The last thing Long Island homeowners need to contend with is another catastrophe triggered by the weather. So if continuing winter weather has kept you on edge, it may help to remember that you can take a proactive stance with regard to ice dams. In fact, you can absolutely prevent an ice dam from wreaking havoc on your roof, as well as your home and wallet. Continue reading “Don’t Let Ice Dams Wreak Havoc On Your Roof”
Keep Ice and Snow Away From Your Heat PumpCold, snow and ice is an expected part of your life in the Long Island area during the winter. If your heating system includes an outdoor heat pump, you can expect ice or frost to form occasionally on the system coils. However, if your heat pump should become completely covered by ice, immediate attention is required.
Heat pumps are equipped with a defrost cycle which will engage to rid the coils of small amounts of ice or frost. The defrost cycle will typically run for two to 10 minutes before returning to normal heating mode. When this switch occurs, you’ll typically hear a whooshing sound and see a small water vapor cloud rise from the outdoor unit.
If your heat pump is not properly defrosting, there are several possible causes. A typical homeowner can address some of these, while others will require a trained service technician.
These last items require a skilled and knowledgeable service technician.
For more information or to schedule repair of your heat pump, contact the experts at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. We proudly serve homeowners in the Long Island area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Long Island Experiences Enough Outages to Make It a Good Idea to Have Back Up Power
You can do any number of things to help ensure the comfort of your home for yourself and your family — from properly maintaining your heat pump to installing a programmable thermostat. However, without power, these efforts are pointless. Hurricanes and winter storms are fairly common occurrences on Long Island, which is why many homeowners in the area are installing an automatic standby generator.
These generators offer many benefits for homeowners, particularly when power outages occur.
A severe storm near your home can easily knock out power for days at a time, as we know all too well. As a result, you might lose any food you have stored in your refrigerator, in addition to any medications that are affected by temperature extremes. Some home occupants rely on electrically powered medical equipment such as ventilators. The loss of power for these individuals is a serious issue. Even for those who have no serious health problems, having a standby generator is a great convenience when it comes to maintaining a comfortable home, particularly when temperatures are extreme.
Automatic standby generators offer many advantages over portable units. For instance, while portable units have to be refueled by hand with gasoline after a few hours of operation, automatic standby generators are commonly fueled by natural gas, and thus are directly connected to the home’s gas fuel line. This means the automatic standby generator is always ready to be used, and will automatically start up when it detects that the power has gone out. In addition, a large generator can produce enough power for your entire home, while a portable unit might only be able to power a few items.
Because it connects directly to your home’s utilities, you should employ a professional to install an automatic standby generator. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. With over 75 years of experience, we are proud to serve the people of Long Island, and our team of experienced professionals is more than happy to help you.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image via Shutterstock.com
Try These Things Before Calling Us About Your Heat Pump
Do you have heat pump problems? To save time and money, it may be worth attempting a few fundamental heat pump troubleshooting tips to get your system up and running before you call your HVAC technician. Continue reading “Heat Pump Troubleshooting: If At First You Don’t Succeed, Don’t Try Again — Call The Experts”
Any Natural Gas Leak is Potentially Dangerous, Look for Signs!
There are certain steps that you should take to avoid a hazardous gas leak and remain safe in your house. Natural gas is extremely combustible. If a gas line, connection or household appliance begins to leak, you could find yourself in serious danger. Continue reading “When You Detect A Hazardous Gas Leak”
Safety is Important When You Have a Gas Furnace or Boiler
Gas furnaces and boilers operate by burning highly flammable, combustible fuel. As a result, ensuring their safe operation is paramount. This is a task that’s best left to a professional service technician, who will ensure that the equipment is safe to operate, and that you and your family are protected. Continue reading “Gas Furnaces And Boilers Can Be Dangerous To Operate — 3 Tips”
Late Fall is Furnace Maintenance Time, Learn How You Can Help Us
Before the winter hits the Long Island area, it’s a good idea to schedule an annual service appointment for your furnace. Here are three simple steps you can follow to help the service call go smoothly, which will save you time and maybe even a bit of money:
Continue reading “3 Steps That Help You Prepare For An Annual Furnace Service Appointment”
Keep Winter Weather Out and Warm Air in With InsulationAs the temperature starts to drop, many Long Island homeowners take steps to make their homes winter-ready. In addition to fall furnace preventive maintenance, evaluating your home’s insulation should be a top priority before winter hits. Continue reading “Home Insulation Upgrade: 3 Ways You’ll Benefit”
A Yearly Appointment Will Keep You in Hot Water All YearFrom the moment you wake up, you rely on hot water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. Because of this, you may take the luxury of having a water heater for granted. It is critical, however, for homeowners to understand the importance of routine water heater maintenance. Continue reading “Water Heater Maintenance: How Pro Help Will Extend The Life Of Your System”
Before You Call an HVAC Professional Try These Things FirstAt T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating, we like the idea of empowering our customers. So if your furnace is on the fritz, we’ll probably ask you to follow some furnace troubleshooting tips before making a service call. Continue reading “Try These Troubleshooting Tips When Your Furnace Is On The Fritz”
