Archive for January, 2012

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Elfers Heat Pump Question: Do Heat Pumps Help with Humidity?

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Humidity is a big problem for a lot of families in Elfers. When not properly controlled, excess humidity can lead to damage to your furniture, excess mold growth and dust mites. This is a big problem. Fortunately, if you have a new heat pump, you have a strong weapon against excess humidity.

Air conditioning has long been a natural dehumidifier. Because the process works through evaporation and condensation, water can be extracted from the air by the device whenever it is on.

However, for your heat pump to truly provide the dehumidification you need to remain comfortable, it must first have a dehumidification setting – often called the “dry” cycle. During this cycle, the device will dehumidify your home, pulling air from inside the house and extracting moisture from it through the indoor evaporator coils.

Dry cycling is effective because it doesn’t draw new air in from outside to heat or cool your Elfers home. It uses the same air already in your home and can therefore remove humidity over time. While new air is draw into your home through vents, the system is designed to continuously cycle the humidity out of the air and keep you from being uncomfortable.

Choosing the Right Heat Pump for Humidity Control

Not all heat pumps offer humidity control settings, so you should talk to a professional about your needs before selecting a new model for your home. Make sure it offers the dehumidification options you’re looking for and can cover the full area of your home.

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Riverview Heat Pump Repair Guide: Common Performance Problems

Friday, January 27th, 2012

The heat pump in your Riverview home needs to work year round to provide heat and air conditioning. This is why you want to make sure it’s performing as efficiently as possible to save on energy costs and prevent break downs. You should schedule an annual maintenance check-up and inspection with a certified HVAC technician to test the efficiency levels.

However, there are a few common causes of performance issues to be aware of so that you can be sure your heat pump performs at optimal levels. Call Air National if you have questions about heat pump performance issues, or to make an appointment for an annual inspection and professional cleaning.

Airflow Issues

There should always be a certain amount of airflow (measured in cubic feet per minute) in your heat pump to maintain proper efficiency levels. If the airflow is less than 350 cfm per ton, it could increase your energy costs. You should make sure your HVAC contractor checks the airflow whenever your heat pump is inspected. Always keep the coils clean. Sometimes the ducts are not the right size, or the fan speed needs to be increased, but often cleaning the coils will help airflow, which is why it is important to clean and maintain the components of your heat pump. A certified technician will know what methods are best, so if you suspect an airflow problem with your heat pump, call a professional heating technician.

Air Leaks in the Duct System

Inefficient or poorly-designed duct systems may not distribute air properly throughout your home because of potential air leaks. There should always be a balance between the intake and return air in a forced air system, which helps maintain a neutral pressure within the house and increase efficiency. Some contractors argue over how tightly a house should be sealed for this reason, but if your heat pump is losing heat through leaks in the air ducts, this will greatly affect its efficiency.

Improper Refrigerant

Refrigerant leaks are another common cause of low performance levels in heat pumps. Most heat pumps already have refrigerant when they leave the factory and shouldn’t have any issues. Heat pumps that are charged with refrigerant when they are installed can sometimes have the wrong amount of refrigerant. Either too much or too little refrigerant will lower the heat pump’s efficiency and performance levels. Always check the recommended refrigerant amount or ask a Riverview HVAC technician before you add refrigerant yourself.

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St. Petersburg HVAC Repair Service – Review from Sara Marie Gomez

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

When you hire an HVAC company, you want someone who will answer your questions and do the job right. That is why at Air National, all of our technicians put customer service first. We don’t want to just fix your HVAC problem; we want you to understand what we are doing every step of the way to ensure your complete satisfaction.

Whether it is your air conditioner, your heat pump, or your furnace, dependable service you can trust is very important. Here is what Sara Marie Gomez in St. Petersburg wrote to us about her experience with one of our technicians:

I just want to compliment you on your wonderful staff. I had Mark out to my house (which I rent) and have been having problems with my landlord about our air conditioning. He thoroughly explained and showed everything to me and was extremely helpful… and on time, which is something you don’t see very often! Thank you!

- Sara Marie Gomez in St. Petersburg

Thanks Sara! Remember that tuning up your furnace or heat pump every season is just as important as tuning up your air conditioner, so give us a call today if you haven’t had your annual maintenance yet!

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Tampa Heat Pump Repair: Why Won’t My Heat Pump Start?

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

If you are having trouble with your Tampa heat pump, you may be surprised to learn that it is probably not the heat pump that is to blame, especially if the trouble is that it simply won’t start up. That seems counterintuitive, but it’s true: the heat pump can be in perfect working order but still not turn on.

The good news, then, is that your heat pump is fine and you won’t have to pay to fix or replace it. Still though, these types of problems can very frustrating to diagnose and correct. Here are four common culprits when a heat pump won’t start:

  1. No power to the heat pump. Check your breaker box to see if the circuit breaker was tripped. If so, reset it and see if that fixes the problem. Another possibility is that your heat pump is wired to a wall switch, or that there is a switch on the unit itself. Make sure the switch is turned on.
  2. Make sure the thermostat is set to the proper mode, such as “heat” mode if you desire more heat. It seems overly simple, but sometimes the trouble is as simple as that.
  3. A recently replaced thermostat. If you recently upgraded or replaced the thermostat in your home, it’s possible that something went wrong that is preventing your heat pump from starting. It may be the wrong kind of thermostat – heat pumps require a specific type – or it may have been improperly wired.
  4. Finally, the heat pump may have its own circuit breaker on the air handler cabinet. This is often the case with heat pumps that have supplemental electric elements. If that breaker is tripped, that could cause the problems you are experiencing.

If you exhaust these problems and the problem persists or recurs – for example, if the circuit breaker trips again – call a Tampa contractor to work on your heat pump. There may be something larger at work that is causing problems in the electrical system that controls your heat pump, and that requires some expertise to properly address.

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Children’s Gasparilla Parade and “Piratechnic” Extravaganza in Tampa!

Friday, January 20th, 2012

If you need something fun to do with the kids this weekend, head on over to the Children’s Gasparilla Parade and “Piratechnic” Extravaganza! This Saturday (01/21)  starting at 11:00am, come down to Bayshore Blvd. from some great children’s activities and to welcome in the beginning of Gasparilla season!

Events include the Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll, where children 5 and under can show off their pirate attire. There will also be the Gasparilla Air Invasion: your kids will be amazed by the precision parachute jump!  The Children’s Gasparilla Parade will begin at 3:30, and it will be followed by the “Piratechnic” Extravaganza, a re-creation of the battle between the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and the City of Tampa.

Admission is free! And don’t forget about the Gasparilla  Pirate Fest activities for grown-ups next Saturday (01/28).

For more information, check out the official website: http://gasparillapiratefest.com/index.html

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Plant City Heat Pump Guide: Understanding the Defrost Cycle

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

If your Plant City home has a heat pump, you’ll want to understand the defrost cycle to help you maintain your heat pump and troubleshoot repairs. While this is a basic guide, you should call a qualified HVAC technician if you experience major issues with your heat pump.

During the winter when a heat pump is heating your home, the cooler outdoor air that’s pumped in and heated may have excess moisture. The outdoor coil evaporates this moisture, but under certain weather conditions, frost can accumulate on the coil and decrease the overall efficiency of the heat pump.  To help reduce the potential for damage from the frost, heat pumps are manufactured with a defrost cycle to melt the frost from the outdoor coil. The defrost cycle occurs often during heavy frost conditions, so check weather reports if your defrost cycle seems to be running often.

At the beginning of the defrost cycle, the heat pump switches to the cooling mode and temporarily warms up the outdoor coil until it reaches somewhere around 60° F to melt the frost from the coil. To increase the temperature of the coil, the outdoor fan is prevented from turning on until the outdoor coil reaches the desired temperature. Weather conditions and the timing device both affect the amount of time it takes for the heat pump to move through the entire defrost cycle.

In older homes, electric heating elements are sometimes installed to prevent cool air from being distributed throughout the home. This element will turn on with the defrost cycle and shut down the blower fan inside the house. If you have an older heat pump, you may want to consider upgrading to a more efficient model.

Call Air National Air Conditioning and Heating any time if you have questions about the defrost cycle for the heat pump in your Plant City home.

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Happy Martin Luther King Day from Your Tampa Area HVAC Contractor!

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Take some time today to think about how you, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., can serve your community. There are hundreds of things you can do to make this world a better place, from helping a neighbor to volunteering for your local homeless shelter. Everyone doing a little bit of extra service can make a big difference!

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Lacoochee Heating Repair Tip: Causes of Delayed Furnace Ignition

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Delayed ignition is usually accompanied by a loud banging or booming sound that resembles a small explosion in your gas appliance. In your Lacoochee home’s furnace, this can be terrifying and should never be ignored.

What Causes Delayed Ignition

Delayed ignition usually happens when you first turn on your furnace, often after a long delay between use, so usually early in the fall or late in the spring when you don’t necessarily have it on every day of the week.

What happens is moisture builds up over the course of a period of inactivity and begins to corrode the firebox in your furnace. That corrosion builds up to the point that it starts to block the ports that feed gas into the burners. When these ports get blocked, the burners down the line cannot light and when you flip the switch, they won’t light immediately.

Of course, while rust and corrosion are a risk, lint and dust can be equally problematic (and are more common if you don’t have your furnace cleaned properly each fall). Sulfur build up is also a possibility, as it is left behind by burning natural gas. It will appear as a layer of white on the surface of the burners or the pilot light.

When all of this happens and the ports are not cleaned properly, gas will build up in the chamber after it is turned on and, when it finally ignites, create the small boom sound. It doesn’t just sound like an explosion – it is one – and if ignored, it can become incredibly dangerous.

Solving the Problem

Delayed furnace ignition is an easy problem to avoid. All you need to do is have your furnace cleaned properly before turning it on each fall. A technician will clean the burners and ports and remove any dust, lint, rust or sulfur buildup that might block ignition and cause a delay.

When replacing your furnace, look for a device with corrosion resistant materials. You can learn more about these when it comes time to replace your furnace from a Lacoochee technician. Most importantly, be careful. It may be a small problem now, but if left to build up over time, that small boom can become a much larger one.

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Tampa Heating Repair – Review from Rhonda

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

There are a lot of high tech gadgets out there, but you don’t need them all. You want to make sure that you only get what is going to work for your home. And when you are choosing your HVAC contractor, you want one that has your best interests at heart, not one that will keep on trying to sell you the latest (and most expensive) equipment.

At Air National, we make sure always put the customer before the sale. We want you to be completely happy with your equipment, and never regret your decision later on. If you do find that your equipment is not working for you, we will do our best to fix it! Here is what Rhonda Cameron in Tampa wrote to us about her recent heating repair:

Just wanted to let you know that Eric and I figured out what the issue was… the much-dreaded “programmable” thermostat! I’m going to save up to afford to have Eric back to install the regular digital thermostat. Thanks so much for all your help, and Eric’s help. He’s the Best!

- Rhonda Cameron

Thanks Rhonda! We are glad that you had such a good experience with our team. Customer service is the most important part of our business, and we love to hear about how our technicians do!

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St. Pete Beach Heating Maintenance Tips: Basic Safety

Monday, January 9th, 2012

While you should schedule a yearly maintenance visit with a qualified HVAC technician to check for any safety concerns, you can also reduce potential safety hazards in the heating system of your St. Pete Beach home. Whether you have a furnace or a heat pump, you can substantially decrease the chances of dangerous situations with a few minor routine tasks.

If you have any questions about how to better maintain your heating system, give Air National a call to speak with one of our expert HVAC technicians. Here are a few guidelines to get you started.

Ventilation in Forced-air Systems:

  • Regularly vacuum and clean out your heating vents and fan blower.
  • Check the condition of your chimney and vent pipe to make sure that none of the parts are damaged or show signs of deterioration.
  • Test the thermostat occasionally to make sure your heating system is working at optimal levels. There could be a safety concern if your heater is not properly heating your home.

Heat Exchangers:

  • Heat exchangers should be inspected often to prevent carbon monoxide leaks. Check for any obvious issues, such as rust or other damages.
  • The heat exchanger for furnaces should be inspected by a professional once a year in case there are hidden problems with the equipment, or if any of the components need to be replaced.
  • Check the pilot light in gas furnaces for any flickers or changes in color. Have someone turn up the thermostat while you watch the light, but turn off the system for five minutes first. If there are any changes, there could be a problem with the heat exchanger. Call a professional if you suspect issues with your heat exchanger.

Heating Equipment Inspections and Adjustments:

  • Adjust the temperature settings if you suspect that the heater isn’t working properly, and if it doesn’t work call a professional heating technician, or if you aren’t sure how to locate or adjust the controls.
  • Check the overall equipment for cracks, rust, or any other obvious signs of damage or deterioration that could create safety hazards.

In addition to performing these tasks, call St. Pete Beach licensed heating contractor to inspect your heating system at least once a year.

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