What Is A Heat Pump?

A heat pump is a standalone, two-component appliance that uses refrigeration technology and electricity to provide heating and cooling for homes, businesses and other applications.

A heat pump has two components – a condenser unit that most often sits outside of a home that produces the heating or cooling, and an indoor unit that typically sits on a wall and passes hot or cool air into the home; because the condenser and air handler are separated or “split” by refrigerant line, heat pumps may sometimes be referred to as “mini-splits.” Heat pumps offer extraordinarily high efficiency rates, as well as the opportunity to provide heating and cooling without needing duct work in the home; because duct work is not required, you may hear heat pumps referred to as “ductless.”

How Does a Heat Pump Work?

In the simplest terms, a heat pump uses electricity and refrigerant to move heat from one location to another.

To provide heat, a heat pump works by extracting heat from the air outside of your home and transferring it to refrigeration coolant – the coolant is then compressed, which increases the temperature significantly; the coolant is then moved to the indoor unit of the heat pump, which then passes air over the hot coolant, increasing its temperature to accommodate the thermostatic call for heat inside the home.

Want To Learn More About Heat Pumps in Oklahoma? Give us a call at 405-243-1613 or visit this webpage.

Why Are Air Filters In Your Home Important?

DID YOU KNOW? Regular filter changes cut 5% - 10% off your energy bill every month.

100% of the air in your home passes through a filter, typically twice every hour. Since clean, quality air filters keep the air in your home fresh, the people inside stay healthier. A quality filter captures the harmful bacteria typically found in sneezes, coughs, viruses and molds, as well as pollutants like dust and car fumes.

Clean filters also keep your HVAC system healthy—they enable it to run more efficiently, keep repair costs to a minimum, and reduce monthly energy bills. About half of your monthly energy bill is attributed to HVAC, and keeping clean air filters is the single most effective way to improve HVAC efficiency. Clogged filters make the HVAC work harder as it conditions your home, which raises your energy bill. (And if there are no filters, the coils will clog, which is even worse for your system.)

We recommend changing filters at least every 3 months, but every 1 to 2 months will usually serve you better (especially if you have a busy lifestyle, family with allergies, pets in the home, etc.). 

Should You Let Your Faucets Drip This Winter?

You've likely heard that you should let your faucets drip when temperatures get below freezing. But do you let one faucet drip? Multiple faucets? Does the temperature of the water matter? 

Don't let your faucets freeze this winter!

There's no need to run hot water because the heat from the water should keep the line from freezing. If you know where your water comes into your house, turn on a cold water faucet at the opposite end of the house. What you are trying to do is pull that water through the whole system of the house. 

Leaving a faucet dripping overnight is inexpensive insurance as a dripping cold water faucet uses only 5 cents worth of water in eight hours. 

More Tips For Winterizing Your Home During A Freeze: 

Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses. Detaching the hose allows water to drain from the pipe. Otherwise, a single hard, overnight freeze can burst either the faucet or the pipe it's connected to. 

Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas. If you have pipes in an unheated garage or cold crawl space under the house, wrap the water pipes before temperatures plummet. Hardware or building supply stores will have good pipe wrapping materials available. 

Seal access doors, air vents and cracks. Repair broken basement windows. Winter winds whistling through overlooked openings can quickly freeze exposed water pipes. But don't plug the air vents your furnace or water heater needs for good combustion. 

Find the master shutoff. It may be near the water heater or the washing machine. More likely it's where the water line comes into your house from the street. If a pipe bursts anywhere in the house - kitchen, bath, basement or crawl space - this valve turns it off. So find it now and paint it a bright color or hang a tag on it. Be sure everyone in the family knows where it is and what it does. 

Allow steady water flow. In some places you're advised to leave a steady drip or pencil-lead-thin stream of water flowing from a bathroom faucet during the worst of a cold spell.

Facebook Special Offer - Fall Heating Tune-Up ONLY $69!

Being without heat during the winter can be a miserable experience, especially when you have to wait for service because everyone else in town is having the same problem. If you want peace of mind that you’ll be warm and cozy all winter long, we recommend taking advantage of this special offer!

Call us at 405-243-1613 and tell us that you are a fan of Air Factory OKC and we'll take care of your heating tune-up for only $69 (regular price $99). 

Early fall is best time of year to schedule furnace maintenance, before you need to turn on your furnace. One of the biggest misconceptions about a furnace is “my system is heating, so it’s working properly.” Many furnaces are operating and heating but doing so with a common unsafe condition, a cracked heat exchanger.

Take a look at this cracked heat exchanger! It needs to be fixed ASAP!

A cracked heat exchanger will heat your home or property as normal, but with an increased risk of carbon monoxide entering the living space. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is toxic at high concentrations. A carbon monoxide detector is a good device to have in your home. If you have one, this is the perfect time to make sure the batteries are fresh and new.

You may not be able to completely prevent heating system breakdowns, but you can help avoid them, save money, and maintain your manufacturer’s warranty with professional maintenance from Air Factory Heating & Cooling!