It's Heating Season Again!!!

It is always a good idea to have your heating system checked by a professional before starting it up. This can help to avoid a cold morning and depending on your system a cold shower. Many companies provide this service through their service contract so that there is no additional cost to you. Take advantage of it you system life span can increase with these periodic check-ups.

Know the Type of System You Have

Is it hot air, steam or hot water system?
• The Hot Forced Air System uses a duct system to push warm air in and around the rooms in your home.
• A Steam System heats the water to the point where it rises into radiators that radiate heat and allow the condensate water to circulate back the heating source.
• Hot Water Boilers will heat water, which will circulate through the house, heating the copper tubing and the elements (fins) that emit the heat.

These are just a few ways you can heat your home. There are many to choose from so have a qualified heating contractor evaluate the best way to heat your individual home.

What Do You Mean By Zones?
• Having different zones in your home allows you to heat it more efficiently.
• To have heat when and where you need it.
• To minimize the amount at a specific time and increase it when the temperature in the room calls for it.
The type of thermostat you use has a great deal to do with efficiency and the regulation of the zones in your home.

What to Consider When Buying Heating Systems
• The size of your home – An oversized unit will be inefficient and costly to operate.
• An undersized unit will not heat you home well enough and may run more than necessary costing you more in fuel bills.
• Should you use oil, natural gas (proffered because it runs cleaner), or LPG (liquid propane gas)? You need to do a little research to find out if you have gas in the street. Do you want an oil or propane tank exposed in your yard? You may not have a choice.
• Do you want your boiler to heat the domestic hot water in your house? I myself do not recommend this. If your boiler is down then you have no hot water. I would want at least one or the other working.

When purchasing a heating system for your home, some things will need to be considered. For instance, you need to work out if you wish to heat the whole home or just certain areas at a time.

Heating individual areas, is called zoning, meaning that you are heating specific areas, saving energy and money?

You also need to make sure that the heater is the right size for the space. If the heater is too big, it will be more expensive, not operate efficiently, and may even be uncomfortable. A heater that is too small will not heat the area adequately and will have to work harder by running longer and inefficiently.

Once you have worked through the first two considerations, you will need to work out exactly what type of heater you require. This depends on such things as your budget, the size of your home, availability of fuel, and how you wish to heat your home.

Other Types of Heat Sources:
• Wood Pellet Stoves
• Fireplaces - supplementary
• Coal Stoves
• Wood Burning stoves
• Electric Heating Systems
• Solar Panel Systems – expensive at first, but cheaper in the end. It can be used as supplementary heat.

Hector Seda is author of 'What Your Parents Never Told You About Owning A Home'. For a copy of the book go to: www.askhectoronline.com

Hector's next book, Repair For Resale published by Adams Media Publishing Group, Inc. is to be released in the spring of 2008.

Hector Seda is a correspondent and subject matter expert for Comcast's CN8, Philadelphia's "Your Morning" Show; which is seen in over 14 million homes from Virginia to Maine. Locally it can be viewed on Cablevision's channel 64.

KINDLY NOTE: We are looking for people that have been the recipient(s) of unfair play by a contractor. If you have been a victim visit my website www.contractorcops.tv and tell me your story or send a letter to Ask Hector P.O. Box 254 Pompton Lakes, New Jersey 07442.

With the cold and flue season approaching, find out how simple it is to regulate the air throughout your home and university tests show that it eliminates up to 99.99% of the bacteria living there, including MRSA!

Go To www.bacteriafreeliving.com

The solution is simpler than you think and, so should your decision.

About The Author-- Hector Seda (America's Home Improvement Coach) is a principal in Wilson / Seda Builders, LLC in Pompton Lakes, NJ. He has been in the construction industry for thirty years and is also a syndicated columnist. He has been quoted in Lowe's For Pros as well as other media. Hector Seda has been interviewed on radio and television across the United States. He is a regular guest on "Your Morning", a Philadelphia morning talk show on Comcast CN8. He is a speaker and advocate for ethical construction and home improvement. He is a Certified Construction Consultant, Certified Project Manager and Certified Construction Inspector.

Mr. Seda is a member of The Society of Industry Leaders, a Standard and Poor's Co. and consultant for Vista Research, a McGraw-Hill Co. which provides consultation on construction and real-estate for institutional fund managers. Hector Seda is a Subject Matter Expert for Homeminders.com, a Phoenix based company. He is also a correspondent and columnist for North Jersey Media and active planning official in the State of New Jersey, as well as, the author of "What Your Parents Never Told You About Owning A Home" and has a new book to be released in the Spring of 2008 through Adams Media Publishing "Repair For Resale".

Go to www.askhectoronline.com for your free report on the "10 Things to Lookout for When Hiring a Contractor".

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