Air conditioners can’t take the heat

Posted on August 11, 2011 by admin

The heat goes on.

Excessive heat warnings were in effect in south Mississippi Tuesday.

The National Weather Service says the continued heat wave is responsible for making July the hottest July on record.

The heat is so sweltering that air conditioners are losing their cool.

Extreme heat is taking its toll on people and their means of staying cool inside.

That means increased calls to air conditioning service experts.

A service representative from Dent Heating and Cooling had to respond to a second call to a northeast Jackson home Tuesday.

“It’s hot in the house,” said Jerry Dowdy. “I came here, and now this is number two in the house.”

On Monday one of three units froze up.

Tuesday the second unit stopped cooling.

“They called, and it iced up last night,” Dowdy said. “So we are here to find out why it iced up cause it stopped cooling.”

Air conditioners can’t take the heat.

They’ve been pretty maxed out, according to Dowdy.

“They’ve been operating in conditions temperatures more than they are designed to do and in some homes they’ve been exceeding what they’ve been designed to do,” Dowdy said.

With 100 degree temps outside, you lower the air 20 degrees which only brings it down to 80 inside, still too hot for some folks, Dowdy said. The air conditioners are working overtime.

The best tips: Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted expenses.

Be sure and check your filters once a month.

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Efficient ideas to keep your home cool and your utility bill low

Posted on July 10, 2011 by admin

A full two-thirds of the United States is expected to experience above-average summer temperatures this year, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. With some areas of the country already well into seemingly endless runs of 100-degree weather this summer, it is important for homeowners to take steps to maintain their air conditioning systems now to avoid problems later in the summer.

For most homes, heating and cooling consumes more energy dollars than any other system. Unfortunately, regardless of costs, air conditioning systems often serve as the best refuge from the high summer heat and humidity.

All homeowners can take steps to ensure a longer life for their heating and cooling equipment, says Gary Stiles, who teaches HVAC training at the Everest Institute – Houston Bissonnet campus.

“Basic air conditioning maintenance will provide better comfort, and a well-maintained unit runs more efficiently, lasts longer, and suffers from fewer breakdowns,” says Stiles. “While there are no guarantees, consumers can greatly increase their chances of enjoying a cooler summer by following a few simple steps:

* First, be sure to clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed. If you’re not sure where to start, filters are often located in the return air duct of the air conditioner itself, directly in the furnace or in filter grilles located in ceilings and/or walls. Check the specifications of your model and buy a replacement, which can be found at most retail stores.

* When it’s hot outside, keep your window coverings closed during the day to keep solar heat from entering your home and making your air conditioner work harder.

* Give your air vents room to breathe by keeping them clean and removing furniture, carpeting or drapes that could block air flow.

* In addition to keeping things clean inside; your outdoor unit should also be cleaned twice a year with a water hose. Turn the unit off at the breaker and start washing at the top and work your way down.

* Set your thermostat as high as is comfortable in the summer.

* Turn off kitchen, bath and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are finished cooking or bathing.

* If you know where your unit’s drain line is, confirm it is open by running water. Even better, pour bleach directly into the line to kill any algae in it. If you have an air compressor, you can also blow air into the hose from the outlet end to determine if the drain line is open.”

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Furnace dispute leaves local families feeling the cold

Posted on December 29, 2010 by admin

If not for a second opinion, two Orangeville families would have had $5,000 to $6,000 less in their respective bank accounts this Christmas.

Terry Tovey and John Wilkinson are involved in a dispute with Direct Energy (DE), which shut down their furnaces earlier this month after finding what they said are heat exchanger cracks.

While DE officials are confident in those initial findings, both men are once again toasty warm after a second opinion resulted in their heat being turned back on by another company, without having repair or replacement.

“If I had gone ahead and purchased a furnace, I would have been none the wiser that wasn’t exactly necessary,” Tovey said, wondering how many people have simply opted for replacement under similar circumstances.

“I was quite perturbed about it,” Wilkinson added, noting he felt pressured by the situation. “It’s December. It’s cold.”

Faced with the prospect of little heat — they each have gas fireplaces — or a $5,000 to $6,000 bill for a new furnace, they each decided a second opinion was in order.

For Wilkinson, that happened the same day, Dec. 4. Tovey, however, had his furnace shut off on Dec. 3 and it wasn’t put back into action for three days, though he had the use of two heaters loaned to him by DE.

Working independently of one another, both men called Don’s Heating and Cooling to take a look. Don’s technicians determined there was nothing wrong and removed the red tags, allowing the furnaces to be turned back on.

Joshua Orzech, DE’s director of public relations, is looking into the complaints, but stands behind the original findings of his technicians.

“These technicians go through refresher training every year, before each season … to keep their skills current and up to date,” he said. “If they say something was there, and they’re showing it on the camera, it indicates there may be something there.

“We take pride in accurately assessing furnaces. We’ve been doing it for decades.”

Each inspection, Orzech explained, is supposed to involve a visual examination of the heat exchanger and testing for carbon monoxide emissions as part of an eight-point review. If a concern is revealed, a further 12-point inspection is to be conducted.

“In every instance, your safety is the most important thing we do,” he said. “In the unfortunate event we have to shut it down, we do that because we are concerned first and foremost about the safety of our customers. Leaving a defective furnace running is a serious risk to the family … and it’s not a risk we’re willing to take.”

According to Tovey and Wilkinson, the technicians who inspected their furnaces didn’t perform as thorough a job as Orzech described. As far as they are aware, only visual checks were done.

“I didn’t see a crack,” Tovey recalls of viewing the technician’s equipment. “It was not a very clear viewing on this little three-inch monitor, or whatever size it was, in his hand.”

Don Roper, owner of Don’s Heat and Heating, acknowledged a visual inspection may be all that’s needed, if a crack is apparent. In these cases, that wasn’t the opinion of his workers, and additional testing was done.

“If you don’t see a crack, you could still have a bad heat exchanger,” he said, explaining his preferred method is to check for oxygen levels inside the furnace. “That’s a real sure-fire way to find it.

“You’re still going to get the odd one it doesn’t show, but it’s more accurate than a visual inspection.”

The discrepancy in opinion inspired Tovey to file a formal complaint with DE and cancel all services he received from them. Wilkinson is also considering filing a complaint.

“I plan to definitely cancel my contract with them,” the latter man said.

Tovey has since rejected an offer from Orzech to have a more experienced DE field technician or supervisor take a look at his furnace, stating he’s already has a second opinion and he believes further testing would be a waste of time.

In turn, Orzech offered to drop off three carbon monoxide detectors for Tovey to have, just as a precaution if there really is a problem. Confident in the second opinion, Tovey refused.

http://www.orangeville.com/

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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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