Category: Air Conditioning

Smart Ways to Retain Heat During Winter

During the colder months, most people tend to spend more time indoors and turn up their heating systems. Because of this, utility costs can soar and many people might be paying more than necessary. The good news is, it is never too late to make a few changes in your home so you can improve your comfort levels and save money. Here are some of our top recommendations. Air Conditioning and Heating Tips While you will need professional service every now and then to keep your heating and air conditioning units in the best condition, there are other ways to warm up your home. These simple and inexpensive solutions not only contribute to energy efficiency but also let you maximize heat in your living space. Take Advantage of Your Curtains. Even on cold days, the sun can still bring warmth. Leave your curtains open during the day to capture as much as of the free heat. Once the night settles in, shut your drapes. This provides an extra layer of insulation to prevent warm air from escaping your home. Your windows should not have leaks or gaps so the heat stays in and drafts stay out. Install a Programmable Thermostat. Instead of manually adjusting

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How to Diagnose Manual and Automatic Zone Damper Issues With Your AC System

Are you having trouble regulating temperature within your home? Chances are, the larger your house is, the harder it will be to regulate the temperature inside it to keep everyone comfortable and happy. These issues can result in areas that are too hot in the summertime and too drafty and cold in the wintertime. As you are attempting to find an even balance, you will end up dueling with your thermostat to keep problem areas and the rest of your home balanced. There is something you can do, however, which is to consider getting a zone damper system. What is a Zone Damper System? A zone damper system is simply installing motorized doors to restrict airflow in specific rooms within your house. If you have a bad HVAC damper, you can no longer achieve proper airflow through the ductwork. This results in too much or too little airflow through the duct and improper temperature regulation within your home. Manual Zone Dampers vs. Automatic Zone Dampers Certain HVAC units are equipped with manual zone dampers for regulating the amount of air conditioning or heat being delivered in a room. A zone control system like this uses levers, which are located outside

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Can I Just Replace the Outdoor Unit on an Older Air Conditioning System to Save Money?

Air conditioning systems are very expensive to replace, and it’s tempting to try to save costs wherever possible. When one unit of your air conditioning system fails, replacing one unit while keeping the older, still-functioning unit sounds like a practical cost-saving measure. However, mismatched air conditioning components can have a negative effect on the efficiency, reliability and life-span of your system. The indoor and outdoor units of a residential air conditioning system function together despite the fact that they are split into two units. As a result, the system suffers stress when the two units have dissimilar components that were designed to work at different levels of efficiency. You Can’t Teach Old Coils New Tricks When mismatched air conditioning components are forced to work together, it can put stress on the older unit and seriously compromise the function of the new unit. Newer condenser coils are more efficient, have a larger, grooved surface area, and employ other enhanced features that improve their performance. Older coils do not have these features, and are often incompatible with new condenser coils. New air conditioning units use thermal expansion valves with a hard shut-off to control their use of refrigerant. However, older units were not

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Energy Efficient Air Conditioners

Energy Efficient Air Conditioners for Los Angeles Homes

Homeowners in Los Angeles looking to replace their air conditioners consider many variables before purchasing. Again and again, our customers cite energy efficiency as a key consideration in their decision making. Installing an energy-efficient air conditioner is not only the eco-friendly choice, it can put a serious dent in your electricity bills. In this article, we wanted to explain the latest technology for energy efficient air conditioners and what LA homeowners should investigate before buying.  Variable Speed, Multi-Speed, or Single Speed AC Units One of the biggest differentiators in air conditioner efficiency is compressor speed. Your air conditioning compressor increases the pressure of your refrigerant, which enables the cooling process. There are three types of air conditioning compressors: Single speed – you are probably most familiar with air conditioners that have a single speed compressor. These units turn on and off like a light switch – there is no in between.  Multi-speed – some compressors can operate at specific speeds, like a ceiling fan with low, medium, and high settings. These systems are sometimes called 2-stage or 3-stage systems. Variable-speed – compressors that run with variable speed are like a light fixture equipped with a dimmer. Instead of having specific

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The Differences Between Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners

When installing a new HVAC system in your home, you will be faced with a decision of whether to select a heat pump or an air conditioner. While they are both designed to keep your home comfortable, they differ in terms of function; even their repair procedure is different. To help you make an informed decision, here is a rundown of their main differences. Key Distinctions Between Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners While a heat pump and an air conditioner share similar components, the way they perform is quite different. Here are some factors that distinguish the two: Use. A heat pump provides both heating and cooling. It expels warm air out of your home during summer and it brings outdoor heat inside during winter. An air conditioner, on the other hand, can only cool your home. Operation. Both systems follow the same principles to condition your home’s temperatures. They use refrigerants to facilitate a process of heat exchange. A heat pump, however, uses a reversing valve built into a compressor to transfer outdoor heat inside your home and increase its temperature. A traditional air conditioner, on the other hand, relies on electric-resistant heat strips within the air handler to produce warm air. It may

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Carrier Donates to Georgia Northwestern HVAC Program

The Chattanooga based firm, Carrier Enterprise, has donated funds to assist with training students attending Northwestern Technical College in Georgia. Recently, the Tennessee firm provided a Carrier touch-screen Wi-Fi thermostat to the college as well. Carrier gave the college more than $10,000 worth of equipment and training. This will be used for the ventilation, air conditioning and heating program taught at the college’s campus in Walker County, Rock Spring. It has been widely reported that Carrier donates to Georgia Northwestern HVAC program, as a way of training the next generation of techs to service the Infinity air Conditioning System. Undoubtedly, this system is among Carrier’s best models. Another benefit of this training arrangement, is that when industry representatives visit the college, students get the chance to network with them. Hence, students learn the right information and meet the right people. In addition, at its’ Chattanooga premises, Carrier trains students of the college free of charge on how to service its’ products. Inspired by Willis Carrier’s early twentieth century work on air conditioning systems, Carrier is a leading global brand in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating solutions. Nowadays, Carrier products are used the world over, in almost every area of day

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My Air Conditioner is Frozen! What Happened?

When your air conditioner is running but your home is gradually getting warmer, you have a problem. Hold your hand over the supply registers. Do you feel little to no airflow coming from them? Your air conditioner is frozen. Whether you see any ice or not, your air conditioning unit is clearly letting you know there is ice in it. There are steps you immediately need to take to prevent damage to your unit’s compressor and further waste of money. Handling Air Conditioner Freezes Turn your A/C unit off immediately to prevent any (or further) damage to your compressor. While waiting for the accumulated ice to melt, find the drain for the condensation pan and be sure it is not blocked. If it is, unblock it. If you can, turn on the air conditioner’s fan without running the compressor. This will accelerate the melting of the ice. Once all the ice is melted and unblocked drains are clear, turn your unit back on. It should begin to cool your home again right away. What Causes My A/C to Freeze? Several maintenance-related issues are usually the culprits of air conditioner freezes. One of the main ones is low airflow due to

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Carrier Infinity System

What is Carrier Infinity Greenspeed® Intelligence™ Technology?

The inventor of the air conditioner just keeps on innovating! We are proud to offer the next generation of home comfort: Carrier Infinity Greenspeed Intelligence™ Technology. Carrier’s Infinity 26® air conditioner or Infinity 20® heat pump featuring Greenspeed® are the perfect fit for your family. They offer you the newest innovations in efficiency, dehumidification, and ultra-quiet operation. What Makes Greenspeed Intelligence Products Different High Efficiency The new Infinity series offers industry leading energy efficiency ratings up to 26 SEER or a heat pump with efficiencies up to 24 SEER/13 HSPF. Let’s put that in perspective: an older air conditioner may be around 9 SEER in efficiency. Some “high efficiency” models you’ll see on the web will be around 16 SEER. 24 SEER is unheard of – that’s almost twice as much as other air conditioners marked as high efficiency. That’s the same amount of cooling for half the cost! Dehumidification Controlling humidity levels is an important part of your indoor air quality (IAQ). Nearly all commercial HVAC systems can operate in dehumidification mode, but only a few residential HVAC systems can offer the same feature. The Carrier Infinity series runs longer on lower-speed modes. That means better dehumidification, filtration, and

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Should I Leave Interior Doors Open or Closed During Heating and Cooling?

The price of cooling (and heating) your home can get pretty costly, especially if you live in West Los Angeles. Even though we are lucky to enjoy some of the very best weather in the USA, there are times when temperatures fluctuate. When the weather warms up or cools down, it can get even more expensive to try and keep comfortable in your home. Therefore, many homeowners and renters alike wonder, is it better to leave my doors open or closed when running my HVAC system? The simple answer is, leave them open. You see, when an HVAC system is operating, it functions best as a whole unit, circulating air throughout your entire home. So, when you shut several doors in and around your home, you’re actually disrupting the nature of how your HVAC system operates. This not only ends up costing you more money in the long run, but it can cause additional problems as well. Why Leave Doors Open? Although it’s a common belief, shutting doors to rooms you are not using will not save you money on heating or cooling costs. It will only force your HVAC system to work overtime, causing potential long-term damage. It can also

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