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Air Conditioning Troubleshooting For Homeowners

Written by Rm Harrington on August 7, 2015. Posted in AC Repair, Cooling Tips, Maintenance.

A Homeowner’s Guide To Troubleshooting A/C Equipment Prior To Calling The Repairman

Sometimes even a reliable HVAC service contract through the very best HVAC maintenance firm fails to prevent the need for a bit of rushed homeowner-handled air conditioning troubleshooting. Facts are simple: A well-serviced home A/C system typically runs without a great deal of unexpected complications.

However… Simple accidents and minor process failures do occasionally demand attention.

When you call a quality well-staffed HVAC service center you expect a rapid and often same day response to your home heating or cooling problems. Yet quick service does not always ensure that you will not lose a few hours of work time, or vacation time, or perhaps miss a baseball game you promised to attend.

Thankfully, some of the basic functional problems associated with your typical ducted split-type home air conditioning system can be corrected in record time by you the homeowner. The following tips are not designed to replace scheduled routine HVAC maintenance and service processes. However, this guide will help you check for a quick solution in a tough home cooling or heating situation.

It’s not about trying to save the cost of calling in an A/C repairman. It’s just about avoiding loss time when the problem could be handled by a bit of basic air conditioning troubleshooting.

** Note **

The following tips are not all-inclusive. Furthermore, we make no effort to evaluate your knack for performing A/C troubleshooting processes. If you do not understand the steps involved in a given process, call someone better qualified for the job.

5-Step Simple Air Conditioning Troubleshooting

1) HVAC System Not Cooling

Confirm that the thermostat/controller temperature setting reflects your cooling expectations and that the unit is set to cooling rather than heating or off.
Check and if necessary reset the main HVAC breaker in your home circuit breaker box. Also check the breaker that is typically located near to modern A/C condensing and heating units.
Visually confirm that both the indoor air handler and the outdoor condensing units are physically running.
Visually confirm that the outdoor condensing unit is not frozen over with ice.
Disengage the main HVAC breaker at your home circuit breaker box. Wait at least one hour before restarting. This may force the system to reset itself.

2) Limited or Nonexistent System Airflow

Ensure that all air filters used in any of your HVAC system components are clean. Replace if necessary. If your system is under an A/C maintenance contract, report the issue to the service provider. You may need to install a better grade of filter or isolate the cause for excess dust in your home.
Visually examine any external or internal units for signs of water accumulation in, near or own the exterior or indoor coil enclosure. Ice accumulation on the external Air Conditioning condensing unit is easily to spot. On the inside unit, be it in the attic, basement or crawlspace, hand test for an excessively cold exterior surface.

3) Overflow From the Indoor Air Handler Drain Pan

Remove any clogs blocking the exhaust pipe on the drain pan (See illustration). If there are not in the exhaust pipe, this homeowner-handled air conditioning troubleshooting secession should be promoted to the professionals. In the mean time, protect your floors and attic by turning the system off.

4) Compressor Fails But Fan Runs or Compressor Starts But Fan Fails

If the compressor fails to start, there is not much the average homeowner can do. The problem can relate to a bad compressor or merely a system that is low on refrigerant. To fix, call your local HVAC service center.
If the condenser fan fails to turn but the compressor starts, the problem may reside in the condenser fan motor. This repair is also beyond the scope of the average homeowner. Call in the pros.

5) Great AirFlow But Poor Cooling

Measure the temperature difference between the air leaving the air handler and the air entering the air handler. Modern high efficiency air conditioning systems typically run with a near 15-degree drop. Older units may show as much as 18 to 20 degrees difference.
Temperature drops that are below the norm indicate that your system is low on refrigerant. Call in a local HVAC service tech to correct the problem.
Temperature drops that greatly exceed the door indicate that the system is suffering a problem with the airflow system. Clean or replace the air filter. If that does not resolve the problem, ensure that the evaporator coils are clean. It that too fails to resolve the problem, clean the blower wheel.
Possible causes also include improper system design and/or installation, an incorrectly sized duct system, or simply a failure to perform routine HVAC maintenance.

Additional Help Via The ACH Study Guides Resource Links

The preceding air conditioning troubleshooting tips are geared toward homeowners who are seeking a quick fix for a simple and basic HVAC heating or cooling issue. Perhaps you need greater details and a move advanced air conditioning and heating tips guide. Have no fear. Check out the American Cooling and Heating consumer literature page. It’s under the Tips menu. There you can find ACH links to News, Certification study guides, and various other A/C related consumer literature.

Disclaimer:

1. Any HVAC service should only be performed by a licensed, fully trained, and competent

person and/or company.

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.

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

Written by Rm Harrington on July 27, 2015. Posted in Cooling Tips, Energy Efficient HVAC, Maintenance.

Save 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, contact 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 August 25, 2014. 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.

Mold spores are available
Food for the spores is available
Environmental temperatures suit spore growth
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 July 17, 2014. 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:

Disconnect the unit power source
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).

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

Disconnect the unit power source
Discharge the capacitor
Mark for location and then disconnect the wires from the capacitor’s terminals
Place the leads from the multimeter on the terminals, one to each terminal
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 June 30, 2014. Posted in Cooling Tips, Mesa Air Conditioning.

Frozen 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.