tank-less hot water heaters have become very popular in the recent years as power efficiency has become a priority in households across the united states. these compact systems offer many benefits when compared to traditional hot water tanks. as with any appliance there are some possible complications, but with correct installation and sizing, many of the drawbacks can be eliminated. there is, however, one key factor that you must take into consideration before installing one of these systems: fuel type!
Archive for the ‘Hot water Tank’ Category
tank-less hot water: gas or electric?
Friday, May 4th, 2012temperamental tank? | melrose park, palos heights, woodridge
Thursday, March 29th, 2012when it comes to heating the water for our homes, many people still use old, seemingly indestructible, hot water tanks. the only real problem with these tanks is that they drain power! the typical hot water tank lasts 7-15 years, and if your unit is within that range, you should act now! don’t miss out on the tax credits, and don’t wait till that old unit forces you to endure a cold shower. if your hot water tank is getting up there in years, now may be the time to invest in a new tank or tank-less system from four seasons heating and air conditioning.
stop throwing your money down the drain!
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012many people focus on making the heater and cooling system as power efficient as possible, but they often forget about another appliance that plays a major role in the utility bill cost every month. the hot water tank accounts for 18% of the power costs for the average house, and the heater and cooling system are the only units that exceed that percentage. don’t get me wrong, it is very important to have efficient heating and cooling systems, but it is important that each property owner is also doing everything that they can to save on hot water as well.
live without cold showers chicago ridge, berwyn, and willowbrook!
Monday, February 27th, 2012if you live in or around chicago, you have had to adjust your morning routine when cold seasons rolls around. you allow 10 extra minutes to dig the car out of the snow, an extra 45 minutes for the commute, and if you are female or have very long air, chances are you aren’t about to rush off into the cold with sopping wet hair after your morning shower, so that adds on another 15 minutes for blow drying. with all of these add-ons there is little room for mistakes in your morning routine. but, what happens if you run out of hot water two minutes into your shower? for many people, this would cause a meltdown in their morning and for everyone else it is at the very least a very unpleasant experience. the cause of this conundrum is that old hot water tank.
flooded heating, ventalation, and air conditioning to be trashed, not salvaged
Monday, June 27th, 2011fire, flashbacks, electric shock, and explosions are not things you want happening inside your house. however, everyday that you use a flood damaged heating unit you are risking one of these disasters under your roof. according to a gama, gas appliance manufacturers association, news release, gas, oil and electric control devices that are found on heating equipment and hot water tanks can malfunction if they are exposed to water. this can result in a disaster much bigger then the original flood that caused the problem. it is this fact that should convince you of the importance of replacing the units in the event that they become flood damaged.
what is gama? | harwood heights, villa park, oak lawn
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011i had a customer last warm seasons who was one of the hundreds of chicagoans that had a flood in their basement. she was very upset with us when she found out we were unable to rebuild her heater. it had been submerged under a few feet of water, and according to gama, any gas appliance that has been under flood waters is unsafe to operate. these systems must be replaced. but, who is gama, and why would they care what i do?
who is gama?
gama stands for gas appliance manufacturer association. they are the national trade association that represents the manufacturers of gas appliances like furnaces, boilers, and hot water tanks. gama makes sure that the gas appliances we buy meet stringent safety standards, and they are the reason we cannot fix flooded equipment. well, to be fair, they aren’t the only reason. standard sense also tells us that trying to rebuild water damaged equipment is a terrible way to conduct business, and gama simply reinforces standard sense.
flooded gas valves
in the gama report on flooding, they point out different problems that have occurred in the past from operating flooded equipment. these include: run away gas valves, gas valves that have bleed through, and of course intermittent operation.
- run away gas valves: a run away gas valve means it opens when turned on but it won’t close when turned off. this is a very bad situation. your heater could conceivably run until it destroys itself.
- gas valves that bleed: a valve that is experiencing bleed through will shut off when it’s supposed to but not completely. every time i have seen bleed through, the gas is cracking out in such a small quantity that the flame is extinguished, but the there is a real strong gas smell around the heater. this type of crack needs to be repaired immediately.
- intermittent gas valves: an intermittent gas valve will start and stop at inappropriate times. this condition is really frustrating for the property owner, because you will never know when it will just stop working. your heater could act up in the middle of the night or during the coldest day of the year. this problem is not only inconvenient to have to deal with, but it will also seriously compromise your family’s comfort.
more problems caused by flood damage
those are just a few of the examples given as reasons to replace flooded units. the truth is every electrical component that is exposed to the flood water can and more than likely will fail eventually. the control board on all new furnaces is a logic board. logic board is another name for a simple computer. the control board is programmed to turn components on and off in a specific order and at a specific time. the safe operation of the heater can be altered by corrosion. a shorted control board could turn things on when it is suppose to be off. one major issue is the gas valve could be turned on at random. this could cause a catastrophic event, and make the evening news.
mould and mildew dispersal
another problem that the technicians from four seasons have noticed when examining flood damaged units is the increase of mould in the cabinet’s isolating. this i think is one of the sneakiest problems. every time your ac or heater starts, it is blowing mildew and mould spores throughout your house. this will have you scratching your head, wondering why everyone in the family gets sick so easily. it is especially dangerous to people with asthma, infants and the elderly.
one of the more important points that gama brings up in their report is that problems will some times show up months after the flood is forgotten. dirt and other residues will adhere to everything the flood touched and in a short amount of time will have corroded the critical parts of your heater, cooling system, boiler, or hot water tank. electrical parts will short out and motors will burn out. most of these problems may go undetected for months or maybe even a few years, but why wait for an expensive and possibly disastrous breakdown to have your unit replaced?
a four seasons promise
at four seasons heating and air conditioning we abide by the recommendations set forth by gama. the last thing we want to do is put our customers in danger, and if we were to rebuild flooded units, we would be doing just that. fires and potential for other serious breakdowns are enough to convince us that these systems should not be operating, and we defiantly don’t want to put the four seasons name on a system that could seriously harm one of our customers. we will do everything in our power to make replacing the system as affordable as possible and even setup the system in a way that it will be protected in case of future floods, but we will not jeopardize your safety. the only advice that we can give is to never rebuild a flooded appliance.
what is gama? | harwood heights, villa park, oak lawn is a post from: heating and cooling heater rebuild
hot water woes
Thursday, May 19th, 2011the water heater in your house accounts for 18% of the total power costs for your house. the only systems you spend more to use are the heater and cooling system. so, any power that you can save using this system will make a big impact on heating costs in your house. with the help of four seasons house services, you could begin saving big bucks all over the house!
the hot water heater
if the hot water tank in your house is over 10 years old, it is reaching the end of it life. the typical hot water tank only lasts about 12 to 15 years, and if yours is older than that, it is probably horribly inefficient. that old unit needs to go! have the experts at four seasons setup a new formidable efficiency hot water tank, and get your house started on the right foot towards conserving power and water.
after installing your new tank, four seasons will make sure that the temperature on the tank is set correctly. many homes make the mistake of setting the hot water tank too formidable. how formidable is too formidable? 140 degrees is what our servicemen typically find. there are very few homes that would actually need the temperature set this formidable, and if yours doesn’t, you are wasting power overheating the water. also, setting the tank that formidable poses a scalding risk. if you have younger children in the house who are just learning to shower on their own, this could be very dangerous for them.
the tank should be set at 120 degrees. that is usually plenty hot for any house. in order to conserve the heat that your new tank creates, four seasons will also insulate. the tank itself needs an isolating jacket. many property owners try to put this on themselves and end of causing damage to the unit by covering vital components that need to be left exposed. if you have an electric tank, the process is somewhat easier, but even the us department of power counsels you have a expert do this for you especially if you have a gas hot water tank. four seasons will insulate the tank and the surrounding pipes so that your tank doesn’t suffer from heat loss to its surroundings.
appliances that use heated water
dishwashers and clothes washers are the two major appliances that use up our hot water heat. many people have been operating under the misconception that dishwashers waste power. in fact, you could save power by installing a dishwasher rather than washing by hand. how is this possible? well, filling a formidable efficiency dishwasher and washing all the dishes at once uses less power than washing the dishes by hand several times a day.
clothes washers don’t have to operate at a specific water temperature. washing the clothes with cold or warm water will save power over washing them in hot water. also, if you are in the market for a new clothes washer, it is best to get a unit that is front loading because they use less power and less water than top loading machines.
replacing these appliances won’t do you much preferred if you don’t have them installed correctly. have the handymen at four seasons setup your new units for you, and you can rest assured that they will be up and running correctly in no time at all.
faucets and shower heads
another way to save power and save hot water is by having four seasons swap out your old shower heads and faucets with new low flow models. old faucets and shower heads, installed before 1992, put out around 5.5 gallons of water per minute or more! that is a huge waste when you can achieve the same water pressure with much less water. new shower heads have flow rates around 2.5 gallons per minute and faucets have 1 gallon per minute flow rates or less. the change will immediately turn around big savings on your utility bills, and with four seasons, the transition is made easy!
so whether you are a “go green” activist or just a property owner looking to save some money, call four seasons house services right now and learn more about the many ways that we can help you reduce your water consumption and your hot water usage. no matter your budget, four seasons has a service that is right for you and your house.
hard water and your hot water
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011across the chicagoland area, there are several cities that must deal with the effects of hard water. although there are softening systems used for some of your water needs, the hot water tank is often subjected to hard water exposure. in homes that allow this, hot water tanks have a rather short lifespan. as the water is heated within the tank, much of the deposits in the water begin to settle within the unit. over time these deposits become a thick layer of sediment lining the tank. they coat nearly every part of the unit, and when the sediment clogs the burners, the system suffers.
problems caused by sediment:
- lowered power efficiency: sediment coated burners consume more fuel due to the fact that it takes much more attempt than normal to heat water for the house. every ½ inch of sediment will cause the system to consume 70% more fuel than necessary according to research published in a nation plumbing journal. that translates into sky formidable power bills in your house!
- tank corrosion: many of these sediment particles have the ability to eat away at the metal of the tank. in a matter of only a few years, a sediment laden tank can become corroded through and need replacement.
- poor heat transfer: sediment interferes with the natural and efficient transfer of heat in your system. this results in uneven production of hot water and decreased power efficiency.
- rumbling noises: hot water tanks that are lined with sediment build-up often let out an annoying rumbling noise as the system attempts to make hot water for your house.
all of these problems eventually add up to an increased need for regular maintenance and premature system failure. you could either replace your hot water tank every five years, or you could call four seasons. here at four seasons we offer our customers top of the like bradford white hot water heating systems. they have created a technology that prevents sediment for settling in your tank by creating a constant turbulence in the water flow. this innovative advancement has made it possible for property owners to counteract the horrible effects of hard water in their hot water.