Checking furnace now avoids chills later

Posted on September 11, 2011 by admin

Fall is the time to get your home ready for the coming winter that can be the most gruelling season for your home. Inspecting on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices are the best ways to protect your investment.

A regular schedule of seasonal maintenance can put a stop to the most common and costly problems, before they occur. If necessary, use a camera to take pictures of anything you might want to share with an expert for advice or to monitor or remind you of a situation later. Most home maintenance activities are seasonal. The following is a check list of some of the key items that should be reviewed each fall:

Have furnace or heating system serviced by a qualified service company every two years for a gas furnace, and every year for an oil furnace.
Open furnace humidifier damper on units with central air conditioning and clean humidifier.
Lubricate circulating pump on hot water heating system.
Bleed air from hot water radiators.
Examine the forced air furnace fan belt for wear, looseness or noise; clean fan blades of any dirt buildup (after disconnecting the electricity to the motor first).
Check and clean or replace furnace air filters each month during the heating season. Filters for ventilation systems, such as a heat recovery ventilator, should be checked every two months.
Vacuum electric baseboard heaters to remove dust.
Remove grilles on forced air systems and vacuum inside the ducts.
If the heat recovery ventilator has been shut off for the summer, clean the filters and the core, and pour water down the condensate drain to test it.
Clean portable humidifier, if one is used.
Have well water tested for quality. It is recommended that you test for bacteria every six months.
Check sump pump and line to ensure proper operation, and to ascertain that there are no line obstructions or visible leaks.
Replace window screens with storm windows.
Remove screens from the inside of casement windows to allow air from the heating system to keep condensation off window glass.
Ensure all doors to the outside shut tightly, and check other doors for ease of use. Renew door weather stripping if required.
If there is a door between your house and garage, check the adjustment of the self-closing device to ensure it closes the door completely.
Ensure windows and skylights close tightly.
Cover outside of air conditioning units.

While most maintenance is seasonal there are some things you should do year round:

Make sure all air vents are clear of snow and debris.
Check and clean range hood filters on a monthly basis.
Test the ground fault circuit interrupter(s) monthly by pushing the test button, which should then cause the reset button to pop up.
If you have children, equip electrical outlets with safety plugs.
Regularly check the house for safety hazards such as lifting or buckling carpet, etc.

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Extraordinarily warm July boosts sale of air conditioners

Posted on August 4, 2011 by admin

Hot as it seemed, July in Western Pennsylvania wasn’t even among the 10 warmest on record, but there was one thing that was hot: air conditioner sales.

“We run into the same problem with snow shovels. People don’t buy them unless they see snowflakes and people don’t buy air conditioners until they break a sweat,” said Home Depot spokeswoman Jen King. “During July, we have heard the most noise about this, and we are trying to do everything we can to get the product back out there.”

She said the national retailer struggled to meet demand here and in other parts of the nation, where high temperatures have broken records and punished residents for weeks.

King said the company meets that need by shipping air conditioning units from areas where demand is low to where it is high. From Texas, which is in the midst of a 30-day triple-digit temperature streak, to the East Coast, she said the demand has far exceeded supply, although she declined to discuss the company’s sales figures.

So air conditioning units won’t be going back on local shelves for a while, but she said the company is asking for help from merchants and manufacturers across the country to raise inventory in high-demand areas.

Meanwhile, consumers have been taking their dollars to anyone who can provide relief from the heat.

Trane Air Solutions, which sells central air conditioning units in home improvement stores, has noticed an increase in repairs and sales of brand new central air units, said Randy Rathe, Trane residential solutions district manager. While he wouldn’t talk about specific sales numbers, he said it appears that instead of withstanding the heat, people are spending money out of their pockets or financing air conditioning units to survive the summer’s hottest days.

“For most people, it is hard to just buy or repair a central air unit because central air is one of the most expensive investments a person can make in their home,” Rathe said.

He said for the company to add a cooling element to a furnace, it can cost between $4,000 and $5,000, but a new furnace with a cooling element can be up to $14,000.

Joe Benz, general manager at Gillece Heating and Cooling, said he has noticed an increase in calls for repairs to air conditioners, which he attributes to the stretch of high temperatures in the region.

July was just the 12th hottest month in local history with an average temperature of 76.9 degrees, said Lee Hendricks, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. The hottest month ever was in July of 1877, when the average temperature was 80.3 degrees.

The highest temperature in July this year was 96 degrees, significantly less than the record of 103, set during the 13-day heat wave of July 1988. This July, temperatures climbed above 90 degrees nine times, compared to the record of 13 times in 1988, Hendricks said. Rainfall was 2.46 inches, about an 1 inch below the average for rainfall in July, he said.

Hendricks said the first week of August will feel slightly cooler, with daytime highs in the mid- to upper 80s. Lower temperatures will arrive by the end of next week and some highs may only be in the 70s.

“For the past month, people have been asking when I am going to call ‘uncle’ and stop reporting such high temperatures,” WPXI meteorologist Scott Harbaugh said. “Now, people are going to be extremely relieved to get their first taste of fall weather.”

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Window AC units banned in some public housing

Posted on May 14, 2011 by admin

Despite threats by tenants earlier this week to sue local and federal agencies, Annapolis Housing Authority officials voted Thursday to ban bedroom window air conditioners in three public housing communities.

Anyone who violates the ban will be in breach of their lease, housing officials said.

Annapolis Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Chairman Carl O. Snowden said the board had no choice but to ban the air conditioners, in light of the fire codes of the city and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which prohibit the units in areas with limited exits.

The problem began around 2000 when HUD and the Housing Authority replaced the double-hung windows in Eastport Terrace, Newtowne 20 and Robinwood. They installed sliding windows, which means that if an air conditioner is in one side of a window, the other side cannot be opened.

The situation creates a fire hazard in areas with only one door such as bedrooms, officials said. It would cost about $2 million to install central air conditioning in these communities, officials said. The three communities have about 310 units combined, and are home to close to 1,000 people.

For years, Housing Authority staff has told residents to remove their units during HUD and Annapolis fire marshal inspections, then reinstall them. But HUD and local authorities are no longer willing to look the other way and tolerate this practice, officials said.

Snowden explained that continued violations could result in HUD taking over management of public housing and ousting the local board.

The Housing Authority has been on HUD’s “troubled” list for close to a decade, but has earned preliminary passing scores in recent inspections.

There will be a critical inspection next month, Snowden said. If the authority receives a failing score, HUD could appoint a trustee to run the operation.

A regional HUD spokeswoman said the air conditioners are an important issue.

“We have made a number of suggestions for improving that score, including to remove tenant-installed air conditioning units in cases where they block secondary egress (exits),” said Maria Bynum.

These restrictions typically apply to bedrooms, which have only one door.

Bynum, based in HUD’s Philadelphia office, said tenants still may use air conditioners in areas that have two doors, or a door and a window, as long as there’s an adequate emergency exit.

This interpretation of the rule means that residents still will be able to use air conditioners downstairs in their apartments.

Alderman Ken Kirby, D-Ward 6, defended the incumbent board, and said tenants should cooperate to avoid a HUD takeover.

“This mistake (of installing the windows) was made long before this board was appointed,” said Kirby at the voting session. “It is going to be a hot summer, and I realize that, but let’s keep this Housing Authority in the hands of this board.”

Kirby said he has contacted U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Baltimore, in an effort to get federal funds to install central air conditioning or replace the sliding windows with double-hung windows.

Community activist Robert Eades, a former public housing resident, said he has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union about representing the tenants in a case against HUD, and is waiting for a response.

“The residents asked me to help them,” Eades said. “It is not the Board of Commissioners we are going to have a suit against, it is HUD.”

He said HUD was responsible, since it either authorized or demanded installation of the sliding windows years ago.

Housing Authority officials said they will consider appeals by those who have serious medical conditions or need air conditioning.

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Air Conditioning Filter: Essential Part of Heating and Air Conditioning

Posted on March 21, 2010 by admin

The air conditioning filter is one of the most important air conditioning parts in the air conditioning system. Without it, your air conditioning system would be dirty and the air you breathe would be filled with pollutants. All air conditioning parts, from the ductwork to the air conditioning refrigerant, need the air conditioning filter to be clean and replaced to ensure you’re getting the very best in central air conditioning.

If an air conditioning filter is left dirty, over time, it can lead to higher energy costs and short

equipment life due to all the air conditioning parts relying on each other. One can not work without the other. Overall, your heating and cooling will not be as effective and you will need to invest in more air conditioning repair and air conditioning maintenance.

An air conditioning filter should be changed every month or every two months for home air conditioning systems and every couple of weeks for certain commercial or industrial air conditioning since it’s running almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Doing this as a routine in your monthly chores and not waiting until you see dust matted on the air conditioning filter will ensure you and your family the very best health as well as a smooth running air conditioning system . Dust particles can not always be seen so even if you see a little dust on the air filter , clean it as you normally would.

Since there are a variety of air conditioning filters , how quickly one gets blocked versus another depends on the brand – most air conditioning filters are sized 1 ½ to 2 square feet for each ton of capacity for a home or commercial property.

You can judge a filter’s ability to clean by using MERV ratings – Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value – which is a rating of how efficient an air conditioning filter is from 1-12. The higher the rating, the more effective it is at removing particles such as animal dander, pollen, dust, mold and other allergens, and the better the protection for your air conditioning equipment . Most air conditioning filters screen out particles measuring from 3 to 10 microns in size.

The common types of air conditioning filters are:

Conventional fiberglass disposable filters (1? and 2?): These are common in most homes and small industrial air conditioners and commercial air conditioning systems. Since they are disposable and have an adhesive coating that traps the dust, you should not clean the filters . This may damage the filter’s ability to remove particles by damaging the adhesive coating and/or the underlying mesh work. They are both not as effective as other types of filters even though they are lower in cost.

Pleated fiberglass disposable filters (1? and 2?): The 1? are generally used in many residential and commercial settings and are made of materials that can vary in the effectiveness. Usually, they are more densely woven to increase the efficiency of removing dirt. These have a larger surface area to lead to increased trapping of particles as compared to conventional filters. They must be specified for your air conditioning system or this can lead to increased demand on your air conditioning components. Thereby, a mismatch can be counterproductive on the health of the air conditioning system and possibly lead to higher air conditioning maintenance and service cost. You should check with the air conditioning manufacturer as to the appropriate type of pleated filter for your system. A filter spray can also be applied after the cleaning and drying of the air conditioning air filter .

Electrostatic filters: Different in design and performance, since there are so many varieties, it is rather difficult to determine which is the most efficient. They are commonly advertised as allergy-free air conditioning filters. These filters also come in the 1? and 2? sizes. Air that moves through the filter creates a static charge that collects any dust in the filter. They may require more cleaning and more blower power.

Electronic filters : Connected to an electrical power source and usually wall mounted, electronic filters come with a pre-filter that can collect larger particles and only need to be cleaned every six months.

Carbon filters : These filters contain carbon that can control any odor problems you might have within the air conditioning system . They can also be useful in homes with pets.

Air Conditioning Filter Installation

When placing the appropriate air conditioning filter in to the system, the filter should be placed in the correct direction as indicated by the arrow located on the side or face of the filter. Air should flow in the proper direction which is in the same direction as the arrows. This allows the filter to work appropriately, as the air exits the filter in the most reinforced part of the filter.

The air conditioning filter should fit tightly. A perfect seal is necessary to prevent unfiltered air from entering and damaging your air conditioning system. Without a perfect seal and appropriate sizing, the filter is useless. Additionally, the non-conventional filters may have a higher efficiency and may not fit your system. This should be checked with an air conditioning company, contractor, or air conditioning supply company.

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