or so.
If you have a lot of pets or if anyone in your family has severe allergies, it may be worth it to check and change the filter even more often. Check with the manufacturer to see what their recommendations are as well. Some high performance furnace filters can last up to six months or even a year, but you should still check on the filter periodically to make sure that too much hasn’t built up on it in between replacements or cleanings.
You’ll need to make sure you have the right type of filter to install as a replacement as well. You can get this information from the owner’s manual of your furnace, from the manufacturer or by taking out and examining the current filter in your furnace. Some furnaces also have filters that are meant to be cleaned and then put back in and the cleaning instructions are usually located near the filter itself.
Of course, in order to change your filter you’ll first have to be able to find it. Most of the time, the filter will be located near the blower towards the bottom of the furnace. However, if you’re not having much luck finding it, your owner’s manual should be able to tell you quickly where it is and how to remove it. Before you go to open the chamber and take the filter out, however, be sure you’ve turned off the power to the furnace.
Changing your furnace filter can help improve the air quality in your home and it is also very important when it comes to keeping your furnace running efficiently and effectively. The filters are there to trap airborne particles that can get into the blower and clog it up. When that happens, the performance of your furnace will likely drop and you’ll need to have a professional come out and complete the necessary repairs.
Posted by Wes Diskin
TELL-TALE SIGNS OF PROBLEM DUCTS
October 25th, 2013Now that you know here each branch duct leads, you are in a better position to ask whether your system is likely to be a big energy loser. Here are the things to look for.
Uninsulated Ducts in Unconditioned Spaces
Heat transfer through duct walls can contribute significantly to energy losses. Conductive heat losses are typically at least as great as the energy losses due to air leakage. If the duct system runs through an attic or vented crawlspace and is not insulated, you can be sure that much energy is being wasted. If the ducts are in a basement, you will have to weigh the fact that insulating the ducts will cause the basement to get colder. If both the ducts and the basement walls are uninsulated, you should consider insulating the basement walls instead of the ducts.
Disconnected, Torn, or Damaged Ducts
A thorough inspection of the duct system should be made to look for holes large enough to see. Some sections of duct that are supposed to be joined together may have fallen away from each other, leaving a gap through which large quantities or air can leak. Flexible duct sections may have been torn during installation or afterward. Fiberglass ductboard sections are subject to damage if weight is placed on them. Whatever the cause, visible holes in ductwork are a clear indication that the system needs fixing. Blind-Alley Ducts Occasionally found in duct systems that use joist spaces or other parts of the building structure to channel air flow, blind-alley ducts occur as a result of mistakes made during installation.
A blind-alley duct leads nowhere (except possibly to the outside), while the register it was supposed to serve has no source of heat. The room containing this register will then be too cold. If it is an important room, the thermostat setting may be raised in an attempt to get enough heat to this room. If a room always seem too cold or a register doesn’t seem to have any air flowing out of it, it may be worth investigating.
Inadequate Return-Side Ductwork
As we’ve noted, it is common to find building spaces pressed into service as part of the duct system. These tend to be leaky, especially on the return side. Even worse, some homes are designed without any return ductwork at all. In that case, unless the furnace is in the conditioned space, it will be surrounded by cold basement or crawl-space air and will have to use more energy to warm this cold air for delivery to the home than it would have if warmer air from the living space were available from return ducts. A system without return ductwork can also depressurize the furnace room, giving rise to the health hazards we’ve already discussed.
Content from D.O.E Reaseach & Develpment
Where Your Boot Meets the Floor
October 18th, 2013One key duct component you’ll hear mentioned regularly in the world of home performance is the venerable “floor-to-boot” connection.
It may sound like some obscure honky-tonk dance, but it is really one of the more important points in your home to investigate and seal when it comes to indoor air quality and efficiency. The floor-to-boot connection is the seam where the metal duct meets the subfloor. The included fittings usually consist of a round duct elbow and a rectangular duct box that fits up into the hole cut in your floor. The registers (aka grilles) you see around your house that deliver heat are fit inside this rectangular duct box. From the floor seam to the elbow, leaks at this point are important to address AND can also be the easiest to DIY.
Often, the material or nails that were installed to secure this piece of duct to the floor have been compromised, worn out or damaged. A gap can form around the edge that is a direct leak from the crawl space (yuk!) into the home. This is a passive leak when the furnace is not running and a forced leak point when it is.
This “broken boot” condition can also be a key indicator that other parts of your system may be compromised and a duct performance test is warranted.
See our articles on crawl spaces and duct leakage to find out more.
Is it CHI or CHEE?
October 12th, 2013The Chinese have a term ‘CHI’ that is defined as: The light, refreshing, uplifting feng shui energy that is beneficial to your health and well-being. We’d like you to consider your ‘CHEE”
They tell us that Good Chi, takes many forms, such as:
- The energy you experience walking by the beach (high amount of negative ions are beneficial to your health)
- The energy you experience in a lush forest (Japanese have the expression of “wood bathing”)
- In a harmonious interior environment with a good flow of feng shui energy, clean air and plenty of natural light.
At Barron, we can’t help you with the FengShui design of your home or suggest which local beach or forest might put your spirit in the best position to receive ‘good Chi’ (probably any of our great outdoor areas will do the trick)…but we can help in positioning your home to be in the perfect condition to control, clean and condition the indoor environment we will spend most hours of the day in.
Many homes can’t keep windows open during good weather due to allergens and outside air moving into the home and causing respiratory issues. This leaves a home feeling stuffy or uncomfortable. Then to make matters worse, when they lay down to sleep in the evening in a home that may be too warm or uncomfortable to provide the beneficial sleep…the home can go into a state (due to negative pressure) that brings a tremendous amount of dust, contaminants & allergens into the home. The contaminants enter through can lights, attic hatches, electrical switches or under wall plates and pollute the air we breathe. Ever wonder why you wake up more stuffy than when you went to bed?
At Barron, we appreciate the CHI but we’re more about the CHEE.
What’s CHEE? We’re glad you asked…
CHEE stands for the Comfort, Health Energy Efficiency of your home. Creating the perfect balance of those three is Barron’s specialty and what we feel is the key to providing the perfect indoor living environment. We work hard at good CHEE so that the path to your front door can bring the same feelings of peace and serenity that a walk on the beach or next to the forest can provide.
Take a look at the different Services we provide to improve the CHEE around your home as you work toward your own perfect balance. We’d love the opportunity to help.
Don’t Be So Negative?
October 11th, 2013Negative air pressure is formed when more air is exhausted from your home than is brought in to it. Typically, this is due to a home’s envelope being too airtight….it’s like the house is “gasping” for air. It seems somewhat ironic that a house that has been made airtight to save energy should now be loosened up to become healthy, but that is, in fact, what is needed.
Houses Need to Breathe!
There are appliances such as bathroom fans, range hoods and clothes dryers pushing air out of your house. The result of this creates negative air pressure in the house which means the house becomes more interested in trying to suck air in than pushing air out. Your house will try to draw air in from the easiest place which will be the existing flues of the furnace, wood stove, fireplace and gas water heater. When this happens, carbon monoxide is being forced in to your home and indoor air quality is compromised.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless gas that is toxic. It is a by-product of the incomplete combustion of fuels such as propane, wood, oil, gasoline and natural gas. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms (headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, disorientation) and even death. Every home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector as well. If you don’t have one, make the small investment.
Signs Your Home May Have Negative Air Pressure
- A rush of air or draft when opening an exterior door
- A lack of fresh air, a musty smell or lingering odors around the house
- Mold, mildew, moisture or condensation around windows or on walls
- Back drafting of combustion appliances such as the fireplace, wood stove, gas water heater or furnace
Eliminating Negative Air Pressure
Removing negative air pressure requires that you bring in “make-up” air from the outside in a controlled manner. A licensed HVAC contractor can help you determine if you need additional make-up air and how to best introduce it into your home. One method is through the use of mechanical ventilation. With this method, ducts and fans are used to bring new air into the home. Mechanical ventilation systems also allow for a constant flow of outside air into the house which is preferable to relying on outside air entering the house through foundation cracks, doors, windows, the garage, etc.
The Beauty of Zone Heating
October 10th, 2013While it might not technically be a necessity, there are a lot of reasons why you might want to look into having a zone heating system installed in your home. Whether you’ve been using the same home heating system for a long time or are looking to have a new one installed, there’s never a bad time to have a zone heating system put in.
Most people think that the only thing that affects their home heating and cooling bills is the energy efficiency of their furnace or heat pump. However, that’s simply not always the case. Certainly, the more efficient your furnace or heat pump is, the lower your energy bills will be. But that doesn’t mean they’re as low as they could possibly be.
After all, if you don’t have a zone control system installed, you’re paying to heat your entire house every time you turn on the heat. Depending on the size of your house, that could mean you’re heating anywhere from two to 10 rooms or more that are unoccupied at the time. In fact, you could be paying to heat an entire empty wing of your home. And while you’ll pay less than you would if your heating system was less efficient, you’re still paying more than you need to.
With a zone control system, you can heat your home much more efficiently because you can control which areas of the house get the heat and which ones don’t. You can set multiple different temperatures for the different zones of your home, which allows you to keep the occupied areas warm while not forcing you to waste energy to heat unoccupied spaces.
Aside from the economic benefits of only heating the areas of your home that you need, zone control systems also can put an end to some of those contentious thermostat wars that go on in so many households. If the members of your household can never agree on what a comfortable temperature is, they can simply each set their own temperature for their own area of the house.
That way, everyone is happy and no one has to suffer uncomfortably. After all, you paid a lot for your state of the art home heating system. It’s only fitting that you should be able to get the most possible out of it.
Posted by Wes Diskin