General

Despite the fact that the HVAC industry has been traditionally male-dominated, women in HVAC history have certainly made their mark and continue to do so. Let’s take a look at three ways that women have changed the industry over the years.

Mechanical Engineer Degree

Margaret Ingels was successful in helping pioneer inclusion within the HVAC industry by being the University of Kentucky’s first engineering graduate, which made her the second female engineering graduate in the United States. Her biggest educational feat, however, was as the first woman to receive a Mechanical Engineer degree, which she accomplished in 1920.

“Effective Temperature” Scale

Margaret Ingels worked primarily in air conditioning, with her biggest contribution being the “effective temperature” scale that helped improve home comfort. In addition to this incredible achievement, she also gave more than 200 speeches between 1932 and 1952 to both men and women who were interested in the HVAC industry.

Residential Gas Furnace

Alice Parker worked in the HVAC industry for many years and was the inventor of the residential natural gas furnace at a time when most homes were uses either coal or wood as their only source of fuel. Her contribution was a huge milestone because she disproved the believe that natural gas wouldn’t be an effective, nor safe, way to heat a home.

Bringing your HVAC contractor into your home renovations planning early so you can stay comfortable in your newly designed space. When the project is all done, you’ll have a fully functional and efficient way to keep the new or remodeled space comfortable with a minimal amount of effort.

Your our home renovation may mean different things for your HVAC options, like:

• Extending your existing system. You might be able to extend your HVAC system to condition the new or remodeled space. Your HVAC contractor will make a sizing calculation to see if it will have the capacity to take care of the new space.
• Adding a zoning system. If the sizing calculation indicates the current system is too small, you may still be able to use it by zoning your home. A zoning system uses mechanical dampers to divide your home into separate areas that will be heated and cooled separately from the others. Besides being able to use your current system, your home will be more comfortable and your conditioning bills may be lower.
• Replacing the current system. When your current system is too small or it’s reached the end of its lifespan, you may need to install an entirely new system. It’s possible you can fold its cost into the financing for the home renovations or generate an energy efficient loan if you meet the lender’s criteria.
• Installing a mini split ductless heat pump. These remarkable HVAC appliances provide heating and cooling without using ductwork to deliver the conditioned air. They’re ideal for home additions or retrofits. They offer high efficiency and are relatively easy to install. Each mini split has its own thermostat so when you’re not using the new space, you can just turn the system off or adjust the temperature.

One of the most confusing parts of owning or buying a new HVAC system is dealing with all the HVAC acronyms. Sometimes it feels like listening to a whole different language. BTU? VAV? WHAT?

OK, that last one isn’t a real HVAC acronym. It’s just the thought going through most North San Diego homeowners’ minds when they’re trying to make informed decisions about their HVAC needs. All the acronyms can be confusing. Let’s break down some of the most common.

Common HVAC Acronyms

• BTU. This stands for British Thermal Unit. It’s a unit used to measure heat. From a technical standpoint, it’s the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. From a practical perspective, it’s a way of measuring how much heat your A/C can remove from the air.
• BTU/H. You also have British Thermal Units per hour, which measure the amount of heat your A/C removes in a single hour.
• CFM. This acronym stands for cubic feet per minute. It’s a measure of air volume; specifically, how many cubic feet of air passes a specific point in the space of one minute. This measurement is one factor in determining how big an A/C unit you’ll need.
• FPM. This is feet per minute and refers to the speed of airflow. CFM measures how much air gets moved in a minute, while FPM measures how fast the air is moving. FPM is also a factor in determining the size of your HVAC system.
• VAV. A variable air volume system is a type of HVAC system that controls temperatures by adjusting air volume, or how much air it’s putting out. This is typically the type of system used in residential homes.
• CAV. A constant air volume system puts out the same amount of air at all times but changes the air temperature up and down to keep the room temperature constant. This type of system is more often found in smaller commercial buildings.

If you have pets, especially dogs that are easily excitable, aggressive, territorial or protective of you and your home, inviting an HVAC technician or other type of tradesman into your residence can be a special challenge. Not only do you not want a visitor to be attacked or bitten for his or her own sake, you certainly don’t want to face a lawsuit.

You and other pet owners should follow these tips for times when an HVAC technician or other worker is scheduled to visit for maintenance, a repair or an installation.

First of all, if you know there’s a chance your dog will attack a visitor, make sure you restrain it during the visit, outside in a fenced area, on a chain, or in a room with the door securely closed. For a lengthy service call, consider scheduling a day at the kennel for Fido.

If you’re fairly certain your pet will be okay with a visitor but don’t want to take chances, or think there might be some barking, warn the service worker on the phone that you have one or more pets. If the worker seems nervous about the situation, go ahead and remove your dog to a closed room or fenced yard. Introduce your dog to the technician, speaking in a quiet and confident voice. Suggest the worker call the dog by name.

If you have one or more cats, make sure their litter box(es) aren’t located anywhere near the furnace, A/C or heat pump that the technician will be working on. Ideally, move the cats into a closed room.

If you have one or more dogs that are prone to escaping the house, make sure the technician understands that he or she shouldn’t leave the door open when going in and out. Ask them to let you now if they’re going in and out.

Some homeowners find the idea of washable air filters appealing. For one thing, they free you from the cycle of buying, changing and discarding air filters. Not only do you save money, but those disposable air filters you didn’t buy don’t end up in the landfill. Washable filters — also known as electrostatic or permanent filters — cost more, but can also pay for themselves over time and bear looking into.

Disposable air filters, be they inexpensive, fiberglass types or high quality, dense, pleated filters, work in basically the same way — by trapping particles in the fibers as the return air is drawn into the HVAC.

Washable air filters, which are made of several layers of vented metal, catch particles by static attraction as the air passes through the HVAC. Over time, the particles will collect on the filter and need washing away, or the filter will cease to become effective.

Electrostatic air filters do a pretty good job collecting dust particles but are not necessarily effective at stopping such particles as mold spores and pet dander. However, many homeowners find the advantages of not always having to change the air filter of sufficient appeal that they’re willing to make the switch to electrostatic.

If you decide to switch to these filters, bear in mind they need to be washed every 1-3 months. With some models, it’s necessary to take them apart and scrub the layers — an action that, with time, can wear out the filters so that they are no longer effective. Also, they must be dried thoroughly before they are put back together and re-installed into the HVAC unit.

As mentioned above, electrostatic filters also relieve the homeowner of the chore of always replacing and discarding air filters. And although they won’t last forever, they should last a long time: from three to five years on average.

Mobile apps have come home. Many smartphone and tablet apps now help you manage your household and the home’s physical infrastructure to keep you on a maintenance schedule, guide you through how-to projects and help plan home improvements. Managing house and home is easier when you can utilize mobile apps to organize short-term and long-term priorities as well as access professional expertise. Here are some of the leading mobile apps on the home front:

• HomeSavvy helps you schedule home maintenance tasks. Repetitive chores such as yard and garden work, keeping track of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and scheduling professional service like annual HVAC preventive maintenance are easily entered. The app then sends you reminder alerts and includes prompts for products at local businesses you may need to get the job done.
• Billminder won’t let you forget. Paying bills can be hard enough but remembering to do so is sometimes challenging, too. When household bills mount up, Billminder sends you alerts to remind you of due dates. It can also help you set-up autopay options for applicable monthly bills.
• Photo Measures measures up. When thinking about remodels or home improvements, an actual photo image with measurements added greatly aids in planning and visualizing alterations. Photo Measures lets you take a high-resolution image of any room and then write in relevant measurements anywhere in the photo.
• Fix My AC keeps your cool. If your air conditioning system lets you down this summer, Fix My AC provides some simple DIY troubleshooting you can try to restore cool comfort. It also lets you know when its time to call in qualified professional air conditioning service to take repair to the next level.
• How Your House Works is a learning experience. For a primer on home functions like plumbing, HVAC and electrical, this app gives you basic theory and application as well as instructions for common DIY tasks. Illustrations, diagrams and other know-how make it easy.