Winter in Boston, MA is cold in the extreme, and the right heating system can do wonders for you. If you’re looking to replace your heating system this fall, you might want to consider an alternative model to the traditional boilers or forced-air furnaces that most of us have used in the past. Radiant heating costs more to install in your home, but you can reap significant benefits from its inclusion in your life. Here’s a breakdown of how it all works.
Cooling Unlimited, Inc. Blog
Is Radiant Heating Right for You?
November 13th, 2016Keep Your Vents Clear of Snow This Winter
November 7th, 2016Heaters and dryers use vents to clear exhaust and high temperatures from the system. That makes vents a vital part of your home, which makes it doubly important that you keep them clear during the winter.
As the snow falls here in Andover, MA, it could conspire to clog the vents, as can animal nests and other bits of detritus. Damage to the vents could create a backflow too, all of which is bad news for your homes. Here’s how to deal with this possibility the right way.
Early Signs of Problems with Your Heater
October 31st, 2016Winter is on its way here in Winchester, MA, and now is the time to make sure your heating system is running as it should. Fall weather is cool, but not as cold as it will be in a few short weeks, which means you still have time to make any necessary corrections or repairs before the temperature drops too low.
Ideally, you should schedule a maintenance session from a trained technician to spot any problems — and if you haven’t done that in 2016 yet, now would be the perfect time — but you can help your own cause by looking for certain specific signs of trouble. They can include, but are not limited to, the following:
3 Reasons to Go With a Professional HVAC Service
October 24th, 2016Boston, MA is as cold a city as they come in the winter, and breakdowns in your heating system need to be addressed quickly. The advent of YouTube has allowed for the spread of do-it-yourself videos, which may convince enterprising handymen to attempt repairs on their heating or air conditioning systems themselves. In almost every case, this is a terrible mistake. Your HVAC system is a complicated piece of equipment requiring a trained and licensed professional to properly address. Here are 3 specific reasons to always trust a professional.
How to Stop Frozen Pipes This Winter
October 23rd, 2016We live in a part of the country that gets very cold in the winter. So if you own a home in Wakefield, MA or some nearby town, it is in your best interest to prepare for any problems the cold may cause. Among the biggest concerns for most homes in the area is the issue of frozen pipes, in which water in the pipes freezes solid.
Water expands as it cools and can be surprisingly powerful when it freezes: creating bursts in your pipes that can take a great deal of effort to repair. Burst pipes are especially troubling during the holiday season, when you and your family may be gone for weeks before the trouble is located. You can take steps now to prevent frozen pipes this winter, both with concrete steps and the inclusion of timely upgrades to your system.
How Does Dry Air Affect You?
October 17th, 2016We’re pretty good at keeping temperatures warm in our Andover, MA homes when the cold winds of winter blow. But good temperature control is only part of a happy and healthy household. You also need to beware of dry air, which is very common in the colder months and can create a host of problems for your home. The good news is that a whole-house humidifier is ideal for shutting those problems down at the source.
The Benefits of Changing Your Filters
October 10th, 2016Every heating and air conditioning system comes with a set of filters, designed to strain out dust and dirt in your system. Professional technicians in the Wakefield, MA area can change your filters as part of a regular servicing session, but the fact remains that you should actually change them much more often: every 1-3 months on average, depending upon how often you run your system.
Tips for Reducing Wear on Your Pipes
October 3rd, 2016Last week, we discussed the benefit of automatic shut-off valves and the ways they can protect your Boston, MA home from leaks and burst pipes. Today we’d like to talk a little about other ways to prevent leaks in your plumbing. Wear and tear tends to come from one of three different sources: outside damage, excess water pressure, and harsh components in the water. Damage can be tough to stop, though your plumbing is often protected by its hidden placement in the walls or under the floor. The other two factors, however, can be addressed with a few little tricks.
Does Your Home Have an Automatic Shut-Off Valve?
September 26th, 2016Every household in the Concord, MA area should have a main shut-off valve for the water line, which turns the water off to the whole household and allows you to act swiftly in the event of a leak or burst pipes. With winter on its way and the chances of burst pipes becoming much higher in the next few months, it’s important for every member of the household to know where that valve is and how to use it in the event of trouble.
Do You Need a New Heater?
September 19th, 2016Whether you use a boiler, a furnace, or an alternative form of heating in your Andover, MA home, the arrival of fall means that you should carefully consider whether your system can handle another brutal New England winter, or whether you need to invest in a new system. Now is the time to make such an assessment, since we still have a few weeks before the cool weather sets in in earnest. Only you can decide if you need to pull the trigger on a new heater, but there are a couple of key factors that you should consider while doing so. Keep them in mind when you make your deliberations.
