Posts Tagged ‘Chevy Chase’

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Chevy Chase, MD Air Conditioning FAQ: What Causes Short Cycling?

Monday, May 6th, 2013

Short cycling is when your AC turns on and off frequently. Short cycling reduces the effectiveness and the energy efficiency of the cooling process, so if you notice your AC turning on and off frequently, you should definitely call a professional. We’d like to explain a few of its most common causes in this post. For comprehensive Chevy Chase, MD air conditioning services, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today!

  • Inappropriate sizing: Unfortunately, one of the causes of short cycling is improper installation. When you’re in the market for a new AC for your home, make sure you hire a trustworthy and certified AC technician to perform all of the work. Otherwise, your AC may end up being too large or too small for your living space. If it’s too large, then it may actually short cycle frequently during operation. This increases the wear and tear on the system and may cause premature replacement.
  • Thermostat fault: Your thermostat is the primary user interface for controlling your indoor climate. It has to be professionally calibrated in order to work properly. When it’s not working properly, it can actually cause your system to turn on and off frequently. It may be reading the temperature incorrectly, or it may have a connectivity issue that needs to be repaired.
  • Refrigerant leak: Even a seemingly microscopic puncture in your coils can lead to significant loss of cooling, energy inefficiency, and even short cycling. Make sure your AC has the right amount of refrigerant “charge” at all times.
  • Damaged control board: The AC controls may be malfunctioning or damaged by moisture.

There are numerous causes of short cycling, but they all need to be fixed by a professional technician. For comprehensive Chevy Chase, MD air conditioning services, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today! 

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Is Geothermal a Good Home Cooling Option in Chevy Chase MD?

Monday, March 4th, 2013

For homeowners in the Chevy Chase, MD area looking for an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel heating and cooling, geothermal technology is a very attractive option. Geothermal systems harness thermal energy stored in the ground to heat and cool your home. The geothermal experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating provide geothermal installation, repair and maintenance in Chevy Chase, MD and the Montgomery County area. Here are a few considerations that you may want to think about as you start moving forward with geothermal systems.

How Do Geothermal Systems Work?

What is geothermal? Your local geothermal professional will install a long series of pipes underground on your property. The system circulates water or a water-refrigerant mixture through these pipes in order to absorb or disperse heat from the ground. In heating mode, heat from the ground is absorbed and moved into your home. If you are cooling, the moderate temperature of the earth allows the geothermal heat pump to take the heat from your indoor air and disperse it underground. One of the advantages of the geothermal heat pump is that works throughout the year, in summer and winter.

Is it Right For Me?

Deciding whether geothermal is the right cooling option for your home in Chevy Chase, MD depends upon several factors:

  • Topography. Because geothermal systems require piping underground, the topography of your home can impact the installation and operation of the system. The first step is to make sure that you have enough room for the underground pipe loops. Call the Chevy Chase, MD geothermal installation experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating to schedule a consultation.
  • Soil composition. This relates to the topographical location of your home, and it can also impact the installation and operation. Knowing what the underground composition of your property will allow you to make an informed decision when it comes to geothermal cooling.
  • Current system. Switching over to geothermal will involve some changes in the way your system operates, so knowing the details of how those changes will take place is important.

Geothermal is a remarkable technology. It is both eco-friendly and cost-effective, and for that reason, it is growing in popularity throughout America. To learn more about geothermal installation in Chevy Chase, MD and how it can improve the way you cool your home, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today at 301-670-0034.

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Chevy Chase, MD Geothermal Tip: Geothermal Heating Components

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating offers geothermal heating services in Chevy Chase, MD and the surrounding areas. Geothermal heating systems are a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way to heat your home in the winter, and they can be used to cool your home the rest of the year. They utilize the constant year-round underground temperatures and a heat pump to providing heating and AC.

Understanding the basic components of a geothermal heating system can help you decide whether or not this is the right heating system for your home and your budget. We’ve put together a description of some of the basic components for you in this blog post. Call us if you have further questions.

Horizontal and Vertical Loop Fields

The first consideration you need to take into account is whether or not you want to install vertical or horizontal loop fields. Loops simply refer to the underground pipes that contain a refrigerant and water mixture. If you have a larger property, you can install horizontal loop, which can be installed by using a back hoe. However, if you have a limited amount of yard space, drilling may be required to bury the vertical loop closer to your home.

Geothermal Heat Pump

The loop fields are connected to a heat pump that uses a compressor—just like air source heat pumps—to heat or cool your home depending on the season. The heat pump requires very little energy since it is transferring the heat from the ground, which remains at a constant 55 degrees all year long. A small amount of electricity is used to heat this up to higher temperatures to be distributed to the living spaces of your home. You can also install a geothermal water heater that uses the loop fields in the same way to heat the water in your home.

While the loop fields and heat pump are the two basic components, there are many other smaller components involved that provide even greater energy savings. Call the geothermal experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating  at  301-670-0034 for all your geothermal heating needs if you live in Chevy Chase, MD or the surrounding areas.

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Can You Add Zone Control to a Geothermal System? A Geothermal Question from Chevy Chase, MD

Monday, February 4th, 2013

A geothermal heating and cooling system is a great way to boost energy efficiency in your home and to make it more environmentally friendly. Because a geothermal heating and cooling system does not consume fuel in order to keep your Chevy Chase, MD home comfortable, but rather transfers existing heat, it uses much less energy than traditional systems. There are upgrades that you may choose to make to your geothermal system, though, that can make it even more efficient. Call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today to learn more about zone control system installation.

A zone control system is a great way to improve the efficiency of most any forced air heating and cooling system. It does so by granting you more control over how energy is used in your home. Have you ever heated empty bedrooms in your house just because you wanted to make the living room more comfortable? With a zone control system you can avoid this conundrum.

A zone control system installation allows you to break your home up into different temperature zones. Each of these zones can then be controlled independently of the other zones. This means that now you can turn up the heating or air conditioning in the living room when entertaining guests without having to do so in unoccupied rooms upstairs. This level of control allows you to exercise more control over energy use in your home, in turn allowing you to save money on energy costs.

Another great benefit that zone control systems offer is the ability to keep everyone in your home comfortable. Different bodies are comfortable at different temperatures, after all. When you think of it that way there is no reason that your entire house should be heated or cooled to the same degree. With the addition of a zone control system to your geothermal heating and cooling system you can enjoy greater efficiency while keeping everyone comfortable and happy.

Call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today at 301-670-0034 for more information about how you can incorporate a zone control system into your geothermal heating and cooling system. Save even more energy and money in your Chevy Chase, MD home. Get the system you need to reduce your carbon footprint and your energy bills at the same time.

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Chevy Chase Heating Tip: How Geothermal Heating Can Make Your Home More Comfortable

Monday, January 28th, 2013

Are you considering installing a geothermal heating system in your Chevy Chase home? Call the geothermal heating experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating to get you started. We can go over all the benefits and installation process.

Here are some of the many benefits of a geothermal heating system:

Energy Savings

Geothermal heating systems use the ground temperatures or the temperatures from a nearby water source to heat your home. Ground temperatures are consistent year round, and the heat pump only needs to use a little energy to convert the heat in to hot or cool air. You also get both heating and cooling in one system. Call us if you would like to know more about energy savings from a geothermal system.

Consistency

Because of how they operate, geothermal systems provide consistent heating and air conditioning. However, they must be installed properly. Call a professional heating contractor you trust to install these systems.

Easy to Maintain and Repair

While routine maintenance should prevent repair needs, you may need to call for repairs at some point. Luckily, these systems are easy to repair for most issues. It’s best to call the contractor who installed your system for regular maintenance and repairs since they will know the system best.

The  heating experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating are here to take care of all your geothermal heating needs. From installation to repairs, we have you covered. Call any time for your next service in Chevy Chase or the surrounding area!

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Does My Furnace Need Maintenance Service if it is Operational? A Chevy Chase Heating Question

Monday, January 21st, 2013

When your furnace is working well, you probably don’t think much about it. We all love to enjoy the consistent and comfortable heat of a well-functioning furnace. It’s only when our furnace stops providing heat that we actually pay it any attention. At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, we provide complete furnace repair and furnace maintenance in Chevy Chase. Getting regular heating maintenance for your furnace is always a good idea. We thought it would be helpful if we put together some of the benefits.

Benefits of Heating Maintenance

No matter what kind of heating system you have, getting regular inspections and tune-ups is probably a good idea. We all realize how beneficial regular oil changes and tune-ups are for our cars: the same goes for your furnace. Here are some of the benefits of furnace maintenance.

  • Reduced repairs – Perhaps one of the best benefits to regular furnace maintenance is that it can potentially reduce the need for costly repairs. When you have a professional heating technician from Tuckers looking over your furnace, they’ll be able to detect small problems before they potentially turn into larger ones.
  • Increased efficiency – When you use your furnace often without every maintaining it, dirt and dust will start to build up in it. The moving parts will start to wear out which can lead to a decrease in efficiency. During regular maintenance visits, our technicians will clean out and thorough inspect your furnace. We’ll lubricate the fan’s bearings, replace the fan belt and much more. All of this can potentially increase the efficiency of your furnace.
  • Extended equipment life – We called to replace furnaces all the time here in Chevy Chase. Many of those furnaces were destroyed by small problems that could have been detected and fixed during a routine maintenance visit.

If you’re interested in learning more about furnace maintenance in Chevy Chase, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today at 301-670-0034!

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The Benefits of Ductless Splits AC in Gaithersburg

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Ductless splits air conditioners are designed to eliminate the need for ductwork in a home where space is at a premium. Usually homeowners with older homes – those built before the 1970s – have very little space to work with when it comes to installing the ductwork a traditional central air conditioning system requires. These homes are often heated with radiant boiler systems and have window units to provide cooling in warmer weather. As a result, cooling costs can be extremely high each summer and the house usually isn’t comfortable during these months.

Ductless air conditioning offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the installation is much simpler than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with your contractor when you call for an estimate. For more information about having a ductless split air conditioning system installed in Gaithersburg, give Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating a call at 301-670-0034!

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Rockville Heating Guide: How to Monitor Heat Flow from Furnace Registers

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Of the many kinds of heating systems, forced air furnaces are among the simplest in Rockville and monitoring the flow of heat is as simple as checking the registers and feeling the flow.

The Basics of Hot Air

At the furnace, usually in the basement or a central location, air is heated to a temperature set by the thermostat.  Once large and dominant, over the years, technological improvements have enabled furnaces to be much smaller and fit into closets.

With a fan, the warm air is circulated through a system of ducts and distributed at registers or grates usually in the floor.  A second grate takes the cooler air back to the furnace to be heated.

Going With the Flow

While a forced air system tends to fluctuate between cycles, temperatures should be consistent throughout the home from room to room.  As heat is distributed, rooms get quickly warmer, then cool several degrees as heat dissipates until the thermostat setting starts the cycle over.

If there is poor circulation, the efficiency of the system is greatly reduced.  The furnace runs more often, adding strain and cost to the heating of your Rockville home.  Some rooms remain comfortable while the rise and fall of temperatures in others may be more radical or remain too cool.

Monitoring the Flow

By turning the thermostat higher, the furnace will engage and begin to force air to the registers.

Most registers have adjustable slats that can be rotated to allow more or less flow.  Checking to make sure all are fully open is the first step.  There is usually a lever or gear in obvious view.

Make sure all registers are free to allow air movement and not blocked by furniture or carpets.

After testing with your hand to see if there is adequate air flow, using an infrared or dial thermometer will more accurately identify if there are differences from register to register which could indicate a blockage of some sort in the vent or a problem with the system at the furnace.

Solutions

Furnaces should be maintained on a yearly basis by contracting with a company like Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating who can regularly change the filters, inspect the internal elements and ensure proper and efficient functioning of this most important part of your Rockville home.

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Chevy Chase Indoor Air Quality FAQ: Things Your Air Filter Can’t Filter

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Air filters are great to have in your Chevy Chase home. Many people who own air filters, especially those who suffer from allergies or asthma, swear by them as being very beneficial to their health and general well-being. They help you feel comfortable knowing that your air is clean and fresh.

But how confident should you be in your air filter? Is there anything your air filter is missing? Can you be sure that your air is as clean as can be?

Well, all air filters have limitations, and many do particularly well at trapping and removing certain types of air pollutants, but at the expense of letting others pass. What your air filter can and cannot do depends on what kind of equipment you have.

A conventional air filter, like the pleated kind you may have in your air conditioner, is designed to trap particles in the air. Pollen, dust, dander and other small but solid pollutants and irritants get trapped in their close-knit fibers. The thing to pay attention here is the filter’s HEPA rating—the higher it is, the smaller the particles it can trap. So, if you are using a lower rated filter, you may be trapping pollen but still breathing in smoke particles. Also, sometimes large, heavy particles settle before reaching the filter and can’t be trapped.

A less common option is the gas-phase air filter. As you may guess from the name, these filters are meant to filter out harmful gases in the air. They do not trap particles and usually have a short life, so they need to be replaced frequently.

In addition to filters, there are other air cleaning options like ultraviolet germicidal (UVG) lights and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) cleaners. PCOs are meant to filter out harmful gases, but have limited use in homes. UVG lights use radiation that is harmless to people but deadly to microorganisms to pure air of bacteria and other pathogens.

In sum, if you are concerned about the quality of the air in your home, the best strategy is probably to use multiple solutions, such as a combination of an air filter and UVG lights, in order to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. Keep in mind, though, that no system is perfect in keeping everything out of your air. If you need help choosing the right system for your Chevy Chase home, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today!

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Garrett Park Heating Installation Question: What Makes a Furnace High Efficiency?

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

You’ve probably heard about the new lines of high efficiency furnaces being released by popular home heating companies in Garrett Park, but what exactly is different about these high efficiency devices from your current furnace? Let’s take a closer look at what a high efficiency furnace offers and why it can save you money.

Added Features

A high efficiency furnace uses familiar technology in a new way to reduce the amount of energy lost when combustion takes place. This means:

  • Sealed Combustion – Instead of open combustion which allows heat to escape during and after the combustion process, a high efficiency furnace uses a sealed chamber with carefully measured and fed airflow to burn fuel and produce heat. Exhaust heat can then be recaptured and used to heat air transferred to your air vents.
  • Two Stage Gas Valves – With a two stage gas valve, your furnace can respond to the temperature outside. There isn’t just one “on” switch. The furnace will regulate gas flow based on how much energy is needed to produce heat for your home. So, if there is a sudden burst of cold outside, the furnace will respond accordingly, but for most days when heating needs are low, it will use only the minimum amount of needed gas.
  • Programmable – High efficiency furnaces are now programmable, meaning you can set specific time limits for operation, change thermostat settings digitally and inspect the device through an electronic read out. The level of control given to you by a programmable high efficiency furnace can greatly reduce gas or electricity consumption.

Cost Benefit

The real reason many people are interested in high efficiency furnaces is that they are so much less expensive to operate. Instead of costing hundreds of dollars to run through the winter, they operate the bare minimum needed to heat your Garrett Park home. Using up to 95% of the fuel they consume to produce heat and regulating gas to cut how much is consumed during milder days, these furnaces are built to save you money.

If you have an old furnace that chews through energy like nobody’s business, now might be the time to consider the benefits of a brand new, high efficiency model.

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