Installing an A/C System Everyone is Cool With Takes a Pro

It Takes a Pro to Put In an AC System Everyone's Cool With
By Tim Carter
Saturday July 21, 2007
WashingtonPost.com

Q: DEAR TIM: The air conditioning in my home has never seemed to work well.
My recent promotion and transfer has me moving to home that is in the early stages of construction. What can I do to ensure that the new home has a central air-conditioning system that keeps all rooms comfortable no matter the outdoor temperature? Is it possible to have all rooms nearly the same temperature? My existing home's second floor feels like an oven.-- Julie

A: DEAR JULIE: I can think of many reasons why the central air conditioning in your existing home does not cool properly. Some of the problems might have been corrected with a simple service call from an expert at air-conditioning troubleshooting. It's also possible that you have had serious air-conditioning-system design flaws that would have cost thousands of dollars to correct.
The central air-conditioning system, plus the heating system, is one of the most important parts of a home, after a sound roof and indoor plumbing. The systems create an artificial climate.
It is realistic to expect this climate to be the same in each room. In my home, each room, no matter the outdoor temperature or time of day (this is very important), can be within one or two degrees of any other room. That keeps my family and me comfortable.
It is unrealistic to expect your home to be a certain temperature no matter what the outdoor temperature is. In other words, if the outdoor temperature is 115 degrees, I would not expect you to be able to cool your home to 72 degrees without considerable discomfort on days when the temperature is, say, 85.
Central air-conditioning systems are designed to operate in a given range of temperatures. For example, the range in your part of the country may be 20 degrees. This means there is only a 20-degree difference between the outdoor temperature and the lowest temperature the system can maintain indoors. It is possible to create a wider temperature spread, but oversizing an air-conditioning system can result in short-cycling when the air conditioner has little work to do.
If an oversize air-conditioning system short-cycles, or has to drop the temperature only a few degrees, it does not run long enough to remove humidity from the air. When this happens, the temperature inside the home gets to the desired level, but you feel cold and clammy. Properly designed central air-conditioning systems run for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, which allows them to extract humidity as the air flows across the cooling coils in the air handler.
The key to getting a central air-conditioning system to work properly is to have a professional size the equipment and install a duct system that delivers the right quantity of air to each room of the house. Each room must also have a return-air duct that vacuums hot air from the ceiling and returns it to the central system to be cooled once more.
A professional air-conditioning technician can analyze your new-home plans with computer software to determine the heat gain and loss for each room. This same exercise can be done on existing homes. With this data, the technician can ensure that the proper size equipment is bought and that the ductwork is sized correctly.
Tim Carter can be contacted via his Web site, http://www.askthebuilder.com/printer_Submit_Question.shtml

Eco-Friendly Blog Offers Some Great Energy Saving Tips

For some very helpful, money saving, energy conscious tips you might want to visit the
eco-friendly blog called Keetsa! They recommend doing things like; changing furnace filters, installing programmable thermostats, closing the drapes during the day while you are away and much more.
In addition to eco-friendly/energy saving tips, they also have information ranging from solar power to "green" transportation. Even though they didn't specifically mention air duct cleaning, I am sure they soon will post a blog about air duct cleaning. After all, dirty air ducts reduce air flow and make your furnace work that much harder.

Indoor Air Pollution - EPA Calls it an Urgent Environmental Problem

Poor indoor air quality could affect your respiratory health

Published - July, 12, 2007
Kate S. Peabody
kpeabody@pnj.com

Just last week, you dusted off the mahogany desk in your home office, but days later, your work area is again layered with powdered grime.

Experts say this could be the result of poor indoor air quality. Left unchecked over time, it could adversely affect your respiratory health.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is one of the five most urgent environmental problems in the United States. But many people are unaware of the health risks lurking in their homes.

And if you are an asthma or allergy sufferer, you could be a little more vulnerable, according to Stephen Metzler, environmental supervisor for the Escambia County Health Department, Environmental Health Division.

And dust is not the only airborne irritant that causes problems — pollen, mold, mildew and tobacco smoke are some of the other culprits...

...Gulf Breeze resident David Stukey, an allergy sufferer, knows about the discomfort poor air quality can cause for people with respiratory problems, and has taken measures regularly to keep the air in his home relatively allergen-free.

In the early spring, Stukey, 33, hired a professional team to clean his ventilation system.

"They came in, cleaned my air duct system and my filter," Stukey said. "The result was that the air in my home was noticeable clearer."...

Portable Air Conditioners - Cheap and no Installation!

A portable air conditioner might be the way to go if you have a hot spot in your home and have a means to run an air duct outside. This article explains how they can be a great alternative for businesses that have a room or area that is always hot, perhaps due to computers and other office machines.

Cool Down

ITworld.com 6/22/2007


Summer makes it hot outside, but data centers tend to be too hot inside every day of the year. Ever thought about installing an air conditioner in the bottom of your server rack?

While speaking at the ITEC conferences this month, I noticed every show has at least one exhibitor showing off portable air conditioners. In Detroit, I stopped and talked to the folks at Spot Coolers about their products. You can see my interview on video here.

The smallest unit fits inside a standard 19-inch cabinet. Obviously you have to run a duct for the exhaust, because the Laws of Thermodynamics and modern manufacturing dictate more hot air gets created than cold air (about 20 percent more). But each cooler includes a standard size air duct for the exhaust to be routed out of the room or into the ceiling.

Why roll in a cooler? People do it for many reasons, including emergencies when their main systems fail or they want to cover new hardware editions while expanding the house system. Small installations sometimes go for the portable coolers while waiting for the "real" air handling system to be installed, or while waiting to move to a new location.

Greg Lawhorn from Spot Coolers (meet him in the video) said they can deliver units quickly and they start working immediately. Imagine getting your building's HVAC group to add a few tons of cooling in one day. The smallest unit is about one ton of cooling and they go up from there. Prices start at under $3,000 for the small one and go up, but not way way up for the amount of cooling provided. Have a data center in a truck? They're all the rage in the news, if not reality. Lucky for you, Spot Coolers has an air conditioner on a trailer. Those bring 25 tons of cooling to a building or your data center on wheels.

No matter what you spend on a portable unit, it will be cheaper than an installed system, if not neater and more convenient. But for offices that move now and then, it's easy to roll out your portable air handler and maintain your cooling investment. Try taking the building system you upgraded with you, and transporting that in a standard pickup truck.

James E. Gaskin writes books (16 so far), articles and jokes about technology and real life from his home office in the Dallas area. Gaskin has been helping small and medium sized businesses use technology intelligently since 1986. Write him at james.gaskin@itworld .com.

Need a Carrier, Lennox, Goodman or a Payne Air Conditioner Installed?

Whether you are looking for a new central A/C installation or air duct cleaning, these are the people to contact:

Air Duct Cleaning 651-653-4704

We have great deals on Carrier, Lennox, Goodman or a Payne air conditioning systems. If you are looking for central air installation this summer, we are the company to call. 651-653-4704 or check us out on the web for a Heating and Cooling Installation "INTERNET-ONLY" deal on Central Air Installation

Certified, Licensed, Bonded and Insured

Air Duct Cleaning 651-653-4704

Services Offered by our Certified HVAC Installers:

New Furnace Iinstall

New A/C Installation (central air conditioning)

Preventative Maintenance Program

Troubleshooting

A/C Recharge

Air Ductwork Installation

Additional Heating and Cooling Systems Repaired:
Amana, American Standard, Bryant, Comfort Maker, Day & Night, Fedders, Fredrich, GMC, General Electric, Heil, Janitrol, Kenmore, Magic Chef, Rheem, Rudd, Sears, Singer, Toshiba, Trane, Whirlpool, York, and many more!

Our HVAC Technicians are Trained to Repair the Following Heating and A/C Systems:

Split Systems

Forced Air Furnaces

Central Air Units

Ductless Systems

A C Evaporators

A/C Compressors and Condensors

Refrigeration Units

Electronic Air Filtration Units

Air Handlers and Air Exchangers

Heat Pumps

We are a certified HVAC Contractor and are fully LICENSED, BONDED and INSURED. We would be honored to be your A/C Contractor

Air Duct Cleaning Services Offered:

Air-Sweep Cleaning of all Duct Work

Rotobrush(Roto-Brush) Duct Clean Method

A/C & Heating System Clean and Check

Air Vent Cleaning

Mold and Mildew Inspection (ductwork)

Allergen Removal

Mold Remediation

Our Air Duct Cleaners Also Provide the Following Services...

Chimney Cleaning (chimney sweep)

Chimney Safety Inspection (inspect damper, cracked flu liner)

Remove Creosote (from flue liner)

Fireplace Cleaning (inspect and clean fire place)

Wood Stove (clean out ash pit)

Dryer Vent Cleaning (Clothes Dryer Fires)

Clean Water Heaters (water heater clean also includes vent inspection)

Install Air Filters

A-Coil Clean (free a/c coil inspection)

Services Offered by our Certified HVAC Installers:

New Furnace Iinstall

New A/C Installation (central air conditioning)

Preventative Maintenance Program

Troubleshooting

A/C Recharge

Air Ductwork Installation

Brands We Install:

Carrier

Lennox

Goodman

Payne

LG

Additional Heating and Cooling Systems Repaired:

Amana, American Standard, Bryant, Comfort Maker, Day & Night, Fedders, Fredrich, GMC, General Electric, Heil, Janitrol, Kenmore, Magic Chef, Rheem, Rudd, Sears, Singer, Toshiba, Trane, Whirlpool, York, and many more!

Our HVAC Technicians are Trained to Repair the Following Heating and A/C Systems:

Split Systems

Forced Air Furnaces

Central Air Units

Ductless Systems

A C Evaporators

A/C Compressors and Condensors

Refrigeration Units

Electronic Air Filtration Units

Air Handlers and Air Exchangers

Heat Pumps

Air Duct Cleaning $109.95
Furnace or A/C
A/C and Furnace Installs
HVAC Install Specials
Duct Cleaning MN
Chicago Duct Cleaning
Facts About Air Duct Cleaning
Duct Cleaning A/C

When do I Need Air Duct Cleaning?

When do I Need Air Duct Cleaning?

By: Amy Nutt

Air duct cleaning is an important part of home maintenance. A dirty air duct can lower the quality of the air in your house by promoting the circulation of allergens and bacteria in the air.

When do you need to have duct cleaning? There are several signs that indicate the need for a thorough air duct cleaning. Here are some of the major points that indicate the need for an air duct cleaning.

1. The growth of mold inside the ducts or on the surface of the cooling or heating system. (mold growth can only accurately be determined by professionals)
2. The infestation of insects or any small unwanted pests in the ducts.
3. If they are clogged with a great deal of dust or other debris...

Check out our newly re-designed air duct cleaning website!

At long last our air duct cleaning website is nearly complete! While there are a couple of things left to be done like add content to 3 new buttons, the rest is finished!

We think you will really like the feature which enables you to click on a map of the US and be directed to contractors in your area. Here is the Air Duct Cleaning Map of the USA. This page allows the user to select their state and then fill out the "Schedule Air Duct Cleaning" page or the "National Air Duct Cleaning" page

By clicking on the "Install" button, you will be taken to the Heating & Cooling Installation page. Here are two samples of how that works:
"Heating and Cooling Installation MN" or "Heating and Cooling Installation GA"

Please let us know what you think. We would really welcome any input you might have.
Dave