Celco Heating and Air Conditioning Blog : Archive for November, 2013

Thanksgiving, 2013: A Brief History

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

Thanksgiving is upon us: a time to get together with relatives, eat some great food, watch a little football and/or parades, and stop to appreciate the good things we have in life. There’s a fascinating history to the holiday that goes beyond the traditional Pilgrims-and-Indians party we read about in school.

The first Thanksgiving was indeed celebrated in 1621 in the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Records are spotty at the time, but indicate that the harvest was particularly good that year due to help from the local Native Americans. The meal was probably much different than current times, with venison and fish more likely than turkey, but the general principle was unchanged. (Critics have pointed out that the popular image glosses over the suffering endured by Native Americans, but we prefer to see it as a symbol of brotherhood and a call to rise above our differences to find common ground.)

It wasn’t a few centuries later, however, that Thanksgiving became an annual tradition. George Washington called for a “national day of Thanksgiving” in 1789, and again in 1795, but they were both “one shot” declarations, rather than a call for an annual tradition. Individual cities and states picked up the ball, but it wasn’t until 1863 that Thanksgiving became a national once-a-year event. President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be a Thanksgiving “to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it.” (Lincoln was not speaking in reference to the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving, but to the divisions of the Civil War, which he hoped to heal.)

From there, it remained a tradition until Franklin Roosevelt signed a law in December of 1941, making it a federal holiday. The law also changed the date from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday in November, making it a little earlier in some cases (which Roosevelt hoped would give the country an economic boost).

Wherever you celebrate the holiday and whoever you choose to celebrate it with, we wish you nothing but happiness and joy this Thanksgiving.

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Can I Put a Fireplace in My Home?

Friday, November 22nd, 2013

One of the great pleasures of a New England winter is to curl up in front of a warm and blazing fire. However, if you live in a home without a hearth or a chimney, you may think that a fireplace is completely out of the question. However, that’s not true at all—you can have a fireplace put in your home. And we’re not talking about one of those “video fires” that plays from a DVD on your television monitor. You can have a full installation done of any kind of fireplace you want—gas power, wood burning—without worries… as long as you hire professionals to handle the installation.

Having a fireplace put into your home is a big project, so make sure you find a company with years of experience to take on this task. Celco Heating and Air Conditioning has been in business installing fireplacesand many other types of heating systems in and around Westport, CT since 1976.

Putting in a fireplace means getting a custom design to fit your home. The installers will work out a design with you that will both fit with the look of your house and safely remove the exhaust to the outdoors. You can count on Celco Heating and Air Conditioning to come up with a design that is unique and effective.

After you have your fireplace installed, make sure that you enroll in a regular cleaning and maintenance program to keep it beautiful and safe. Should you need repairs, you can always count on Celco Heating and Air Conditioning to take care of it.

There’s no reason for you to miss out on the joys of a genuine wood or gas-log fireplace in your home. Before the winter arrives, get started with having a fireplace installed in your Westport home so you can spend the upcoming cold months with warmth that also brightens your home.

Contact Celco Heating and Air Conditioning for your Westport, CT heating service needs.

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How Much Space Does a Geothermal System Need?

Friday, November 15th, 2013

Geothermal heat pumps are fantastic ways to get home comfort: they require little energy to run, experience few problems from outdoor temperature fluctuations, and produce no emissions from burning fuel. However, geothermal systems will not work with every home, and one of the reasons is the amount of space they require to operate efficiently. A geothermal system requires very little space inside your home; it’s the lines and coils placed in trenches beneath and around your home that need the space.

Before deciding on going with geothermal heating in Hamden, CT, contact a professional installation company.

The technicians at Celco Heating and Air Conditioning can survey your home and property, calculate your heating needs, and then determine if a geothermal system is ideal for you and how much space it will require. Some homes may not have enough space available to make a geothermal heat pump feasible; our technicians will have many alternate options that will suit your needs.

How Much Space Will My Geothermal Heating System Take Up in My Hamden, CT Home?

There is no simple answer to the question of how much space a geothermal system will take up: it depends on how much heating and cooling power your home requires. The trenches for the coils that carry the vital refrigerant need to go at least 6 feet deep in order to find a stable temperature in the earth. The length of these buried coils will depend on your house size.

A useful benchmark: about 400 to 600 feet of horizontal loops are needed for each ton of energy required to heat or cool. A mid-sized house usually requires a 3 ton unit, and so it would need space for approximately 1200 t0 1800 feet of coils. If there is less space available, vertical instead of horizontal loops can be used; this usually costs more to install, but does allow for homes with smaller property to get geothermal benefits.

Since determining the length of coils you will need depends on how much heating or cooling your home requires, you should bring in experts early in the process to perform a heat load calculation that will determine your specific needs. Once the technicians know how many tons of energy you will need, they can estimate the amount of coils the job will take and if you have the space for it.

Since you should never attempt to install a geothermal system on your own or hire amateurs to handle it—simply digging the trenches is too arduous and difficult—you will need experts involved at some point. It’s best to have them there at the beginning, so you know if geothermal heating for your Hamden, CT home is the best choice. Celco Heating and Air Conditioning has offered heating services to Hamden, Connecticut since 1976 with quality home comfort service, so contact us when you have questions about geothermal systems.

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How to Keep Your Heater Working Well This Winter

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

It’s about time to bundle up for another Connecticut winter. “Bundling up” can be a cozy feeling, especially if you can come in from the outdoors to a warm home whenever you need to. The heater in your house is an important part of enjoying the winter season all the way to the first thaw of spring (and a bit beyond, since we all know April can throw occasional snowballs at us).

We want you to have a toasty warm winter—and that means having a heater in good condition. Here are some tips from our experts on how to help ensure your heater works well all season long.

However, should you need heating repair in Hamden, CT, you can contact Celco Heating and Air Conditioning for 24-hour emergency service that will give you back your cozy home in no time at all.

Tips for a healthy heating system this winter

Change the air filter regularly: This applies to heat pumps and furnaces, both of which use forced-air to distribute heat through your home. The filter traps debris and dust and other contaminants that might cause trouble to the heater’s interior—and if it becomes too clogged because it hasn’t been changed for a long stretch, it will restrict air flow, forcing the heater to work harder to reach its target temperature. If the filter becomes extremely clogged, it could lead to damage inside the heater’s cabinet. Change the filter once a month during the heating season and you should have few problems.

Make sure heat isn’t finding ways to escape your house: Your heater faces a major enemy lurking inside your home: insulation leaks. Heat will escape to the outdoors through cracks around doors and windows, through the attic, up the fireplace chimney, and in any spot with deteriorating insulation. As this happens, your heater will have to work harder to compensate, and this will make it wear down faster (it will also cause a spike in your bills). Make sure you properly winterize your home to seal up heat leaks: caulk windows, put weather stripping around doors, replace old insulation, etc.

Schedule regular maintenance for your heater: If your heater doesn’t receive regular professional inspections and tune-ups, it risks aging faster and eventually breaking down. In this way, your heating system is not much different from your car, and you should give it the same level of maintenance. Schedule a maintenance visit from an HVAC professional during the fall, and have it done every year.

Celco Heating and Air Conditioning offers an excellent maintenance program to help get you care for your heater. If you enroll in our maintenance program, aside from regular tune-ups and inspections, you will also receive a 15% discount on our services and priority scheduling.

Contact us today for maintenance or any heating repairs you may need.

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When Should I Replace My Heater?

Friday, November 1st, 2013

A heater is an important part of your life during a long winter season—as well as during the occasional cold days that crop up the rest of the year—but no heater will last forever. Eventually, you will have to swap out your old system for a new one. This is a big step to take, since installation requires time and money. However, the investment you make in a new heater will reward you immensely in the future with better quality heating and more energy-efficient performance.

So how can you tell that your old heater has come to the point where a new installation is the most cost- and comfort-effective way to go? We’ll offer you a short guide here of some of the tell-tale signs that you should schedule heating replacement in Norwalk, CT with Celco Heating and Air Conditioning. We have 35 years of experience with heater replacement, so if you want an expert’s opinion on your old heater’s performance to help you make the decision, contact us.

Warning signs it’s time to replace your heater:

Mounting repair needs: Look over the last three years’ worth of repair services you’ve needed for your heater. Most likely, if you’ve had multiple service calls, they will continue in the future—and probably increase. This is the strongest sign that your heater is nearing the end of its lifespan. Ask a technician if a replacement will cost less in the future than continuing repairs.

Elevated heating bills: As a heating system wears down, it will begin to drain more power in order to provide the same amount of warmth. You’ll see this reflected in your power bills. A sudden spike in energy costs may indicate a need for repairs, but if the inflation remains, then you should look into getting a new heater.

Constant noisy operation: Heaters that develop malfunctions often warn their owners with unusual noises like clanking and groaning. But if your boiler, furnace, or other system begins to make a continuous loud series of noises during regular operation, its parts might be too aged to work properly.

Keep in mind that all of the above problems are not 100% guarantees that you need to get a new heater, even though they are major warnings. Bring in an HVAC professional to inspect your system to give you a more definite answer—as well as options for a new system to replace your old one if that ends up as your best choice.

Celco Heating and Air Conditioning has NATE-certified technicians on staff, ready to assist you in making the important choices regarding a heating replacement in Norwalk, CT, as well as perform the necessary installation. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

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