Archive for the ‘Educational’ Category

Rheem 13 SEER R-410A Condensing Unit

Full of Hot Air

There’s a box outside of your home that you may have noticed. Maybe you only pay attention to it only when it starts and stops whirring, but you may look at it in a different way once you know what it really does for you.

If you have central air conditioning, this is your condensing unit. It’s only one part of your air conditioning system, but a vital one. This box is mainly responsible for removing the heat from your home. In the scorching summer months, it’s your unsung hero. Next time you’re near it while it’s running, put your hand over the top, you’ll feel the heat that would’ve otherwise been in your home making you irritable and uncomfortable. To maintain this more favorable environment, you want to make sure your condenser can do its job to its full potential. The easiest way you, as a home/property owner can do this, is to keep it clean. This may not be in the forefront of your mind as cleaning your clothes or dishes might be, but two days out of the year could be enough to extend your heating and cooling system’s life by several years and keep costly repairs at bay.

What’s in the Box?

Looking at the large unit from the outside, you might be wondering what’s inside it exactly. Is it one big motor? A web of wires and gears? The truth is that the insides aren’t very complicated at all and a condensing unit is made up of only a few parts. Here are the three key components and their functions. To emphasize their importance, also described is what happens when each is taken out of the equation:

Copeland scroll compressor

• Compressor – This is the heart of your air conditioning system. It’s called a compressor because it compresses refrigerant gas under high pressure. This hot, pressurized gas is sent through the condenser coil and cooled down on its way to the indoor unit. Without the constant cycling of refrigerant, there can be no cooling, so a failed compressor is a serious and costly proposition.
  
• Condenser coil – As described above, the condenser coil is responsible for cooling the hot refrigerant gas. If the coil is blocked up, the hot gas cools slower and eventually not at all leading to ineffective cooling indoors.
• Condenser fan – The fan kicks the concentrated heat to the outside. When the heat can’t get out, not only will the cooling process be interrupted, but the other components (like the more expensive compressor) are at risk of failing.

So, as you can see, the condenser’s parts have very repetitive, specific roles and they’re highly interdependent, so providing the conditions that allow each part to perform its role will ensure that the system as a whole keeps you comfortable for years to come.

Step By Step

Out of the three components, the one you will be most able to maintain yourself is the condenser coil. If you can find the time to take a look at your condenser and clean off the coil once or twice a year, you will be doing your A/C system and yourself a huge favor. Below is a simple step by step process of performing some yearly maintenance on your condensing unit.

Closer look at a condenser coil

1. Clear the area (about a 3 ft. radius) around the unit of grass, weeds, sticks and other debris.
2. Remove anything on top of or hanging over the unit that could be obstructing the fan.
3. Turn the unit off and remove the cover.
4. Remove any trash or plant material stuck to any part of the condensing unit.
5. Clean dirt and debris from the coil with a bristle brush, being careful not to bend the lightweight aluminum fins.
6. Rinse the coil with light pressure, again as to not damage the fins.
7. Spray the coil with coil cleaner, following the directions on the can.
8. Rinse again if directions on your coil cleaner ask for it (it’s generally a good idea to rinse even if it doesn’t call for it) and let dry.
9. Cover the unit and power it back on.

Now Your Condenser Loves You

Taking only an hour or two out of the year to clean your condenser could add years to your air conditioning system’s life and save you time and money. Of course, even an hour is hard to come by for some busy people, so if you would rather have a qualified professional clean your condenser as well as cover the rest of the bases that’ll keep your system running flawlessly, Four Seasons Heating and Cooling offers preventative maintenance agreements. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, take a look at this and then contact us for pricing.

Oh-Ho-Ho It’s Magic!

You may not appreciate this fact very often, but you live in an amazing time. Imagine going back 500 years and announcing that you had the power to control temperature. People would be astounded…and you most likely would be accused of witchcraft and end up in some very hot water, so you probably shouldn’t make that claim if you ever do go back in time, but the point remains: it’s easier than ever to create your ideal living environment.

In this post, you will learn about your air conditioning system’s command center and some steps you can take to make you a better commander.

Don’t Touch That Dial

The word thermostat comes from the Greek words thermos (hot) and statos (standing), but the actual device is far from an ancient invention and has only been around since the late 19^th century. At that time in much of the West, if you wanted to cool off, you took yourself outside and dunked your head into a horse trough. The thermostat, paired with the air conditioning innovations that were made in the decades after, made cooling off a much easier (and drier) proposition.

An old school round thermostat.

Early thermostats were clunky, mechanical and not terribly accurate, but the important point was room temperature could be measured and controlled. Greater precision and user-friendly designs would soon follow and give rise to the circle, square or rectangle on the wall in your childhood home that you weren’t allowed to play with.

Since thermostats rarely need to be replaced, there is still an abundance of these old models still in use and the thermostat you have now may indeed just be a simple case with a dial on it. If this is your current situation, operation is as simple as it can get, but we’re now in the digital age and many thermostats nowadays have more capabilities. With these added capabilities comes a steeper learning curve, but there are some definite added benefits.

Get with the Program

Today’s thermostats are smart. And the ones of tomorrow will be even smarter. Controlling your environment’s temperature is no longer limited to simply making it cooler when it gets hot and making it warmer when it gets cold. Of course, the basic concepts are still there, but now with a few taps of the screen you can tell your environment to work around your weekly schedule.

A modern White-Rodgers programmable touchscreen thermostat.

Wait, what’s this about tapping screens?

Like a lot of modern electronic devices, many thermostats are using touchscreen technology. If you don’t have much practice with touchscreen displays, don’t be intimidated. They’re extremely easy to use. Touchscreen thermostats also light up, so if you’re stumbling to your thermostat at 3AM and don’t want to blind yourself by flicking on a light switch, you won’t have to.

…However, if you’ve come to the conclusion that touchscreens drive you nuts, there are still plenty of good thermostats that have buttons.

Okay, so what’s programmable about this thing?

Programmable thermostats are programmable in that they allow you to set time/temperature programs. You assign temperatures for days of the week and times of the day and the thermostat executes the program until you change it or tell it to stop.

If you’ve browsed programmable thermostats before, you may have seen a few different types with numbers that look like football formations. If you were wondering what the differences are, here are some descriptions:

• 5-2 Day Programmable – You’re able to make two schedules. One for weekdays and one for weekends.
• 5-1-1 Day Programmable – Three schedules can be made. One for weekdays, one for Saturday and another for Sunday.
• 7 Day Programmable – These have the most flexibility and programs can be set for each day.

In choosing which programmable thermostat is the best for you, think of your household’s daily schedule. If you have a typical 40 hour a week schedule and the weekend off, a 5-2 should be fine. For those with regular activities during the weekend, you might go with a 5-1-1. A 7 day programmable thermostat will be the best option for people with schedules that are constantly changing and/or have big families.

What other features to watch for…

Most of the newer programmable thermostats competing for attention will have many of the same features but, in doing some comparison shopping, you might want to look for mention of the following:

• +1/-1 degree accuracy.
• Real-time clock to account for seasonal time changes.
• Program retention in a power outage.
• Indicators for telling you when to change your filter.
• Auto heat/cool changeover option.
• Warranties.
• Locks and overrides for inevitable family thermostat warfare.

Programmable thermostats, even ones with a fair amount of the above features, are becoming increasingly more affordable. And compared with the total cost of your system and even the energy to run it, it’s worth investing a fraction of those costs in getting a good thermostat and having it professionally installed.

The real beauty of a programmable thermostat is that you have greater power over the energy consumption of your heating and cooling system. And with smart settings, you can save a lot of energy and money.

Settings for Savings

Here’s the great news about achieving energy savings with a programmable thermostat: the settings are already pre-programmed. There’s no secret formula involved. Of course, you can still customize your programs, but for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time on fine-tuning their schedules, the pre-programmed settings are the way to go.

Here’s a table of a sample program that will save you over 10% on your energy bills:

This is just a sample and times and temperatures can be adjusted according to your own preferences, but the point to take from it is setting your thermostat back when you’re away or asleep is an easy way to save without sacrificing comfort.

Some other things to know…

• Keep your fan on “AUTO” instead of “ON”. Having the fan on continuously consumes more energy and can circulate humid air.
• Try not to override or “hold” while your program is running. You’re asking your system to use more energy.
• Avoid using the hold and vacation features as daily settings. It’ll keep eating power (your money) while you step out.
• Don’t go excessively cranking the temperature up/down to make the system work faster, because it won’t. In fact, it will think you’re being pretty rude and will quietly resent you for a while.

Now You Know the Stats

So, there’s a little information about thermostats. There are probably several other electronic gadgets you would rather play with, but this one could save you some money and comfort, so it’s a good idea to study your user’s manual and figure out how to best use it. Four Seasons technicians will also be more than happy to get you off to a good start if you choose us to install a programmable thermostat for you. Contact us here or at our number at the bottom of the screen and we can discuss your options.

Disposable fiberglass filters

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “filter”? Depending on whether you’re a coffee drinker, a smoker or an auto mechanic (and in many cases, all of the above), the word may bring up very different images, but no matter which kind of filter you’re thinking of, a filter’s purpose is universal: to allow the unnecessary elements to come through while blocking the unnecessary ones. In a heating and air conditioning system, the necessary element is air and the unnecessary, and often harmful elements are dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, smoke and chemicals traveling through the air. We’ll explore how this simple square of material has so much influence and the easy steps you can take to make the influence a positive one.

Can You Feel It Coming in the Air Tonight?

It’s the one thing that you’ll have to do until the day you die—No, not pay taxes, breathe. At least 12 times a minute, you draw air into your lungs to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Of course, when you breathe, you’re not only taking in oxygen, but whatever else happens to be floating in the air around you. Unfortunately, when you’re indoors, the air you’re breathing can be 2-5 times more contaminated than the air outside.

A charming, little dust mite

Here’s a short list of some nasty elements that hitch a ride on the air in your home:

• Pollen
• Mold
• Dust
• Pet hair and dander
• Bacteria
• Dust mites
• Formaldehyde

Some of these I’m sure you expected to see, and others, like formaldehyde may come as a surprise. Formaldehyde is used in carpets, furniture, cleaning products and building materials and is something you would rather not have inside your body.

But don’t panic.

The average human immune system is amazingly good at dealing with toxins and you don’t need to walk around your home wearing a surgical mask. You might, however, make its job a little easier by filtering the air that circulates in your home before it even enters your body.

Keep It Clean!

As important as your body is, you should also take into consideration the health of your air conditioning unit. Properly installed and maintained, your central air conditioning system should work beautifully for around 12-15 years. Poorly maintained? You run the risk of developing some inconvenient and costly mechanical issues. They will also likely choose to happen during the hottest days of summer while you have family visiting from out of town (no, this isn’t necessarily true, but some people have extraordinarily bad luck).

In a desert climate with notoriously windy Spring months, it’s especially important to block as much dirt as you can from entering the air conditioning system. Dirt can accumulate in the ducts, on fan blades and the coil. This build-up can block air flow and slow down performance.

The filter is going to keep out much of the dirt, but after a while it will catch so much that the air will also have trouble getting through. That’s when a filter change is long overdue.

Okay, So What Am I Looking For Exactly?

Dynamic Air Cleaner

Air filters are usually fairly thin, framed squares of fine synthetic fibers that are coated in resins that block the pollutants. There are several types of filters in varying degrees of thickness, density and durability. Some of the more effective types have electrical/electrostatic enhancements that actively grab the moving particles.

Here’s a quick run-down of the different types:

• Disposable fiberglass – Your least expensive option and the most common. It’s about 1-2” thick and meant to be changed after 30 days. They usually come in cases of a dozen.
• Washable – Instead of disposing of the filter every month, a washable filter just needs to be rinsed every month and you can get away with using the same one for over a year.
• Pleated – These are made of denser material than fiberglass, so they catch smaller particles and will last you 2-3 months.
• Deep pleated – Depending on your system, it may not fit, but deep pleated filters are several inches thicker than standard filters and have a lifespan of around a year.
• Electrostatic – The added quality of being electrostatic makes these kinds of filters a bit more efficient, so you can expect higher prices. Both disposable and reusable electrostatic filters are available.   
• Electronic air cleaner – The crown jewel of home air filtration is the electronic air cleaner. Expect to invest a few hundred dollars and understand that you’ll still have to buy replacement media (which cost about as much as pleated filters), but for people who suffer from allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems, the electronic air cleaner is the best option for your health.

MERV!? MERV Who?

You’ll often come across this word when shopping for filters. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and measures efficiency of capturing particles of smaller and smaller size. There are 20 levels in all, 1 being the lowest and 20 being the highest.

Here’s a list of the MERV values and, to put them into perspective, the types of pollutants targeted, typical application and the products listed above.

So, what’s the right level for you? The average homeowner will probably not need to consider anything above MERV 13, and filters with some of the lower-middle values should be fine for most, provided they’re changed/washed regularly. People with respiratory issues or homes prone to some of the pollutants talked about above might feel more comfortable with filtration in the MERV 8-12 range.

This One’s Dirty. Get Me a Clean One!

Depending on what kind of filter you have, after a month or more of collecting pollutants, your filter will be full and will need to be washed or changed. Not a problem, though. Changing your filter out is easy.

Here are the steps:

1. Locate the return air grille. It’ll likely be a large vent at knee level. If you put your hand in front of it and feel it sucking air, you found it.
2. Turn off the unit. Just to make the process safe and less annoying.
3. Open the grille and remove the old filter. You’ll probably need a screwdriver for this, but that’s all. Pay attention to how the filter was inserted while you’re pulling it out.
4. Slide the new filter in and close the grille. Pop the grille back on and you’re done.
   
   

   Return air grille

   
   

That’s it, but here are some obvious, but important things to keep in mind while you’re changing out your filter:

• Make sure you get the right size. You should find the dimensions printed on the side of the frame of your existing filter.
• Insert the filter correctly. Look for the arrows.
• Note the date the filter was changed. You can take a marker and write the date on the frame and mark a future date for when you plan to check the filter again.

So, Am I Supposed to Get These Filters from You?

It’s always wise to shop around, but we won’t have any problems finding filters for you if you want to buy them from us. We also proudly offer Dynamic Air Cleaners, which have become increasing popular with our customer base.

Submit your request through our contact form or give us a call at (575) 523-4381 to see if we have what you need in stock. If we don’t, we’ll order it for you and have it ready as soon as possible.