June Articles

June 2004 Articles

These are condensed versions of the Radio Program

06/02/04

What is IAQ? That is an acronym for Indoor Air Quality. This comes up because our original question for today is: Can my house be making me sick? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Today’s homes are being built tighter and tighter to be more energy efficient. Even older homes are brought up to date with insulation, better windows and doors, and any number of methods to cost less in cooling and heating. Central home comfort systems are “closed” systems, meaning no outside air is supposed to get inside it. Indoor air pollution gets inside no matter what. We bring it in on our clothing. Our pets bring it in. Visitors can sneeze and leave germs or viruses. If someone in your home is susceptible to allergens and pollutants, it is very easy to see how your house can make you sick. Once these items are in the home’s air, they are there to stay unless you remove them. Hey can only be removed with filtration. The standard blue filters really only filter enough to protect equipment. If you have problems, you need to kick it up a notch. Media filters (pleated paper) are much more effective, and permanent filters do a good job. The thing to remember is that either of these will restrict the airflow in the system due to their increased filtration. You should consult your HVAC professional to be sure your system can handle these. When it comes to ridding your home of irritants that are ALIVE, (like bacteria, mold, and viruses) you need to consider a UV light system. UV lights attack the organisms DNA and either destroy them or leave them unable to reproduce. In any case, they are soon gone. If you have any questions about the IAQ at your house, or any comfort system question, please call us at 635-3452 or go to www.qualityserviceinc.com.

06/09/04

What are some common problems with central air conditioning systems? Often, the problems result from improper operation or maintenance. Sometimes it’s faulty equipment. Today, we focus on a very common source of air conditioning problems- bad installation. Just because someone is a great electrician or an awesome plumber, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to be any good at air conditioning. Here’s a true story about a customer that got a “great price” from someone they knew for installing a central system in their brand new home. Soon, problems started with the system. They called the original installer back several times, and he replaced expensive parts more than once. They called on other “Bubbas” that people had referred. They mostly forced more Freon in the system and it seemed to help little and only for a short while. Basically, the couple lived uncomfortably in their brand new home for 7 years. They had paid a small fortune to install and attempt to repair this system, and still had to keep electric heaters and fans in virtually every room to stay anywhere near comfortable. Finally, they called us. We went out and discovered a major problem with the return. It just wasn’t pulling in air for the system to cool and blow through the vents. We got a huge surprise when we checked the return box. It was COMPLETELY SHUT with sheet rock! The only air that had ever flowed through the system was through some duct leakage. When this system was installed, neither the “a/c expert” nor the sheet rock man knew enough- nor cared enough- to even let the system take in air to blow out. It was the most obvious problem ever, and a lot of “technicians” had missed it for years. We simply knocked out a section of sheet rock and the system immediately began to work more like it was supposed to. The house got cool and they were ecstatic! In five minutes, we corrected a 7-year long problem. The ducts and return needed some attention, and we’ll have to see how much damage has been done to the equipment, but, like we keep saying, you get what you pay for!

06/16/04

Let’s get straight to questions! It’s time for a new air conditioner, how do I choose the right one? The best air conditioners today use 30% to 50% less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as units from the mid 70’s. Even if your unit is only 10 years old, you can still save 10% to 20% with a newer more efficient one. How big should it be? They are rated by the BTU’s of heat they can remove. A common term is “ton”. A ton is equal to 12,000 BTU. Unfortunately, there are still HVAC contractors that size by the outdated rule of thumb where 500 square feet of space requires 1 ton of cooling capacity. The only way you can correctly gauge the correct size is by using a proper “load calculation” method. We use a computerized one called “Manual J”, and it tells us exactly how much air to put in each room of your house. It considers the size of the space, windows and doors, the direction the house faces, the shading, the insulation properties, and more. It is very accurate. I like it cool in my house, so why can’t I just put in a bigger unit? Improper sizing can cause a whole list of problems. If it’s too small it runs all the time and won’t cool properly. If it’s too big, it cycles too often. That means it bursts on, cools real quickly and shuts off. The result of that is poor humidity control and wear and tear on the unit. It shortens the unit’s life. What else is important when choosing an air conditioner? While today’s air conditioners are more efficient than ever, you have to try and choose the right one for you and your budget. The more efficient a unit is, the more it costs on the front end. The more efficient unit will cost you less to operate. You should buy the most efficient you can afford on the front end so that you can benefit from the energy savings for a long time to come. We have received several questions about choosing the right contractor to install your new equipment, too. We’ll answer those here next week.

06/23/04

Last week we answered questions about choosing the right air conditioner for your home. This week it’s answers about the right contractor to do the job. What are the factors to consider when choosing a contractor to install my new equipment? There are many. Here are a few: How long have they been in business? The average business in this industry lasts 3-5 years before going belly up…we’ve been in business over 20 and still counting. Is this their main business or just a sideline? Easy…jack of all trades-master of none; we’d all prefer a master to do our job! What’s the reputation of this company? Ask for references! Is this a REAL company? Or is it some guy in a pickup with a set of gauges swinging from the rearview? Do they have insurance and worker’s comp to cover their employees? If not, the homeowner can be held liable for injuries and property damage. Does this company carry licenses and pull all the permits required? A reputable company does these without hesitation. What about service after the sale? Will you even be able to find the guy after he’s got his money? Do they offer financing? Most of us cannot just write a check for an investment like a new home comfort system. Does this company offer any warranty other than the one offered by the manufacturer? Will he stand behind his own work? Does this company offer any type of regular maintenance program? A good company will because they know it saves the homeowner money. These are just a few; if you have any questions about your home comfort system, please let us hear from you. Call us at 635-3452 or go to www.qualityserviceinc.com.

06/30/04

How can we cut these high air conditioning bills? Today, we’ll share some ways we’ve shared before and some you may not have heard or thought about. Some of these are pretty obvious, but some aren’t. Here goes: Turn the thermostat up a few degrees! Were you aware that for every degree you turn it up, you save 3% to 4% on your cooling costs? You can even turn it up higher during the day when no one’s at home and over night when you are sleeping. Programmable thermostats will do the job for you and aren’t all that expensive. Turn the lights off when nobody’s in the room! Our parents have been saying this for years! Did you know that only 5% to 10% of the electricity in a regular light bulb is used for light? The other 90-95% is just heat that your a/c has to get rid of. Remember - Easy Bake ovens actually cooked with heat from a very small light bulb! Only use ceiling and other fans when the airflow hits you directly! If you cannot feel the air, you are only generating more heat with the electric motor of the fan. Use the microwave and grill outside as much as possible! When you cook inside you are creating more heat that has to be removed. If you must cook indoors, use the kitchen vent fan. Close blinds and drapes during the day! Especially those on the south and west sides. A lot of solar heat can get in when you don’t. Try to wash clothes and dishes at night! Your air conditioner has a more cooling capacity at night. Of course, my favorite is: Change your filters! Clean permanent ones and swap disposable filters MONTHLY. Just do it when you get your utility bill. Air conditioners get a real workout in the summer at that gets filters dirtier quicker. See you next week!