HVAC Maintenance Lyon Real Estate
Sierra Oaks Office

So what the heck does HVAC mean anyway? It’s familiar enough, but really only in a vague sense. Maybe it's some form of emergency evacuation or possibly a certain kind of high-powered vacuum. Then again, perhaps it’s a promising new vaccination to cure a threatening disease. Well, it’s not any of those things and it’s really not all that intimidating, once you know what it is!

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. It is essentially the category of heating, venting or cooling systems for your home. If you heat with a furnace or boiler, those are HVAC systems. If you cool with a room or central air conditioner or own an air purifier, those are HVAC systems.

Usually, the knowledge of one’s heating, venting and cooling systems begins and ends with the control panel or thermostat. Turn the dial up when you want heat and turn the dial down when you want A/C. Turn the knob to ventilation and get fresh outside air. If only it were that simple.
   
Blowing In The Wind:  Duct Leakage
 

Not properly maintaining your HVAC systems is unnecessarily costing you each and every month on your energy bills.  In fact, you could be throwing as much as 20% of heated or colled air to the wnd just by not repairing air duct leaks.  For the typical family that means about $150 a year down the tubes!

One out of six homes has a supply duct with a major disconnect.  Could you be one of them?
 
If you are, here are some compelling reasons to do something about it.
Health: Air leaks in the return duct could be harmful to your health because they may contain fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles and dust. These items can aggravate existing asthma and allergy problems.

Safety: Duct leaks can cause equipment to backdraft (i.e., when combustion gases flow back into your home, instead of out the vents). If fireplaces, wood stoves, water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers or other combustion devices are in these depressurized areas, invisible gases, such as carbon monoxide (CO), can backdraft into your home instead of going up the chimney.

Comfort: Properly sizing and sealing your ducts can help you breathe easier by improving your indoor air quality, reducing the risk of pollutants entering and circulating through your home.

Protect the Environment: Energy generation and use is the single largest contributor to air pollution. If you're wasting up to 20% of your heating and cooling systems' performance through leaky ducts, your home is using more energy to get the same job done. By sealing your ducts and reducing the amount of energy necessary to comfortably heat or cool your home, you will reduce the amount of air pollution generated.

Getting Your Ducts In A Row

To improve your ducts, 1) Identify any leaks with diagnostic equipment; 2) Seal your ducts with mastic, metal-backed tape, or aerosol sealant. Do NOT use duct tape; it can not withstand high temperatures and will not last; 3) Test airflow out of the registers after ducts are sealed; 4) Insulate your ducts where it counts to keep the air at its desired temperature as it moves through the system. Use a duct insulation material rated at R-6 to insulate ducts located in unconditioned spaces such as the attic; 5) Conduct a combustion safety test after ducts are sealed to be sure all gas or oil-burning appliances are working properly.

Checkpoints

To keep your HVAC systems in top condition and prevent problems before they occur, maintenance should be done annually. Here's a checklist to help ensure that service maintenance will keep your comfort system operating at peak performance whether you do the work yourself or you hire a contractor.

Point 1: Check thermostat settings and calibration. Improper settings or a poorly calibrated thermostat can cycle your heating and cooling equipment improperly, costing you more money and delivering unacceptable comfort levels;

Point 2: Clean evaporator (indoor) and condenser air conditioning (outdoor) coils. Dirty evaporator and condenser coils reduce the system's ability to air condition your home. This means the air conditioning system runs longer, costing you more energy dollars and decreasing the life of the equipment;

Point 3: Check refrigerant operating pressures and adjust charge if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant charge can damage the compressor in your air conditioner, reducing the life of your equipment while increasing your electric energy costs and reducing system efficiency;

Point 4: Clean and adjust blower components and measure for correct airflow. Clean blower components and adequate airflow provide greater comfort levels and enhance equipment efficiency and reliability. Inadequate airflow can result in a loss of up to 15% of the system's efficiency, costing you more to operate;

Point 5: Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system. The wrong voltage and current can damage and reduce the life of several major components including the compressor, evaporator and other motors;

Point 6: Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can lead to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper or incomplete combustion making the equipment less safe and efficient;

Point 7: Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increase electrical energy consumption. Improper lubrication can destroy the bearings and cause the motor to burn out;

Point 8: Check and inspect the condensate drain. Condensate drains are required on heating equipment that produces water (condensate) as a by-product of the combustion process and on indoor air conditioning equipment. A plugged condensate drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity and mold levels;

Point 9: Check controls and starting capabilities of the system. Safety controls are important to ensure the proper and safe operation of your system. Checking the starting cycle of the equipment assures you that the system will start, operate and shut off properly;

Point 10: Last, but certainly not least, inspect, clean or change air filters. Be sure to change or clean your filter monthly. A dirty filter causes energy costs to be higher than they should be and can damage the equipment, leading to early failures.

For More Information

The Energy Coalition at 949-497-5110 ENERGY STAR Hotline at 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937) or at www.energystar.gov Southern California Edison: Assistance and Home Improvement Rebates at 800-736-4777 or www.sce.com