At ACI Northwest, we’re always keeping up with the latest news. Recently, there’s been some buzz around the office about a new manufacturing facility that Daikin, a leading heating and air conditioning manufacturer, is investing into in the US. We’re really interested in what this news means for the air conditioning and heating industry, and we want to share our excitement with you.
ACI Northwest Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Hayden’
Daikin’s New US Manufacturing Facility Is Breaking Records
Monday, March 28th, 2016How Can You Tell When It’s Time to Replace Your Heater?
Monday, February 22nd, 2016With plenty of cold days and even chillier nights still left in Hayden, ID this season, your heating system is likely getting quite the workout. Hopefully, you haven’t had any detrimental issues this season. However, no matter what type of heater you have in your home, there will come a time when its performance will decrease.
5 Factors that Go into Sizing a New Furnace
Monday, January 18th, 2016Finding a furnace that is just right for your home is more difficult than it seems. You might think that most furnaces operate about the same, but one that is just a tad too small or too large can run into some difficulties. These difficulties might not be noticeable at first, but your heating costs can become increasingly high due to the excessive run times of an over- or undersized furnace, and the system is likely to fail before its usual lifespan.
The Pros and Cons of Installing a Gas Furnace
Monday, November 23rd, 2015It’s the most common type of whole-home heating system found in homes in this country today. The gas furnace uses an ignition system to ignite natural gas, and this combustion process sends heat to a heat exchanger within the system. A blower fan moves air over the heat exchanger, and heat transfers to the air, which then moves through the ducts to the rooms of the home. This type of system is right for many homeowners, but today’s homeowners also have the option of choosing an electric furnace, boiler, radiant system, heat pump, or geothermal unit. Is a gas furnace right for you?
Still Haven’t Scheduled a Heating System Tune Up?
Monday, October 19th, 2015The Importance of Changing Your AC Filter Regularly
Monday, July 6th, 2015The air conditioning filter is a vital component in your home air conditioning system. Many homeowners think of this piece as a component that mainly serves to filter contaminants out of the air they breathe. But this is not its only purpose; in fact, it’s not even necessarily the primary function of the filter.
Why Is a Boiler System Good for Allergy Sufferers?
Monday, February 2nd, 2015If you’re an allergy sufferer, the very air you breathe can seem hostile at times. Even when you’re inside, it can seem like your nose and eyes are going to swell shut from irritation.
Though it may seem like you just have to take allergy medication and deal with it, there are actually several ways to improve the air quality in your home. Let’s take a look at why a boiler system is one of the best heating systems available for allergy sufferers.
Airborne Contaminant Circulation
The reason that you seem to have just as many, or more, allergy attacks inside as outside is that the air inside your home is not as clean as you think. The air inside the average home is rife with millions of different airborne contaminants, including dust, pollen, dander, viruses, bacteria, and mold. These contaminants find a haven and transportation system in the form of the home’s ducts. When the heat is turned on, the contaminants are blown throughout the house and into the lungs of the home’s occupants.
Boiler Systems
Boiler systems are helpful to allergy sufferers primarily because they don’t make use of ductwork. A boiler heating system, often called a “radiant” heating system, involves the installation of a network of water pipes throughout the house. These pipes are installed either in the walls or the subfloor of each room that needs heating. The entire network is then connected to the central boiler.
When the heat is turned on, the boiler heats and distributes water through the pipe network. As the water flows through the pipes, it transfers its heat through the pipes, the floor, and out into the room. This method of heating has a number of advantages, but the biggest one for allergy sufferers is that it does not circulate air.
The lack of ductwork involved in boiler heating systems removes the biggest contributor to indoor air quality problems: dirty ducts. By utilizing a boiler system, you’ll be taking one big step towards better air quality and better quality of life.
If you’re suffering from severe allergies, call ACI Northwest. We provide boiler installation services throughout Hayden, ID.
Why Proper Thermostat Placement Is Crucial for Your Heating System
Monday, March 24th, 2014The thermostat does more than control when your heater’s blower motors and heating elements turn on and off. It also monitors the temperature in your home using sensors and uses the information to guide its programming. This is the main reason why having the thermostat in the proper place is crucial for receiving the correct level of comfort in your home; poor placement will mean a heater than runs too often, runs too little, or runs erratically.
If you received a poor heating installation, you may have an improperly located thermostat. In most cases, the only solution is to call up a skilled Hayden, ID heating service technician to move it to a better location. ACI Northwest can assist your with thermostat problems when they begin to affect your heater’s performance.
Here are three incorrect thermostat locations:
WRONG: In a place with too much direct sunlight
If a thermostat sits in too much direct sunlight, it will sense a temperature on average 10°F higher than the room’s temperature, a “ghost reading.” This will lead to a heating system failing to turn on when it should.
WRONG: Near to windows and doors that open to the outside
If a thermostat is near any spot that can receive outdoor drafts, it will register temperatures lower than the room’s actual temperature. This ghost reading will have the opposite effect of the sunlight problem: it will cause the heating to come on before it should, resulting in a stuffy, uncomfortable environment.
WRONG: Located too far from the center of the house
You want a thermostat to register a median temperature for a home so it supplies the right amount of heat to create even warmth. A thermostat located too far from the center of the house will detect outlier temperatures that inaccurately reflect the general temperature, and this will result in uneven heating.
(USUALLY) RIGHT: Outside the master bedroom
This is one of the theoretically ideal spots to install a thermostat, since the master bedroom is usually located at the center of a house, and is not near to drafty doors and windows or direct sunlight. If the master bedroom isn’t ideal, it will at least offer a starting point for finding a good spot.
Re-locating a thermostat takes technicians skilled with heating and electrical wiring. Make sure that you find an experienced company like ACI Northwest to locate the best place to move your thermostat. We have a combined 85 years of experience bringing our customers optimal heating in Hayden, ID.
How Can Geothermal Improve My Heating System?
Monday, February 17th, 2014If you’ve heard of geothermal heating, you might think that it’s out of your reach as an option for your home. But there’s a good chance that your house is in an ideal location for geothermal installation, and in the hands of trained technicians the process is not burdensome all. It’s definitely an alternative to consider if you want to upgrade to a new heating system.
And make no mistake, geothermal heating can be a major improvement over your current heater. If you already have a heat pump, a geothermal model will offer some impressive benefits. The benefits are ever greater if you plan to switch from a standard furnace.
Here are some way geothermal can improve your heating system in Hayden, ID. Call our geothermal experts at ACI Northwest to learn more.
Geothermal offers reliable heating
Standard air-source heat pumps can have trouble returning high levels of warmth when the temperature drops too far and extracting heat from the outside air becomes difficult. But a geothermal heat pump (a ground-source heat pump) uses the stable temperature of the earth so it never will encounter an outdoor temperature too cold for it.
Geothermal reduces energy bills
There are few heating systems available today that run with such high energy efficiency as geothermal ones. Although some homeowners shy away from the cost of installation, the U.S. EPA has found that most geothermal systems will pay for themselves with energy savings in 5–10 years… and they will last much longer than that.
Geothermal helps the environment
Where furnaces produce a large amount of exhaust and emissions, a geothermal heat pump produces almost none at all. If you want to “go green” with your home, a geothermal system is one of the best ways to achieve it.
Geothermal is quiet
Since much of the work in geothermal systems occurs underground, they run with almost no noise pollution.
Geothermal is safe
Going hand-in-hand in the lower emissions, geothermal systems pose almost no safety risks due to burning fuel or potential fire hazards.
There are a few drawbacks to geothermal systems, and the main one is that they will not work with every property. If you are interested in having a geothermal heat pump installed for your heating in Hayden, ID, you should contact specialists and have them look over your home and property to determine if geothermal is the ideal choice. You should also have these specialists handle the installation if you do decide on geothermal; trust us, this is an immense task, and you’ll be glad to have experts handling it.
Contact ACI Northwest today, and we’ll find out what kind of geothermal system will benefit you, and will make sure you have a great installation.
Should My Boiler Have Rust on It?
Monday, December 16th, 2013Boilers are systems where water is in constant contact with metal. Usually, this mean that rust developing is inevitable. So if rust appears on a boiler, that’s just a natural process, right?
No, it isn’t… your boiler shouldn’t have any rust on it, as we’ll explain. If you do notice rust along parts of your boiler, you need to have professional boiler repair technicians examine it and find out what needs to be done. For excellent heating repair services in Hayden, ID, call ACI Northwest.
Rust and your boiler
Boilers have safety devices installed to prevent rust. The most important is an anode rod at the top of the tank, which is sometimes called a “sacrificial rod” because its job is to rust away first before the rust can enter into the boiler tank—hence, sacrificing itself. If the anode rod rusts completely, which it eventually will, then rust will start to afflict the rest of the boiler. This is a reason why you need to enroll in regular maintenance; technicians will routinely replace the anode rod before it stops functioning.
So why is rust such a problem for a boiler? The first reason is that rust weakens metal. Any corrosion that affects metal will start to break it apart until it flakes and crumbles away. Weakened metal in the boiler tank will mean leaks; the pressure inside the tank will start breaking through the rusted sections. The rust will start affecting the connectors to the tank and cause leaks to start there as well. If the spread of the rust isn’t stopped, the whole boiler tank may need to be replaced because of leaking that can’t be repaired.
Another problem that rust causes boilers is that it imbalances the temperature inside the tank. Rust is an insulator, and if it starts to enter the inside of the tank, it will trap additional heat, causing the boiler to overheat. Overheating will trigger numerous problems throughout the boiler, including creating more leaks.
If caught soon enough, rust can usually be removed with professional attention. The boiler repair technicians will also track down the reason the rust started so they can stop it from returning. Rust will spread if left alone, so act immediately when you notice any corrosion on your boiler tank or other part of your heating system. The technicians at ACI Northwest are NATE-certified and have the proper training to take care of your heating repair in Hayden, ID so you’ll have a healthy boiler once more.