home sectionhome section
Air ducts are part of a forced air furnace or an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system. The ducts connect to the furnace blower motor and the motor distributes either heated or cooled air throughout the home. Properly sealed and insulated ducts make the system highly efficient, but if there are even minor leaks along the ductwork, your energy consumption and the costs associated with it will increase proportionately, depending upon how bad the ducts are leaking.
The replacement of central heat and air equipment amounts to one of the single largest expenses a homeowner faces. It's not a purchase that you want to rush into. The decisions you make when buying your new furnace and air conditioner have a longer effect on you than you might think. When you make the right decision, it can help you save money on your energy bills over the course of many years. Before you select these units for your HVAC system, you need to ask a lot of questions.
The air that circulates through your late-model Honda Civic's cabin via the climate control system would carry a lot of dust, pollen and other bits of matter if it weren't for your air conditioner's filter. Over time, the filter will become clogged with enough matter to need cleaning or replacing. Try to clean your eighth-generation Honda Civic's air filter before replacing it. Eighth-generation Honda Civics are the 2006 to 2011 models.
Repairing the cause of a leaky condenser valve on an air conditioner requires no special tools or training. Many homeowners can perform the task themselves as long as the problem is not low refrigerant. Cleaning out a clogged drain tube or changing a dirty air filter are effective remedies to fix the problem. Knowing how to troubleshoot a leaking condenser valve can help prevent you from from having to pay a costly service call.
A central air conditioning system distributes the cooled air throughout your house via ducts. How much air each room gets depends on the damper settings. These plates, which are located inside the ducts, are adjustable. They can be opened or closed as much as needed to make the rooms they control comfortable. Different rooms in your home need different amounts of cooled air. That’s why you need to adjust the air conditioning dampers to control and balance the air flow.
Air conditioner manufacturers recommend that owners cover the exterior portion of the condenser during the winter months to protect it from the elements. Covering an air conditioner also prevents heat loss through the unit. You can make a vent cover for an air conditioner wall unit for the winter out of breathable tarp material. By using breathable fabric, you ensure that moisture is not trapped near the unit, which could cause damage.
The high costs involved in keeping your home warm in winter can be dwarfed by the costs of keeping it cool in summer, especially if you live in a warmer region and use window ACs. However, if you live in drier regions such as the southwestern United States, you have other options than just standard air conditioning. You can switch your old AC for a much more efficient water chiller unit, also known as an evaporative cooler or swamp cooler. Evaporative coolers can cool a home for a a third of the cost of a typical AC, although they have…
Once, homeowners with hydronic heat had to tear up walls and floors to install air conditioning. Those with forced-air furnaces often had to enlarge existing systems to accommodate evaporator coils. Fortunately, contemporary homeowners have a choice of space- and energy-saving units, including mini-duct, ductless, split systems and heat pumps. One alternative places the air handler in the attic, where cold air falls naturally into the home. Efficient attic installations insulate and run all ductwork within the air conditioned space, or envelope, of the building.
Air-conditioner disconnects are used to trip the electrical currents to air conditioners under certain circumstances, thereby cutting power to them. These disconnects are used by homeowners to save money on home cooling. Generally, disconnects will be set up to cut power when the temperature in a room reaches a certain temperature, but they may also be on a timed cycle. You can install the TNA60R1CP AC-disconnect unit from GE using just a screwdriver and a drill.
Rheem and Ruud thermostats are manufactured by Rheem, a company that specializes in water heaters and home heating and cooling systems. These thermostats feature multi-stage, dual-fuel programmable models that are designed to make your HVAC system energy efficient and easy to operate. When installing a Rheem or Ruud thermostat, the wiring may be intimidating, but labeling the wire connections before removing the old thermostat and understanding which wire controls which HVAC system function will make this process simpler. While most Rheem and Ruud residential thermostats are designed for 24-volt control wiring, you should check the thermostat manual just to be…
Honeywell thermostats are calibrated at the factory to provide the optimum temperature settings. However, there may be occasions when you need to recalibrate your Honeywell. In that case, you'll need a tool called a recalibration wrench. These are made to fit over the hex nuts inside the thermostat so you can make minute adjustments.
Pace Arrow is a manufacturing marquee of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc., which also produces such famous-name motor homes as American Eagle, Bounder and Tioga. The Pace Arrow name has been marketed since the mid-1960s, first as a stand-alone brand, then as a part of Fleetwood. Many models and styles of Pace Arrow motor homes have been manufactured, so it is not possible to give a specific location for air conditioner breakers. That said, a working knowledge of how the circuits are designed should make it possible for every owner to quickly find the relevant breakers on his own model.
Installing the front panels of an older model Borg-Warner air conditioner is no different than installing the front panels on other central air conditioning units, such as the Trane or Rheem brands. The front panels of the older model Borg-Warner units are the standard front panels with the "L" shaped edges. Many older central air units use similar front panels. The recessed "L" edges contain the four bolts that attach the panel to the unit. The bolts may be hidden under bolt covers. Borg-Warner central air conditioner units were manufactured until 1986 under the “Borg-Warner” name. In 1986, the Borg-Warner…
Installing a heating/cooling unit is a big job, even if it is a replacement, the basic gas and electric lines are intact and the distribution ductwork is in place. It requires at least two workmen who are used to dealing with natural gas and electricity. It also requires easy access to the installation point, in a basement, an attic or outside the house; most houses today have external installations. Check local regulations before starting; some communities require work by licensed mechanical professionals and will not allow homeowner installation. Also check utility suppliers, who also may forbid homeowner work.
Many modern houses have combined central heating and air conditioning systems. Ductwork is installed when the house is under construction and there is easy access to walls and ceilings. Adding central air conditioning to a house with central heating is not a major problem, because the cooling unit can share the heating ducts, with some alteration of connections. Some houses in warmer regions may have no central heat, but need central air. Installing central air in a house with no existing ductwork is a major task, which may require altering some walls inside the house.
Intertherm is a brand of the Nordyne company. The Intertherm brand produces a limited number of products, including split systems. Split systems contain both air conditioning and heating elements in a single unit, monitoring the temperature of a home throughout the year. Wiring in Intertherm split systems relays electrical signals throughout the unit and to and from controls like a thermostat. Like all other air conditioning systems, Intertherm units follow a standardized wiring template.
Up to half of the money spent on home utility bills pays for the energy heating and air conditioning systems use, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If your central air conditioning unit is more than 10 year old, you may significantly cut your energy usage and monthly utility bill by replacing it with a new Energy Star-rated system.
Owning an older home often means owning an old air conditioning unit. Up to 50 percent of your electric bill can go toward heating and cooling when you have an older, inefficient unit. Properly installing a new unit, like the Goodman SSX16 model air conditioner, which offers up to 16 SEER performance, will reduce your energy costs considerably. Goodman is one of the largest air conditioning manufacturers in the United States and produces its units domestically, in plants in Texas and Tennessee.
Reverse cycle air conditioners provide heating and cooling from a single unit. These units contain refrigerant, allowing them to generate cool air for distribution, though they also extract warm air from outside environments via an outdoor unit. Extracting warm air allows reverse cycle air conditioners to distribute warm air throughout your home. Installing a ductless, wall-mounted reverse cycle air conditioner requires a handful of simple tools and should take a few hours to complete.
The Coleman brand is known for its camping and outdoor accessories, which include a wide range of product types. Coleman also manufactures air conditioners. These include residential units, which only HVAC and electrical professionals can install, and rooftop air conditioners for recreational vehicles, or RVs. Installing a Coleman air conditioner is a straightforward process as long as you choose the right unit for your RV, which is built to use an existing hatch or ceiling opening and can connect to the RV's electrical wiring.
The term SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio and is used to measure the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. Most units sold in 2011 and 2012 average in the 16 SEER range. Older models may go as low as 9 or 10. Wiring up a Rheem 10 SEER air conditioner involves connecting the compressor unit to the electrical breaker box for the house. In most locations, the breaker box will need to be installed by a professional electrician. Once that's set up, you may wire the air conditioner yourself.
Purchasing an air conditioning unit requires making a number of choices, including determining the brand and style of air conditioner you want. In some cases, the brand and type of air conditioner go hand in hand. For example, CPL air conditioning units, manufactured by CPL in Birmingham, England, differ significantly from standard domestic air conditioners in their design and nature.
If your house doesn’t have ductwork for central heating and air conditioning, you may choose a window unit or ductless air conditioning and avoid ductwork. A ductless air conditioner, also called a mini-split system, requires an inside unit that connects to an exterior unit. Two conduit lines connect the units, with refrigerant running through one line and condensation leaving the indoor unit through the other line. The mini-split system works well for a single-room oasis or zone control.
A Spacepak air conditioning system uses an active circulation approach to keeping houses cool. The unit constantly circulates air throughout the cooled space to provide more consistent temperature control. Because air is always moving, the duct work that the unit needs is much smaller than conventional duct work. The Spacepak itself is also smaller than normal air conditioners and does not require as much room for installation, from outlets to supply air.
An improperly installed or insulated window air conditioner can be costing you money. In order to work efficiently, these air conditioners should be tightly sealed inside the window frame. This helps prevent air from seeping out the sides or leaking out of the room. One way you can keep a window air conditioner airtight is by using insulation rods. These cylindrical ropes of foam can be cut to fit into any gaps around the air-conditioning unit.
While window air conditioners are more attractive than the original gray metal units of the 1950s and 1960s, they still don't beautify a room’s décor. You can decorate a window air conditioner with curtains, even when it's in use. Draperies help to camouflage the unit when you're not using it, and to merge it with the décor when you are.
Lightning, which is caused by a natural electrical discharge, can damage electrical appliances both inside and outside the home. During a storm, lightning can strike your central air conditioning unit. The lightning may fry the inner workings of the air conditioner causing the appliance to work improperly or causing irreversible damage.
A variable-speed blower in a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning installation is controlled by signals from the thermostat via a dedicated blower board. Because the thermostat uses comparatively low voltage to control the blower, a transformer is also part of the system.
Air conditioner systems use refrigerant in order transfer heat back and forth between the evaporator and compressor. This allows the unit to pull heat from inside air, release it outdoors, and cycle the cooled air throughout the house. The refrigerant gas used in the AC lines must be maintained at precise levels so the system pumps at the right pressure. Proper refrigerant charging can be aided by measuring the pressure of the system while filling.
A split air conditioning system is an ideal climate control solution for homes that cannot use a conventional central A/C unit. Because split air conditioning systems often incorporate multiple indoor units, they do not require the duct work that central systems employ. This is ideal if you live in an old home or need to cool an additional room that was added to the house. Depending on the particular split system product you have purchased, its condenser unit may be able to feed one, two, three or more indoor evaporator units. It is important to follow the specific instructions that…
A leaking air conditioner allows valuable coolant to escape from your A/C system, reducing efficiency and eventually leading to an expensive service call to have a technician replace the coolant. Schrader valves can develop leaks as the parts wear or degrade over time. Your air conditioner valve works in the same manner as the valves on your car tires. To stop the valve leak, though, you want to avoid releasing coolant from the system as you work.
Casement window air conditioners fit in frames that are generally narrower than standard double-hung, sash-type windows. Many window air conditioners made for casement windows have dehumidifiers built in to remove moisture from the air. Dry air makes a room feel cooler than a humid room. The amount of moisture removed and the rate of removal varies from brand to brand.
Most air conditioners are designed to operate and cool interior spaces when the exterior temperatures are 60 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Use of the air conditioner when the outdoor temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit is not recommended because frost may develop on the evaporator coils, which can hamper or damage the air conditioner. In addition, the energy consumption increases when the temperature is not warm but the air conditioner is in use. Using the air conditioner when the outdoor temperature is below 60 degrees is possible, however, with a few adjustments.
A central air conditioning system can make your summers breezy and comfortable, but installation is expensive. One way to minimize the installation costs is completing some of the work yourself by installing the main units and supply lines. With much of this basic preparation completed, the contractor only need to complete a few basic tasks. Unless you are an electrician or EPA-certified to handle refrigerant, you need to contact a contractor to discharge the refrigerant and set up the high-voltage wiring once you have completed the preparatory work.
While nstalling a central air conditioner is more labor-intensive than installing a small window-sized air conditioner, the majority of the job is not out of reach for an ambitious homeowner. A key factor in determining if you should tackle this job is whether or not you already have duct work in your house. If you have ducts used for a forced-air furnace, you can adapt the system for the air conditioning. Doing everything but installing the electrical hookups and soldering the pipes yourself, can save you big bucks with your HVAC contractor.
A central vacuum system makes it easier to keep the house clean. This is a particularly advantageous system in a large house, or an area where it's difficult to haul a vacuum around from room to room. However, you need some infrastructure in place to install a central vacuum. The system requires access points and pipes in the walls to provide the conduits from the floors of your rooms to the central vacuum's location. Installing these pipes is easiest in new construction, but you can also install the system in an existing house.
Wiring an air handler thermostat is a relatively straightforward task. The voltage running through a thermostat wire is minimal at 24 volts, but nonetheless, the electricity to the thermostat should be cut off prior to handling any exposed wires. Use a pair of vise grips or a clamp to hold all of the wires outside the wall and prevent them slipping behind the drywall, and take your time.
It will be an unfortunate occurrence to get to the first hot day of summer, turn on your air conditioner and have the unit conk out, leaving you stuck in the heat. A plan of annual preventive maintenance by a certified technician on your air-conditioning unit will make sure your air conditioner runs when you need it and operates efficiently.
An attic ladder provides easy access to attic and loft spaces and, because it folds away into the ceiling, it doesn’t take up space in the room below. Installing the ladder perpendicular to the joist requires that the joists at either side of the opening be cut and framed out first. However, you should have a qualified professional inspect the ceiling prior to installation to ensure it is safe to place a ladder in the desired location.
When it comes to matching home appliances to your home's electrical capacity, one of the most confusing topics is voltage. Shopping for a window air conditioner can be even more confusing when different models of air conditioners with the same cooling capacity may be listed as 110-volt, 115-volt or 120-volt. Understanding the differences and how it applies to your specific outlet will help you prevent blowing a fuse or having to rest your breaker.
You may be tempted to think that copper tubing in air conditioning systems comes in a standard size, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The reality is that copper tubing used in air conditioning applications comes in a wide variety of sizes. In addition to the range of sizes, the pipes also come in two different types.
It is not difficult to make a simple, eco-friendly air conditioner that uses a plastic tube to circulate cold water through a copper tube coiled in front of a fan. The fan blows room-temperature air through the cold tubing to create a refreshing flow of cool air. The cost of both construction and energy savings are roughly one-60th that of a standard air conditioner.
The Mitsubishi Mirage actually has a longer history on U.S. soil than its history might show, as Dodge imported the Mirage, beginning in 1979, but renamed it the Dodge Colt. The 1995 Mirage, the 10-year anniversary of its official release in the U.S., came standard with a 92-horsepower, 1.5-liter engine. The engine used a thermostat that opened between 190 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit to allow coolant into the radiator to lower its temperature, thereby keeping the engine at an acceptable temperature. Locating and replacing the thermostat is a straightforward process on the standard 1995 Mirage.
Casement windows swing outward or inward, rather than sliding up and down as do standard sash-style windows. Air conditioning a home with casement windows calls for special window units called casement slider air conditioners. These units are built to install vertically, since casement windows are generally narrower than standard windows. The units come with kits for securing the unit in the opening on one side of the casement window.
Vaulted ceiling are much like cathedral ceilings since they open up the space in your home and have a sweeping, grand appearance. While it might not seem like it, there should be a small attic space in the vaulted ceiling for insulation and ventilation. In most cases, the cardboard ventilation baffles need to be installed before the ceiling is finished since the attic space is too small for people to fit into and install the baffles when it’s done.
Before you purchase a heater or air conditioner for your house, you need to know the size of the unit you should purchase. Determining the necessary size for a heater or air conditioner is a complicated process. Though the size is ultimately determined by the space being affected by the unit, other factors, from the general climate of the region in which you live to the number of windows in your home, as well as the number of occupants, all play a part. Because of this, consider utilizing one of the many software applications available through retail sales or online…
Your home’s air conditioner can last for over a decade if cared for properly, including regular maintenance. Each year before the weather turns warm, you need to make sure that your air conditioner is ready for use by reconditioning it. Reconditioning is just checking that everything is in working condition and performing routine maintenance on the unit.
Removing an air conditioning unit from a wall is a fairly straightforward task. But once the bulky unit and its frame are gone, you're left with a gaping hole in the wall. You don't need to be a contractor to close a wall opening, but you do need come preparation. Before you remove your wall air conditioning unit, have all of your supplies on hand. A large wall opening exposes your home to humidity, insects and drafts so you want to finish the job fast.
The old Chevy small-block has undergone a lot of changes since it debuted in 1955, perhaps none as drastic as its final Vortec incarnation. Named for its swirl- or vortex-inducing combustion chamber design, the Vortec head, like the small-block itself, came about as a result of the search for horsepower by way of efficiency. The 2005 model year was an important one for the Silverado, a transitional period that saw use of both current and previous generation Vortec engines.
A NSP power monitor keeps track of the power used by a specific electric appliance, such as an air conditioner, and also displays the total electricity usage for specified periods of time. The power monitor may also display the current temperature on the meter, which can help users determine if the air conditioner is cooling at the temperature specified by the thermostat. Troubleshooting the power monitor may be necessary if the unit is not working or is not displaying accurate information.
