Now that the weather is getting colder, it will soon be necessary to run the heating system to maintain comfort in your home. Before heating season arrives, make sure the furnace is ready to go by taking care of these tasks.

Install a Clean Furnace Filter

Putting in a fresh filter ensures good system airflow, which promotes energy efficiency. To maintain that good efficiency all winter, check the condition of the filter every month and replace it when you see debris starting to accumulate, or at least once every three months.

Schedule a System Tuneup

Before you start up the furnace this year, have an HVAC professional perform routine maintenance. A certified technician can inspect and clean the various components, and tackle other vital tasks like checking for heat exchanger damage, lubricating the blower motor, adjusting the burner, tightening the electrical connections, testing the safety controls and making sure the thermostat is working properly.

Optimize the Thermostat Programming

If you need to make setback adjustments on your programmable thermostat, now’s the time to get them done. If you still have a manual thermostat, have your technician install a programmable one that matches your equipment and usual weekly schedule. Then, you can program in energy-saving temperature setbacks during the periods when you’re usually sleeping or away from home.

Give the Air Vents Some TLC

Remove all your vent covers and wipe them down, then use the vacuum hose to suction any debris and dust from the open ducting boots. As you’re replacing the clean covers, make sure the louvers are open and clear away any items that might block airflow at the vents.

Get the Flue Cleaned Out

Have the flue swept out to get rid of soot deposits and any debris that might block proper combustion fume venting, like rodent/bird nesting materials, dead leaves or broken branches. With a clean, unobstructed flue, there’s less danger that fumes containing carbon monoxide can’t exit the house properly.

To get the furnace in your Portland home ready for the coming heating season, contact us at Roth Home & Cooling to schedule a maintenance visit.

The end of 2016 may bring with it planning for next year’s taxes. If you want to save on your tax bill and your home energy bill at the same time, you can install certain types of high-efficiency HVAC equipment that qualifies for tax credits. Here are some details on these credits and what kinds of equipment earns them.

Tax Credit Details

Federal income tax credits for energy efficiency are available for certain types of HVAC systems and construction features. The credits can be applied directly to your income taxes. The credits are available for purchases made in both 2015 and 2016. The credits expire on December 31, 2016.

Consult with your tax professional for details on limitations and applications.

Tax Credit Facts

Credits for certain HVAC systems and construction features qualify only for your principal place of residence. These credits do not apply if the equipment is purchased for a rental unit or a second home. Credits are for 10 percent of the cost of the equipment — as much as $500 — or for a specified amount between $50 and $300.

• Air source heat pumps (both split and package systems): $300 credit.
• Central air conditioning (both split and package systems): $300 credit.
• Gas, propane, or oil furnaces and fans: $150 for furnace, $50 for advanced main air circulating fan.
• Insulation (does not include installation): 10 percent of cost up to $500.
• Roofs (metal and asphalt roofs with coatings designed to reduce heat gain): 10 percent of cost.
• Windows and doors: 10 percent of cost up to $200 for windows and $500 for doors.
• Non-solar water heaters: $300 credit.
• Geothermal heat pumps: 30 percent credit, including installation.

State Tax Credits

You may also be eligible for some types of state-level tax credits or efficiency incentives. Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) for Oregon.

Roth Home has been a top choice for HVAC services in Portland, Hillsboro, Canby, and the surrounding Oregon communities for 40 years. Contact us today for more information on energy efficiency tax credits and for the HVAC equipment that will qualify for them.

Saving energy in your home is good for the environment, and it’s also good for your comfort, HVAC efficiency, and energy budget when done correctly. That means saving energy by using all the parts of your HVAC system. Even better, you can use these free or low-cost tips to maximize energy savings!

Your HVAC System and Energy Savings

• Thermostat: Fiddling with the thermostat to find the right temperature just gets frustrating after a while. That’s also not a very good plan for saving energy. You’re better off upgrading to a programmable thermostat so that you can program comfort temperatures and energy-saving set-back/up periods when you’re asleep or away.
• Temperature settings: The key to saving energy with temperature settings is consistency. Choose a temperature that’s comfortable to you, such as 78 degrees for cool mode and 68 degrees for heat mode. Turn up/down the temperature 5–12 degrees at night and when no one is home. Additionally, use your ceiling fans to help stay cool and save even more energy.
• Air filter: Check your air filter on a regular basis, and change it when it gets dirty. You’ll save energy, reduce wear on your HVAC system, and help improve your indoor air quality.
• Ductwork: You won’t be very comfortable or save much energy if your ducts have problems. Check your ducts for damage, disconnected seams, tangled flex ducts, and holes. Mastic paste and metal tape are excellent for sealing leaky ducts. Crushed duct sections should be replaced.
• Vents and grilles: Clean the vents and grilles each month or two. Remove a few of the vents and look inside the ducts. Are they dirty? Ask your HVAC contractor about the health and efficiency benefits of a professional duct cleaning.
• Clean the coils: Your evaporator and condenser coils can’t exchange heat efficiently if they’re caked with dirt and grime. Use a can of coil cleaner to clean the coils and fins, and you’ll boost cooling and heating efficiency.

If you need assistance with any of these steps for maximizing HVAC energy savings in your Portland-area home, contact Roth Home & Cooling today!

As part of its function, your air conditioner provides a measure of dehumidification while also cooling your living spaces. The water from this dehumidification process is usually removed through the system’s condensate drain. When this drain develops problems, however, it can result in several different types of moisture-related issues.

Condensate Drain Problems

• Clogs and blockages: The environment inside a condensate drain is consistently moist and moderate in temperature, which creates a perfect place for mold and algae to grow and create partial or total blockages of the drain.
• Leaks and overflows: Blocked drains can cause water to overflow and drip into your walls, onto flooring and carpets, and into areas where it can cause unseen damage. The amount of water involved may not be substantial, but the damage can still be very real and very annoying.
• Odors: Unpleasant odors can sometimes come from the condensate drain, especially if it dries out and loses the layer of water that blocks odors from deeper in the drain line.

Solutions to Condensate Drain Problems

• Pressure cleaning: Pressure can be used to blast away clogs inside a condensate drain. A wet-dry vacuum hose can usually produce enough pressure to remove most blockages.
• Physical cleaning: Physical force from a piece of wire or other object may be needed to literally break apart a drain line clog. Simply inserting the wire inside the drain and moving it around should be sufficient to break up common clogs.
• Professional cleaning: If the clogs are sufficiently extensive, you may need help from your local plumbing professional to clear the drain line. Your plumber will have the right equipment for getting rid of stubborn blockages.
• Algaecide: It may be necessary to apply an algaecide or other inhibitor to your drain line to reduce algae and mold growth. Ask your plumber if this would be a good idea in your situation.

Roth Home has served Portland, Hillsboro, Canby, and the neighboring Oregon communities for nearly 40 years. Contact us today for more information on what to do when you have condensate drain problems in your air conditioning system.

When a burst plumbing pipe sends water spewing through your home, or a sink or toilet overflows, it’s easy to panic. To minimize mess and water damage during a plumbing emergency, it’s better to stay calm and use the following tips to help get the situation under control.

Turn Off the Main Water Valve

Knowing the location of your main water shut off valve is essential in a plumbing emergency, so it’s wise to look for it in advance. Then, if a pipe ruptures or a fixture overflows, you can go there quickly and avert a major flood by shutting the valve. Once it’s closed, check all your plumbing fixtures and accessible water pipes and shut the isolation valve at the source of the leak.

Shut Off Your Water Heater’s Gas Valve

If the gas stays flowing when the water is shut off, the pressure and temperature inside the water heater can increase to unsafe levels. You can prevent a possible explosion by finding and turning off the nearby gas valve, but don’t turn it back on until your plumbing emergency is resolved.

Address Leaking Pipes

If a pipe is cracked and leaking, place a container underneath it to catch the flow, then wrap duct tape around the damaged spot for a temporary fix. You can use plumber’s Teflon tape for a short-term fix on a threaded connection that’s leaking.

Deal With Clogs and Backups

It’s possible to unstop a clogged fixture if you use the right tool. A forced cup plunger works best for a kitchen sink or toilet, while a regular cup plunger is right for bathtubs, bathroom sinks and shower drains. If multiple plumbing fixtures are backing up at the same time, you probably have a main sewer line clog that plunging can’t solve.

Get Help From a Professional Plumber

If you need emergency service, call a licensed professional. Be sure to describe what’s going on and the steps you’ve already taken to deal with the situation.

When a plumbing emergency occurs in your Portland home and you need expert help, contact us at Roth Home & Cooling.

If you’re like many homeowners, you’ve learned that the more you know how things in your home work, the better choices you can make when it comes time to make replacements or repairs. One component you’ll probably have to replace at some point is a water shutoff valve.

You’ll find one of these three types of valves on most incoming water lines in your home. They have a simple but important purpose — to shut off the water if you ever have an emergency or need to make repairs.

1. Washer valves. Most of the water shutoff valves in your home will probably be of this type. They’re inexpensive but tend to wear out sooner than the other types of valves. The reason they’re prone to wear is that they stop water by screwing down a rubber washer when the handle is turned. Rubber, of course, will give out over time. The good news? When these valves give out, they’re simple and cost-effective to replace.
2. Gate valves. The name of this valve describes the mechanism used to stop the flow of water. When the handle is turned on a gate valve, a metal piece (gate) is lowered into the grooved bottom of the valve. Gate valves should always be fully turned on or off. When left halfway, the bottom of the gate sits in the flow of water. This causes the metal to wear away, keeping the valve from sealing shut.
3. Ball valves. This type of valve lives up to its name with a steel ball inside. A hole is drilled through the ball. When in the “on” position, the hole lines up with the openings of your water pipes. When in the “off” position, the ball rotates to stop water flow. Even though it’s the most durable type of valve, the ball valve isn’t the first choice of many plumbers because it’s expensive and doesn’t always fit in tight areas. This is because the handle is designed to only make a quarter turn.

For more advice on what water shutoff valve to use in your Portland home, contact Roth Home & Cooling.

Scheduling professional preventive maintenance is essential for maximizing the performance and efficiency of your HVAC systems. Sooner or later, however, many homeowners experience a malfunction and need to call an HVAC technician. With so many to choose from, you may not know how to decide just who to call. Make your choice easy by working with technicians that carry these vital HVAC certifications.

Environmental Protection Agency 608 Certification

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes rules and regulations regarding refrigerants. This is understandable since refrigerants have historically been harmful to the environment. As a result, the EPA requires that technicians handling refrigerants carry EPA 608 Certification.

As a homeowner, EPA 608 Certification is important to you because refrigerant is the lifeblood of your air conditioner or heat pump. Refrigerant is the substance that absorbs heat from your home to cool it. If you use a heat pump for home heating, the refrigerant runs in reverse and releases heat inside your home.

NATE Certification

Many career-minded technicians seek certification by the NATE (North American Technician Excellence) organization. The NATE organization doesn’t train technicians. They only test and certify technicians. The reason NATE was founded more than 20 years ago was to spearhead HVAC expertise in the field, build a more educated workforce, and promote HVAC technologies through public awareness.

Another point why NATE certification is the gold standard among HVAC techs is that NATE requires re-certification every two years. This may involve re-testing or continued education hours. NATE certifies technicians in core HVAC knowledge and at least one HVAC specialty field.

HVAC Excellence Certification

The HVAC Excellence certification is another respected achievement among technicians, HVAC companies, and customers. The HVAC Excellence organization’s goal has been to promote technical education and set a high bar in the HVAC workforce, and they continually succeed.

If you want a knowledgeable and reliable technician working on your HVAC system, make sure they carry the right HVAC certifications. Since we opened our business in 1976, Roth Home & Cooling technicians have been the best around!

It’s so easy to ignore the plumbing in your home because the pipes are largely hidden from view, and most of the time it works exactly as it was intended. However, the type of pipes your home has may make an impact on how you maintain and use your home.

Supply Lines

• Galvanized steel — You may find galvanized pipes in older homes. With an average lifetime of 50 years, it’s no longer used in new construction or as replacements.
• Polybutylene pipes — These were used in new construction during the late 1970s and 1980s and eventually a lawsuit forced the manufacturer to recall it and halt its use. It had a high failure rate, causing serious flooding in attics, walls, and basements. If you suspect you have polybutylene pipes, it’s a good idea to be proactive and have a plumber inspect your home and recommend a retrofit.
• Copper — Copper is still the pipe of choice for new home construction because it’s durable and dependable. It’s safe, resistant to corrosion, and flexible.
• PEX — PEX piping has so many advantages when installing new plumbing. It’s as durable as copper, more flexible, and about a third the cost. There’s no need for special tools to connect the pipes together, since they snap together with the fittings to create water-tight joints.
• PVC — Polyvinyl chloride pipes have been used for supply lines in the past, but some jurisdictions won’t allow them because of leaching problems with hot water lines.

Drain Lines

• Cast iron — Many older homes use cast iron sewer lines that last for decades, but over time, tree roots can damage them, or they simply rust from the inside out. Plumbers can install plastic liners in aging iron pipes to solve drainage problems.
• PVC — Today’s homes use PVC almost entirely for drain and sewer lines. It’s impervious to many chemicals, unaffected by soil moisture, and cannot rust.

Knowing the materials that comprise your plumbing system is an important aspect of homeownership. If you’d like to learn more, contact Roth Home & Cooling, Plumbing, Electrical, Drain Services.

Like many products and services, high-tech digital features have been utilized in the HVAC industry to provide more efficient and lasting products. With so many new features introduced in recent years, it can be quite a chore to keep up with it all. Read on to see if the following HVAC components spark your high-tech interest!

Wi-Fi Thermostats

The latest thermostat technologies incorporate Wi-Fi and digital features that put home automation at your fingertips. If you are still using a standard digital thermostat or an antique manual box or dial type, take a look at some of the great features Wi-Fi thermostats offer:

• Control your home’s HVAC system with your smartphone or computer.
• Program four or more temperature changes to save energy.
• Receive text or email alerts regarding HVAC maintenance and malfunctions.
• Control multiple thermostats in a zoning system from one device.
• Some Wi-Fi thermostats “learn” your preferred temperature and schedule habits and automatically adjust temperature for best energy savings and comfort.
• Receive automatic software updates.
• Receive weather reports.

Variable-speed Technology

Variable-speed technology gives you constant comfort by operating at the exact cooling and heating output needed to keep your home comfortable. Conventional air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces use fixed-speed blower motors that operate at 100 percent capacity.

Variable-speed blower motors adjust airflow speed up or down as needed in as little as one percent increments. The result is lower energy usage, quieter operation, and exceptional home comfort.

Air conditioner and heat pump compressors are also available with variable-speed digital features — producing less noise, less vibration, and lower energy bills!

Electronic Expansion Valve

The thermostatic expansion valve (TXV or TEV) on your air conditioner or heat pump is the device that controls the amount of refrigerant flowing into the evaporator coil. Many high-efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps use an electronic expansion valve (EEV) for greater accuracy, efficiency, and comfort.

To learn more about the best HVAC digital features and components for your needs, contact the experts at Roth Home & Cooling. We’ve helped Portland-area homeowners make great HVAC system decisions since we opened our doors in 1976!