HVAC Maintenance Archives - American Heating and Cooling

Resolving 4 Air Conditioning Noise Problems – Why AC Systems Make Noise?

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in AC Repair, HVAC Maintenance.

The Nature of Air Conditioning Noise

All air conditioning systems produce some measure of noise. Expect it. Not as a major chatter, but rather as the general hum of any fan-driven air delivery system. But there is much distinction between AC systems that clang, jangle and rattle versus a system that outputs a defined and acceptable air conditioning operational hum.

In this article, the techs at American Cooling and Heating detail four fixes for common excessive air conditioning noise problems.

Digital Thermostat – Troubleshooting Common Digital Thermostat Problems

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in HVAC Maintenance, Repair or Replace, Thermostats and Controllers.

Digital Thermostat — Solve My Digital Thermostat Issues

Although an installed digital thermostat typically functions trouble-free, perhaps you can benefit by the following simple testing processes. After all, a faulty thermostat affects the heating and cooling comfort level throughout your entire home.

IAQ Trane HVAC Indoor Air Quality Products

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Cleaners, Air Purification, HVAC Maintenance.

IAQ Trane HVAC, An Integral Component in the Trane Air Conditioning Product Line

Winter! It’s a great time to take a look at the IAQ Trane HVAC product line of systems designed to manage home indoor air quality. Winter! It’s a time when Arizona homeowners spend more time inside. Winter! It’s also a time when we must recognize that indoor comfort is more than mere temperature management.

Whole-home Trane air filtration systems address comfort, humidity, and the growing demand for clean air and a healthier home environment. Problem is: no-one, including Arizona homeowners, appreciates high-pressure air conditioning sales tactics. Even if the need for quality indoor air is a prevalent condition within the home, American Cooling and Heating technicians are trained to be cautious in the presentation of IAQ technology.

Some Arizona residents don’t care about the current trend in IAQ products. And that is fine. We don’t push for sales. But, if a homeowner has an interest in maintaining a healthier home environment, the techs at ACH are here to share information on the various Trane HVAC IAQ products available to your Arizona home.

At your convenience, please request additional information on installation of advanced IAQ Trane HVAC products.

Consumer Trane Indoor Air Quality Product Awareness

Face it: Consumer awareness of current IAQ air conditioning technology often lacks full understanding. This makes consumer clean air education a primary concern, but only if and when you as the Arizona homeowner express a genuine interest in a healthier home environment. Installing a whole-home clear air system into a household that comes complete with two indoor cats, a Labrador retriever, and no concern for allergic reactions is not cost-efficient. Although the air cleaning system would do its job, the overabundance of what amounts to industrial-strength particulate matter would result in continuous system clogging.

Installing IAQ Trane HVAC products stands under the expectation that the homeowner will work with the system, that the Arizona homeowner recognizes a problem and that he or she purposes to find a reliable solution. Clean air products are designed to perform specific functions, and most often those functions best suit a home where clean-and-tidy includes the elimination of excessive indoor pollutants. This says nothing bad about pets, smoking, or any other particular home condition. It merely acknowledges that quality indoor air can only be achieved when the homeowner also accepts the need for certain changes in their indoors lifestyle.

As a professional Arizona air conditioning installation company, American Cooling and Heating works to ensure that homeowners understand industry standard clean air terminology such as antimicrobial, cfm, HEPA, MERV, and VOC (volatile organic compound). However, our A/C techs are trained to avoid pronouncing opinions based upon visual judgments of the home. This does not mean that your ACH HVAC representative ignores signs of allergies and/or trouble-symptoms associated with the home air conditioning units. But it does mean that we want satisfied customers who buy from need and desire rather than hard-sell tactics.

If you have a need, and if you have an interest, and if your Arizona home environmental conditions make sense for installing IAQ Trane HVAC products, the techs here at American Cooling and Heating have the knowledge, the equipment and the installation skill that is necessary to ensure that your Arizona house gets properly equipped for clean air and a healthier home environment.

Six Common Air Pollutants

National Ambient Air Quality standards cover six frequent air pollutants that appear routinely across the United States (1). These “criteria pollutants,”

Lead
Carbon monoxide
Ground-level ozone
Particle pollution
Nitrogen oxides
AND Sulfur oxides.

Contaminate indoor air quality, hinder the reality of a healthier home environment, and sometimes cause direct property damage. Most widespread of the six: particle pollutions and ground-level ozone. Every home has some measure of clear air contamination, but when limits of pollution exceed the NAAQ primary standards, your Arizona home may be in need of an installed Trane HVAC IAQ solution.

Sampling of IAQ Trane HVAC Clean Air Solutions

CleanEffects™ AZ Trane Air Filtration

Up to 99.98% allergen removal
Industry-leading air cleaner
Cleanable reusable filter

Revolutionary air cleaning technology that ensures a cleaner and healthier home environment.

IAQ-Trane-HVAC-THUMD500_Humidifier THUMD500

Total home power humidifier
Homes up to 4,200 sq. ft.
Up to 18 gallons/day output

Introduces correct moisture levels in every room while also helping eliminate allergy-advancement pollution.

FreshEffects™

Energy recovery ventilator

Exchanges indoor/outdoor air

Adjustable automatic venting

Reduces humidity and preconditions incoming air which helps keep your system efficient.

Trane-clean-air-Perfect Fit_Air-Filter Trane Perfect Fit™

Up to 15x better than standard
For furnaces and air handlers
Easy to replace

Reusable. Better at trapping dust, pollen and bacteria than your typical home air cleaning filters. Match with the Trane CleanEffects™ air handler and get a whole-home IAQ Trane HVAC air filtration solution.

1) http://www3.epa.gov/airquality/urbanair

HVAC Maintenance Agreements – For the Best in Heat Pump Performance

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in AC Repair, Home Maintenance, HVAC Maintenance.

Heat Pump HVAC Maintenance Agreements For Homes That Don’t Need A Furnace

In this region of unique heating and cooling requirements, Arizona homeowners have come to expect reliable air conditioning services accompanied by flexible HVAC maintenance agreements. The age of one-size-fits-all has pasted us by. Local climate makes heat pump heating ideal for winter use thus the need for additional furnace equipment gets a bit obsolete. It’s just not all that cold during the Phoenix winter.

Cost is also a driving factor behind system choices. For example: By installing a HP-only system, Phoenix regional homeowners gain three important price saving features: They,

Avoid the installation cost of additional Natural Gas and/or HVAC plumbing
Gain more flexible control over temperature management within the home
Get better pricing on HVAC maintenance service contracts.

In this modern society, homeowners want protection with options. They also seek to establish relations with a trustworthy service center. Company performance during and after HVAC maintenance services help homeowners meet these goals. But there is yet much more to be gained. A well-maintained heat pump can provide effective energy-efficient heating and cooling with long-term cost savings that reach far into the homeowner’s future. Furthermore, a clean and functional heat pump helps the environment while also adding value to the home.

A/C Maintenance Checklist

According to the Energy Star home improvement A/C maintenance checklist, homeowners should expect the following services:

Examination of thermostat settings to confirm efficient usage of energy resources
General electrical check and tightening of all connections, including taking voltage measurements on said connections as well as on motors
Lubrication of moving HVAC system components
Examination of the system operation, cycling and safety controls
Cleaning of condenser a/c coils and evaporator coils
Check and adjust of central heat pump / ac refrigerant levels
Clean, examine and adjust blower components to ensure adequate and accurate system airflow
Examine gas/oil connections and associated functions such as burner combustion, gas pressure and the condition of the heat exchanger.

Note… Homeowners are typically responsible for cleaning and or changing filters.

Precision HVAC Tune-Ups or Professional HVAC Cleaning: What’s In It For The Homeowner?

Although there are several reasons why a Phoenix A/C service center may offer homeowners an HVAC M/A, “repeat business” stands as the primary factor behind this business choice. According to Decision Analyst, the company that holds a homeowner’s maintenance agreement usually gains the order when system replacement comes due. In short, providing an air conditioning maintenance agreement typically eliminates the competition.

But what’s in it for the homeowner?

Due to excess accumulation of dust and dry weather, the typical Arizona HVAC maintenance agreement should also include two inspections per year and a guarantee of priority service. Some contracts also include a special discount on repairs and parts. Another level of M/A services may include a waiver on diagnostic fees. So much depends on the local company, but homeowners should always make certain that their provider offers:

24/7 A/C response time
Certified technicians
Evidence of HVAC licensing
Bonded securities
And reasonable A/C maintenance pricing.

Full-Service HVAC Maintenance Agreements

Ok. It’s really not reasonable to expect a full-service warranty agreement on an aged and obsolete heating and cooling system. However, when a homeowner is seeking a maintenance agreement for a system that is still under warranty, the service provider incurs no liability beyond labor. This means that replacement of parts can be priced into the maintenance agreement. It may result in a bit higher pricing, but it can be money well spent.

AND… of course, if the company holding the agreement is also responsible for the Arizona Heat Pump installation of the warranted unit, the options for better coverage become even more acceptable.

Reverse Climate Change – Arizona HVAC Company Reflects on the Global Challenge

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Climate Change, Global Warming, HVAC Maintenance.

American Cooling and Heating Announces New Entry In the Global Warming Series – Reviewing Current Efforts To Reverse Climate Change

“Words from Berlin suggest that a modest global investment in alternative energy resources can keep global warming in check. But what is the actual definition of “modest?” local American Cooling and Heating tech manager.

Due to increasing interest in global warming and the associated effects in climate change, American Cooling and Heating has determined to help expand public awareness of current discussions and concepts. This press release is one of several in the ACH Global Warming series.

A Global Effort To Reverse Climate Change

According to the UN Climate Change Panel, quick action can restrain the cost of managing global warming. Immediate changes to the process of how energy is manufactured can be accomplished within a reasonably modest price range. But IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri makes perfectly clear that the solutions must involve immediate and decisive action. The tools are at hand. Climate change can be reversed and without a major disruption of world economic systems. But today is the day for action.

Consisting mainly of CO2, the buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere comes mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. In the power sector, the use of coal has increased by 2.2 percent per year between 2000 and 2010. And the problem of Global Warming generates a catch-22 environment. As the global heat index rises, so too do the demands for air-conditioning and other cooling services, all of which require electrical energy as a power source.

Unless the world takes additional and appropriate measures, containment of emissions will continue to become more difficult. According to the IPCC panel, by the year 2100 the world will endure a 5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit increase in temperatures.

The greatest part of the balancing load falls upon governments and energy providers. According to the IPCC, shifting energy resources from fossil fuels to low-carbon or zero-carbon resources can reduce the growth of power consumption by around 0.06 percentage points per year. It is a modest consumption rate that will work. Alternative sources for renewable energy include solar and wind power devices. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says that anything entailing a near quadrupling of low-carbon energy supply lines is welcome as a global economic opportunity. The IPCC is not calling for major changes. As mister Pachauri has stated in other news reports, “The loss in consumption is relatively modest.”

Opposite Views On Reversal of Climate Change Don’t Change Common Sense

Now the IPCC predicts a large-scale change in the fossil fuel investment quarter, a change that will drop by $30 billion annually even as investments in low-carbon resources expand by nearly $150 billion. And none of this takes into account the estimated $336 billion increase in energy efficiency applications that apply to the building, industrial and transport sectors.

On the other hand, oil and gas companies project a different viewpoint. So far as Exxon Mobil is concerned, adjusting for climate change is unlikely to greatly influence the sell of fossil fuels in any foreseeable near future (1).

Even in the Berlin climate change meeting, a dispute disrupted the flow of the discussion. Even as the evidence of climate change becomes indisputable, issues of cause, effect and management continue to trouble the “big” names in the discussion. Yet one matter remains primary on the board. According to the IPCC, time is running out, not for solutions but for cost-effect solutions. President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Frances Beinecke, says that the solution “… requires decisive actions to curb carbon pollution — and an all-out race to embrace renewable sources of energy. History is calling.”

Summer heat can trigger asthma attacks, migraine headaches and even dehydration. Climate change is raising the heat ceiling and forcing a global increase in the use of heating and cooling equipment. To learn more about the American Cooling and Heating global warming series, click here.

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