August 31, 2009
It has definately been an extreme summer so far. We have set or tied 36 record highs already this summer and have set a record for the most days with a high over 95 ever. This has put a tremendous strain on all our air conditioning systems. And the summer is not over yet. We still have a long way to go until we need to crank up our heaters. Who knows what this winter will bring, but if it stays as dry as it has been I think we may be in for a record cold winter. I sure hope it rains soon.
July 31, 2009
I have been getting questions from customers asking "How long should my A/C Unit run to cool off my house?" The answer varies during different times of the year. With the record heat we have been having lately it should run a long time. Design conditions for Corpus Christi are 76 degrees inside at 95 degrees outside. That means if your air conditioner is sized according to design whenever it is 95 outside and you have your thermostat set at 76 the unit will run 100% of the time. On the average we have 4 hours a year over 94 degrees in Corpus Christi. This year we have totally blown that average away. We have had multiple days in June and July this year where we exceeded the annual average in just one day. This has put a burden on our air conditioners and if the system is sized properly then the temperature in the space will rise during the heat of the day and then come back down late at night. The normal differential is about 20 to 22 degrees, so if the temperature outside gets up to 100 then it may get to 78 to 80 in the space. If your system is maintaining 75 or 76 degrees on these extremely hot days and is even cycling off any time between about noon and 8pm then your system is oversized. The big disadvantage to being oversized is when it is not peak season the system will short cycle more. Short cycling of the system reduces the humidity control in the space and also greatly reduces the efficiency. The AC-Enhancer can help minimize some of the short cycling disadvantages but it is still better to have a properly sized system. See my previous tip about Bigger is NOT Better. It is Much Cheaper to run a smaller unit longer than it is to run a bigger unit shorter. So if your unit is running a lot and maybe not even quite keeping up during the heat of the day, that is normal for the extreme heat conditions we have been having.
July 20, 2009
Today's topic is drains. The typical 3 ton air conditioning system will remove about 20 to 30 gallons of water from the air per day. All of this water has to be drained from the A/C system into the sewage system of your home. This is normally done through a 3/4" pvc drain line. This line needs some attention periodically to keep it form clogging up. I recommend pouring a solution of diluted bleach water down the drain about every other month in the summer time and every three to four months in the winter. The solution should be about 1/4 cup bleach and 3/4 cup water. The system should be shut off before the solution is poured in the drain line. Let it set for about 5 minutes then flush it out with about a gallon of water. The solution should be poured down the drain line do not let it run into the pan of the unit. Running into the pan will cause corrosion on the coil and could lead to major problems. The solution is intended to kill the algae growing in the drain line. Algae loves the cool wet drain conditions. If the gallon of water that you pour down the drain line flows slowly or shows any resistance then you need to have your drain line serviced.
I feel that every drain should have a "Safety T" installed in it. This device is a float switch built into the drain line. If the drain backs up, it will shut the air conditioner off. While this is not a guarantee against drain overflows, it can stop a great many of them and is a great extra safety measure.
July 18, 2009
We set another record high of 99 today. With this record heat we are having, people are asking what they can do to save money on their cooling bills. Here is a link to some energy saving tips that will help. http://www.ccac-ac.com/EnergyTips.htm People are concerned about their air conditioners running a lot during this record heat. If your unit is sized properly then it will run non-stop during most of the day and may not be able to keep up. Depending on what you set your thermostat at. If you come in anytime between 2 and 8pm and turn the thermostat down even one degree it will take until about 10 to 12pm before it will cycle off. If your unit gets the temperature down sooner than that it is oversized. The problem with oversizing comes in when we are not in the peak of the summer and the system short cycles. This will drive your energy bills up and your comfort down.
July 14, 2009
I heard on the news last night that so far this summer we have had 37 days over 95 degrees for the high temperature. Last year up to this date we had a total of 1 day with a high of 95 or more. This has been an exceptionally hot year and has put a strain on everyone's air conditioning systems. If you have not had your system serviced for the summer, you need to. It can be costing you hundreds of dollars on energy and can make your home much less comfortable than it could be. If you have not had your AC-Enhancer installed yet, you really should. This reasonably priced unit can save money on your cooling bills and can make your home feel much more comfortable. See more info by clicking here.
July 13, 2009
We are currently working on a new and improved website design. This should make the website more user friendly and easier to search and find information. My son who graduated from A&M Corpus Christi this year with a Bachelors in Computer Science is reworking it for me. Since I am an AC guy not a computer programmer the website as it is kind of got out of hand. There is a lot of useful information here, but sometimes it is hard to find. We hope to have the new site up and running in the next couple of weeks.
April 17, 2009
The Federal Tax Credit for Energy improvement measures like most government programs is very confusing to most people. It is a Tax Credit and the details are still being worked out in Washington. Basically what it does is allows you a credit against your income tax liability for 30% of the installed price of the Energy Improvement Measure. The maximum credit allowed per year is $1500. The tricky part is making sure that your Measure qualifies. When it comes to High Efficiency Air Conditioning and Heat Pump systems be very CAREFUL. Most high efficiency systems DO NOT QUALIFY. It is very hard to reach the 16 SEER and 13 EER ratings for air conditioning systems. Many air conditioning systems can reach the 16 SEER, but few of them also hit the 13 EER. If you have the ARI Reference number for the system then you can go to ARI’s website at http://www.ahridirectory.org/ahridirectory/pages/ac/defaultSearch.aspx and put the number in where it asks and click on Search. This will give you an efficiency and capacity rating sheet for that match up. This sheet will show on it if the system meets the requirements for the Federal Tax Credit. If you are looking for Heat Pump match ups then go to http://www.ahridirectory.org/ahridirectory/pages/hp/defaultSearch.aspx.
April 15, 2009
Today is TAX DAY! The best way to start a true Tax Revolt that would be supported by just about everyone in the country is for the government to stop collecting payroll taxes every payday and to start requiring everyone to write a check for their entire tax liability all at once every April 15th. This way many of the people that think they are not paying taxes because they are getting their money back in the form of a rebate will realize just how much they are paying in taxes each year.
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