Climate Masters Blog: Archive for October, 2013

Common Problems That Can Occur with Your Pool Heater

Thursday, October 24th, 2013

When you live in Florida, you get to enjoy summer vacation type climates throughout much of the year. What better way to realize that vacation atmosphere than with a pool? However, since temperatures in Florida won’t always hover in the tropical 80’s and 90’s, you’ll need a way to enjoy your pool in cooler times as well. That’s where a great pool heater comes into play.

Because pool heaters must warm up a large amount of water, they require professional installation and maintenance to make sure they operate properly. But no matter the care that goes into pool heaters, they can still suffer from malfunctions.

Pool heaters encounter many of the same problems as indoor heaters (flickering pilot lights, gas flow issues). Here are some of the pool heater-specific problems our technicians at Climate Masters often address during service calls:

Improper ventilation in the heat exchanger: The heat exchanger is where the water in your pool has heat transferred to it. The water runs across copper finned tubes, which receive heat from flames in a burner tray below. But if the space between the coils becomes congested with lime deposits or debris such as leaves, the heater won’t be able to exhaust itself fast enough. The heat exchanger will need cleaning.

Pool chemistry issues: The balance of chemicals in your pool is crucial for the health of all the systems connected to it, especially the heater. Low pH levels and alkalinity can lead to pinhole leaks in the heat exchanger, and sometimes the heat exchanger must be replaced. However, a technician may find that putting in new gaskets will solve the problem.

Trouble with the water pump: In order to receive heat from the heat exchanger, the pool water needs a pump to push it through the heating elements. If the pump malfunctions, then you won’t receive any hot water in the pool no matter how well the rest of the heater is working.

Pool heaters handle a large task, so they require expert care and repair. When you need work pool heater service in St. Augustine, FL, contact Climate Masters. We have years of experience with pool heater installation, repair, and maintenance. Let us help you get the most out of your individual piece of vacation paradise.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Common Problems That Can Occur with Your Pool Heater

How Long Does It Take to Install An Air Conditioner?

Thursday, October 17th, 2013

Here in St. Augustine, air conditioning installation can take on an air of urgency. Our warm and humid summers can be unbearable without a reliable means of cooling the air, and even the winters can be warm enough to merit the use of a reliable air conditioning system. In that environment, it’s very reasonable to ask “how long does it take to install an air conditioner?” The answer of course, is that it depends on the specific circumstances involved and the nature of the unit in question.

In most cases, installation can take place within a day or so. This assumes that the weather is clear, and that no major alterations need to be made to your home. The technician will arrive, prepare for work by laying coverings over your floors and furnishings, remove your existing unit, install the new one and ensure that it’s functioning before declaring victory. A professional will explain all of the steps to you, then undertake them with courtesy and professionalism, making sure that everything is in its proper place.

That rough timetable assumes that you’re replacing an existing unit with a similar unit, or that your installation won’t involve any additional work. Sometimes, however, it does. For example, you may need to have ductwork installed in a home that doesn’t currently feature any, or you want to install a geothermal system and need to provide time to dig trenches for the tubing. In that case, it may take a longer period of time than a simpler operation.

No matter what the specifics, however, you should always get an estimate from your service technician about the price involved and the time it will take. Once you have a schedule in hand, you can plan for the installation with greater confidence, and let the technician work with a better idea of what exactly is going to be involved.

In St. Augustine, air conditioning installation service is the purveyance of Climate Masters. We can tell you how long it takes to install an air conditioner, and provide an estimate as to the costs before we begin.

Contact us today to set up an appointment.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on How Long Does It Take to Install An Air Conditioner?

Fun Facts About Ductwork

Friday, October 11th, 2013

We rarely think about the ducts in our home since they’re so often out of sight, but their importance cannot be underestimated. For homes in St. Augustine, ductwork is as integral a part as the plumbing or electrical wiring, providing a hidden “passageway” for conditioned air from your HVAC unit to reach every corner of your home. Ducts require periodic cleaning, and must be repaired when fissures or leaks develop, but without them, our heating and air conditioning systems couldn’t do their job.

Here are some fun facts about ductwork that you may not have considered before.

  • Ductwork comes in different types of materials. Traditional ducts are made of galvanized steel, while newer ones are made of flexible plastic “flex duct” and/or rigid ductboard surrounded by foil.
  • Ductwork is vulnerable to extremes of heat and cold. If left uninsulated in a warm areas or in a spot with a lot of sunshine, the air inside can be warmed: reducing the effectiveness of your air conditioning system. The same principle applies to ducts in cold parts of the house when attempting to heat your home. This is why you should always place your ductwork in conditioned space within your home and/or use insulation to keep the temperature inside the ducts constant.
  • Leaks can sometimes spring up in the duct system because of external damage, wear and tear along the fittings, or pressure exerted when the HVAC system is being used. The leaks can pull dust and debris in from outside the HVAC system, as well as costing your efficiency and making it harder to condition the air in your home.
  • Cleaning dirty duct systems can improve the quality of your air, as well as giving a technician a chance to examine the ducts for leaks and schedule a time to seal them.

Beyond fun facts about ductwork, the experts at Climate Masters can handle St. Augustine ductwork services of all varieties. From repairing leaks to cleaning ducts, we help you keep them in ship shape, allowing you to make the most out of your HVAC system. Call us today and let us show you what our trained professionals can do for you.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Fun Facts About Ductwork

Why Should I Get Duct Cleaning Before Winter Is Here?

Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

If you have ductwork in your home, it usually serves two purposes: channeling cool air most of the year, and channeling warm air during Florida’s brief but often unpredictable winter season. Ducts are carefully sealed along their length to prevent loss of pressure during normal operation. But as a consequence, dust and other debris that can collect inside will begin building up. Just running your air conditioner during the summer doesn’t clear out these pollutants—it will probably draw in more, especially if you’ve neglected to change the air filter once a month.

Winter is right around the corner, and you may already have a large amount of dirt and other contaminants sitting in your ducts. Before you start using those ducts to circulate heat, get them cleaned out. Call Climate Masters to get thorough duct cleaning in St Augustine.

But wait, you may be thinking, how bad can dirty ducts really be? The truth is that contamination in your ducts poses health risks, and also contributes to lowering your heater’s efficiency and causing dust to circulate throughout your home. Getting your ducts cleaned will benefit you in numerous ways.

According to the EPA, low indoor air quality is a major health concern in the US, where people spend a large amount of time inside. Breathing poor quality air can lead to respiratory problems, eye irritation, and sleeping difficulties. People with allergies are especially sensitive to poor quality air. A furnace or heat pump blowing dust, pollen, and dander around your home contributes enormously to reducing its air quality. Most worrying of all are biological pollutants that form in the dark of ducts. All of these can be fixed with thorough professional cleaning.

The other benefits of getting your ducts cleaned before winter are improving heating efficiency, reducing the strain on your heater, and keeping dust from settling around the house.

You’ve probably seen action movies or thrillers where the hero had to crawl through air ducts to escape the villains or spy on them. Fun… but you don’t want to try to crawl through ducts in real life, and you couldn’t do much good if you did. You should hire professional duct cleaners to do the job of getting the dirt out of your ductwork. They’ll use special tools and access your ducts without causing damage.

Climate Masters has performed duct cleaning in St Augustine FL for so many years that we can get your ductwork clean in no time at all. Contact us before your furnace or heat pump turns on for the winter.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Why Should I Get Duct Cleaning Before Winter Is Here?