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Summer doesn’t officially come to an end for a few more weeks, and we’re apt to have some warm weather yet here in Dumont, NJ. But Labor Day marks an ideal spot on the calendar to start preparing your heating system for the fall season. We have a lot of different types of heaters in our community, but all of them are charged with the same job: keeping your home warm and comfortable in the throes of winter. Proper preparation, consisting of a healthy mix of professional attention and individual steps, can ensure that your heating system does its job exactly when it’s supposed to.

IT STARTS WITH MAINTENANCE

The first step towards preparing your heater is to schedule a maintenance session with a trained technician. This isn’t the same as a repair call, which is designed to fix one specific problem. Rather, it’s a kind of tune-up, aimed at treating little issues like dust and loose bolts that contribute to wear and tear. It’s also a chance to get a good look at the system and spot anything that might cause big trouble down the line. That gives you a chance to deal with the problem when it’s still relatively small, instead of rushing around after it’s caused a breakdown.

YOU CAN TAKE STEPS YOURSELF

In addition to a maintenance session, you can perform several steps yourself to make sure the heating system is working at its best when you first turn it on. Make sure the vents and exhaust pipes are open and free of debris, and clear a two-foot space around the heater so that there’s no risk of blockage. Change the filters on it (they should be changed once a month if possible) and look into ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, such as sealing cracks around your doors and windows with weather stripping.

Call BZ Dependable today to schedule a heating maintenance session!

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BZ Dependable Plumbing & Heating Inc. no longer offers radiant heating services. Check out our other heating services to find the perfect fit for your heating needs.

The heating season is over, and if your old heating system is worn out, then it may be time to consider a replacement. And if the traditional forced-air system found in many Teaneck, NJ homes doesn’t quite suit your needs anymore, there’s an alternative you can consider: radiant floor heating, which offers a number of benefits over older models. Now is the perfect time to consider an installation, with the winter months away and all the time in the world to make your plans. Here’s a quick summation of what the system is all about. 

THE SYSTEM

The system itself is fairly simple. Tubes filled with water or heating liquid and laid down beneath the floorboards in your home. They’re attached to a heater and a pump that circulates the liquid whenever your turn the system on. As the liquid circulates, it warms the room directly through the furniture and the soles of your feet, providing a comfortable atmosphere without relying upon forced air.

THE BENEFITS

The benefits of radiant floor heating start with the month-to-month costs, which are usually much lower than a comparable forced air system. That’s because radiant heating is more efficient than forced-air, since the warm temperatures don’t have to warm the room up indirectly with the air. That also eliminates problems like cold spots and drafts, as well as preventing germs and contaminants from spreading through your home via the ducts.

Finally, radiant heating systems suffer from much less wear and tear, since the bulk of the system is under your floors and out of direct harm. That translates to fewer repair bills and a lower lifespan overall, provided you keep it properly maintained.

The pros at BZ Dependable can discuss your radiant flooring heating options with you, then install a new system with confidence and pride!

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We’re still in the throes of winter here in Fort Lee, NJ, but spring will be here soon, and with your heating system done for another year, now is the time to think about changes or upgrades to your heating system. If you’re still using an old-fashioned oil-based furnace, now is the time to consider a conversion to natural gas. Trained service experts can conduct the operation for you in full accordance with the civic statutes on such a changeover, but it helps to know how you will benefit from an oil-to-gas conversion this spring. Here’s a short list of things to consider:

  • Improved Savings. Natural gas is cheaper than oil, and gas furnaces tend to be much more efficient to boot. When judiciously applied, it will save you a great deal on monthly heating costs: enough to pay for the cost of installation and then some.
  • Cleaner Burning. Oil burns less cleanly than natural gas and releases more toxins into the air. By making the switch, you can do your part for the environment and reduce pollution levels in your system.
  • Longer Lasting. Gas furnaces tend to last longer and result in fewer repair bills than oil furnaces, ensuring that you can go longer before having to replace it.
  • A number of government subsidies are available for making the switch to natural gas: helping to offset the cost of installation and making a new system easier for you to reach than ever.
  • Good Timing. With heating season coming to an end, you can schedule a time to make the oil to gas conversion at your leisure, instead of having to rush around and rearrange the rest of your life. When the temperatures drop next fall, your system will be all set to go!

Call the pros at BZ Dependable to schedule an oil to gas conversion!

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In our business, we like to talk about improved efficiency of new heaters, which can be a great boon if you’re in the market for replacing yours. Heating efficiency is measured by AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency), which is lists the percentage of the system’s consumed energy that actually goes into heat production. The rest is lost to waste. So a system with an AFUE of 60% wastes 40% of the energy consumed while one with an AFUE of 85% only wastes 15%. You can see why you want an efficient heater, and how much of a difference it can make here in Bergen County, NJ. But improved efficiency doesn’t always turn into improved savings: running your new heater more than your old one could still up your monthly bills, and a more powerful heater will suck up energy more than a smaller one. In order to turn improved efficiency into improved savings, you should apply a few simple steps:

MAKE SURE YOUR SYSTEM IS PROPERLY SIZED

An overly powerful heating system may be more efficient than your old one, but that can still cost you extra. A system that heats up your home too quickly will engage in short-cycling: turning on and off rapidly throughout the day. Heaters spend far more energy turning on and off than they do simply running, which means that the improved efficiency will be wasted away quickly Make sure your new heater is properly sized to your home to make the most of its efficiency.

DON’T RUN IT MORE OFTEN

Certainly, you can run your new cheater as often as you like. But if you run it more often than your old one, expect the savings to diminish. The improved efficiency goes into that increased used rather than the monthly bill.

For more efficiency tips, give the pros a BZ Dependable a call today.

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boiler repair bergen county

A number of households in Bergen County, NJ use boilers to keep warm in the winter. The system is very simple and inexpensive to use: heating water into steam and sending it through various pipes in your home to warm your different rooms. Issues can be prevented with timely and regular boiler maintenance from a trained technician, but sometimes, there’s no choice but to deal call the pros for boiler repairs. When that happens, the sooner you can identify a problem the better. This is especially true in the case of leaks, which are common problems in the winter and which can lead to higher bills and other issues if you aren’t careful. Here’s some signs to tell if your boiler is leaking water.

WET SPOTS AND RUST

In some cases, a leak will present itself with wet spots in the carpet. As steam escapes the system it will coalesce into droplets, which you can spot on the nearby walls of the floor. In other cases, the combination of a very small leak, and the high pressures of the system will cause the released steam to simply evaporate. In those conditions, look for signs of rust or corrosion nearby, especially along the fittings between different pieces of pipe. If they appear, you may be looking at a leaky boiler.

THE PRESSURE GAUGE

The pressure gauge measures the amount of pressure in the system, and should be set at a certain level based on your particular heater’s operational parameters. If that level drops seemingly for no reason, there may be a leak somewhere in the system. Check the pressure gauge, and then check it again a few hours later. If it wavers or drops, you should call in a professional boiler repair company.

Have a leaky boiler in Bergen County? The experts at BZ Dependable are here to help with boiler leaks whenever they arise! Call us now for emergency services, or make an appointment for your annual boiler maintenance today.

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Homes in Bergen County, NJ use many different types of heater to stay warm during the freezing winter months, from boilers to geothermal heating systems. In many cases, however, the forced-air gas furnace still prevails, using natural gas to heat the air before blowing it into your home with a fan. If you own a gas furnace, it behooves you to watch for signs of electrical problems. Though gas serves as the fuel for the heater, it still needs electricity to power key components, and when that electricity encounters issues, then the whole system can shut down. Here are some common electrical problems with your furnace that you should learn to watch out for.

THE FAN MOTOR

The fan motor operates the fan, blowing the hot air generated by the furnace you’re your home through the same ductwork that carries cool air in the summer. When the fan motor suffers an electrical short, that air can’t be distributed to your home and the temperature won’t go up. The hot air will just stay stuck in your furnace, which can cause other components to overheat as well. The good news is that the system will typically shut off before serious damage occurs, but even then, you need to fix the problem before you can use your furnace again.

THE IGNITION

Older furnaces uses a pilot light to ignite the gas and start the heating process. They were reliable but suffered from problems of their own. Newer systems use electrical ignition systems to spark the gas, which is much safer and less prone to problems. When the ignition system can’t get electricity, however, the heater won’t turn on. It’s beneficial because it won’t flood your home with unlit gas, but you still need to get it fixed before you can warm up your home.

Call BZ Dependable to handle electrical problems with your furnace!

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