What Type of Air Conditioning

The first question to ask is what type of air conditioner installation do you want for your home. If you plan on installing a central system, your best bet is to go with a model from one of the traditional air conditioning manufacturers. Trane and Carrier in particular have been mainstays in the AC industry for decades.

Carrier and Trane provide some of the best products on the market and they both offer a wide variety of air conditioners ranging from low BTU split systems to full sized packaged systems for multi-room cooling (and sometimes heating too).

On the other hand if you want a mini splits air conditioner, the brand names you’re considering may be a little different. Since the mini splits technology is new to the United States, the most advanced systems come out of Japan. Mitsubishi and Sanyo in particular offer some of the best quality devices, complete with DC inverter technology allowing multi-zone cooling. Klimaire is another popular brand, though their systems are not as efficient for multi-room cooling with a single condenser.

Cost

While Trane and Carrier are among the best manufacturers, the cost of their systems tends to reflect this high standing. Goodman is a top choice for quality to cost ratio. Their systems are among the least expensive to buy through a distributor and they are less selective about installation so it is easier to find a contractor to install your unit. A lot of installers feel that the technology today makes the top brands hard to distinguish from each other – the real key is having the system properly sized and installed.

Top of the Line Systems

If you are interested in a high capacity system with expert installation, consider a Trane or Carrier system. If cost is an issue, look for a contractor who installs Trane, Carrier and Goodman products as Goodman offers some very good air conditioners without the premium price tag. For ductless mini-splits Mitsubishi offers the highest quality systems, though beware that you will pay a premium for that quality as well.  Please call Cal-West Air Conditioning if you have any questions about a new air conditioning system.

Designed for one to two decades of life, even with little annual air conditioner maintenance they are able to run virtually trouble free.  If these little things like changing the air filter and cleaning the drain are not done regularly, the neglected units can really lose their cool.

The Basic Course

Through a process which involves the rapid evaporation and condensation of chemicals called refrigerants, air conditioners use compounds that have properties that allow them to change rapidly from gas to liquid and back again at low temperatures.

Heat is absorbed when the liquid evaporates and transforms into gas, making the space around it cooler.  Compressing it tightly together again, the heated gas condenses back into liquid with a residue of unwanted moisture that must be released and is vented usually to the outdoors.

The newly cooled air is distributed through the house by means of ductworks, pushed by fans driven by electric motors.  As the air moves along, it passes through a filter and can be further de-humidified.

Problems in the System

If the filter is clogged, movement of the cooled air is slowed to the point we might think the unit is broken.  If the condensate drain is plugged, the motor can get damaged and stop producing.  Regular maintenance performed by the home owner or as a service of (Your Company) can avoid or eliminate these simple aggravations.

When the heat builds, however, and cool relief seems nowhere near the air ducts, it may be time to call a professional to dig deeper to find the reason and suggest solutions.

Back to Cool

If not serviced regularly, the amount of refrigerant in the coils may decrease over time or the coils themselves could get clogged and impede the evaporation/condensation process.  A leak in the coils could drain the system, rendering the unit useless and wholly unproductive.

There are belts on each of the two separate fan motors which may be worn or loose, causing the fans to blow less efficiently.  The motor may need to be oiled or have a broken part that doesn’t allow it to push the air at all.

Most of the time, these fixes are relatively minor and do not threaten the life of the air conditioning unit.  Schedule an annual inspection and service from a certified HVAC company by calling Cal-West Air to take it off your list and stay cool.

What you might not often think about, however, is the fact that the crawlspace under your floors is probably not insulted at all. Of course you and your family don’t spend much time there, but if you’re trying to keep your home comfortable for as small a price tag as possible, this is something you should think about addressing.

There are actually several reasons that heating and insulating your crawlspace can save you money in the long run. For one thing, the ducts and pipes that carry your heated air and water to various locations throughout your house generally run right through these very crawl spaces. Even with an average amount of insulation surrounding those pipes and ducts, you’ll still be losing heat to the outdoors as the air and water travel through the crawl space.

Of course, pumping heat directly into the crawl space would be a waste too, since there is no insulation to keep it there. With the proper amount of insulation, however, you can easily heat your crawl space with very little energy and potentially save a ton in the long run.

When your ducts and pipes are traveling through a heated space, they’ll retain the heat they started with and bring that to the rest of your home. You’ll pay very little to keep the crawl space warm and you’ll save a lot by conserving the heat and hot water that you do generate to keep your house comfortable.

Plus, because your crawl space is generally located directly underneath the floor, you’ll be protecting the actual rooms of your home from heat loss as well. And you floors won’t be so cold to walk on either. Overall, there really is no reason not to take the time and have your crawl space properly insulated and heated.

Inspect, prune, and pay attention!  Get out in that garden and have a look at that AC unit!

• Air conditioning maintenance, like cutting back any overgrown bushes or plants nearby, and removing any weeds growing near or over the AC unit, is essential in order to ensure proper air circulation is maintained in the space immediately surrounding the AC unit. It might even be prudent to place stepping stones or cement in the foot of space immediately surrounding the AC unit, to keep a good barrier between the unit and surrounding foliage.
• Pull out that green thumb and plant some flowers or greenery surrounding but not too close to the AC unit, making it a part of the yard’s landscaping, rather than an eye-sore which stands out.
• Get your air conditioner under the shade.  This can be done simply by adding trees or tall bushes near the AC unit, protecting it from the blazing sun.  AC units can also be moved to the North side of a house or other building, making sure they are under the shade during the heat of the day.  Ensuring an AC unit is in the shade can mean not only saving approximately 5% on cooling bills, but can also increase the energy efficiency of the air conditioning unit by upwards of 10%.
• Add trees or tall foliage all around a property to provide shade directly on the home or building, which can additionally contribute to overall cooling of the yard and buildings being cooled.

Proper landscape maintenance near, upkeep of, and airflow to an air conditioning unit ensures that there is reduced wear and tear on the AC unit, helping it to run more efficiently for a much longer period of time.  Pay attention to your AC unit and it will provide a great service for many years.  Don’t hesitate to call Cal-West Air Conditioning for any clarification.

Tapping the stored energy of the greatest solar collector in existence, ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are electrically powered systems that tap the earth’s relatively constant temperature to provide cooling, hot water, and heating for Pacific Beach homes and commercial buildings. Simple, efficient and abundant, heat pumps are best used in moderate to hot climates where the differential of temperatures is not extreme.

In General

Functioning on the same principle as refrigerators, the heat pump uses a liquid to absorb heat as it turns into a gas and release heat as it returns to a liquid state. During the summer, the heat pump operates as a standard central air conditioner, removing heat from the house and venting it to the outside.

In the winter, the heat pump reverses this process, extracting heat from the cold air outside and releasing it inside the house. The heat pump is very efficient when the outside temperature is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but it becomes less efficient as the temperature drops.

The Heart of the Matter

The reversing valve in the heat pump switches the process from absorbing heat from the inside to evacuate outdoors like an air conditioner to extracting heat from cold temperatures outside and redistributing it indoors.  The thermal energy at play is the natural force of heat to move toward cooler temperatures, releasing energy in the shift.  Heat pumps take care of both and the reversing valve controls the direction of the flow.

The reversing valve has two states of operation: relaxed and energized.  In the relaxed state, the heat pump can be programmed to introduce either heated or cooled temperatures into the conditioned space, depending on the direction of the flow of refrigerant through the closed loop.

By applying a 24 volt charge of AC current (a low voltage typically used in HVAC systems), the valve becomes energized and reverses the flow, producing the opposite conditioning.  The reversing valve may be driven by the heat pump through the use of a control board or directly by a thermostat.

As energy resources rapidly change in cost and supply, heat pumps utilizing geothermal energy are looking like a viable alternative in today’s market.  Call Cal-West Air Conditioning to learn more about how heat pumps can be installed at your house.

There’s not much you can do to control higher utility bills, they are like death and taxes. But there are some things you can do to take the “mechanical anxiety” out of turning on your furnace for the first time.

You can’t go back in time but you may want to consider “summerizing” your furnace after you shut it down in preparation for the cooling season – or during the cooling season. Have a qualified heating and cooling technician stop by for a quick furnace maintenance an inspection and cleaning.

A preseason inspection and cleaning will prevent some problems that may affect some of your senses later on. For example, a smell coming from your furnace may indicate a burning or smoldering electrical component. A noise may indicate a noisy fan or a loose belt, causing poor or no airflow. Touching your ventilation system and feeling for any vibration can indicate poor airflow. Visually checking your instruments like thermostats for verifying proper temperatures or a digital readout on our carbon monoxide alarm for any traces of harmful gas are also important to furnace start-up.

If something goes wrong, don’t blame it on your thermostat or the cold weather; blame it on a lack of preventive maintenance. Your best bet is to have a qualified service technician do a clean and inspection – to minimize any surprises at start-up and to keep you and the occupants of your home comfortable and safe while your furnace begins another season of hard work.  If you have any questions about this process please call Cal-West Air Conditioning

The air handler is a metal box, usually consisting of a blower and the heating or cooling elements. It might also include dampers and sound attenuators along with an air filtration and humidity control system. The simplest air handlers are designed only to transfer the heated or cooled air to the various parts of your home, while the most advanced devices are designed to perfectly condition and clean that air as it is circulated.

 Types of Air Handler

There are a few different types of air handler as well, depending on the size of the HVAC system and the nature of the heating and/or cooling used. Most homes, for example, use terminal units which consist of just an air filter, blower and coil. This very simple system is all you really need to heat and transmit air through your ductwork.

However, for larger systems, there are also makeup air units which use outdoor air instead of recirculated indoor air. There are also packaged and rooftop units which are designed to be placed outside. These devices are most commonly used for commercial applications when space is limited.

How the Air Handler Works

An air handler’s most basic component is a blower fan. This device is run by an AC electric motor and can be either single speed or variable speed depending on the size and scope of your air handler. The dampers on the fan will control the flow rate of the air going through the blower fan. Most residential blowers are part of the air conditioning or furnace system, while commercial systems often have multiple blowers to maintain steady airflow for a larger space.

Because an air handler passes all of the air that will go through your vents, it is the best place to install high quality MERV or HEPA filters to remove pathogens and contaminants. It is also a good place to install humidity control devices to either raise or lower humidity depending on the time of the year.

Your air handler is an incredibly important component in your San Diego heating and cooling system. Without it, all that heated and cooled air you pay for each year wouldn’t reach you. So, make sure to keep your system in tip top condition.

If you are having any problems with your HVAC system, do not hesitate to call Cal-West Air Conditioning!

• Black Mold!! – Black mold is not the only mold you should worry about. While black mold does produce mycotoxins and can be quite dangerous if it develops in your living space, all molds can be potentially dangerous due to the off gassing of MVOCs and other chemicals. If you see mold – whether green, black, grey, or red – call someone immediately to test and check your home for toxicity.
• Scrubbing with Bleach Gets Rid of Mold – Mold can be removed with bleach, but only on the surfaces you can reach. Real mold removal uses more advanced techniques to clear away spores, block sources of moisture and reduce the presence of the toxins produced by mold. It’s impossible to ever truly, 100% remove mold from any environment, but with the right abatement techniques, you can reduce its impact.
• Mildew Isn’t a Big Deal – Mildew may have a different name but it’s the same problem. Mildew is a certain kind of mold and that stale, musty smell you experience when it develops is the development of microbial volatile organic compounds – chemicals like benzene and aldehyde. To ensure mildew doesn’t have a negative impact on the health of your family, be sure to reduce and remove moisture from your home whenever it develops – in basements and attics as well as bathrooms and kitchens.
• Mold Needs Organic Material to Grow – Mold can grow on anything with enough moisture. While carpets, upholstery, paper and other organic based materials are more likely to develop mold, it can grow on glass, porcelain and metal if enough of the spores are present. The key to mold abatement is not material changes or closing it out; it is to remove the moisture, seal up holes, and consider installing a dehumidifier.

Mold is a major health problem for millions – by better understanding it, you can minimize the risk and keep your family safe. If you suspect mold in your home, don’t wait to have it checked. Call Cal-West Air Conditioning today for full testing, inspection and, if necessary, removal.