In our hot Wisconsin summers, AC is a necessity. If your AC suddenly stops working, or begins working improperly, it can be more than a nuisance. Regular servicing keeps your AC running well all season long. So just what does regular servicing mean? Generally, you should have your air conditioner serviced twice yearly: once in the fall and once in the spring. Those are times the professionals should come out; in between, there’s plenty you can do yourself to keep your AC in good shape. In this post, we’ll go over what an AC Servicing includes, and what you can do yourself.

What Does AC Service Include?

Fully trained and certified experts will inspect the whole AC system, from the blower to the condenser to the ductwork. Any damage or deterioration of parts will be noted and if necessary, repaired. HVAC specialists, like those at Quality Heating, use special tools to measure electricity and airflow levels. Refrigerant levels will be checked, too. All components will be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. Your AC technician will also take a look at your thermostat to evaluate its accuracy and whether it’s communicating well with your AC unit. If necessary, it will be recalibrated or reprogrammed. The condensate drain should be a place of particular attention. Clogs are common in the spring and fall because ACs typically aren’t running as often; it’s easy for mold and gunk to build up.

What Should I Do In Between?

Maintenance of your AC system throughout the summer will keep it working at peak efficiency. That will lower your electricity bills and keep you and your family comfortable. There are some simple things you can do to accomplish this.

Filters

Air conditioners and furnaces take in all sorts of dust and dirt that naturally floats in the air. As such, to reduce the amount of residue they take in, they’re equipped with HVAC filters. These filters stop residue in its tracks but the filters get absolutely inundated with it in the process. The filters need to be changed on a regular basis. You should change your HVAC filter at least every 3 months; if you have cats or dogs in your home, you should do it once a month. Your HVAC filter could be located in your return air vents or it could be located within your furnace. If you’re not sure, your HVAC technician would be happy to show you where they are. If you have a media filter, they should be replaced every 9 to 12 months; this filter is located inside your ductwork next to your furnace or air handler.

Your Condenser Area

Your AC’s condenser is located outside of your home. As such, it’s exposed to falling branches, kicked-up stones and dirt, bushes, and all sorts of overgrowth. In rare cases, overhanging greenery can fall into condensers, causing jams and general mechanical damage. Then there’s the havoc that creatures cause. Squirrels, mice, and even ants and other insects can chew on the electrical wirings or are attracted by the water. It can be hazardous to them and they can damage your outside unit. Professional servicing will deal with any damage, but you help prevent it by keeping the area around your condenser clear of plant life and debris, and checking for evidence of chewing. Five feet of clearance on each of its sides (and ensuring that any trees or hedges in its proximity are properly trimmed) will also make it less attractive to critters.

Your Condensate Drain

When condensate drains are running at full speed during a hot spell, they are constantly removing water in the air; but when they are turned on less often, it means that your condensate drain can start to accumulate algae, mold, and gunk. It builds up faster than you might think, and a clogged drain means a water problem! A simple way to keep your drain clear is to pour a cup of plain vinegar down it periodically. If you find it difficult to remember, talk to your HVAC technician at your servicing; they have some longer-lasting solutions to prevent these clogs.

Your Vent Covers

AC systems use a duct system to distribute the air that comes out of vents in the different rooms—on walls, ceilings, or floor. Keep an eye on your vent covers for any build up of mold. Excess humidity leads to mold, and you’ll want to take care of that immediately. Mold can cause those sensitive to it to become quite sick. If you’re not sure what to look for, ask one of the professionals at Quality Heating.

Having your AC serviced twice a year by professionals, combined with performing simple maintenance yourself will keep your AC at peak efficiency and minimize the possibility that you and your family will be stuck sweltering during a hot spell.

Wisconsin summers can be horribly hot, and excruciatingly humid. We’ve already had a few really hot spells this summer, and there’s still August and September to get through. You need your AC! This post explores how to avoid overworking your AC so that your whole family can stay cool and comfortable even when Milwaukee is melting.

When central air conditioning is installed, load calculations need to be made. These are based on design criteria like the size of the home in volume, number of windows and other factors.

20 Degree Differential
Your AC should be set to the highest comfortable temperature. The Department of Energy recommends 78 degrees as the best way to balance energy efficiency with comfort. If you decide 78 is too high, remember to keep the 20 degree differential rule in mind. When your AC is set more than 20 degrees below the outside temperature, it’s working harder and longer than it needs to.

Air Flow
Many people believe that shutting off rarely used rooms will help the air conditioning work better. In fact, the opposite is true. AC units are designed with a certain static pressure in mind, so closing and sealing off vents and interior doors add to the unit’s stress and decrease the overall airflow. Doing this can result in resistance and can cause issues with coils leaking, compressor failure, and motors and capacitors failing because the AC unit is working too hard.

Air Filters
A clean air conditioning unit is almost always an efficient one. The key to keeping your air conditioner clean rests primarily with the air filters. The higher efficient five-inch filters that your specific AC manufacturer recommends should be changed every six months. One-inch filters at the unit or the return air grill should be changed a minimum of once a month. If you have an older house or lots of in-and-out traffic, and pets, then those filters likely need to be changed twice a month during the summer season.

Return Air
Air conditioners work by blowing cooled air out into the home, and then recycling that air to cool it again. When the ratio of return air to output air is skewed away from 1:1, your AC becomes much less efficient. Most homes do not have enough return air. If the unit cannot suck back the same amount of air it pushes out, it will start pulling it from cracks and air gaps around the windows, doors and even attics. These areas bring more dust into the house. Evidence of air infiltration is dirt buildup on the floor, window sills, blinds and curtains, and near doors. This is because the AC is pulling air from the outside, a clear sign that there is an issue with return air.

Ductwork
The same sized duct throughout the house is not efficient. It’s essential to look at the volume of space in the room you are trying to cool, which direction it is facing, and how many windows it has. Two rooms of exactly the same size can have different sized ductwork depending on orientation and number of windows. Duct systems should be designed based on a room’s cubic feet per minute (CFM) requirement. That allows you to control dampers and move the air to where it is needed and avoid hot and cold spots. As units get older, they may not be working as efficiently as before. They have a more challenging time maintaining the temperature you have set. Often, ductwork can be the culprit of higher bills. As insulation around the flex duct starts to degrade, the unit has a harder time keeping your house cool.

All of these considerations factor into determining whether or not your AC is overworking. If you are concerned about your air conditioner’s efficiency, contact one of the experts at Quality Heating. We’ll be happy to come out to your home and carry out an assessment with any maintenance required.

In fall and winter, moisture may be seen accumulating on windows. In many cases, the reason is due to excessive indoor humidity levels. Window condensation may also be a visual indication of other indoor air quality issues, with odors and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) trapped in the home.

In the Midwest and Northeast, during the summer and fall, the indoor RH (relative humidity) normally ranges from 40-60%. Moving from fall into winter, as the outdoor temperatures drop, condensation starts to occur on the bottom of the windows. The window temperature is the coldest there, the dew point is reached, and window condensation appears as a result.

Better building practices, spray foam insulation, house wrap and other materials used in new homes trap moisture inside – leading to window condensation. Sources of humidity are cooking, showers, washing clothes, perspiration, or breathing. Frequently, the bath ventilation fans are low quality, improperly ducted and not operated long enough (due to excessive noise) to help reduce humidity.

Excess humidity must be lowered to a more acceptable level, usually between 30-40% RH. An ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or air exchanger can accomplish this efficiently, without opening windows, thus saving energy. Odors from cleaning materials, pets, and cooking can also be flushed from the home.

In winter months, the ventilator exhausts stale inside air while bringing in an equal amount of fresh outside air. Much of the heat energy from the exhausting air is recaptured over to the incoming fresh air stream, thus the term air to air heat exchanger is used for this type of IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) appliance. Some moisture is recaptured into the fresh air stream, so the indoor humidity is not entirely depleted.

The system can also be operated during the summer with air conditioning. The ERV may utilize existing HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) ductwork, or operate as a stand alone system.