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The post 4 Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner Could Be Leaking Water appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

It’s the middle of summer and yet you’re seeing ice all over your evaporator coils. As it turns out, this is a common problem for many air conditioners and it can be caused by a wide variety of issues. By troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils on your own, you’ll be able to get your A/C working sooner and perhaps avoid an expensive service call.

Potential Causes

Most people don’t know that their A/C has iced over until cool air stops coming through the vents. Finding out for certain involves opening up the plenum panel hiding the evaporator coil. If you see heavy amounts of frost or ice on the coil, then you know you’re dealing with a freeze-up.

Freeze-ups are often caused by a lack of airflow, most often caused by a clogged filter, dirty blower fan or an obstruction on the coil itself (usually dirt and/or debris). Refrigeration problems can also cause evaporator coil freeze-ups. It usually takes a refrigerant leak, an improper charge or a clogged filter/drier to cause these issues.

Fixing the Problem

The first step involves thawing out the evaporator coil. Put the A/C on “fan only” mode and let the ice on the coil melt away. After the coil has thawed, use a soft-bristle brush to clean off any dirt or debris.

Next, change the old, clogged air filter and put a new one in its place. If possible, check and clean the blower fan of any dirt, dust or debris. Finally, make sure all of the air registers in your home are open and unblocked.

If you’re still having ice issues, you may need a certified HVAC technician to check refrigerant levels and other critical components.

To learn more about troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils, contact the pros at Ben Maines Air Conditioning, proudly serving greater East Texas since 1949.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about frozen evaporator coils and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The post Keep Your Cool and Troubleshoot Your Frozen Evaporator Coils appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

If the time has come to replace your air conditioner, don't fret. You have a golden opportunity to take advantage of new equipment features to boost energy efficiency and lower your cooling costs. As an added bonus, the following central A/C features can enhance your home comfort, too.

High Efficiency Ratings

The A/Cs available today offers seasonal energy efficiency ratios (SEER) ranging from 14 all the way up to 26, so your potential energy savings can be significant. Although more efficient units have higher upfront costs, the added expense is offset by long-term energy savings, so it makes sense to pick the most efficient unit within your budget.

Variable-Speed Air Handler

Instead of operating on high all the time, a variable-speed air handler automatically adjusts its speed to match your cooling needs. A/Cs with this feature run on low most of the time and for extended periods. A variable-speed air handler not only saves energy, but it also provides better dehumidification, air filtration and temperature control.

Two-Speed Compressor

A two-speed compressor can modulate between low and high depending on how much cooling is required. Since it only ramps up to high when demand increases, a two-speed compressor automatically curbs the A/C's energy consumption whenever maximum cooling capacity isn't needed.

Fan-Only Switch

At certain times of year, having a switch that lets you shut off the compressor and run the fan with the windows open can help slash your cooling costs. It's a feature that's particularly beneficial if you have a whole-house ventilation system in place.

Automatic Fan Delay

With most air conditioners, the blower fan shuts down immediately when the compressor cycles off, and this wastes any cooled air still in the ducts. When you have automatic fan delay, the blower fan keeps operating for a short period after the compressor stops to pump out the remaining cool air.

To learn more about central A/C features that can improve energy efficiency in your greater East Texas home, contact the HVAC pros at Ben Maines Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about  A/Cs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The post Get More Energy Efficient With These Central A/C Features appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

Starting the process of choosing a new HVAC system might seem bewildering, since it’s an area where many homeowners have limited familiarity. However complicated these systems appear to be, there are a few fundamentals that simplify the decision-making process.

Energy Efficiency

HVAC systems account for about half of your energy budget annually, so focusing first on energy efficiency will help you save money over the long-term. Here are the current minimum energy efficiency standards:

• Cooling efficiency for air conditioners and heat pumps stands at 14 seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER).
• Heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) for heat pumps stands at 8.2.
• Annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) for combustion furnaces stands at 80.

More efficient systems do cost more, but pay for themselves every time they run.

Sizing

The overall energy efficiency of the new system rests in large part on sizing it correctly. A system that’s too large won’t run as efficiently, keep you as comfortable or last as long. One that’s too small will be stressed during temperature extremes. Ask the HVAC contractors you interview to calculate the size based on the results of a load calculation using Manual J.

During the ductwork analysis, the contractor you choose needs to evaluate your current ductwork for size and compatibility with the new system. All leaks should be repaired and any uninsulated ducts running through the attic need to be insulated.

System Type

When choosing a new HVAC system in this climate, you can opt for either a heat pump or choose a gas furnace combined with a central air conditioner. Both will keep your home comfortable year-round. If you don’t have natural gas running to your property, a heat pump will keep you warm in the winter as long as your home is well insulated and fairly air tight. In the summer they move heat outside and in the winter, the process reverses, and they pull it from outside and bring it inside.

To learn more about choosing a new HVAC system, contact the experts at Ben Maines Air Conditioning, providing quality HVAC services for East Texas homeowners since 1949.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about HVAC systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Staying comfortable in the harsh climate of greater East Texas takes a heating and cooling system that's up for whatever weather rolls in. Keeping your system prepared means keeping it well maintained. The consequences of ignoring HVAC maintenance range from discomfort to serious health threats.

Higher Costs, Unnecessary Expenses

Without professional annual maintenance, your system will inevitably pick up dirt and debris. Even the fine layer of dust that will settle on your A/C's evaporator coil over the course of a year is enough to impair its energy efficiency. Debris on the outdoor condenser unit restricts airflow, further reducing your A/C's efficiency. Dirt on the fan motor, furnace burner, and other components has a similar effect.

Simple wear and tear also impairs your HVAC system's energy efficiency. Loose wires, an out-of-balance blower wheel, and incorrect voltage and amp draw all raise your furnace and air conditioner's demand for energy, increasing your utility bills.

Worse yet, these problems strain your components. Allowing them to worsen by neglecting maintenance can eventually cause one of more of your components to fail before its intended lifespan. An annual HVAC tune-up can catch and correct these problems early, controlling your energy bills and saving you from the cost of avoidable repairs and replacements.

Health and Safety Risks

One of the worst potential consequences of ignoring HVAC maintenance is carbon monoxide (CO) exposure. This can occur when debris blocks your flue and prevents combustion gases from being vented outdoors. A cracked furnace heat exchanger also poses the threat of a CO leak. Your home should have CO detectors, but these aren't a replacement for proper furnace care.

Fire is another serious threat posed by both furnaces and air conditioners that aren't properly cared for. The common causes of fire, such as damaged wiring, an overheated fan motor, and malfunctioning safety controls can be avoided through routine professional maintenance.

If you'd prefer to avoid the consequences of ignoring HVAC maintenance, contact us for a system tune-up at Ben Maines Air Conditioning anywhere around greater East Texas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about HVAC maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The heat pump advantages in this part of Texas are many, making these appliances one of the best for cooling and heating homes in our moderate climate. Besides being able to use it summer and winter to keep your home comfortable, a heat pump's ability to move heat from place to place makes it an even more useful choice.

How Heat Pumps Work

Heat pumps work just like refrigerators and air conditioners when they’re in the cooling mode, but differ in that they can reverse the flow of heat depending on the season. In the summer, all cooling systems move heat outside, but a heat pump has a reversing valve that switches the refrigerant flow in the winter. Instead of removing your home’s heat, it extracts it from the outdoors and brings it indoors to warm your home.

Why Heat Pumps Excel

• Heat pump advantages include the ability to use the waste heat from your home in the summer by using it to heat water with an optional desuperheater, cutting energy bills over the long cooling season. This waste heat can also be used to heat a swimming pool or hot tub.
• An air-source heat pump doesn’t need any combustible fuel to create heat, eliminating the risk of exposure to combustion gases, including carbon monoxide or gas leaks.
• A heat pump uses its refrigerant to concentrate the heat from the outdoors in the winter at an efficiency that far exceeds other heating devices, especially electric furnaces and resistance heating systems by three to four times and more.
• Heating efficiency is often expressed as a system’s coefficient of performance (COP) that measures the units of heat generated compared to energy used. Higher COPs indicate more efficiency. The COP of a typical heat pump starts at 3 and may go as high as 6. The most efficient gas furnace has a COP just below 1, and electric heating units have a COP of 1.

To learn more about heat pump advantages, contact Ben Maines Air Conditioning. We've provided quality HVAC services for greater East Texas homeowners since 1949.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pump and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The Energy Star logo first appeared in 1992 on products that were then a bold new addition to the average household -- computer monitors. Since then, the symbol initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been expanded to include HVAC equipment, major appliances, lighting and home entertainment products. The purpose of the logo is to establish an easy way for consumers to reduce greenhouse gases and other byproducts of energy waste by providing an at-a-glance symbol to identify HVAC equipment that conserves energy and lowers operating costs without compromising cooling and heating performance or convenience features.

The EPA has established strict criteria that products must meet to earn the Energy Star logo. This includes third-party testing to validate manufacturer’s energy efficiency ratings such as the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) for air conditioners and annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) for gas-fired furnaces. Additional Energy Star specifications are based on the following general guideline principles:

• The air conditioner or furnace must deliver significant energy savings.
• In addition to energy savings, the unit must offer the most up-to-date features and performance options that consumers expect and demand.
• If a heating or cooling product bearing an Energy Star logo has a higher upfront price than an option with equivalent heating or cooling capacity but lower energy efficiency, that product should deliver sufficient energy cost savings in the form of lower utility bills to compensate for the higher purchase price over a reasonable time frame.
• The energy efficiency benefits achieved in the product must be the result of generally available technology that is not limited to only one specific manufacturer.
• Energy consumption and cooling or heating performance claims must be backed up by independent third-party testing.
• Products that meet these requirements and are officially designated as Energy Star products will conspicuously display the logo to clearly differentiate them from standard efficiency products.

For more about HVAC products bearing the Energy Star logo, in greater East Texas contact Ben Maines Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about the Energy Star logo and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The post Energy Star Logo: Get More Savings When You See It on HVAC Products appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

A wet air filter in your central air conditioner is never good news. Water shouldn’t be anywhere in the air distribution system. When it is, it usually means you need professional A/C service.

First of all, a wet air filter doesn’t filter air properly—in fact, it restricts system airflow, which causes more problems. Second, the fact that water’s present in the airflow in the first place is a red flag to a malfunction elsewhere.

Why Is the Filter Wet?

Here’s what’s usually going on with a wet air filter. On a humid East Texas summer day, an air conditioner produces water the entire time it’s running--gallons of it. Condensation forming at the evaporator coil drips into a condensation pan beneath the coil and is then conveyed into the condensate drain line to a household sewer connection or a discharge point outside. As long as nothing interferes with the free flow of condensate, all’s well and your filter stays dry.

If the flow of condensate becomes clogged, however, the drain pan eventually overflows. In many A/C air handlers, the air filter is located below the level of the drain pan. Overflowing water from the drain pan naturally flows downward and saturates the filter. A common cause of clogs is algae formation in the drain pan that forms a sticky residue and obstructs the drain line.

Now What?

A qualified HVAC service technician can blow out the drain line, then sterilize the pan and drain line to kill algae. In addition, he will place algaecide cartridges in the drain pan to continuously inhibit the growth of algae and prevent recurrence for the rest of the cooling season.

For additional protection against the water damage caused by condensate overflows, you can ask about having an overflow safety switch installed. This device senses the level of water in the drain pan and automatically cuts off power to the A/C if the pan approaches overflow stage.

For more about the causes of a wet air filter, and professional A/C service to resolve the problem in greater East Texas, contact Ben Maines Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The post Something Could be Wrong With Your A/C If Your Have a Wet Air Filter appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

If you're planning on remodeling your East Texas home, you should be aware that the process can be messy, and it may reduce your indoor air quality significantly. Maintaining indoor air quality while remodeling isn't impossible, and the following tips can help:

• Talk to your remodeling contractor and determine who will be responsible for cleaning the work area every day and the steps that will be taken to protect the rest of your home from dust contamination, chemical odors and other indoor air quality issues.
• Have your home inspected prior to starting the work to find any potential problems, such as mold growth, lead paint, asbestos, high radon levels or pest infestations. Have them taken care of if they will present a problem during the remodeling.
• Talk to your HVAC contractor about the steps you need to take to protect the HVAC system during the remodel and prevent contaminants from being spread from the work area to the rest of the home.

Isolate the Work Area

Seal the work area using plastic sheeting and masking tape, where possible, and seal off any HVAC vents in the work area as well. Use fans to exhaust air out of the room and prevent contaminants from entering the rest of your home. Clean and vacuum the work area at least daily to keep dust under control. If possible, schedule work for times when the home is unoccupied. Before work begins and after it's complete, change the air filter in your HVAC system.

Control Volatile Organic Compounds

Many building materials such as lumber, paints, glues and carpeting contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause irritation and even health problems for a short time after they're installed. Read the manufacturer's safety information on any products that are used during the remodel and provide plenty of ventilation in your home during the off-gassing period.

For more tips about maintaining indoor air quality while remodeling, talk to the indoor air quality experts at Ben Maines Air Conditioning. We've been serving the East Texas region since 1949.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The post How to Maintain Good Indoor Air Quality While Remodeling Your Home appeared first on Ben Maines Air Conditioning Blog.

If you're overdue for A/C maintenance, you should be mindful of problems that may crop up this season, such as condensate drain problems. The A/C system produces a substantial amount of water as it cools your air. While incidental dehumidification enhances home comfort, gallons of condensation need to be conveyed out of the system. Stay on top of A/C performance and keep an eye out for these issues.

Clogged Drain Trap

An air filter isn't designed to capture 100 percent of airborne contaminants that pass through the return grilles. If it did, no airflow could get through. The contaminants that pass through stick to the wet evaporator coil and fins like glue. As condensate drips from the evaporator into the condensate pan, it often carries with it mold, dirt and algae. These contaminants can clog up the drain trap.

No Backup Drip Pan

In many A/C systems, a backup condensate pan will catch the moisture when the primary condensate pan overflows from a clogged trap. But if the backup pan is missing or was never there to begin with, you've got a major water problem on your plate.

Malfunctioning Parts

If A/C maintenance is skipped season after season, parts begin to malfunction and fail. Condensate pans can rust through or crack, which means the backup system better be working properly to catch water overflow. If the float switch or condensate pump isn't working, which shuts down the A/C when excessive water accumulation is detected, you again have a water damage problem looming.

This is an imperative repair issue because air handlers are often located in attics or closets. The resulting water overflow can leak through ceilings, damage insulation and other structure or puddle and pour out of closets to the living spaces.

A/C condensate drain problems are easily prevented with annual HVAC professional preventive maintenance. Make sure you call your HVAC contractor this season.

For more information about condensate drain problems in your East Texas home, please contact the experts at Ben Maines Air Conditioning Inc. We've proudly served residents of greater East Texas since 1949.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Longview, Texas and the surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about condensate drains and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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