Regular Preventive Maintenance Encourages Energy Savings

Most of the tasks involved with preventive maintenance should be left to the pros. However, there are a few steps homeowners can take to care for their cooling systems. With warmer weather just ahead, now’s the time to schedule preventive maintenance with your local HVAC expert, and learn what you should be doing to keep the system in good operating condition. Both tasks ultimately ensure optimal operating efficiency and energy savings.

Preventive maintenance tasks your HVAC technician will perform include:

• Checking the system’s refrigerant charge, and adjusting it as necessary.

• Inspecting the refrigerant lines, ensuring that they don’t leak.

• Cleaning the components to remove dirt buildup.

• Inspecting the condition of components such as the fan motor and blades, the coil, the drain line, compressor, condenser and evaporator.

• Checking the control box, wiring, relays, circuit boards and more for wear and tear.

• Checking the airflow over the air handler.

• Measuring the temperature differentials on the supply and return side of the ductwork.

• Checking the overall safety of the system as it operates.

Here's how homeowners can participate in preventive maintenance before and during the cooling season:

• Before starting up the air conditioner for the first time, install a new air filter.

• Over the season, check the air filter regularly, about once a month, and install a new one as necessary. A dirty filter will block airflow into the A/C, and decrease operating capacity.

• Keep the outdoor unit free from obstructions like grass clippings, leaves and so forth that also impede airflow.

With regularity, preventive maintenance offers more benefits to homeowners than just energy savings. By providing your system with the care it needs, you’ll largely bypass costly repairs that are common when homeowners neglect to maintain their air conditioners. You’ll also extend the life of the A/C, as experts agree that a system that’s well cared for will last longer, often for as much as five years.

Contact the experts at Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing today to schedule preseason preventive maintenance for your air conditioner. We've served homeowners in greater Broken Arrow for nearly 30 years. Give us call today or visit our website for more information.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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Refrigerant Huffing: What It Is, And Why You Need To Know About It

Trends around the United States suggest that air conditioning and refrigeration units are in more danger than ever from thieves. Once targeted for the valuable metal such as copper, A/C units are increasingly being hit by drug users in search of refrigerant. Thieves inhale the refrigerant for a quick and intense high. This practice, known as refrigerant huffing, is both dangerous to the health of the user and expensive to the owner of the HVAC system.Refrigerant huffing is becoming more and more common among teenagers. Thieves extract refrigerant from air conditioning and refrigeration systems by opening the service valve where other refrigerant would normally be added during maintenance. They capture the refrigerant in a plastic bag or other container, then quickly inhale it before it can be lost. The high is very strong but does not last long, which means repeated thefts are likely.Some refrigerants are extremely dangerous substances controlled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The effects of refrigerant huffing include the high the user is seeking, but also other harmful effects such as skin burns, headaches, dizziness and nausea. In the long term, exposure to refrigerant can cause lung damage, vision loss, coronary problems and cancer. In severe cases, refrigerant huffing can kill instantly.Air conditioner owners who are victims of refrigerant theft will experience possible damage to their HVAC equipment, especially the service valve. Lowered levels of refrigerant in the air conditioner will cause reduced cooling and will make the unit work harder, placing additional wear and tear on the system.Refrigerant thefts can be reduced by installing a specially designed locking cap on the service valve. These caps, constructed of very tough metal, prevent attempts to open the valve. If someone tries to remove the cap, it simply spins in place. A specialized key is required to remove the cap.Air Assurance has served the HVAC needs of customers in the Tulsa and the Broken Arrow areas for more than 30 years. Contact us for more information on air conditioner safety and for help preventing refrigerant thefts from your cooling or refrigeration systems.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Winter's Here, So Act Now To Prevent Frozen Pipes

Once winter arrives, one fear of every homeowner is to discover to frozen pipes. Far worse is to discover pipes that have burst, potentially causing significant damage. In order to prevent frozen or ruptured pipes, it is important you take some precautionary steps ahead of time. Typically in colder states with harsher winters, most homes have pipes that are located within building insulation, which protects them from subfreezing temperatures. Still, holes or cracks in a building, or extremely cold weather, can cause pipes to freeze or burst. Homes that have pipes located on the outside of building insulation leaving them completely unprotected from freezing temperatures. These homes are at greater risk for frozen pipes. These homes are typically those that have crawl spaces which is very common in Tulsa.Taking all this into consideration, what can a homeowner do to safeguard his pipes from freezing?

• Take time to caulk holes in walls or foundations near pipes to keep cold wind away from them.

• Insulate your pipes.

• If you have a crawlspace, consider foaming the crawlspace. This also can help with the energy efficiency of the home as well.

• Keep thermostat settings at 65 degrees minimum.

• Keep kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets open to allow warm air to circulate to the pipes below.

• One of the most well known tips is to leave faucets running during extreme cold weather. This tried and true method of allowing a faucet to drip provides instant relief from the mounting pressure that can occur in between the faucet and potential ice blockage. If you get rid of the water pressure, you can hopefully guard against a rupture, even if the pipe freezes.

Bottom line, you have to keep your pipes warm to prevent the costly damage of frozen and burst pipes. For more information on how you can prevent frozen pipes this winter, or for other HVAC-related questions, Broken Arrow-area residents should contact Air Assurance today.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Freezing pipes image via Shutterstock

Surge Protectors: The Most Reliable Way To Guard Against Power Failures

Surge protectors are common devices in many households, and for good reason. Surge protectors are the most reliable way to protect your sensitive appliances and electronic devices against power failures and surges. A power surge is an increase in voltage in a circuit, and this can result from a number of different causes.

• Lightning strikes might be the most familiar cause of power surges, but they are actually one of the least common.

• Power surges are more often caused by using high-powered electrical devices.

• Surges are also caused by power outages. When the power is restored to your home after an outage, the returning electricity can create a powerful and potentially damaging power surge.

Surge protectors work by redirecting the excess voltage from a power surge away from your appliances. Some appliances are more sensitive than others, so it's important to know what needs to be protected and what doesn't.

• Simple appliances like lamps and fans generally don't need protection. The worst a power surge can do to a lamp is burn out the bulb.

• High-end electronics, including stereos and entertainment equipment, should be protected. Surges can shorten the lifespan of these devices.

• Computers are at the greatest risk, and they should always be connected to a surge protector. Surges not only shorten the lifespan of your computer, but may wipe out all your data.

• The most potentially costly appliance needing a surge protector may be your heating and air conditioning system. New, high efficiency models have control boards, compressors, and motors that are unprotected from surges and are not cheap to replace.

• Any appliance that contains a microprocessor should be protected.

When you look into purchasing surge protectors for your home, you have a few options, so it's important to choose the right surge protectors for your home's needs. Your options include:

• Surge protector strips

• Wall-mount surge protectors

• Battery backups

• Whole-house surge protectors.

The first three types are point-of-use surge protectors, meaning they serve as sort of an intermediary between your appliances and your wall outlets. Whole-house surge protectors are installed on your main electrical panel, and can protect your entire home from most surges.Air Assurance offers specific surge protectors to cover your heating and air conditioning systems.  They are backed with insurance coverages, that should they fail to prevent damage, in most cases the surge protector company will pay for your deductable if needed in order to cover those damages.For more information, contact Air Assurance. We've been serving the Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our current promotions and get started today!     

Ice Dams: Take Preventive Measures To Keep Them From Forming

Ice dams can occur in almost any climate, but they're more likely to happen in colder climates like Oklahoma’s. There are preventive measures homeowners can take to keep ice dams in check and avoid costly damage to roofs.When temperatures rise during the winter, most Broken Arrow residents are happy to strip off cumbersome jackets and enjoy the warmth of the sunshine. But it is often these conditions that lead to dangerous ice dams. So just how do ice dams form?First, temperatures must be cold enough to produce freezing conditions that lead to the formation of ice on the roof. A long or large snowfall could also cause snow to accumulate on the roof. Then two things can happen:

• A warm weather system moves in, and the warm air starts to melt the snow and ice that’s gathered on the roof.

• Warm air from your home rises up into the attic space and warms up the room, which causes the ice and snow to begin melting.

The ice and snow then drains in the form of water, dripping underneath the snow and ice, and down to the overhang where your home’s eaves are located. Since the eaves are still cold, the water refreezes and creates what is known as an "ice dam." As the water builds up around this “dam,” it can seep back into the attic and even extend into the home.There are several steps you can take to prevent ice dams from forming:

• Have a contractor evaluate your roof.

• Seal air leaks in the attic space, especially those that exist between the attic and the home.

• Increase the effectiveness of attic insulation to stop the movement of heat between the attic ceiling and the out of doors.

• Use a ventilation system in the attic to maintain a consistent temperature between the roof and the outside.

If you’d like expert help with ice dam prevention and creating an efficient and durable attic, or if you have other heating and cooling questions, contact Air Assurance today! For over 30 years, we’ve proudly served homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to get started today!     Preventative Maintenance image via Shutterstock