Custom Climate Control, Inc.

07/31/2021

I haven't posted here for a while but something happened so I thought it may be a good time. Earlier this week I was asked to be interviewed for a news story on all the A/C units that were going to go down in the heat and what could be done to prevent it. HIs 1st surprise came when I said that I don't see a lot of breakdowns this time of year.

Most thinks mechanical will fail when you try to start them after they have sat for months unused. Gee that kinda sounds like an A/C unit doesn't it. When they sit for a long time the oil tends to drain down so the startup is dry, and things that sit for a while tend to want to stick in the position they have sat in.

The 2nd surprise came when I told him when it gets this hot most systems don't shut off so they don't have the shock of the initial starting torque that happens to get things to start moving.

One thing that did not get mentioned was that while we see temperatures over 100 at times, it is not uncommon for the desert Southwest to see temperatures climb over 115. Most companies don't make a special unit for the extremes of one part of the country over another so the same unit for your house is probably on a house in the Southwest.

On the part that did air I talked about keeping landscaping away from the unit, 2' minimum. The unit needs to breath and without proper space air coming off the unit which can be a much as 30° hotter than the surrounding air gets recirculated which only makes things hotter.

Another tip I brought out was to keep the unit clean. If you do this yourself you need to be careful that you are not just packing the dirt, grass, lint, cottonwood seed, etc. If this stuff doesn't get washed out it just packs in and makes it even harder for the unit to breath. I think this is a good place for a reminder to change your filter often.

Finally, while there are a lot of fine points that can be gone over another main one is to keep the thermostat set at one temperature instead of raising and lowering it. Adjusting the temperature at different time during the day is fine in moderate weather but when it gets to the extremes it is harder for the system to catch up that to maintain. Also during the extended off time when the temperature is set up more humidity has a chance to settle into your house which then needs to be removed later.

Have a great rest of the summer.

05/02/2020

How about an easier question than the last one?

When should the filer in your HVAC system be changed?

A). When it is dirty
B). Before it is dirty
C). Never
D). Monthly.

I don't know if you have been seeing the answers so I will put it below along with an explanation.

Answer: D Monthly

I put "never" for an option because there have been some cases where the occupant did not know here was a filter or where it was so it had not been changed while they were there.

If you changed it is dirty it is already to late, it has restricted air flow for a while which has increased your utility bill and maybe put some undue stress on the equipment.

If you change it before it gets dirty is actually the best answer but very few people have a way of knowing when that is. If yo don't know when that is how will you know when to change it. There is a specific reading that dictates when it is time and I won't get into that since few if any have the needed gauges to get those readings.

That is why monthly is the answer. Not all but most system see enough dust in a month that they should be changed. Also it is easy to put a reminder to do it the same time each month.

One other thing to point out here if you have a permanent filter it should be cleaned monthly.

Finally there are some filers that are designed to go for 6 months to a year. These are not found at most hardware stores so be careful of the 1" filters that claim an extended life. The annual filters have a special cabinet that they must go into to function properly and have much better filtering capabilities.

Have a great day and even better week.

04/27/2020

Did you see this post earlier? Did you play at home or just let it pass? I have added the answer to the bottom.

You have a room, over the course of a year you have very accurate temperature and humidity measurements taken. When did the room have the most heat in it?

A) 68.08° / 54.6% RH
B) 70.37° / 47.33% RH
C) 72.71° / 40.71% RH
D) 74.93° / 35.10% RH

I will give the answer later to give you some time to think on it. The answer to last weeks question if you missed it is in the replies with the post.

The Answer:
In simple terms it was a trick question. Those temperatures and humidities posted were picked because they all have the same BTU {heat} per pound so in simple terms they were all the same.

But we know life is seldom that simple and it is not here either. You see at the temperature of air goes up the air expands so even though the room size is the same the pounds of air {yes air has weight} is less. With this being the case the measurement with the lowest temperature actually contained the most heat because there was more pounds of air in the room at that time.

Why this is important:
When moisture is added in the winter or removed in the summer the space gets more comfortable. By removing moisture the total heat of the space goes down so you can feel cooler at a warmer temperature. Or by adding moisture in the winter you can feel warmer at a cooler temperature. Lowering your setting in the winter and raising it in the summer cuts the utility bill and you can stay comfortable with the control of the moisture in the air.

04/18/2020

Here is something for you to think about while staying home.

If you put a refrigerator into a sealed, insulated room with no other source of heating, cooling, or air. You plug in the fridge, open the doors, unscrew the light and leave the room. What will happen?

A). nothing the room will stay the same temperature.
B). the room will get warmer.
C). the room will get colder

I will give the answer after some people have had a chance to respond and explain why. Enjoy.

10/31/2019

10/31/2019

Happy Halloween

10/03/2018

The Basics of Preparing Your Furnace for Winter http://vlnk.io/2RmJeeo

09/04/2018

How Extreme Temperature Affects Your Heating & Cooling System https://vlnk.io/2Q5TLKr

08/23/2018

Simple Changes That Can Improve Your AC Unit’s Performance https://vlnk.io/2wjh36v

07/12/2018

Beatrice’s Heating Repair Specialist Explains Why Honesty Is Important in the HVAC Industry https://vlnk.io/2utPHtl