Author: Rm Harrington

About Rm Harrington Professional HVAC content writer, equally skilled for communicating with A/C technicians, HVAC product engineers or the home/business buyer in need of reliable A/C related details. Most valuable skill: The ability to research, comprehend, evaluate and discuss matters of importance to homeowners and the HVAC community, including technical details, system comparisons and best-choice system applications.

Basic Air Conditioning Troubleshooting, A Mesa Home AC Tip Sheet

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in AC Repair, Air Conditioning Technology, Home Maintenance.

Steps Your Tech May Take When Your Mesa Home AC Fails to Cool Properly

Troubleshooting a Mesa home air conditioning unit often exceeds the technical know-how of the average homeowner. Yet knowing a bit about the process can help you to better understand the reasons behind the A/C troubleshoot steps as performed by your local HVAC service tech. This doesn’t mean that you should annoy the tech with an over-the-shoulder gawking. However, many mechanical professionals tend to take a bit of pride in helping the homeowner better understand the basics of air conditioning troubleshooting.

Different Stages of HVAC Troubleshooting

When a tech arrives on site, they sometimes find a system that is either dead or acting dead. This means the tech will be checking breakers, disconnects, fuses, and other power-related heating and cooling system problems. Yet more often than not, “dead cooling” does not include a dead power source.

In this lesson on basic A/C troubleshooting, we want to focus on a unit that runs but fails to efficiently cool your home. So here are some of the points that your local Mesa air conditioning tech will likely investigate.

Steps That Should Precede the Connection of A/C Gauges

1) Evaporator and Condenser Fans – To cool effectively and consistently, the motors installed in your home A/C system must be rightly designed for the unit. This means the tech needs to check the fans to ensure that they are of the correct horsepower. Also, although it may seem a no-brainer, the testing must also ensure that the fans are set to the specified rpm and that they are turning in the correct direction. Cleanliness and size is also important. So expect the tech to confirm that your blower blades are right-sized, right-pitched, and clean.

2) Air Flow – To provide persistent and reliable Mesa home cooling, the condenser on your A/C unit must be supplied with normal outside air. This means the tech needs to ensure that no other devices are pumping hot air against the condenser. Checking the condition of the system filters is also part of the preliminary air conditioning troubleshooting process. You may also see the A/C tech investigating the condition of your evaporator supply and return ducting. You don’t want to lose cool air due to leaks in the ducting. Neither do you want the system drawing in warm outside air into the ducts.

3) Cleanliness – We already talked about making sure the blower fans are clean, but the tech will go further. He or she will also investigate and ensure that both the condenser and the evaporator coils are clean and that nothing is blocking the expected rate of airflow.

Connecting the HVAC Testing Gauges

Please note that the gauges and pressure checking tools should not be the first tools called into use. Failing to eliminate fundamental problems ensures that the A/C troubleshooting gauges will return incorrect pressures and temperatures. However, once the tech is ready to connect the gauges, the process should be somewhat as follows:

1) Refrigerant – The HVAC testing gauges are in place. The pressures are equalized, and the unit is switch off. Now the tech verifies that your Mesa home A/C contains the specified level of refrigerant. To perform this test, he or she will take a temperature reading of the evaporator coil. What is he or she looking to see: A reading that matches the chart or the pressure/temperature reading on the low side of the testing gauge.

2) Checking the System Operating Pressures – During this stage of the testing, professional air conditioning technicians run the unit until temperatures drop to near 5 degrees above the spec temperatures of the unit in question. What he or she expects from the gauges:

Suction pressure ranging between 35 to 40 degrees below return air
Superheat at the compressor within 20-30 degrees
20-35 degree discharge pressure above ambient
A 20-30 degree rise in air temperature through the condenser
A 15-20 degree drop in air temperature through the evaporator
At the outlet of the condenser or the receiver, a 10-15 degree subcooling readout

All Test Well Yet The Mesa home A/C Still Fails To Cool Correctly

By now, the tech has either asked you to “give some space” or he or she has shown you what to look for when reading the HVAC gauges. But now… All checks well yet the system still fails to cool your home.

Check the Capacity – This means the tech will now to investigate the web bulb returns on the air as it enters and leaves the evaporator. There will be some calculations involved. And unless the tech has the memory of an elephant, he or she will pull out an enthalpy conversion table or a pshchrometric chart. What exactly is being tested: How much btu of heat is being absorbed by the evaporator. The tech is making a comparison between the running capacities of your system against the design capacity of your system. This helps the A/C tech determine whether your Mesa home cooling system is sufficient to handle your home. Any system that is operating within reasonable range of the design capacity but still fails to persistently and efficiently cool a given space is just plain too small for the task.

So now that you are up-to-snuff on basic air conditioning troubleshooting, call in your local Mesa home AC service team. Contact American Cooling and Heating today.

Disclaimer:

Any HVAC service should only be performed by a licensed, fully trained, and competent person and/or company.
The contents in this article reflect accumulated data from various sources. ACH cannot and does not accept any legal responsibility to any person in respect of anything or the consequences of any reader responses, actions or lack of actions associated with reliance upon the whole or any part of this article and its content. All trademarks, logos, and associated content displayed are the property of their respective owners.

Commercial Cooling, Arizona Climate Friendly Refrigeration

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Conditioning Technology, Arizona Commercial Air Conditioning HVAC, News.

The Increasing Cost Of Arizona Commercial Cooling Requirements

It seems every year that Arizona temperatures increase and the cost of commercial cooling shoots higher and higher. With the coming of each new summer season, the demand for climate friendly refrigeration elevates and the environmentally mindful sweat even more. But for Arizona business owners and operators, the cost of staying in business seems often to outweigh the price of environmental climate issues.

For many local business owners, cost-saving options are shrinking rather than increasing. To deliver an expected service or product in the face of raging Arizona heat waves, these owners and managers must run powerful commercial cooling units – A/C systems designed to keep large buildings comfortable and to ensure that information management components can function consistently and reliably day after steamy hot day.

For those of us trying to keep an ear out for better alternatives on Arizona climate friendly refrigeration solutions, relief may yet be on the horizon. Trane, one of the most reliable modern HVACR manufacturing and development firms, has revealed a newer, better, and more climate-friendly refrigerant. Announced at a recent company conference, DR-55 is slated for availability within the next year for commercial usage and a bit more after that for residential.

Cooler Breezes for Commercial Cooling

The new refrigerant dubbed the Trane AquaTrine is geared specifically for commercial businesses and hotels. Billed as the next generation of coolant, Trane AquaTrine promises to provide improved efficiency and stability to the HVAC industry. This is good news for every business that is looking to save some money while also delivering a greener footprint to the Earth. For most consumers making a business effort to reduce their company impact on local and world climate change, AquaTrine may be the new and great solution to an extremely difficult task.

Research and testing conducted by engineers at UC Davis has shown that the DR-55 refrigerant performs 10 percent better overall in outdoor air conditioning. It also promises up to a 70 percent reduction in emissions for the environment. Comparisons are based upon the performance of R-410A, the current standard found in over half of U.S. commercial buildings. And because the new DR-55 occupies the exact same space as the older units, the transition is seamless and will not require any special work or fees.

Committed to the Environment and Arizona Businesses

Modern Trane progress in commercial cooling is no accident. This company continually challenges themselves, their employees, and their customers to make energy efficiency and environmental impact a moving goalpost. The aim: Continually hit new milestones every decade. Example: By the year 2020, Trane hopes to offer future businesses and residents an air conditioning product that can reduce emissions by up to 35 percent reduction of current measurements. Furthermore, the company plans to reduce their necessary product and operations by up to 50 percent, and this in the same time frame. Right now, even as you read, Trane is spending hundreds of millions on research and development. They do not intend to meet the year 2020 without fulfilling these remarkable milestones of growth, performance, and changes in climate friendly refrigeration.

Many Arizona commercial business owners speak of customers with a more inquisitive concern for “green operations.” Wise operators cannot longer easily ignore such consumer concerns, especially with the word-of-mouth information age so quickly spreading current news.

Long-term commitments translate into long-term savings, ultimately. Having a sticker that says “highest rated energy efficient and environmentally-friendly cooling” on your window is like adding on a bonus star to any hotel or restaurant, for your average small business owner. It attracts the best kind of attention, which is also telling your customer: “We care.”

For more information on Arizona commercial cooling and new technology in Arizona climate friendly refrigeration, contact American Cooling and Heating now.

The Effects of Trane HVAC Progress on the Average Arizona Lifestyle

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Conditioning Technology, Arizona Air Conditioning Upgrade Sale, Arizona Local.

Climate Control by Trane For An Improved Arizona Lifestyle

It’s been over one hundred years since Trane laid down the roots for innovation and American achievements in the world of climate-controlled engineering. And by establishing a landmark of unparalleled reliability and endurance, Trane HVAC products have helped secure the freedom of many U.S. states that at one time endured a limited capacity to succeed in a global marketplace.

The age of near year-round suffering from a near suffocating heat is finished.

In a time past, the impact of heat prevailed over southern and southwestern lifestyles. The pacing of daily Arizona living was slow. Builders crafted the architecture of the homes both old and new so as to make the best of current living conditions. The intensity of the heat cycles forced a careful use of energy. Local residents were often branded as stereotypical lazy.

But modern home and business cooling technology changes the playing field. With the aid of Trane and other HVAC design and manufacturing companies, many of the limitations of the previous Arizona lifestyles are lifted. Most of complications evoked by extended heat waves no longer hinder human productivity. Heat-intensive southwest regions such as Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah now have a solid position in the world of global competition.

So we look back for a moment on what has made companies like Trane HVAC progress such a valuable asset of American engineering. And we observe how this company has so greatly influenced the overall competitiveness of the nation and of the southwestern US in particular.

A History of Trane AC Milestones.

The story of a company like Trane is fit for the making of a Hollywood documentary movie. Indeed, it shows that ideas born from necessity, rather than selfishness, are ones that begin with many challenges. Yet when perfected such ideas can revolutionize the world. James Trane’s Vapor Heating system was born out of working with cold pipes in the winters as a plumber. With curious minds, James, and continuing on with his son reveal how engineers go from fixing things to changing the way we think about cooling.

Fast-forward to the 1930’s and major businesses and commerce had the comfort of air conditioning to keep their customers comfortable and focused on enjoying their visit. Places like shopping plaza stores, restaurants, banks, offices, cinemas, hotels, and record stores saw air conditioning bring in larger crowds and more money.

Residents of the south and the southwest couldn’t really afford to outfit their homes with air conditioning units until 1950 when window units became obtainable by the average household. This was the beginning of a whole new culture and a distinct change in Arizona lifestyle. The desert wastelands of Arizona were about to receive a gift of extended life. The transformation of this and other southwestern states would be drastic. Arizona was soon to arise as one of the best, most affordable, and peaceful places to live within the entirety of the U.S. southern states.

In today’s world, the vast majority of southern homes, businesses, and facilities are all powered by HVAC systems. Most of the younger generation will scoff at the idea of having no air conditioning and having to rely on fans, open windows, and porch overhangs to fight the hundred-degree heat waves that are the norm in Phoenix and other regional Arizona cities.

A company built on satisfaction.

The power of Trane and HVAC systems has resulted in reduced mortality rates and growth in the economies of the south and the southwest. It took decades of inventing and reinventing to produce the HVAC system we now enjoy today. And Trane, with a commitment to customer satisfaction that will not be excelled, remains at the top of the industry’s surveys, including surveys pertaining to:

HVAC Reliability
HVAC Serviceability
HVAC Most Efficient
AND… HVAC Best quality equipment among the competition.

Arizona HVAC Support

Do you ever encounter drafty areas in your home? Does your Arizona air conditioning system “short cycle,” running regularly, yet for simply short spurts of time? Is the air in the winter abnormally dry? In the middle of the year, is your home cool yet feels damp? Is one spot of the house hot while other rooms stay cold? Is your HVAC running loud?

While you may sensibly imagine that these and different issues just call for repair or substitution of your heater or aeration and cooling system, complete jobs will need considerably more skill and thinking ahead.

Even the most straightforward repairs merit the best work

Today’s homes have complex warming, aerating and cooling, piping, and electrical segments that are controlled by mini-computers. That means it is troublesome and typically counterproductive to think about one section without giving thought to every one of the others. For instance, you should replace a 20-year old heater that is on its last leg in your home, however not the 15-year old AC unit that is showing no signs of trouble. But, once you sit down and examine everything, you will see that your home’s heating and cooling and ventilating segments are intrinsically connected.

Your Trane HVAC system has connected ventilation work, blowers, electronic computerized controls, and the list goes on. One can’t be supplanted without influencing the other. Hey. The joy of your Arizona lifestyle can be easily recovered by installation of a new Trane heat pump.

It may be savvy to add connect your existing A/C unit to new heater… or not? Would the expense of parts and work be better spent on a brand new, modern Trane HVAC system that is set to give you another few decades of reliability? It’s food for thought.

Taking into account the broad experience and item information, your American Cooling and Heating advisor can show you information about what existing parts are best to adjust to your new hardware and of which are all the more financially sound for your situation. Obviously, the choice is exclusively yours and must consider your specific needs, limitations, and desired Arizona lifestyle. Yet having the guidance of a qualified Trane HVAC expert is invaluable when it comes to investing in the future of your home.

Air Conditioning Efficiency – No Less Efficient Than Other Forms of Technology

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in AC Service, Air Conditioning Technology, Cooling Tips.

Air Conditioning Efficiency Compared To Other Forms of Energy Hungry Technology

They keep asking the question: How can we improve air conditioning efficiency? Yet one must really wonder if these wonder appliances designed to improve the human lifestyle are actually any less efficient than other forms of current technology.

To answer that, let’s take a look at recent reports posted in the pages of Scientific American. Accordingly, the United States expends more energy on heating and cooling than most any nation worldwide, averaging roughly 185 billion kilowatt-hours yearly (1). And it’s not all due to changes evoked by global warming or even by the current 20-percent growth rate of worldwide sales in air conditioning equipment. Face it: We live in an age when both businesses and homes expect year-around comfort. It means employees work more efficiently. Families rest more fully. In fact, throughout the industry of factories and care centers, HVAC equipment is often used to improve resident and worker safety concerns.

Yet to reap the benefits of modern air conditioning efficiency, we burn more fossil fuels than ever before in the history of man. Sometimes the HVAC is used for heat and sometimes the A/C is for cooling. We do so with the full knowledge that air conditioning bears with it a long-term price in energy consumption. However, according to the 2013 deputy director of ARPA-E, air-conditioning is “inherently inefficient.”

But what does this mean, this term “inherently inefficient?” By what comparison is the statement driven?

According to the deputy director, “It’s (air conditioning) everywhere and it’s (HVACR equipment) a huge energy sink.”

The imposed impression tends to define A/C equipment as though some great villain is loosed among us. But what is the measuring stick? Is it a comparison of comfort-to-cost versus necessity-to-cost? Or is the comparison merely applying performance and function to cost for usage? Furthermore unless the efficiency measurements that define the distinction between necessity and comfort meet criteria that are suitable to the homeowner or the business in question such measures are without value.

Average Energy Consumption For A Home Air Conditioning System

According to a recent article in Forbes, your home’s central heating furnace in off or standby mode uses roughly half as much energy per year as does a notebook computer in off or standby mode (2). That’s 300 Watts versus 600 Watts. Consider some typically monthly kWh usage in home appliances items functional under normal use cycles*:

Refrigerator … 30-200 kWh/month
Dehumidifier … 80-160 kWh/month
Water Heater … Averages 400 kWh/month
2.5 HP Swimming Pool Pump … 350-450 kWh/month
Central Air … 300-900 kWh/month
Heat Pump … 600-1,800 kWh/month (heating and cooling.)

Most appliances do not run 24/7. However, items such as hair dryers, curling irons, and vacuum cleaners typically consume more energy per hour of usage than do modern refrigerators. Energy consumption must be measured in balance with the service performed. Without defining a scale for cost-versus-achieved-benefit, it seems senseless to isolate any single technology as though that technology is less efficient than some other form of technology. After all, in spite of government efforts to regulate and force improved transportation-related efficiency, automobiles can readily be defined as an unnecessary comfort that is in many ways “inherently inefficient.”

New Heating and Cooling Technologies and the Primary Focus Of Use

Clearly current technology in air conditioning efficiency has not reached maximum capacity. Conventional systems continue to use refrigerants in the core cooling process. For cooling, heat is absorbed and then expelled into the outside world. For heating with a heat pump, the process is reversed. And in either event, the HVAC process demands use of electrically powered compressors, fans and pump systems. Efficient air conditioning doesn’t necessary mean that consumers will receive a create decrease in the cost of operation. To rightly measure this process, we must always balance cost to effectiveness.

One new concept in heating and cooling involves replacing the typical super-powered fluids and gases with some form of solid material. By using materials such as bismuth telluride and other applicable solids as a means of absorbing heat, both refrigerators and other air conditioning equipment can be manufactured without use of so many moving components. This not only reduces the electrical demands, but it also reduces the possibilities of equipment breakdown.

One strange point mentioned during many of the discussions concerning new cooling technology always seems to involve not so much the concept of cost as it does the concept of “necessity.” And it seems often to be a “necessity” that is also directly linked to comfort. Certainly the greater measure of HVACR research seems focused on life-saving applications wherein refrigeration of medical supplies, food and more come to the surface as the front-runners. However there is also much concern about providing efficient dehumidifiers and air conditioning for American military personal stationed in extreme overseas hotspots. And lastly, but not necessary least important is the question of how the U.S. as a nation and how the world as a whole is going to efficiently adapt to a future of increasingly extreme heat waves?

Whether addressed as a “comfort” item or as a “necessity” item, we need air conditioning efficiency that includes cost-effective pricing, long-term energy efficiency, and effective performance. If air conditioning equipment is as declared by the 2013 deputy director of ARPA-E “inherently inefficient”, so too are our cars, buses and hot water heaters. HVAC technology is no less efficient than many other forms of modern technology. As to purpose performed versus the cost, for me A/C rates among the most valuable current pieces of home improvement equipment. For a free estimate on Arizona installation of efficient Air Conditioning products, contact American Cooling and Heating today.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are intended to provoke discussion. They reflect the thoughts and concerns of the author, and do establish any particular standing by American Cooling and Heating as an Arizona HVAC installation and service center.

Note: * kWh based upon national average

Air Conditioning Efficiency – Are Attic HVAC Systems Efficient?

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Conditioning Technology, Cooling Tips, Home Maintenance.

The Value Of Air Conditioning Your Attic

In a recent report concerning home air conditioning efficiency, the U.S. Department of Energy challenged the wisdom of locating HVAC systems in an unconditioned attic (1). So what brings about this challenge to conventional A/C handling methods? Why would anyone want to air condition a space that is not used for personal comfort? If typical U.S. housing construction involves placing the A/C air-handling unit in unconditioned attic space, what benefits can be achieved by flipping the coin?

Well, live and learn.

According to Energy.Gov, placing components of your home HVAC system within the non-vented control of an unconditioned attic can actually increase heating and cooling-related energy consumption by as much as 10%. Several reasons promote this concept. However air loss due to A/C duct leakage may be the major factor. Current research evidences that duct air leakage often exceeds twenty percent of the regulated airflow. And that, my friend, results in a significant and controllable loss of energy.

The evidence is in: Placing your indoor home HVAC components within a non-vented insulated and conditioned attic or crawlspace can provide a substantial reduction in energy expenditure. Although the attic may not be used as home living space, capturing and retaining the loss air flow results in improved home heating and cooling energy performance. However, fully sealing the attic tends to defy traditional house building codes. And we all know that things that defy tradition trigger an automated human resistance to change. So after years of being directed to construct your home with installed attic ventilation, why should we accept this notion of change?

New Understanding of Air Conditioning Efficiency

Perhaps you are unaware of current construction changes as they relate to the air conditioning industry. However thanks to Building America, since 2006 the practice of constructing vent-free fully insulated attics has been an accepted home construction building code. For over twenty years, the U.S. DOE has sponsored the Building America program as a focus for helping study and promote innovation in residential building construction. The introduction of non-vented attics is just one more successful endeavor. The primary purposes of Building America include promotion of:

More affordable energy
Greater product reliability
Enhance product performance
AND Better home comfort.

Along with other various energy-focused products and home design, Building American partners with world-class HVAC industry and HVAC research leaders to raise the standards in home air conditioning and A/C product performance.

Air Conditioning Efficiency Enhanced By Non-Vented Well-Insulated Attics

Ventilation enables moisture as well as warm air to escape from an attic. When attic-installed A/C equipment is not involved in the equation, vented attics with a well-sealed and insulated ceiling decks prove to be very efficient for helping reduce the cost of home air conditioning. However, if HVAC equipment, including air conditioning ductwork, is installed in the vented attic of an Arizona home, the energy consumption of that home may actually increase.

Yet conditions to exist. If your Arizona air conditioning is installed in a home not purposefully constructed for a non-vented attic, updating to new standards can be costly and difficult. For example: standard home roof structures often include slopes that are inadequate for installing attic-wide top plate installation. Furthermore, the typical home attic includes installed flues, hatches, water piping, electrical wiring, and various difficult-to-work-with knee walls and ceilings. Unless your attic can be completely sealed, some measure of air leakage is unavoidable. The result: an increase demand on your heating and cooling system.

Funds spend to increase Arizona air conditioning efficiency may actually increase your problems. It humid air from your living quarters escapes into a non-vented and conditioned attic space, condensation and moisture against the cold roof sheathing may become a potential calamity of accumulated mold and mildew. On the other side of the scale, if inside warm air seeps into a sealed and conditioned home attic it can heat the roof deck and result in an increased winter risk of ice dams.

In conventional vented attics, installed HVAC components are routinely exposed to the current external temperature extremes – extremes that may well increase due to additional complications related to home attics. Insulating and effectively sealing along the roof line of your home can provide better:

Energy efficiency and savings
Increased moisture resistance
Reduced risk of wood rot and mold
A more secure storage space
And better wind resistance as well as increased fire and rain protection for your entire roof.

American Cooling and Heating – Arizona Air Conditioning Efficiency Experts

Maybe you are not certain about the conditions of your attic installed Arizona A/C equipment. Perhaps comfort in the living quarter is not a problem, yet the cost of staying cool seems out of hand. We can help. Call now for your appointment with a bonded, licensed and insured Arizona HVAC professional. The team at American Cooling and Heating is ready to provide 24/7 A/C repair, A/C replacement, and A/C evaluation.

1) Building American, Top Innovations Hall of Frame Profile

Top Quality Workmanship, BBB A+ Rated, AZ ROC Complaint Free

Author: Rm Harrington

Basic Air Conditioning Troubleshooting, A Mesa Home AC Tip Sheet