Sunset Air Blog: Archive for February, 2014

Improving Energy Efficiency with Your Heat Pump System

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

If you own a heat pump system, chances are you’re already operating with energy efficiency. Here in Olympia, heating systems need to keep the cold wet weather at bay, and because heat pumps don’t actually generate heat – merely transferring it from refrigerant into the surrounding air – they don’t need nearly as much energy as more traditional forms of heating do. That being said, you can still take steps toward improving energy efficiency with your heat pump system. Here’s how.

For starters, it’s important to have your heat pump regularly maintained with help from a qualified Olympia heating systems technician. He or she will clean the dust off of the internal components, clear clogged lines and tighten any loose bolts and fittings. It helps the heat pump waste less energy, which can lower your heating and cooling bills accordingly.

In addition, you may want to consider augmenting a stand-alone heat pump system with a smaller auxiliary system, such as n electric heater. Heat pumps tend to lose their efficiency on days when the temperature drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We have fewer of those than people back east do, but we still get our share. A smaller electric furnace joined with your heat pump can help it through those cold days while still retaining an overall efficiency.

Finally, it pays to monitor the flow of air form your heat pump and to watch for signs of a refrigerant leak. Both can cost your heat pump in terms of efficiency and both can be readily corrected by a trained technician. Air flow should run between 400 and 500 cubic feet per minute, and you can spot refrigerant leaks by looking for frost build-up on the system’s coils.

For more tips on improving energy efficiency with your heat pump system, contact the experts at Sunset Air. We operate out of Olympia, heating systems like heat pumps are standard subjects of our services, and we have the experience and expertise to make your heat pump system as efficient as it can be. Call us today to make an appointment. You’ll be happy you did.

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Common Repair Issues with Radiant Heating Systems

Monday, February 17th, 2014

Radiant heating systems have been in use since Roman times, and make for an efficient and comfortable way to heat your home. Today, the system entails a series of metal tubes placed beneath your floor, surrounded by reflective tiles to better conduct heat. Hot water runs through the tubes, heating the floor and sending comfortable warmth up through the furnishings (and the feet of any occupants). They’re desirable in part because they provide steady, even heating and they don’t cost much in monthly bills. Professional heating repair services in Tacoma like Sunset Air can often handle common repair issues with radiant heating systems when they crop up.

Such problems can include but are not limited to the following:

  • Insufficient heat. If the water moving through the tubes isn’t warm enough, the system won’t function as it should and your monthly energy bills will go up as the system struggles to do its job. Insufficient heat can be caused by a faulty burner, by a problematic thermostat and sometimes by a broken pump which won’t circulate the water through the pipes like it should.
  • Water leaks. Water leaks rarely happen inside the tubes themselves since they’re sealed and protected by the floors. When they do, however, they need to be addressed quickly before the water causes damage to your floorboards. More common water leaks take place in the central unit, where fittings and connections can become loose. Not every leak announces itself with a puddle of water. Check the water pressure in the system to spot any leaks where the water evaporates.
  • Electrical issues. Electricity runs the pump that circulates the water and other key components in your radiant heating system. Bad connections or loose wires can create problems in that arena, causing your system to shut down.

In all of these cases, you can summon a qualified repair technician by calling on Sunset Air for help. We work in Tacoma, heating repair is a point of pride for us, and we can handle common repair issues with radiant heating systems as quickly and efficiently as possible. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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The Original Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards

Friday, February 14th, 2014

It’s hard to imagine Valentine’s Day without the traditional greeting cards, whether accompanying a gift of flowers and candy, or sent between children in a school room. For commercial greeting card companies, February 14th is as important to them as the December holidays, Easter, and Mother’s Day.

Valentine’s Day as a celebration of romantic love predates printed greeting cards by a few centuries. In fact, the reason that sending romantic greeting cards became popular was because of the most un-romantic thing you can imagine: a reduction in postage rates.

In 1765, Parliament authorized the creation of “Penny Posts” that used a uniform rate of one old penny per letter throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Printers took advantage of the ease with which people could send letters to each other on Valentine’s Day by crafting cards with love poems on them. Many of these verses were collected in 1797 in the book The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which was a resource for the lover with a romantic soul but not the most confident poetry style.

By the mid-19th-century, the Valentine’s Day greeting card was flourishing across England. Although people still followed a tradition of creating handmade Valentine’s Day cards from lace, ribbons, and flowers, commercially produced cards now overtook them. In 1835, the English post office mailed 60,000 valentines. As production expenses dropped, the English card manufacturers branched out creatively with humorous and sometimes vulgar cards… many of which we would find startlingly familiar in the 21st century. One of the common jokes on these cards was to design them to look like marriage certificates or court summons.

Across the Atlantic, the United States was slower to embrace the popular British custom. It wasn’t until 1847 that a U.S. printer mass-produced greeting cards for Valentine’s Day. Only two years later, American journalists noted how rapidly people in the country had embraced the tradition, turning into a fad that has never died down. The woman who printed the first U.S. Valentine’s Day card, Esther Howland, is today recognized by the Greeting Card Association with the annual “Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary.”

The greeting card industry certainly has reason to thank Ms. Howland. Her idea of going into business printing romantic greeting cards, which came to her after she received a traditional English valentine when she was 19 years old, now sells 190 million cards in the U.S. every year. That number doesn’t include the smaller exchange cards used in elementary school classrooms, which would swell the number to 1 billion. (Who receives the most Valentine’s Day cards each year? Teachers!)

Whether you send out Valentine’s Day cards—handmade, store-bought, digital—or not, we at Sunset Air hope you have a happy February 14th.

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Benefits of Solar System Maintenance and Heating Repair

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Believe it or not, solar panels make a lot of sense as heating options here in the Pacific Northwest. Technology has advanced such that solar panels can work extremely well even in areas with a lot of cloud cover like ours. In Puyallup, heating repair services can often handle issues with solar panels too, allowing you to reap the full benefits of this eco-friendly and energy efficient form of heating. Regular maintenance and repair sessions are essential to keeping them running at their best, and the benefits of solar system maintenance in Puyallup and heating repair cannot be underestimated.

The biggest drawback to solar panels is that they’re located out in the elements, where exposure and climate damage can take their toll. They don’t have any moving parts, so wear and tear is kept to a minimum, but even so, breakdowns and general aging issues are quite common. It doesn’t necessarily bring the whole process to a halt, but it can slow down the system’s efficiency immensely, which ends up costing your money.

In fact, efficiency really is the name of the game when it comes to solar panels. A regular maintenance session can keep them clear of dust and grime, as well as replacing worn parts before they start to affect the rest of the system. The more you can stay on top of such a situation, the bigger return you’ll see on your solar panel investment.

The benefits of solar system maintenance and heating repair can only be realized if you choose the right company to provide such services. In Puyallup, heating repair services like Sunset Air have the skill and experience to do the job right. We pride ourselves on our thorough and effective handling of solar panel problems of all varieties and we want you to be happy with every step of the process. We can explain the benefits of solar panels to you before installing a beautiful system, and when the time comes to keep it maintained or replace a worn part, we can perform the job with courtesy and care. Give us a call today to set up an appointment!

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