Preparing Your Home for the Fall

Posted by Westinghouse Water Heating on Oct 14, 2015 10:45:38 AM

Is your home ready for the fall season? We came across this article from NextStepLiving.com with tips on how to prep your home for the cold weather!

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A whole-home approach can help homeowners prep for the fall  and the winter cold that follows.

“A general word of advice is that if you’ve been putting off prepping your home for fall or winter either because it’s not cold yet or you were too busy with summer fun, you’ve got to make it a priority," says Next Step Living Home Energy Advisor Zak Elgart. "Now is the prime time to move forward with scheduling your insulation and air sealing. As soon as it gets cold, everybody starts calling, so beat the rush, and call ahead.

Get a free windows assessment and replace your under-performing, single-pane windows with double- or triple-pane ones," Elgart adds. "The payback on this can be huge if your state offers financing or rebates for energy-efficient windows. You also want to think about your HVAC systems, like a hot water heater, which you definitely don’t want to fail you in cold weather. If your heater is older than eight to 10 years, it’s probably time to think about replacing it. You want to avoid making a hasty decision during an emergency and regretting your choice afterwards. Get the information, do your research and talk to an expert to be ready when winter hits.”

How are you preparing for cold weather? 

For more tips on how to cut your energy bills and your carbon footprint check out our resources on home energy saving. Meeting with a Next Step Living® energy advisor is the best way to find out what further steps you can take to make your home more energy-efficient.

(Original article: http://www.nextstepliving.com/blog/how-can-you-prep-fall)

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100 Ways To Save Energy At Home

Posted by Westinghouse Water Heating on Sep 29, 2015 4:06:30 PM

At Westinghouse, we are always interested in ways we can save energy in our everyday lives. We came across this article from Progress-Energy.com on "100 ways to save energy at home." Below are their tips for saving energy on heating. 

SavingEnergy

  • Cover all bare floors. Carpeting or rugs add to comfort and heat retention, especially if there is little or no floor insulation.
  • Raise the temperature slowly to keep your bill lower. Quickly raising your heat pump's temperature activates the heat strip, which uses tons of energy.
  • Set your thermostat to 68-70 degrees during the day in the winter, and 65-68 degrees at night to keep your home comfortable and save on heating costs.
  • Close the flue in your fireplace and install glass doors to keep in the warm air.
  • Limit your use of portable heaters. They’re great for "spot" heating, but running a 1,500-watt heater 24/7 can be expensive.
  • Keep your thermostat close to the outside temperature – it’s cheaper to keep your home at 70°F when it’s 50°F outside than when it’s 30°F.
  • Don’t block air vents with drapes and furniture.
  • Get an energy-efficient heat pump and you could cut your heating costs in half.
  • Change the filters in your heating system every month for optimum efficiency.
  • Give your air compressor space to work efficiently. Never stack anything against your HVAC or drape anything over it.
  • Set your thermostat to 60 degrees if going on vacation during the winter months, but don’t turn it off.
  • Heat your home with the sun's help. Leave window shades or blinds open during the daytime. And consider using solar heat to supplement your normal heating source.
  • Lower your thermostat every time you leave the house.

View the rest of the ways to save energy here!

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Water Heater Maintenance

Posted by Westinghouse Water Heating on Sep 23, 2015 3:42:54 PM

WHWH-products1Fall has arrived and that means colder weather! Now is the perfect time to check up on your water heating system. Take a look at this article from Allstate on maintaining your water heater! -- 

Your water heater may be one of the appliances in your home you take for granted—until it stops working and you wind up in a cold shower. To make sure you don't get a chilly and possibly expensive surprise, it's a good idea to perform regular maintenance on your water heater.

What Needs to be Done?

A home water heater needs to be drained as part of regular home maintenance.

Why Do It?

  •  Draining ensures the long life of your water heater by flushing out minerals and other debris that can  cause it to malfunction.
  • If you do not properly maintain your water heater, it may cease to function altogether or result in cold bursts of water when least expected. 

How Often?

  • Professional recommendations vary. The DIY Network suggests draining your water heater once a year, while Consumer Reports suggests draining it a couple of times a year. Always check your owner's manual to see what the manufacturer suggests.
  • The basic rule is the more you use the water heater, the more often it needs maintenance.

How to do it:

Locate the heater and read the directions.

  • If you don't already know where it is, you can generally find your water heater by looking in a corner of an unfinished basement or in the utility closet of a finished basement. It can also be in the garage or even on one of the floors of the house.
  • The water heater will be covered with labels and instructions. Read these directions and any other paperwork or manuals that came with the heater carefully. These instructions will help you understand the nuances of your exact model.
  • If you've lost the manual, try checking the manufacturer's website; many manufacturers will post product manuals on their sites for convenience. 

 

Determine if your water heater is gas or electric.

  • If the label doesn't specifically identify your water heater as electric or gas, look for a small flame, called a pilot light, near the bottom of the heater. If you see this light, the heater is gas. If there isn't a pilot light, the heater is likely to be electric. You can also confirm this with a check of the product manual, or a professional.
  • Gas heaters require an additional step of cleaning the burner and ports. Refer to the instruction manual for guidance.

Shut off the water and attach a hose to the spigot on the bottom of your water heater to drain.

  • Shut off the water to your water heater. Look at the top of the water heater. You will see a water pipe and a water shutoff valve coming into the heater. Turn this valve clockwise to shut off the water to the heater.
  • You also need to shut off the power to the water heater. If the heater is electric, shut the power off from the circuit breaker box. The correct fuse should be labeled as belonging to the water heater. It's important to know that if you fail to shut off the power to your electric water heater, you risk burning out the element. If it's a gas-powered water heater, shut off the gas by turning the valve on the gas supply line that runs to the tank.
  • Now, attach the hose. Make sure to use a good-quality hose that's not worn out, as the hot water can make an old or worn-out hose leak—and you don't want all that hot water to damage your home or belongings.
  • Place one end of the hose into a stationary tub, a basement floor drain or, if it'll reach, directly outside. Attach the other end onto the spigot at the bottom of the water heater.
  • Turn on the spigot by turning it counter-clockwise.

Be very careful when you drain the tank! The water in your water heater is extremely hot. It's a good idea to give the water some time to cool before you drain it from the tank, to prevent injury.

Open and test the pressure release valve so the water can drain out.

  • On the top of the heater, there should be a pressure release valve that looks like a little lever. Once you open this valve, the water will begin to flow out of the water heat tank.
  • Be patient; draining the water heater can take up to 30 minutes depending on how full and dirty the water heater is.
  • In addition, be certain to test the pressure release valve for proper functioning. To do so, refer to the instructions attached to the pressure release valve or the water heater's instructional manual. If the valve fails the test, you should contact a professional plumber.

Turn the water back on to flush the tank with fresh, clean water.

  • With the pressure valve still open, turn the water back on to eliminate any remaining sediment on the bottom of the tank.
  • Once the water runs clear, turn the water valve off, and you are almost finished.

Lastly, refill the tank

  • Remove the hose from the drain spigot and tighten the spigot by turning it clockwise
  • Close the pressure release valve on top of the water heater.
  • Turn the water back on.
  • Once the tank is full, turn the power to the water heater back on.

 

(Original article: https://www.allstate.com/tools-and-resources/home-insurance/water-heater-maintenance.aspx)

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New Web Design For Easier Browsing

Posted by Westinghouse Water Heating on Sep 16, 2015 4:03:39 PM

Westinghouse Water Heating has a new and improved website design! Check it out on the new Universal Fire Tube page. We will be converting all previous web pages to this new design soon along with any new products launching in the future. This new design is mobile friendly, so you can easily view it on your phone or tablet! It is also consumer friendly, to help you better understand our products and easily find the information that you are looking for. Keep checking the website to see our new pages! 

Here's a preview of the new layout: 

NewWHWHPage

 

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Introducing the Universal Fire Tube Boiler

Posted by Westinghouse Water Heating on Sep 15, 2015 2:33:22 PM

Westinghouse-UFT

Westinghouse Water Heating has just launched the Univeral Fire Tube Boiler! The Universal Fire Tube is a medium mass, high efficiency boiler. This modulating gas condensing unit has a 316L stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger to last longer. It is Energy Star certified with a 95% AFUE rating. Not only does the Universal Fire Tube Boiler provide ample space heating for your household, its state of the art gas leak detector protects against hazardous gas emissions. Its outdoor sensor adjusts the boiler to match seasonal conditions! 

Learn more about the Universal Fire Tube on our updated website or download the brochure here. 

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