Dowd Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Bensalem’

Benefits of Radiant Heating Over Forced-Air Heating

Monday, February 20th, 2023
radiant-heating-tubes

You may have heard about radiant heating, an alternative to the traditional home heating method of using a furnace or heat pump that sends heated air through ductwork. Radiant heating isn’t new technology. At the core, it just describes a type of movement of heat. When you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, or you put your hand near a hot surface, you’re feeling radiant heat energy. 

Radiant heat is the movement of thermal energy from one object to another without heating the air between them. This is different from convection heating, the movement of thermal energy through the movement of heated air, which is the type of heating you get from a forced-air system like a furnace.

The most common type of radiant heating system in homes is a hydronic boiler. The boiler heats water and sends it to terminal points in the living space: baseboard heaters, radiators, in-floor tubing. These objects heat up from the water and radiate heat into the rooms.

Installing radiant heating in Bensalem, PA is often a big project, and it’s best done during construction or remodeling. But there are several benefits of a radiant heating system compared to a forced-air one, and these may make you consider going with radiant for your next HVAC system.

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Do Air Purifiers Really Make a Difference in a Home?

Monday, January 23rd, 2023
air-purifier-portable

Most homes have poorer indoor air quality than they should. This is an unfortunate side-effect of the way modern homes are constructed to improve energy efficiency: the homes are built “tight” so little heat is able to escape in cold weather or get inside during hot weather, but this also prevents an influx of fresh air. Unwanted contaminants build up inside homes without any fresh air to sweep them away and replace them. 

This is where air purifiers can serve an important purpose. But do these purification systems make any real difference? 

The answer is yes and no. Let’s look at the no side first.

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The Benefits of Regular Water Heater Flushes

Monday, November 28th, 2022
water-heater

We always stress the importance of having routine heating maintenance done for a residential heating system before winter arrives. It’s not difficult to convince people that it’s vital they have their furnace or other heater in top shape to handle the serious cold winters we experience in Pennsylvania. 

It’s a bit harder to convince them of the importance of this same regular service for water heaters—and the reason is that water heaters work around the year and people tend to take them for granted. But water heaters must have regular maintenance to work their best. 

One of the most beneficial regular maintenance jobs necessary for any water heater is the tank flush.

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Does Rust on a Water Heater Mean It Must Be Replaced?

Monday, October 17th, 2022
rusted-boiler

Rust and other forms of corrosion weaken metal and cause it to decay. It’s rarely a good thing to have rust occur, and this is true for water heaters. You don’t want to see rust developing on any part of your home’s water heater.

But how serious is water heater corrosion? You may have heard that conventional wisdom is that when a water heater starts to show signs of rust, the whole unit needs to be replaced. There is some truth to this, but it isn’t the whole story. Below we’ll look closer at the issue of rust and your water heater.

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How UV Air Purifiers Help a Home’s Air Quality

Monday, July 25th, 2022
surprised-woman

You aren’t the only person who wants to know if an air purifier can help you clean out pollutants from your indoor air. Homeowners today have greater concerns about indoor air quality than ever before, and HVAC professionals like us can offer air purifiers in Bensalem, PA that make a difference.

And, yes, whole-house air purification systems can make a significant difference for indoor air quality. You’ll need the help of professionals to select and install the right set of purifiers and filters.

Air purifiers can use several methods to clean household air. Here are the most common:

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Why You Aren’t Getting Enough Hot Water From Your Water Heater

Monday, July 11th, 2022
showerhead-dripping-close-up

When your home’s water heater can no longer deliver the amount of hot water you need on a daily basis, your life will get far more difficult. As long as a water heater was correctly sized when it was installed, it shouldn’t have any difficulty meeting the daily requirements of a household. When the hot water volume starts to drop, it warns that something is wrong that will require either water heater repair in Bensalem, PA or a complete water heater replacement.

We’ll look over several of the more common causes of a drop in the amount of hot water you’re receiving from your water heater.

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The Difference Between a Whole-Home Air Filter and an HVAC Air Filter

Monday, May 2nd, 2022
pleated-air-filter

If you looked at the title of this post and thought, “Wait, aren’t those the same thing?”, then we recommend you read further. Homeowners are often confused about their options when it comes to getting air filters and air purifiers to improve their household indoor air quality. It often starts with mistaking the job of the standard filter that’s part of the HVAC system—also called the “furnace filter” or “AC filter” (one filter usually does both jobs.)

There’s an important difference between what we call a whole-home air filter and the filter located on the HVAC cabinet or behind the return air duct in the house. 

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Watch for These Warning Signs Your Water Heater Needs Repairs

Monday, April 18th, 2022
plumber-repairing-water-heater

You never want a water heater malfunction to catch you by surprise. This could mean having to go without a hot shower in the morning, and that’s one of the worst ways to start your day. You can’t predict all water heater troubles, but the good news is that you can anticipate many of them. All it takes is knowing what warning signs you need to watch for and then calling our experts for prompt water heater service in Bensalem, PA

Quick action not only prevents losing your hot water, it also keeps the problem from getting worse and even leading to possible water damage in your home. In the worst-case scenarios, the repair will get so large you’ll need to replace the water heater rather than repair it.

Below are some of the more common warning signs of a water heater malfunction.

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Ready for Warmer Weather? Make Sure Your AC Is as Well!

Monday, March 21st, 2022
tulips-in-spring

Are you starting to feel the warmer weather? It’s officially spring now, and although we don’t have any guarantees that there won’t be a cold snap in April (which can be a disappointing month), we’re definitely on the movement toward the summer and the time when our ACs will start their regular mid-year duties.

We know you’re probably ready for warm weather. But have you asked yourself if your air conditioner is? An AC does plenty of work to cool down your home during the summer, and unless it gets the proper TLC from professionals, it may let you down.

In other words, it’s time to arrange for your annual air conditioning maintenance appointment with Dowd Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning.

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The Early Signs You Have a Struggling Heating System

Monday, December 27th, 2021
furnace-old

You never want to be caught with a failed heater in the middle of a Pennsylvania winter. Thankfully, most heating systems won’t die abruptly with no warning whatsoever, so if you know what to look and listen for, you can call in time for heating repair in Bensalem, PA. This prevents an emergency breakdown situation and all the stress and discomfort that comes along with it. 

Heating systems that are beginning to fail or starting to lose their capacity can provide several signals. Below are the most common early warnings, the ones you’ll see during the first weeks when your heating system starts regular work.

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