Climate Masters Blog: Posts Tagged ‘St. Augustine’

Air Purifier: When an Air Filter Is Not Enough

Friday, June 6th, 2014

The air filter in your air conditioner does an important job: it helps keep dust and dirt from accumulating in your system. This can improve the air quality in your home, but that is a secondary feature of the built-in air filter. If you need to improve your indoor air quality, the best place to start is with a whole-home air purifier from Climate Masters – your St. Augustine air cleaners.

What Does an Air Purifier Do?

An air purifier takes your indoor air and passes it through stringent filters that capture different types of particles existing in your indoor air. Air purifiers purify the air with this process, filtering the air in your home so that it becomes cleaner.

What Types of Particles Are Captured?

Air purifiers are designed to capture:

  • Dirt
  • Dust
  • Allergens (pollen, pet dander)
  • Smoke
  • Mold spores
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses

Understanding MERV Numbers

Just as an air conditioning system comes with a SEER number, a whole-home air purifier comes with its own number, too, called a MERV number. MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, and it measures the level of efficiency at which an air filter functions. The MERV scale starts at 1 and ends at 16, with 16 being the most efficient. Our minimal MERV recommendation when choosing an air purifier is 8.

Why Install an Air Purifier?

There are several reasons our customers install whole-home air purifiers:

  • Helps relieve allergy symptoms
  • Helps relieve asthma symptoms
  • Increases overall indoor air quality
  • Further reduces the presence of dust and dirt

What Types of Air Purifiers Are Available?

There are several types of whole-home air purifiers from which to choose:

  • High Efficiency Filters –high efficiency filters are great at removing pollutants from the air, such as allergens, smoke and pet dander.  However, it is important to have a professional install a high efficiency filter as some may constrict air flow in your system.
  • Electronic – using an electrostatic field, an electronic filter pushes particles into a confined space with a fan, electronically charges them, then attracts the particles using an opposite electrical charge. These filters are highly efficient and require fairly minimal maintenance.
  • UV Germicidal Lights – UV germicidal lights use a safe amount of ultraviolet radiation to destroy biological pollutants in your air conditioning system. UV germicidal lights are excellent for destroying microbes, mold and mildew spores, and harmful bacteria and viruses. However, UV lights do not have a filter, so they do not help eradicate dirt and dust

Looking to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality? Call an Expert

For over 25 years, customers have turned to Climate Masters to be their St. Augustine air cleaners. If you are looking to improve your air quality with a whole-home air purifier, call Climate Masters today!

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How Does Zone Air Conditioning Work with Ducts?

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Central air conditioning is a wonderful invention, but it does come with an inherent flaw: when the AC turns on, every room in a home that is linked to the ventilation system receives the cooled air. Even rooms that don’t need them, like an empty guest room. Rooms that need cooling, but not as much, like a baby’s bedroom, still receive the same level of cooling as the rest of the house. People who have different comfort levels will feel uncomfortable while other people will feel just right.

There is a way to get around this problem, and that’s with zone control. You don’t have to put in a new AC to enjoy the advantages of zone air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL. With the right installers, such as those at Climate Masters, a new zone control system will fit right into your ductwork. This basic retro-fit will provide you with a new level of comfort and energy savings.

Here’s how zone control works with your existing ductwork

When installers come to your home to provide you with a zone control system, they access the ventilation shafts that lead to each of the “zones” of your house. (You decide how many zones you want. It can be as simple as “upstairs” and “downstairs” or as intricate as every individual room that is linked to the ductwork.) The technicians fit a damper into the duct, which can open and close. The damper forms a tight seal so they can effectively cut off flow to the zone.

Each of these dampers then connects to a zone thermostat, which controls that damper. This is important, because it permits individuals in the house to control the temperature wherever they are located. Each of these new local thermostats then connect to a central control panel, which gives you full access to each of the zones from a single location. You can program them for maximum energy savings.

Have professionals on the retro-fit work

This all may sound like difficult work—and it is indeed complex. However, in the hands of experts, the job will go fast and you will soon enjoy the comfort and the savings of a zone control system. Don’t attempt to do this work on your own, nor delegate it to an amateur who makes claims about performing the installation “cheap.” The work will be cheap… just not in the way you want.

We have years of experience doing this work, and we have all the necessary equipment on hand to take care of it quickly and effectively.

Call Climate Masters to find out how we can fit your current HVAC system to deliver zone air conditioning to your home in St. Augustine, FL.

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What Does the ENERGY STAR Sticker Mean?

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

When you are looking for an air conditioning replacement in St. Augustine, FL to prepare for another heavy Florida summer, you will come across a slew of statistics, brand names, types, and sizes that may start to feel overwhelming. Among all this data, you will also spy a sticker on many air conditioning units: a blue background with a white five-pointed star and the capital letters (always capital) ENERGY STAR. This looks important… but what does it mean?

If you have a professional installer working with you (and you should), he or she will help you understand the complexities of air conditioner models to find the right one for your home. The ENERGY STAR label will play a part of this, and chances are high that you’ll end up with a system with this sticker on it. We’ll explain why.

If the installer at your side is from Climate Masters, you can rest easy that you are receiving experienced and qualified service from one of the best heating and cooling contractors in St. Johns County.

The ENERGY STAR program

The ENERGY STAR label indicates that an appliance meets the standards set by the ENERGY STAR program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the authority of the Clean Air Act, established ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program in 1992 to help homes and businesses save money with energy-efficient appliances and protect the environment from damaging emissions. Manufacturers of appliances can choose to submit their product to the scrutiny of the program. If an appliance meets a set of regulations for energy efficiency and low negative environmental impact, it receives the label as a sign of approval.

The regulations differ depending on the appliance. With air conditioners, a system must have non-proprietary technology to achieve its efficiency (i.e., no single company can have a monopoly on energy efficiency), contain features that customers in general demand, and return on investment on its installation after only a few years if it costs more than a non-qualifying system.

A very specific AC requirement for the ENERGY STAR label is its minimum SEER. This is an energy-efficiency rating, and the higher the number, the less electricity the air conditioner wastes as it cools. To meet the ENERGY STAR program requirements, an air conditioner must have at least 14.5 SEER, easily verifiable through testing.

If you see the ENERGY STAR label on an air conditioner, you can feel confident that it is a safe, beneficial, and non-wasteful unit that will save money for you… provided it’s actually the right unit for your home. This is why you need to have professional assistance, since the ENERGY STAR label isn’t the only important criteria. Let the technician guide you toward the AC that will combine efficiency, environmental friendliness, and effective cooling.

Call our experts in air conditioning replacement in St. Augustine, FL today to get started with an excellent new AC installation for the summer.

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Stages of Ductless Air Conditioning Installation

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Ductless mini split heat pumps are becoming an increasingly popular option for home comfort. Because they work without the need for space-consuming ventilation shafts, they permit greater freedom for new construction. They also offer an alternative to inefficient window air conditioning units for older homes that lack ductwork. Since they are heat pumps, they work ideally as air conditioners during the summer and effectively as heaters during the winter.

The work installing a ductless mini split is not as difficult as you might imagine, but it still is a task that should remain in the hands of trained professionals. The stages below are not meant as a guide to help you install ductless air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL (it would require many pages to give you the ability to perform even a poor job) but to give you a sense of the sort of work involved. Rely on experienced professionals for this job: call Climate Masters, where we’ve installed air conditioning of all types since 1988.

Ductless mini split heat pump installation stages

  • First: The installers place wall mounts for the individual blowers in rooms throughout the house, and drill holes through the wall to the outside.
  • Second: The blower units are placed and secured to the mounts, and the installers run lines from blower for electrical power, condensate drainage, and refrigeration circulation. The installers take special caution to make sure there are no leaks that might get between the back of the blower and the wall.
  • Third: The outdoor condenser/evaporator unit is secured in place, and the lines from the blowers are hooked up to it. The technicians make certain that there are no loose connections or breaks in the line through a series of leak checks.
  • Fourth: The outdoor unit is connected to the home’s electrical power.
  • Fifth: The installers perform a full-system check to see that the heat pump works and is matched correctly to the voltage of the home, and that it works in both heating and cooling modes. They will not consider the job finished until they are certain that the new ductless system lives up to your expectations.

We handle all the stages of the life of a ductless system, from planning the installation to yearly maintenance to repairs.

Installing ductless air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL may be the best comfort solution for your home. To find out more, call Climate Masters today and speak to one of our ductless AC specialists.

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Advantages of Replacing Your Old HVAC System with a Heat Pump

Friday, May 9th, 2014

A Florida summer is nothing to take lightly: you never want to head into one with a faulty, decrepit air conditioner about to sputter its last at any moment. If you have an air conditioning system that matches that description, or if it has already exceeded its manufacturer’s estimated lifespan, then you should grab these tapering weeks of spring to schedule a new installation.

However, you do not need to install another air conditioner. You have another option: a heat pump. There are some major advantages to opting for heat pump installation in St. Augustine, FL rather than a standard air conditioner.

Call Climate Masters today to talk to one of our trained HVAC installers abut heat pumps vs. air conditioners. Your home may be ideal for a heat pump, and if it is, you should let our experienced technicians handle the job of installing it for you before the summer arrives.

The heat pump advantage

The #1 benefit of having a heat pump in your home is that it solves two problems at once. A heat pump is both an air conditioning system and a heating system. It isn’t a packaged unit with a separate AC and heater put together; a heat pump uses the same action—moving heat from one location to another—to deliver heating and cooling. When you have a heat pump installed, you won’t need to have a furnace or boiler installed as well.

When it comes to heating, Florida is well-suited to take full advantage of a heat pump. Locations that experience cold climates can pose trouble for heat pumps, since they will struggle to remove sufficient heat from the outdoor air to move indoors. However, Florida rarely experiences low temperatures that could make the heat pump’s job difficult.

You’ll save money on your heating bills with a heat pump working for you. Because heat pumps do not burn energy to create heat, instead using a smaller amount of electricity to move heat from one place to another, they are more energy-friendly than furnaces or boilers. A family of four can save 30% off their energy bills with the switch from a furnace to a heat pump.

As far as their air conditioning power, heat pumps are the equal of any standalone AC of comparable size. You won’t sacrifice any comfort for the summer when you replace your current system with a heat pump, and you’ll also have your heating covered as well.

Find out if a heat pump is the best choice

A heat pump isn’t ideal for every home, since there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” HVAC system.

You can contact Climate Masters today to find out if you have one of those homes. Let us take care of you this summer with quality heat pump installation in St. Augustine, FL.

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Common Problems Faced by Commercial Air Conditioning

Friday, May 2nd, 2014

The operation of a commercial air conditioning system is not much different from the systems found inside homes: they use circulating refrigerant, compressors, evaporator and condenser coils, fans, and ductwork. But commercial systems are not only bigger than residential ones, they also undergo a greater amount of work and stress in order to cool down significantly larger spaces and numerous people. This level of continual strain on the system—especially during a heavy and humid Florida summer—will eventually lead to repair issues, no matter how well the system is maintained.

These repairs need commercial HVAC specialists who not only know how to repair the problems of an extensive commercial air conditioner, but also know the local codes that your business must meet. Our team at Climate Masters handles commercial air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL. You can reach them 24 hours a day for the repair service necessary to cool your workplace down and restore comfort to your employees, customers, and clients.

Some problems commercial ACs encounter

  • Zone thermostat errors: Most commercial air conditioning systems are zone systems, where multiple thermostats control different zones inside a workplace. Depending on the size of your business’s workspace, you may have only one or two zones, or you could have more than twenty. A malfunction in any one of the local thermostats will cause uneven heating and a difficult situation to diagnose. Commercial HVAC experts can solve the problem and find out whether you need thermostat work or some other targeted repair.
  • Condenser damage: The most popular type of commercial AC is the rooftop package unit. Having the condenser on the roof saves space, but it exposes the condenser to the elements. If debris enters the condenser unit, it can damage the face, dirty the coils, and spread dust and dirt over the motors—all of which can cause problems with performance or eventually a breakdown. Leave the investigation of rooftop units to professionals.
  • Loss of refrigerant: An enormous amount of refrigerant must course through the lines of a commercial AC system for it to work, and there are numerous places where leaks can occur to allow the refrigerant to escape. Refrigerant loss will not only threaten performance level, it can lead to irreparable damage to the compressor. Commercial specialists will know how to track down the leak locations, seal them, and then recharge the refrigerant to its proper level. Look out for a loss of cooling power as a sign the refrigerant charge is dropping and call for repair technicians immediately.

Neither homeowners nor business owners should delay when it comes to scheduling AC repairs… but the business owner has far more to lose from only an hour of a malfunctioning air conditioning system.

Whenever your company’s comfort is at risk, call Climate Masters for commercial air conditioning in St. Augustine, FL that will resolve the problem.

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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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