Sherlock Air

North County’s Trusted Plumbing, Heating & Air Experts Where Comfort Is Elementary

hls_admin

Is Summer the Right Time to Replace Your Heater?

by

Get Your Home Ready for Winter – Replace Your Heater in the Summer!

 

Summer fun and sun probably don’t conjure up thoughts about heater replacements. However, there are several reasons why this time of year—with the birds singing and the air conditioner humming in the background—may actually be the best time to think about upgrading your heating system.

 

Is It Time For A Change?

 

Furnace life expectancy varies according to how well the unit’s maintained plus the local climate and average annual days of operation. Generally speaking, a gas-fired furnace that is standard in most residences today can be expected to last 15 to 20 years. As that time frame elapses, heating performance can decline, and furnace energy efficiency may no longer meet current standards, causing higher monthly bills. Increasing wear and tear often forces decisions about whether to invest more money in expensive repairs or upgrade now to a new, more reliable and efficient unit.

Here are some more reasons that this summer may be the best time to consider heater replacements:

  • Off-season prices and selection. Once the weather starts cooling down, furnace demand will increase and prices naturally rise. In summer, conversely, demand is low, dealers offer more attractive prices to keep volume up and a wider selection of units—including last year’s models at substantial discount—is available.
  • Taking your time. Summer weather offers time to shop around and consider all the available options at your convenience. Conversely, if you put off replacing a heater until it unexpectedly fails during the coming winter, you’ll probably be under pressure to make a snap decision. That’s never the best time to shop.
  • Maybe you want a package deal? Central air conditioners typically have a shorter expected service life than a gas-fired furnace. If your A/C unit has also seen better days, replacing both the furnace and the air conditioner at the same time may be the most viable option as well as get you a better deal. Unit prices may be lower and installation costs less when you are replacing the entire system.


Understanding Air Conditioner Efficiency Ratings

by

 

Shopping for a new central air conditioner lacking a familiarity with air conditioner ratings is like going hiking barefoot. You’re not going to get very far. Ratings that show the cooling efficiency of an air conditioning system (in effect, how well the system converts electricity into cooling) will help you get the right AC for your San Diego-area home.

 

About SEER Ratings

 

The most common residential central cooling system in Southern California (and the U.S. as a whole) is the split-system AC or heat pump. It has one component (the air handler/evaporator coil) inside the house and another (the condenser/compressor) outside. The main efficiency rating applied to split-systems is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The number — running from 13 to 25 in the U.S. — is calculated by dividing cooling output by the electrical power that goes into the equipment. The higher the number, the more efficient the AC or heat pump.

 

What Does Energy Star Mean for Air Conditioners?

 

Manufacturers in California are prohibited from selling split-system ACs with SEER numbers below 14. Heat pump ACs must have at least SEER 15. In order to qualify for the federal government’s energy-efficiency credential, the Energy Star, a split system air conditioner and heat pump must boast SEER 15 or above.

The higher efficiency does cost money, however, with incremental increases in SEER amounting to hundreds of dollars. A homeowner shopping for a new central AC should consider how much use they expect to get out of their new cooling system. A family that runs the AC constantly and expects to live in the same home for the foreseeable future should consider investing in a high-SEER AC or heat pump. Over time, the lower operating costs will pay for the extra upfront cost. However, someone who doesn’t plan to stay in the same home more than a few years, or is out of town a lot, is probably better off with a low-end SEER system. Consult with your trusted HVAC contractor before deciding on a replacement AC system.

 

 

Preventing Short Cycling for Your A/C Unit

by

It’s fairly easy to determine if your home’s A/C unit is short cycling. You’ll notice that the equipment repeatedly comes on, runs for just a short period of time, then shuts off again. These too-short cycles make it impossible to properly cool or dehumidify your home, and they can also adversely affect your A/C’s energy efficiency and life expectancy.

 

Why Proper Cycle Length Matters

 

When an air conditioner is operating normally, it starts up, runs until it reaches the thermostat temperature setting, then shuts off. Whenever the room temperature rises again the cycle repeats, typically two to three times per hour. If your A/C runs for too short a time instead, it won’t cool your home to a comfortable level. Repeated brief cycling also wastes energy and puts unnecessary strain on the cooling system’s components, making them more likely to break down and wear out prematurely.

 

Ways to Deal With Short Cycling

 

To prevent cycling problems, it’s good to know some of the possible causes, and whether you can fix the issue yourself or you need the help of an experienced HVAC pro to diagnose and correct the underlying problem, which may be:

  • Clogged air filter. A badly-clogged air filter can cause severe airflow restrictions that lead to cycling problems. In this case, putting in a fresh filter regularly should be a long-term solution.
  • Dirty evaporator coil. If there’s a coating of debris on the coil that’s interfering with the heat transfer process, it can affect the cycle length. Having the coils cleaned during annual preventive maintenance should be the cure.
  • Low refrigerant. If the refrigerant level is too low, the system’s airflow will drop, resulting in short cycling. To solve this, a technician will need to check for and fix any leaks, then top up the refrigerant.
  • Oversized equipment. Too much capacity can cause brief cycling and ineffective cooling. To correct this, your HVAC pro can do a load calculation and offer you properly-sized new equipment options.

 

Reasons to Avoid Closing Registers for Temperature Control

by

When indoor temperature control becomes an issue, closing HVAC registers seems like a no-brainer. After all, by keeping conditioned air out of certain rooms where you don’t need it, you can keep the rest of the house comfortable plus save money by not wasting unwanted heating or cooling.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Your HVAC units and ductwork system are designed and engineered to work together to deliver a specific volume of air to each and every room based on the square footage of the room. That careful equilibrium can be affected by closing one or more registers. Here are some of the unintended consequences that can result:

 

No energy savings.

Your HVAC system doesn’t know whether all registers in the house are open or not. It just keeps producing the same volume of heated or cooled air—and consuming the same amount of energy—until the thermostat setting is achieved.

Inconsistent comfort.

Supply air volume into each room is controlled by adjusting internal dampers located inside the
branch ducts. This ensures appropriate airflow volume to maintain consistent temperatures whether a room is located close to the system blower or far away. Closing one or more supply registers disrupts airflow balance and temperatures throughout the entire system. Rooms closest to the blower may receive too much airflow while rooms far away may not get enough.

Pressure imbalances.

Supply registers may be closed to stop airflow but return registers remain open at all times. Therefore, the return system continues to draw air out of the room even when there is no supply air entering. This discrepancy depressurizes the room and/or part of the house. A depressurized room draws unfiltered cold or hot outdoor air into the room through small structural cracks and gaps. This infiltrating air destabilizes room temperature and can degrade indoor air quality.

More wear and tear.

Closing supply vents increases static pressure inside the supply ductwork which in turn stresses the system blower, potentially leading to shorter service life of that component.


Everything You Need to Know About the Phase Out of R-22 Refrigerant in 2020

by

 

If you have an HVAC system that’s more than a few years old, chances are it uses R-22 refrigerant. R-22 was standard in air conditioners for years. However, as of Jan. 1, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer allow it to be manufactured in the United States or imported from other countries. What’s the problem, and what alternatives are there for your A/C?

 

R-22 Phaseout

 

R-22 refrigerant is used to cool the air in your HVAC system before it’s circulated through your home. The substance was ultimately found to be extremely hazardous to the environment. If it leaks out of your system, it can damage the ozone. Additionally, the manufacturer of R-22 releases byproducts into the air that are also extremely harmful.

Because of this, the EPA has been working to phase out the use of R-22 since 2004. They stopped it from being used in new HVAC systems beginning in 2010, only allowing it for the repair of existing units. Now, beginning in 2020, even that option will go away and R-22 will be outlawed entirely.

 

Alternatives to R-22

 

If your A/C still runs on R-22 refrigerant, you still have a few options if you need yours recharged. You can still obtain R-22 that’s been reclaimed from old systems, but it’s scarcity will cause the price to increase dramatically. There’s also a more environmentally friendly replacement called R-410A. Beware, though: It’s not necessarily a simple case of swapping out one refrigerant for another, and in many cases, you may need a whole new system.

Also keep in mind that since R-22 hasn’t been used in new units since 2010, in 2020, your system will likely be at least 10 years old, which is close to the age when you should replace your A/C anyway. Rather than paying an exorbitant amount to replace a refrigerant that’s harming the environment, why not invest in a new system that’s more efficient and better for the planet?

 

High Ceilings: HVAC Pros and Cons

by

 

A home with vaulted or cathedral ceilings draws the eye upward and lets you show off beautiful craftsmanship and features like exposed beams, skylights, and chandeliers. But did you know that these high ceilings could affect your HVAC system and energy bills? Read on to learn more about the relationship between ceiling height and HVAC — and what you should do about it.

 

High Ceilings = More Space

 

Higher ceilings increase the space to be heated or cooled by your HVAC system. Therefore, if you move from a home with low ceilings to one with cathedral ceilings, you can expect your system’s workload to increase. As a result, you’ll end up with higher energy bills.

The good news is that you can do several things to compensate for the elevated ceilings, one of them being installing a right-sized HVAC system. Have a contractor size the system adequately, taking square footage, ceiling height, and other factors into consideration.

 

Ductwork Design

 

High ceilings can also reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency due to ductwork design. Remember: Hot air rises. That implies that most of your home’s heat will drift to the ceiling in the winter. In the summer, the air conditioner will have to labor to cool the extra room.

Rather than giving up your high-level ceiling, you can work with a professional to incorporate a low- and high-return air register into the room. In the summer, you can shut down the lower return with dampers or magnetic covers and allow the high return to remove heat from the ceiling. This facilitates better cool-air buildup. In the winter, you’ll need to do the opposite.

 

Ceiling Fans

 

Ceiling fans help distribute heated or cooled air more efficiently in rooms with high ceilings. In the winter, run the fan blades clockwise to remove heat from the ceiling and push it downward. Reverse the fan’s rotation in the summer to stir up a breeze that makes you feel cooler.