This morning on the news Georgia Power announced they were putting a new power generating plant on line. I found it ironic that the new plant is running on natural gas. With the low price of natural gas, it is a good way to make electricity. When people tout electric cars or hybrid cars as the answer, they forget the power has to come from somewhere. Coal and natural gas consumption are used to generate electricity which takes away some of the “green” of electric cars. My name is Dan Jape and I own Reliable Heating, Air, Plumbing, and Electrical in Woodstock, Georgia.
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New Power Plant Goes on Line Today By Dan Jape
Friday, May 11th, 2012Is your attic overheated? By Dan Jape
Thursday, May 10th, 2012By Dan Jape, owner Reliable Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electrical
In the past two years, many homes in the Atlanta area have had new roofs installed due to the hail damage and storms that have been epidemic. With these new roofs came a very harmful side effect sold to the unsuspecting homeowner by the various roofing companies: a scorching hot attic. My name is Dan Jape and I am the owner of Reliable Heating & Air and I see hundreds of attics that are in the 150 degree range which puts a serious strain on their a/c systems.
Most homes in Atlanta have a power assisted fan installed that exhausts hot air in the summer and keeps the temperature down in the attic which allows the air conditioning to work properly. The duct work in many homes is actually in the attic and it is very important to keep the heat exhausted so the air conditioner can maintain the proper indoor temperature.
The problem has come from the fact the majority of roofing companies have convinced the homeowner they no longer need power fans, instead replacing them with a venting system called “ridge vents”. A ridge vent is simply a cap that goes over a hole cut along the peak of the roofing shingles. It is supposed to allow super heated air to naturally rise up and out the roof of your home through convection instead of using an electric fan to blow the air out of the attic. This system depends on the correct amount of air entering the attic through the vents in the overhang or soffit. The coolest air available on a hot day is under the eve of the home. While this system can work well on new homes where there is adequate intake vents in the soffit, in most existing home that have had a roof replaced, the roofers simply install the top ridge vent and do not modify or increase the intake vents, which causes an overheating problem causing the air conditioner to struggle to keep up in the summer.
Many times, we see a home that has cooled perfectly in the heat of the summer and then the roofer removes the attic exhaust fan during a re roof and the home no longer cools. The fan is then replaced and the a/c actually works properly shutting off and on at the preset temperature. The attic should be sealed at all can lights, plumbing openings and around attic staircases so the attic fan will not draw conditioned cool air into the attic and an attic fan will save enough in energy costs to quickly pay for itself.
An attic fan can be mounted on the gable of the home or cut into the roof. Both types of fans are controlled by an automatic thermostat that turns the unit on and off at a preset temperature. Solar powered fans are also available to exhaust attics without using any electricity and on certain applications can do a very good job keeping the temperature down in an attic.
One should check their attic fan to make sure the motor and the thermostat are in good working order before the heat of summer arrives and if the old attic fan was removed during a roof replacement, a new fan should be installed. Call Dan Jape today at 770 594-9969 for free advice on all your hvac needs or for information on attic ventilators.
To Tank or Not to Tank?
Thursday, May 10th, 2012To Tank or Not to Tank. By Dan Jape
In the past few years, tankless water heaters have drawn a lot attention from consumers looking for a better way to heat water in their home. The tankless offers many attractive features that make them a great, energy efficient source of almost limitless hot water without paying to keep 40 or 50 gallons of water hot all day when you are away from home. The way a tankless works is by reducing the amount of water flowing through the heater so it stays in the heater long enough to be heated to the correct temperature. One of the problems with conventional tankless water heaters are when numerous people are using water, the flow can be very low and they can struggle to keep up with demand. In many homes a circulator is required to give instant hot water in all fixtures so you don’t have to waste water waiting for adequate hot water to bath or wash. A circulator can’t be used on a regular tankless water heater, so there is sometimes a waiting period for hot water. A traditional tank water heater does not reduce flow, but when hot water runs out, you have to wait for the water to be heated until you can use it again. To fill a normal sized garden tub, you have to have at least 100 gallons of hot water on reserve and the tank type water heater can be expensive to keep this much water on demand.
There is a now a water heater available that combines the best of both worlds and gives you unlimited hot water without any of the pitfalls of both the tank type and conventional tankless types. It is the Eternal Hybrid water heater and it is simply one of the most efficient and comfortable heaters on the market. The Hybrid combines both a small reservoir tank of hot, ready to use water in a stainless steel heat exchanger and an instant tankless water heater that can produce up to 19.5 gallons per minute of hot water. This is 8 to 10 gallons more per minute than most tankless and the Hybrid will never reduce pressure or volume. It also will eliminate the “cold water sandwich” that comes from hot water being followed by cold water followed by hot water when a conventional tankless shuts off and on due to usage. The Eternal Hybrid uses water from its small reservoir to stop this inconvenience and when coupled with a circulator pump, can provide instant hot water to any fixture in the home.
The Eternal heater is much more efficient than most water heaters, providing 98% thermal efficiency, which means 98 cents of every dollar spent on gas actually goes into heating water with only 2 cents of waste. There is also a model that does not require a new “over sized” gas line to be installed allowing installation in many more homes than a conventional type. The Eternal can also be mounted interior to a home allowing installs without moving all the piping to the outside wall. In some cases, the Eternal can be 100’ inside a home and all models use regular PVC to vent gas by-products to the outside. All conventional tankless water heaters need cleaning every year to maintain their warranty while the Eternal needs no routine service. This represents a substantial savings over the life of the product. It comes with a 15 year heat exchanger warranty and a 5 year parts and labor warranty. Reliable Heating & Air is an authorized dealer for Eternal and has their techs have been trained to install and service these new hybrids. Check out this water heater at eternalwaterheater.com for more details or call us at 770 594-9969 and ask for Chris McKinney.
Reliable Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electrical can handle all your needs for your home or business. Call Dan Jape today for all your heating and cooling help while master plumber Chris McKinney handles all the plumbing at Reliable. Call master electrician Mike Grayeski for any and all electrical services.
The Last Water Heater You’ll Ever Buy
Monday, April 2nd, 2012By Dan Jape, owner Reliable Heating, Air, Plumbing and Electrical
When you are in need for a new water heater, there are a number of different models on the market today. One can choose the regular tank water heaters that last for 10 to 12 years normally or a high efficient tankless type that can last 20 to 25 years and provide a large amount of hot water on demand.
But another choice that is quickly becoming popular is the Marathon water heater that will last a lifetime and is one of the most efficient ways to heat water. The tank of a Marathon is made out of a high impact, high temperature polysufone fiberglass that will never corrode or rust, and the tank is cocooned in a 2.5 inch thick foam insulation jacket that stops the heat from escaping from the heated water when it is in standby mode.
The Marathon comes with a lifetime warranty that allows for no pro-rating deductions if there is a leak. The water heater is simply replaced by Rheem no questions asked. If you are a Georgia Power customer, you can even qualify for a $525 cash rebate if you convert over to a Marathon.
One very nice feature of the Marathon is they can be installed in a basement or an upstairs closet/attic and you virtually never have to worry about your heater leaking and flooding your home and furnishing. Because of the special fiberglass construction, you are assured it will not fall apart and rust. Most Atlanta area homes have no overflow protection for their water heaters meaning hundreds of homes each year suffer flooding when the homeowner waits to long to replace an old unit. This will not be the case with Marathon.
All the internal parts carry a 6 year warranty and can easily be rebuilt after that if any failure occurs. If you have an electric water heater currently, the Marathon can cut your usage cost by half – and if you currently have a gas heater, you can normally save $60 to $70 per year.
All gas water heaters need regular maintenance and flushing to make sure sediment does not build in the tank and by not doing so, the lifetime will be shortened. The Marathons need no cleaning or flushing and other than an occasional check of the Temperature and Pressure relief valve, the Marathon is one of the few maintenance free water heater choices in the market place.
Another great choice for a water heater with an extremely long lifespan is the gas tankless water heater. They heat water on demand without holding any water in a tank on reserve. This means that they also are a very good choice to be installed in an area where a leak or failure could cause damage since they have no water in them to leak.
Either one is a very attractive option to consider when the old builder grade heater in your home starts nearing the 10 year old mark or it is rusty or leaking. They will truly be the “last water heater you buy.”
Georgia Power offers their customers a cash rebate of $525 for converting their old water heater to a new Marathon heater of any size. Reliable Heating & Air is a Georgia Power approved contractor who can process all the needed paperwork to get this rebate back to the customer quickly. Reliable serves all of metro Atlanta and surrounding cities quickly and efficiently. Call Reliable Heating & Air today for all your water heating or general plumbing needs.
Toilets that Don’t Backup?
Thursday, January 12th, 2012Due to the EPA regulations requiring toilets to use only 1.6 gallons of water each flush, many people experience problems with their toilets flushing properly. They find themselves flushing 2 or 3 times and constantly having to use a plunger to unclog the toilet. These multiple flushes end up using more water than the old 6 gallon toilets used. This is no fun and can be an embarrassment when guests use their bathroom. Many times, people will not be able to clear the commode with a plunger and they have to call a plumber like Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing of Woodstock to help. This has become a serious problem in past years. People actually purchase old commodes made before the EPA regulations went into effect and have then refurbished so they can have a toilet that actually flushes well. There are stories of some actually smuggling toilets from other countries where the regulations do not apply to get a properly flushing toilet. I know this may sound funny to you, but it is actually a real issue and problem with some of the commodes on the market today.Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing has the answer. American Standard makes special toilet called the Champion that is virtually unable to be clogged. They use a new design and water valve to make sure all waste is removed in one flush without ever backing up. I challenged my own by rolling up a large clump of toilet tissue just to see the results and away it went no problem. The American Standard Champion toilet can actually flush 20 golf balls down in one try! They are very affordable and will save hundreds of dollars in water costs and potential damage to your home due to an accidental overflow situation.
It’s not just “routine” maintenance this time of year.
Monday, October 3rd, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing
Cold weather is right around the corner and you will soon be in need of heat in your home. Furnaces need a complete service and cleaning each year before they are turned on to make sure they are safe and efficient. Many times, a homeowner will make the assumption that just because a furnace ignites, it is safe to operate. This could not be farther from the truth. Modern day furnaces are a very safe appliance and when maintained, can give years of service. But it is important that the series of safety devices and components that make them safe are in good working order. All modern day furnaces are safe if they are maintained properly, but if neglected could cause a problem. Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing employees 100 plus Nate certified techs to make sure all is in good shape for a long cold winter.
One of the most important items to check and clean is the heat exchanger. A furnace burns gas and heats up a metal box that contains the gas burners and when the box is warm, a fan blows air across the outside of the box and transfer heat to the air stream, which is then distributed to all the rooms of a home. This heat exchanger heats and cools thousands of times a year and this causes expansion and contraction. This can cause metal fatigue and cracks in this burner box which allows carbon monoxide to leak into the air stream. We have long optical scopes that can be inserted into a heat exchanger to check for cracks and fatigue to make sure they are airtight. This is extremely important to be checked every year, as this piece is a very stressed component of the furnace and can fail at any time a furnace is over 10 to 12 years old. It is also very important that any rust and debris that accumulates in the heat exchanger is vacuumed out to allow all the heat generated by the combustion of the gas to be properly transferred to the air stream.
Another very important series of devices that need to be checked are high temperature limit switches which monitor a furnace for an overheated condition. These high limits are crucial in making a furnace safe and they need to be checked and tested each year to make sure they operate correctly. If a fan or blower stops operating on a furnace, the gas will continue to ignite until these limit devices sense the furnace is overheated and shut off the burners and turn the furnace off. These limit switches are directly in the air stream and take a lot of abuse and they fail after a number of years.
Furnaces have a device that moves air and fumes through the heat exchanger and it is often a component that needs service in a modern furnace. This “draft inducer” is in the combustion stream of the furnace and is exposed to the hot, acid laden fumes of the by-products of gas combustion. Some manufactures make the housing of these inducers out of plastic and they become so hot, the plastic housing cracks allowing flue gases to be emitted into the living space of a home. Some early models also used metal housings and fan blades that was not built out of corrosive resistant materials and they rusted out quickly. These units need to checked at the start of every season for proper operation and integrity of the housing. A complete and through inspection on all the controls on a furnace have to checked every year to assure one all is working properly on their gas furnace.
A gas furnace that a builder installs in your home can give you 14 to 18 years of service if they are taken care of properly and serviced regularly. A furnace that a consumer purchases can last 20+ years and provide safe efficient heat if properly maintained. Have your local heating and air contractor check for correct operation and your family should be warm and safe this winter. If you are need of a new furnace, they start out as low as $1495 and can go up to $3500 for a top of the line model.
When it’s time, it’s time! By Dan Jape
Friday, June 17th, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
When it’s finally time to replace your old heating and cooling system, there will be many choices and different decisions to be made that will affect your comfort, efficiency and overall happiness with any new system selected. It would benefit anyone to become familiar with the different components and terms you will face when that day does arrive.
There are 3 separate pieces of equipment you have to replace when purchasing a new HVAC system and they are the furnace, the indoor cooling coil, and the outdoor condenser or air conditioner. You have choices of different furnaces and condensers, but generally there is only one coil for any system.
There are many different manufacturers of furnaces and many different models available, but there are really just two distinctly different types of furnaces, single speed, single stage furnaces and two stage, variable speed furnaces. A single speed single stage furnace comes on full blast anytime it runs and the motor in it consumes $250 a year of A/C electricity. A two stage variable speed furnaces comes on gradually and only uses the amount of gas needed at any given time to heat your home and it’s blower consumes only $30 annually of D/C current. The Variable Speed furnace also comes with a special thermostat that actually allows the furnace to reduce the amount of humidity in your home by an additional 5 to 10%, and when it is drier in your home, you can actually keep it warmer and feel the same comfort level, which will save you money.
You have many choices in different outdoor condensers and what you pick is critical in your comfort. There are two different types of outdoor units, single speed units and two speed units. The two speed units are the best choice for most homes in the south, as they can be large enough in capacity to handle the extreme hot days, but because of their two speed design, they slow down to remove more moisture than a regular single speed condenser. The efficiency of these two speed units is usually so much better than a single speed unit that they can reduce the electric consumption by over 50% compared to your old cooling system you have in place now.
There are “builder grade units”, consumer grade units and top of the line units in both single speed and two speed. Builder grade units are units designed for a low, upfront price point and come with short warranties and will usually provide a shorter life span, as most builders are only interested in how a particular appliance operates for one year, which is the standard warranty a new home comes with.
Consumer grade units today come with a 10 year parts warranty and some companies offer a 10 year labor warranty or even a lifetime warranty if properly maintained. Units such as these can last 18 to 20 years often times and are available up to 16 seer in most cases.
Top of the line air conditioners are loaded with safeties and controls that allow them to last 20+ years and cut operating costs up to 60% while doing the best job in dehumidification and cooling and come in single speed, two speed single compressors, two speed twin compressors and even solar powered. Units such as these are more expensive up front, but are a better investment in the long run, by offering superior operation, efficiency and comfort.
It helps in any market place to know about the different products that are available and it is always a good idea to get at least 3 different estimates to see if there is a general consensus to what each company recommends.
Reliable Heating & Air Summer 2011
Monday, May 16th, 2011Dan Jape, Reliable Heating & Air
Now that warm weather has arrived, it is very important that your cooling system is checked to make sure it is operating at peak efficiency. If your system is low on refrigerant or coils are dirty, it can cost you hundreds of dollars more each year to cool your home. Make sure you do not waste your money operating a cooling system that is not operating at peak efficiency.
Most HVAC companies offer a service contract which provides two visits a year to clean and tune up your heating and cooling systems and the summer inspection should include cleaning the outdoor unit of mud and debris lodged in the outdoor coil. This cleaning helps a unit give the best efficiency possible. It is always best to sign a service agreement with your company, as it gives your priority treatment during peak times and a discount on parts. At Reliable, we offer a lifetime warranty on most parts if a service agreement is put into effect at time of repair. If that same problem or part ever fails again, we fix it for free, no questions asked.
There are some big changes in the HVAC business brought about by the passage of the new Georgia State Energy Code, which goes in effect this year. It calls for some new tough policies regarding the heating and cooling systems that are installed in new homes.
Blower door tests are now required on all new homes to check the infiltration rate of a new home. The result must be less than 7 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals . Companies such as Reliable Heating & Air are required to have a DET certified specialist on staff to check the tightness of the duct systems and the thermal envelope of the structure. Duct leakage now has to be tested and certified to meet the new standard for tightness. Duct mastic has to be used to seal ducts to make sure they are tight and not leaking conditioned air.
Programmable thermostats are required with every system as are attic tents or covers over the attic staircases. Attic vent fans can no longer be installed in a new home unless they are solar powered. Electric furnaces cannot be installed in any new homes after January 1, 2011. A heat pump must be installed as the primary heat source if natural gas or propane is not used.
There are many other facets of this new energy code, but these are some of the highlights that might affect your HVAC system in the future.
For over 33 years, Reliable Heating & Air has been known as the company to trust for all your heating and cooling needs, providing top quality service at affordable prices. Many times, our customers have looked to us for referrals to handle their plumbing needs also since they have always felt a high level of trust and satisfaction from conducting business with Reliable. We have searched for many years for the right plumber who gave the same great service experience we like to provide our customers and have never been able to give a recommendation without worrying about the outcome. We are now proud to announce we have opened up a plumbing division offering the same great pricing and helpful cheerful service our customers have always had counted on for their heating and cooling needs and we guarantee 100% customer satisfaction. Call us today for any plumbing or heating and cooling needs.
Dan Jape, Owner – Reliable Heating & Air
Big Savings Available Now!
Friday, April 15th, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
This is an exciting time to be in the market for a new HVAC system in the greater Atlanta area due to the many programs and specials available to help with the cost of replacing an old inefficient system.
The tax credit program is still available for homeowners and it is $500 as a straight bottom line credit off your income taxes. It is called the 25C program and it is available to most taxpayers without any income limits. You simply have to purchase a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner or heat pump and you can earn this lucrative credit. The $500 tax credit will pay for some of the upgrade costs needed to qualify for this great program.
There is money available from all the major EMC electric companies to finance a new heating and cooling systems and it is in the form of a 36 month no interest loan that can make the payments very affordable on a new comfort system that can save hundreds of dollars in energy bills every year. They also have very low interest loans for people who need long term payments.
The Atlanta Gas Light company has a number of specials that are available to almost anyone in the Atlanta area that has gas at their home. There are a number of different gas marketers, but they all buy their gas from Atlanta Gas Light Company. There are a few cities that have their own gas companies such as City of Austell or Sugar Hill that do not participate in the gas promotions, but the vast majority of Atlanta homeowners can take advantage of these specials. If in doubt if you qualify, call our office and we can help you. If you replace a furnace and an air conditioner and use an 80% efficient furnace, you can earn a $200 cash rebate and if you purchase a 90% furnace and an a/c unit, you can earn a $400 cash back rebate. If you currently have a heat pump or a dual fuel system with a gas furnace or a heat pump, you can earn a $1000 cash rebate if you replace the gas furnace and air conditioner or if you just replace the gas furnace and have the heat pump rewired to work as an a/c unit. This is a very lucrative program and this money will go a long way in helping with the cost of a new HVAC system replacement.
Trane also has incentives of $200, $400 and $1000 dollars or interest free financing for 36 months. All you have to do is purchase a high efficiency heating cooling system and the rebate is an instant rebate given at the time of time of purchase.
If you have not had your existing system serviced for the summer, now is the time. If your unit’s coils are not clean or if your units are slightly low on refrigerant, it can cost hundreds of dollars in wasted energy bills. A dirty blower wheel and any number of items out of sync can come back to haunt you in higher bills and poor comfort. People who have their routine service performed are assured they are getting their monies worth when the long hot summer days arrive with a vengeance. Call Dan Jape today at 770 594-9969 for details on this new tax credit program and take advantage of all the utility incentives available to help pay for a new energy efficient Trane Comfort System.
Don’t forget the ducts
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010By Dan Jape – Reliable Heating & Air
One of the most important aspects of your home’s heating and cooling system is the duct work. Proper duct work can make a huge difference in the comfort and efficiency of your home. I visit four or five customer’s homes each day and in the vast majority of them, I find duct work issues that need to be corrected to make sure the new heating and cooling system we install will deliver what is promised in terms of comfort and efficiency. I see a number of customers who simply are talked into replacing the equipment in their home without analyzing the distribution system and they end up with the same poor comfort level they had before they purchased a new system.
One of the most frequent problems we find is lack of the proper amount of return or intake duct work. A proper operating system has to have the correct amount of return ducts to match the output of the system. Without the correct amount of intakes, many problems will arise such as lack of cooling capacity, overheating furnace heat exchangers, freezing cooling coils and reduced life of the entire system. Many homes suffer this issue and it must be corrected when upgrading your HVAC system.
Many homes have duct work built out of fiberglass or duct board. This a foil covered, glue impregnated sheet of fiberglass that is used as plenums or distribution boxes on the top and the sides of furnaces and is a very poor choice for ducting material. It is very porous and rough inside and collects dirt and debris and after a few years of service is always filthy dirty. Mold grows on the inside of this material and it is very hard to keep the corners and seams sealed up to keep air from leaking out in attics or basements. Metal ducts and plenums need to be installed to replace this inferior product when a new system is installed in your home to assure you of proper airflow, comfort, and efficiency. In some extreme cases, I find actual splitter boxes or wyes made of this duct board to try and save money on new home construction. You can find these by looking for boxes made into triangle shapes with many ducts attached to them. These impede airflow, overwork the furnace blower, and provide inferior comfort to the entire home. They have to be replaced to make sure you are getting the full comfort and efficiency a new HVAC system can provide you.
The last and one of the most important aspects of your ducts is making sure they are sized properly to deliver the correct amount of airflow to each room in your home. Almost every homeowner I visit complains about the comfort in their bonus room or the room over their garage in a two story home. This discomfort is caused by lack of airflow to overcome the heat loss or heat gain in this special room, which is over unconditioned space and needs more air flow to make this room comfortable. I will never understand why builders ignore this room and provide a space that in many cases cannot be used in peak weather conditions. This problem is easily corrected when replacing your comfort system and should not be overlooked and if it is, the problem will still be there after the new system is installed.
One should never purchase a new HVAC system without having a competent contractor inspect the duct system to assure you that your new heating and cooling system will actually deliver the promise of comfort and efficiency that you should demand from this purchase.
