Posts Tagged ‘HVAC’

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How Your Water Tank Prevents Erosion

January 2nd, 2012

The hot water tank seems to be a rather simple device. Water enters the tank, is heated by the burners, and then transferred throughout the home, but if you really think about it, how is it that the water tank is able to come in contact with so much water and remain rust and erosion resistant? For some homeowners, stopping the tank from eroding isn’t such an easy task. Although there problem usually lies in a lack of proper hot water tank maintenance. There is one very valuable part of the tank that is checked during a maintenance cleaning, and if this part is no longer doing its job, the tank will quickly become vulnerable to erosion. Don’t wait until the bottom of your tank rots out to find out you have a problem.

The Anode and Its Function

The part of your hot water tank that we are talking about is the anode. This vital component of your system sacrifices itself to corrosion and spares the integrity of the tank. However, over time, this part will lose this ability. The aluminum or magnesium that is being corroded will eventually be gone, and the tank itself will begin to break down. This can be prevented though by having the anode checked and replaced why necessary. Some home needs to have the anode replaced as frequently as every 4 years, but other can last up to 6 or 7 years before replacement is needed. Either way, you will not know when you anode needs replacement if you do not have the tank maintained yearly. » Read more: How Your Water Tank Prevents Erosion

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Posted in HVAC Repair, Heating, Home Services, Hot Water Tank, Maintenace, Plumbing

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Lennox Furnaces Stand the Test of Time

October 3rd, 2011

People are always asking, “Who is the best HVAC manufacturer?” There really isn’t a straight forward answer to that question because no matter who made your furnace, it will not be its best without proper installation and yearly maintenance. With that said, we recently dealt with a customer who was very satisfied with his Lennox furnace. He had scheduled a serviceman to check over the system for the season, and though it was found that the unit needed to be replaced, the customer couldn’t have been happier with what he had gotten out of his unit over the years.

37 Years of Service

            This customer’s Lennox furnace was installed back in 1974. This made the unit 37 years old, and when you consider that the typical furnace will last 20 to 25 years, this unit truly did stand the test of time. When we asked about the history of the unit, the customer was proud to tell us that over the years he only had one minor repair done to the system. The thermocouple was replaced about 15 years prior, and when you consider the number of expensive things that can fail on a furnace, this one low cost repair was truly remarkable. » Read more: Lennox Furnaces Stand the Test of Time

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Posted in Contractors, Furnace, Heating, Maintenace, Value

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Spots on the Ceiling, Moisture in the Attic

September 5th, 2011

The last time you painted your ceiling did you notice spots around the outside walls? Those spots are usually an indication that the insulation in the attic is starting to loose its R value, and condensation may be the source of your problem.

Attic Insulation and Year Round Condensation

During the summer and winter the poorly insulated attics will accumulate condensation. In the summer this moisture can leak into the lower level ceilings of the home once it soaks through the insulation, and it could also become a source of mold growth. Once wet, insulation is useless and no longer carries an r-value. In the winter this moisture becomes frost in your attic that further diminishes the effectiveness of what little insulation you may have up there. This situation can be corrected by adding blown in insulation to your attic. This blown in insulation will help to minimize future spots from occurring on your ceiling, but more importantly it will help cut your heating and cooling bills. » Read more: Spots on the Ceiling, Moisture in the Attic

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Posted in Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Insulation, Maintenace

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What is that Gurgling Noise?

August 31st, 2011

Every now and then we get a service call from a customer stating that the furnace is gurgling. Strange but true, furnaces do make gurgling noises. When the condensation drain becomes partially or even completely blocked, a gurgling noise can sometimes be heard. Where is the water coming from that drains through this line? All furnaces rated above 90% AFUE produce condensation during the heat cycle. It is a natural by product of cooling combustion fumes. The other sources of water are the whole house humidifier as well as the air conditioner. Large amounts of condensation may be produced by the air conditioner, especially on very hot days.

Damage Caused by Condensation Leaks

Combustion condensation, air conditioner condensation and humidifier run off all drain into a condensate pump or a floor drain. These lines can become slow or blocked if the drain line is not cleaned periodically. The gurgling noise is a nuisance but a condensation leak because of a slow or blocked drain can be expensive. Water damage from a small condensation drain leak has ruined more than one hardwood floor in the past. Problems like this generally go unnoticed until it’s too late. After a floor starts to buckle or carpet starts to smell hundreds of dollars of damage has all ready been done. Let’s not forget if this condensation leaks or backs up into your furnace it can cause a catastrophic failure of the control board, motor, gas valve or any of the other electrical components it comes in contact with. » Read more: What is that Gurgling Noise?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Furnace, Information, Maintenace

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Thermostats: Wired or Wireless

July 7th, 2011

It’s rare but it happens. One day you’re HVAC system starts working intermittently, or it just quits working all together. Your blower motor might start running when the system is turned off or not come on one time and then work perfectly the next. These are symptoms of a bad thermostat or a short in the thermostat wiring.

Complicated and Costly

The reason I bring up this topic is because today I ran into this very problem. Diagnosing the problem when fairly quick, but the repair was a head scratcher. The reason this repair was so difficult was because the thermostat was located on the second floor and the furnace was in the basement. This meant I would have to run a new thermostat wire through ceilings and floors in order to get to the furnace. This would require cutting access holes and after a lengthy discussion with the homeowner about these facts, he decided to go with the easiest and cheapest option of installing a wireless thermostat. » Read more: Thermostats: Wired or Wireless

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Heating, Information, Value

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Is Your Cash Flying Out the Window?

July 5th, 2011

I just left a service call that left me totally amazed at the lack of attention some people pay to their electric bills. The homeowner in question had a nice home in a nice neighborhood. Everything seemed normal until I tested the current draw on his air conditioner. What I found was truly shocking! His air-conditioner was robbing him blind. What do I mean by that? I mean that the air conditioner was using almost double the electricity needed to cool his house!

Paying Double

The only question I had for this customer was, “How long have you been paying double on your electricity bills?” The homeowner was confused and honestly couldn’t tell me how long this had been going on for. He just attributed the change in cost to the rising cost of energy in this country, and paid off his bills without ever questioning the extra expense. This has got to be the best reason for tuning up your air-conditioning system. A well tuned system will save you money, but more importantly it can alert you to an electricity thief living in your own home. » Read more: Is Your Cash Flying Out the Window?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Money Saving, Value

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Does Energy Efficiency Really Matter?

June 22nd, 2011

My next door neighbor and I built our homes at the same time back in 1996, and our layouts are about the same. However, when it came to the heating and cooling equipment, he chose to go with the builders’ choice and I decided to get the newest technology at the time. His furnace was an 80% efficient up flow gas unit and I decided to go with a 92% up flow gas furnace.

Same House, Substantial Savings

I wish I knew exactly what he spent in gas and electric over the past 15 years, but all I do know is that my gas bills are about 12% less than his every month. It boggles my mind to think about how much more he’s been paying than me on his gas bills for the past 15 years! Since we live in similar homes you would think that our costs would be the same, but the energy efficiency of the HVAC system really does matter! » Read more: Does Energy Efficiency Really Matter?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Heating, Money Saving, Value

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Common Causes of A/C Damage

June 7th, 2011

What do children, lawn mowers, and rodents have in common? At first guess you may think nothing, but they are actually some of the most common causes of physical air conditioner damage. This summer, a local teenager wielding a lawn mower, a family or mice, or you mischievous children could cost you hundreds of dollars in repairs to the air conditioning unit it you are not careful about protecting your system.

Be On the Lookout For:

  • Children: The air conditioner is not a toy, but though it may not look like one to you, your children will find the system very intriguing. Before you allow your condenser to become your child’s jungle gym, consider this. Children like to place toys, sticks, and pretty much anything they can get their hands on inside the air conditioner’s fan blades. Although they find it funny, a bent fan blade will cost hundreds to replace. » Read more: Common Causes of A/C Damage

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Consumer Protection, Maintenace, Safty

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What’s Blocking Your Exhaust?

May 26th, 2011

Wiffle balls, tennis balls, baseballs and rocks are some of the things I’ve removed from the vent pipes of high efficiency furnaces. Oh yea, I have also removed a few dead birds as well. A blocked exhaust vent will trigger safety devises within the furnace to shut the unit down. The unit will not work until the obstruction is removed, and it is for your protection that the system has this mechanism. Without it, you and your family would be surrounded by carbon monoxide every time the neighborhood kids stuck something in your exhaust pipe! You need to keep that pipe protected! On some older furnaces there is no protection from kids or animals blocking the exhaust pipe of your high efficiency furnace.  However, this can be remedied with the installation of a simple screen at the termination of these pipes.

I found two easy remedies for this problem. The first is a plastic 3/4 inch mesh screen, which is designed for this purpose. The second is a piece of hardware cloth cut to size and it is friction fit onto the pipe. But, both methods have their pros and cons. » Read more: What’s Blocking Your Exhaust?

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Posted in Consumer Protection, Heating, Safty

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Why Does it Cost So Much to Clean an A-Coil?

April 26th, 2011

Why does it cost so much to clean an A-COIL? The truth is it doesn’t have to! I was recently asked by a customer why we had to pull out the a-coil to clean it. The answer was because it had so much dirt packed in-between the fins of the coil we needed to power wash it. We don’t see them this bad that often, most of the time they can be cleaned in place, but every once in a while we see a coil that is so dirty there is no other way to clean it but to power wash it outside of the system.

10 Steps to a Clean Coil

There are 10 steps to cleaning a coil that is plugged badly. This repair is more involved because any refrigerant in the system must be removed before a major cleaning can be performed. This is a simple summery of how the repair may go, and an explanation of how the cost can easily skyrocket for this service: » Read more: Why Does it Cost So Much to Clean an A-Coil?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Maintenace, Money Saving

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