Climate Masters Blog: Posts Tagged ‘St. Augustine’

Why Ice is Forming on Your Air Conditioner

Monday, April 18th, 2016

As you start to use your air conditioner more and more often this summer, you may notice ice starting to form on the inside part of the system. This is a sign that your system is in serious trouble. Read on to find out why ice forms on your air conditioner, and the kind of damage it can do to your system.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Why Ice is Forming on Your Air Conditioner

Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner Output is Dropping

Monday, March 14th, 2016

Going through a Florida summer without a functioning air conditioning system is not a pleasant thought. So, it can be more than a little alarming if your air conditioning system seems to be losing output right when the days are starting to warm up. If your air conditioner isn’t cooling your home as much as it should, there are a couple possible reasons why. Let’s take a look at those reasons now.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner Output is Dropping

The Advantages of Using a Heat Pump This Winter

Monday, February 8th, 2016

If you’re in the market for a new heating system this winter, you may be tempted to go with something standard like a furnace. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, it’s a good idea to take a look at the wider heating market. You never know whether another heating system type might be a better fit for your needs. Let’s take a look at heat pumps, how they operate, and how they can benefit you this winter.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Heat Pumps | Comments Off on The Advantages of Using a Heat Pump This Winter

Signs That You Need a New Furnace

Monday, January 4th, 2016

With prompt repairs and annual maintenance, a furnace can last a pretty long time. However, no matter how well you take care of your furnace there will come a time when it needs to be replaced. It is important that you be able to recognize when that time has come, so that you aren’t caught off-guard when your system breaks down. It’s better to replace the furnace before that happens, then to go without heat during the coldest months of the year while you desperately search for a new system. Let’s take a look at some of the signs that you need to install a new furnace in your home.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Signs That You Need a New Furnace

Why Consider Installing a Dehumidifier?

Monday, April 13th, 2015

Hot and sticky are two very common words heard around here at the heart of summer, and the relief we all feel when we enter our air conditioning is palpable. However, you aren’t the only one feeling the heat – your air conditioner is, too, and the more humid it gets, the harder your AC has to work to achieve the comfort you need and want. But there is a way you lessen the load on your air conditioner while also improving your comfort: install a whole-home dehumidifier.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Why Consider Installing a Dehumidifier?

Why Work with a Design/Build HVAC Contractor?

Friday, March 6th, 2015

Are you in the process of building a new, or of planning a new home construction project? If so, congratulations! This is truly one of the most exciting endeavors that anyone can undertake for themselves. However, it can also be quite stressful at times. By hiring qualified contractors to handle every aspect of your construction process, of course, you can avoid much of the stress that could otherwise potentially plague the construction process. This extends past the construction of the home itself to include the design and installation of your HVAC system. When it comes to design/build HVAC services, you can’t go wrong when working with a design/build HVAC contractor in St. Augustine from Climate Masters.

When people invest in a new, preexisting home, they often inherit a preexisting HVAC system that was installed in that home at some point. The problem with this is that the HVAC system that they inherit may not be the one that they’d have chosen for themselves. If you are constructing a new home, or if you are interested in replacing the HVAC system in your home with a newer, customized system, working with a design/build HVAC contractor is your best option. When your HVAC system is designed with your property specifically in mind, you can count on getting more from that system that you otherwise might with a more run of the mill, prefabricated system fitted into your home.

Not only will our design/build HVAC contractors work with you to ensure that you choose the HVAC system which best suits your needs, but they will also design your system so that it services your unique property in the most effective and efficient manner possible. This includes ensuring that your new system is of just the right size for your living space, so that you won’t overwork your system and pay too much for too weak of a performance, nor will you find yourself paying for a cooling capacity that you’ll simply never need. Plus, any heating and cooling distribution systems will be custom tailored to the layout of your home, ensuring even and consistent heating and cooling for the greatest level of comfort possible.

The simple fact of the matter is that it is best that your HVAC system fits your home like a glove.

When you hire a professional design/build HVAC contractor in St. Augustine, this will be the case. Just make sure that Climate Masters is the company that you call upon to do so.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in New Construction | Comments Off on Why Work with a Design/Build HVAC Contractor?

Is It Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner?

Friday, February 20th, 2015

We may be experiencing cool temperatures for our area, but soon enough the hot weather will return – is your air conditioner good for another cooling season? Air conditioners tend to break on the hottest of days because this is when they work the hardest. No one wants to get the news that he/she needs to replace a broken-down AC in the middle of summer, so if you left off the last cooling season wondering if your AC was going to make it, it’s probably time to call the experts at Climate Masters and schedule an appointment. Not sure if you are seeing the signs? Here are some factors that may mean it’s time for an air conditioning replacement in St. Augustine:

Lots O’Repairs

Did you have to make a number of repairs to keep your air conditioner in operation last summer? Are you looking at making a large repair this spring just to keep it going? At some point repairs can turn into nursing a system along, and those kinds of costs can add up very quickly – sometimes to the cost of a new system.

Age

How old is your current air conditioner? Age does matter when it comes to whole-home cooling systems, and knowing when yours is going to reach, or has reached, maturity, does make a difference.  The average lifespan for a traditional split system AC is 10-12 years; the average lifespan of a heat pump system is about 20 years. As air conditioning systems age, they become more prone to breakdown, and they may not function as efficiently as they should, which can cost you money.

Poor Performance

Today’s air conditioners are highly energy efficient. This is partly due to SEER regulations that changed in 2006 and also partly because of advancements in technology and product development. If your AC is ten years old or older, you may not be seeing the performance you need from it for two reasons: first, it may not have the minimum SEER number now required, which is 13, and second, it may be reaching maturity. Poor performance issues are uneven cooling, inability to cool sufficiently and higher than normal energy bills.

Scheduling replacement of your air conditioning system in St. Augustine now can put get you ahead of the glut of spring service appointments, so call Climate Masters today!

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Is It Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner?

Two Ways to Get Zone AC

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

Sometimes it can be challenging to make all the areas of your home comfortable with a single thermostat. Certain areas may have more exposure to the sun, making them hotter throughout the day, while other areas may be too cool from a lack of daytime heat gain. But there is a way to tailor the cooling (and heating) throughout your home: zone AC in St. Augustine.

What Is Zone Air Conditioning?

Zone air conditioning, also known as zone control, allows you to divide your home into zones, which can be a single room, a group of rooms or a floor of your house. Each zone has the ability to have its own temperature setting, allowing for customized cooling per zone.

How Can I Get Zone AC?

There are two ways to establish zone cooling in your home:

  • Install a ductless air conditioning system
  • Install a zone control system into your existing ductwork

Ductless AC

A ductless air conditioning system automatically offers you zone control because of the way the system operates: an outdoor unit contains the compressor and condenser, and individual indoor blowers that mount to walls or ceilings. Each blower operates separately, allowing you to set a temperature per blower.

Zone Control System

If you already have a ducted AC system, the way to attain zone cooling is to hire a professional to install a zone control system in your ductwork. This type of system uses motorized dampers to control the flow of air coming through the supply ducts. Before installation, you determine the zones; then the motorized dampers are installed and connected to a main control panel. The zones you’ve chosen are each equipped with a thermostat that is also connected to the control panel. The control panel is responsible for opening and closing the motorized dampers as needed to maintain the temperatures in the various zones.

Zone control can help with energy efficiency and comfort level, and reduce the level of stress on your air conditioning system.

All installations should be handled by a professional, so if you are interested in zone AC for your St. Augustine home, call the experts at Climate Masters today.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Two Ways to Get Zone AC

What Factors Go into Professional Duct Design

Thursday, January 22nd, 2015

The ducts in your home are perhaps the most vital components in delivering warm or cool air to your living space when you switch on your home HVAC system. When you turn on the heating or air conditioning system in your home, the air that comes out through the vents must first go through a set of ducts which provide a pathway both towards and away from the indoor air handler.

The air handler is the portion of your heating or AC system that contains all of the vital indoor components involved in conditioning your home, including cooling coils, heating elements, and a blower fan. The blower fan sucks in air through the return grille where it usually first passes through a filter to eliminate particles that could damage the air handler or contaminate the air. It then moves through the ducts and is conditioned at the air handler, where it goes back through the ducts that lead to the supply vents in the home.

A single leak or any fault in duct construction can reduce the amount of heating or cooling you feel in your home. It can also cause your unit to become inefficient, taking far longer to increase or decrease the home’s temperature than it should. That’s why designing an HVAC system for new construction is a job for professionals who will take into account the following factors.

  • Materials: There are actually many different types of materials to choose between in duct design. Most ductwork professionals prefer sheet metal ducts to flexible materials, but this will depend on the conditions in your home.
  • Sizing: Ductwork must be sized according to the size of the home and the heating or cooling capacity of your system. This requires some careful engineering calculations, and ducts that are oversized or undersized may run into a number of problems over time, including poor efficiency.
  • Construction: An expert will take the time to decide on the most efficient layout, usually including few twists and turns to provide the most direct route.
  • Location: The location of the ducts can have quite an impact on the efficiency of your system. If ducts are located in an unconditioned area, heat may transfer into or out of the ducts unnecessarily.
  • Sealing: A professional knows that standard duct tape is not the proper sealant and comes prepared with professional-grade materials and tools.

At Climate Masters, our technicians have experience working with ducts of all sizes, and we’re the place to call for ductwork design in new construction in St. Augustine.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in New Construction | Comments Off on What Factors Go into Professional Duct Design

Why Is My Heat Pump Stuck in Cooling Mode?

Monday, January 5th, 2015

You press the “heat” button on your dual-mode thermostat only to feel cool air come from your heat pump. While we may not be as cold as other parts of the country, our nights are getting chilly, and no one wants to add to that chilly air with more chilly air. Why is your heat pump stuck in the cooling mode? Because something has happened with the reversing valve, and you’ll need to call for heat pump repair in St. Augustine.

What Is the Reversing Valve?

The reversing valve is a component that allows your heat pump to change from heating to cooling and back again by changing the directional flow of the system’s refrigerant. The reversing valve is a medium-sized metal tube with four nozzles – three on the bottom and one on top. There is also a small electronic component on top of the pump called a solenoid. This component helps push the sliding mechanism inside the reversing valve from side to side as needed so that the refrigerant flow can change direction.

A “Stuck” Reversing Valve

The reversing valve is a complex component, and sometimes it can get stuck, either in a mode or in between modes. There a few reasons why a reversing valve can become stuck:

  • A bad solenoid
  • A refrigerant leak
  • A problem with the dual-mode thermostat
  • An issue with the sliding mechanism

The main reason for a solenoid to malfunction is because one or both of the wires in the component fray or become corroded; the good news is that a solenoid can be replaced. But should a refrigerant leak develop within the valve, the valve will need to be replaced. Thermostats can also suffer from frayed and corroded wiring, and they can also malfunction due to too much dust or dirt on the instrumentation. In a worst-case scenario, the thermostat can also be replaced. Lastly, should the sliding mechanism malfunction, there is no way to repair it and the valve will need to be replaced.

If your heat pump is stuck in any way, call for heat pump repair in St. Augustine. The trained experts at Climate Masters can help with any issue you may have, so call us today!

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Heat Pumps | Comments Off on Why Is My Heat Pump Stuck in Cooling Mode?