Climate Masters Blog: Archive for March, 2014

Preparing Your Air Conditioning Unit for the Summer

Friday, March 28th, 2014

We’ve finally reached spring, and although we may still encounter cold days here in St. Augustine during the next month and a half, the summer will leap upon us before we know it with its infamous Florida heat. You’ll switch on your air conditioning, and probably keep it running all the way through September. Make sure that your AC is ready to do the work.

Climate Masters can assist you with preparing your air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL for the heaviest summer conditions. We have helped St. Johns County since 1988 endure the sun and sweat of Florida summer, and with one call to us you’ll be on your way to bolstering your cooling system for the season.

Some Steps of Summer AC Preparation

The most important stage of preparing an air conditioner for long spells of hot weather is a maintenance visit from a professional HVAC technician. Spring is the usual time to have this done, not only because it preps for the summer, but because it’s usually one of the less busy times for technicians. (During the summer, they have numerous emergency calls to attend to.) Air conditioner maintenance checks will inspect the AC to see that all its systems are operating without impending repair needs. The technician will check that you have the correct level of refrigerant, all electrical connections are tight, and no excess dust or dirt is clogging any of the components.

Maintenance will also catch malfunctions that you may not have noticed yet. This is the next important stage of AC preparation: having any repair needs—even small ones—taken care of right away. You do not want to begin the summer with an air conditioner running with a fault that will impair efficiency and may lead to a break down during one of the hottest days of the season.

Finally, make sure to have your air filter changed out so you’ll have a unit free from any contamination that might either lead to debris entering the AC cabinet of a restriction on airflow. For the rest of the summer, change the filter once a month to maintain the best performance from your cooling system.

Start With Maintenance Now!

Call Climate Masters today and talk to us about our maintenance program. We offer two visits per year, one in the spring for your AC and one in the fall for your heater. A friendly technician can give you more details about how we can ready your air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL for the summer.

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Why Duct Repair Is Necessary

Friday, March 21st, 2014

Most homes have forced-air system for their heater or air conditioner—often both. With the exception of ductless mini split heat pumps, forced-air systems distribute their heated and cooled air through a set of ducts that lead to vents into rooms. Ductwork can sometimes develops breaks and gaps along their length, and when this occurs it’s necessary to call up a professional duct repair service to seal up any leaks and restore the ducts to their original condition.

We need to emphasize the necessary part of that last sentence. Repairing broken ducts isn’t an option, and you can’t decide to just “live with” a few gaps in your ventilation system. We’ll explain why you need to schedule professional duct repair in St. Augustine, FL as soon as you sense that something has gone wrong with the ductwork in your home.

Climate Masters has the skilled indoor air quality technicians with the right equipment to take care of fixing your ducts so you won’t encounter any of the problems listed below.

Problems That Broken Ducts Cause

  • Heating/cooling system inefficiency: Ducts are designed to form a tight seal along their entire length, from the HVAC system all the way to the ducts. This maintains the air pressure necessary for the flow of the heated and cooled air from the system. Gaps in the ducts will cause a drop in air pressure and loss of temperature. This will not only reduce comfort, but it will place a strain on the HVAC system that will result in higher bills. (In fact, one of the first warnings people receive that they have ductwork breaks is a sudden spike in energy costs.)
  • Dust and dirt infiltration: Breaks along ducts will often open onto closed and unused areas of a home, such as the gaps between walls and crawlspaces. These areas contain large amounts of dust, dirt, and residue left over from construction, and this will be drawn into the ventilation system. This can lead to damage to the heating and cooling system, and it will also cause a drop in the quality of the indoor air. If the air entering the ductwork is humid, it can contribute to the growth of mold and bacteria.

Damaged ducts will rapidly cause a deterioration of your comfort, a rise in your bills, and the many problems that can come from low indoor air quality (which are especially troublesome if there are people in your home with allergies).

Thankfully, duct repair is usually not a difficult task for professionals. Using metallic tape and mastic sealant, ductwork repair specialists can fix up the leaks in the network and return everything to normal in your home.

Don’t try to make repairs yourself, and don’t grab for the duct tape! (Duct tape isn’t meant for ducts anyway.) Call Climate Masters and schedule an appointment with our quality experts in ductwork services in St. Augustine, FL.

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Comparing Centralized Heating Systems to Ductless Mini Split Systems

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

Ductless heating systems are not new to the HVAC world, but they may seem new to homeowners. It’s only in recent memory that ductless systems shifted from commercial use into homes. Before then, when people wanted heating in their home, they needed central heating like a furnace or a standard heat pump.

As a homeowner, you now face a major choice with your heating: a centralized system that uses ducts, or a ductless mini split. This isn’t an easy decision to make, and finding an answer depends on your future plans for your home, as well as your home’s current condition. But there is help available: call Climate Masters and speak to our specialists in heating. They are experienced with both central and ductless heating installation in St. Augustine, FL. They’ll assist you with making the right choice for your situation.

How Does a Ductless System Work?

For the most part, ductless systems are heat pumps, and work in the same fashion: moving heat from the outside to the inside. (They also reverse direction to deliver cooling.) The difference is the air distribution system. Instead of a central indoor unit and air handler that send the conditioned air through ducts, mini splits have multiple smaller blower units mounted on the room walls, each connected to the single outdoor unit. These units blow conditioned air directly into the rooms.

Centralized vs. Ductless

The main advantage of using centralized systems is that many homes already have ductwork systems in place, even if they use a radiant heater, for their air conditioner. It makes sense for most homeowners to install a centralized heater to make use of this ductwork. For houses with pre-existing ventilation, ductless installation makes the most sense for add-on rooms.

Where does ductless come out ahead? Not to point out the obvious, but ductless mini split systems don’t require ducts, and that carries some major advantages. It means the air won’t pick up the dust and contamination that can gather in ducts, and there are no ducts that require regular cleaning and repairs to seal leaks. Ductless mini splits also permit zone control without requiring any special installation: individual blower units can be shut off where they aren’t needed. This means large energy savings.

Find the Right System for You

Ductless comes with many advantages, and may sound like the superior choice. However, ductless mini splits are probably best for new construction and any home that doesn’t have ductwork already installed. You’ll need to have installation professionals look over your house to determine if ductless or centralized will work better. Call Climate Masters and make an appointment with our St. Augustine, FL heating installation technicians today and find out which wins for your home: ductless or centralized.

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What to Expect with Geothermal Heating Installation

Friday, March 7th, 2014

Geothermal heating has become popular during the last ten years because it saves homeowners money on their annual bills, provides reliable comfort levels regardless of the outside temperature, and benefits the environment with its low amount of emissions.

However, some people feel a bit nervous about geothermal systems as a heating option. It’s a big step to take that moves them out of the familiar wheelhouse of furnaces and boilers, and the upfront costs can seem intimidating. They may also wonder if the land they live on will even work with geothermal heating and cooling.

We’re here to help you with some information about what you can expect with installation of geothermal heating in St. Augustine, FL. At Climate Masters we understand that this is a major decision, and you want to make sure it’s the right choice for you. We have the experience to help make your geothermal installation as stress-free and effective as possible.

Geothermal May Not Work For Your Home or Property (Although It Probably Will)

It’s true that geothermal heating won’t work for every home. Sometimes there isn’t sufficient space either horizontally or vertically to lay the underground refrigerant coils, or the landscape isn’t appropriate for heat exchange. However, no heating or cooling system will work for every home, and the majority of homes can have effective geothermal heating installed.

Geothermal Installation is Extensive

The refrigerant coils of a geothermal system must be placed down into trenches around your home at least 6–10 feet deep in order for them to work effectively. The process of drilling can require 3–5 days, with trenching and pipe connections requiring 3–7 days. This doesn’t include the indoor work with electrical connections and necessary duct modifications, or the period of design work beforehand. You’ll need to plan in advance and work with your contractor to come up with a timetable that works for you.

Although Expensive, Geothermal Will Pay Back Its Costs—And More

The time, labor, and materials involved give geothermal installation a higher price tag than installing most other home comfort systems. However, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that a properly installed geothermal heating and cooling system will pay back its original costs in 5–10 years. With an estimated lifespan of 20 years for the indoor heat pump unit and 50 years for the underground coils, you’ll have many years of savings beyond the payback period.

Don’t take chances with inexperienced installers when it comes to heating installations in St. Augustine, FL. Climate Masters has served St. Johns County since 1988, and we can help you get an excellent geothermal installation that will serve you efficiently for many decades. Give us a call today and ask our professional HVAC specialists about geothermal heating.

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