Heating FAQs
Understanding How Your HVAC System Works
Have you ever wondered how your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system keeps your home comfortable year-round? Your HVAC system is a complex network of components working together to provide heating, cooling, and proper ventilation. This comprehensive guide takes you through the inner workings of your HVAC system, from adjusting the thermostat to enjoying the comfortable air that fills your home.
Before getting the answers to your burning questions, Hillside offers heating system maintenance, repairs, and installation in DE, PA, and MD. Contact us to schedule any of our home heating services at 302-738-4144 (DE&PA) or 410-398-2146 (MD).
HEATING SERVICES
This contact form does not substitute for a service call request. Please call our office 302-738-4144 or 410-398-2146. Thank You.
Heating Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding the Basics:
- Thermostat: The control center where you set your desired temperature.
- Furnace: The source of warm air in a forced-air heating system.
- Ductwork: Channels that distribute the heated air throughout your home.
- Vents and Registers: Openings that allow warm air to enter and exit rooms.
- Air Filter: Cleans the air of dust, debris, and allergens.
- Return Air Registers: Draws air from your home to be heated.
Heating Process:
- Thermostat Control: When you set your thermostat to a specific temperature, it signals the system to start heating if the temperature drops below this point.
- Furnace Activation: The furnace ignites, warming the air.
- Air Circulation: A blower fan circulates the heated air through the ductwork.
Distribution: Heated air flows through the ducts and out of the vents, filling your rooms with warm air. - Thermostat Monitoring: The thermostat monitors the temperature and signals the furnace to stop heating once the set point is reached.
- Heating Oil: Stored in a tank, used by over 8.5 million American households, primarily in the Northeast.
- Natural Gas: A flammable and abundant energy source in the U.S., with lower emissions than other fossil fuels.
- Propane/LPG: A nontoxic fuel stored in large tanks, often buried underground, making it safe and efficient for home heating.
- Forced Air System:
- How It Works: Air is heated by a furnace and distributed through ductwork.
- Advantages: Can also be used for cooling, and air can be filtered to improve quality.
- Disadvantages: The blower can be noisy, and moving air can distribute allergens.
- Hot Water Baseboard or Radiator System:
- How It Works: Water is heated by a boiler and circulated through baseboards or radiators.
- Advantages: Energy efficient and quiet, with even heat distribution.
- Disadvantages: Baseboards must remain unobstructed, and temperature increases can be slow.
- Heat Pump:
- How It Works: Extracts heat from the outside air or ground and transfers it indoors.
- Advantages: Energy efficient, can provide both heating and cooling.
- Disadvantages: Less effective in extremely cold climates.
- Steam Radiant Heating System:
- How It Works: Steam is produced by a boiler and distributed through radiators.
- Advantages: Efficient and quick to warm spaces.
- Disadvantages: Radiators can be unsightly, and air conditioning requires a separate system.
- Geothermal Heat Pump:
- How It Works: Transfers heat to and from the earth using a ground loop pipe.
- Advantages: Can save 30-70% on heating costs. Disadvantages: High initial cost.
Regular maintenance and professional servicing are crucial to ensure your heating system operates efficiently. Hillside Heating and Cooling can assist with maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to keep your system running smoothly.
If you have a no-heat emergency, first check our NO HEAT CHECKLIST.
If you have a furnace emergency, call Hillside Heating and Cooling today at 302-738-4144 or 410-398-5879 or contact us to schedule service. Hillside offers furnace maintenance, repairs, or a FREE estimate for new heating system sales and installation in DE, PA, and MD.
Join Over 5000 Customers Who Trust Hillside For
- Modern Energy-Efficient Products
- Exceptional Customer Service
- Fast and Flexible Scheduling
- Up-Front and Fair Pricing
- Industry Leading Warranties
- Excellent Service and Maintenance Plans
- Courteous and Professional Technicians
- Over 70 Years of Industry Expertise
THE TRUSTED COMFORT EXPERTS OF DE, MD, & PA
WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS
All of our work is guided by three generations of family attitudes and values – respect, loyalty, integrity, accountability, honesty, kindness. We pride ourselves on building excellent relationships with our customers, some of whom we have served for decades, and then gone on to serve their children for decades. Above all, we know what it’s like to be a customer and how we’d like to be treated.
That’s why we’re so honored to have received thousands of glowing ratings, reviews, recommendations, and testimonials from our heating and cooling customers. It means the care we put into our work shows through, and that we truly are doing customer service right.
Proudly Serving New Castle County, DE, Cecil County, MD and Southern Chester County, PA.
