D'Spain Sales and Service Blog : Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

How a Thermostat Upgrade Will Help Your Heating

Friday, January 30th, 2015

It may not seem all that powerful compared to the size of your heater, but without it, your heater doesn’t start. What are we talking about? Your home’s thermostat. And if you are using an outdated one, you and your heating system may be missing out some important benefits. Today’s thermostats have come a long way since the dial or slide types, and can offer much more to you and your home than ever before. Professional installation ensures that your new thermostat will benefit your heating, so if you’ve held on to your current thermostat a little too long, call the experts at D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. in Boerne, TX today.

Thermostat Options

There are four types of thermostat upgrades for your home:

  • Digital – a digital thermostat is the most basic of newer thermostats, but don’t think because they are basic that they aren’t effective. Unlike slide or dial thermostats, you can set a precise temperature with a digital thermostat, and they also have easy-to-use, intuitive buttons.
  • Programmable – a programmable thermostat is a digital thermostat that you can program for up to 7 days. You can set up to 4 program settings per day, which allows you to program for times of low- or no occupancy. If you have a set routine, you can loop your 7-day program indefinitely.
  • Wireless – a wireless thermostat is more of a system as it comes with a main receiver that takes the place of your wired thermostat, and this receiver communicates and works with the 3-4 wireless thermostats you can place anywhere in your home.
  • Smart – smart thermostat are the most advanced, offering you programmability, monitoring and tracking of your energy usage, all of which can be accessed remotely via a smart device.

Why Upgrade?

  • Better energy efficiency – with a thermostat that can offer precision and/or programming, you will have better control over your temperature settings and as a result, energy usage.
  • More convenient – with a programmable thermostat, there’s no more running back and forth to set and re-set the temperature; simply program it according to your needs and that’s it.
  • Less stress on your system – with your thermostat working more effectively, so does your heating system.

A thermostat upgrade is a fairly simple, straightforward way to improve the efficiency and operation of your heating. If you are ready to upgrade your home’s thermostat, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. and schedule an appointment for our heating service in Boerne, TX today!

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Some Benefits of Heat Pump Installation

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Compared to other parts of the country, our weather stays fairly moderate during the winter months, making a heat pump heating installation a great option for homeowners in Fair Oaks Ranch. Why? Heat pumps have a number of benefits, and they work very well in temperate climates. Not sure what a heat pump can offer you? Let’s take a look.

2-in-1 Device

With the installation of a heat pump, you get both heating and cooling for your home in one device, eliminating the need for two separate whole-home systems. Heat pumps can do this because they have a component called a reversing valve that allows them to change the directional flow of the refrigerant.

Great Energy Efficiency

Heat pumps don’t generate hot or cool air; therefore, they don’t need any fossil fuels and the amount of electricity they need to operate is about a quarter of that used by a whole-home heating or cooling system.

Very Versatile

Heat pumps can be used with several kinds of systems, including geothermal, hybrid heating, ducted and ductless systems.

Long Lifespan

The average lifespan for a heat pump is 20-25 years, as compared to a combustion heating system, which is 15-20 years, and an air conditioning system, which is 10-12 years.

Quiet and Comfortable

Heat pumps blow air in a low-volume, gentle way, allowing for quiet and comfortable dispersal of air.

How Do They Work?

You may be wondering how a device can offer both heating and cooling without benefit of fossil fuels; it’s really quite simple. Heat pumps work by transferring heat from one location to another; they use refrigerant to facilitate this transfer. In winter, the heat pump absorbs the heat that surrounds it, concentrates it and transfers the warm air into your home; in summer, it does the opposite. The reversing valve, mentioned above, allows the heat pump to change the way the refrigerant flows, which allows the heat pump to change from heating to cooling. As the homeowner, all you have to do to change modes is press a button on your thermostat.

If a heat pump sounds like the right heating system to install in your Fair Oaks Ranch home, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. today and schedule an appointment with one of our installation experts.

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What to Do if Your Heater Breaks Down

Wednesday, January 7th, 2015

Pop quiz: you try to turn on your heater and nothing happens. What do you do? If you answered “call a professional to come look at it” you are correct. If you don’t have expert knowledge, it’s never a good idea to go poking around in a heating system. That being said, there are a few things you could check before you call for heating repair. This probably won’t fix the problem you’re having right now, but it just might help avoid future issues. Let’s take a look at what you should do if your heater breaks down.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat is the core of your home heating system, much like your brain is the core of you central nervous system. If the thermostat malfunctions, it can cripple an otherwise healthy heating system. As such, it’s a good idea to check your thermostat any time your heating system seems to be acting up. Have a look at the display on your thermostat to make sure that everything is set properly. If the settings all seem correct and the temperature is accurate, then the problem might lie elsewhere.

Check the Pilot Light

All combustion-based heating systems possess some form of pilot light as an ignition source. In most heating systems, this pilot light is a small gas-powered flame that continuously burns underneath the central heating unit. If you have a combustion-based heater and it refuses to light, check the pilot light at the bottom of the heater. If the pilot light is out, that is likely the source of your troubles. Oftentimes, a pilot light that refuses to stay lit is the result of a faulty thermocouple. The thermocouple is a flame sensor that determines when to open the gas valve to the pilot light. If the thermocouple is malfunctioning, it will cut off the fuel supply and smother the pilot light. Fortunately, a professional can replace it fairly easily.

If you are having issues with your heater, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. We provide professional heating repair service throughout Boerne.

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Are Heat Pumps a Good Choice for Winter Heating?

Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

It’s a good question, but the answer depends entirely on the climate in which you live. Heat pumps are a unique form of heating system, with their own advantages and operation prerequisites. They can certainly serve a home well during winter (why install a heating system that can’t heat during the coldest time of year?) but there are a couple of things about which you should be aware. Let’s take a look at the inner workings of a heat pump, and what it can do for you.

How Heat Pumps Work

A heat pump has two main components, an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. Each unit contains a coil, and is connected by a refrigerant line that runs between them. As the names suggest, the indoor unit is installed inside the house, while the outdoor unit can be installed up to 100ft away.

When the heat is turned on, the outdoor unit uses the coil inside it to evaporate refrigerant into gas. This process leeches heat from the air surrounding the unit into the coil. The gaseous refrigerant is then pumped inside to the indoor unit, which condenses it back into a liquid state. This releases the thermal energy from the refrigerant, where it can be used to heat the home.

This kind of heating has a lot of advantages. It’s energy efficient, safer than combustion systems, and pays for itself in savings on your heating bill. However, there is one big thing you need to think about before installing one:

Climate

As discussed above, heat pumps rely entirely on the surrounding air to provide thermal energy. This is a good thing in some ways, because it allows the heat pump to work without wasting resources on combustion like many heating systems do. Unfortunately, it also means that very cold climates can severely hamper a heat pump’s effectiveness. The colder the air, the less thermal energy will be available for the heat pump to use. This is only a real issue in areas that routinely sink under 0 degrees Fahrenheit. In those areas, however, you might want to consult a professional to see if having a heat pump would be worth it.

If you’d like to know more, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc or you can schedule a service appointment with us. We provide heating services in the Helotes area.

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How Heat Pumps Provide Both Heating and Cooling

Thursday, December 11th, 2014

Heat pumps are popular systems for cooling homes, but they can also heat, too. It may seem confusing that a system that doesn’t generate heat like a boiler or furnace can offer heating, but this is one of the ingenious aspects of heat pumps systems, as well as one of the benefits.

So how does a heat pump heat your home? Let’s take a look.

Heat in the Air

Believe it or not, there is always heat in the air, even when it’s cold outside. Your heat pump uses this latent heat to help heat your home – but there is a process. As we stated above, heat pumps don’t generate heat; instead, they transfer heat from one location to another. To help facilitate this transfer, refrigerant is used. During the winter, the outdoor unit of your heat pump system absorbs the heat in the surrounding air; the heat pump concentrates this heat to intensify it, then distributes the heat to your living spaces.

The Reversing Valve

So what enables a heat pump to provide both heating and cooling? A component called the reversing valve. The reversing valve changes the direction of how the refrigerant flows, which allows the heat pump to work in two modes: heating or cooling. A reversing valve has two settings within it: one is excited, the other is relaxed. The valve manufacturer sets which state stands for heating and which stands for cooling, so there can be variations between valves. What doesn’t change is that once a state is set for a specific operation – either heating or cooling – the other state setting is always going to be the other operation. But as the homeowner, you have it much easier: simply press a button on your dual-mode thermostat to change from heating to cooling and back again.

Heat pumps can be complex components, so if you are experiencing issues with your heat pump in Bandera, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc.

Our trained and certified heating experts can help with any heat pump issue you may have, so call us today!

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Options to Consider for Your Heating in Boerne This Winter

Thursday, November 20th, 2014

There are a myriad of heating options available for your home these days. If you’re in the market for a new heating system, the sheer scope of your choices can be paralyzing. Fortunately, you don’t have to do this alone. We’ve outlined a few great options for you, along with some pros and cons to help you make a decision.

Heat Pumps

A heat pump is a forced air heating system that focuses on moving heat from one place to the other, instead of creating it through combustion of fuel. There are two primary parts to the heat pump, an interior unit and an exterior unit. When the heat pump is turned on, the exterior unit siphons heat from the air around it and sends it to the interior unit. There, it warms the air and circulates it throughout the house.

There are a number of benefits to this type of heating system. It is extremely energy efficient, since it doesn’t need to burn gas or any other kind of fuel to heat your home. By that same token, heat pumps are arguably safer for your health, as they do not produce toxic byproducts like carbon monoxide that could find a way into your home. On the downside, heat pumps rely on the air around them to provide heat. In extremely cold environments, a heat pump will not be as efficient.

Furnaces

Furnaces are the most common kind of heating system, and are widely used throughout the country. They typically burn either wood, propane, or natural gas, and have a reputation for being extremely reliable. A furnace produces heat by relying on burners, which consume the chosen fuel and funnel heat into the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger warms the air being circulated, while also venting combustion byproducts like carbon monoxide out of the house.

The advantages of a furnace system include long lifespans, ease of availability and repair, and high heat output. Disadvantages include occasionally inefficient heating and unhealthy combustion byproducts.

If you’d like to know more about our heating installation service in Boerne, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. today to speak with one of our heating specialists or schedule a service appointment with us.

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Is Ductless Heating in Bandera a Good Choice?

Wednesday, November 19th, 2014

That all depends on what you’re looking for. There was a time, not too long ago, when ductless units were almost exclusively used in apartments and other living spaces that could not afford central heating. That time is long past, and now more and more people are using ductless units as their main method of heating their home. Let’s examine why you might want to choose a ductless heating system for your home.

What is a Ductless Heating System?

A ductless heating system is comprised of a single heater with two parts, an interior and an exterior. The interior part of the unit is installed inside the room that needs to be heated, usually on the wall or ceiling. The exterior section is installed on the outside of the house, usually on the other side of the wall from the interior unit. When the heat is turned on, the exterior unit siphons thermal energy from the air and sends it to the interior unit, where it is used to warm and circulate air in the room.

There are two main differences between this kind of heating and more traditional heating systems. The first is that, as the name implies, the unit eschews ducts completely. This means that a ductless unit can only heat the room in which it is installed. The second difference is that the ductless heater does not utilize combustion to generate heat, instead operating more like a heat pump to move heat from outside the home inside.

Advantages of Ductless Systems

So, why would you want to install a ductless system to heat your home? Well, ductless systems are a very energy efficient choice for heating. They don’t lose any of their heat to duct leaks, like other systems do, and they don’t burn fuel to create their heat. All they need is electricity to operate. This can save you a great deal of money on your heating bills. They also provide a lot of control over the climate in your home. Since each ductless system is installed with its own thermostat, multiple units throughout the house can allow each person to set the temperature however he or she wants.

If you’re thinking of installing a ductless heating system, call D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc. to set up a service appointment today. We provide quality heating service in the Bandera, TX area.

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Signs You Need Heating Repair for Your Furnace

Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Whole-home heating systems are designed to be durable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be repair-free. Understanding the signs that it may be time for furnace repair helps both you and your system. It isn’t advisable for homeowners to work on heating systems themselves, so knowing when to call for heating repair in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX is necessary. The experienced technicians at D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc., can assist with any heating repair, so call us today.

Signs It’s Time for Repair

  • No heat – clearly, if you have no heat, there’s an issue with your furnace. However, there can be multiple reasons why your system won’t work: a faulty thermostat, problems with ignition or even a dirty burner. Because there is such a wide range of possibilities, it’s best to let a professional find the cause and repair it.
  • Not enough heat – not feeling enough heat blowing into your home can be an indication of fan problems, such as a malfunctioning fan motor or worn belt; faulty ductwork, which is allowing too much air to escape; or an issue with the heat exchanger. Unless you have expert knowledge of your system, call a technician for assistance.
  • Strange noises – booming, banging, clicking – these are all sounds that shouldn’t emanate from your furnace. A booming sound can indicate delayed ignition, which can be a potentially dangerous situation; banging can indicate that loose parts are bouncing around your fan area; and clicking can indicate a pilot light issue. If you hear a noise, don’t ignore it, even if your system appears to still be working. Instead, call a trained technician to determine the cause of the sound.
  • Increased energy bills – are you seeing a big spike in your energy usage, but haven’t changed the way you use your heating system? Higher energy usage can be indicative of a system under stress. There can be several reasons for this, which is why it’s best to call a professional.

Repairs do not improve over time, and will most likely become worse. If you are in need of heating repair in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, call the people you can trust: D’Spain Sales & Service, Inc.

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