Climate Masters Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

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!

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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.

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The Benefits of Ductless Mini Splits

Monday, October 27th, 2014

Fall is a great time of year to install a new air conditioning system as our warm temperatures have cooled. There are a lot of choices available for homeowners when it comes to cooling your home, and one type of system you may want to consider is ductless air conditioning in Hastings. Since 1988, Climate Masters has installed multiple types of air conditioning systems, including ductless ones, so if you are ready for a new AC system, call us today.

How Does a Ductless System Work?

A ductless system has an outdoor unit that houses the condenser and compressor, and individual indoor blowers that distribute the cool air. The indoor blowers are about 35” long and can be mounted flush against walls or hung from ceilings. The blowers are connected to the outdoor unit via a small conduit that is installed in an exterior wall. This conduit holds the refrigerant line, power cord and condensate drain pipe. When an indoor blower is turned on, the cooling cycle begins and the refrigerant begins to flow. A fan, coils and filter are housed in each blower. A single outdoor unit can support up to 4 indoor blowers.

What Are the Benefits of a Ductless System?

Here are some of the benefits a ductless system can offer you:

  • Heating and cooling – a ductless system that uses heat pump technology can offer your home both heating and cooling in a single device.
  • Energy efficient – each indoor blower operates independently. This allows you to cool only the areas that need it, which can greatly reduce your energy usage.
  • Customized comfort – each blower can be set at its own temperature, which allows you to create zone control.
  • Easy expansion – because a ductless system does not need ductwork, it can be very easy to expand the system to other rooms in your home, or to an addition onto your home.

As we head toward cooler weather, having a system that can offer you both heating and cooling may be a great fit for your home.

Call Climate Masters today and make an appointment to discuss how ductless air conditioning can work for you and your home in Hastings.

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How Does a Heat Pump Differ from a Traditional AC?

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

When you need a new cooling system, there are a lot of factors to take into account. Of course, the initial cost is a major concern for many homeowners. However, the cost of operation, efficiency, and any additional features may be of equal concern. While you can purchase extremely efficient traditional central air conditioners, one type of system that may actually give you a little more bang for your buck is a heat pump. While the name sounds as though it is a heating system, a heat pump is actually a very efficient heating and cooling system.

Essentially, there are very few differences between a traditional AC and a heat pump. Heat pumps take advantage of the same refrigeration cycle, in which refrigerant, a chemical blend that easily converts from a liquid to a gas and vice versa, moves through the indoor and outdoor unit. As it changes from a gas to a liquid at the outdoor condenser unit, it releases heat into the air. As it changes from liquid to gas indoors, it absorbs heat from your home. A fan then blows cool air through the ductwork. This process continues until the home is cooled to the proper temperature.

In fact, heat pumps have all of the components of a traditional air conditioner but with one addition, the reversal valve. With most air conditioners, the refrigerant can only move in one direction. However, the reversing valve of a heat pump activates when you switch your thermostat to “heat” mode, allowing the flow of refrigerant to change direction. Now, instead of absorbing heat from the inside to move outdoors, it pulls heat from the outside to warm indoor air. In some climates, an additional heating source is needed to supplement the heat pump if there is not enough heat in the outside air. But this is unnecessary in Ponte Vedra.

Heat pumps have cooling efficiencies that are comparable to other air conditioners, and are very efficient for heating. This is because it takes less energy to move heat from place to place than to generate heat.

When you decide it’s time for heat pump installation in Ponte Vedra, call the professional technicians at Climate Masters today.

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Why You Should Schedule Commercial HVAC Maintenance Today

Wednesday, August 27th, 2014

Running a business involves balancing numerous tasks on a daily basis. As you try to see to all the important considerations necessary to keep a company operating, you probably won’t have the HVAC system that keeps the workplace comfortable foremost in your mind. After all, the heating and cooling have probably operated adequately for some time, and there’s no reason to think that they might stop any time in the near future. It’s easy to put off consideration for their maintenance until a more convenient time.

However, it’s not difficult to schedule commercial HVAC maintenance in Palm Coast, FL and have it done without causing interference with your other business concerns.

You only have to call Climate Masters, and our commercial HVAC specialists will take over from there. We can deliver the maintenance your need to protect your workplace environment.

Why it’s important to schedule maintenance

You do need regular commercial HVAC maintenance… no matter how well the system seems to be working. Without regular inspections and tune-ups, your air conditioning and heating could start to cost your more to run than they should. Worse, you risk major repair needs that will drastically lower workplace comfort or even threaten to cause the HVAC system to break down entirely—and that’s something you cannot allow to occur while trying to run your business.

Maintenance is sometimes referred to as “preventive maintenance,” and that word preventive is an encapsulation of why it’s crucial to schedule maintenance on an annual basis for a commercial cooling and heating system. The short amount of time that a maintenance technician needs to give an HVAC system an inspection to search for possible malfunctions and unnecessary wear and tear on components will help head off a possible expensive repair in the future. The sooner a technician catches a fault, the less likely that the HVAC system will suddenly shut down on one of the coldest or hottest days of the year, which will create an uncomfortable and eventually unprofitable work environment.

You also need maintenance to tune-up and clean your commercial HVAC system so that it doesn’t waste energy. The power needed to heat and cool even a small workspace is larger than that needed for a home, so if the HVAC system starts to work inefficiently because of dirt-covered motors, clogged filters, leaks in the ventilation shafts, or low refrigerant, the spike in utility bills can be high. Maintenance will help make sure that you don’t pay more than you have to in order to keep your business comfortable.

At Climate Masters, we only employ the best-trained technicians for commercial HVAC maintenance in Palm Coast, FL. They will treat your business with respect and see that your heating and cooling system remain in the best shape possible.

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Can Ductless Systems Provide Cooling and Heating?

Wednesday, August 20th, 2014

Ductless air conditioners provide efficient cooling for the entire home. While many homeowners without ductwork may choose to install small window air conditioners, these are rarely able to cool an entire room effectively, may be very inefficient, and are often noisy. But installing ductwork may be difficult for those with older homes or new room additions.

A ductless air conditioner may be the perfect cooling alternative for many homes. Central air conditioners remove heat from the air at the indoor evaporator unit and supply air through the ducts. Ductless cooling systems, on the other hand, consist of multiple indoor air handlers which cool and distribute the air from a single unit. The systems are mounted high on the wall or suspended from the ceiling in multiple zones for even cooling throughout the home.

While it may seem strange to install a new air conditioning system near the end of summer, most ductless systems provide both heating and cooling. This is because most ductless systems are also heat pumps. While other central air conditioning systems only allow refrigerant to flow in one direction, absorbing heat from the home and releasing it outdoors, ductless heat pumps allow refrigerant to absorb outside heat and release it inside.

Other Advantages of Ductless Cooling

Ductless systems are beneficial for other reasons as well. Here are some of the ways you can save money and feel more comfortable with a ductless system.

  • Zone Control: Most homes require multiple indoor air handlers to cool the entire home. A single outdoor unit can generally accommodate up to four of these handlers. But this is beneficial to any homeowner who’s tired of hearing family members argue about the temperature. Because each air handler can be controlled individually with a separate thermostat or a master thermostat, you can set the temperature in one room or zone independently of others.
  • Energy Savings: Ductless systems also save money. Central air conditioning systems may use more energy than is necessary due to leaks that commonly form in the ductwork. You can also shut off the air conditioning in unoccupied rooms to avoid cooling unused spaces.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of ductless cooling and heating in Ponte Vedra, call Climate Masters today!

 

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What Do the Coils in an Air Conditioning System Do?

Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Your air conditioner has 3 key parts: the condenser, the compressor and the evaporator. Inside the condenser and the evaporator units are coils that are important to the heat release/cooling process of your air conditioning system in St. Augustine. Both sets of coils work similarly, but each has a specific job of its own, as we’ll explain below.

What Is a Coil?

The coils in your air conditioner are copper tubing surrounded by aluminum fins. The tubing is small and narrow, and the metal fins around them act as a radiator. The job of the coils is to help with heat transfer.

How Do the Coils Work?

The purpose of both sets of coils is to assist with heat transfer, but each does it a little differently:

  • Condenser coils – the condenser coils are part of your condenser in your outdoor unit. The refrigerant flows into the coils from the compressor, where it changes states from a cool, low pressure gas to a hot, high pressure gas. As the refrigerant makes its way through the condenser coils, it loses heat. The condenser fan helps with this process by sucking the heat of the refrigerant away from the coils and blowing it into the outside air. By the time the refrigerant reaches the evaporator valve, which connects to the evaporator unit and coils, the gas has cooled but is still warm, and the pressure has dropped.
  • Evaporator coils – as the refrigerant passes through the evaporator valve, it loses more pressure and heat, and as a result, changes states once again. When it flows into the evaporator coils, it is a cool liquid. Warm air from your home is blown over the chilled coils; the refrigerant absorbs the heat, changes states, and moves into the compressor as a cool gas. The refrigeration cycle begins again.

Common Problems That Affect Coils

The most common problem to affect coils is low refrigerant. When the refrigerant level is low, the entire heat release/cooling process becomes imbalanced. Coils that are warm get too hot, and coils that are cool get too cold. Many times, this situation can result in ice formation.

A second common problem is dirt and dust accumulation on the coils. When dirt and dust accumulate on your coils over a long period of time, they can form a layer that acts as insulation; this can negatively affect how the coils release heat.

The best way to keep your coils is good shape is to schedule bi-annual maintenance. Coils are thoroughly cleaned during maintenance appointments, and refrigerant levels are checked for leaks.

Have questions about your air conditioning system in St. Augustine? Call the team of trained and certified cooling experts at Climate Masters today!

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What to Expect from a Zone Control System Installation

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014

Do you look at your monthly energy bills and think about how much money you could save if you could turn off the cooling to rooms that are routinely unused or unoccupied? Or is someone in your home always under a blanket because it’s too cold in the living room? There’s a solution for all this and more: a zone control system in your St. Augustine home.

What Is a Zone Control System?

A zone control system is a series of motorized dampers that are installed into your ductwork. Each damper is connected to a thermostat that is wired into a single control panel. The dampers open and close as needed to reach the desired temperature you have set. “Zones” can be what you want – separate rooms, separate floors, wings of your home, etc.

What Can I Expect from a Zone Control System?

A zone control system offers multiple benefits:

  • Customized comfort – separating your home into separate zones allows for customized comfort throughout for you and your family.
  • Energy savings – cooling only those areas you choose can save on energy consumed by your system. Rather than cooling an entire home, you can now cool as needed.
  • Reduction in wear-and-tear – with less cooling comes less operation, which is a good thing for your AC. Air conditioners have a specific life expectancy, and the more it runs, the shorter that life can be. A zone control system can go a long way toward reducing the level of wear-and-tear.

Is a Zone Control System Right for Me?

It is always best to work with a trained professional to determine whether or not you stand to benefit from a zone control system, but if your home has one of the following characteristics, you may be a good candidate:

  • You have a multi-level property
  • You have specialized architecture such as wall-to-ceiling windows
  • A finished basement or attic
  • Multiple wings off the central part of your home

Questions? Call Us

A zone control system can offer you great benefits, but only when it works as it should, which is why it’s important to have professional installation for your zone control system in St. Augustine.

Have questions? Call Climate Masters today and schedule a consultation to speak with an expert about how zone control can help you and your home.

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Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance This Summer

Monday, July 7th, 2014

When’s the best time to schedule air conditioning maintenance? Right now! Don’t wait until a part of your AC fails before you call an air conditioning technician to look at your system. Here are some of the ways scheduling once a year maintenance can improve your summer:

  • Reducing the risk of sudden breakdowns.
  • Avoiding a costly premature replacement.
  • Preventing the need for expensive repairs.
  • Reducing seasonal energy bills.
  • Improving the performance of your AC.

Once a year, an air conditioning technician should come to your home to inspect, clean, and adjust some of the components of your air conditioning unit. This is the best way to reduce the risk of a malfunctioning AC this summer. During inspection, the technician will look for any issues that may diminish the performance of your system. If your air conditioner is at risk for any possible issues that may cause you to seek repair in the near future, the technician will recommend the proper services.

Sometimes, the only thing preventing your system from running as efficiently as it should is dirt and dust. A dirty evaporator or condenser coil can prevent your system from cooling your home correctly, while dirty air filters can affect air quality and block the airflow in your system, causing any number of problems with your AC. Scheduling maintenance can give you peace of mind in knowing that your unit will not fail due to a very preventable problem.

The technician will also check for anything in your system that may need to be adjusted. The motors that run the compressor and the fans, for example, often need lubrication to continue running smoothly. The refrigerant in your system may also require an adjustment, as even a slight loss of refrigerant could mean your air conditioning is not cooling your home very efficiently, and only a technician is qualified to handle this fluid.

If you schedule air conditioning maintenance now, you can rest easy knowing your air conditioner isn’t as likely to give you trouble for the rest of the summer.

Climate Masters provides professional air conditioning maintenance in the St. Augustine area. Call us today!

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What’s Covered in an Air Conditioning Maintenance Session?

Friday, June 13th, 2014

Annual maintenance for an air conditioner is not optional: it is mandatory for the system to last its full lifespan, work efficiently, and avoid surprise breakdowns and repair issues. With a yearly visit from an experienced maintenance technician, an AC will live up to its manufacturer’s promise of years of efficient and effective cooling.

If you haven’t had your air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine, FL for the year yet, now is a great time to schedule it—you can beat out the rest of the summer heat!

Contact Climate Masters today and ask about signing up for our maintenance program to receive a full inspection and tune-up that will make sure your AC can handle the stresses of a Florida summer.

So what actually happens during maintenance?

The technician who comes to your home will go through a checklist that covers every part of your air conditioning system. Here are some of the major steps involved in regular maintenance:

  • Checking the thermostat. The thermostat’s operation is crucial to making sure that the air conditioning behaves the way it should. The technician will see that the thermostat is calibrated correctly.
  • Cleaning the condensate line and drain. This will ensure that the AC will not start to drip water because of a blocked drainage system.
  • Oversee the electrical system. The technician will make tightenings and adjustments where necessary to ensure that the electrical system is in good shape.
  • Check on the compressor and make sure that its motor amperage is correct. Damage to the compressor is one of the most serious issues and AC can encounter, so this is an especially important step.
  • Check airflow and change the air filter.
  • Looking over the evaporator and condenser coils to see that they are clean and free from damage. The technician will clean the coils if necessary.
  • See that the refrigerant in the system is at its proper charge, and adding the necessary amount if it is not.
  • Lubricating of all mechanical parts that require it. This will reduce the mechanical stress that can lead to motor burn-out and energy-draining operation.

If there are any repairs your system needs, your technician will ask for your approval before starting the work. If you sign up for the maintenance program at Climate Masters, you will receive a 10% discount from the total repair costs; this will also apply to any emergency services. (Some exceptions apply.) The program also delivers you a yearly inspection and tune-up for your heating system, so you will have year-round comfort protection.

For air conditioning maintenance in St. Augustine, FL, look no further than our superb team.

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