Commercial and Residential Heating & Air Conditioning
Sales • Service • Installation
Frequently Asked Questions
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Heating & Air Conditioning
Sales • Service • Installation
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How do I check for a dirty evaporator coil?
Probably the easiest way is to measure the temperature of the air entering the system at the filter then measuring the temperature at the closest register. A good system will show a 20-25 F degree difference in temperature. A restricted airflow will have a higher differential. This is a subjective decision. If the house does not cool properly after a technician adds Freon to the system, and the house has balanced airflow to the rooms, then I would clean the evaporator coil. Many things cause a system to stop cooling properly, but dirt is the most common problem. Many technicians will attempt to add Freon when the coils are dirty. This is because they do not want to clean the coils.
Does my house need surge protection for the HVAC system?
When the HVAC did not have any PC boards the surge protection was not needed, but when manufacturers started using electronics, this requires protection against lightning. Most manufacturers use some form of electronics on modern HVAC equipment
How do I know that the bid is what I need?
If you have to ask this question, you should not try to contract a job yourself. Knowing what is needed from a contractor is what seperates the novice from the profesional. I have supervised jobs that had profesionals bid the job, but never read the returned subcontractor bid. The omissions tripled the cost of construction. Almost every contractor could read the situation and do as he liked. Even on the simple clean-up of the finished construction, the subs can smell ignorance. Construction is not difficult as long as you dot all I’s and cross all T’s. The problem is most are not skilled to do this task properly.
How do I know the contractor is qualified to do the job?
It is almost impossible to check qualifications for a difficult job. A routine job is easily completed by the majority of contractors, but a difficult job is luck of the draw. This is when completion bonds are worth their weight in gold. A smooth talking contractor is the one I would worry about the most. Check references for difficult jobs. Sometimes an engineer can solve difficult jobs, but most people won’t want to spend the additional money to hire the engineer. Several years ago, I decided to level a family home. The quoted cost Vs the actual cost was unrealistic in my mind. I am experienced in construction, so I imagined that I would have no problems using labor to level the house. 1 year later, I was happy with the job, but the job took too many hours to complete. I am confident that the job was done correctly, but when I had contractors bid the job, I did not try hard enough to find the right contractor. When I had completed the first half of the job, I found the pricing I originally expected, and experienced smaller contractors. Ultimately the job cost me personal losses beyond the most expensive contractor from the length of time spent completing the job. Had the job been a customer, I would have probably lost even more.
How do I know the installation price is ok?
Get three similar bids. If the bid is not the same in every detail, then the comparison is impossible for the homeowner. If the different bids specify different sized equipment, then you either need an engineer to size the equipment, or get a bond against incorrect work. Remember, it ain’t the smooth talk that builds the best system. Many contractors do not want to explain their reasoning, because the homeowner is normally not educated enough to understand. At the same time many contractors think they are right and do not want second opinions, when in fact they only guess in many cases
How do you size the airconditioning for the house?
Using an ARI manual J. This allows you to see the needs as to the direction of the doors and windows. It shows different load needs for a different orientation of the home. The calculations are the same for the north as for the southern states with one exception. The sun states should be calculated using 105F degrees as the ambient temperature. The manual is straightforward and easy to use if time is spent reading the directions. Consider it an investment in future energy savings. Any salesman that guesses should be run off the job. The process only takes about 1 hour for a novice who read the instructions and even less for someone that regularly does the calculations. Using blueprints can make the calculations very accurate
I moved into a new home and the HVAC does not work right, What should I do?
Most new construction warranties only have 1 year, so don’t put off complaints. If the builder does not respond within a timely manner, then be firm and tell him you will initiate a law suit against poor workmanship. This will usually get his attention. If you file in a small claims court, it may take several years, but unless the contractor is almost out of business, he will not want to waste time in court. If you wish to advertize his short commings, get legal help first. If you slander his reputation, you could cause other problems. Ask for completion documents signed by the various contractors, to insure you don’t pay twice for the same work. This is where many people make mistakes in self contractiog. It will eliminate problems if you hire proper supervision in construction projects. Most contracts that contractors use are not very good for the customer. I regularly used open ended statements and vague terms to prevent lawsuits.
I was told that I need to replace my evaporator coil because it has a leak, Is this normal
For lazy technician’s maybe, but to say replace the coil, when the leak is on a fitting, is sloppy work. Most coils can be repaired. If multiple leaks or advisories to replace are known, the reasons may offer a solution to replace the coil. If under warrantee, then replace. If replacing the coil, try to match the coil to get the best SEER available. Most technicians will not want to do this, because they don’t know how to do the SEER comparison
My air-conditioning stopped cooling, what can I do?
First and foremost, turn the ac unit off. Damage can be caused from a series of problems.A lot of problems with air conditioning are caused by dirt. Dirty outside coil can cause the head pressure to go high. On a hot day the Freon can burst a hole in the system, cause a compressor to fail, cause an electrical breaker to trip then fail. Keep the outside coils as clean as possible. Keep plants from growing against the finned area, keep the exhaust pathway free of obstructions. The inside coil is another story. A dirty inside coil can cause the coil to Ice over and the flow of air is reduced. When this happens the ice gets thicker and the air eventually stops completely. The major cause of dirty inside coils is not changing the filter often enough. To clean an inside coil is a dirty time consuming job. I have heard of cleaning jobs that cost more than the labor for new installation of equipment. Even for the most diligent customer, the coils will need cleaning occasionally. In my home for example, we cleaned the coils after 15 years. The coils were dirty. I re-examined them 7 years later and they were clean. The system is 33 years old now and I should probably examine the coils again, even though I am careful to change the filters on a regular schedule.
What is the best HVAC equipment?
This is a subjective answer at best. Like buying a car, all equipment has the same basic components, and many are made by the same OEM manufacturers.
Some manufacturers limit purchasing to their dealers only. This is a very stupid idea. They are increasing the cost of business with this rule. In some cases they claim superiority, but in reality are inferior to the cheapest equipment built. The difference is in the installer and the expressed warrantee. If the very best installation company uses non-experienced sub-contractors to install equipment, then the job will not usually be satisfactory. Trained professionals are needed from the start to the finish. Supervised workers can be used, but the man in charge on the job, needs to be qualified. I have supervised many tradesmen that are qualified, but not capable of running a job. When they attempt to run a job, it gets screwed up. Once again this is when an experienced construction supervisor will stop problems before they happen. Commercial jobs require completion bonds and blueprints. This adds to the job, but if the cost to redo is higher then your purse can afford, spend the extra and require completion bonds.
Use a lawyer to write the contract in your favor.
To reduce the temperature of the HVAC evaporator coil, remove freon.
I recently met an oldtimer that claimed to reduce the temperature of the HVAC evaporator coil, all one had to do was remove freon until the temperature dropped. When one removes freon, the capacity of the system is reduced. If one reduced enough freon to cause the coil to drop 40 degrees, one would probably reduce the capacity by 40-60%. The system may run cooler, but the capacity would not be enough on a hot day. The motor will exhibit a lower amp draw, but the net loss would affect cooling.
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