Air Creations, Inc. Blog : Archive for the ‘Heat Pumps’ Category

When a Dual Fuel System Is a Good Choice for Heating

Monday, February 5th, 2018

heating-cooling-zones-homesHeat pump systems are making their way into more homes each year, and for some excellent reasons. Heat pumps offer both heating and cooling functions in a single unit and are much more energy efficient at heating than standard electric furnaces, making them perfect for homes that don’t have a natural gas connection. The warmth heat pumps deliver in winter is less stuffy than the warmth from furnaces, providing ideal comfort throughout a home.

But heat pumps do have some limitations. Because they must absorb heat from the outside during the winter, they can struggle if the temperature falls to extremely low levels. There’s always some heat in the air, no matter how cold. But when the outdoor temperature drops too far below freezing, it forces heat pumps to work much harder to extract the available heat. Suddenly, the energy efficient performance of heat pumps is much less than it was.

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Help, My Heat Pump Won’t Switch to Heating!

Monday, January 22nd, 2018

cold-sweater-manWhen it comes to Summit, NJ heating for a home, a heat pump is a fantastic device. This comfort system serves both as a forced-air heater and air conditioner. When used properly, a heat pump can help a home save around 30% off the costs of using a furnace during the winter.

A heat pump becomes a much less fantastic device when it doesn’t work right, of course. Even the best constructed and maintained heat pump can develop faults. The worst is when a heat pump won’t turn on at all. This rarely happens without some warning, however. It’s more common for a heat pump to develop a small operating concern, such as failing to change from cooling mode to heating mode and vice versa.

That brings us to the title of this post: What do you do when your heat pump won’t do the “heat” part of its name?

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Why Won’t My Heat Pump Switch to Heating Mode?

Tuesday, November 7th, 2017

heating-cooling-zones-homesFurnaces are the way the majority of homes keep the chill of winter away from their families. But heat pumps are becoming more common, thanks to the advantages they offer the right homes: a two-in-one operation that takes care of air conditioning needs in summer, energy-saving performance in winter, and increased safety in general.

You’re probably about ready to turn your heat pump over to heating mode, where it will stay for the next few months. There’s nothing complex about doing this: you make an adjustment on the thermostat to raise the indoor temperature rather than lower it, and the heat pump automatically switches the direction it moves refrigerant so it brings heat into the house, rather than removing it.

But… what if you make the changes and instead of feeling warm air from the vents, you feel either room temperature air or cold air? This might be a simple mistake, but in some cases, a heat pump that’s stuck in one mode requires you call for heating repair in Westfield, NJ or wherever you are in our service area throughout Central and Northern New Jersey.

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What Makes a Heat Pump Different from an Air Conditioner?

Monday, September 4th, 2017

question-mark-badgeHere’s a confusing fact when it comes to the difference between air conditioners and heat pumps: an air conditioner is a type of heat pump. Technically, the job of an AC is to pump heat from one location to another. It removes heat from inside a building and releases it outside. But, in the world of residential and commercial HVAC, when somebody talks about a “heat pump,” what they mean is a refrigeration device, similar to an air conditioner, that can switch the direction it moves heat. So when you arrange to have a heat pump installed, or you need service for your heat pump in Cranford, NJ, the device you mean is a comfort system that offers both heating and cooling.

Okay… so what makes a heat pump different from an air conditioner? Yes, you know it can offer both heating and cooling, but what actual components allow a heat pump to do both those jobs even though it otherwise works like an air conditioner? (I.e. it has a compressor that circulates refrigerant between a set of indoor and outdoor coils.)

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Odd Heat Pump Behavior That Actually Isn’t Odd

Monday, December 26th, 2016

You probably have spent the majority of your life in homes that received their winter heat from a furnace. If this is your first winter using a heat pump for comfort—either because you had it installed in spring/summer or you’ve moved into a house with a heat pump already in place—you might find it does a few surprising things as it switches into heating mode.

Here are two specific things it will do that may seem like malfunctions. They aren’t, however.

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Heat Pump Reminder: They Need Fall Maintenance!

Monday, October 17th, 2016

We’ve already written posts this fall to remind homeowners of the vital importance of scheduling regular maintenance. We can’t emphasize this point enough: with a professional inspection and tune-up, your heater will head into the New Jersey winter with less chance of a malfunction and a higher chance of saving energy.

If you use a heat pump for home comfort, you might wonder if this applies to you. After all, you scheduled maintenance for it in spring. Does it really need a second maintenance call?

The simple answer is, Yes, it absolutely does!

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Is a Heat Pump Enough to Keep a House Warm in Winter?

Monday, October 3rd, 2016

A heat pump offers a homeowner a great option for comfort… as well as a bit of a puzzling dilemma. Heat pumps work in a similar fashion to air conditioners: circulating refrigerant to absorb heat from one location and then releasing it in another. During summer, this means removing heat from inside a home and exhausting it outdoors. When winter arrives, the heat pump switches into heating mode so that it works in the opposite way: removing heat from outside and exhausting it inside.

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Reasons to Consider a Heat Pump for Your Next HVAC Installation

Monday, August 8th, 2016

No heating and cooling system will last forever. If your current heater and AC are more than 15 years old, or if you’ve needed to schedule repairs for them a couple time a year, then you should start to consider options for having them replaced. This coming fall is a good time to arrange for a replacement, since it takes advantage of a lull between the hot and cool weather.

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