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Tips for Dealing with Summer Humidity

Monday, April 25th, 2016

Homeowners in the Salt Lake City area are not commonly victims of high humidity. In fact, our winters are quite dry, and during this time your home will benefit from more humidity. However, summertime does bring some hot, stuffy days. Albeit rare, humid days can make your home feel excessively uncomfortable, and can make your air conditioning system work even harder to cool your home.

This means it’s not working as efficiently as it otherwise would, and you are wasting money on cooling your home. In fact, increased levels of humidity during the summer can force standard AC systems to run longer than normal, and can make swamp coolers—also called evaporative coolers—completely ineffective. So how do you deal with this excess humidity?

Tags: Air Conditioning Services, Millcreek
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What to Consider Prior to a Heating Replacement

Monday, February 29th, 2016

With a good amount of chilly weather still ahead in Millcreek, UT, hopefully you’ve come across this post before your heater has completely died. You may have noticed some troubling symptoms, though, which has you wondering if it’s time for a heating replacement. However, before you replace your system with a newer version of what you currently have, there are some considerations to make, which we’ve highlighted below. This will help you determine what system will be best for your needs.

Tags: Heating Replacement, Millcreek
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Why Your Heating System Must Be of the Right Size

Monday, January 11th, 2016

With the heating season really underway, you hopefully have a great heater installed and operating in your home already. If you never got around to replacing an old, failing system, though, or if your system has unexpectedly broken down early in the winter season, be sure to dial our number to have it replaced now. Not only do we carry a great selection of heaters, including furnaces, boilers, and radiant heating systems, but we also take every step necessary to ensure that your heating system in Millcreek, UT is a great fit for your home. This means guaranteeing that it is of the right size for your needs. When you work with Design Comfort, you need have no doubt about it.

Tags: Heating Replacement, Millcreek
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How Newer Furnaces Are Improving in Energy Efficiency

Monday, December 28th, 2015

How old is the gas furnace that’s currently keeping your home warm during cold weather? If it’s more than 15 years old, and especially if it’s more than 20, it is definitely time to consider having the unit replaced. This isn’t just a way to ward off a furnace having its final failure at an inconvenient (i.e. freezing) time: it’s a way to improve energy efficiency. Not only is an aging furnace going to require more power to produce heat, but newer furnaces have improvements that have made them more energy efficient than ever. Where the average AFUE rating (an annual energy efficiency measure) of gas furnaces was once 60%–80%, most furnaces score higher than this today—and some even score as high as 97%! That means a furnace that wastes only 3% of its fuel source.

How Do Newer Furnaces Achieve This Increase?

The basic answer is that furnaces are simply better made today than ever before, with improved materials making it easier for them to effectively transfer heat from their heat exchangers to the air. They have also changed over from using a standing pilot light that drains power even when the furnace isn’t on over to using electronic ignition systems, which are not only less drain on power but also more reliable.

There are some specifics that go into the special high-efficiency furnaces currently available. One of these is the second heat exchanger found inside condensing furnaces. The second heat exchanger captures the combustion gas vapor from the first exchanger that would otherwise end up vented outside and wasted. The second exchanger condenses the vapor and draws even more heat from it.

Many modern furnaces have special sealed combustion chambers, rather than the older style known as an atmospheric combustion chamber. A sealed chamber loses less heat to the outside when the burners ignite. As an added benefit, furnaces with sealed combustion chambers are safer and run quieter.

Finally, many newer gas furnaces have multi-stage burners and variable-speed blowers, which means they don’t have to operate at the same power level whenever they turn on. Instead, the furnaces modulate the burners and the blower capacities to match the needs of their homes and to reduce energy use.

Design Comfort offers heating replacement services in Millcreek, UT.

Tags: Furnace Installation, Millcreek
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3 Benefits of Using a Boiler

Monday, October 26th, 2015

When the winter weather is at its most intense, you will see with absolute clarity all of the faults of your home heating system. Even if your heater is in good working condition, and even if it is capable of heating your home effectively, the fact remains that you may be put off by some of the basic features or drawbacks of common heating systems. While forced air distribution heating systems, such as furnaces, are incredibly popular, there are some issues in regard to their performance that drive many homeowners to consider alternative heating options. The boiler is among the most common. Read on to learn about some of the basic benefits of using a boiler in Millcreek, UT, and remember to schedule your boiler services with Design Comfort.

Tags: boiler, Millcreek
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What Furnace Noises Mean

Monday, January 26th, 2015

Furnace noises are one of the most common ways that homeowners can identify problems with their heating system. Simply noticing a strange noise coming from your furnace isn’t enough, however. You need to know what to listen for if you are to react quickly enough to mitigate the damage to your furnace.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most common furnace noises, and what they mean.

Grinding

If you hear a grinding noise coming from your furnace, it is very likely coming from the air handler. The air handler is a collection of parts that work together to circulate air throughout your house. The air handler motor is arguably the most important part of the air handler, as well as being the part put under the most strain during operation. In order to decrease the level of stress on the motor, it is equipped with lubricated bearings that lessen the amount of friction during operation. This prevents the motor from overheating. As the bearings age, however, they begin to wear down and lose their lubrication. This increases the friction on the motor, causing it to work harder than it should. Those worn-down bearings are the source of the grinding sound. If not fixed immediately, the motor could burn out and require replacement.

Booming

A booming sound coming from your furnace is often caused by a burner firing later than the others. The burner assembly is a series of flame jets connected to the gas line of your furnace. These burners are the source of the heat that the furnace provides. Though the primary byproduct of burning fuel is heat, there are many other byproducts that are created. Carbon particles are one of these byproducts. Over time, the carbon particles can build up around and in the burner assembly. Eventually, the buildup can become so advanced that it makes the burner difficult to light. When the burner finally does light, it creates that deep booming sound as it ignites the gas flow. If not cleaned off, the carbon buildup can eventually prevent the burner from lighting altogether.

If you are hearing strange noises coming from your furnace, call Design Comfort. We provide furnace repair throughout the Millcreek area.

Tags: Furnaces, Millcreek
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Signs You Need Water Heater Repair

Friday, August 22nd, 2014

When your water heater stops working, you’ll realize just how many tasks around the house rely on hot water. Whether you need to take a hot shower, throw some clothes in the washing machine, or wash stuck-on food from the dishes, a lack of hot water is a major inconvenience. While an absence of hot water will likely cause you to call for water heater repair, it’s important to catch warning signs right away to avoid failure in the future.

While water heaters are built to last a long time, no unit is perfect and yours will probably need repairs eventually.

Here Are Three Reasons You May Need To Call For Water Heater Repairs

Loud Noises: Often, a rumbling sound may indicate a broken dip tube or a problem with the mixing valve, or it may mean that the water is overheating. Another unusual noise is a banging noise that may indicate a mineral buildup. Even if these repairs needs do not seem to have affected the quality of your hot water, it’s important to have them checked right away to avoid leaks.
Leaks: Leaks from components of your water heater are usually reparable as long as they have not affected the tank. Otherwise, a leak may require you to replace the entire storage heater. If you notice water around your unit, call a plumber immediately for repairs.
Temperature Issues: Another common problem with water heaters has to do with the temperature of your water. As a homeowner, you know what temperatures your hot water is typically able to reach. Similarly, you can recognize whether the water becomes cold sooner than usual. When this begins to happen, it may indicate a repair need. For example, a broken dip tube may mean that water cannot heat up completely at the top of the tank.

Don’t wait for your water heater to break down before calling for help from an experienced plumber. Only a trained contractor can diagnose and repair problems such as these to get your heater back to normal. Call on the experts in water heater repair in Millcreek at Design Comfort.

Tags: Millcreek, Water Heater Repair
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3 Causes of Low Air Flow in Your AC Unit

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

When it comes to comfort from an air conditioning system, it isn’t only cooling power that’s necessary to keep you cool. The air conditioner must be able to blow out enough of that conditioned air through your vents to provide an even spread of lower temperatures through your home. If you notice that the flow of air from the vents has dropped, something is wrong and you should contact specialists to look into it.

When you need repairs for your air conditioning in Millcreek, UT, pick up the phone and call Design Comfort right away. You can trust our trained staff with all your home comfort concerns.

3 reasons you might experience low airflow

Clogged filter: This is one of the more common troubles that can afflict an air conditioner, and fortunately it is one that you can easily prevent. The filter is designed to catch outside particles that enter the return vents and stop them from entering the AC’s cabinet. If the filter isn’t changed often enough, it will catch enough debris that it will start to cut off the flow into the AC, and that will cut down on the flow out of the AC as well. Along with lowering airflow a clogged air filter will force the system to work harder and could trigger icing across the coils. Change the filter once a month to prevent this from happening; should serious trouble start, call for repairs.
Blower fan malfunction: The blower fan in the air conditioner’s air handler send air from the return vents across the evaporator coil and then into the ventilation system. This is the work horse of airflow, so if the fan malfunctions because of a broken motor or mechanical problem, you’ll need to have trained repairs to restore it and your airflow.
Broken ductwork: The ducts that carry the air from the air handler to the rooms must maintain a tight seal along their length so they will not lose air pressure. It only takes a small hole of gap between sections to lead to a drop in the air pressure that will result in lowered airflow from the vents. Breaks need professional indoor air quality technicians to repair and seal them (no, duct tape isn’t the answer) not only to restore the AC’s airflow, but to protect the ducts from dust and debris contamination.

Call for the right repair technicians

Because a drop in airflow can come from either problems in the air conditioning or the ductwork, make sure that when you call for repairs from technicians with skill in both HVAC work and indoor air quality services.

For the proper work for air quality and air conditioning in Millcreek, UT, look to the comprehensive services of Design Comfort. We are ready 24 hours a day to help you.

Tags: Air Conditioning, Millcreek
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How Does an Air Conditioner Cool the Air?

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Air conditioners are quite a feat of engineering. While they seem to just blow cool air, there is actually much more going on than appears to the eye. Simply put, your air conditioner takes the hot air from your home, runs it through your air conditioning system, and then returns it as cool, dry air. So, what appears as cool air blowing into your home is actually the same air with the heat removed. Want to know how your air conditioning does this? Let the Millcreek air conditioning system specialists at Design Comfort explain how this happens.

Refrigerant

You may have heard your air conditioning specialist say the word “refrigerant” in regard to your air conditioner. Refrigerant is the chemical your air conditioner uses to facilitate the heat transfer process. It does this by completing a cycle in which it changes from a liquid to a gas and back again, taking on and then dispersing heat from the air within your home.

The 3 Main Components of Your Air Conditioner

Your air conditioner has 3 main parts: the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator. These components are responsible for changing the refrigerant from a liquid to a gas and back to a liquid, all within your air conditioning system.

How Do the Refrigerant and Components Work Together to Cool the Air?

In its different states, the refrigerant carries out heat and then helps to cool the air that is brought back into your home. How? When a liquid converts to gas, it absorbs heat. So when the refrigerant is in a gaseous state, it absorbs the heat from your property. As the refrigerant gas moves through the system, it passes through the outside unit, where the heat is released and the refrigerant cools. The cooled gas moves back into the house to the evaporator, where warm air is blown onto the evaporator coils now holding the cooled refrigerant. This creates chilled air, which is delivered to the inside of your property via the ductwork.

Removal of Humidity

In addition to lowering the temperature, your air conditioner does a second important job: it also removes humidity. Moisture is a conductor of heat, which is why humidity makes things feel so much hotter. As your air conditioner removes heat, it also removes moisture from the air and drains it outside your home. Without this function, you would have cool, moist air in your home rather than cool, dry air.

It’s a Complex System

Your air conditioner is a complex machine that benefits most when a licensed professional manages its maintenance and repairs. For over 30 years, Design Comfort has been working on air conditioners in Millcreek. If you would like to know more about our products, installation or repairs, call us today!

Tags: Air Conditioning, Millcreek
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How Does a Sump Pump Work?

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Here in Utah, the rainy season means frequent floods and prudent homeowners will take steps to protect their homes from heavy rains. Plumbing repair companies often offer protective measures against flooding, specifically a sump pump which can be installed in your basement with relative ease. It’s a sensible addition to your household, for a number of different reasons. How does a sump pump work? The answers will help explain how invaluable they can be.

The sump pump is installed in a sump pit, a small hole dug into the lowest point in your home. As water leaks into the basement during a flood, it triggers a float activator or pressure sensor, which turns the sump pump on. A device called an impeller – which resembles a small fan – starts to turn in the pump, creating centrifugal force that pushes the water to the sides of the pump. That creates a low-pressure vacuum at the center of the pump, which sucks in the water from the pit and pushes it upwards, then out of the home via a venting pipe. The results keep you basement from flooding and can potentially avert tens of thousands of dollars in damages.

Some types of sump pumps are mounted on stands above the pit. They cost less than other sump pumps, but tend to make a lot more noise when they run. Submersible pumps, which are placed in the pit with the water, tend to be a lot quieter, but cost more to install than pedestal-mounted pumps. Both types usually use electricity, which means they need to be connected to a generator or the power grid in your home to work.

Knowing how a sump pump works is just the first step. The next is to call a Millcreek plumbing repair company that can install one with professionalism and pride. The experts at Design Comfort proudly serve homes throughout the Salt Lake City area, and we can discuss your options with you before installing the right sump pump for you. Pick up the phone today to make an appointment. You’ll be glad you did!

Tags: Millcreek, Sump Pumps
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