As we are nearing the end of summertime it is a great time to get a jump on the heating season. Before long it will be time to turn on your furnace for the first time.
If you haven't had your furnace serviced in a while or if you are ready to make a change to a new servicing company give me a call at 916-751-6060 or visit my website A1 Heating and Air to talk some more or schedule an appointment.
Some of the things I do with a heating system are safety related:
Is the unit lighting and combusting properly
Is the blower moving enough air to deliver the proper amount of airflow.
Is the flu working properly and attached properly.
Has the blower door safety switch been bypassed.
Is there higher than acceptable CO in the home.
Other things I will do are more maintenance related:
Is any cleaning required: blower, furnace compartment, flame sensor, coil, filter etc. some of these things are included in the routine maintenance and others are an additional charge depending on the time and complexity of cleaning.
Many people in the SMUD and Roseville Utility areas have heat pumps because of the relatively low electric rates. Many of the things I do will be the same except for the things obviously related to a gas fired furnace.
So if you would like to get a jump ahead on the heating season give me a call and I will be happy to come out to your home for service on your heating system.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Summer Heat
With all this summer heat in the Sacramento area I thought it would be a good idea to mention a few things I tell my customers to keep cool.
1. Be sure all supply vents are open. I understand there are some rooms in your house that may not be used much, but your air conditioning systems doesn't know that. Whether the vents are open or closed the blower motor (unless it's variable speed) still works just as hard....closing those vents won't save you money. Also those closed off rooms tend to get muggy. And the more vents you close off the more static pressure you create in the duct system. It's okay to slightly close some vents especially the downstairs vents in the summer, just not all the way.
2. Hose down your roof. That's right.....when it's really hot I spray water on my roof....the evaporative cooling effect of water on a roof can really drop the attic temps.
3. Hose down your outdoor condenser. When an outdoor condenser coil is wet the unit thinks its 75 degrees out: optimal conditions for the compressor and coil. Some of the most efficient systems out there, such as the Aquachill use this very same method to achieve incredibly high SEER/EER ratings.
Hope these few tips help. If you have any questions call me at:
916-751-6060 A1 Heating and Air
1. Be sure all supply vents are open. I understand there are some rooms in your house that may not be used much, but your air conditioning systems doesn't know that. Whether the vents are open or closed the blower motor (unless it's variable speed) still works just as hard....closing those vents won't save you money. Also those closed off rooms tend to get muggy. And the more vents you close off the more static pressure you create in the duct system. It's okay to slightly close some vents especially the downstairs vents in the summer, just not all the way.
2. Hose down your roof. That's right.....when it's really hot I spray water on my roof....the evaporative cooling effect of water on a roof can really drop the attic temps.
3. Hose down your outdoor condenser. When an outdoor condenser coil is wet the unit thinks its 75 degrees out: optimal conditions for the compressor and coil. Some of the most efficient systems out there, such as the Aquachill use this very same method to achieve incredibly high SEER/EER ratings.
Hope these few tips help. If you have any questions call me at:
916-751-6060 A1 Heating and Air
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Zoning a House for Air Conditioning
Something very common in the Sacramento area is zoning in two story homes. Today I visited a home which was suffering from a zoning system that doesn't work anymore.
The home I visited had a two ton furnace up in the attic which was attached to a two-zone damper system. The home was approximately 1700 square feet, built in the 1990s. This home would typically have had a 3 to 3.5 ton air conditioning system. With zoning, we can heat and cool a home in zones, allowing us to condition the living spaces when they have a heating load that calls for the ac to turn on. Works great, two thermostats call for cooling alternately, with the upper floor normally running more often than the lower floor in the summer.
Well, this home's damper system was not opening and closing properly, which means it was running much more than necessary, raising the customer's utility bills and decreasing comfort in the home.
What is the solution? In this case, replacing the defective motors with new ones, as well as replacing the control zone board. In this house, it would also be advisable to replace the existing fiberboard plenum with a sturdy metal one.
Do you have a home with two thermostats, one upstairs and one downstairs that doesn't seem to heat or cool properly? If so, contact a company that has expertise in working with this type of system. The relatively small cost of getting a zone system back to operating properly will yield great results in comfort.
Contact The HVAC Tech at 916-751-6060 if you live in the Sacramento or Rancho Cordova area. Or simply comment to this blog.
Take Care,
The Hvac Tech
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Does Your Furnace Run Intermittently?
One of the frequent complaints that I hear from my customers when they are having a problem with their furnace is that it will run for a while, blow hot air, and then it will start to blow cold air for a several hours before coming back on and blowing warm air again.
Obviously, there are several possibilities and I will begin to check the individual components that are involved in the heating process. What I want to focus on primarily though, is how oftentimes I discover that the issue is connected to air flow, or actually the lack thereof. As I have mentioned in previous posts, dirty air filters cause many problems. Sometimes simply changing a dirty filter will solve an intermittent heating problem in a gas furnace. If not, I inspect the air conditioning coil that is located near the furnace. If that is dirty can also cause the furnace to shut down its production of heat yet still run and blow cold air.
What is happening is that your furnace is producing heat but the blower is not able to evacuate that heat away from the furnace compartment quickly enough because there is a constriction at the filter and/or in the evaporator coil because it is dirty. Because of lack of air flow the temperatures in the furnace rise above safe levels and the safety devices in the system shut the flame off. The blower continues to blow so that the moving air can remove the heat from the heat exchanger area and after a while temperatures drop and the furnace will reignite the flame and heat until temps rise too high again and the process starts all over again.
In this instance the issue can only be resolved by cleaning the evaporator coil and filter.
Obviously, there are other issues that can cause this, improperly installed inducer motor on a condensing furnace will also cause this, a malfunctioning control board, dirty flame sensor, the list goes on and on but the point I want to make is the importance of keeping your central heating system clean. Changing filters often is one of the most important things you as a homeowner can do to keep your system running efficiently and properly.
So, change your filters often and you should enjoy less visits from your local heating and air technician.
Take Care,
The HVAC Tech
Obviously, there are several possibilities and I will begin to check the individual components that are involved in the heating process. What I want to focus on primarily though, is how oftentimes I discover that the issue is connected to air flow, or actually the lack thereof. As I have mentioned in previous posts, dirty air filters cause many problems. Sometimes simply changing a dirty filter will solve an intermittent heating problem in a gas furnace. If not, I inspect the air conditioning coil that is located near the furnace. If that is dirty can also cause the furnace to shut down its production of heat yet still run and blow cold air.
What is happening is that your furnace is producing heat but the blower is not able to evacuate that heat away from the furnace compartment quickly enough because there is a constriction at the filter and/or in the evaporator coil because it is dirty. Because of lack of air flow the temperatures in the furnace rise above safe levels and the safety devices in the system shut the flame off. The blower continues to blow so that the moving air can remove the heat from the heat exchanger area and after a while temperatures drop and the furnace will reignite the flame and heat until temps rise too high again and the process starts all over again.
In this instance the issue can only be resolved by cleaning the evaporator coil and filter.
Obviously, there are other issues that can cause this, improperly installed inducer motor on a condensing furnace will also cause this, a malfunctioning control board, dirty flame sensor, the list goes on and on but the point I want to make is the importance of keeping your central heating system clean. Changing filters often is one of the most important things you as a homeowner can do to keep your system running efficiently and properly.
So, change your filters often and you should enjoy less visits from your local heating and air technician.
Take Care,
The HVAC Tech
Monday, April 2, 2012
A great time to have your Heating and Air System Checked.
With the weather being so mild you might think that it's not a good time to have your heating and air system checked out. After all, if it ain't broke why fix it? Right? Why not wait until you need your system to have it checked out? Well here are some things to think about when it comes to your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump:
1. Better Service. When do you think most folks have their system worked on or checked out? Probably the hottest part of the summer or the coldest part of winter. That's the worst time to do it because heating and air companies are super busy then. With lots of service calls the technicians are trying to see as many people as possible as quickly as possible and are only taking care of the biggest problems first. Why compete with all those other customers? The best time for your system to get a technician's full attention is when it is slow. Then the tech can take his time to look over the system, make recommendations and better listen to your needs.
2. Better Prices. Most companies do not run their best specials in the "demand" months because there is a long line of customers who need to have their system checked out. Your best bet for a good price on service or replacement is when the weather is mild and there are technicians just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.
3. Better Control. Why let your heating and air system control when you are going to have it repaired? Do you want to wait until the hottest day of the summer for your Air Conditioner to say, "ok, I give up, fix me now"? That would be the worst time to get it fixed. You will then have to be at the mercy of whoever can get to you the quickest, and in the summer the best companies get overloaded with service calls and so then you have to either wait until they can get to you or try some new, unknown company with few customers and take a chance that they will treat you properly. Instead, take control of your system by getting it checked out before it gets overloaded. Think about it like taking a trip: When should you have your car serviced, before a long trip or after?
Well, if you still aren't convinced then simply put it off and take your chances. Not what I would recommend, but perhaps you are feeling lucky......
If you would like to take control over your Summer cooling do it now, in the Spring. Give me a call at 916-751-6060 or simply fill out a comment with your contact info.
Take Care,
The HVAC Tech
1. Better Service. When do you think most folks have their system worked on or checked out? Probably the hottest part of the summer or the coldest part of winter. That's the worst time to do it because heating and air companies are super busy then. With lots of service calls the technicians are trying to see as many people as possible as quickly as possible and are only taking care of the biggest problems first. Why compete with all those other customers? The best time for your system to get a technician's full attention is when it is slow. Then the tech can take his time to look over the system, make recommendations and better listen to your needs.
2. Better Prices. Most companies do not run their best specials in the "demand" months because there is a long line of customers who need to have their system checked out. Your best bet for a good price on service or replacement is when the weather is mild and there are technicians just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.
3. Better Control. Why let your heating and air system control when you are going to have it repaired? Do you want to wait until the hottest day of the summer for your Air Conditioner to say, "ok, I give up, fix me now"? That would be the worst time to get it fixed. You will then have to be at the mercy of whoever can get to you the quickest, and in the summer the best companies get overloaded with service calls and so then you have to either wait until they can get to you or try some new, unknown company with few customers and take a chance that they will treat you properly. Instead, take control of your system by getting it checked out before it gets overloaded. Think about it like taking a trip: When should you have your car serviced, before a long trip or after?
Well, if you still aren't convinced then simply put it off and take your chances. Not what I would recommend, but perhaps you are feeling lucky......
If you would like to take control over your Summer cooling do it now, in the Spring. Give me a call at 916-751-6060 or simply fill out a comment with your contact info.
Take Care,
The HVAC Tech
Friday, March 30, 2012
Carbon Monoxide Monitors
Carbon Monoxide Monitors are an important safety device to have in your home if you have gas appliances. The need for one is especially important if you have a gas furnace inside your home in a closet.
There are different types of detectors but the one you want is the most sensitive you can find. I like to have one that can read as little as one part per million, expensive, but worth it.
You see, most detectors will not sound an alarm until they have detected over 100 parts per million of CO for at least two hours. This is a dangerous amount of carbon monoxide. I frequently tell my customers to be concerned if I detect 10 parts per million or more because that means there is some spillage from the gas appliance/furnace into the living space, and if I detect that amount it means under the right conditions there may be much more carbon monoxide buildup during different parts of the day.
To give you an idea of the danger level of CO, at 200 parts per million you can experience dizziness, headaches, and some CO monitors won't even go off until 200 parts per million which is way past the amount I would find acceptable in my home or my customers.
If you live in the Sacramento area and would like to know more about the conditions in your home please contact me at 916-751-6060 or comment on my blog.
The HVAC Tech
There are different types of detectors but the one you want is the most sensitive you can find. I like to have one that can read as little as one part per million, expensive, but worth it.
You see, most detectors will not sound an alarm until they have detected over 100 parts per million of CO for at least two hours. This is a dangerous amount of carbon monoxide. I frequently tell my customers to be concerned if I detect 10 parts per million or more because that means there is some spillage from the gas appliance/furnace into the living space, and if I detect that amount it means under the right conditions there may be much more carbon monoxide buildup during different parts of the day.
To give you an idea of the danger level of CO, at 200 parts per million you can experience dizziness, headaches, and some CO monitors won't even go off until 200 parts per million which is way past the amount I would find acceptable in my home or my customers.
If you live in the Sacramento area and would like to know more about the conditions in your home please contact me at 916-751-6060 or comment on my blog.
The HVAC Tech
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Furnace Air Flow Problems
Air flow in a central heating and air conditioning system is crucial for proper performance of your home's system. There are many things that can affect air flow but today I will address something that a homeowner can do to improve airflow immediately without the help of a paid professional.
First, change that dirty filter and get one that will allow a good airflow thru the ductwork. How do you determine this? It can be a little difficult since most filters in the retail stores concentrate more on allergies and dust removal. I recommend the more basic filters. If you want one of the allergy filters buy one of the ones with the lowest particle removal. In other words don't get the more expensive ones because they restrict air flow too much. Change that filter every 30 to 60 days even if the filter says you can go longer.
Second, and this one will take more work: Take a look at the supply registers/vents that blow the air into your house. If they are rusty go ahead and change them out. Older supply vents/registers typically have more louvers which are thicker. This will reduce air flow substantially. Look for a replacement register with wide spaces between the adjustable louvers. Better yet, if you can find vents without the adjustable louvers get them.
I recommend if you still have an air flow problem that you cut out the adjustable portion of the supply vent. It's amazing how much more air you can get into a room by doing that.
One other thing you can do is to make sure the vents on the register face are open all the way. Older vents can be quite restrictive. Open these up and point them toward the room.
Sometimes registers are installed upside down or backwards, forcing them to blow onto a wall or up into the ceiling. Change these around to blow the correct direction. Be careful when you remove the registers. Many times the paint on the wall or ceiling blends right over the register. In this case you will want to cut around the register's edges so that the paint doesn't peel when you remove it.
Feel like this is something better left to a professional? If you live in the Sacramento or Roseville California area feel free to contact me and I will be happy to speak with you about this.
Take Care and have a Great Day,
The HVAC Tech
First, change that dirty filter and get one that will allow a good airflow thru the ductwork. How do you determine this? It can be a little difficult since most filters in the retail stores concentrate more on allergies and dust removal. I recommend the more basic filters. If you want one of the allergy filters buy one of the ones with the lowest particle removal. In other words don't get the more expensive ones because they restrict air flow too much. Change that filter every 30 to 60 days even if the filter says you can go longer.
Second, and this one will take more work: Take a look at the supply registers/vents that blow the air into your house. If they are rusty go ahead and change them out. Older supply vents/registers typically have more louvers which are thicker. This will reduce air flow substantially. Look for a replacement register with wide spaces between the adjustable louvers. Better yet, if you can find vents without the adjustable louvers get them.
I recommend if you still have an air flow problem that you cut out the adjustable portion of the supply vent. It's amazing how much more air you can get into a room by doing that.
One other thing you can do is to make sure the vents on the register face are open all the way. Older vents can be quite restrictive. Open these up and point them toward the room.
Sometimes registers are installed upside down or backwards, forcing them to blow onto a wall or up into the ceiling. Change these around to blow the correct direction. Be careful when you remove the registers. Many times the paint on the wall or ceiling blends right over the register. In this case you will want to cut around the register's edges so that the paint doesn't peel when you remove it.
Feel like this is something better left to a professional? If you live in the Sacramento or Roseville California area feel free to contact me and I will be happy to speak with you about this.
Take Care and have a Great Day,
The HVAC Tech
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