Climate Masters Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

Why You Should Schedule Commercial HVAC Maintenance Today

Wednesday, August 27th, 2014

Running a business involves balancing numerous tasks on a daily basis. As you try to see to all the important considerations necessary to keep a company operating, you probably won’t have the HVAC system that keeps the workplace comfortable foremost in your mind. After all, the heating and cooling have probably operated adequately for some time, and there’s no reason to think that they might stop any time in the near future. It’s easy to put off consideration for their maintenance until a more convenient time.

However, it’s not difficult to schedule commercial HVAC maintenance in Palm Coast, FL and have it done without causing interference with your other business concerns.

You only have to call Climate Masters, and our commercial HVAC specialists will take over from there. We can deliver the maintenance your need to protect your workplace environment.

Why it’s important to schedule maintenance

You do need regular commercial HVAC maintenance… no matter how well the system seems to be working. Without regular inspections and tune-ups, your air conditioning and heating could start to cost your more to run than they should. Worse, you risk major repair needs that will drastically lower workplace comfort or even threaten to cause the HVAC system to break down entirely—and that’s something you cannot allow to occur while trying to run your business.

Maintenance is sometimes referred to as “preventive maintenance,” and that word preventive is an encapsulation of why it’s crucial to schedule maintenance on an annual basis for a commercial cooling and heating system. The short amount of time that a maintenance technician needs to give an HVAC system an inspection to search for possible malfunctions and unnecessary wear and tear on components will help head off a possible expensive repair in the future. The sooner a technician catches a fault, the less likely that the HVAC system will suddenly shut down on one of the coldest or hottest days of the year, which will create an uncomfortable and eventually unprofitable work environment.

You also need maintenance to tune-up and clean your commercial HVAC system so that it doesn’t waste energy. The power needed to heat and cool even a small workspace is larger than that needed for a home, so if the HVAC system starts to work inefficiently because of dirt-covered motors, clogged filters, leaks in the ventilation shafts, or low refrigerant, the spike in utility bills can be high. Maintenance will help make sure that you don’t pay more than you have to in order to keep your business comfortable.

At Climate Masters, we only employ the best-trained technicians for commercial HVAC maintenance in Palm Coast, FL. They will treat your business with respect and see that your heating and cooling system remain in the best shape possible.

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Can Ductless Systems Provide Cooling and Heating?

Wednesday, August 20th, 2014

Ductless air conditioners provide efficient cooling for the entire home. While many homeowners without ductwork may choose to install small window air conditioners, these are rarely able to cool an entire room effectively, may be very inefficient, and are often noisy. But installing ductwork may be difficult for those with older homes or new room additions.

A ductless air conditioner may be the perfect cooling alternative for many homes. Central air conditioners remove heat from the air at the indoor evaporator unit and supply air through the ducts. Ductless cooling systems, on the other hand, consist of multiple indoor air handlers which cool and distribute the air from a single unit. The systems are mounted high on the wall or suspended from the ceiling in multiple zones for even cooling throughout the home.

While it may seem strange to install a new air conditioning system near the end of summer, most ductless systems provide both heating and cooling. This is because most ductless systems are also heat pumps. While other central air conditioning systems only allow refrigerant to flow in one direction, absorbing heat from the home and releasing it outdoors, ductless heat pumps allow refrigerant to absorb outside heat and release it inside.

Other Advantages of Ductless Cooling

Ductless systems are beneficial for other reasons as well. Here are some of the ways you can save money and feel more comfortable with a ductless system.

  • Zone Control: Most homes require multiple indoor air handlers to cool the entire home. A single outdoor unit can generally accommodate up to four of these handlers. But this is beneficial to any homeowner who’s tired of hearing family members argue about the temperature. Because each air handler can be controlled individually with a separate thermostat or a master thermostat, you can set the temperature in one room or zone independently of others.
  • Energy Savings: Ductless systems also save money. Central air conditioning systems may use more energy than is necessary due to leaks that commonly form in the ductwork. You can also shut off the air conditioning in unoccupied rooms to avoid cooling unused spaces.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of ductless cooling and heating in Ponte Vedra, call Climate Masters today!

 

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What Do the Coils in an Air Conditioning System Do?

Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Your air conditioner has 3 key parts: the condenser, the compressor and the evaporator. Inside the condenser and the evaporator units are coils that are important to the heat release/cooling process of your air conditioning system in St. Augustine. Both sets of coils work similarly, but each has a specific job of its own, as we’ll explain below.

What Is a Coil?

The coils in your air conditioner are copper tubing surrounded by aluminum fins. The tubing is small and narrow, and the metal fins around them act as a radiator. The job of the coils is to help with heat transfer.

How Do the Coils Work?

The purpose of both sets of coils is to assist with heat transfer, but each does it a little differently:

  • Condenser coils – the condenser coils are part of your condenser in your outdoor unit. The refrigerant flows into the coils from the compressor, where it changes states from a cool, low pressure gas to a hot, high pressure gas. As the refrigerant makes its way through the condenser coils, it loses heat. The condenser fan helps with this process by sucking the heat of the refrigerant away from the coils and blowing it into the outside air. By the time the refrigerant reaches the evaporator valve, which connects to the evaporator unit and coils, the gas has cooled but is still warm, and the pressure has dropped.
  • Evaporator coils – as the refrigerant passes through the evaporator valve, it loses more pressure and heat, and as a result, changes states once again. When it flows into the evaporator coils, it is a cool liquid. Warm air from your home is blown over the chilled coils; the refrigerant absorbs the heat, changes states, and moves into the compressor as a cool gas. The refrigeration cycle begins again.

Common Problems That Affect Coils

The most common problem to affect coils is low refrigerant. When the refrigerant level is low, the entire heat release/cooling process becomes imbalanced. Coils that are warm get too hot, and coils that are cool get too cold. Many times, this situation can result in ice formation.

A second common problem is dirt and dust accumulation on the coils. When dirt and dust accumulate on your coils over a long period of time, they can form a layer that acts as insulation; this can negatively affect how the coils release heat.

The best way to keep your coils is good shape is to schedule bi-annual maintenance. Coils are thoroughly cleaned during maintenance appointments, and refrigerant levels are checked for leaks.

Have questions about your air conditioning system in St. Augustine? Call the team of trained and certified cooling experts at Climate Masters today!

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What to Expect from a Zone Control System Installation

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014

Do you look at your monthly energy bills and think about how much money you could save if you could turn off the cooling to rooms that are routinely unused or unoccupied? Or is someone in your home always under a blanket because it’s too cold in the living room? There’s a solution for all this and more: a zone control system in your St. Augustine home.

What Is a Zone Control System?

A zone control system is a series of motorized dampers that are installed into your ductwork. Each damper is connected to a thermostat that is wired into a single control panel. The dampers open and close as needed to reach the desired temperature you have set. “Zones” can be what you want – separate rooms, separate floors, wings of your home, etc.

What Can I Expect from a Zone Control System?

A zone control system offers multiple benefits:

  • Customized comfort – separating your home into separate zones allows for customized comfort throughout for you and your family.
  • Energy savings – cooling only those areas you choose can save on energy consumed by your system. Rather than cooling an entire home, you can now cool as needed.
  • Reduction in wear-and-tear – with less cooling comes less operation, which is a good thing for your AC. Air conditioners have a specific life expectancy, and the more it runs, the shorter that life can be. A zone control system can go a long way toward reducing the level of wear-and-tear.

Is a Zone Control System Right for Me?

It is always best to work with a trained professional to determine whether or not you stand to benefit from a zone control system, but if your home has one of the following characteristics, you may be a good candidate:

  • You have a multi-level property
  • You have specialized architecture such as wall-to-ceiling windows
  • A finished basement or attic
  • Multiple wings off the central part of your home

Questions? Call Us

A zone control system can offer you great benefits, but only when it works as it should, which is why it’s important to have professional installation for your zone control system in St. Augustine.

Have questions? Call Climate Masters today and schedule a consultation to speak with an expert about how zone control can help you and your home.

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Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance This Summer

Monday, July 7th, 2014

When’s the best time to schedule air conditioning maintenance? Right now! Don’t wait until a part of your AC fails before you call an air conditioning technician to look at your system. Here are some of the ways scheduling once a year maintenance can improve your summer:

  • Reducing the risk of sudden breakdowns.
  • Avoiding a costly premature replacement.
  • Preventing the need for expensive repairs.
  • Reducing seasonal energy bills.
  • Improving the performance of your AC.

Once a year, an air conditioning technician should come to your home to inspect, clean, and adjust some of the components of your air conditioning unit. This is the best way to reduce the risk of a malfunctioning AC this summer. During inspection, the technician will look for any issues that may diminish the performance of your system. If your air conditioner is at risk for any possible issues that may cause you to seek repair in the near future, the technician will recommend the proper services.

Sometimes, the only thing preventing your system from running as efficiently as it should is dirt and dust. A dirty evaporator or condenser coil can prevent your system from cooling your home correctly, while dirty air filters can affect air quality and block the airflow in your system, causing any number of problems with your AC. Scheduling maintenance can give you peace of mind in knowing that your unit will not fail due to a very preventable problem.

The technician will also check for anything in your system that may need to be adjusted. The motors that run the compressor and the fans, for example, often need lubrication to continue running smoothly. The refrigerant in your system may also require an adjustment, as even a slight loss of refrigerant could mean your air conditioning is not cooling your home very efficiently, and only a technician is qualified to handle this fluid.

If you schedule air conditioning maintenance now, you can rest easy knowing your air conditioner isn’t as likely to give you trouble for the rest of the summer.

Climate Masters provides professional air conditioning maintenance in the St. Augustine area. Call us today!

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What’s Covered in an Air Conditioning Maintenance Session?

Friday, June 13th, 2014

Annual maintenance for an air conditioner is not optional: it is mandatory for the system to last its full lifespan, work efficiently, and avoid surprise breakdowns and repair issues. With a yearly visit from an experienced maintenance technician, an AC will live up to its manufacturer’s promise of years of efficient and effective cooling.

If you haven’t had your air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine, FL for the year yet, now is a great time to schedule it—you can beat out the rest of the summer heat!

Contact Climate Masters today and ask about signing up for our maintenance program to receive a full inspection and tune-up that will make sure your AC can handle the stresses of a Florida summer.

So what actually happens during maintenance?

The technician who comes to your home will go through a checklist that covers every part of your air conditioning system. Here are some of the major steps involved in regular maintenance:

  • Checking the thermostat. The thermostat’s operation is crucial to making sure that the air conditioning behaves the way it should. The technician will see that the thermostat is calibrated correctly.
  • Cleaning the condensate line and drain. This will ensure that the AC will not start to drip water because of a blocked drainage system.
  • Oversee the electrical system. The technician will make tightenings and adjustments where necessary to ensure that the electrical system is in good shape.
  • Check on the compressor and make sure that its motor amperage is correct. Damage to the compressor is one of the most serious issues and AC can encounter, so this is an especially important step.
  • Check airflow and change the air filter.
  • Looking over the evaporator and condenser coils to see that they are clean and free from damage. The technician will clean the coils if necessary.
  • See that the refrigerant in the system is at its proper charge, and adding the necessary amount if it is not.
  • Lubricating of all mechanical parts that require it. This will reduce the mechanical stress that can lead to motor burn-out and energy-draining operation.

If there are any repairs your system needs, your technician will ask for your approval before starting the work. If you sign up for the maintenance program at Climate Masters, you will receive a 10% discount from the total repair costs; this will also apply to any emergency services. (Some exceptions apply.) The program also delivers you a yearly inspection and tune-up for your heating system, so you will have year-round comfort protection.

For air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine, FL, look no further than our superb team.

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Air Purifier: When an Air Filter Is Not Enough

Friday, June 6th, 2014

The air filter in your air conditioner does an important job: it helps keep dust and dirt from accumulating in your system. This can improve the air quality in your home, but that is a secondary feature of the built-in air filter. If you need to improve your indoor air quality, the best place to start is with a whole-home air purifier from Climate Masters – your St. Augustine air cleaners.

What Does an Air Purifier Do?

An air purifier takes your indoor air and passes it through stringent filters that capture different types of particles existing in your indoor air. Air purifiers purify the air with this process, filtering the air in your home so that it becomes cleaner.

What Types of Particles Are Captured?

Air purifiers are designed to capture:

  • Dirt
  • Dust
  • Allergens (pollen, pet dander)
  • Smoke
  • Mold spores
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses

Understanding MERV Numbers

Just as an air conditioning system comes with a SEER number, a whole-home air purifier comes with its own number, too, called a MERV number. MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, and it measures the level of efficiency at which an air filter functions. The MERV scale starts at 1 and ends at 16, with 16 being the most efficient. Our minimal MERV recommendation when choosing an air purifier is 8.

Why Install an Air Purifier?

There are several reasons our customers install whole-home air purifiers:

  • Helps relieve allergy symptoms
  • Helps relieve asthma symptoms
  • Increases overall indoor air quality
  • Further reduces the presence of dust and dirt

What Types of Air Purifiers Are Available?

There are several types of whole-home air purifiers from which to choose:

  • High Efficiency Filters –high efficiency filters are great at removing pollutants from the air, such as allergens, smoke and pet dander.  However, it is important to have a professional install a high efficiency filter as some may constrict air flow in your system.
  • Electronic – using an electrostatic field, an electronic filter pushes particles into a confined space with a fan, electronically charges them, then attracts the particles using an opposite electrical charge. These filters are highly efficient and require fairly minimal maintenance.
  • UV Germicidal Lights – UV germicidal lights use a safe amount of ultraviolet radiation to destroy biological pollutants in your air conditioning system. UV germicidal lights are excellent for destroying microbes, mold and mildew spores, and harmful bacteria and viruses. However, UV lights do not have a filter, so they do not help eradicate dirt and dust

Looking to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality? Call an Expert

For over 25 years, customers have turned to Climate Masters to be their St. Augustine air cleaners. If you are looking to improve your air quality with a whole-home air purifier, call Climate Masters today!

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How Does Zone Air Conditioning Work with Ducts?

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Central air conditioning is a wonderful invention, but it does come with an inherent flaw: when the AC turns on, every room in a home that is linked to the ventilation system receives the cooled air. Even rooms that don’t need them, like an empty guest room. Rooms that need cooling, but not as much, like a baby’s bedroom, still receive the same level of cooling as the rest of the house. People who have different comfort levels will feel uncomfortable while other people will feel just right.

There is a way to get around this problem, and that’s with zone control. You don’t have to put in a new AC to enjoy the advantages of zone air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL. With the right installers, such as those at Climate Masters, a new zone control system will fit right into your ductwork. This basic retro-fit will provide you with a new level of comfort and energy savings.

Here’s how zone control works with your existing ductwork

When installers come to your home to provide you with a zone control system, they access the ventilation shafts that lead to each of the “zones” of your house. (You decide how many zones you want. It can be as simple as “upstairs” and “downstairs” or as intricate as every individual room that is linked to the ductwork.) The technicians fit a damper into the duct, which can open and close. The damper forms a tight seal so they can effectively cut off flow to the zone.

Each of these dampers then connects to a zone thermostat, which controls that damper. This is important, because it permits individuals in the house to control the temperature wherever they are located. Each of these new local thermostats then connect to a central control panel, which gives you full access to each of the zones from a single location. You can program them for maximum energy savings.

Have professionals on the retro-fit work

This all may sound like difficult work—and it is indeed complex. However, in the hands of experts, the job will go fast and you will soon enjoy the comfort and the savings of a zone control system. Don’t attempt to do this work on your own, nor delegate it to an amateur who makes claims about performing the installation “cheap.” The work will be cheap… just not in the way you want.

We have years of experience doing this work, and we have all the necessary equipment on hand to take care of it quickly and effectively.

Call Climate Masters to find out how we can fit your current HVAC system to deliver zone air conditioning to your home in St. Augustine, FL.

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What Does the ENERGY STAR Sticker Mean?

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

When you are looking for an air conditioning replacement in St. Augustine, FL to prepare for another heavy Florida summer, you will come across a slew of statistics, brand names, types, and sizes that may start to feel overwhelming. Among all this data, you will also spy a sticker on many air conditioning units: a blue background with a white five-pointed star and the capital letters (always capital) ENERGY STAR. This looks important… but what does it mean?

If you have a professional installer working with you (and you should), he or she will help you understand the complexities of air conditioner models to find the right one for your home. The ENERGY STAR label will play a part of this, and chances are high that you’ll end up with a system with this sticker on it. We’ll explain why.

If the installer at your side is from Climate Masters, you can rest easy that you are receiving experienced and qualified service from one of the best heating and cooling contractors in St. Johns County.

The ENERGY STAR program

The ENERGY STAR label indicates that an appliance meets the standards set by the ENERGY STAR program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the authority of the Clean Air Act, established ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program in 1992 to help homes and businesses save money with energy-efficient appliances and protect the environment from damaging emissions. Manufacturers of appliances can choose to submit their product to the scrutiny of the program. If an appliance meets a set of regulations for energy efficiency and low negative environmental impact, it receives the label as a sign of approval.

The regulations differ depending on the appliance. With air conditioners, a system must have non-proprietary technology to achieve its efficiency (i.e., no single company can have a monopoly on energy efficiency), contain features that customers in general demand, and return on investment on its installation after only a few years if it costs more than a non-qualifying system.

A very specific AC requirement for the ENERGY STAR label is its minimum SEER. This is an energy-efficiency rating, and the higher the number, the less electricity the air conditioner wastes as it cools. To meet the ENERGY STAR program requirements, an air conditioner must have at least 14.5 SEER, easily verifiable through testing.

If you see the ENERGY STAR label on an air conditioner, you can feel confident that it is a safe, beneficial, and non-wasteful unit that will save money for you… provided it’s actually the right unit for your home. This is why you need to have professional assistance, since the ENERGY STAR label isn’t the only important criteria. Let the technician guide you toward the AC that will combine efficiency, environmental friendliness, and effective cooling.

Call our experts in air conditioning replacement in St. Augustine, FL today to get started with an excellent new AC installation for the summer.

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Stages of Ductless Air Conditioning Installation

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Ductless mini split heat pumps are becoming an increasingly popular option for home comfort. Because they work without the need for space-consuming ventilation shafts, they permit greater freedom for new construction. They also offer an alternative to inefficient window air conditioning units for older homes that lack ductwork. Since they are heat pumps, they work ideally as air conditioners during the summer and effectively as heaters during the winter.

The work installing a ductless mini split is not as difficult as you might imagine, but it still is a task that should remain in the hands of trained professionals. The stages below are not meant as a guide to help you install ductless air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL (it would require many pages to give you the ability to perform even a poor job) but to give you a sense of the sort of work involved. Rely on experienced professionals for this job: call Climate Masters, where we’ve installed air conditioning of all types since 1988.

Ductless mini split heat pump installation stages

  • First: The installers place wall mounts for the individual blowers in rooms throughout the house, and drill holes through the wall to the outside.
  • Second: The blower units are placed and secured to the mounts, and the installers run lines from blower for electrical power, condensate drainage, and refrigeration circulation. The installers take special caution to make sure there are no leaks that might get between the back of the blower and the wall.
  • Third: The outdoor condenser/evaporator unit is secured in place, and the lines from the blowers are hooked up to it. The technicians make certain that there are no loose connections or breaks in the line through a series of leak checks.
  • Fourth: The outdoor unit is connected to the home’s electrical power.
  • Fifth: The installers perform a full-system check to see that the heat pump works and is matched correctly to the voltage of the home, and that it works in both heating and cooling modes. They will not consider the job finished until they are certain that the new ductless system lives up to your expectations.

We handle all the stages of the life of a ductless system, from planning the installation to yearly maintenance to repairs.

Installing ductless air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL may be the best comfort solution for your home. To find out more, call Climate Masters today and speak to one of our ductless AC specialists.

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