Considering how many possible things can go wrong with a complex system like a modern air conditioner, it’s impressive that malfunctions are rare during most of their service lives. It helps, of course, to have professionals install an AC in the first place and to provide annual maintenance; these services will reduce repair issues to a minimum.
ServiceMax Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Winnetka’
Don’t Let a Clogged Condensate Drain Get in the Way of Your Summer Air Conditioning
Monday, June 15th, 2015Reasons Your Air Conditioning Bills Are So High
Monday, May 18th, 2015Do you think that you’re paying too much to keep your home cool through the hot season? Perhaps you’ve noticed that utility bills have been rising higher during the last year or so, despite no discernable increase in the amount that you use the AC. If this is the case, there are a number of possible reasons for it. In this post, we’ll look at a few of those reasons for rising cooling costs… and what you can do to reverse the trend.
3 Reasons We Think You Should Look into a Mitsubishi Ductless Mini Split System
Monday, April 20th, 2015Are you in the market for a new cooling or heating system for your home? You have many options in today’s crowded HVAC technology market, and it might seem a bit overwhelming when it comes to making a choice that is not only right for your home but also will save your money.
Which Type of Air Purifier Is Best for My Home?
Friday, March 20th, 2015If you assume that the air in your home is cleaner than the air outside, you may be mistaken. For many homes in the United States, this is not the case. We keep our homes sealed up tight, but contaminants in the home can still thrive. Besides, this often means that circulation in the home is less than ideal, which makes the air stale.
The best way to get rid of contaminants in the air of your home is by scheduling services with an indoor air quality specialist in Winnetka, IL. Call us today at Malek Heating & Cooling for air purifiers and more.
Air Purification Systems
Any of the following air purification systems may be best for your home. We recommend that you consult with a technician before deciding on a system and scheduling professional installation only.
- Mechanical Filter: The filter in your air conditioning and heating system right now may not be of the highest quality. Usually, the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating of your filter—the way you can tell how effective a filter is—is not as high as it can be. Home filters often have a MERV of about 1-4, while the scale does all the way up to 16. Ask a technician which type of filter will work best for your home.
- Electronic Air Purifier: An electronic air purifier uses ionization to attract particles and keep them out of the air in your home. This includes particles that are much smaller than those which can be filtered with a traditional home filter.
- UV Air Purifier: A UV air purifier contains UV lights which kill small organic matter like bacteria and viruses, which are detrimental to those with immune disorders in the home.
At Malek Heating & Cooling, we offer these systems and more in order to improve the air quality in a home. Not only to we offer filter and purification service, we also carry heat and energy recovery ventilators for better ventilation, dehumidifiers, and professional air duct cleaning. An IAQ specialist will help you to decide which system or service is right for you.
Call us today for our professional air purifier installation or repair in Winnetka, IL, or to learn more about how to keep the contaminants in your home under control.
Is a Ductless System Installation a Good Investment?
Monday, February 16th, 2015A ductless system has a number of great benefits, but we have many customers wondering: is it really a good investment for my home? The best way to assess this is to review some of the costs involved, as well as the savings you can gain, by using a ductless heating system in your home.
Initial Costs
A ductless system is comprised of an outdoor unit that holds the compressor, condenser and reversing valve, and indoor blowers that deliver the air. A single outdoor unit can support up to four indoor blowers, but when purchasing a ductless system, you should review the package to see how many blowers come in the package cost. On average, an outdoor unit and one blower with an output of 13,000 BTUs will have an average cost around $2,000. The number of BTUs affects the pricing considerably, so it’s important to know what size ductless unit you’ll need for your home, which is something your Malek Heating & Cooling specialist can help you determine. A package with four indoor blowers and an outdoor unit that delivers 36,000 BTUs has average costs of $5,200.
Where You Can Save Money
The first thing to keep in mind when reviewing the initial costs of a ductless heat pump system is that you are getting a device that offers both heating and cooling. When you consider that the average cost for a furnace or boiler is around $2,000 or more, and the average cost for an air conditioning system is around $3,000 or more, you aren’t really paying more for the heat pump. Secondly, heat pumps only use electricity to operate, which eliminates any fossil fuel usage and the costs associated with fossil fuel usage, and the amount of electricity a heat pump uses is about 25% of that of a whole-home AC. What does this mean for you? No more fossil fuel costs for your home heating, which can be a huge savings, and the reduction in electrical usage can equal up to $280 of annual savings per year. Lastly, there are a number of manufacturer rebates you can take advantage of, some that can save you up to $1,500 on purchase and/or installation costs, and there are many states offering tax rebates for using a far more energy efficient heating and cooling system for your home.
Some of these numbers can be a bit daunting, so if you have been considering the installation of a ductless heating system for your home in Winnetka, sit down with one of the experts from Malek Heating & Cooling and see how a ductless system may benefit your home’s budget. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
Some of Your Choices for Heating Installation in Winnetka, IL
Tuesday, January 13th, 2015If you need new heating installation in Winnetka, IL, you’re in luck. There are many options available for you to choose from, so you can have the level of comfort you need, as well as added features like zone control and energy if desired. While the prospect of a new heating system that fits your needs may be exciting, picking a system can seem overwhelming.
At Malek Heating & Cooling, we offer professional heating installation in Winnetka, IL for any of the following units. If you need professional advice and quality service, put your trust in our skilled team.
- Radiant Heating: A radiant heating system requires a large tank, called a boiler, to heat water. The common name for the system is deceptive; the hot water travels through a set of pipes under the floor or to an endpoint like a baseboard heater and gives off convective and conductive heat. Many people describe this heat as more comfortable than forced-air heating systems because it fills a room with warmth.
- Furnaces: However, furnaces are more common with heating installation in the U.S., partly because of the lower cost and partly because it’s much easier and takes less time to install if you already have a working set of ducts. Furnaces use combustion to generate heat and send it to a heat exchanger. A blower fan brings cool air into the furnace and moves the warm air back into the house through the duct system.
- Heat Pumps: Heat pumps actually work just like air conditioners, except that they have the ability to both heat and cool. Refrigerant travels through the system, absorbing and removing heat either from the indoors to the outdoors in the summer, or from the inside to the outside in the cooler months. It’s important to note, however, that you may need an alternate heat source when temperatures drop below freezing.
- Ductless Heating: A ductless unit is essentially a heat pump that doesn’t need ducts. These systems have individual air handlers dispersed throughout the home that blow air directly into any room or zone.
Comparing some of your options can be difficult. While any of these systems allows you the option of zone control, it generally only comes standard with some radiant systems and ductless units. Boilers may save quite a bit of energy, but heat pumps are also considered some of the most efficient heating systems. If you’re still on the fence, call Malek Heating & Cooling today for professional service and to talk about your needs for heating installation in Winnetka.
Why Is Air Duct Cleaning Necessary?
Wednesday, November 19th, 2014For most homeowners, air duct cleaning is something that rarely ever gets done. This is usually because they can’t see the benefit to investing that much time and money in cleaning a part of their house that they never see anyway. It’s not like the ducts are some complicated mechanism with lots of moving parts that may need maintenance. They’re long rectangular boxes or tubes designed to direct air flow, and that’s about it.
Some Common Boiler Repair Needs
Wednesday, October 29th, 2014Boilers have many significant advantages when it comes to keeping a home warm through even the harshest Illinois winters. One of them is they usually need fewer repairs than other heating systems, such as furnaces and heat pumps. The reason for this is that it requires a small number of mechanical parts—the components that wear down quickest from use—to circulate hot water from a boiler throughout a house to radiators and baseboard heaters.
Of course, you cannot expect a boiler to run 100% free from repairs, and it’s important to schedule regular maintenance for a boiler to prevent malfunctions. On occasion, no matter the precautions you take, you may need to call for heating repair in Winnetka, IL to fix an ailing boiler. Malek Heating & Cooling is here to provide you with excellent service for boiler repairs whenever you need them, any time of the day or night.
Here are some of the more common boiler repairs:
- Fixing the circulator pump: This is one of the mechanical components in a boiler, and therefore a part that will start to decline over time. The pump handles moving hot water from the tank and sending it through the pipes to terminal points around the house. If the circulator pump breaks, it will need repairs (or replacement) to restore the boiler’s operation.
- Repairs to the expansion tank: If you look at your boiler’s water tank, you’ll notice a small cylindrical tank attached to a pressure cage on top of it. This is the expansion tank that maintains water pressure inside the boiler and helps prevent the pressure from spiking. But should the membrane in the expansion tank break, it will place the tank in danger of high water pressure, which can lead to numerous problems. It requires professionals to handle repairs to the expansion tank.
- Flushing the system: Sediment can sometimes begin to build up inside the boiler tank because of underground breaks in the piping. This build-up along the bottom of the tank may cause the boiler to overheat or develop corrosion. Technicians will flush out the water from the system to clean it.
- Sealing leaks: This is probably the most common trouble a boiler can encounter. Leaks from old pipes or at poorly soldered connection (a frequent trouble that stems from low-quality initial installation work) will start to cause water damage in your house and lead to a boiler losing its heating capability. Professionals will track where leaks are occurring and seal them or replace the pipes.
Never wait when it comes to calling for boiler repairs: the problems will rapidly worsen if you delay, and the possibility of water damage or completely losing your heating are simply too high for you to risk. To ensure that your boiler has a long service life, call for a skilled heating repair service in Winnetka, IL and throughout Chicagoland from Malek Heating & Cooling. Our professional services will restore your cozy home environment. Contact us today to set up a service appointment.
Why Boilers are a Good Choice for Heating in Winnetka, IL
Wednesday, October 1st, 2014When you think about heating systems, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably a furnace. Forced air systems have been the norm throughout the country for some time, and boilers have become less and less common. That isn’t necessarily a good thing. A boiler system has a number of advantages over a traditional forced air system. Read on to find out why you should consider upgrading to a boiler system this year.
Efficiency
A forced air system loses roughly 30% of its heat to duct leaks in transit from the furnace to the vent. A radiant heating system loses almost none of its heat in transit. This is due to the leak-resistant tubes that circulate the hot water throughout the house. Forced air systems can also create uneven heating striation in a room.
When heated air is pumped through a vent in a room, it immediately rises to the ceiling. Once it cools, it descends to the floor. This creates cold spots where the upper part of a room is warm while the lower area is still quite cold. Radiant heating solves this by transmitting heat through solid objects. As things like chairs and couches absorb heat from the walls and floor, they transmit this heat to the occupants of the room. This ensures that the room is always heated evenly and without striation. A radiant system can also improve your indoor air quality.
Air Quality
When a forced air system circulates air throughout the house, it also carries any particulates that may be present in the air. Allergens, viruses, bacteria, and dust can be spread around your house in this fashion. A radiant heating system does not circulate, and so completely avoids this issue. If you have allergies, or get sick often during the winter, this could be a major benefit to you.
If you are thinking about upgrading to a boiler system, call Malek Heating & Cooling. We offer professional heating services in Winnetka, IL.
What SEER Means for Your Air Conditioner
Wednesday, August 20th, 2014Air conditioning a home through warm months and hot spells can become expensive. However, with the installation of a high-efficiency air conditioner you can reduce those steep bills to more manageable levels. The technology of cooling continues to advance each year, and with these advances comes ACs that use less power to produce greater levels of cooling.
The way you can determine the level of energy-efficiency from an air conditioning system is to check on its SEER. This technical specification will tell you how much energy the system will use and how that compares to the cooling power it produces. When you are in the market for a new AC, understanding SEER is crucial for locating the right system for you.
However, SEER isn’t the only piece of information you should know: there are many other considerations, and therefore you should always contact HVAC professionals to assist you with selecting new air conditioning in Winnetka, IL. Call Malek Heating & Cooling for the experienced technicians necessary to find the right AC for you. We’ve served the Chicagoland area since 1998.
What SEER Stands For and What It Means
The acronym SEER stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio.” It represents the ratio of cooling power an air conditioner produces (as measured in BTUs) to the amount of energy it consumes (in watt-hours) as measured over a whole season. A similar specification, EER (energy efficiency ratio), is measured over a single test. SEER gives you an idea of how much you can expect to pay for cooling during a whole season: the higher the number, the more efficiently the AC converts electricity into cooling, and the less expensive it is to run.
For most air conditioners, SEER falls between 14 and 20. In order for an air conditioner to qualify for the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR label, it must have a SEER of at least 14.5. Some high-end ACs can have 20 SEER or even greater.
Although SEER is important, you shouldn’t simply pick an air conditioner with the highest SEER available. There are more factors involved in properly and effectively cooling a home than energy-efficiency. For example, an air conditioner can have an astonishingly high SEER of 22, but if it isn’t sized right to cool your home, all its efficiency will go to waste. You want to find a balance of factors, including SEER, to locate the ideal air conditioner for your cooling needs and your budget plans.
Since you should never attempt to install a central AC on your own, make sure that you have the professional installers involved in the process from an early stage. Experts will help you select the air conditioning in Winnetka, IL that will do the all-around job you need for comfort and savings. Call Malek Heating & Cooling when you are ready to start searching for your perfect air conditioner.