HVAC Advice That Any Novice Can Understand Easily
The air quality and temperature of the air in you home is very important. It affects your and your loved one's comfort and health. That is why it is important to know about HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning)to keep the air in your home clean and the right temperature.
Look for deals and rebates on the HVAC system you are having installed. Many ENERGY STAR units come with huge rebates either from your local utility company or the government itself. Investigate your options as it could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the installation costs.
Make sure the equipment you are buying is ENERGY STAR compliant. It may seem a small thing, but it isn't. Products that are ENERGY STAR compliant can save you a lot of money in energy costs over the year. It can be over $100 easily, sometimes a lot more.
When you cut the grass, make sure your mower isn't tossing clippings toward your outdoor units. Turn your lawnmower in the opposite direction. This same tip applies when you are blowing fallen leaves around the yard. Grass and leaves pose a serious problem for the internal functioning of your unit.
In order to avoid having any problems with your air conditioning unit, keep all vegetation at least two feet away from the outdoor unit. The unit should be clear of any vegetation on all sides and above. When you mow the lawn, aim the grass clippings away from the a/c unit. This will prevent grass getting inside the a/c and making it malfunction.
Whenever possible, try to shade the compressor unit outside. The air that's in a place that is shaded is usually five to six degrees cooler than the surrounding air. Your air conditioning unit will be up to ten percent more efficient if it is properly shaded during the summer months.
Have your heating and cooling system inspected twice a year. Your system should be inspected in Spring and Fall. Even if you can't see anything wrong, checking it may help you locate and repair some possible issues.
Ask for references and be sure to call them as well. You are dealing with a high ticket item here, so you'll want to do your due diligence to make sure you are getting the best for your money. Ask for references, but don't stop there. Call each reference to check. A lot of people don't take that important last step.
If you want to ensure your air conditioner offers you great performance, keep it dry. If it is located in a dry, cool area, you'll find that the efficiency goes up and the unit lasts a long time. You can even buy a water vapor cooler to cool it as it is running.
Always ask for references before you allow anyone to start doing work on your HVAC system. Call several of them to make sure that they are legitimate. Many people take the word of the contractor when it comes to customer satisfaction and that can prove to be a mistake in the end.
If you are a having trouble with your existing system, check for leaks in the ducts. Often, utility companies will test them free of charge. When you repair the leaks, you'll see that the tests paid for themselves.
Test your duct work for leaks. The local utility may be able to test for you, and their services are frequently free or low cost. When you get leaks repaired, you may see that the testing pays for itself.
Be careful of sounds in your HVAC. If the condenser fan begins to make a grating or clicking sound, the blades could be hitting an obstruction. If blades get bent, don't try straightening them. You could unbalance them and cause them to hit the condenser coil. This could loosen the motor in the fan. Try replacing the bent blades with new ones. Make sure the new blades can freely rotate without wobbling.
There is a lot to think about when you install an air conditioner unit. For example, a big unit won't remove humidity while a small unit won't cool enough. Placing it in the wrong place can make it less efficient, and not insulating your home adequately could render it almost useless.
Think about installing a digital programmable thermostat to keep your heating and cooling bills low. These digital thermostats get more info have timers that allow you to completely control your HVAC use. You can set the heat and cooling to only turn on when you are home and to turn off when you are at work.
Is your home's electrical set-up ready to handle a new air conditioning unit? Most homes have 115-volt circuits in place, but larger air conditioners need 230-volts to be used. Some smaller units may need their own dedicated circuit as well to ensure your home doesn't go dark when you turn them on.
A great way to ensure that the HVAC professionals you hire are up to the task is to take steps to verify that they possess proper licensing and certification. Failing to check these very important credentials can cause you to hire someone who is more likely to do more harm than good and charge you a great deal of money along the way.
Make sure you wipe up any water that is close to the air intake of the vents of your HVAC system. Clean up any water that is standing around because water can cause mold to easily expand. Some water buildup is normal but if you're picking up water more than once every six months you might have a problem, so contact a HVAC technician.
Be sure to choose a contractor who designs your HVAC system themselves. A salesperson is not equipped to get such a job done right. If a project is designed incorrectly, gases from the system can be blown into the house and your family can be made sick or even worse.
An HVAC system is expensive. Therefore, you want to make sure that you work with a reputable contractor or company to ensure that you get the most from your investment. Always get references from anyone that you are considering working with, and make sure to follow up on each of those references.
After reading the above article, you should understand the importance of proper maintenance when it comes to HVAC system. If you don't take good care of your HVAC system, it will break down and end up costing you a fortune. So remember what you learned, apply the tips, and you will see how long your HVAC system lasts.
Texas weather: New Jersey plumber offers a helping hand
From halfway across America, one plumber has answered the pleas of Texans still grappling with the aftermath of a devastating winter storm.
As the coldest temperatures in over 30 years swept through Texas in early February, pipes burst in homes across the south-western state, leaving thousands of families with flooded homes and no water.
Plumber Andrew Mitchell and his family drove 22 hours from Morristown, New Jersey to the Houston area in a truck loaded up with around $2,000 (£1,418) worth of materials to offer a helping hand.
Since their arrival on Saturday, Mr Mitchell and his brother-in-law-turned-apprentice, Isiah Pinnock, have worked from morning until night to fix pipes and repair other damage in the storm-ravaged region.
"It's really a blessing to be a blessing to other people and Andrew truly enjoys the work," Mr Mitchell's wife, Kisha Pinnock, told the BBC. "Plumbing is his passion."
Why is it so cold in Texas?
How to stay safe in freezing weather
Texas families 'trying to keep warm' with no power
Last week, Mr Mitchell noticed "a call for help" from Texan plumbers on Facebook, who said they were being overwhelmed by 150 to 200 calls each day.
Aware that supplies were largely sold out across Texas, America's second-most populous state, Mr Mitchell went down to his local store and purchased "as much material as he could afford at the time".
With their two-year-old son Blake and Isiah - a college senior - in tow, the couple made the 1,500 mile (2,400km) drive down to help out their first client: Ms Pinnock's sister in Humble, Texas.
Since then, Ms Pinnock says, her husband has been working "nonstop", locating the damage in collapsed ceilings, frozen walls and - in one harrowing episode - working beside snake eggshells in a crawl space.
Mitchell and his brother-in-law fix pipes
IMAGE SOURCE,ANDREW MITCHELL
"A lot of the people we've helped were telling us they either can't get a plumber on the phone or - if they do get one on the phone - the wait to be serviced is three to four weeks out, so they can't have water during that entire time," says Ms Pinnock.
After almost a full week in, the family wants to keep helping out for as long as it can.
Mr Mitchell plans to keep working "until he runs out of material". He says he might even make a return trip to the area.
For now, while supplies last, they plan to visit the Texas capital city of Austin tomorrow.
"Last night, Andrew did not get back home until two in the morning and he was out of here by 07:30 this morning," Ms Pinnock says.
"He's always been dedicated to his craft."
Reporting by Sam Cabral