BEN TEST SITE Blog: Posts Tagged ‘North Ridgeville’

Fairview Park, OH Water Heater Tip: What to Consider Before Buying a Tankless Water Heater

Monday, January 28th, 2013

If you are thinking about upgrading to a tankless water heater in your Fairview Park, OH area home, call Westland Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ll be glad to help you choose the most cost-effective model for your home and hot water needs. Here’s how tankless models work and some of the benefits.

Unlike tank water heaters that use a large tank of water and that have standby heat loss, tankless water heaters provide instant hot water without using a tank. They heat the water on demand – only using energy when you need hot water. They provide energy savings because they both consume less energy and don’t have any standby losses. However, if you have a large home with a big demand for hot water, a tankless water heater might have problems providing all the hot water you need. You should consult with a professional to find out if a tankless water heater is right for your home.

A professional can discuss flow rate with you. While tankless units vary in size, their capabilities depend on flow rate and how much hot water is needed. A professional can help you determine your hot water needs and help you select the right size tankless for your home. Another factor to consider is the first hour rating (FHR), which is measured by how many gallons of hot water can be delivered in one hour. Our professional installers will know which size is best for your needs.

If you are interested in a new water heater, call the Fairview Park, OH water heater experts at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning to handle all your tankless hot water heater installation needs.

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Benefits of Geothermal Systems in Avon Lake

Monday, January 14th, 2013

A lot of homeowners are looking for more efficient ways to both heat and cool their homes in light of the continuous rise in energy and fuel prices. Still more homeowners are concerned with heating and cooling their homes in more environmentally friendly ways. In both instances, a lot of homeowners wind up coming to the same conclusion. They contact a local Avon Lake HVAC contractor such as Westland Heating and Air Conditioning to learn more about the benefits of a geothermal heating and cooling system installation in Avon Lake. If you are one of those homeowners looking to reduce the cost and environmental impact of operating your heating and cooling system, contact us today.

A geothermal heating and cooling system offers a variety of benefits over other heating and air conditioning systems, even traditional heat pumps. While a geothermal system does use a heat pump in its operation, this heat pump does not draw heat from the air around it. Rather, a geothermal loop system is buried on your property and that loop system circulates an antifreeze solution. This allows the system to draw heat from the ground or even a water supply on your property. The benefit to this is the fact that temperatures at this depth are much more constant than in the air, making a geothermal system more dependable and consistent than air source heat pumps.

The biggest benefit of a geothermal heating and cooling system may be the efficiency with which it works. It does not consume a fuel to heat or cool your home but rather uses just a bit of electricity in order to transfer ambient, preexisting heat into or out of your home. This greatly improved efficiency allows you to keep your home comfortable all year long, during the heating and cooling seasons, with just one convenient system. The best part is that it allows you to do so affordably.

If you want to learn more about the installation or operation of a geothermal heating and cooling system on your Avon Lake property, contact Westland Heating and Air Conditioning today. Our geothermal experts can answer any questions that you may have. Let us help you heat and cool your home more efficiently.

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Maintenance for Radiant Heating Systems in Rocky River

Monday, September 24th, 2012

If you have a new radiant heating system installed in your Rocky River home or are interested in having one installed, it is important that you make regular maintenance a part of your schedule. Annual maintenance performed on a radiant heating system ensures that it not only continues to work as intended to keep you and your family warm, but that it does so as efficiently as possible.

What exactly is involved in maintenance on a radiant heating system? Here are a few tasks we will perform when we visit and why they are so important.

  • Inspection of the Burners and Pilot Light – Older systems may need to be cleaned and inspected once a year. Many newer systems don’t even need this much maintenance because they are installed as sealed systems.
  • Flushing of the Hydronic Boiler – The system should never need to be flushed, but if a leak occurs or if a problem is suspected, this may be a maintenance task recommended by your technician.
  • Testing Pipes – Pipes may be periodically tested to check for leaks or other issues. Due to the nature of the system, leaks are very rare, but should still be inspected every year or so.
  • Clean Around the Boiler – The area around your boiler should always be kept clean and clear of any excess debris, dust, dirt or other things that could get in the way of proper combustion and air flow.

A good radiant heating system will require very little maintenance to operate effectively over time. It is a closed system which means it was carefully calibrated to work properly without any outside intervention. However, periodic checks for leaks, burner issues or pipe problems will ensure it stays that way.

To schedule a maintenance service for your Rocky River radiant heating system today, call Westland Heating and Air Conditioning!

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North Ridgeville AC Guide: Understanding the Working of Cooling Towers

Monday, September 10th, 2012

The primary function of cooling towers is the removal of heat from manufacturing and production processes. A cooling tower can work on simple principles of air conditioning or it could involve more complex processes such as those used in chemical plants, oil refineries or power plants in North Ridgeville .

The size of a cooling tower is determined by the size of the process for which it is being used. While some cooling towers can be found in the form of small chimney-like structures, others can be the size of an entire office building. Regardless of their size, however, these structures are used to cool water and return it to an HVAC or related system for further use which saves a lot of energy as well as time and money.

During the removal of heat, cooling towers either use air or the process of evaporation. When heat is removed using evaporation, the process of wet-bulb air temperature is used to measure the temperature of the air.  On the other hand, when the temperature is taken by exposing water to cooler air, it is known as dry-bulb. Most of these cooling towers operate in pairs so if one system fails, the other one can take over.

Cooling Using Air

When air is used to cool the water in cooling towers, the water is directed towards the top of the tower. It is then made to follow a path that leads it to flow down in the form of droplets. When this happens, cool air is blown upwards against the water droplets. As the air passes these droplets, the temperature of the water drops and it is then returned to the bottom to be used further in the production process.

Cooling Using Evaporation

When water is heated, it turns into vapor, rises up, cools and comes back down again as a liquid. This process is based on the natural phenomena of evaporation and condensation. The contrast of temperature between the water and the air is what determines the efficacy of this process.

The larger the temperature gradient, the more efficient the process of cooling is. This is why humid regions are not great for this kind of cooling. While these processes can be either open circuit or closed circuit, many systems use both these types of circuits to maximize effectiveness. For more information about cooling towers or commercial HVAC in North Ridgeville, give Westland Heating and Air Conditioning a call today!

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Westlake Air Conditioning Tip: Variable Speed Fans and Energy Efficiency

Monday, August 27th, 2012

One of the great improvements in air conditioning and heating technology is with the variable speed fan.  Westland Heating and Air Conditioning has years of experience working with Westlake air conditioning and heating systems that utilize this wonderful technology and as such can help you understand how variable speed fans provide great energy-efficiency.

Variable speed fans are just that: fans inside air conditioners and heaters that provide multiple levels of speed for optimal comfort and energy-efficiency.  The fan is the part of the system that moves the cooled or heated air through the ducts of a building.  A variable speed fan is actually controlled by a variable speed motor that can be run on a range of speeds in order to accommodate a specific need at any given time.

Since the fan inside these systems is used quite often, the more efficient it is the more efficient your heating or cooling system will be.  Variable speed motors ultimately save money on energy bills since they consume less power to run them than standard motors.  The higher efficiency air conditioning and heating units all use variable-speed blowers and fans.

Variable speed blowers can work at different speeds.  When temperatures outside are more temperate it will run at a lower fan speed, using less energy to do so (normally half the electricity needed during harder usage times).  When the temperatures outside skyrocket or drastically drop, the fan will run at a higher speed, offering the most amount of indoor temperature change possible in a shorter amount of time.

Here is an example of how the variable speed fan runs:

  • When the thermostat turns on the variable speed blower during cooling or heating, the blower will begin by running at half-speed.  This gets the coils cooling down properly without using excess energy to do so.  At this speed the fan is using 50% less energy than a standard fan.
  • After a few minutes the variable speed fan will adjust to working at ¾ speed and hold that rate of speed for much longer.  At this speed it is still using 25% less energy than a standard single-speed blower.
  • Temperature checks are taken periodically.  It may take a few minutes of blowing the fan at top speed to get temperatures right, or it could remain at ¾ speed the full time the system is running.  Once the building is within 2 degrees of the desired temperature it will stay at the ¾ speed until the proper temperature is attained.  This process saves money in power bills to run the air conditioner or heater every time it is used.

In this scenario, if you keep your building at a standard temperature all the time, you will hardly ever have to use the fan at full speed because temperatures will remain fairly constant throughout the day.

An additional benefit of a variable speed fan is improved air quality.  When a variable speed fan is set to “on” or to constantly operate, even after the heating or cooling portion is completed, the fan will work at half speed in order to circulate the air in a building and ensure that there is even distribution of cooled and heated air, even after the proper temperature is reached.

The Westlake air conditioning and heating professionals at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning are always ready to help you in your search for the most energy efficient indoor comfort options available to you – call us today for more information!

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