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Whether you’re looking for someone to perform routine maintenance on your heating and cooling system, or you’re in the market for a complete system replacement, it’s critical to find the right HVAC contractor for the job. Calling the first HVAC listing in the phone book is certainly an option, but you run the risk of overpaying or ending up with shoddy workmanship. Knowing what to look for can make all the difference.

Here are five tips that will help you make the best possible choice:

  1. Ask for Credentials:  HVAC contractors in Oregon are required to hold a license demonstrating two years of experience in the field.  A NATE-certified contractor has gone beyond basic licensing to pursue additional HVAC training. Making sure your contractor meets these minimum standards helps to ensure that he or she is qualified for the job.
  2. Do Your Research:  Knowing the system you already have (age, overall performance, basic functionality) will help you work with an HVAC contractor making repairs. If you’re replacing a system, it’s also important to understand your options and potential costs ahead of time. Educating yourself is a great way to avoid purchasing a service that you didn’t want or need in the first place. 
  3. Check Referrals:  Your HVAC contractor should be able to provide you with a list of referrals. Ask previous customers about their overall experience and if they would use the contractor again.  It may help you avoid hiring someone with an unsatisfactory service level.
  4. Get it in Writing: Avoid hiring any one who won’t provide something in writing. A reputable HVAC contractor will always provide a written, itemized estimate for repairs and system replacements. 
  5. Heed the Warnings:  Asking for money up front, failing to return phone calls and missing deadlines are all warning signs that your contractor may not be the right one for you.  

At Roth Home, we pride ourselves on delivering quality customer service and professional workmanship.  Give us a call at (503) 673-6394 for any of your HVAC needs.   

Electrical surges can not only prove to be problematic for your electronic devices, but for your heating and cooling equipment, as well. The damages from electricity spikes caused by storms can cause damage to your HVAC equipment and leave you paying a large amount of money to have it replaced. The best thing you can do to protect your equipment is install a whole-house surge protector.

Whole-house surge protectors work much in the same way that surge protectors for electronic devices work. They will shut off your heating and cooling equipment in the event of an electrical surge and direct the spike of electricity into the ground.

While an electrical surge may not destroy your equipment completely, it will definitely cause damage over time. To ensure that your HVAC unit runs efficiently, it is important that you protect it from electrical surges.

There are three kinds of whole house surge protection and they are listed below.

If you determine that you need a surge protector for your home, you will need to contact a professional. Professionals are qualified to ensure that the best equipment is installed in the safest manner. If you live in the Portland area, Roth Home can help.

Remember, your HVAC equipment is an expensive component to your house and needs to be running efficiently at all times. Don’t let a surge in electricity leave you without.

With springtime rapidly approaching in the Portland area, many of you will be looking to clean your house. However, you should also consider the current condition of your air ducts. Air duct cleaning is often overlooked when people clean their homes during the spring, but dirty ducts, no matter how much you clean your house, can drastically reduce your home’s indoor air quality.
Air ducts are the perfect place for dirt, dust, mildew, mold and allergens to accumulate. If air ducts are not properly cleaned, your home’s indoor air quality can, in fact, be worse than the quality of the air found outside. The EPA actually ranks poor indoor air quality in the top five environmental risks to public health. So air duct cleaning is a vital procedure that will ensure that comfort and good health are maintained throughout your home.

Reasons you should have your air ducts cleaned include:

You can’t do air duct cleaning by yourself. If you conclude that your air ducts need to be cleaned, you will need to seek the help of a professional duct cleaning service. With expert help, you will get your air ducts thoroughly cleaned. Professionals are trained to provide the best services possible, which will ensure that your ducts are in tip-top shape.

With clean air ducts, the effects of your spring cleaning efforts will be felt for a longer period of time. Duct cleaning can provide fresh, clean air that will help you lessen the effects of allergy season and of other pollutants that can affect your quality of life.

For more information on this critical process–and to schedule an appointment, call us at (503) 673-6394 today!

Just as with any other heating and air conditioning equipment, heat pumps can develop problems from time to time, but there are a number of troubleshooting tips you can try before calling a professional.  Whether you experience total equipment failure, a strange noise, or inefficiency, knowing what it going on can help you solve the problem faster

At Roth Home, heat pumps are just one of the many equipment types we install and maintain.  If you live in the Portland area and need a consultation or repair for your heat pump, call us today at (503) 673-6394 to schedule an appointment.

Geothermal heat uses water from the ground to conduct heat into the home. It is a highly efficient system compared to a pump that uses air. The down side, though, is the cost to purchase and install a geothermal system. But because it operates so efficiently, experts estimate you could recoup your money in as few as two years.

Typically, geothermal can be used throughout the U.S., because of consistent ground temperatures. Before going ahead, you need to determine if your property is conducive for geothermal heating.

Geology. The composition of soil and rocks should be assessed. In the best-case scenario, you will have fewer rocks and a lot of good soil to allow enough heat to transfer through piping.

Hydrology. An expert will need to determine how much ground and surface water is available. This determines the kind of “loop” to use, either open or closed.  If hydrology is not adequately addressed, there could be problems down the line with either depletion or contamination. It’s ideal to have a natural body of water on the land, like a pond or well, or have high ground water.

Available Land. This is a crucial aspect. Because the majority of geothermal heating is installed underground, either horizontally or vertically, there must be enough land mass to accommodate it. Anything blocking the space, like landscaping, sprinklers, or underground utilities, will hinder use.

Horizontal loops are typically used with new homes because installation can be planned ahead of time within the space. Vertical loops are used in tighter spaces and require deeper digging. Because tubing is laid 7 feet under the ground, in a zigzag pattern, the amount of land available is critical to determining the feasibility of geothermal heating.

Once feasibility is assured, geothermal heating will save energy and money while greatly increasing your comfort.

It’s a big decision, and the professionals at Roth can answer your questions or provide advice to help decide if geothermal is right for you.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas that is produced as a by-product of combustion. Plenty of items, such as gas dryers, stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves and fuel-fired furnaces, can add to the CO levels in your home.

Any appliance or tool that burns fuel can potentially produce dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide. This is why CO detectors are highly recommended in addition to your smoke detectors.

Every year approximately 200 people in the U.S. are killed by accidental CO poisoning and more than 5,000 people must be treated for accidental poisoning. These incidents might have been prevented by proper placement of CO detectors.

There are a few different types of Carbon Monoxide Detectors. Electrolytic sensor detectors tend to be very costly, while biometric detectors and MOS detectors are relatively inexpensive. No matter which detector you buy, the most important factor is carbon monoxide detector placement.

How many carbon monoxide detectors should I have and where should I place them?

Every floor of your residence should have at least one CO detector, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Additional detectors should be placed near any major gas burning appliance such as a water heater or furnace. CO detectors need to be placed at least five feet away from these appliances, since a small, non harmful amount of CO can be released by these appliances when they turn on. Detector should not be placed near very humid areas such as bathrooms.

If you only have one CO detector, it  should be located near your sleeping area, where it can wake you if you are asleep.

Make sure that the area you place your detector in will stay clean, and is out of the way of children and pets.

With the right detectors in place, your worries about deadly CO should be few. If you have more questions about placement, or any other home-comfort issue, the professionals at Roth are always happy to help.

You may have noticed that the trend in electronics and other industries is a digital one. Even eye glass lenses are now made digitally. So it’s no surprise that thermostats have gone digital as well. If you haven’t made the switch to a programmable thermostat, you may not be aware of the benefits a digital thermostat can have.

Why You Should Switch to a Programmable Thermostat

Making the switch to a programmable thermostat can actually save you money. Digital thermostats are more accurate than their analog counterparts, and that makes it easier to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

An accurate thermostat also means your air conditioner will only run long enough to reach the temperature you set, which will save you quite a bit of money on your energy bill.

Another great reason to switch to a programmable thermostat is that they are not made with mercury. Analog thermostats contain mercury like a regular thermometer.

Analog thermostats are also notorious for having displays that are hard to read. They are usually a dial with a needle that points to a temperature. Digital thermostats have a digital display that tells you exactly what the temperature of your home is, making it easy to make adjustments if you want to do so.

Digital thermostats can be programmed to a lower temperature when you are home and a higher temperature when you are at work, which can also save you quite a bit of money. In the fall, you can easily set the thermostat to start heating your home to a more comfortable temperature before you get home.

Many of the newer thermostats can also be controlled via an app on your smartphone which gives you even more control over your energy consumption. If you’ll be staying late at the office, you can override your digital thermostat presets and to maintain the current temperature until you get home.

For more information about making the switch to a programmable thermostat, contact the experts at Roth Home. We’ve been serving the Portland area for over 30 years.

Pam Hunter of Canby, Oregon might very well be viewing this blog post from the new iPad she won as the grand prize winner of Roth’s Heating Up Fall sweepstakes. She might still be smiling as she reads this too, because she told us she was shocked to win. In a good way, of course.

Eighty-one winners were chosen in December from the list of people who entered daily on our website during the promotion. Danielle Fullington of Oregon City, Oregon, and Dave Cadran of Vancouver, Washington, won the other big prizes of a Garmin GPS and an iPod Touch.  The prizes valued more than $2,500, with other winners receiving gift cards from iTunes, Safeway, Starbucks, Burger King and Jamba Juice.

We had a lot of fun with the sweepstakes. Even if you didn’t win one of the sweepstakes prizes, we like to think that our loyal customers who are staying warm and comfortable this winter because of preventive maintenance last fall are smart and lucky.

Roth has been providing expert advice and quality service since 1976 and we enjoy being part of the community. There’s a good chance one of our 90 employees at our three locations is a neighbor.

Look for more promotions in the future and, again, congratulations to our winners!

UV light, when installed on your HVAC system, inflicts damage on the DNA structures of microorganisms including fungi, mold, viruses and bacteria. It essentially “breaks them,” rendering them incapable of repairing themselves.

UV lights are natural sterilizing agents, present in the rays of the sun. This is one of our planet’s primary defenses against the spread of disease. By concentrating this powerful energy we are able to purify large quantities of indoor air. Cleaner air also means a vast reduction in the build-up of microbes such as mold on household surfaces.

Mold’s natural function is as a decomposer, and it flourishes in damp environments like ours in Oregon. It has its place in our environment, but does not belong in your home! It compromises the structure of your house and seriously affects your family’s health. While you can have your home tested for mold, there are no standards to measure safe levels. The best defense is to keep your air dry and sterilized.

The CDC recommends the use of UV lights in residences and in institutions where the spread of disease is likely. Office buildings employing UV light filters see up to a 50% reduction in respiratory and muscle complaints, even in heavy smokers. The US government has also taken note of the power of UV lights and requires their use in all government facilities.

You can’t bring the sun inside, but you can mimic its effects with UV lights, reducing the presence of indoor pathogens by up to 99%. The light is perfectly safe, passing through an exposure unit and affecting only those organisms it targets. Your pets and family will only experience the benefits of cleaner air and greater health, and your home will maintain its integrity.

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