Tag: ac air filter

Common Furnace Problems

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Most Common Furnace Problems

Is your furnace blowing cold air instead of a blast of warm air? Are you experiencing a loud noise coming from your furnace and are not quite sure what to do about it? Such issues are a sign of problems with your HVAC system and will be the source of worry when the winter season comes knocking at your door. Knowing the common warnings can help you take the necessary corrective measures in good time so that you can have your furnace working in at optimal capacity. AC Man Of Houston came up with a list of the 4 most common furnace problems that people come across. The top furnace problems are listed below in no particular order.

1. Loud Grinding Noise

Scraping sounds that are similar to that of metal rubbing against another metal is a sure indication of something going wrong with the blower wheel. When the furnace starts making such a loud noise, then you want to switch off the machine and call AC Man Of Houston to check your furnace immediately. The issue with the blower wheel may vary so it is important to get an expert furnace repair specialist to come out and take a look. It could be that the wheel is loose and only needs to be tightened, that is if it is not damaged. If it is damaged, then the blower wheel will have to be replaced. The problem could also potentially be a broken motor mount which can be the primary cause for the entire blower assembly shaking.

2. Loud Bang When Your Furnace Kicks On

Know there may be several things going wrong when you hear your furnace making loud popping noises when it starts to run. The two likeliest culprits would be the ignitor or furnace burner are dusty, and this keeps the burning from igniting. The result of that is a buildup of gas in the furnace that then creates the loud noise. If left unchecked, it can eventually cause the heat exchanger to crack. Moreover, it is a notable problem that poses significant safety concerns and it must be taken care of immediately. Furnace repairs may require the replacement of the heat exchanger and can also help prevent a carbon monoxide leak which in many cases can be fatal. The cause of the loud bangs may also be due to the expansion and contraction of the air ducts when the system starts blowing hot air and then the cooling after that finally begins once the furnace is off. Most homeowners with HVAC systems that have metal ducts are not new to such an annoyance. If the cause of the loud noise is the air ducts, the issue at hand could be with obstructed vents, a clogged air filter or undersized ducts.

3. Whining Noise

In case the furnace produces a high-pitched sound, the problem may be with the shaft bearings that need oiling or with the blower motor or blower belt that are faulty. If you run the furnace seasonally, then it may be easy for you to pinpoint the problems and have them fixed. You may want to get advice from an expert furnace repair specialist from AC Man Of Houston. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today. We are more than happy to help you with all of your furnace repair questions and concerns. We can help improve your indoor air quality today.

4. Furnace Blasting Cold Air

If the HVAC is producing cold air, then the issue may be due to a number of different reasons. The thermostat should be the first thing to check, which is also what any heating equipment technician will start with before looking at any other potential problems. You should check if the system is set to ‘auto’ and not ‘on’ so that the thermostat does not blow continuously and not releasing heated air. Setting it to ‘auto’ ensures that the machine only blows when the sensors can sense the need to heat up the air in the room. After the thermostat, the next thing to check are the air filters. Changing the filters every month is highly recommended because it keeps them from getting dusty and clogged up. The dust and blockage restrict the movement of air through the filters into and out of the furnace. The result of this is an overheated HVAC system which causes the equipment to stop working. The ductwork could also be the problem in that it may be installed incorrectly, it is leaking, or the wrong design was used. Such issues with the ducts could also cause the system to blow cold air and have it running continuously trying to achieve the desired heat or for a more extended period than expected to warm up the place. Besides the things mentioned above, that may be the reason behind your HVAC system blasting cold air, other causes of the heating inadequacy include normal wear and tear of the system.

For more information about common furnace problems and other related content, make sure to check our blog. If you would like to speak with a professional furnace repair specialist contact us today by giving us a call at (713) 460-2653.

Air Conditioning Repair Houston Company: The Ultimate Maintenance Checklist For Your AC System

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Houston AC Repair Company: A Master Checklist To For Standard Air Conditioning Maintenance?

Just like your car needs maintenance on a regular basis to run properly and smoothly, your air conditions also need to have care on a regular basis. Caring for your air conditioner proactively will help to extend your unit’s life, and also save you a lot of money on Houston AC repair and replacement expenses. Something as basic as changing your unit’s air filter can also prolong its efficiency and improve your home’s air quality. Soon, many homeowners will be seeking relief from the summer heat that comes from an air conditioning system from AC Man Of Houston. You need your system not only to cool your house the first day that it gets hot outside but each time you turn on your air conditioning system this summer for your commercial or residential property.

Essential Indoor Equipment For Your Overall Health And Well Being

Start with the thermostat on “off” and the temperature turned to around 80 degrees. The steps below serve as a guide to help you understand whether your air conditioning system needs maintenance. By checking through the list below you can avoid high costs of repair by making sure to stay on track with your ac system. Check the following:

1. Check out the thermostat.

Is it an outdated one? You can save energy and money by installing a new programmable thermostat.

2. Any exposed ductwork should be checked for wear

That can be a source of inefficiency or cooling loss in the house.

3. Check out the air vents that are around your house

Remove all items that might block airflows, like toys, furniture, or drapes.

4. Check out the drain line

The drain is located near the indoor cooling coil, usually mounted to the basement over the furniture. Flushing a cup of chlorine bleach down the air conditioning drain and rinsing it with one gallon of water, will help your drain stay clear all summer long. Drain lines on your air conditioner can become clogged whenever there if dirt build-up that the indoor coil collects. Clogged AC line damage can occur whenever the A/C drain line becomes clogged. Whenever the drain line gets clogged, there still needs to be somewhere for the water to go. At first, there will be a back-up of water inside of the drain pan. That can result in your home suffering serious water damage. Your drains lines should be professionally cleaned once a year at least.

5. Change the air filter

You should change the filter every three months (or follow the manufacturer recommendations) and definitely before the heating or cooling season starts.

6. Circuits

Be sure that you are aware of everything that is happening so you can prevent damages from occurring while trying to fix this. Also, you want to make sure to check circuits to ensure that electrical connections are turned on.

7. Power is turned off

Make sure that the power is turned on at the air conditioning/furnace unit. The next step is to check for wear and overgrowth on the outdoor equipment. Essential Outdoor Equipment For Your System

8. Inspect the outdoor condenser unit

Check to be sure that are no blockages near or inside of the equipment. Also, clean the area surrounding the unit. Debris, vines, or leaves can block the internal components and performance can be affected.

9. Visually inspect the refrigerant lines

These lines need to be insulated. If they are insulated properly it will help to improve the system’s efficiency. Repairs to refrigerant lines or insulation should be performed by a professional.

10. Check electrical wiring

Check to ensure that the outdoor electrical wiring does not have any wear on it. If you do see any wear or damage, call a professional to have it serviced before you use your system.

11. AC retirement age

Be familiar with when your air conditioner might have reached its retirement age. All air conditions have a certain lifespan. Even if you properly maintain it, it will wear out eventually.

For further information on Houston ac repair services we offer, contact us by calling us today. For more related content, check out our blog. 

A Top-Rated AC Repair Houston Company Talks About The Way Air Conditioners Work

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A Guide By The #1 AC Repair Company On How Air Conditioners Work In Houston

If you moved recently from a house where you mainly used window-mounted air conditioners, fans, or were considering having a central air unit installed, you might not be that familiar with central air conditioning systems. However, don’t worry. We are here to help you with AC repair Houston services. Air conditioning units work the same way that the refrigerator does, just on a bigger scale. Basically, your air conditioner converts gas quickly into liquid and then back again through using a chemical that transfers heat from in the air from inside of your house to the outside.

Ducts

Basically how it works is that heat is pulled out of a home by split cooling systems with refrigerant that circulates in between the air handler and condenser. Cool air is distributed by the supply ducts from the air handler into the rooms in your house. Warm air is carried back by the return ducts to the air handler so that it can be cooled and filtered through a 16x25x1 furnance Filter or similar. When ducts are sized properly they deliver conditioned air quietly and evenly throughout your home. We offer many services at our ac repair Houston company, especially for residential properties.

Registers

Every room needs to have two grilles at least: one that is connected to a return and the other to a supply duct. Supply registers should ideally be located near or on the ceiling, while return registers should be on or near the floor.

Air Handlers

This type of indoor equipment comes with an expansion valve that transforms refrigeration into a cool liquid that flows throughout the evaporator coils. Air is pushed over the coils by a blower, which heats up the refrigerant into the gas form that is returned to the condenser.

Condensers

A warm gaseous refrigerant is taken from your house, and then the compressor pressurizes it and condenses it back into liquid form as the coils are cooled by a fan.

Indoor Unit

Typically the indoor unit is located in a basement or closet close to where the furnace filter is. The unit is comprised of a coil box containing the evaporator. The evaporator enables the refrigerant – which is a cooling fluid contained inside of the coiled piping and referred to by its brand name sometimes – to absorb heat and evaporate. After the heat has been absorbed from inside of your house, only cool air is left and sent back into your house. Just like water absorbs heat from the stove to evaporate or boil, heat is absorbed by refrigerant from your home. That means that both refrigerant and water turn to vapor from a liquid as heat is absorbed. we offer ac repair Houston services for commercial properties.

Outdoor Unit

Usually, the outdoor unit is located on the side or rear of the house. This is where the heat gets dispersed from inside of your house. It is comprised of a fan, condenser coil, and compressor. The heat that is absorbed from the air in your home gets transferred over to the refrigerant. Next, it gets pumps into the outdoor unit. The heat gets absorbed and the refrigerant moves it over to the outdoor coil, where it passes through the unit’s compressor. The main job of the compressor is to move the refrigerant throughout the air conditioning system. That is important since you can then continue to reuse the refrigerant for cooling your home. This refrigerant gets compressed into a higher pressure and then is moved throughout the condenser or outdoor coil. As the refrigerant is passing through the condenser, ambient air is delivered by a fan across the system’s condenser coil which causes it to cool down. As this process is complete, the heat inside of your home gets dispersed into the air outside of your home. Then the refrigerant gets pumped back inside and the entire process repeats itself.

Were you aware that cooling your home was less about cold air being increase and more about eliminating existing heat? For more related articles check out our ac repair Houston blog or call us for assistance.

AC Heroes: The Ultimate Air Conditioner Air Filter Guide

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A Basic Guide To Understanding AC Air Filters

What Do You Risk By Installing The Wrong AC Air Filter?

Professional HVAC technicians recommend replacing air filters every three months at a bare minimum. Changing filters on a monthly basis is ideal for maintaining optimum air quality in your home. There are other benefits to frequent filter changes, though – one’s technicians care about even more than indoor air quality. A clean filter does a better job of protecting your air conditioner. That is, in fact, the filter’s primary purpose. If you installed the wrong filter, you may be putting your air conditioner at significant risk.

How Your AC Air Filter Really Works

While modern filters do an effective job of filtering allergens and other unwanted contaminants out of the air in your home, their point and purpose remain to safeguard the equipment in your AC system. Without a filter, your air conditioner could easily suck in particles large enough to damage its working parts. A filter needs to defend against this possibility without unduly restricting the amount of air flowing through the system. As a filter accumulates more particles, it also starts restricting more airflow. This is why your filter needs to be changed regularly to keep the system running smoothly.

Considering An Air Filter Upgrade?

An increasing number of homeowners are interested in improving the quality of the air in their homes. This leads many people to consider installing more potent filters in their air conditioning systems. The problem here is that a densely-woven filter that traps very small particles may also reduce airflow so significantly that your HVAC system cannot work efficiently. Fortunately, both air conditioners and the ac filter are rated to protect against this situation. Every filter has a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV. Standard residential air conditioners usually operate with filters in the 1-4 MERV range. Depending on your specific equipment, though, your system may accommodate a filter as strong as MERV 8. AC air filters that is too strong for your air conditioner might inadvertently cause damage.

A Better Option: A Whole-House Air Purifier

If the quality of the air in your home is unsatisfactory, there are many possible causes. Some potential contaminants are easy to diagnose, like dust, dirt, and the presence of pets or smokers. There are other sources that are harder to detect and which might be impossible for you to solve on your own. Examples include automotive contaminants from nearby roads or construction particles from nearby work sites. If you are looking for repair solutions for your home ac, check out AMH.

How Mechanical Air Filters Work

The range of purifiers and air cleaners currently being sold today operate on
a number of different principles in order to improve your home’s air quality. In many situations, the most effective solution is also the most straightforward one. A “mechanical” air filter, for example, is simply one that attaches directly to your home’s air ducts. It uses no electricity or moving components, relying strictly on their material construction to filter the air moving through your ducts. Because the pollutants being filtered out of your air are trapped in the filter, it needs to be changed regularly to maintain both air quality and heating/cooling efficiency. Consult with professional service technicians to confirm that you’re using the right air filters for your air conditioning system.

Electronic Air Purification

An electronic air purifier or cleaner is an option worth considering if you want to take more active steps to improve your home’s air quality. Electronic air purifiers rely on a range of different techniques – often in combination – to remove pollutants from the indoor air you breathe. In an electrostatic precipitator, for example, pollutants are given an electrical charge so that they will be attracted to and trapped on a collector plate. All the pollutants thus collected can be easily disposed of by removing the plate and cleaning it.

If you are interested in checking out more articles on AC Air Filters from AMH click here. You can also Call today or contact an A/C specialist for assistance.

How To Address Your Leaky HVAC Unit

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Why is Your Air Conditioner Leaking Water

If you notice that your air conditioner is leaking water then there could be several potential explanations for this and you should definitely get in touch with AC Man Houston. Whatever it turns out to be the cause, it’s a good idea to call in a technician to give you a proper diagnostic on the system. Commercial and residential A/C can leak for a number of different reasons:

1. A clogged condensate drain.

The condensate drain collects water and helps to transport it clear of the unit. If the drain is clogged up, then the A/C may leak in an unexpected area. Rust, algae, and dirt can build up in and around the drain.

2. The ambient temperature is too cold for A/C to be running.

Running the A/C when the air temperature is below 60 degrees can make the evaporator coils ice over, so try not to use your air conditioning in cold weather.

AC Man Houston | HVAC Leaks3. The drain line has mistakenly been disconnected.

Drain lines can sometimes work loose, or be accidentally disconnected during routine maintenance. If the line comes completely loose, then this could cause the air conditioning unit to leak.

4. The condensate pump has been broken.

A broken condensate pump cannot remove the excess water from the condenser pan, so the pan will overflow, which could eventually cause a leak.

5. The refrigerant level has become depleted.

A lack of sufficient refrigerant could cause the A/C coils to freeze, which will then lead to an overflow from the drip pan, and a leak.

6. Dirty air filters.

If the air filter gets too dirty, then this will restrict air flow to the evaporator coils, so they will not be properly ventilated. Eventually, the coils will get too cold and could become frozen. When the ice starts to melt off the coils, this will flow into the drip pan and may eventually lead to the pan overflowing and leaking.

A small amount of condensation from an A/C unit is normal, and the more you run the A/C the more condensation you are likely to experience. Excess water should not be a problem, though – if you see huge amounts of condensation or if there is a clear leak that you cannot explain, then you should call a technician right away. Or if you are in need of other services, such as heater maintenance in Houston you can contact AC Man Houston by visiting here!

You’re Not The Only Thing Overheating This Summer in Houston

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Causes Of Burning Smell From An Air Conditioner

Unlike other places in the United States, Texas is the one place that no one can survive without air conditioning. The weather here is almost always hot and humid, which makes homes and offices extremely hot and uncomfortable with the AC turned off. It is due to this reason that most people ensure their air conditioning maintained regularly to avoid HVAC emergencies. Having a certified Houston HVAC expert work on your air conditioner is the only best way to ensure it remains functional all year round.

With the AC system working all day every day, many people report of a burning smell coming from their air conditions. Although this may be due to the system being overworked, it would be best to have the unit checked immediately.

Some of the common causes of odd smells from cooling systems include:

Musty Odor

AC Man Houston | AC Repair Houston TexasA musty smell may be as a result of a clogged condensate line in the cooling unit, or due to mildew growing in the ductwork. Some of this may be due to the accumulation of water in the drip pan allowing mold to grow.  Should the pan be misaligned in a way, then the drain line gets clogged from the stagnating water. While some AC systems will turn off automatically to prevent further damage, the excess water may short out electricals inside. Having the problem addressed, however, eliminates the problem.

Burning Smells

Always turn off the air conditioner should you detect a burning smell from the system. Both electric and gas powered AC systems need an electric igniter to start.  Should the system be faulty, the igniter can cause an electrical fire which could spread pretty fast especially with the hot and humid air flowing. If certain that there’s a burning smell coming from the system, turn the system off immediately then call a Houston HVAC repair technician immediately. The technician should be able to diagnose the problem and handle the repairs easily.

Getting to know your air conditioner and some of the potential causes of burning smells in HVAC appliances include:

a. A failing motor:

Dust buildup and lack of adequate lubrication on the same is one of the factors that cause the motor to fail and the burning smell. Since the motor has to drive fans in the system, continued use of the same causes significant stress that creates the burning smell. The technician can either repair/clean the motor or replace it altogether.

b. Clogged air filter:

An AC’s air filter works in an almost similar way as your car’s air filter. Its main job is to protect components inside from dust, dirt, and other debris. With this component working all the time, these particles and mostly dust start building up making it hard for the system to get enough air. Charred particles of the filtered out particles add an acrid smell to the air vents, thus the burning smell. Replacing the air filters at least once every 3 months can, however, prevent this from happening.

In Conclusion

Hiring an HVAC contractor in Houston to take care of your AC system is the best way to ensure your system remains in tip top condition. Contact AC Man Houston today for a quote.