DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog : Archive for December, 2013

New Year’s Traditions Explained

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

2014 is almost upon us, and with the coming of the New Year, we thought we’d take a brief look at some of the more popular traditions associated with this holiday. It’s been around for at least 4,000 years: as long as we’ve figured out how long it takes for the seasons to come and go. Here’s a quick discussion about some of our more modern traditions and where they started:

  • Auld Lang Syne. The famous song began in Scotland, where it was published by Robert Burns in 1796.  He claims he initially heard it sung by an elderly resident of his hometown, which suggests it has traditional folk origins even before that. It became even more popular when big band leader, Guy Lombardo, started playing it every New Year’s Eve, starting in 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
  • The Dropping of the Ball in Times Square. The tradition of dropping the ball in Times Square started in 1907. It was made out of iron and wood with light bulbs located on the surface, and the ball originally “dropped” over the offices of the New York Times at One Times Square. Dick Clark famously broadcast the event every year from 1972, until his death in 2012.
  • The Rose Parade. The Tournament of Roses Parade has been held in Pasadena every year since 1890; taking advantage of California’s warm weather to present a parade of floats, bands and horses. A football game was eventually added to the festivities in 1902, when Michigan dominated Stanford’s team by a score of 49-0
  • Baby New Year. The use of a baby to signify the New Year dates back to Ancient Greece, where it symbolized the rebirth of Dionysus (the god of wine and parties). Early Christians initially resisted the pagan elements of the story, but soon came to adopt it since it matched the traditional Christmas symbol of baby Jesus in the manger. Today, people of all faiths and traditions refer to the New Year as a baby, representing new beginnings.

Whatever traditions you choose to celebrate, we here at DuAll Heating & Cooling wish you the very safest and happiest of New Years. May 2014 bring you nothing but the best!

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Wishing You a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

Wednesday, December 25th, 2013

It’s the holiday season once again, and everyone at DuAll Heating & Cooling wishes the very best for you, your family, and your friends. We hope that whatever brings you joy fills these last days of the year.

We’d like to thank all of our customers for giving us the opportunity to provide you with services that improve your lives and help you better enjoy this time with your loved ones. You are the reason that we exist as a company, and that’s something we always keep that in mind. We are eager to work with you in the coming year.

Here’s something to remember for the season: many companies in our industry are very busy on service calls during December—it’s one of the most crowded times of the year. If you need service, make sure you schedule it as soon as possible so you can continue to enjoy the pleasures of this time of year.

Lastly, we at DuAll Heating & Cooling want to conclude with a thought from the late Earl Nightingale to help remind us all that we do not need to wait for a holiday to have a reason to enjoy or celebrate ourselves, our lives or our family:

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.

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How to Choose the Perfect Furnace for Your Home

Friday, December 20th, 2013

Furnace installation’s in Naperville are no laughing matter. Our winters are uniformly cold, and without reliable heating, your home is apt to turn into an icebox very quickly. A good furnace starts with the initial installation, which needs to be performed by professional technicians with a track record of reliable service. Beyond that, it’s a question of picking the furnace that is best suited to your conditions. Here’s how to choose the perfect furnace for your home.

It starts with size, and by that we mean the furnace’s power capacity rather than its physical size. Generally speaking, a furnace needs to generate about 50 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy for every square foot of your home. That number can be modified depending on how much insulation you have as well as factors such as a lot of sunlight exposure. Sizing is vital to an effective furnace. If it’s too small, it won’t heat your home, and if it’s too large, it will cycle on and off too quickly throughout the day, costing you energy in the process.

Once you have the size nailed down, it’s time to look at efficiency. Furnaces measure their efficiency as a percentage, known as the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating. The higher the rating, the greater percentage of the furnace’s generated energy actually goes into heating, instead of being lost to waste and inefficiency. The higher the rating, the more the furnace will save you money. (You can cheat by looking for furnaces with the EnergyStar label, denoting a furnace with an AFUE of 95% or higher.)

Finally, you should examine your furnace’s capacity for upgrades and extra features. For example, some systems allow for the use of zone control systems, which divide your home into individual sections which you can warm separately.

For help on how to choose the perfect furnace for your home, the experts at DuAll Heating & Cooling are ready to help. We work throughout south Chicago suburbs like Naperville, furnace installation is a snap for us, and we won’t rest until you are completely satisfied with our work. Call us to make an appointment today!

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What Happens During a Boiler Installation?

Sunday, December 15th, 2013

Boilers are fantastic choices for home heating: they have long service lives, run quietly, provide even heating without using ducts, and offer excellent energy savings. For a winter in Illinois, a boiler will more than serve your comfort needs.

Our customers who have scheduled a boiler installation in Plainfield, IL often ask us what installation entails. They are usually concerned about how long it will take, and what other details they should be prepared for. We’ll go over what you can expect to happen during the installation. Make sure that when you have your boiler installed that you rely on experts to handle the task.

DuAll Heating & Cooling will only send NATE-certified technicians to take care of this work, so you know you will receive a quality installation.

Boiler installation: the basics

Boiler installation usually takes less than a day. There’s no hard and fast rule about this: it depends on how long it takes to remove your former heating system and then hook up the boiler. If you are replacing an older boiler, the work should go smoothly and be finished before you know it.

Removing your previous heating system is usually the most arduous part of boiler installation. Once it’s done, the installation will move at a brisk (but never hurried) pace. If you hired the installers early in the process of choosing a boiler—which you should absolutely do—then they will already have the proper-sized boiler tank ready to install. The installers will fix the new boiler tank in place and then hook it up to the pipes that go to the baseboard heaters and/or radiators throughout your house. They will take care of any pipe reconfiguring needed to accommodate the new system so there will be no issues with water circulation.

The installers will connect the new boiler to your gas line (if you are having a natural gas boiler installed); they will take particular care with this part, since it involves your safety. They will test the gas pressure and make certain there are no leaks. They will then use a combustion analyzer to set up the burners. For other types of boilers, they will make sure the power is properly connected so the boiler performs to your expectations. The installers won’t leave your home until they have ascertained that your new boiler is working effectively, safely, and within local codes.

Hopefully now you can see why you need a boiler professionally installed

The process sounds complicated… and it is. That’s why you should only hire experienced professionals, like those at DuAll Heating & Cooling, to take care of your boiler installation in Plainfield, IL. We have worked at installing boilers for years, and we can make your installation fast and with as few problems as possible.

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