Atlantic Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Inc. Blog: Archive for February, 2016

3 Reasons to Install an Energy Recovery Ventilator

Monday, February 29th, 2016

If you live in Milford, DE, you know how tough it can be to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Our weather has plenty of ups and downs, and the trick for more homeowners is to keep their homes as insulated against those variations as they can. An energy recovery ventilator – a pair of ducts connected to a heat exchanger, which swaps out stale air in your home with fresh air from the outside – makes a powerful weapon in that fight. It can be hard to understand what an energy recovery ventilator (or ERV) can do for you in this situation. Here are three handy tips to help explain the benefits that a good system can provide.

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Late Winter Heater Problems That You Should Look For

Monday, February 22nd, 2016

When heating problems crop up, they tend to do so in the latter half of the season, after your system has been running for a while and possibly accrued some wear and tear in that time. Regular servicing at the beginning of the winter can spot early problems, but even if you had your system maintained, our Dover, DE winter has been a tough one, and there’s always a chance that something will develop to shut your heater down. If you can spot the signs of late winter heater problems, it can often mean the difference between a comparatively simple problem and a much more serious one. Here’s a list of a few to help you out.

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The Difference Between Efficiency and Saving Money

Monday, February 15th, 2016

Here in this blog, we often talk about efficiency: ways to improve it in your heating and air conditioning system, and features to look for that indicate a more efficient system. You may be surprised, however, if you buy an efficient device, only to find that your bills remain the same or even go up a little more. It’s quite common and with winter still raging here in Dover, DE, it can catch people by surprise. We’ve found that understanding the difference between efficiency and saving money can be very useful, not only in helping with your heating and air conditioning purchases but with your habits once a new system is installed.

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How to Detect a Leaky Boiler

Monday, February 8th, 2016

Many homes in the Dover, DE area rely on boilers to keep themselves warm in the throes of winter. A boiler is an eminently reliable system and its use of steam to provide heat is both simple and economical. One of the biggest problems we encounter with boilers is a leak, which can wreak havoc with the process and diminish the system’s heating capacity. Even worse, because the system uses steam, it’s very hard for you to detect some leaks, since the water evaporates as it leaves the system, with no puddles or drips. The good news is that you can still detect a leaky boiler with some careful observation and diligence. When you do, you should shut it down and call in a repair technician immediately.

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Beware of Problems with Your Heat Exchanger

Monday, February 1st, 2016

Furnaces will run into problems from time to time, as all appliances do, and while maintenance services here in Dover, DE can reduce the incidents of repair, sooner or later, most systems end up experiencing problems. There are, of course, gradient of problem, and while some issues can be left for a day or so while you schedule a service call, one thing that can’t is a cracked heat exchanger. Why? It’s dangerous for starters, as well as seriously interfering with your heater as a whole.

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