Watkins Blog

Watkins Blog http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/ en brad@watkinsheating.com Copyright 2011 2011-12-16T02:31:58+00:00 Routine furnace maintenance saves money http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/routine-furnace-maintenance/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/routine-furnace-maintenance/#When:02:31:58Z
Now what I really want to talk about today is helping you avoid an emergency. No one likes to live in a cold house but when your heating system is not properly maintained, you better have some extra Snuggies laying around.
All gas furnace manufactures, e.g. Trane, Carrier, Bryant, Lennox, etc., require you to maintain your system to keep your warranty in good standing. Just like your vehicle requires regular maintenance so you won’t be stranded along the interstate waiting for a tow truck, your furnace needs to be tuned up every year so you won’t have to burn your kitchen table and chairs to stay warm.

Here are some examples of what lack of maintenance will cause.

Rusted Burners

The first example comes from a home in Mason, OH. These rusted burners are from a propane furnace. The burners rusted to the point where they would not light. The furnace shut down. No Heat. Cold House.

Rusted Trane propane burners

Dirty, Clogged Pilot

This second example was in Lebanon, OH. This is a Bryant furnace with a standing pilot. After just one season of operation, dust and oxidation will cause a pilot flame to get weak. After another heating season, the burner crossovers have clogged. The crossovers act like a fuse which lights all the other burners. Weak pilot + clogged burner crossovers = a furnace which blows it’s own pilot out out. The homeowner tried to relight the pilot but it was too dirty to stay lit. No Heat. Cold House.

Dirty furnace pilot

Rusted Ribbon Burners

Number three is from Springboro, OH. This is an old furnace which uses ribbon style burners. Old age and lack of maintenance has caused the burners to rust. On this type of furnace, rusty clogged burners will produce inefficient orange flames and delayed ignition. A furnace tune-up caught this one before there was an emergency. The homeowner decided to replace the furnace with a Trane 95% efficient furnace.

Rusted Bryant ribbon burners

Clogged Inshot Burners

The fire department was called in this last example! The homeowner smelled gas and called 911. The gas furnace is in the laundry room and the burners were clogged with years of dryer lint. This can be a very dangerous situation! Burners that are this bad cause what we call delayed ignition. Homeowners call it an explosion from the furnace room. Luckily, no one was hurt. I was able to clean up the furnace and check for proper operation.

In all these examples, the homeowners decided that having the furnace checked once a year is a good idea. They all signed up for a tune-up reminder on the front page of our website. How about you? How long has it been since your heating system had some attention? Remember, I’m on call 24/7 if you'd rather wait for an emergency! ]]> Service/Repair 2011-12-16T02:31:58+00:00 Cracked Heat Exchangers http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/cracked_heat_exchangers/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/cracked_heat_exchangers/#When:20:10:01Z
In this post, I’ll share a few tips that can help homeowners recognize heat exchanger fraud. First let’s have a quick primer on the terminology and function of furnace heat exchangers.

The heat exchanger plays a central role in any furnace. It separates the warming flame from the air in the home. The burning fuel warms the heat exchanger which in turn warms the air in your home.

What are the dangers of a cracked heat exchanger?

Many people in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas heat their homes with fossil fuels (natural gas, propane, or fuel oil). When fossil fuels burn they produce fumes containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and soot. A furnace depends on the heat exchanger to contain these dangerous fumes and safety conduct them to the chimney while transferring the valuable heat into the home. If the heat exchanger is compromised by a crack or rust, flue gases and carbon monoxide will leak into the home resulting in illness and possibly death of the occupants.

What is the cause of heat exchanger cracks?

Nearly all premature heat exchanger cracks are caused by overheating. When a furnace cannot get enough airflow, the heat exchanger overheats and suffers excess stress from expansion and contraction. Over time, the heat stress causes cracks near weak areas such as bends or welds. The most common cause of an overheated heat exchanger is a simple as a dirty air filter. A clogged air filter restricts airflow through the furnace, overheating the heat exchanger, and eventually resulting in stress cracks.

An over-sized furnace can also cause overheating and heat exchanger cracks. Too much furnace with too little ductwork or too little house is a problem we see all the time. A furnace with under-sized ductwork will lack proper airflow and suffer a similar fate as that of a clogged filter. Rusted Trane Heat Exchanger

The situation of a large furnace on a small home will take a bit more explanation. One of the byproducts of combustion is water. When a furnace first lights, the flame impinges on the cold heat exchanger and water vapor from the flame actually condenses on the inside of the heat exchanger. After just a few minutes of run time, the heat exchanger is warmed and the condensation evaporates. An over-sized furnace heats the home so quickly that the furnace shuts off after only a few minutes, so the heat exchanger stays wet and rusts from the inside out. The frequent cycling of an over-sized furnace also increases the expansion - contraction heat stress on the heat exchanger.

Proper diagnosis of a failed or cracked heat exchanger.

Diagnosis of a heat exchanger crack typically starts with a no-heat service call. A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace. Beware of an unethical technician who finds a crack with a camera on a furnace that seems to be running just fine. While big cracks start as small ones, some technicians will search for anything that looks like a crack in order to sell a new furnace and earn a commission. We've even seen some technicians draw a line on the heat exchanger with a pencil, show the homeowner the line on a fiber optic camera, and convince them that it is a dangerous crack. In most cases, a true crack will disrupt the flame or set off a carbon monoxide detector in the home. If you suspect a false diagnosis, call us for a free second opinion.

If a technician has condemned your furnace due to a cracked heat exchanger, I would suggest explaining to the technician that you will want to see the crack with your own eyes when the furnace is removed. An honest company should have no problem standing behind their diagnosis. With the heat exchanger removed, the crack should be obvious even to the untrained eye as in this picture. If the problem is not evident, make the company reinstall your furnace and report them to the Better Business Bureau .

Typical cure and cost

Unfortunately, heat exchangers cannot be repaired. When a heat exchanger is cracked or rusted it must be replaced. Because the heat exchanger is at the center of the furnace, nearly the whole furnace must be disassembled. Even if the parts are covered under warranty, the labor and freight will start around $500. Without a warranty, a heat exchanger replacement could run as much as $2,000 (more than the cost of a new entry-level furnace).

The problem with replacing a heat exchanger is that the central cause of the problem is not addressed. In my opinion, heat exchanger failure is usually due to the furnace being oversized for the house or the duct work. The best solution is to replace the whole furnace with a right-sized furnace (typically 1-2 sizes smaller). When you add up utility rebates, tax credits, factory rebates, and the energy savings of a properly sized furnace, a furnace replacement can actually be cheaper than repairing the old furnace.

If you would like more info on cracked heat exchangers or if you need to schedule a free second opinion, feel free to call our office at 937-748-0220 or contact us through this website. ]]> Service/Repair 2011-12-08T20:10:01+00:00 Heat pump operation 102 http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/heat_pump_operation_102/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/heat_pump_operation_102/#When:00:16:05Z

In my last post, Heat Pump Operation 101, I explained how the efficiency and capacity of a heat pump vary with the weather. How does this effect sizing and heat pump operation cost?

Heat pump sizing

Just as heat pump efficiency rises in warmer weather, so does capacity. When winter weather is mild, a heat pump can completely heat your home. In the Dayton area, a Trane heat pump can heat a home down to an outdoor temperature of about 35F degrees. The problem is that in colder weather, the heat pump produces less heat, but your home needs more heat. These two load curves form an “X” on a chart and we call the point at which they cross the “thermal balance point.” Below the thermal balance point, the home's heat loss is more the heat production of the heat pump. This chart illustrates the heat pump thermal balance point in an average Dayton home.

Trane heat pump thermal balance

Why can't we simply size the heat pump larger to accommodate lower temperatures? Remember that a heat pump doubles in the summer as your air conditioner and that a/c sizing is very critical. In the Miami Valley, we depend on air conditioners to remove humidity. To remove humidity, an air conditioner or heat pump needs to run for extended periods. If your air conditioner is too large, it will start and stop many times an hour, cooling your home easily, but removing very little humidity. As a result, an over-sized air conditioner or heat pump leads to high humidity and mold problems. Because of the humidity issue, we size a heat pump to a home's summer cooling needs.

As a side note, an over-sized air conditioner is very inefficient. While it may seem to cool your home easily, the frequent starts and stops are stressful on the air conditioner's components. Think of a large air conditioner in your home like a big V-8 engine in your car. It's fun to drive but it's not fun to fill the gas tank. A right-sized heat pump or air conditioner will hum along keeping your humidity low and your electricity bills even lower.

Heat pump backup fuels

Since a properly sized heat pump will only cool your Dayton home down to 35F degrees outside, we need to add supplemental or backup heat to keep your home comfortable. The most common source of supplemental heat is an inexpensive electric heat strip in the ductwork. Electric heat is cheap to install and very reliable, but the heat it produces is over 3 times more expensive than heat produced by the heat pump. For this reason, we want our heat pumps to continue to operate in the bitter cold and use only as much electric heat as necessary to “supplement” and keep the home warm.

heat pump operation cost

So even though the heat pump is running 24/7 and still can't keep up, the heat that it is producing is still much cheaper than electric resistance heat. The combination of electric heat at 100% efficient and heat pump heat at 300-400% efficient result a total heating system that is more than twice as efficient as electric heat alone. You could also say that adding a heat pump to an electric furnace will cut your heating bills by about 60%.

But what if you could combine a heat pump with another fuel besides electric strip heat? I'm so glad you asked. With recently stratospheric prices of propane and heat oil, it has become popular to install a fossil fuel furnace with a heat pump rather than an air conditioner. Because we are heating the home with two fuels, ie. propane furnace and electric heat pump, this setup is known as “dual-fuel” or “hybrid heat.”

This combination gives you the comfort of a furnace with the efficiency of a heat pump. While the price of propane and fuel oil fluctuate, their heat is typically much cheaper than that of an electric furnace as seen in the infographic below. We then use an advanced thermostat, like the Trane XL950, to control when the system switches from heat pump to fossil fuel so that transition is barely noticeable to the homeowner. If you would like more info on heat pumps, feel free to call our office or contact us through this website. ]]> Service/Repair 2011-12-02T00:16:05+00:00 HVAC Tax Credits and Rebate Changes http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/hvac-rebate-changes/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/hvac-rebate-changes/#When:20:31:00Z

HVAC Tax Credit

For the 2011 tax year, a homeowner can receive a non-refundable tax credit of $300 for installing a 16 SEER air conditioner, $150 for a 95% AFUE furnace, and $50 for an ECM fan motor on a gas furnace. This totals $500 for the HVAC energy tax credit. Currently this credit is set to expire at the end of 2011. Unless congress slips something into a new energy bill, the only HVAC tax credits available in 2012 will be for geothermal and solar.

HVAC Utility Rebates

2012 also brings a few changes to our utility rebate programs in the Dayton, OH area. DP&L will be maintaining their rebates of $600 for high efficiency heat pumps, but reducing the rebate for high efficiency air conditioners to a max of $300. They are however adding a $100 rebate for a 95% AFUE furnace with ECM fan motor. DP&L will also be introducing a tune-up rebate in January 2012. The DP&L rebates are given to the home owner up front an refunded to the HVAC contractor each month.

Also for our Dayton customers, Vectren has continued their mail-in rebate program. They offer $300 for a 95% AFUE gas furnace. They have also added a $20 rebate for a programmable thermostat.

For customers in Warren county and south, the Smart Saver program with Duke Energy is currently unchanged with a home owner receiving $200 each for a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner. We have heard rumors than there will be some adjustments to the program in 2012. We'll keep you posted. ]]> News 2011-11-30T20:31:00+00:00 Heat pump operation 101 http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/heat_pump_operation_101/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/heat_pump_operation_101/#When:00:07:51Z

Many homes in the Miami Valley are heated and cooled by Heat Pumps, but few homeowners understand how they work. Hopefully I can dispel some of the mystery here. Let's start with the basics.

What is a heat pump?

A heat pump is basically an air conditioner with a reverse gear. In the summer, a heat pump or air conditioner cools the indoors and heats the outdoors by pumping heat from inside the home to the great outdoors. In the winter, a heat pump "shifts" into reverse and pumps heat into the home. The process is identical to air conditioning only backwards.

How does a heat pump work?

A Heat pump contains an outdoor expansion valve that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant in the outdoor coil until the coil is much colder than outdoors. This coil is actually warmed by the cold outdoor air. As amazing as this seems, a heat pump coil can reach temperatures as low as 20F below zero which makes a Dayton winter day seem warm and balmy.

After picking up as much heat as possible from the outdoors, the heat pump compresses the refergerant to very high pressures which raises the temperature to as high as 130 degrees. This hot gas is then pumped (hence the term heat pump) indoors to heat your home.

Heat pump defrosting

This super cooling of the outdoors coil does create one little problem. Although cold winter air holds little humidity, the super cold heat pump coil turns that little bit of water vapor into frost. After an hour or two, the heat pump coil will collect enough frost and ice to block airflow. Reduced airflow results in a colder coil and more frost - a real snow-ball effect. This snowball slashes efficiency and greatly damages the compressor. Iced heat pump

To combat this frost, iced-up heat pumps must shift from heating mode to cooling mode for a few minutes every hour or two. This heats the outdoor coil and melts the offending ice and frost. You may have guessed that this process wastes a lot of energy. Older heat pumps employ a crude timer mechanism to initiate the heat pump defrost cycle every hour whether it needs it or not. Trane heat pumps have electronic sensors that defrost only when needed. This greatly increases the heating efficiency of the heat pump.

Heat pump efficiency

Trane heat pumps achieve efficiency ratings between 300-400%. How can any system exceed 100% efficiency? Rather than burning fuel to create heat like a gas furnace, a heat pump uses electricity to move/transfer/pump existing heat from outside to inside. Because it is only transferring heat, a heat pump can burn 100 watts of electricity to produce as much as 400 watts of heat. By comparison, a gas furnace would burn 100 watts of natural gas to produce only 95 watts of heat. Heat pumps are awesome!

You can think of this outdoor to indoor heat transfer like a car driving uphill. On a steeper hill, the car must work harder. Likewise, colder outdoor temperatures require more work from your heat pump. This relationship between outdoor temperature and heat pump efficiency means that efficiency is a curve rather than a set number. For this reason, the industry has established HSPF (Heating season performance factor) as an average measure of heat pump efficiency throughout the winter heating season.

Next week I'll discuss heat pump capacity and sizing as well as backup fuels. ]]> Service/Repair 2011-11-22T00:07:51+00:00 It is cold upstairs! Comfort tips for a two-story home. http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/its_cold_upstairs/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/its_cold_upstairs/#When:16:04:56Z
The first solution is to modify the existing ductwork to allow more airflow to the uncomfortable rooms. In the South Dayton area, we have seen many homes where the builder used duct fittings with poor airflow characteristics. By replacing just the non-aerodynamic fittings and keeping the existing duct runs, we have been able to improve airflow by as much as 80% in some homes. If your house is like mine, the heat ducts are buried in drywall and would be very costly to replace. Replacing all the undersized heat duct is not always necessary. A few creative duct modifications may be just the ticket.

The second solution is to reduce the heat loss in the cold rooms. My home is older and I found that the second story was not insulated to today's standards. Adding insulation can reduce the need for larger ductwork. This is somewhat like sizing the room to the ductwork rather than the other way around. Last summer I replaced all my drafty windows with new low-e3 windows. The window upgrade reduced the temperature difference from upstairs to downstairs from 10 degrees to about 5 degrees. This Spring I spent $200 on fiberglass insulation and improved my attic insulation from less than R-19 to better than R-40. This had an immediate impact on our comfort level, further reducing the temperature variation from five degrees to about one degree. Additionally, I will save several hundred dollars per year through reduced energy usage. The best part is no duct changes or drywall work!

If you have a room or an entire floor that is not comfortable, don't just throw more energy at it. Begin by checking that the windows, insulation, and weatherstripping are up to date. This investment will reduce your energy usage and pay dividends for as long as you own your home. If improved insulation does not completely solve your comfort issues, then we can evaluate your ductwork and recommend the right changes. ]]> Service/Repair 2011-10-14T16:04:56+00:00 The Cause of Freon Leaks http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/the_cause_of_freon_leaks/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/the_cause_of_freon_leaks/#When:01:15:51Z

A Common A/C Myth

Many homeowners believe that, over time, an air conditioner uses freon. Maybe a long, hot summer leaves a perfectly good air conditioner "winded" and low on freon. We just need to tune-up the a/c and top-up the freon, right? In reality, an air conditioner or heat pump has a sealed refrigerant system that should never "use up" or run out of freon. The freon or refrigerant is only the medium used to transfer heat from the inside of the home to the outside. The only resource that is expended is electricity.

If the freon is not consumed in the process of cooling your home, then it must be lost only by a leak in the copper tubing. For many years, the air conditioning industry has used copper tubing to harness the pressure of refrigerant and bring comfort to the masses. Copper is soft and abundant, and easy to seal in the field with solder or brazing alloy. If copper is such a good material, why do we see so many freon leaks? Is this due to poor field connections, poor manufacturing, or is there a third possibility?

Trane Looks for the Root Cause

A number of years ago, Trane began a study to determine the true cause of this constant threat to our comfort. As service technicians, we have noticed that leaks from field or factory connections cause problems in the first year and are fairly rare. The problem leaks that develop in a 4 - 7 year old air conditioner occur in the copper tubing wall not the connection points or braze joints. The source of these pre-teen leaks is what the Trane engineers set out to find in their study.

Freon leak in copper coil

Our technicians have noticed that certain brands of air conditioners develop leaks faster than others and that the newer, more efficient air conditioners are more prone to leaking than the old energy hogs. The reason for this seems fairly obvious to HVAC contractors. A/C manufacturers can raise the efficiency of their equipment by using thinner copper in their evaporator coils. Heat transfers faster through the thinner copper, but this efficient tubing also leaks sooner. One could argue that the legislation that raised the minimum efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps to 13 SEER resulted in thinner tubing walls, more evaporator coils leaks, and, as a result, more ozone-damaging freon released into the atmosphere.

The Real Cause of Freon Leaks

So we know that thinner tubing develops leaks sooner, but what is causing the freon leak in the first place? The leaky a/c coils that the Trane engineers studied had microscopic pin holes seemingly drilled throughout the coil tubing. Trane's in-home studies revealed that the culprit was formic acid. Formic acid was corroding the copper and drilling these tiny pin holes. The acid penetrates the thinner, high-efficiency tubing faster and is making some air conditioner brands look very bad. But where is the formic acid coming from? Isn't that what gives fire ants their sting? What is formic acid doing in our homes and on our air conditioner coils?

Is Formaldehyde the Culprit?

Formaldehyde in the home can convert into Formic acid on the a/c coil. It is extremely mild, but over a period of 5 years, it will produce pinholes in copper tubing. We call this process formicary corrosion, and it is the main reason that we still buy R-22 by the skid. If you have researched indoor air quality, you'll know that formaldehyde is a major pollutant in our homes. An infamous case of severe formaldehyde in the living space was the FEMA trailer provided to Katrina victims. While less severe than a FEMA trailer, most homes have a measurable amount of formaldehyde in the indoor air, and this will always cause formicary corrosion and freon leaks.

Trane aluminum coil

The Cure for A/C Freon Leaks

Stop using copper to manufacture cooling coils. The photos above show copper and aluminum coil tube walls subjected to a formic acid corrosion test. Trane has found that aluminum is not susceptible to formicary corrosion. Through great feats of science and manufacturing genius, Trane began production of an all-aluminum air conditioning coil in 2005. Since then, we have installed many Trane all-aluminum coils, and we have yet to see a single leak in the tubing walls. This truly is an amazing track record. We believe this makes Trane the only reasonable choice for your next air conditioner.

Trane evaporator coil comparison

Comparison of Trane coil and typical copper coil after a 500 hour salt spray test. ]]> Service/Repair 2011-07-20T01:15:51+00:00 6 Furnace Air Filter Tips http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/6_furnace_air_filter_tips/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/6_furnace_air_filter_tips/#When:01:15:43Z
So we get in the car and drive to the big box mega home improvement depot store only to find an aisle a mile long filled with thousands, maybe millions of different air filters! The shelves are full of furnace filters of different sizes, different purposes, and wildly different prices. There’s not a soul in sight wearing an apron or a vest; no one to help with this allergy changing decision. The fifty-cent filter says it lasts 30 days, but it looks like a herd of cows could walk right through it unimpeded. The twenty dollar “air cleaner” claims to last 90 days, but do I really want to spend that much money on something made by the same people who make invisible tape? Well, tape is sticky and I want the dirt to stick to the air filter so . . . the 20 dollar filter it is!”

Sound familiar? Has your furnace maintenance experience been this frustrating. It doesn’t have to be!

Here are a few helpful tips.

Filter replacement frequency varies by filter type and by the size and “dustiness” of the home. The furnace in a large home moves more air and will clog the filter faster. If you have pets you’ll probably need to change your filter twice as often. Not only are pet dander and pet hair leading allergens, they also clog filters very fast! Start with every two months for a pleated 1” filter and double the frequency if you have a large home or if you have pets. I know the $20 filters claim to last 90 days, but, in my experience, these filters are so restrictive that they should be changed once a month. Your furnace and air conditioner will thank you. If you’re ready to get serious about clean air, we can install an Aprilaire whole-house air cleaner in place of your furnace filter. These filters clean the air better that any of the 1” filters at the hardware store and they only need changed once a year.
Buy your filters by the case (usually 6 to 12) and store them near the furnace. This will lessen the tendency to procrastinate your air filter change. Buying by the case can also reduce the cost of each filter change.
Get in a routine of regular filter changes just like you do with your car’s engine oil. One easy way is the e-mail filter reminder system at the bottom of our Service Agreements page. It’s free and could save you hundreds in possible repairs.
Never run your system with an incorrectly sized filter. An ill-fitting furnace filter will allow dust and other contaminates to sneak around the filter and into your home. We call this “filter bypass” and it is the main cause of clogged air conditioner coils. Clogged a/c coils greatly reduce efficiency and compressor life, and will cause expensive problems down the road.
Always turn off your furnace at the breaker panel or disconnect (not just the thermostat) before replacing your filter. Some furnaces have electrical wiring close to the filter location which could shock you if the power is not disconnected first.
Lastly, don’t guess. If you are uncertain about where your furnace filter goes, what direction to install it, or what size or type to get, ask a professional. Give us a call or stop by, we're always glad to help. We have a wide variety of filters in stock at our Springboro location, and at great prices too. Come in and pick up a case or have us bring it to you at your next service appointment.

If you are wanting to reduce allergies and improve asthma and sinus symptoms, then a standard one inch thick filter that you buy at the hardware store is probably not the answer. There are many choices when it comes to high-efficiency, whole-house air cleaners and other Indoor Air Quality devices which can greatly improve your family’s health. Our technicians can recommend the best solution based on the individual issues in your home and your family’s allergies. Holistic indoor air quality will be a future blog post. Until next time!

]]> Service/Repair 2011-07-10T01:15:43+00:00 Air conditioners & Lightning strikes http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/air_conditioners_lightning_strikes/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/air_conditioners_lightning_strikes/#When:19:57:25Z
Power surges can harm nearly any electrical device in your home, and we frequently find air conditioners ruined during lightning storms. Damage from surges can range from blown fuses and burnt capacitors to fried compressors and burnt wires.
Lightning-damaged capacitor

Many customers want us to find conclusive proof that lightning caused the damage. Most insurance policies will cover the damage if a power surge can be proven. Sometimes the best evidence of a lightning strike is other damaged electronics. Stereos, TVs, and other electronics seem to be more sensitive to power surges than your air conditioner. So, if you find that the day after a thunder storm, both your air conditioner and your DVD player are out, your home has likely been hit with a power surge.

A weak surge can damage an air conditioner's capacitor (inexpensive) which, if not replaced, will take out the compressor (very expensive) week or months later. For this reason, it's important to have a tech check your HVAC system if you have any other damaged devices and suspect a power surge.

What can you do to prevent a/c compressor damage? Turn off your air conditioner at the thermostat during a lightning storm. Your air conditioner is only susceptible to power surges when the unit is operating. Of course a direct lightning strike can still turn your a/c into a pile of smoking scrap metal, but direct strikes are very rare.

In the Cincinnati area, Duke Energy offers Strike-Stop, a whole-house surge protector to protect your belongings from most power surges. They also offer inexpensive insurance if the surge is too much for Strike-Stop to handle.

As always, feel free to contact us if you have more questions or need a service technician.

]]> Service/Repair 2011-05-16T19:57:25+00:00 Zoning for Solar Energy http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/zoning_for_solar_energy/ http://www.watkinsheating.com/blog/zoning_for_solar_energy/#When:19:40:17Z
People have differing views on what is aesthetically acceptable and this public perception changes over time. The goal is to maintain or promote some unique organic community character. Loose and obscure rules can lead to an incoherent and tacky town. Excessively rigid zoning rules can inhibit change and produce a sterile, artificial environment. Writing balanced code is a real challenge. How do you promote esthetically pleasing diversity within uniformity and allow for innovation and change?

We are seeking approval from the city to install solar photovoltaic modules on the roof of our building. These solar panels will produce about $10,000 per year in free, clean electricity to power our business. The problem is that current zoning code states that roof-top “equipment” cannot be visible from adjacent properties. The spirit of the law was that roof-top air conditioners should be kept out of sight, but the original authors did not even consider roof-top solar equipment.

We’ve all come to accept certain things as normal after time - though not necessarily beautiful. While I consider an air conditioner a thing of beauty, I know that not everyone shares my affinity for fine refrigeration equipment. While not a fashion accessory, air conditioners have become a normal part of any modern building. Twenty years from now, the same will be said of solar panels.

To pave the way to the future, we are currently working with the city on an amendment allowing for proper use of solar arrays in Springboro. Solar panel installations can range from “nice accent to a modern building” to “sticks out like a sore thumb.” Currently, we’re researching solar code language from other municipalities that properly prevents eye sores and encourages sustainability. By combining the best zoning ideas from around the country, we’ll be able to help our city planners to both preserve the beauty and history of our town and promote eco-responsibility.

In many communities solar collectors have already moved from acceptable to necessity. I recently stayed in a town where nearly all the hot water comes from roof-top solar collectors. These solar water heaters were as normal there as satellite dishes are here. Some homes even wear them somewhat gracefully like designer sunglasses.

The truth is that energy is becoming more scarce and more expensive every year. Solar is a proven technology whose time has come. With the right mix of technology, we can reduce our coal and oil consumption and create a better future for our kids. So while solar panels may not look “normal” on homes and businesses in Dayton, it’s high time we make them normal. ]]> Solar 2011-04-25T19:40:17+00:00