Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog: Archive for February, 2013

Heating Guide: Types of Heating Systems Available

Monday, February 25th, 2013

If you’re considering installing a heating system in your new North Potomac, MD home, or thinking of upgrading to a new type of heating, it’s important to know what your options are. Whatever system you choose, you’ll need to consult with a heating professional in order to make sure that your new heater matches the size of your home, and that it meets your energy-efficiency requirements. Let Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating help you make the right decision. Our team of experienced heating technicians can make sure that your home will stay comfortable all year long.

Depending on the size, location, and needs of your home, several options are available to homeowners in the North Potomac, MD area, from geothermal to ductless mini splits. Here are just a few:

  • Boiler- The boiler heats water and distributes either hot water throughout your home by means of baseboard copper piping or radiators. It can be fueled by gas or electricity. It can also heat the water in your home, making it one of the most versatile conventional heating systems. As an alternative to a forced-air system, the boiler does not use extensive ductwork to circulate air throughout your home, and remains an economical and energy efficient heater.
  • Furnace- This is probably the most common type of heating system. The furnace burns fuel to create hot air, which is then distributed through a system of ducts into the various spaces of your home. New furnaces boast outstanding energy efficiency ratings, much higher than their forebears. Gas furnaces run especially clean.
  • Geothermal. As its name suggests, geothermal systems harness the latent temperature of the earth to heat your home. The temperature of the ground below the frost line stays at a median of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the geothermal heating system extracts the heat of the median temperature by means of a heat transfer fluid, and a heat pump then uses that heat to warm air which is circulated throughout your home. It is a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution.

Remember that consulting with a heating professional should be the first step. Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating will ensure that your heater is professionally installed and serviced. Call us today at 301-670-003 for heating services in North Potomac, MD and the surrounding areas!

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Geothermal Tip: Geothermal Heating Components

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating offers geothermal heating services in Gaithersburg 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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How Do Ductless Mini Split Systems Work? A Heating Question

Monday, February 11th, 2013

Ductless mini split systems are a great option for homeowners comfortable and efficient heating for their home. While some homeowners have already started to take advantage of them, some people may not know how they provide heating. At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, we offer complete ductless mini split system repairs and maintenance in Bethesda, MD. We wanted to clarify exactly how these amazing systems provide heating for your home.

Traditional Heating Systems

Furnaces and boilers are two of the most common heating systems in the country. They offer comfortable heat for homeowners and are also fairly cheap to repair. However, they produce heat by burning fuel. Burning fuel in your home can be dangerous: not only is there risk of fire but there is also the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ductless Mini Split Systems

Unlike other traditional heating systems, ductless mini split systems don’t burn fuel to create heat. Instead, they just move heat from one place to another. Ductless mini split systems have individual units mounted on the wall in each room. These units circulate the air in the rooms and heat or cool it. It does this by pulling air into the unit and passing it over a series of evaporator coils that are filled with refrigerant.

The “split” part of their name comes from them being connected to an outdoor condensing unit. This condensing unit is responsible for collecting the heat that will go into your home. In heating mode, heat from the outside air is absorbed by a series of coils in the outside unit. The newly heated refrigerant circles back into your home where the evaporator coils in the room units allow the heat to be distributed into your home.

If you’re interested learning more about ductless mini split systems in Bethesda, MD, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating. We provide complete ductless mini split installation and repairs throughout the Bethesda, MD area.

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Can You Add Zone Control to a Geothermal System? A Common Geothermal Question

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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