The next time you’re calling for HVAC repair in Salem or Keizer, it might be time to think about upgrading your home climate control system. A new technology that’s quickly becoming standard and adopting it will bring you nothing but benefits for years to come.
This is the ductless HVAC, also known as ductless heat pumps or a “mini-split,” which offers you all-in-one heating and cooling in a small package. These units are inexpensive to install and will pay off through many years of use.
So, what makes ductless HVAC systems better than previous types of HVAC systems? Let’s take a look.
Four Reasons to Consider an Upgrade to Ductless Heat Pumps
Individual room climate control
Mini-split systems don’t rely on a central air conditioner or furnace. Instead, each room gets its own blower, connected by small pipes to an outside unit. This means you gain direct control over each room’s climate. Keep one room chilled without spending money cooling the entire house, or even shut down certain rooms entirely when you aren’t using them!
Fast and easy installation
Installing a ductless HVAC system is much easier and less invasive than other types of HVAC upgrades. All it requires are a few small holes drilled in the walls, and units can almost always get installed within just a few hours. This is particularly helpful for homes without central air or ductwork so that you can get modern climate control without extensive upgrades and alterations to your home.
Improved indoor air quality
Ductwork brings its problems when it comes to climate control. Ducts get dirty, are prone to mold and mildew, and they’re a haven for pests – pests that leave waste behind. Without regular cleaning, ducts can start spewing out pollutants and allergens into your home On the other hand, Mini-splits connect directly to the outside, making it much easier to keep out all the contaminants you don’t want to be breathing.
Lowered costs
Finally, here’s the big one: heat pumps are by far the most energy-efficient heating and cooling solution yet invented. A typical heat pump can cut anywhere from 25% to 50% off your monthly power bills compared to standard electric heaters and AC units. An upgrade to ductless HVAC units can easily pay for itself and keep paying off for many years to come.
As a leader in furnace sales and service around the Salem and Woodburn area, we spend a lot of time helping people keep their home furnaces working correctly.
With furnaces, preventative maintenance is always better than waiting for something serious to go wrong. If you detect any malfunction signs in your heater, it’s a good idea to call for heater repairs ASAP. The problem will only get more expensive to fix if you wait.
So how do you know if your furnace is starting to develop problems? Here are some of the big warning signs.
Four Signs of A Malfunctioning Furnace
1. Unusual smells
When you first fire up your furnace in the fall or winter, you’ll probably get some strange smells coming out of the ducts. Odd smells are expected; the furnace is burning off several months’ worth of dust and other accumulated material. However, the burning odors should disperse within an hour or two, and after that, your furnace should be odorless.
So, if you ever start smelling strange things from your ducts afterward, such as burning or metallic odors, it’s a sign that something has gone wrong.
2. Noises from the heater
Modern furnaces should also run very quietly; at most, you should hear a slight hum from the motor or maybe a quiet whoosh of the pilot light. Any loud or metallic sounds, such as banging or scraping, are a bad sign. If you start hearing such things, your best bet will be to shut down the heater and call immediately for furnace repairs.
3. Dirt and debris coming from the ducts
You should be getting relatively clean, pure air from the ducts whenever your furnace is running. If you ever notice dust or other particles coming out of the vents – such as dust building up beneath the vent – there’s something wrong. The filter on your furnace may not be working properly, or you may have dirty ducts in need of cleaning.
4. Not enough heat coming from the ducts
Finally, of course, there’s the question of whether your furnace is producing enough heat. If your ducts’ airflow doesn’t feel very hot, or if the flow of air is lower than normal, these are also signs that your furnace isn’t doing its job correctly.
Furnace Installation, Repairs, & Services in Woodburn & Salem
When you have furnace problems in the Salem or Woodburn area, Melton’s Heating & Air Conditioning is here to help. From furnace sales to service and maintenance, just contact our team when you need us.
Heat pump sales are booming across Salem and Woodburn, and it’s easy to see why. For many homeowners, heat pumps are the perfect option for home temperature control, with substantial benefits over all the alternatives. Whether you choose a traditional single-unit central air heat pump or small ductless heat pump units for individual rooms, a heat pump is an investment that pays off!
If you’re looking to upgrade your heater or air conditioner, or you’re building a new home, you should be looking into heat pumps for sale.
How Heat Pumps Work
Heat pumps function almost exactly like traditional air conditioners, using a refrigerant to trap heat energy and move it around. However, they have one key difference: Heat pumps can reverse the refrigerant flow to cool for one direction and heat for the other! They don’t need to use electricity to generate heat within the home; they can capture heat energy from the outside air and pull it inside.
They can accomplish this even if it feels cold outside to us. The heat pump’s efficiency is reduced somewhat when the temperatures are well below zero. However, a heat pump can still keep you comfortably warm even in harsh winters, as well as bringing several other benefits.
Three Big Benefits to Heat Pumps
1. Reduced heating and cooling costs
THEreason to buy a heat pump is that it is by far the most cost-effective way to heat and cool your home. There isn’t even any real competition. A heat pump will cut anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 off your heating bills in the winter, and their cooling is somewhat less costly than traditional A/C units as well.
A heat pump can quickly pay for itself, just from cost savings alone.
2. Only one unit to manage
Another significant benefit to heat pumps is that they’re an all-in-one unit. Rather than having separate heating and A/C units, you only have one piece of equipment. This reduces initial installation costs, as well as reducing maintenance needs in the long term. Having only one unit adds up to more savings!
3. Better humidity control
On top of being more efficient, heat pumps are also excellent at controlling humidity since they can move moisture in and out of the house. You might even find you don’t need a separate de-humidifier when you have a heat pump!
