What To Do When The Air Conditioner Blows Warm Air?

Sultry summer days can turn worse if the air conditioner starts blowing hot air. While it is a general idea that the central air would always emit cool, refreshing air sometimes your air conditioner may just refuse to co-operate and that too when the mercury touches the maximum range. In fact, the cooling unit emitting hot air is one common problem that most households face from time to time.

Discussed below are few reasons why your air conditioner might blow warm air and how to solve this burning issue in time.

Thermostat switched to heat mode:

This is a very basic problem which air conditioner owners often overlook. It might be a very simple one that can be solved by checking whether the thermostat is switched on to the heat mode. If yes, then you need to just reverse it to the ‘cool’ mode.

Problem in Condenser and Compressor:

If you have already checked the setting of air conditioner thermostat, next is the time to take a close look at the compressor and condenser. Make sure that the outside power supply is switched on. If not then the system starts functioning from the inside handler, but you won’t realize the cooling effect.

Checking the condenser coils:

The condenser coil needs to be checked for accumulation of dirt and lint. This could seriously impact the cooling unit. In fact, condenser coils are needed to be maintained on a regular basis during summer months. Unlike changing the air filter professional assistance is needed to clean the condenser coil.

Dirty air filter:

An unclean filter can obstruct the condensing coil of your air conditioner with dust and pollutants thereby causingthe unit to freeze up. To avoid this, make sure the air filter is changed or checked every season, especially before the start of summer. A maintenance plan should be readied by consulting any renowned HVAC contractor from your locality. This would ensure proper cleaning and installation of the air conditioning unit filter.

Refrigerant problems:

Refrigerant related problems are often the outcome of compressor snags or leakage. In worst cases, cool air might stop completely. This primarily occurs due to reduced refrigerant charge. The main symptom is a deposition of ice on the exterior or the interior unit. Just a nominal repair can solve the problem, provided the compressor is in sound shape.

To-do tips:

Fixing problems of the air conditioner is not that difficult. Prompt planning beforehand and executing them sequentially are best ways to handle the issue. Preventative maintenance is suggested for the unit on a regular basis. In order to avoid serious cooling problems during summers you must schedule an annual tune up.

By keeping a check on the above mentioned factors you can easily reduce expensive repair costs. The final piece of advice which every user should follow is seeking professional assistance whenever some snag is sensed with the cooling unit. There are numerous air conditioner servicing companies ready to offer prompt services within reasonable budget. Get in touch with the right one to ensure long life of your precious air conditioner.

Common Air Conditioning Mistakes Which Should be Avoided

Rising mercury has a direct impact on air conditioner usage. The more the air conditioning unit is used, greater remain chances of the system developing snags. Awareness about common air conditioning problems certainly helps ensure optimal energy consumption and comfortable cooling. Listed below are few such common air conditioning mistakes that can easily be avoided:

1.      Skipping maintenance work

A well-maintained air conditioner always works efficiently which becomes evident from the pleasantly cool air that it spreads! Regular maintenance ensures longer life span of the air conditioner. Some work can be done at home like checking duct lines for leakage, cleaning filters and evaporator coil, etc. Never skip or ignore maintenance work. Help is always available in the form of an HVAC technician who can assist you with regular maintenance.

2.      Size misfits

Most people are of the notion that a bigger air conditioner cools better and faster. Even though it is true to an extent, an oversized air conditioner doesn’t generate uniform temperature or reduce humidity. This defeats the whole purpose of using the cooling unit in warm climates. The best option is to refer to Consumer Reports worksheet to help find the right sized air conditioner. An HVAC technician can be consulted too.

3.      Unreasonable thermostat settings

If a thermostat is set too low, then more energy is wasted. Then if it is set too high, then the air conditioner would fail to even turn on or go bust in some cases. To avoid these problems, reasonable thermostat settings are to be adopted. A programmable thermostat best serves this purpose. Another major area of concern is accidental heating up of the thermostat. This usually happens when other electrical appliances like lamps, televisions, refrigerators, etc. are placed close to the air conditioning system. The heat generated by these electronic gadgets causes the thermostat to malfunction inadvertently.

4.      Closure of unused vents and openings

Though it may seem like a good idea to prevent escaping of conditioned air outside, the efficiency of a central air conditioning system might get affected in the longer run. An HVAC expert can be consulted in this regard, especially for the summer months. Another strict no-no would be to close off any room that has a thermostat installed.

5.      Wrong placement of the cooling unit

Most people prefer relatively unused spots to install their air conditioners in homes. However, such placement only puts excess pressure on the unit. Some people choose to place the air conditioning unit behinds shrubs or plants. This hinders ventilation and leads to clogged air filters. Such minor issues ultimately result in decreased efficiency of the air conditioner. An HVAC expert usually suggests the ideal place for cooling system installation, as the east or north side of the house. This is to ensure that the air conditioner is installed in a shady spot and away from direct sunlight.

These above discussed air conditioning mistakes might sound quite simple but most households tend to forget the basic rules while installing/maintaining the unit. Rather than allowing these minor cooling mistakes take a major turn, you should get in touch with a trustworthy HVAC company for unbiased guidance and timely action.

Three Minor Problems Which Can Seriously Affect the Cooling Unit

There are quite a number of common air conditioning problems that tend to affect overall performance of the cooling unit. These minor issues lead to more drastic problems such as the unit going off completely and needing an overhaul. There can be other problems like wasted energy, rising monthly power bills, non-performance or under performance of the air conditioning unit. All these might lead to the air conditioner replacement. Therefore, it is important that these minor problems are checked regularly and taken care of immediately, to ensure efficient performance of the cooling unit.

The three common and minor problems which can severely affect your cooling unit’s performance are:

1.      Uneven and insufficient cooling

This is one of the most common problems which every air conditioner user might have experienced now and then. It may happen that the air conditioning unit fails to cool your home sufficiently or evenly. This problem is caused due to inaccurate thermostat settings. Blame it on a dead battery too. The lower a thermostat is set, higher is the energy consumed by the central air. Therefore, thermostat settings should be adjusted reasonably and this objective can be best achieved using a programmable thermostat.

Duct lines that are cracked, disconnected or not installed properly may lead to conditioned air leaking out which eventually result in uneven cooling. The condenser unit present in the exterior part of the air conditioner might get clogged with leaves and other debris leading to underperformance of the cooling system.

2.      Short Cycling

The term “Short Cycling” refers to successive switching on and off sequences of the air conditioning system. This problem occurs either from dirty and iced coils or a clogged air filter.

Dirty or iced coils result in shutting down of the cooling unit as their ability to transfer heat gets restricted with accumulation of dirt or ice. A clogged air filter results in excessive buildup of dirt and debris inside coils and hence requires immediate cleaning. A high efficiency air filter surely helps avoid the problem of short cycling altogether.

3.      Failure of the cooling unit to turn or its abrupt shut down

A tripped circuit breaker is to be blamed if the air conditioner is not switching on properly or shutting down abruptly. The circuit just needs to be reset when this issue crops up. In some cases, the cooling unit fails to turn on if the thermostat is set too high. To avoid this issue, the thermostat should be adjusted 5 degrees lower than the initial point before restarting. Reasonable thermostat settings are to be adopted thereafter.

Apart from these aforementioned issues, the motor in air handler system may burnout due to clogged air filters. This means excessive energy is needed to push cool air through duct lines, thereby leading to failure of the cooling unit and its abrupt shutting down. Thus it is even more significant to clean the air filter regularly.

Regular maintenance of a cooling unit is absolutely vital for its efficient performance. Whenever you notice any of these minor cooling problems raising their heads, do immediately get in touch with an HVAC expert for unbiased guidance and timely action.

Tips to Protect Your Air Conditioner during Hurricane

Natural disasters like cloudburst or hurricane doesn’t strike with prior notice. However, when it does, often the severity is such that it leaves many households in shambles.  Mostly electronic gadgets like home air conditioners take the maximum blow. Even after the effect of hurricane subsides, you may find the cooling unit in an unstable condition.  So, how to protect the air conditioning system from a thunderstorm’s catastrophic effect?

Take Precautionary Measures before the Storm Strikes

Start taking preventive steps before the hurricane season sets in. If you are aware of the approximate time when the storm is going to strike, then prior to that, turn on the air conditioner. Adjust the setting such that the indoor temperature turns several degrees cooler than normal level. Such a pre-cooling helps keep the home temperature comfortable for longer hours, even if power failure happens accidentally.

Should you operate the cooling unit during the hurricane?

The answer is a big No. Strictly make sure that the air conditioning unit is switched off as the cyclone strikes.  In many areas, the power supply gets interrupted during heavy storm or downpour. If the air conditioner is running at that time, it might suffer severe damage because of erratic power failures. As and when natural disaster strikes, irregular power interruptions put additional pressure on the compressor and other components of the cooling unit. Thus, you might end up changing the entire unit or some of its crucial components, once the stormy season is over.

What you should do after the tropical storm passes?

It is suggested that you turn on the cooling unit, as early as possible. Some delay might happen because of power problems, still try to operate once the power condition returns to normalcy. Keeping the unit idle for too long, means you are inviting mold to grow in the unit’s ducts and system. Your home as well as the air conditioning system has just now gone through an extreme heat and high moisture weather mayhem. This provides perfect setting for mold to thrive.

At the same time, be careful if you suspect something amiss with the central air’s operation. In case, you feel the storm’s severity has damaged an inside part of the cooling system then trying to run would make the situation even worse. Detection or evidence of any electrical smoke should be taken seriously. In such a scenario, get it immediately checked by any skilled HVAC professional.

Prepare your Air Conditioner to Ward off Storm Effect

One thing to be kept in mind is that it is not always a hurricane which harms your cooling system. Sometimes heavy wind and rain play havoc too, damaging the air conditioning unit. So after any such natural disaster, you should consider a thorough checkup of the cooling system with special stress on duct cleaning.

No matter how devastating the hurricane looks, by following these simple tips you can efficiently protect the air conditioner throughout the stormy season.

How to Make your Window Air Conditioner Burglar-proof?

With mercury rising incessantly inside skyscraper cells, air conditioner units have become an indispensable part of modern city life. A window air conditioning unit provides efficient cooling in little time. Of course being an electronic device, the risk related to a sudden break down always remains for which certain precautionary measures can be taken.

Apart from technical snags, something even worse can happen to the cooling unit. Your window air conditioner might become an easy burglary target! Homeowners, therefore have to be little more careful and adopt extra precautionary measures to make their air cooling systems burglar-proof.

External Brackets

Get a high quality external bracket for your air conditioning unit as soon as possible. These brackets provide additional support to the cooling unit while securing it well with the window. This in turn serves two purposes. Firstly, it becomes very difficult to move the air conditioner. Secondly, no one can easily break into your house by pushing the device inwards.

Corner Braces

Function wise, corner braces are almost similar to external brackets. You can still install braces to enhance security arrangement. When corner braces are attached to all four sides of the air conditioner, these help secure the device properly. Then these braces protect the surrounding wall area too thereby preventing the device from being pulled out or pushed in.

Window Locks

To prevent burglars from tampering with window frames of the sliding window you need to install high quality window locks. There are two varieties available in the market, i.e., screwed and bolted. Both types are equally effective. The lock can be used to secure frames from both sides as well as up and down. Position the locks strategically. For maximum efficiency, place them along the line where the window meets the wall.

Vent Flaps

Typically an air conditioning device is smaller in size than the window. Therefore the free area outlining the cooling machine becomes an easy target for burglars. So to make sure no one takes advantage of this free space, you can install metal or plastic vent flaps. Secure the vents tightly so that no tampering can be done.

Sensor Alarms

To prevent any burglary attempt, install miniature high sensor alarm devices. These alarms can be positioned right on top of the AC so that any attempt to move it even by smallest proportions gets detected immediately. Make sure the alarm works properly and sets off in time.

A high-pitched alarm system is preferred since this will alert you even if you are in another room. Further the high-pitch sound alerts your neighbors too in case you are not at home. Most importantly the alarm sound scares the burglar away.

In case you can’t install an alarm system, try to fake it! Attach symbols denoting an alarm system on your air conditioning unit irrespective of whether you actually have it installed or not. Sounds funny? The strategy does work in such emergencies.

Last but not the least; you can always talk to any air conditioner expert to know how to render maximum protection to your window air conditioning unit.

How to Assess Heating and Ventilation Loads Before Buying the HVAC System

When it comes to selecting the HVAC system, heating and ventilating loads play significant role. Several environmental factors and design computations determine these loads. So how to know the real significance of heating and ventilation load assessment. Continue reading for an in-depth study.

If you have decided to install an HVAC system in a particular building, then an estimation of heating and ventilation loads should be done first. Based on the outcome you decide, the design and type of HVAC system to be installed. Only an accurate assessment of these loads ensures precise selection of the heating and ventilation system for that building. This way you can be sure that the HVAC system will function consistently and guarantee variable productivity, which is proportionate to the building’s heat load whenever the climate changes. Now the big question is how to assess heating and ventilation loads. Before you take out the calculator, here are some factors needed to be considered while assessing the load. 

• Know the amount of heat which is spread through areas that are not directly heated.
• Have an idea about the amount of heat needed to turn that air hot which has penetrated through door, window cracks or through entrances.
• Know about heat which is needed to make that air hot that has entered the building mechanically as ventilation air.
• Take into account various other loads.

 
In order to precisely determine the heating load, you should have an idea of the constant average temperature during night time of the winter season. Also, take into consideration constant supply of heat, if any, is present all the time. Quantity of heat which the building accumulates along with energy of cooling equipments has to be considered for specific design calculations.

It always helps if you have ideas about how to do the estimation of heating loads. Few steps are discussed below.

• Do conduct an assessment of weather conditions which usually prevail outside the building. For this, you should take into account temperature, humidity and wind’s speed.
• What kind of indoor air temperature you desire to maintain.
• Analyze general temperature of adjacent locations that are not heated.
• Determine heat transmission coefficient.
• Determine outside areas through which heat gets dispersed or rather wasted.
• Take into account heat transference losses which happen through bricks, glass and the building base.
• You should also calculate heat loss which happens through basement areas.

 
While calculating design and selecting the right HVAC system, structure of the building and for what purpose it is being used, should be assessed accurately.  Its exposure to wind, whether it is receiving direct sunlight, which part of the day this building is mostly used and its period of occupancy, all these factors play crucial roles too.

Thus to sum it up, if you want maximum energy and cost efficiency from the HVAC system, then do carry out thorough assessment of several design and environmental factors. Of course you can talk to an expert for helpful guidance in this regard.

Basic Steps to Clean Air Conditioner Coils

Air conditioner coil is an integral part of the cooling system. This coil performs a very significant function that of exchanging heat from inside air to outside air. Basically, there are two types of coils used in an air conditioning system. The condenser coil, made of aluminum, covers the air conditioner compressor from outside, whereas the evaporator coil is attached at the main duct junction, inside the air conditioner itself. Thus, it is the evaporator coil whose efficient functioning matters the most.

Maintenance of air conditioner coils should be done carefully. To simplify the cleaning process of condenser coil, you need basic equipment like soft brush, grass shears, fin comb, coil cleaner, carpenter’s level and pry bar. On the other hand, for evaporator coils, keep these equipment handy like a stiff brush, screwdriver, household bleach and a large hand mirror.

Cleaning the Evaporator Coil

 

• Start by removing the access plate which is situated behind the foil wrapped insulation. Use a screwdriver for the purpose.
• Clean evaporator coils with the stiff brush. You can use the large hand mirror to see how much dust has gathered on evaporator coils.
• Make sure to clean the tray placed below evaporator unit. Use the stiff brush for the purpose.
• If you find it difficult to clean every part of the coil, then pull out the unit a bit to clean it properly.
• Spread some household bleach into the tray weep holes. This prevents growth of fungus and mold.
• Finally refit all parts of the entire unit into their appropriate places.

The good thing about evaporator coils is that these are not in direct contact with outside dirt. So, you need not follow a regular cleaning regime for evaporator coils. In case of condenser coil, the story is a bit different. Since these are placed externally i.e. in the outer portion of the air conditioner, you need to be more careful about condenser coil cleaning. Follow these steps.

• First remove weeds, grasses or creepers that might have grown around the condenser unit.
• Use a coil cleaner to clean condenser coils. You can opt for commercial coil cleaners which are readily available in the market.
• Use a soft brush to clean the fins and remove accumulated dirt. A special tool called fin comb is available with which you can make the fins straight.
• Check out whether the level of condenser unit is horizontal or not. Apply carpenter’s level to check the height of concrete pad on which the condenser is placed. Bring the condenser to horizontal level by using a shim and pry bar.
• Now that you are done with the cleaning make sure that, all components of the condenser unit that you have taken out for cleaning are now refitted in their appropriate positions.

The above mentioned steps give a generic picture of how to clean air conditioner coils. For customized services and expert guidance, it is always advised that you get in touch with an HVAC expert.