Sunset Air Blog: Archive for September, 2013

Common Heating Problems in Olympia, WA

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013

For a state sharing a border with Canada, Washington enjoys mild and often extraordinarily beautiful winters—especially in the region around Puget Sound. But the winters still bring the cold with them, and that means you’ll need protection indoors and out. When you’re in your home, you’ll want a properly working heater to keep you cozy. We understand how important this is to you, and how uncomfortable life can get if you experience issues with heating in Olympia, WA. Here are some problems you should watch out for during the coming cooler months.

When you need professional assistance with your heating system, turn to the award-winning services of Sunset Air.

Heat leaks: If your heater can’t seem to keep you comfortable even though it appears nothing is wrong with it, you might be losing heat through your house. Heat will try to escape through any crack or crevice it can. Inspect your windows and outside doors for drafts or places where heat can get out. (Try using a small candle flame to pinpoint these places.) Fix the leaks with caulking and weather stripping. It’s also important you have proper insulation throughout your home. If you have an attic, look over the insulation in it first, because heat rises and will flow right out of the attic as if it were an open chimney.

Uneven heating: You notice that some parts of your house are getting warmer than others. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need a repair. First check on all the vents (if you’re using a furnace or other forced air system) and adjust the thermostat; make sure there are no open windows. If the problem continues, it may come from a faulty thermostat, ductwork problems, or a heater that’s improperly sized. Get professional assistance to find out the cause and possible solutions.

Complete heating shutdown: This is the worst-case scenario. Your heater either stops working entirely or will not turn on at all. If the simple fixes—checking the thermostat, the power source, and the circuit board—don’t offer the answers, then call up a dependable HVAC company right away to get to work on the problem. Even better, schedule an HVAC company to come to your home before a shutdown occurs. With preventive maintenance done before winter, you’ll have better assurance of steady heating all through the season.

Whether you need repairs, replacement, or maintenance visits, your heating troubles should be turned over to Sunset Air and its staff of Olympia, WA heating experts. Contact us today to set up an appointment.

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What is a Ductless Mini Split Heating System?

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

Today’s most popular type of air conditioner used in America is central air, a whole-house “split” system made up of an indoor and outdoor unit. This type uses an extensive network of air ducts that move air throughout your home. But there are downsides to this type of system, which are principally concerned with energy loss. Ductwork can account for significant energy loss, especially when your air ducts run through unconditioned parts of your home, such as your attic. The rise of the ductless mini split heating system has given homeowners an alternative to duct-based systems. In today’s post, we’d like to review how they function.

So, what is a ductless mini split system? It uses the same principle of air conditioning as a conventional central air or heat pump. The outdoor unit is more or less the same. It comprises a compressor and a condenser. The compressor is the “engine” of the air conditioning unit, responsible as it is for pressurizing the refrigerant and heating it up to a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. This is then sent to the condenser coils for thermal dissipation.

The chief distinction between central air and ductless mini splits is the presence of ductwork, but how does the indoor air handler function without them? The indoor unit of a ductless system sits directly in the living space, often high on a wall or suspended from the ceiling. It connects to the outdoor unit by a group of electric, refrigerant, and drainage lines. It is relatively compact, and performs all of the operations that a standard air handler does. It is also near silent, so that it doesn’t disturb the living space.

Because of its lack of ductwork, a ductless mini split can have a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating far exceeding that of its conventional duct counterpart. It can also avoid many of the indoor air quality problems that ductwork is prone to.

Call Sunset Air today for professional ductless mini split heating system services in Olympia, WA.

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How To Prepare Your Heating System for The Fall

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Can you believe the summer is almost over? Many homeowners are already starting to get ready for Fall weather, and one of the most important things that you can do is prepare your heater for the coming cold weather. Here at Sunset Air we want all of our customers to get the most out of their heating system this Winter. Here are a few things that you can do for your heating system to get it read to provide you with consistent and efficient heating. Call us today if you need any kind of Tacoma heating services like repair, installation or maintenance.

Tacoma Heating Tip: How to Get Ready for Fall

Check out some of our suggestions that you can do to get your heater ready for the Fall.

  • Get it maintained – One of the best things that you can do for the performance and efficiency of your heating system is to get it tuned up by a professional. From all the use that it got the previous winter and then all the sitting around that it did during the summer, there are a lot of different things that could have started to go wrong with it. During the maintenance visit, your technician will thoroughly inspect and clean the entire system to make sure that there isn’t any debris, insects or rodents inside of it which could cause problems. They’ll alert you to any repairs that need to be made which could help you fix them before they turn into larger, more costly repairs.
  • Change the air filter – If you have a forced air heater like a furnace or a heat pump then it likely shares an air filter with your air conditioning system. Your AC has likely been running a lot over the summer which means that the air filter could be clogged with all kinds of debris like dust, dirt and pollen. Changing the air filter before the fall will help ensure that your heater can pull in plenty of air without any restrictions. This will help increase its efficiency and also make sure that you get plenty of warm air.

Call Sunset Air for any Tacoma heating maintenance that you’re interested in scheduling. We’d love to send one of our experts to your home to check out your heater and make sure that it is working well.

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We Wish You a Happy Labor Day

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

On every project that we complete, we ensure that our customers are satisfied. We take pride in the work that we do every day, and this level of diligence and attention to detail has allowed us to grow over the years. On the first Monday of every September, our country celebrates Labor Day as a way of recognizing the hard work that has made this country great. Because making your home more comfortable and convenient is our business, we want you to have an enjoyable and pleasant Labor Day.

Labor Day is a time of good BBQ, the start of the professional and college football seasons, entertainment with family and friends, and, most importantly, taking a day off from work. Labor Day emerges as a federal holiday in the wake of the Pullman Strike of 1894. It was designated as such by President Grover Cleveland and Congress as a way to reconcile the damage done by the faceoff between the Federal government and the Pullman Palace Car Company workers and other railroad workers. But over a decade before it became official, Labor Day began as a workers’ picnic and demonstration suggested by either Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire of the Central Labor Union of New York.

From our family to yours, we wish you all the best on this Labor Day.

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