Fortunately, manufacturers are finding ways to consolidate these controls into programmable thermostats.

How We Grew Up

For many of us, appliances were few and controls were simple: there was a single switch to turn something on or off.  About as complicated as it got “in the old days” was to spin a little dial to raise the temperature in the winter after the sun went down.

In addition to the furnace, there was a television and likely something for music.  The refrigerator was just plugged in and ran until you couldn’t open the door any more and had to unplug it to defrost it.

Air conditioning, even in the most brutal of climates, was a cool breeze finally at dusk.  The invention of ceiling fans was certainly a breath of fresh air.

Surrender to Change

Ductless Split Air Conditioners changed our lives. Not only did they bring blessed relief, but they had that simple on/off switch and a dial so the cool temps were delivered effortlessly.

Today, controls of air conditioning units have become quite complicated.  For the best of intentions to increase efficiency and reduce costs and energy impacts on the environment, the dizzying set of adjustment options challenges the most patient of us to learn and effectively utilize. Without an advanced degree in engineering, the best features of a programmable thermostat may often go unused.

Hope for the Helpless

Manuals are there to teach us step by step how to turn on our air conditioning systems which are usually set on a pad outside and tastefully hidden behind a fence or shrubs and controlled by a thermostat and remote device from within.  Understanding the complications and variations, however, may take a good portion of our remaining lives and several revised eye prescriptions to manage.

Fortunately, saner minds are prevailing and devices are getting better inter-acting universally.  The introduction of smart phones and centralized home appliance system coordinators (CHASCs) bring many of the diverse demands for adjustments in our lives into a single hand-held bible of technology.

And if you can’t find that thick manual, it is surely somewhere online to be read from the tiny screen of your phone.

With the increase of demand and capability, fortunately, there is an equal invention of solutions to counterbalance the feelings of helplessness when groping through a pile of plastic buttons that all seem to do the same thing (or nothing at all).

Not only is the clutter a problem, but finding the right one for the right appliance can be the source for the dangerous rise in a heartbeat.  If you need any help with this please call Efficient Systems, we are always happy to help.

Easy Fixes Which Cool the House from the Heat of the Sun

• Provide effective shade for east and west facing windows, including planting shade trees around the exterior of the house
• Delay heat-generating activities until evening
• Keep the house closed tight during the day so that unwanted heat and humidity do not enter the home
• Ventilate at night with open windows and fans
• Use ceiling fans or room fans to increase comfort levels with higher air conditioning thermostat settings
• Try using a zone control system to limit the air conditioned rooms to only the areas of the home you use the most.
• Seal and insulate all air conditioning ducts, and seal leaky windows with caulk or weather stripping
• Install window shades, blinds, awnings, sunscreens, or apply low-e films to windows to block most solar rays which cause heat gain
• Close south and west-facing curtains during the day on windows which get direct sunlight, and invest in reflective solar curtains
• Upgrade the insulation in the attic
• Service the air conditioning unit annually, and place it in the shade with proper air flow to ensure it runs efficiently
• Install a house fan to cool the entire home at once as well as cool the attic above

Eliminate Internal Heat Sources

• Lessen stove and oven use during hot days and enjoy a backyard barbeque or cookout, keeping the heat out of the kitchen and in the great outdoors.  When cooking inside do so in the evening and employ use of the microwave, toaster-oven or counter-top grill which produces far less heat than the stove or oven.
• Switch to newer, compact fluorescent lights which use less energy and produce far less heat than incandescent lights
• Pass on the hot-drying cycle of the dishwasher and let dishes air dry, or dry them by hand
• Line-dry clothes rather than using the dryer, or use the lowest heat setting on the dryer
• Take shorter showers that are cooler, and turn on exhaust fans and open windows to properly ventilate the area, allowing excess heat to escape
• Turn computers and other electronics off when not in use, and use electronic devices such as TV’s less often throughout the day

Combining the various home fixes while eliminating internal heat sources can turn out to be the best ways to keep your home cool and save energy during hot summer months.  Just try some and see how that energy bill decreases!  Call Efficient Systems if you have any questions

The flame sensor is a rod that sits directly in the path of one of the burners in your furnace. When the burner is on, the flame passes by the tip of the flame sensor, heating it up. If the furnace is on but the flame sensor is not hot, the furnace automatically switches off to avoid a continuous gas leak. So, the flame sensor is a safety measure.

Sometimes, though, the furnace can be operating just fine, and the burners are firing perfectly, the flame sensor still sends the signal that there is no flame and shuts down the furnace. This is obviously a problem.

Often, this is just a symptom of build-up on the flame sensor that is insulating it and preventing it from heating properly. We strongly recommend that you call a professional to repair it; here are the steps that they will follow:

• Locate the flame sensor on the furnace. It is a thin metal rod that extends through a bracket and into the path of the flame as it is expelled from one of the burners.
• Turn off the power to the furnace.
• Loosen the bracket holding the flame sensor in place and gently withdraw it.
• Using fine grit sandpaper or emery cloth, gently rub away any combustion build-up that has accumulated on the end of the flame sensor.
• Making sure all the build-up has been removed, replace the flame sensor in the bracket. Turn the furnace back on to test it.

If all went well, the furnace should remain on now, until the desired heating temperature is reached.  Most often, the problem is as simple as giving the flame sensor a good cleaning up. Since you are dealing with quite delicate equipment, you can understand why it is so important to call in Efficient System if suspect a problem with your flame sensor.

Since the unit does not operate year round and can sometimes be shut down for months at a time, it is a good idea to keep it covered in order to protect it from the weather and debris such as leaves, dirt, or snow. The question is, when is it the right time to cover the air conditioner and shut down your air conditioning system?

Obviously the answer varies by regions of the U.S. But the reason is always the same – shut down the system when air conditioning is no longer needed. Once again, the answer varies but this time, because of personal comfort.

Let’s use a hypothetical example. Your indoor comfort level ranges from 60-75 degrees year round. The ambient temperature outside is 80 degrees or below. It is unlikely that you will turn on the air conditioner to bring down the indoor temperature, in spite of the higher outdoor temperature. And let’s assume that the 80 degrees or less will continue to go down over the next 30 days. Your decision to shut down the air conditioner looks even wiser.

But there are other reasons to shut down the air conditioning system besides temperature variations. The changes in seasons are marked by falling leaves, which may accumulate in or around your outdoor condensing unit. A cover on the unit will keep out the debris and leaves. So, it is best to cover the unit before the leaves stop falling.

Keep one thing in mind – if your condensing unit is covered and sealed too tight, you are inviting moisture build-up under the cover, which could lead to mold growth. If you cover the unit, leave a gap in the bottom so as not to restrict air flow under the cover.

In a nutshell, it is hard to give an exact time when to shut down an air conditioning system. Your comfort level will be the best indicator and the condition of your home also matters, too. For example, a lot of shade trees affect indoor temperatures as well as the amount of insulation in the walls, ceiling, and basement or crawl space.

Just remember to remove the cover on your condensing unit before you decide to use the air conditioner again!  If you need any help with this please call Efficient Systems.

Whether it’s a large central system on the side of the house or a small unit in the window, with proper care and air conditioner maintenance, it 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 pretty painting.
• Don’t just set a unit in the window and trust the sash to hold it in place–make sure it is fastened properly according to the directions;
• Don’t think it will run forever without cleaning the fins, vents and changing the filter at least once a heating season;
• Don’t leave the units exposed in winter–always remove from the window or 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–most likely a task performed by a professional, but you never know.
• Don’t remove the overload relay to force continuous running–VERY dangerous and a guarantee of damage.

Air conditioners–especially the ones fitting in windows–are pretty much “plug and go” appliances, but a little attention goes a long way to ensure years of comfort.  Call Efficient Systems with any question about taking care of your AC unit.

Ductless air conditioning offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the cost of installation is significantly lower than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with your contractor, so call Efficient Systems when you are ready to get started.

• Space – Make sure you have enough space for both the outdoor unit and the indoor evaporator coils.  If space is limited, there are smaller units that will use less and still provide a decent amount of cooling.
• Supply Registers – Make sure there are enough registers in your home, in the rooms where you need the cooled air. Insufficient depositing of cooled air won’t keep you cool and will run up your energy bill.
• Ducting – Check the duct work and make sure it can support an air conditioning system. Seal up any ducts leading into spaces you don’t want cooled like the attic or the basement.
• Condensing Unit – Clear away a space outside where your condensing unit will be placed. It should be clear of debris and be easy to maintain throughout the year, even in the winter when snow might block it in. It should also be easy to access for installation and annual maintenance.
• Sizing – When you call a professional, they should properly size your home and match it to a central air conditioner that fits your needs. Something too small won’t provide the level of cooling you need and something too large will cycle on and off frequently, costing you more money and putting unnecessary stress on the machine.

If you’re ready for a central air conditioner and want to start the processor, call a Beaumont HVAC professional, such as Efficient Systems, who can help you go through each of these issues and make sure your home is ready for the new device. Once you’ve done that, you can select a model and have it installed.

• Blower – The blower is a motor and fan blade assembly. If the blade touches the housing or if the motor needs a tune up, it might start to make excess noise. Loose screws, foreign objects, or a need for oiling or new parts will all cause noise problems but they are all easy fixes.
• Ductwork – If the sounds you’re hearing are in the ductwork or vents, it may be due to expansion and contraction in your ventilation system. This is normal and while it may be obnoxious, it tends not to persist during the hottest months as temperature won’t fluctuate as much.
• Bubbling Sounds – If you hear a gurgly or bubbly noise coming from your indoor unit, it may be due to a blockage in the condensate line. The easiest solution is to clean the condensate line and check for any clogs or blockages in the system.
• Clicking Sounds – If you hear a clicking sound, it is likely from the relay or contactor in the system. If this is the case, have a professional check it right away. Electrical problems are not to be taken lightly where your air conditioner is concerned.
• Foreign Objects – Sometimes, the condenser fan will make a lot of loud noise because foreign objects get stuck in there. Sticks, leaves, toys, food from small animals – it can all get stuck in the fans and make a tremendous amount of noise. Keep the area around your condenser unit clear of debris and check it often if you hear loud noises.

Most noises from your central air conditioning unit are explainable and can be fixed relatively easily. If you cannot find the source of the noise, however, and it is only getting worse, call Efficient Systems before the problem grows.