The Central Pasco Business of The Year was awarded to Ierna’s Heating & Cooling!
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Ierna’s Heating & Cooling: Central Pasco Business of The Year!
Friday, July 13th, 2012Tampa Air Conditioning Repair Tip: Causes of My AC Freezing Up
Monday, June 4th, 2012If you have ever experienced a frozen air conditioning system in Tampa, you know the symptoms. The house is too warm. Water may be dripping from the ceiling. Sometimes you can hear the system running, but there is no cool air coming out of the vents. Ice and frost have built up in your air conditioning system, rendering it all but useless.
Yes, you may know what the problem looks like, but how about what causes it? Or better yet, how to fix it?
Dirt
The most common cause of a frozen air conditioning system is a dirty air filter. Clean or replace the filter according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Turn the air conditioning system off, and just run the fan. This will help thaw the ice and get things running again.
It could also be that the cooling coil or evaporator coil is dirty. In this case, air flow will gradually decrease over time, but you may not notice until the system freezes up. If the coil is dirty, or if the system freezes again after replacing the filter, call a Tampa AC professional.
Low Refrigerant
Your air conditioning system is a closed loop, so refrigerant is meant to stay within the system without needing to be replaced or replenished. Over time, though, the AC system can develop leaks, which can cause freezing problems. Common culprits that can lead to a refrigerant leak include:
- Friction against the piping
- Open valves
- Weak solder joints, or
- Loose fittings
The only way to correctly diagnose and repair a refrigerant leak is to have a certified AC technician inspect it for himself.
Needs Repair
Finally, the problem could be that some part of the AC system is defective, faulty or otherwise in need of repair. The blower motor or the attached relay may not be working properly, which can cause freezing. When this happens, professional repair is the only recourse.
Now that you are able to figure what is causing your AC system to freeze up, call Ierna’s Heating & Cooling today get it fixed, so you can stop dealing with the dripping ceiling and start enjoying the nice, cool air.
Tampa AC Tip: Things You Should Never Do To Your Air Conditioner
Monday, April 23rd, 2012If you have a central system air conditioning system, with proper care and maintenance, your Tampa air conditioner should last for a decade or two. Sometimes, however, people can do simple things which, in retrospect, should have obviously been avoided.
Some examples:
- Don’t block the air intake–air is vital to the process, so laying anything over the unit (a towel or clothes to dry) will significantly strain the motor. Always make sure there is enough clearance.
- Don’t block the vents–likewise in a home, it is easy to move a sofa or lay an area rug over a grate in the floor or cover an unsightly vent in the wall with a curtain.
- Don’t think it will run forever without cleaning the fins, vents and changing the filter at least once a cooling season;
- Don’t leave the units exposed in winter–always cover when not in use for long periods of time;
- Don’t bury the condensate drain in the ground–in central units it is vital that the drain is left with a clear flow away from the house;
- Don’t install the central unit on the ground–there are pre-made pads or mix up a little concrete and have the satisfaction of pouring a nice little pad yourself (and you can write your name in it too).
- Don’t steam clean or use hot water to clean the fins–damage and corrosion can easily be caused by the heat; flush with warm water or spray.
- Don’t overload the system with refrigerant–adding refrigerant should always be a task performed by a Tampa air conditioning professional.
- Don’t remove the overload relay to force continuous running–VERY dangerous and a guarantee of damage.
Air conditioners are pretty low maintenance appliances, but a little attention goes a long way to ensure years of comfort. For any more information about how to keep your air conditioner in top working condition, give Ierna’s Heating & Cooling a call!
Tampa Air Conditioning Guide: Air Duct Components and Controls
Monday, April 16th, 2012While the purpose of your Tampa air conditioning is to provide unobtrusive comfort, the components under the floor, behind the walls, alongside of the house or up on the roof are very real.
Basic Conditioning
Based on the principal that heat gravitates to cooler temperatures, most systems of air conditioning utilize a process of making a chemical rapidly transform from gas to liquid and back again to absorb and redistribute unwanted heat. Known as refrigerants, these chemicals are chosen for their properties to expand and contract at low temperatures. Pressure is added by a compressor or released in coils to accelerate the transformation.
Likewise (and more obviously), heat is produced typically by a controlled flame and transferred to the air. In both cases, at an exchange point, the air is conditioned and blowers circulate the air to and from the rooms through the ductwork.
Ductwork
Forced air heat in many older homes have ductwork that is in bad repair. They are commonly made of metal, take up a lot of space and are prone to rattle. The one big advantage, it was discovered, was that they were all set in place to distribute cool air as well as heat.
Advances in technology have increased the insulation capacities and decreased the sizes of ductwork so that more and more space can be treated with better value and less structural impact. This is due in large part to the highly efficient Tampa heating and cooling systems which are available today.
Enhancing Control
Although the movement of air is fairly simple, efficiency is increased by controls that monitor, increase and decrease the amount and temperature, isolate sections and filters and adjusts humidity. What began as a simple manual turn of a lever, technology again now makes possible fully automatic control of everything from a remote location with a smart phone.
In between are thermostats, dampers, zone controls and relay switches to accommodate all of the many varieties we have found to take care of our most basic creature comfort.
If you have any questions about your air conditioner’s components or controls, give Ierna’s Heating & Cooling a call!
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