Climate Masters Blog: Archive for April, 2014

How Does Geothermal Air Conditioning Work?

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014

Geothermal air conditioning is an innovative system that relies on the ambient temperature of the earth itself to cool your home. (The same principles can also be used to heat your home in the winter.) It can cost a fair amount to set up, because it involves placing tubing underneath the earth, but once established, it can save you a great deal of money on monthly bills as well as providing environmentally friendly energy that doesn’t produce any toxic side effects. Here in St. Augustine FL, geothermal air conditioning makes an attractive alternative to more traditional forms or cooling. But how does geothermal air conditioning work?

How Geothermal Air Conditioning Works

The earth itself retains a constant temperature, regardless of what the weather is like outside. The very top of the soil can be affected by temperature changes, but once you get down below a few feet, it’s going to stay the same temperature no matter what. A geothermal system uses this principle to facilitate a heat exchange. Coils are planted underneath the ground, through which a combination of water and antifreeze it pumped. Depending upon the circumstances, the mixture can either pull heat from the earth or release heat into the earth, which either cools or warms the mixture accordingly. It can then return to your home and be used to warm or cool the air.

Because there are few moving parts, a geothermal system doesn’t need much energy to operate, and it also runs a lower risk of repairs. (The coils, in particular, rarely need servicing, since they aren’t vulnerable to wear and tear.) Geothermal systems do require a large amount of property space, since the coils need to spread out, though in some circumstances, you can sink the coils vertically into the ground instead of spreading them horizontally across a shallow field.

For more on how geothermal air conditioning works, or to schedule an installation session, call on Climate Masters to help.

In St. Augustine FL, geothermal air conditioners work well, but they also face unique installation challenges that our team understands very well. Pick up the phone today and make an appointment.

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How Duct Cleaning Benefits Indoor Air Quality

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014

“Regular duct cleaning? Is that really necessary?” This is something people often ask when they hear about duct cleaning services. It’s an understandable reaction, since it’s difficult to see the inside of the ventilation system in a home and know the level of dust and dirt contamination inside.

But duct cleaning is necessary every few years, and in some cases every year. It will help you keep a cleaner house. It will reduce airflow friction along the ducts so your HVAC system won’t overwork and drain money. It will prevent debris from entering the cabinet of your AC or furnace and create repair needs. And, perhaps most importantly of all, it will raise the quality of your indoor air.

Cleaning ductwork isn’t a job you can perform on your own; it requires specialists with pro-level tools. For duct cleaning in St. Augustine, FL, call up Climate Masters and our indoor air quality team.

Duct cleaning and indoor air quality

How serious is the quality of your indoor air? The U.S. EPA has identified it as a major health threat. Most U.S. citizens spend 85% of their time indoors, and when you consider how much of that time is inside their own homes, the quality of the air there is of great importance. Since most houses have an effective seal against the outside air in order to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures in winter and summer, there is little fresh air circulation.

Here is where duct cleaning plays an important part. Inside your home, your HVAC system circulates air throughout the rooms, and it will pick up dust, dirt, and other contamination and draw them through the return air vents into the ducts. In this sealed environment, the pollutants will begin to build up and then blow out into your living spaces, lowering the air quality. Skin and eye-irritation, asthma, headaches, and cold and flu-like symptoms are common problems due to low indoor air quality. People with allergies are especially hard hit.

But with regular cleaning of your ducts, you remove one of the major reservoirs that collect the contaminants that cause these troubles. It’s difficult to access the interior of ductwork, and the dirt and dust inside is hard to remove—unless you have professionals take on the job. Using power vacuums and agitation equipment, duct cleaning specialists can make your ducts almost like new.

How often you need to have your ducts cleaned depends on your house and living situation. If you have pets or if people with allergies live in your home, you should consider having cleaning done every year. Many homes will benefit from it every other year. Consult with a duct cleaner about the best schedule for you.

To start right away with duct cleaning (how long has it been?) call Climate Masters. We have the tools and the skill to give you a great duct cleaning in St. Augustine, FL.

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What Makes Air Conditioning Repair Different from Heat Pump Repair?

Tuesday, April 15th, 2014

If you’ve ever had the operation of a heat pump explained to you, then you’ll know how similar it is to an air conditioner. Essentially, a heat pump works the same as an AC—it cycles chemical refrigerant through an indoor and outdoor set of coils, absorbing heat along one coil and releasing it from the other—but with the major difference that a heat pump can change the direction of its heat exchange. An air conditioning system can only remove heat from indoors and deposit it outdoors; a heat pump can also move heat from outdoors and bring it indoors.

Homeowners are sometimes interested in what makes repairs different between the two systems. We’ll look into this and see where the two stand apart as far as fixing malfunctions.

If you need heat pump or air conditioning repair in St. Augustine, FL, come to the experienced team at Climate Masters, where we’ve worked on both since 1988.

The differences in heat pump and AC repair

For the most part, repairing an air conditioner and a heat pump are similar. The compressors, fans, capacitors, and motors work in the same fashion, and replacing these broken components is identical between the two systems.

One of the big differences is that heat pumps contain a key component that air conditioners lack: a reversing valve. This device is attached to the line exiting the compressor; as refrigerant leaves the compressor, it first enters the reversing valve. Depending on whether the valve is in an excited or relaxed state (whether an electric current is flowing through it or not), the refrigerant will either move first to the outdoor coils or the indoor coils. If the refrigerant goes outdoors first, the heat pump will operate in cooling mode; if the refrigerant goes indoors first, the heat pump will operate in heating mode. Should the reversing valve fail, it must be replaced or the heat pump will remain fixed in one mode. Air conditioners do not need this repair.

Heat pumps can develop frost over either their outdoor or indoor coil due to loss of refrigerant, while an AC will only experience this on its indoor coil. The actual repair work is similar in both cases, however.

Another important repair difference: heat pumps work more per year than ACs. If a heat pump is your only method of heating your home, then it will run in both hot and cold weather. With regular maintenance (and a heat pump does require maintenance twice a year, not once) you shouldn’t have too many repairs, but in general a heat pump will have more repair needs than an AC system.

An important similarity: both need professionals to work on them

No matter what problems afflict your heat pump or air conditioning system, they need a trained technician to fix them. Don’t attempt the work yourself or hand it off to amateurs. For heat pump and air conditioning repair in St. Augustine, FL, you can trust in Climate Masters. We have 24-hour emergency service for your convenience.

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What Is Dirty Sock Syndrome?

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

What is dirty sock syndrome? You may not have heard of it – at least not as it applies to your HVAC system – but it can definitely impact your home. It refers to parts of your air conditioner which smell, and the issues that smell reflects. Air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine can usually handle dirty sock syndrome, which is a fairly common problem in systems around here. Our climate is made for it, which means it crops up much more often than you’d think.

The professionals at Climate Masters can handle air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine, which includes dealing with the causes of this smelly syndrome. Call us today. 

Dirty sock syndrome is usually caused by one of two things. The first is the presence of mold, fungus and similar organic compounds within the air conditioner itself. Florida has the humidity to make mold a problem, and when it grows in your air conditioner, it can result in a foul smell that gets blown through you entire house, and this ultimately effects your indoor air quality.  A similar effect can be caused by common household odors, such as pet smells, tobacco smoke and smells from rotting food, which will get circulated throughout the house by your system. In both cases, you’re getting a great big stink every time you try to cool your air.

The solution varies depending on the sort. Molds and bacterial growth are fairly easy to treat. A good maintenance session should clear them out of your system, and regular visits will likely keep them out permanently. In-house odors can be a little trickier, but a service technician can help by making recommendations such as circulating fresh air more regularly, or repositioning certain components such as the laundry or a home gymnasium. More extensive corrections can include installing an exhaust hood in your kitchen, setting up a dehumidifier for your home, and rerouting vents so that they don’t circulate the smells so readily.

Dirty sock syndrome can certainly inspire a few chuckles, but it’s no laughing matter, especially when you’re sitting in the middle of the odor.  If the odor is more than you can stand, then give us a call today. We’ll have it cleaned up and set your air conditioner back on track!

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