Posts Tagged ‘Utah Air Conditioning’

If you are tired of sweating through the hot summer months, but don’t want to install a whole house air conditioning system, you may want to look into the new portable units available. These units can be a blessing for renters who want to be able to take it with them when they move. The portable units can also cool just the room you are using, saving your energy bill.

Our ideal comfort zone is between 65-70 degrees with 50% relative humidity. Higher temperatures and humidity levels decrease our effectiveness. Our mind and body work best in this ideal temperature range.

Portable air conditioners can also purify the air. This is an added benefit for those suffering from respiratory ailments or allergies. Many devices use a triple layer filter system.

The first filter is a screen filter that removes larger particles from the air. An electrostatic filter after that retains the very small particles, such as pollen, pet dander and bacteria. Following that, the carbon filter removes odors from the air.

A portable air conditioner is ideal if you want quick results. Just plug it in, place the drain pipe to the outside and your air conditioner is ready to work. When you need to move it, you can quickly set it up again in the new location.

The power of the unit lets you know how well it will lower the temperature. The higher the power, the more you can expect a significant and rapid cooling of the air in the room. There are also reversible models that can heat your home during the winter.

On a hot summer day, there is nothing worse than having your air conditioner stop working. A window AC unit uses 500-1440 watts, while a 2.5 ton central system uses 3500 watts to operate. Since air conditioners use a lot of energy, we want them to be as efficient as possible.

Some tips to maximize you’re A/C system include having your condenser in the shade. At the start of each cooling season, clean your condenser evaporator by hosing it down to remove dust. Keep your AC condenser free from obstructions and debris, there needs to be plenty of airflow around the unit.

Keep the air conditioner filter clean. Replace your air filter monthly during the summer season. Use a thermostat that lets you program your AC usage to meet your lifestyle.

Use your ceiling fans to circulate air, and you won’t need to set the AC for as low a temperature. Check your air vents and ducts for leaks. Make sure you don’t have any that are loose or off.

Shade your windows to keep the heat out. Using outside shading or cling window film will keep the heat from entering the house. Check your windows and doors for air leaks and drafts, and fix any problem areas.

Make sure your air conditioning unit is the right size to suit your needs, if it is too small it won’t keep things cool, but one that is too large will waste energy. In the event you’re A/C does stop working, check for electricity to the unit and try replacing the filter before calling a repairman. If you do need your unit replaced, you can ask if they have a loaner you can use in the meantime.

After such a cold winter, the warm spring weather is so welcome.  Spring is far too short, and only a few weeks later, you are hot and sweaty, the food is melting, and you’re ready to turn on the air conditioner.  You haven’t used the A/C since last summer, and when you turn it on, nothing happens.

If you want to avoid an unnecessary repair bill, there are a few things you can do yourself to get your air conditioner ready for the new summer season. One of the easiest is to always change out the filter. This should be done every three months, but if you have indoor pets, or live in a rural/dusty area, you may need to do it more often.

If you live in a sandy or dusty area or think that pollen or some growth has found its way into your air conditioner, use a hose to clean off the fins on the outdoor unit. Make sure the A/C is turned off first. Allow the unit to dry before using it.

If you’re A/C unit won’t turn on at all, before calling the repairman, you may want to check the battery in your thermostat. I wasn’t too happy to pay a large service call, only to find out the culprit was an inexpensive battery. Also it is easy to check and make sure there is electricity getting to the unit and that a tripped fuse isn’t the problem.

If these simple tips don’t get your air conditioner running, it may be time to call for help. Many Utah air conditioning companies have special deals for air conditioning services before summer starts. If you are determined to fix it yourself, check out the do it yourself network for tips and advice.

It doesn’t take long to change out your filter or clean off your A/C unit, and the cost is much less than a repair bill. It’s in your best interest to maintain your unit so it works as efficiently as possible this summer. It just might be a hot time in the old town tonight, so keep your A/C running smoothly.

The air conditioning market has specific definitions that come with it. These phrases are important when searching or talking about air conditioning units. Below are some of the top things to look out for with AC units.

BTU
British Thermal Unit, or BTU, is a common phrase used with AC units. BTU explains the amount energy a unit has to use to increase or decrease a gallon of water one degree per hour. The BTU ratings are usually high numbers that run in the thousands.

Tonnage
Tonnage is also a common rating system used with Utah air conditioning units. Tonnage is measured by the amount of BTUs are in the system. Since there are 12,000 BTUs per ton, a system with a 36,000 BTU rating would be a 3-ton unit.

SEER
Another rating used with AC units is the SEER rating. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. Low SEER ratings mean that the unit is not very energy efficient, and higher ratings mean great efficiency. Obviously, the higher the SEER rating the less energy is wasted or used to run the unit.

These terms come in handy when understanding how the AC unit runs. Knowing how efficient the unit actually is will help you make a better decision in regards to what unit you should purchase. While better ratings generally mean increased prices, they will also be more efficient and trustworthy.

Those living in older homes located in warmer climates often suffer through the summer in misery. Many times they wish their home had a refreshing air conditioner, but think it would be too hard to add to an older home. Air conditioning can be added to older homes, sometimes quite easily.

If your home already has existing air vents used for the heating system, often those same vents can be used for the air conditioning system. If new ducts are needed, they can often be run through the attic or in corners of closets. A Utah air conditioning contractor can let you know if your present duct system will work for an A/C system.

When selecting an air conditioning unit, you need to size it according to your home’s cooling needs. Often a competent air conditioning contractor can help you select the right size based on their experience. A more reliable way is to have a heat gain calculation done on your home.

Air conditioner sizes are expressed in Btu or tonnage per hour, with one ton equaling 12,000 Btu per hour. The size is important since a unit that is too small won’t be able to cool your home enough on the hottest days. On the other hand, over sizing the unit will waste money as you will be spending more energy than is needed.

Another thing to consider is the efficiency of the unit, which is expressed as the SEER. The higher the SEER number, the more energy efficient the unit. Units with higher SEER ratings typically cost more up front, but are usually of a higher quality and will generally save money over the life of the unit.

Utah air conditioning units require regular checkups and maintenance work? Why? To make sure they are operating the way they are supposed to.

Proper operation means less energy usage. Less energy usage can be really beneficial when you are trying to conserve energy and lower your energy bill. It also increases the air conditioning unit’s life expectancy.

Maintenance work can be accomplished in a few ways. One way is by the owner of the unit. Other maintenance work, however, needs to be accomplished by a skilled Utah air conditioning professional.

Air conditioning unit owners can do the maintenance checks themselves for a lot of things with the unit. They can check and clean out or replace the air conditioning filter, for one thing. They can also check for other things, such as leak checks and moisture checks.

Other maintenance work should be left up to the professionals. Professionals do these types of maintenance checks when more expertise is needed. These things are maintenance work that involves handling major refrigerant handling or any specialized maintenance work.

Refer to your user manual to see how often a professional should come out to check on your unit.

Proper maintenance of your Utah air conditioning unit can keep it in good, working order. It doesn’t particularly matter what type of unit you have. Every unit needs some upkeep in order for it to work properly.

The best way to know how to keep up with your unit is to check your user or owner’s manual. The manual will have specific instructions regarding the maintenance that needs to be done on that specific unit, and can give you good information regarding upkeep.

There are obviously some things that are not within your control as far as breakdowns and leaks. However, maintenance on the system can drastically lower these mishaps and keep you from having a huge repair job that goes unnoticed for a while.

Another important practice is to make sure that the unit was installed correctly. Improper installation will cause issues for your system later on. Even well maintained units will have issues with correct operation if it isn’t installed the right way in the first place.

As with anything, if you notice anything fishy going on don’t wait until your normal “maintenance schedule” to check up on it. Even if you just looked the unit over a month ago and it was working fine, if you notice it isn’t working right or is making a strange noise, etc. don’t wait another five months to check on it again. Keep on top of it and get it looked at as soon as it starts acting up.

Most of us know the importance of fresh air. Our grandmother was right when she told us to go outside and enjoy the fresh air, yet in many of our homes today, fresh air is hard to come by. Knowledgeable staff at Utah air conditioning companies can help us make sure our home is well ventilated.

As we strive to be more energy efficient, we do such a good job with insulation and sealing up cracks around windows and doors, that the only way fresh air can get in is when we open a door or a window. While this is good for our energy savings, it isn’t always good for our health, or our house. Along with being energy efficient, a home should still be well ventilated.

Proper ventilation is important to help control humidity levels in a home. Too much humidity allows mold growth, often in unseen areas such as inside walls, where it can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a home. Dust mites also thrive in high humidity environments. Both mold and dust mites can be a serious problem for those allergic to them.

On the other hand, a home with dry air can cause discomfort to our nose and throat, making us more prone to sore throats. Not enough moisture in the air can also dry out our skin, as well as the wood in the home, causing it to crack and split. Ideally a home’s moisture level should be between 30 and 50% humidity.

Indoor pollutants can also build up in a home with poor ventilation. Smoke, whether from tobacco use or cooking, pet dander, household chemicals, cleansers, paints and solvents all contribute to indoor pollution. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and soot from heating appliances can be a serious threat if not ventilated properly.

Managing your home’s ventilation is one of the most important things you can do to improve your family’s health, as well as helping to maintain the value of your home. Using kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans, heat recovery ventilators, and having adequate attic ventilation, dryer vents, attic and crawl space vents will improve your home’s ventilation. A properly ventilated home will give us the fresh air we need to reduce allergy and asthma symptoms, ease respiratory ailments, and make your home a more comfortable place to be.

The spring weather is starting to break through here in Utah. This is great news after living through a cold winter here. With the sun starting to bear down on homes and warming up the outdoors, its time to start thinking about ways to keep your home cooler indoors.

Utah air conditioning is one way that you can keep your home cooler during the spring and summer months. Air conditioning can offer great relief to the heat of the day. However, there are other alternative methods to keeping your home cool.

One way is to keep the sun from penetrating your home. Sunlight can quickly absorb through your home and generate heat. Avoid this by blocking the heat with drawn drapes so the sun doesn’t penetrate through your windows.

Another thing to consider is the importance of reflecting the heat from the home. The color of your home can actually affect how much heat your home absorbs. Darker-colored homes absorb a lot more energy from the sun than light-colored homes do. If you want to reflect heat away consider painting your home a lighter color.

Another excellent way to avoid heat penetrating your home is to block it. You can do this through insulation. Insulation is great to have during the summer and the wintertime because it doesn’t allow warm air to penetrate your home in the summer and cold air to penetrate during the winter.

You can also block the heat through shading devices. An old remedy is planting a shade tree that covers your home with shade during the really hot part of the day.

1. Good ventilation brings in fresh air to your home. Typical houses have air that is used over and over again. The only time fresh air would come through the home is with an open door or open window, which we don’t use as often with more energy efficient Utah air conditioning systems in our home.

2. New air and ventilation helps create a healthier living environment. It gets rid of the stale or polluted air you might have in your home. Indoor pollution happens because homes don’t have a source to get rid of air that is polluted with things such as pollen, dust mites, pet dander, tobacco smoke, pesticides, cleaning chemicals, paints, and other common pollutants.

3. Air ventilation keeps the humidity levels in your home the right level. Most homes should only have humidity levels of around 30 – 50%. High humidity is a big cause of mildew, rot and mold in homes.

4. Poor ventilation can also lead to low humidity. Not having enough humidity in your home can cause other irritations, such as dry skin and throat and nose irritations. Low humidity can also cause wood to shrink and crack.

5. Good ventilation is very nice for those suffering from allergies or asthma. The more ventilation your home gets, the less stale air you will have to deal with. This can be very helpful for people who deal with air allergies and asthma.