AC Technician Tips

Preparing an Outdoor AC Unit

Date: March 28, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

An outside air conditioning unit, often referred to as an HVAC unit, is a lifesaver during hot summer months. During the winter, you may want to winterize the unit to protect it against cold weather, snow and ice. Winterizing the unit also protects it against rust damage. A few protective measures can keep the air conditioning unit in your real estate investment in top working condition.

Find the air conditioning circuit near your unit. Usually, it has a plastic or metal lid that covers the electrical circuit. Open the lid and flip the switch to turn the unit off. This prevents the unit from turning on during an unusually warm winter day, keeping water out of the unit that could potentially freeze.

Wash the air conditioning unit with a hose to remove bird droppings, dead bugs, dirt and dust. Remove leaves, small branches and grass clippings from the unit. Allow the unit to dry completely.

Install foam pipe covers around exterior exposed pipes. Cut the foam to fit the length and diameter of the pipe. The foam covers insulate the pipes and protect them against freezing temperatures. Wrap duct tape around the foam covers to hold them in place.

Cover the HVAC unit with a plastic or vinyl cover. Choose a cover that is waterproof. Some manufacturers make covers that are specifically designed for air conditioners, but you can use any plastic or vinyl covering that fits over the unit.

Wrap vinyl ropes or bungee cords around the air conditioning cover to keep it secure. Make sure the cover is wrapped tightly so it doesn’t blow away in strong winds.

Check your air conditioner once a week to make sure the cover is secure. Brush water, snow and ice off the unit. Remove twigs, pinecones and leaves from the cover.

The Right Temperature for your Home This Winter

Date: February 28, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

For many homeowners, wintertime is the time of year when they are tempted the most to turn their thermostats up to the highest setting possible in order to keep all of those cold drafts at bay. While this may seem like a good idea, it is not. Constantly setting the thermostat to a high temperature during the wintertime will cause a big spike in energy bills. In order to save money and keep your HVAC system from working too hard, here are some ways you can program your thermostat in order to save energy and money during those cold winter months.

Day Time Temperature Setting

Setting the thermostat too high when it is cold outside is the equivalent of tossing money out of the window. The warmer your home is the faster thermal energy will be lost to the outside. The lower the temperature is inside of the home, the slower the rate of thermal energy loss. To achieve optimal comfort, it is recommended for homeowners to set their thermostats between 68 to 72 degrees while there are people inside of the home. 68 to 72 degrees is a temperature range that is not too warm or cool, and is sufficient enough to warm up the home just enough so that everyone is comfortable regardless of the type of clothing they have on.

Night Time and Away Temperature

When the house is empty for an extended amount of time and at night, it is a good idea to lower the temperature to 58 to 62 degrees. When everyone is sleep and less active, there is no need for the heating and cooling system to waste energy when it is not needed as much. That temperature setting is also enough to keep the pipes in the home from freezing when the temperatures outside drop and no one is home.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Older furnaces and heat pumps take longer to heat up the inside of a home. This can cause the home to feel colder than it really is since the appliance is taking more time to heat things up. In order to improve how fast the furnace responds and to maintain the warm atmosphere inside of the home, it is a good idea to replace all older appliances including the furnace with energy saving appliances.

Digital Thermostats

Invest in a digital thermostat to make setting and maintaining temperatures a breeze. Digital thermostats make it possible for homeowners to set their thermostats in advance and not have to worry about setting them again until the season changes. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and install the digital thermostat in an area that is convenient for you to reach and away from all drafts, sunlight, furniture, doorways, and windows.

When setting a digital thermostat be mindful of the times that everyone is awake and sleep. Consider programming the device so that it lowers and raises the temperatures shortly before everyone gets up, goes to sleep, or leaves the house. If the home is going to be empty for three hours or more, do not forget to set thermostat to a lower temperature to save energy and money while you are away.

Leaking Air Conditioners

Date: January 3, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply
Leaking Air Conditioners

Leaking air conditioners are very messy and in most cases can be really frustrating. It can cause a significant water damage in your home. A small leak must not be left alone because it can end up getting bigger which will then add more to your problem. Small leaks are at first small inconveniences but if you continue to ignore them they can cause more damage to your home.

Why does an AC leak?

Leakage from ACs are primarily cause by the following issues.

  • Disconnected drain pipes

One of the primary causes of leakage in air conditioners, if the drain pipes or lines are not install properly they may loosen up over time. This will cause the drain pipes to disconnect from the air conditioner unit which then causes the water to drain through the ceiling.  If there’s something that’s clogging in the lines or drain pipes, it will still cause leakage but the location of the leak will depend on the location of your AC system and if whether your primary or secondary drain pipe is the one that is affected.

  • Clogged drain pipes.

If a drain pipe is clogged it causes your AC’s drain pan to overflow. This is one of the most probable cause of leaking air conditioners. As such it is only important that you call a professional to fix the issue for you. Clog in the drain pipes can be caused by rust, algae, dirt and other debris.

  • Pump issues

Another common cause of leakage in AC units is a malfunctioning pump. In some cases, a dirty pump can also cause water leakage in your AC. If a leak is cause by a malfunctioning or dirty pump can lead to flooding in your attic or basement.

Leakage in air conditioning units can also be cause by the following issues:

  • Dirty air filters
  • Low amount of refrigerant
  • Cracked condensate drain pan
  • Lack of p-trap
  • No air vent
  • Un-insulated ductwork

As with other air conditioning problems and issues, hiring a professional to fix your AC for you would be the best thing to do. Fixing a leakage in your AC unit is not a simple task.

The Dangers of a Faulty Air Conditioner

Date: December 27, 2016 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply
The Dangers of a Faulty Air Conditioner

Air conditioners are installed to keep an establishment cool, in this case, a home. But they can also have an opposite effect once it becomes faulty or malfunctions. Faulty air conditioner can be very dangerous for you and your family. According to a study between 2005 and 2009, air conditioners have been the cause of an average of 2,346 home fires per year. These fire accidents have caused casualties, deaths, injuries, and property damage in millions of dollars per year during that span.

The study didn’t indicate clearly as to which kind of air conditioner has been the cause of these fires. But the data strongly suggests that it is between room ACs and central air conditioning units. The study does show that more than 27 perfect of these fire accidents started from bedrooms. While only 11 percent started from the air ducts. This goes to show that room ACs are the bigger culprit behind these fires.  This was further confirmed with an earlier report made by the US Fire Administration which shows that room ACs account for more than 55 perfect of all home fires even though they are just 35 percent of installations.

Prevention:

The main reason behind these AC related fires are electrical and mechanical failures. Short circuits are often the cause of AC catching fires. You should always do a routine inspection to prevent electrical mishaps from happening. You should also consider installing smoke alarms throughout the home and make sure that they are always in good condition to detect fire immediately and prevent it from getting big.

And the most important is to give your AC a proper maintenance so you can minimize the risk of electrical mishaps and also improving its performance and efficiency. For room ACs, you need to clean its filters or replaced them if needed be at least once a month. It would also be better if you hire a professional to do maintenance for your room AC or central air conditioning unit. This way you should be able to prevent any dangers from faulty air conditioners or prevent your AC unit from getting faulty or malfunctions.

What Happens If you Neglect AC Repair and Maintenance

Date: December 20, 2016 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply
What Happens If you Neglect AC Repair and Maintenance

Not everyone knows a thing or two about ACs or central air conditioning units. Most homeowners just have a professional to do the installation for them and that’s just it. They tend to forget about their ACs later on. This also tends to happen to not just on ACs but to other cooling and heating systems in the house. So what happens when you neglect AC repair or maintenance?

Neglecting the repair and maintenance of your AC or any other cooling and heating system at home can lead to bigger problems. Small problems from your AC will only cause you a couple of bucks so there’s really no reason to ignore them. But if you do ignore them not only that it totally damages your AC unit but you’ll also have to suffer the inconveniences that it may bring to you and your family.

What you should do?

You see small repairs and simple maintenance procedures are not that hard to do. It’s all about having the time to regularly check your AC and the other important systems in your home. Once you see that there is something wrong with your AC, you better fix it right away or call a professional to fix it for you. Doing this will only cost you a few amount of bucks and it wouldn’t really hurt your budget. It’s the major problems like leakages are something that you need to worry about because they tend to cost a lot.

Getting a professional AC repair service will also help you keep in check the condition of your AC. You can ask the repair service to do a regular checkup on your AC unit at least once in a month. This will help you make sure that your air conditioning unit is always in good-working condition.

Also, it is wise to ask some questions about your AC. The repair service should be able to give you some tips, advice and maybe teach you to simple repairs on your AC once a problem or issue arises.