What is Radiant Heat?

Furnace and Heat Systems, Heating /

There’s nothing worse in the wintertime than turning on the heat and having parts of the room too hot and others still cold. Actually, let me retract that statement, cold tile floors on bare feet certainly rank up there. Baseboard heaters don’t do much to solve this problem, and let’s be honest, they’re pretty inefficient. That’s where radiant heat comes in.

Radiant heat = evenly distributed heat

Radiant heat will literally turn your floor into a heater through lines that run under the floor itself. What this means for you is that the days of cold floors in the winter could be a thing of the past. Since the entire floor is heated, it provides a nice even distribution of warmth to the entire room, so you won’t have cold spots on one side and blistering temperatures on the other. Radiant heat works great for surfaces like laminate or ceramic tiling.

The drawback of radiant heat is that it does take quite a bit of labor to install. The room where you want the radiant heat in needs to have lines run back and forth throughout the entire floor. Once you experience it for yourself though, you’ll never want to go back to traditional methods of heating again. If you want to learn more about radiant heat, don’t hesitate to call Wilbur Henry Plumbing Heating and A/C at 717-755-5461.

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Insulated vs Non-insulated Duct For Your Central Air

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Furnace and Heat Systems /

In most cases, there are much more advantages to insulating air conditioning ducts. This is recommended in a fair amount of places throughout the home such as attics, basements, and crawlspaces. A general rule to follow is to keep non-insulated-ductducts insulated in unconditioned spaces where there is no heat.

Because ductwork just sits there, it cools down. So when the furnace first comes on, there will be an immediate blast of cool air. To compensate, newer furnaces, especially two-stage or variable-speed models, start off slow and then ramp it up. The result is that there won’t be that initial blast of cool air.

Older homes were generally built without insulation on their air conditioning ducts. However, the modern age has been able to shed light on ways to make the most out of saving money and maintaining higher efficiency levels inside the home. If you are installing a new central air conditioning unit you should certainly install insulated duct work.

Still, many people purchase homes with non-insulated ducts. That does not always mean the ducts have to be replaced.

Options If Your Duct Work Is Not Insulated

There are cheaper alternatives to insulating ducts in an unconditioned space. Using duct wrap can increase efficiency and also save money. It can be done without the help of a professional and while it might not produce as high efficiency as true insulation, it can reduce monthly utility bills.

Checking ductwork is the first step towards deciding whether or not insulation is needed. You can do this with a visual inspection followed by turning on your central air conditioner and feeling for leaks. The plastic can become brittle over time and affect the R-value, which measures the level of installation. Some leaks will need to be patched before the insulation process can begin. In this day and age, it is a wise move to choose the insulation alternative.

Allowing even small doses of cool air to escape your ducts could translate into a lot of cash being doled out on utility bills over the course of time. Give us a call at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form and we can schedule a no-obligation consultation to discuss your options for your central air system.

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How Do I Know If My Furnace Is Sized Correctly For My House?

Blog Posts, Furnace and Heat Systems, Question and Answer /

As long as you set the furnace and it maintains the heat and air conditioning/cooling AND it runs 10-15 minutes before turning off, odds are it’s sized correctly for your house. If new furnaceyour furnace is short-cycling (running only for 4-8 minutes then turning off, possibly with the fan still running) you are facing one of two problems; a dirty air filter or an incorrectly sized furnace. In general, for a 12-1400 square foot home, a 60-80,000 btu furnace would be required but it’s important to have a furnace installation technician that you trust to make sure you have the right specs when buying a new furnace. One of the worst things you can do, especially with newer high-efficiency furnaces, is to have too large of a furnace. High-efficiency furnaces are specifically designed to run longer and the wrong-sized furnace will end up short-cycling and causing you some possibly very expensive problems over the long term.

Your furnace short-cycling is a bad thing for a couple of reasons:

  • A short cycle doesn’t give the furnace enough time to move the heat through the entire house. Your heat will be uneven and the peripheral parts of the home will never get fully heated.
  • The reason why the furnace turns off so quickly is because of a safety feature built into the furnace called the “high limit switch”. The furnace’s heat exchanger is getting so hot that the high-limit switch is shutting the furnace off. Over time this can burn out the high limit switch and eventually cause the now unguarded heat exchanger to crack. This requires expensive repair and even replacement of your furnace.

If you aren’t sure whether or not you have the right-sized furnace for your home, call the friendly experts at Wilbur Henry. We would be happy to answer your questions and inspect your home’s furnace to make sure you and your family stay safe and comfortable this season.

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Should I Leave the Fan Running On My Furnace or Air Conditioner All the Time?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Furnace and Heat Systems /

Well, that depends on what special factors you may have in your home.duct- fan

PROS – Leaving Furnace/Central Air Fan Run 24/7

  • Leaving that fan on 24/7 is great for cleansing allergens from the air and can help people with allergies
  • Keeping the fan running can circulate the air if you have cold or hot spots, like a bedroom above a garage that may be colder in the winter.
  • A constantly running fan will help equalize the temperature and air quality in the home

CONS??- Leaving Furnace/Central Air Fan Run 24/7

  • Leaving the fan on constantly uses extra energy, which isn’t as good for the environment OR your utility bill
  • A constantly running fan will can burn out the motor in a central air unit or furnace must faster than if the fan is left on auto

What we’re finding in the last couple of years are that newer furnaces are smaller but they move more CFMs (cubic feet per minute of forced air) than older furnaces. That means the motor in these furnaces works harder to move the higher volume of air through them. This is especially true if you are using an allergen filter, which is thicker and heavier and works the motor twice as hard to move air through it. This can lead to the motor burning out quicker if the fan is running constantly.

Another issue to watch for, if your filter is too tight, that also increases the amount of heat over the heat exchanger which brings it to its “high limit” because not enough cool air is able to move over the heat exchanger to cool it down. If your fan is running constantly, the heat exchanger never gets a chance to cool down either which can cause serious issues.

To be safe – unless you have a specific reason to keep the fan running constantly, just place your central air or furnace fan setting on auto. That will more than do the job, plus you’ll save on energy, utility bills and hopefully furnace/central air repair or replacement, and who doesn’t want that? Still not sure which is the best choice for you? Contact us at Wilbur Henry personally. We’re always happy to answer any questions.

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What Is Really Done with A Furnace Cleaning? Can’t A Homeowner Just Do It On Their Own?

Furnace and Heat Systems, Heating, Question and Answer /

Regular furnace service or Check & Clean is vital to the long life of your furnace. Many older furnaces are vented into the chimney flu. Along with caring for the inside workings of your furnace, the flu must be checked and cleaned as well. Check out our blog post titled “Older Homes In York PA? Check Your Chimney Annually For Debris Build Up”

Newer furnaces are vented through the sidewall of your hour with PVC plastic. However, the furnace has an internal secondary gas exchanger which is not accessible without taking the furnace completely apart. If the gas is not firing correctly and there is too much carbon in the furnace, everything gets covered with soot which jams up the secondary heat exchanger and causes the furnace to shut down, which is bad.

Furnace service requires specialized equipment and specific knowledge of the internal structure of the furnace and should not be attempted by a homeowner without training.

So What Goes Into Servicing Older Furnaces?

  • Check and oil bearings on the motors
  • Check and replace worn belts
  • Check the chimney flu, especially if there is no flu liner
  • Take the top off the furnace and run cleaning brushes through the heat exchangers

What About Servicing Newer Furnaces?

  • Check CO2 levels and make sure gas is firing correctly
  • Ensure all vents and draft inducer motors are open and clear
  • Check the blower motor

So what CAN the homeowner do?

The most important part of furnace maintenance – check your furnace filter monthly!

Don’t cheat on the furnace filter.

That $2-3 filter will save your heat exchanger from cycling and you needing a possible new furnace. Change them in the summer and winter. Also, make sure vents stay clear by putting wires or screens over them to keep the vents clear of pests like nesting bees and stink bugs. If that works and doesn’t impinge drafting, you can leave them on year-round.

Need Furnace Service?

When your furnace needs serviced you can trust Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating and AC to do the job right and charge a fair price. Give us a call at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form.

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Should I Leave the Water Valve To My Boiler Open All the Time?

Furnace and Heat Systems, Heating /

The short answer is yes. Boilers have an automatic fill level with a built-in check valve. They are set to maintain a constant 15 pounds of pressure in your hot water boiler. No matter how long you leave the water on, this valve will keep the pressure at the recommended 15 pounds.

Usually, a hot water-based heating system is a closed system. This means the water is kept separate from potable or drinking water and can’t leak back into it. It also means you do NOT have to add additional water to your boiler. A good rule of thumb – just leave the water on and let it take care of itself.

So what happens if you DO turn the water off? Air rises faster and higher than water and you can end up with air in the radiators on higher floors. This stops the flow of hot water. You then have to use the bleeders on the boiler to bleed the air out which makes the pressure drop.

To keep the pressure constant in your boiler and to maintain the best function in your heating system, leave the water on.

Need Boiler Service?

Wilbur Henry is the expert to call to service your hot water radiators and boiler in York PA, call 717-755-5461.

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We want your experience with Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating, & A/C to be outstanding. From the time you call us until our technician leaves your house, we want your experience with our company to leave you with a smile on your face.