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Arizona Home Cooling or 12-Tips For Saving Money On Cooling Costs

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Cooling Tips, Energy Efficient HVAC, Maintenance.

Mesa Air Conditioning At ACHSave Energy and Reduce the Cost of Air Conditioning Your Arizona Home

The cost of Arizona home cooling may well account for forty percent of your 2015 energy bill. But here’s a kicker that you may not realize, especially if you use a yearly averaged energy billing payment plan: Most of the financial outlay for high energy consumption occurs during the blazing heat waves that accompany normal Arizona summers. In fact, the summer cost for cooling the average Arizona home typically accounts for up to seventy percent of your summer energy bill.

But do not despair. By following a few simple yet comfort-efficient methods of home cooling management you can effectively reduce the short-term and the long-term cost of air conditioning your Arizona home.

The following tips are a condensed and/or expanded update of from the cost of air conditioning pages of APS, Arizona’s longest-serving and largest electric provider. Examine them. Determine which ones can fit into your lifestyle while helping you save on AZ home cooling expenses.

Tips That Will Help You Save Money On Arizona Home Cooling Costs

1) Caulk… It’s a major part of prevent lost of internal air temperatures. Two tubes and a cheap caulk gun will handle most household air leaks. Make sure you do the sill plates as well as the windows and door-frames.

2) Bath and Kitchen Exhaust Fans… It seems a simple thought yet it is often overlooked. Unnecessary use of exhaust fans will draw cool air from your home. The loss may be low volume, but in a course of time excess usage of bath and kitchen exhaust fans will increase the cost of air conditioning and thereby amplify your total home cooling bill.

3) Take Control Of Your Thermostat… Bumping the desired temperature by only one degree warmer can reduce your AZ home cooling expenses by up to 3% during summer months. Special tip: By using more room fans and ceiling fans, you can jack the thermostat to 79-degrees and still feel as much as 5-degrees cooler.

4) Dryer Ventilation… Surprise. Your dryer vent may be leaking heat and moisture into your home. Furthermore, if vented through the crawlspace it may be torn and leaking there. To ensure efficient Arizona home cooling, do a routine yearly dryer vent check and fix.

5) Windows… If the air conditioning is running the windows need to be closed. Install blinds or heavy-duty curtains and keep them closed as often as possible.

6) Storm Doors… The freedom to open the main doors and view the world through your storm door will up the cost for cooling your house.

7) Make Better Use of Exhaust Fans… Normal cooking generates heat and moisture. Use the kitchen exhaust for the purpose designed but make sure to flip the off switch when the meal is done cooking.

8) Natural Defrosting… You do know that frozen food will defrost inside of your refrigerator, right? When possible, avoid microwave defrosting. Using natural defrosting will help you get a drop in the cost of air-conditioning your home.

9) Cloths… It may be “passé” but cloths will dry when hung on an outside line in the sun.

10) Consider signing up for an APS Time Advantage Plan (2). Most electric providers offer customers various peak and off-peak hour programs, all designed to help you pull a lower energy bill while maintaining efficient Arizona home cooling.

11) Process Scheduling… Plan your process schedule so that heat-producing chores, including cooking, ironing, drying cloths and more occur during the cooler hours of the day.

12) Home Lighting… Appliances, lights, and even fans in unused rooms can increase your AZ home cooling expenses. When not in use, turn them off.

Bonus Arizona Home Cooling Tip…

For rapid service and a premier low-cost startup of an Arizona air conditioning and heat pump maintenance program, Happy Familycontact American Cooling and Heating. We can set you up on a price-efficient annual or semi-annual system maintenance program that can reduce the cost for cooling your Arizona home while also helping you increase the lifespan of your home HVAC equip.

ACH. We offer the best in reliable service, professional treatment, and technical skills. So act now. Take control of the cost of air conditioning. Get the comfort of peak system performance while reaping the benefits of reduced AZ home cooling expenses.

 

 

 

 

Arizona Air Conditioning Mold Prevention – Minimize AC Mold Growth

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Purification, Arizona Air Conditioning Installation.

Air Conditioning Mold – Critical Growth Requirements

Air Conditioning molds and mildew are classified as fungi. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, extensive mold contamination can trigger allergic reactions, asthma episodes, infections and various other respiratory complications (1). Mold and mildew are also capable of causing serious structural damage to your home. Affected floor joists and other exposed timbers can rot, warp or crack due to moisture that tends to cultivate fungi growth.

Current reports from the FSEC Education Center define and identify nearly 100,000 species of fungi (2). But don’t panic. Fungi in general are ubiquitous to our environment. As such, humans are constantly exposed to the associated risk. Yet for healthy humans with a normally functional immune system, serious complications caused by exposure to common fungi are uncommon. However… Children, the elderly, and people who already suffer from asthmatic or allergic conditions may experience serious complications when exposed to excessive growth of fungi.

A/C Mold – Critical Growth Requirements

Whether in your heating and cooling system or due to some other source of accumulated moisture, mold growth springs forth when the following four components come together:

TIP! Standing water around your air handler unit can cause mold accumulation and expansion. If the problem persists, contact your ACH Arizona heating and cooling service center.
  1. Mold spores are available
  2. Food for the spores is available
  3. Environmental temperatures suit spore growth
  4. And moisture accumulates.

Fungi spores range in size from 3 to 40 microns – compare to the size of human hair, which ranges from 100-150 microns. Because mold spores are ubiquitous, there is no cost-effective method for complete elimination of the colonies. Any time all three of the other components for growth are available, the food supply can consist of nearly any organic substance.

Because mold grows best in temperatures that are comfortable to humans, the battle to eliminate spores is even more complicated. Yet even temperatures near to freezing cannot deter the growth of certain molds. However, one component of the growth requirement can often be controlled by human initiative. You defensive actions can help regulate the presence of moisture that accumulates in your Arizona home and Arizona air conditioning system.

Various species of fungi may respond to different levels of moisture, but the majority of mold species require relative humidity levels of 70% or better. Thus air conditioning mold prevent involves controlling where and how cool air is disbursed. On the good side: Human beings typically prefer an environment that is far below the 70% moisture threshold. Key point in air conditioning mold prevention: Reducing the availability of moisture is the best strategy for removing and killing active mold growth colonies.

3 Practices That Aid In Your Air Conditioning Mold Prevention Efforts

•Arizona Air Conditioning Operation: Keep the fan system set on AUTO. When an A/C blower runs without ceasing, the moisture that accumulates on the cooling evaporator ends up blowing back into your home. Relative humidity increases. Dehumidification decreases. Moisture accumulates. If, when even in AUTO, your HVAC blower motor continues to run long after the compressor has shut down, contact your Arizona A/C service center. A qualified tech can often disable this feature.

TIP! When water condenses on your air conditioner, it drips into a pan and drains into the external environment. If this drain gets clogged, your home can accumulate mold-inducing moisture.

•Arizona Air Conditioning Selection: When options permit, or when necessity demands that you purchase a new Arizona home air conditioning system, choose equipment that makes us of a variable speed air handler. Demand optional features designed so that you can set the unit to a mode designed for enhanced moisture removal.

• Arizona Air Conditioner Sizing: Right-size your cooling equipment. Oversizing results in poor humidity management. Short on-cycles hinder moisture removal. For more information on A/C sizing and efficiency, read: Energy Efficient Central Air Conditioning.

 

 

 

 

1) http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/children/indoorair/mold/index.php

2) http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/buildings/basics/moldgrowth.htm

Air Conditioning Capacitor – Detect and Repair AC Capacitor

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Capacitor.

Common A/C Repair – Replacing Your Air Conditioning Capacitor

Air conditioning capacitor problems are easy to detect, test and repair. However, replacing your Heat Pump or AC capacitor is also a risky task. Capacitors store power, and even though the breakers to the heating and cooling unit are tripped and the flow of electric current through the system is disabled, a capacitor retains the power to light up your world. Two rules for dealing with A/C capacitors or any other electric motor starting capacitor:

  1. Disconnect the unit power source
  2. Discharge the capacitor.

Working with electricity can be detrimental to your health. Before touching anything inside the cover of your heating and cooling equipment, know exactly what you are doing.

TIP! Get your HVAC unit serviced yearly. During service the technician will check the motor and refill the system fluids.

Coming into simultaneous contact with two of the terminals on an air conditioning capacitor makes for dangerous discharge of electricity. Furthermore: trashing a capacitor that has not been properly discharged creates a fire hazard. Likewise, avoid placing a charged capacitor on dry grass, paper or any other combustible materials. To discharge the stored current from within an A/C or heat pump capacitor, disengage the power source and then use an insulated screwdriver to short across the terminals of the capacitor (figure 1).

Air Conditioning Capacitor Discharge 

Hot Day In Arizona – What To Do When The Air Conditioning Capacitor Quits

 When your A/C stops working, even summer fun becomes a drag. It’s hot, sweaty and nasty inside and out. Furthermore, HVAC repairs can get rather expensive. This article may help you get cool while also saving a few dollars on the repair costs. But remember: Messing with electric components is risky. Take care that you fully understand this guide and the associated warnings.

 Checking The A/C or Heat Pump Capacitor Multimeter Style

 Capacitors store electric charge and are used to maintain voltage supply and/or boost torque during device startup. HVAC systems use capacitors for both purposes. By sight and sound alone, you can make several good guesses concerning the condition of your air conditioning capacitor. However, for the final test, technicians use a multimeter (image 2). If you do know how to use a multimeter or a voltmeter, give up now and call your Arizona Air Conditioning service center. You are likely already in over your head.

 To run a multimeter test on your HVAC capacitor: Multimeter- Testing A/C Capacitor

  1. Disconnect the unit power source
  2. Discharge the capacitor
  3. Mark for location and then disconnect the wires from the capacitor’s terminals
  4. Place the leads from the multimeter on the terminals, one to each terminal
  5. The reading should be within six percent of the rating for that make and model of capacitor.

Checking The HP or A/C Capacitor Using Sight And Sound

TIP! If there’s a clicking in your HVAC unit, check for any sort of obstructions immediately. This may be because debris is restricting the movement of the fan blades.

Ok. Perhaps you aren’t ready to actually repair capacitor on your HVAC equipment, but you still want to get an idea of the problem. That’s good. It helps you make an informed price comparison. To check your unit via sight and sound, just stand near the condensing unit and listen for a humming sound while noticing if the fan is spinning or not spinning. Hum without spin likely means air conditioning capacitor problems.

A Capacitor Test That Does Not Require Use of a Multimeter

Since the A/C capacitor is designed to boost power during the system startup, it makes sense that you can provide the necessary assistance. The process is simple. If the outside A/C condensing unit is humming but the fan is not responding, you need to give the fan a kick-start. Find a long stick that will slip through the fan guard. Use something that will bend or break should the fan start turning before you get it out of the way. Now, slide the tool through the fan guard and then gently nudge one of the fan blades. It things crank up and keep going, place bets on the problem being a bad A/C start capacitor.

Bad Capacitor Sight Test Two

If you have already removed the service panel from your condensing unit, do a visual inspection of the capacitor. If the top of the component is swollen out, the capacitor is likely blown.

Choosing The Correct Replacement Component

TIP! Consider an annual service agreement for technicians to regularly inspect your AC unit. Schedule brief inspections for the winter to make sure nothing is obviously wrong.

Two points: Record both the voltage rating and the micro-farads (μF) of your current capacitor. Brand name doesn’t matter and neither (within reasonable limits) does shape and size. The existing A/C capacitor mounting brackets are typically flexible enough to accommodate various sizes and shapes. Even the component voltage voltage rating has some room for upward adjustment. However, the micro-farads (μF) must be an exact match from old to new.

As to pricing, Arizona residential HVAC units are reasonably sized and the capacitor is typically fairly cheap. For example: Pricing for the average Amana, Goodman, Rheem or Trane residential air conditioning capacitor will come in at $35.00 or less. But if all this seems a mite confusing or if messing with electrical components goes against your grain, Arizona-based American Cooling and Heating is ready, 24/7, to service your home or office HVAC equipment. And ACH prices are more than reasonable.

 

Frozen Air Conditioning – Tips To Prevent AC Freezing

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Cooling Tips, Mesa Air Conditioning.

Mesa, Phoenix and Regional Arizona AC Service and MaintenanceFrozen Air Conditioning, A Common Preventable Arizona Cooling Issue

Frozen air conditioning on a 97+ degree Mesa Monday is not merely unfortunate; it is downright miserable. Humidity hangs at 22-percent, and the average Mesa, AZ wind factor creeps in at less than 5-mph. Experiencing summertime Arizona without functional in-home cooling establishes a new concept of emergency necessities.

First signs of a frozen heat pump or a frozen A/C condensing system typically include inadequate airflow through your home registers. An air conditioning system covered in ice concludes the investigation. An iced-over evaporator coil cannot effectively transfer inside heat into the outside air.

TIP! Before you call someone to help you fix your system, be sure to know what sort of system you have in place. Get information on the make and model, plus if you have information on the history of maintenance, that will help, too.

Although the Mesa homeowner can handle some solutions to a frozen cooling system, others will demand the services of a Mesa A/C repair center. The following pointers will help you resolve your frozen air conditioning issues.

Frozen Cooling System Mesa –  Three Root Causes

1) Inadequate Air Flow

Checking your HVAC air filter is A/C 101 repair school priority. Inadequate airflow upsets the balanced operation of your heating and cooling system. The evaporator coil surfaces must be free of dirt buildup, both near and far. Although a bit easier to fix, a dirty air filter in the return vent creates the same cooling hindrance as dirt build-up directly on the coil. If it restricts functional breathing of the equipment, a frozen heat pump or frozen air conditioning system becomes the natural result.

2) Temperature Management

TIP! Every year hire someone to give your HVAC unit routine maintenance. This will ensure that it works properly throughout the entire year.

Even the best of the best heating and cooling equipment can be overworked. For the most efficient and reliable performance, set your thermostats to 73-74 degrees. This should prevent your air conditioning from running continuously. If you have a programmable thermostat, consider setting your nighttime requirements at 74-75. The higher range will enable your system to gain some well-needed time off.

While working with the thermostat, you may notice faulty readings. In this event, unless you are a skilled electrician and HVAC technician, call your ACH tech for assistance.

3) Insufficient Refrigerant

TIP! Do you want to make sure your HVAC unit works for you like it should? It is important to have your unit maintained on a regular basis. The reputable technicians at American Cooling and Heating know how to understand consumer lay-talk explanations of A/C and HP problems. Call and share your HVAC questions about maintenance service on your system.

Low refrigerant is a common A/C and heat pump problem that should not be permitted to continue. Low levels of refrigerant sometimes cause the coil to become too cold. This freezes and accumulates the moisture in the air. In most events, homeowners lack the skill to test, repair or recharge an air conditioning system that is loosing refrigerant. So just remember this primary rule: Quality Air Conditioning technicians repair as well as recharge.

Fixing Cooling Problems Related To Air Conditioning Freeze Up

TIP! Every month clean out the leaves and debris that may have settled into your outdoor HVAC unit. You’ll be surprised at how much gets caught in the grill work.

Sometimes the problem is simple and sometimes the problem is complex. Prior to calling in any outside help, investigate the basic causes and seek your own remedy. Use the following process of problem-elimination:

Open all registers completely and make sure furniture or draperies are not blocking them.

a) Check fuses to confirm that the unit is receiving power

b) From the thermostat, set the blower fan to manual  to confirm blower operation

c) Examine, clean and/or replace the system air filters

d) Examine and open the registers

e) Ensure that neither the registers or the return vent are blocked by draperies or furniture

f) Trip the fuses and wait several hours for the system to thaw out

g) If the problem persists, contact American Cooling and Heating for 24/7 Mesa A/C repair services.

Substandard Cooling Equipment Maintenance Squanders Energy

Reports from the Environmental Protection Agency, disclose that a 30% increase in static pressure across the coil in your air conditioning system can spawn a $200 per 10,000 cfm swell in the price of operating your HVAC equipment. The expenditure does not include the outlay for clean up of drain pans, air ducts or dirty A/C oils.

But wait, there is more: Continued operation of a frozen air-conditioning system not only fritters away costly energy, it can also result in addition damage to your A/C unit. Among other key points of service, the American Cooling and Heating A/C and Heat Pump maintenance plan examines HVAC equipment in Mesa, Phoenix and other regional Arizona communities for compliance with:

  • Recommended airflow by measurement
  • Correct refrigerant measurements
  • Manufacturer installation specifications
  • National and local installation codes
  • National and local electrical standards
  • AND More.

 

 

AC Repair In AZ

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting In Arizona – Resolving Common AC Problems

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

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting For The Arizona Home Handyman

Air conditioning troubleshooting can sometimes be very simple, but if your problem dips into the core of HVAC functionality, consider hiring out the task to a licensed Arizona A/C professional. Basic air conditioning repairs are rather inexpensive; and if the problem requires extensive heating and cooling equipment replacement, you won’t waste money on guesswork solutions.

However, the Arizona homArizona Air Conditioning Troubleshootinge handyman can resolve some common heating and cooling problems without need of equipment expertise. You start by recognizing that various HVAC failures often link to the same type of system malfunction. This A/C troubleshooting tip sheet addresses the simplistic side of heating and cooling troubleshooting and repair.

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting of Basic Cold Air Issues

When home A/C systems fail to deliver cold air, Arizona homeowners get excited. This country is no place for faulty air conditioning equipment. So let’s look at the basic problems that can keep your cooling system from delivering cool air. The list is divided into two categories:

  1. Inside the House
  2. AND Outside the House.
TIP! If your home gets hot in the Arizona summer temperatures and you’d like to reduce the demand on your air conditioning equipment,  consider installing an insulated metal roof system. It reflects the heat right back up into the sky, allowing your home to gain less heat on sunny days.

A/C Troubleshooting Inside the House

1) Clogged filter

A clogged air filter is simple to fix, yet remains a common in-home heating and cooling complication. Although most homeowners can easily change the heating and cooling filter system, they often tend to neglect simple filter maintenance. Yet a clogged air conditioning filter chokes the airflow through the condenser fins associated with the inside furnace. When your system cannot “breath,” the coil freezes over. To prevent filter clogging, clean or replace your system filter at least once a month.

If a dirty filter causes your unit to freeze up, replace or clean the filter and then thaw the unit by powering down for several hours or until the ice melts. Tip it. Remember: A/C equipment does not cool the home but rather it removes the heated air from inside the home. When your air conditioning system pulls the steamy Arizona air out of your home, it sifts that air through the coolant-filled condenser fins, resulting in hot air displaced by cold air.

TIP! The best Arizona HVAC contractors provide a number for emergency services that are available to call 24 hours of the day.  Don’t get caught without help during a weekend heatwave.

2. Clogged Condenser Fins

On the slightly more complex side of air conditioning troubleshooting, the inside condenser fins can also become clogged with debris. This is typically due to inadequate care of the filter system, but can also be a direct result of a passing Arizona dust storm and an improperly sealed home. Regardless of the cause, cleaning the condenser fins becomes a necessary repair process. Although some homeowners have been known to use a toothbrush as a cleaning tool, specially designed “fin brushes” will do a better job with less risk of damage to the fins.

3. Low Coolant

Low A/C coolant implies significant equipment problems. To check the coolant level, pickup a set of pressure gauges and measure setting according to the documentation of your unit. However, if you are tempted to do some backdoor buying to recharge your leaky unit, don’t go there. First off: Your air conditioning system is designed as a self-contained cooling system. This means that leaks are not normal. Second, to buy and work with A/C coolant legally, you need an EPA license. So call your local Arizona A/C Repair center. The cost for repairing the leak and recharging the system will vary, but here is a basic price guideline:

  • $ 50 – Typical HVAC home service call* (Often applied to the cost of system repair)
  • $120 – Typical flat-price covering first 3 pounds of coolant*
  • $ 50 – Base price per pound for anything over 3 pounds*

Variable expenses include the time involved for tracking down and repairing the leak as well as the cost of replacement parts. For example: A new evaporator coil can start around $350*, and the repair can get rather expensive. Yet it only takes a few years of yearly freon cap-offs to exceed the price of a permanent repair. So why be uncomfortable when a repair is the best way to handle any form of air conditioning coolant leak?

TIP! If you are buying a new HVAC unit, make sure that the one you choose fits your home. American Cooling and Heating will inspect your home and your duct work before they install a new unit.

4. Condenser Fan Motor

If all else is set correctly, including the inside thermostat, yet the inside unit fails to come on, check the condenser fan motor. Some problems are as simple as loose wires. But even if the wire connections are burned, the average Arizona home handyman can handle the repair.

 

Air Conditioning Troubleshooting Outside Your Home

1. Lack of Power

Before checking any other possibilities, ensure that power is reaching your outside A/C condensing unit. Start by checking the breakers both at the mains and at the breaker box located adjacent to your outside system. In the event that a breaker is melted, fused or reveals a loose wire, call an electrician. Even if you can replace a breaker on your own, home and personal safety demands that you uncover the cause of the failure.

2. Faulty Contactor

When standing near your outside air conditioning equipment, do you hear a loud buzzing noise. If so, consider replacing the unit contactor. The process is as follows:

  1. Cut power to the system
  2. Remove the cover panel located on the backside of the condensing unit
  3. Restore power and locate, without touching any components, the source of the buzzing noise (Typically the contactor has the appearance of a piston enclosed in a box)
  4. Turn the power back off
  5. Use an Ohm-meter to ensure that the flow of electricity has ceased
  6. Remove the contractor
  7. Mark the wire leads and then disconnect
  8. Install a new contactor
  9. Reconnect the wires
  10. Re-assemble the cover
  11. Restore system power.
TIP! Before hiring any HVAC company to install, maintain or repair your Arizona home unit, ask for evidence of insurance.

3. Outside Condenser Fan

For safety purposes, it might be better if you hire a local A/C service professional to service your outside unit. The process of determining the functionality of your outside condenser fan is beyond the scope of this article. However, assuming that you have the electrical expertise to test the fan, replacement, if necessary, is very simple. Just:

  1. Disable power to the system
  2. Remove the top component of the outside A/C housing
  3. Label the wires attached to the system fan, and then disconnect the fan
  4. Clean the connections
  5. Re-assemble the unit replacing the faulty fan with a new fan f. Restore power.
TIP! For top deals on Arizona air conditioning installation and equipment, contact American Cooling and Heating.  And remember, Air Conditioning Troubleshooting is sometimes simple and sometimes difficult.

 

 

* All prices are based upon 2014 industry averages and may vary from region to region.

 

Disclaimer:

  1. Maintenance must be performed by an authorized American Cooling and Heating HVAC technician.
  2. 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.

 

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