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Radiant Heating Repair in Eugene

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

Radiant floor heating may seem like it’s a new invention, but using hydronic power to heat floorboards and floor stones has been popular in Europe for a number of years. In fact, circulating water beneath floors to condition a room has a history going back to Ancient Rome. If you’ve ever experienced the warmth from a radiant heating system, you’ll immediately understand their popularity: the even, toasty rise of heat is one of the most comfortable ways to receive warmth. And this is only the beginning of the benefits from installing radiant heat.

One of the advantages of radiant heating systems is that they require few repairs, much the same with boilers. Troubles can still occur, however, and when you need heating repair service in Eugene for a radiant heat system—or any other heating system—turn to the trusted name of Comfort Flow Heating.

What does radiant heating repair involve?

As with any system that uses the circulation of water, the principle trouble that can afflict a radiant heater is leaking. The durability and corrosion-resistance of the piping used in radiant heating makes leaking unlikely. However, leaks can occur at joints and from the pressure of shifting floor stones or other floor damage. If you notice warping floorboards or excess moisture on the ground, it may come from a leak in the heating pipes.

Repairs for this problem may sound burdensome, but for experts with the right tools they don’t require much time and are not terribly invasive. Once the repair technicians pinpoint the leak using sound-detection equipment, they only need to drill a small hole through the floor material to seal the pipe. Once the leak is fixed, the technicians will replace the flooring.

The other repairs for radiant heating are similar to repairs for a standard boiler: fixing leaks in the tank, repairing water valves, restoring gas lines, clearing exhaust flues. If you have regular maintenance for your unit, these repair needs should rarely occur, and your radiant heating system will last for many years.

Regular preventive maintenance

Speaking of which… make sure to sign up for a maintenance program that will provide you with an annual check-up on your radiant heating system. This is the best insurance you can have against emergency repairs, breakdowns, and a shortened system lifespan. You should also rely on a repair company with 24/7 service so you can have repairs done as soon as necessary; this will help you get the most life from your system.

When you need heating repair in Eugene, OR, and you need it now, call Comfort Flow Heating—any time of the day or night. We specialize in radiant heating installation, repair, and maintenance.

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How Does a Heat Pump Work in the Winter?

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014

Heat pumps are remarkable devices that combine the power of an air conditioner and a heater in one convenient unit. Heat pumps actually use the same action to produce cooling as to produce heat; they aren’t two separate units packaged together. This often leads to some confusion in homeowners about how exactly a heat pump operates. We’ll go into a bit more detail about how these systems work and answer a question we often hear: how can a heat pump extract heat from cold weather during the winter?

If you need help installing, repairing, or maintaining a heat pump, contact the Springfield, OR heating system specialists at Comfort Flow Heating. We offer 24-hour emergency heating repair in Springfield, OR.

Heat pump basics

A heat pump operates in the same way as an air conditioning system, except it can run the direction of the heat exchange two ways. Heat exchange is the movement of heat from one location to another. When a heat pump is in cooling mode, heat exchange carries heat from the inside of a home and removes it to the outside. Removing heat gives the feeling of cool, and the blower fans send out this conditioned air through your home. But when the heat pump changes over to heating mode, the direction switches so the heat pump removes heat from outside and brings in indoors.

“But wait,” people often ask at this point, “since the heat pump will only run in heating mode during cold weather, how is it removing heat from the outside? How can it get heat from cold air?”

The answer is that there is always some heat in cold air, unless the temperature is absolute zero (which is a hypothetical temperature anyway) and there is no molecular motion. As long as there is some molecular motion, some heat exists. The heat pump uses the process of evaporation to extract the heat that is available.

However, it does become more and more difficult for heat pumps to remove the heat the lower the thermometer drops. When the temperature goes below freezing, heat pumps will tend to start losing their heating efficiency. In general, heat pumps have lower efficiency ratings for heating than they do for cooling. For this reason, we highly recommend that you consult with heating experts before you schedule a heat pump installation. Professional installers can estimate whether a heat pump will be able to provide sufficient heat for your home, and offer other options if a heat pump is not the ideal choice.

Call us for heating advice

Comfort Flow Heating has more than half a century of experience with heating homes, so you can trust us to provide you with what you need for heating this winter. If you need heating repair in Springfield, OR—or any other heating service—contact us today.

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How Does a Thermocouple Work?

Friday, January 10th, 2014

Homeowners often express concern about having a natural gas-powered furnace installed in their house. For the most part, these concerns are unwarranted; as long as they receive regular maintenance once a year to see that all of their components are functioning properly, gas furnaces present few health hazards and should work effectively and safely for many years.

One of the ways that the manufacturers of gas furnaces keep their products safe is through a device called the thermocouple. We’ll explain what it is and how it works to keep you safe.

For help with your heating in Salem, OR, contact Comfort Flow Heating today. We will make sure you get the most from your furnace.

The thermocouple

A thermocouple is a device that consists of a pair of strips of metal made from different material. It is installed so that its ends are in the pilot light of the furnace. The thermocouple detects the heat from the pilot light, and should the pilot light go out accidentally, the thermocouple will automatically shut off the gas valve. This prevents unburned gas from flooding into the combustion chamber, where a small spark might cause an explosion.

The thermocouple performs its job through a thermoelectric effect known as the “Seebeck effect,” named after Thomas Johann Seebeck, a German-Estonian physicist who discovered the effect in 1821. Seebeck found that two separate types of metal in proximity to each other will generate electrical voltage in proportion to the heat they sense. The higher the heat around the two metal pieces, the higher the voltage.

The thermocouple in a gas furnace is designed to keep the gas valve open through its electric voltage. If the pilot light goes out, the loss in heat causes the voltage between the two pieces of metal to drop, and this shuts the valve and reduces the combustion risk.

It’s a remarkable feat for so simple and small a device. However, a thermocouple can break, rust, or fall out of place, and this can lead to a potential hazard if the pilot light fails. This is one of the reasons you need to schedule regular preventive maintenance for your gas furnace: technicians will catch failing thermocouples and replace them with the correct unit.

(Some current gas furnaces use a mercury sensor instead of a thermocouple. Your technician will know how to handle potential problems with mercury sensors as well.)

Stay safe this winter with your heating system in Salem, OR: call Comfort Flow Heating and enroll in our maintenance program. We are also ready to help you with repairs, any time of the day or night.

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Reasons You Should Consider Radiant Heating in Salem, OR

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

The first time people experience radiant floor heating when they are a guest in someone’s house, it usually astonishes them. The level of warmth, the sensation of heat pouring onto them straight from the sun on a summer day, is so different from the feeling of hot air blown about a room from a furnace, or even the heating coming from a radiator attached to a boiler. Once people have an encounter with radiant heating, they usually want to know if they can have their own system installed.

There are a number of good reasons to consider radiant heating in Salem, OR, beyond their wonderful comfort. If you want to know more, contact our radiant heating specialists at Comfort Flow Heating. They can help you decide if radiant heating will work for your home, as well as determine the type and size to install.

Advantages of radiant heating

  • Cleaner air: Low indoor air quality is one of the leading health risks in the U.S. (according to the U.S. Department of Health), and one of the main contributors is dust blown from the ductwork connected to heat pumps and furnaces. Radiant heating doesn’t need ducts: instead, it uses the clean power of heat waves radiating from warmed objects. If there are people living in your home with allergies to dust, pollen, or hair, radiant floor heating will especially benefit them.
  • Energy efficiency: Forced-air heating systems often blow heat into the upper areas of rooms, where it gathers without warming the space effectively. You have to keep a furnace or heat pump on longer to provide sufficient heat to make a difference. But radiant heating gives you heat directly, from the floor under your feet, and it rises evenly through the room. You’ll need to run your heater far less to get the same level of comfort. Radiant floor heating also experiences no heat loss along ducts, furthering its energy efficiency.
  • Less noise pollution, less visual pollution: Radiant heaters operate so quietly that you’ll hardly notice yours working—except for the cozy warm floorboards. And you shouldn’t see it much either, since if properly installed, a radiant heating system is almost invisible, without needs for vents or radiators.

You might want to dash out right now and order installation of a radiant heating system, but be cautious: the installation process is extensive, and it may not even be the best option for heating your home. For these reasons, make sure you contact experts in radiant heating to help you find out if this is the best path to take, and to have quality installers on the job if you decide to move forward.

For over 50 years, Comfort Flow Heating has helped our clients live better with quality heating in Salem, OR. Let us assist you with radiant floor heating today.

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Here’s Why You Need to Replace Your Heater

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Oregon doesn’t experience the bitter winters of some of the states to our east, but we still need to have heaters in good shape year round to combat our many rainy days. Your heating system will see a lot of extra work each winter season… and eventually, no matter how sturdy and reliable it is, it will need to be replaced.

Having a new heater installed is a large task, one you shouldn’t undertake lightly. But you need to know when it’s necessary. We will give you some reasons why that old heater needs to go and a new one brought in. To make this task much easier, contact Comfort Flow Heating, where we provide professional heating service in Salem, OR—and have done so for more than half a century

Why it’s time to replace your heater

  • Inefficiency: Age will eventually wear down any mechanical system, no matter how well it is maintained. If your heater has exceeded its manufacturer’s expected lifespan, then pay attention to your heating bills to see if they have started to rise. If they do, then you know that the wear on the heater has impaired its ability to work efficiently. You should replace it, since the new heating system will offer you savings on your energy bills for many years to come.
  • Noise pollution: A heater growing decrepit will start to turn noisy. Increased noise is usually a sign that it’s time for a replacement, but the noise on its own will soon turn into an extreme annoyance.
  • Take advantage of new technology: A new installation will not only compensate for the older heater’s inefficiency, it will probably vastly improve on it with technological advances. The heaters of today are already far ahead of what they were only twenty years ago in terms of fuel efficiency. In addition, you can update to a new fuel source, put in zone heating, update your thermostat, or switch to a new form of heating altogether. You can also help the environment with a heater that creates fewer emissions.

Consult with professionals

Before you choose to send your old heater to the scrap heap, bring in heating installation and repair specialists to examine it. They can determine if it is indeed a good idea to have a new heater installed. They will also provide suggestions for the best system to install as a replacement.

When you need heating service in Salem, OR, give Comfort Flow Heating a call. We install top brand furnaces, air source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, and radiant heating systems. Sign up for maintenance with us as well to make sure your new heater lasts for many years.

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Can a Damaged Heater Still Work?

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Like cars and computers, a damaged heating system can sometimes still soldier on while performing its basic function. And, like cars and computers, you don’t want your heater to keep operating if it’s damaged, even if it can. For many reasons, you need to have repair work done right away before you continue using your heater.

If you contact an HVAC repair specialist, such as Comfort Flow Heating, you can have the damages to your heater fixed and the system working optimally once more in only a short time. The expense for having repairs done is minimal compared to what can go wrong if your heater keeps running when it’s impaired. Call for heating repair service in Springfield, OR as soon as the need appears.

But what’s wrong with still running the heater?

Many things. Let’s run down the major ones:

  • A damaged heater presents a safety hazard. This is particularly important for a gas-powered furnace, where damages like a cracked heat exchanger can lead to the release of carbon monoxide exhaust into your home, which is both toxic and combustible. Malfunctioning electrical heaters can also trigger fires due to wiring problems.
  • A damaged heater wastes energy. The heating system must do more work to reach the level of heating it is supposed to, and this will cause your energy bills to rise.
  • A damaged heater is more likely to break down. A single repair need on a heater that’s left without attention will start to cause other problems, and eventually your heater will not run at all.
  • A damaged heater won’t keep you comfortable. Your comfort will suffer if your heater has to struggle with damage. You can expect to find cold rooms in your home when the heating system malfunctions.
  • A damaged heater will have a shorter lifespan. Just as the heater risks breaking down because of damages left unattended, it also risks failing permanently. You want your heater to last as long as possible, maybe even exceed its manufacturer’s estimated lifespan… and that won’t happen if it operates while damaged.

Prompt repairs are the answer

Whatever damage your heater has sustained—whether breaks in the ducts, broken fan belts, damaged geothermal coils—you need it taken care of as soon as possible. Look to a company with 24-hour emergency service and years of experience to get your system back to prime working condition.

Comfort Flow Heating can fill your needs for heating repair service in Springfield, OR. We’ve been in business for over 50 years, and we will answer your calls around the clock. Don’t “drive” a damaged heater: call Comfort Flow Heating today!

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Why Are Furnaces So Popular?

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

Furnaces are the oldest of all home heating systems, dating back to before the Industrial Revolution, when they principally burned wood. But despite their age, furnaces still remain popular across the U.S. and the rest of North America as ways to provide heat during the winter. With so many technological advances in the HVAC industry during the last hundred years, why have furnaces continued to top the list of options for heating?

If, after reading over these reasons for the enduring popularity of furnaces, you are interested in installing one to solve your heating needs, contact the Springfield, OR heating technicians at Comfort Flow Heating. No job is too small or too large for us.

One of the reasons furnaces remain popular is that those same advances in HVAC technology have affected furnaces as well: today’s gas furnaces from respected manufacturers like Trane perform at levels of efficiency unthinkable only 20 years in the past. Some models score AFUE ratings of 96.7%, meaning they consume almost 97% of the fuel they use when providing you heat—the energy waste is minimal.

Another benefit of furnaces is their flexibility. Furnaces can run from a variety of fuels: electricity, natural gas, oil, propane. They also come in many different sizes to accommodate the heating needs of many different homes. It’s rare that we can’t find a particular furnace that is a perfect match for a customer’s home.

Furnaces are also price-competitive: high-efficiency furnaces cost far less than they did only a decade ago. Where effective gas furnaces were once out of the price range of many families, they are now attractive alternatives that won’t break the bank and return the money with their energy savings.

Finally, furnaces use forced-air heating sent through ductwork to operate. Since most homes already have ductwork, it’s easy to have a furnace installed and hooked up to the pre-existing ducts.

You should definitely have a furnace on your list of options for heating your home: don’t push them aside because they seem “old fashioned.” Trust to Comfort Flow Heating and our 50 years of experience providing quality heating service in Springfield, OR. We install top-of-the-line Trane furnaces, and we can locate the right model furnace for your home.

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What’s the Difference Between Forced-Air Heat and Radiant Heat?

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

In Springfield, OR, heating services need to address a number of different types of heater. Our winters are cold, but we also embrace innovation, and while plenty of homes use traditional forced-air burners, many other use newer forms of heating such as geothermal and radiant heating systems. If you’re going to add a new heater, you need to understand how each one is distinguished from the others. For example, what’s the difference between forced-air heat and radiant heat?

Forced-air heat comes from a gas furnace, which heats the air before blowing it into a system of ducts to be distributed throughout your home. Radiant heat, on the other hand, relies upon a system of tubes or coils placed directly beneath your flooring. It sends warmth up through the floor, the furniture and even the people in the room.

The differences between the two are very clear. Forced-air systems rely upon reliable air flow and are subject to the vagaries of your home’s layout. It can result in drafty areas, cold spots and the general unpredictability of air movement. Radiant heating systems, on the other hand, heat the space much more evenly because they do so through the floor. They avoid the unpredictability of forced-air systems, and because they are much more efficient, they can save you a huge amount on your monthly heating bills in the process.

However, the initial installation of a radiant heating system can cost quite a bit more than a gas furnace. It can also involve a lot more fuss and bother, since the floors of your home need to be torn up in order to install it. It becomes a question of short-term investment vs. long-term gain, and it’s up to the individual homeowner to decide which path to take.

For more information on the difference between forced-air heat and radiant heat, contact Comfort Flow Heating. We operate out of Springfield, OR, heating services are our specialty, and we can explain all of your options to you before you decide on a course of action. Pick up the phone and call our Springfield, OR heating service technicians today!

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Loud and Strange: A Brief Guide to Heating Sounds

Monday, November 4th, 2013

In wet weather towns like Springfield, OR, heating repair services must contend with all sorts of problems. We need reliable furnaces to keep our homes warm when the rains start falling, and if trouble arises, it needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Canny homeowners learn to look for warning signs that their heater isn’t functioning as effectively as it could, notably by listening for loud and strange noises coming from their heaters. Many heaters make sounds, but sounds that don’t belong there often suggest a problem of one kind or another. Here’s a brief guide to heating sounds, to help pinpoint what those noises mean.

In some cases, the noise from your heating system is nothing to worry about. The metal in your ducts may groan and stretch as hot air moves through them, especially if you haven’t run your furnace for a while. More substantive sounds, however, likely indicate a problem. For instance a banging or clanging sound might mean a clog in your heating pipes, which the pressure has burst through. You’ll need to contact a professional to clear out the rest of the clog before it happens again.

Specific noise likely mean specific problems, and the tenor of the noise can give you some clue as to the nature of the problem. A loud buzzing sound could indicate an electrical problem or perhaps an issue with the furnace’s motor. A rattling noise suggests a component loose in its housings or a loose component such as a screw inside the system. A grinding noise may be a misaligned fan rubbing up against another components. And if there’s a leak in the system somewhere, you might hear a hissing or a rattling noise as the air escapes through the fissure.

A brief guide to heating sounds is useful, but it’s still only what it claims to be: a brief guide to help narrow down the possible causes. For a more thorough examination, call upon Comfort Flow Heating to help. We cover homes throughout Springfield, heating repair services are a specialty, and our experts can get to the bottom of any loud and strange noises your system may produce. Pick up the phone and call the Springfield, OR heating repair service technicians at Comfort Flow Heating today!

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What You Need to Know about Heating Maintenance

Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

No appliance in your home will run forever, but often people treat them as if they were supposed to—without any repairs or maintenance. Although no appliance can obtain immortality, it can get the next best thing: service that meets or exceeds its manufacturer’s expected lifespan. To achieve this, the appliance requires regular preventive maintenance.

This applies to the heater in your home as much as to your dishwasher or laundry machine. To get through a Eugene, OR winter, you’ll need a heater you can trust to keep providing you warmth through the coldest days. If you schedule regular check-ups and tune-ups from a reliable HVAC company, you’ll have much more trust in your heater.

Comfort Flow Heating has been in business for more than half a century serving Eugene, OR with heating maintenance, repairs, and installation. Look to us to take care of your heating system so it will keep you warm all through the winter—and be ready for next winter as well.

Here are a few important points to know about heating maintenance:

It isn’t arduous or time-consuming: If you hire experienced technicians, a maintenance visit won’t be a major hassle for your schedule. Professionals have a checklist of tasks and inspections, and as long as your heater doesn’t require any major repairs, a maintenance visit will be over before you know it. And if your heater does need repairs, your technician can schedule the work and have it done in a timely manner.

It will save you money: Proper maintenance will not only prevent you from rushing to get a significant (and probably expensive) emergency repair, but you’ll also save money in another way: improved energy-efficient performance. A tune-up on your heater will get all its parts working smoothly so it will drain less energy while delivering the heat level you expect. You won’t have to suffer the burden of inflated power bills.

It will provide you better quality heating: Losing your heater during the winter is the worst-case scenario. But a reduction of heating power is a major inconvenience and a more common occurrence. A heater without proper maintenance will wear down faster, and as that happens it will weaken and you’ll start to notice cold rooms and a general drop in temperature in your home. A yearly tune-up will prevent your heater from declining into uselessness.

Comfort Flow Heating offers an Energy Savings Agreement of one, two, or three years. You’ll receive two visits annually (your air conditioner needs maintenance as well!) that will provide you with a precision tune-up for your home comfort system. Get all the benefits of heating maintenance in Eugene, OR from the experienced people at Comfort Flow Heating.

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