• Lubricating motors & moving parts to prevent friction.
• Testing the controls to ensure that the air conditioner starts, runs and shuts off properly.
• Measuring and fine-tuning the refrigerant charge.
• Flushing the condensate drain.
• Tightening the electrical connections.
• Checking the blower motor and fan belt for wear.
• Checking, adjusting and cleaning the thermostat.
• Testing the amperage and voltage of the motor.
• Checking the compressor contacts.
• Cleaning the inside evaporator & outdoor condenser coils.

There are several things you can do to make sure your air conditioner continues to cool your home optimally:

• Keep the outdoor unit clear of debris, including grass clippings and weeds.
• Keep your indoor unit accessible and the area around it clean.
• Check your air filter every month and change it when it’s dirty to promote optimum air flow and reduce pollutants in the air in your home.
• Make sure your supply registers are free of obstructions such as furniture. Never close off more than 20 percent of your registers in an attempt to save money, as this can impede the flow of air to your system and make it work harder to cool your home, resulting in higher energy bills and wear on the system.

For more expert advice about A/C maintenance or to schedule an appointment, contact the qualified professionals at Blanton’s Heating & A/C. We’ve served the Fayetteville area with the utmost in commitment and expertise since 1951.

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

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1. Can a rule of thumb be used when it comes to sizing return registers? The answer is no. Some contractors consider 1 square foot per ton an accurate measure. This method, however, can lead to problems including poor airflow, noisy registers and duct leakage.

2. If Manual D is used to design a duct system, will it automatically be self-balancing? This isn’t necessarily the case. Theoretically, every room in your home that has a supply register also has a return register. But this is rare. Your duct system must be tested after your new system is installed and properly balanced according to the unique specifics of your home.

3. Can you expect a dramatic improvement in comfort and performance if you seal your duct system? It is true that sealing your duct system can stop costly air leakage. But your duct system also needs to be properly sized to have any dramatic effect your home comfort and system performance.

4. How much does the location of supply outlets matter? It matters a lot, because poor location can result in hot and cold spots, drafts and noisy operation. Your contractor must thoroughly understand the behavior of conditioned air.

Are you planning to replace your air conditioner this spring or summer? Make sure your HVAC-system contractor is thoroughly versed in duct system design. At Blanton’s Heating & A/C, we take pride in our products, our know-how and our commitment to customer service. Get in touch with us for any of your home-comfort needs. We serve residents of the Fayetteville area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about  Duct System Design and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Sizing

A key component of A/C replacement is getting the right size. The system you have now may not be the right size for your home, so make sure you hire an HVAC contractor who uses a tool called Manual J to evaluate your home’s cooling load. The factors that influence sizing include:

• Insulation levels.
• Windows, their size and their energy efficiency.
• Air infiltration levels throughout your home.
• Preferred temperatures.
• Number of home occupants.
• Landscaping factors.

After he completes the Manual J calculation, your contractor will inspect your ductwork for proper sizing, insulation and air leaks. Not addressing ductwork weaknesses will decrease the performance of your A/C replacement, driving up your energy bills and increasing wear on your system.

Energy efficiency

Another key consideration in A/C replacement is energy efficiency. When you’re evaluating various systems, compare their seasonal energy efficiency ratios. The minimum SEER for today’s air conditioners is 13, which is probably higher than your present system’s. You can find air conditioners with SEER ratings that are much higher than 13, and while they may cost more than units with lower SEER ratings, you’ll see the payback in your energy bills. These features help to keep your home more comfortable and raise SEER ratings.

• Dual-speed compressor. This means your A/C can run at two speeds, based on the cooling needs of your home. During the spring and fall, when you don’t need as much cooling, the compressor will run at low speed. When it’s really hot, the compressor will run on high. Because your compressor will run on low most of the time, you’ll save on your energy bills.
• Variable-speed motor in the air handler. In a standard air conditioner, the motor runs at one speed, and it’s either on or off. A variable-speed motor adjusts itself to your home’s cooling needs, ramping up when you need more and slowing down when you need less. This makes for less wear and tear on your motor and fan, eliminates uncomfortable blasts of air, lessens noise and lowers your operating cost.

To learn more about an A/C replacement, contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C. We’ve provided HVAC services to residents of the Fayetteville area for more than 60 years, and we would like to help you with your home-comfort needs.

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

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Tip No 1: Add a whole-house air purifier

Your indoor air is full of pollutants, including dust, dander and pollen. These contaminants can cause mild to serious breathing problems for those who have allergies or COPD. A comprehensive whole-house air purifier can eliminate almost all of these pollutants, down to particulates that are invisible.

Tip No. 2: Go with a UV light system 

Working in tandem with your air purifier, a UV light system eliminates especially problematic organic pollutants. UV lights are the systems hospitals use to minimize transmission of airborne illnesses.

Tip No. 3: Remove excess moisture to reduce mold

Mold can cause respiratory issues to develop or worsen, and it needs moisture to flourish. Consider a whole-house dehumidifier if your air conditioner isn’t doing an adequate job of eliminating the moisture in your air.

Tip No. 4: Ditch your shoes

A lot of dirt and debris gets tracked into your home by way of your shoes. This stuff eventually winds up in the air your breathe. Take off your shoes when you come home. Keep your slippers by the door, and give your guests footies.

Tip No. 5: Wash your bedding in hot water

While you can do much of your laundry in cold or warm water to conserve energy, your sheets need hot water. Typically, they’re full of invisible organic matter that only hot water can destroy.

Tip No. 6: Replace your kitchen sponges

Once a week, rotate out the sponges you use to wash your dishes. They collect bacteria. If you don’t want to throw them away, zap them in the microwave. Just make sure they’re wet when you throw them in.

Tip No. 7: Dust using microfiber clothes

These are much more effective than feather dusters and can be washed and used again.

For more expert advice on boosting your indoor air quality, contact the friendly professionals at Blanton’s Heating & A/C. We’ve served the HVAC needs of Fayetteville and the surrounding area since 1951.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina and 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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Types of programmable thermostats 

A programmable thermostat takes the memory factor out of your energy efficiency efforts. Once you’ve installed the thermostat, you can program it and let it do its work. Basically, there are three types of programmable thermostats:

• One type lets you program each day of the week differently, so if your schedule differs dramatically from one day to the next, you can have a cooling or heating schedule that meets your specific needs for each day.
• The other two types offer one program for the workweek and either one program or two programs for the weekend. So one of these two would meet your needs if you follow the same routine on both Saturday and Sunday. The other would meet your needs if your Saturday and Sunday schedules differ.

Installation of a programmable thermostat is relatively simple, but you should be familiar with wiring basics. Also make sure your thermostat is compatible with your cooling and heating systems. If you don’t feel comfortable doing the job yourself, Blanton’s Heating & A/C is happy to help you.

A step up

While basic programmable thermostats do a commendable job of helping you keep your cooling and heating costs minimal, you might be a homeowner who wants even more precision management of your home-comfort systems. If that’s you, consider one of today’s smart programmable thermostats.

These sophisticated devices offer unique capabilities including offsite management of your home-comfort systems. When you’re away from home, you can use your laptop or smart phone to monitor your systems and make adjustments as needed. For example, if you’re coming home from vacation sooner than expected, you can tell your programmable thermostat to lower the A/C temperature on that day, not the day you originally programmed in. Other smart programmable thermostat features include the ability to alert you if any problem develops.

Ready to make your home even more energy efficient? Contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C for advice. We’ve served homeowners in the Fayetteville area since 1951. We know how to keep your family comfortable and your energy bills low.

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

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• A blower door test: Your evaluator will use this device to see where your home is leaking air. He’ll install the equipment, which is essentially a big fan, in an exterior door. This will depressurize your home and reveal where air is seeping. Typical trouble areas include door and window frames and spots where cable, plumbing and electrical lines enter your home.
• A thermographic scan: Your evaluator will use an infrared camera to identify areas where you’re gaining or losing heat. For example, if you’re having your evaluation done in the summer, the scan might show that heat in attic is radiating into your living space, which means that you should boost your attic insulation.
• Additional measures: Your evaluator will also check out your ductwork, discuss any home-comfort problems you’ve been experiencing and finally draw up a list of recommendations. You can use these recommendations as a guide for the home improvements you undertake in the coming months or years.

You can maximize the benefits of your home energy evaluation by being prepared. Have a list of concerns, and be ready to take notes and ask questions. In the end, what you spend on your evaluation and the improvements you make will pay off in lower energy bills and a greener environment.

For more information concerning energy evaluations and home comfort issues, contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C.  We’ve been serving Fayetteville-area homeowners since 1951, and we’re committed to helping our region become both energy and resource efficient.

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

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The heat pump maintenance tasks you can to do routinely include:

• Checking and changing the air filter: The filter makes a big difference in how well your system performs. A dirty filter slows airflow, which stresses your heat pump and drives up your energy bills. The unnecessary wear and tear can lead to breakdowns. Check the filter regularly, and change it whenever it looks dirty.
• Keeping the outdoor condenser clean: The condenser contains the coils that dissipate heat in the summer. An accumulation of dirt or landscaping debris can interfere with the work of the coils and other outdoor parts. Make sure the entire area around the condenser is unobstructed — and that no vegetation growing close to it either. Also make sure there’s nothing directly above the condenser.

Professional heat pump maintenance involves these tasks:

• Measuring the refrigerant level: An incorrect refrigerant level makes the heat pump run less efficiently. If your HVAC tech finds that the level in your system is off, he’ll either add more or remove some, making sure that he disposes of it properly.
• Lubricating motors: Many motors need annual lubrication. Your HVAC expert will also check the belts for wear and tear and adjust the tension.
• Cleaning the electrical connections: The connections need to be clean and tight to do their job.
• Calibrating the thermostat and checking the reversing valve: Proper thermostat operation is critical for optimal heat pump performance.
• Checking for ductwork leaks and measuring airflow through the system. Ductwork leaks reduce your system’s efficiency, sending conditioned air to places where you don’t need it and increasing conditioning bills.

If you would like more information about heat pump maintenance, contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C. We’ve provided HVAC services for Fayetteville for more than 60 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Heat Pump Maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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1. Unplug your electronic devices when they’re not being used. To make this simpler, plug the components of your home entertainment system and your home office into one or more power strips or surge protectors that can be turned off at one switch. And don’t forget, never leave a charger plugged into the wall. The Department of Energy reports that Americans spend $10 billion annually on vampire power.
2. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. When you’re replacing your bulbs, make sure they have the Energy Star logo.
3. Change your thermostat settings for your heating and cooling system. Set the temperature at 68 degrees in the winter and lower it at night. In the summer, up the thermostat to 78 degrees. You can also raise or lower the thermostat when you’re not home. Consider investing in a programmable thermostat, which can do the job for you.
4. Use hot water frugally. Most fabrics come clean in warm or cold water, and today’s detergents are effective without hot water. Try to do full loads when you’re running both the clothes washer and the dishwasher. When it’s sunny outside, line dry your clothes.
5. Learn to take shorter showers to save on water heating costs.

For more information on lowering your energy bills, contact Blanton’s Heating & A/C. We’ve provided HVAC services to Fayetteville-area homeowners for more than 60 years.

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

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What is a solar-ready system? Simply put, it’s a heat pump or air conditioner — depending on your preference — and the solar panels that go on your roof. Once you’ve decided that this is what you want to do, your heating and cooling contractor will take care of the rest:

• Ensuring that your roof gets sufficient sun and is large enough for the panels.
• Checking out local restrictions.
• Seeing to it that your Internet service is upgraded, if necessary.
• Inspecting your wiring.
• Informing you of your utility’s solar-friendly programs.

Your solar installation will power your heat pump or air conditioner. It will also power your other appliances and electronics when you’re not using your heat pump or air conditioner. If your system generates more energy than you need, the excess will be sent back to your utility company, most likely entitling you to a credit.

You will get the benefits of solar, along with the optimal energy savings of the heat pump or air conditioner that you choose. Today’s air conditioners offer seasonal energy efficiency ratios in the 20s. Heat pumps offer SEER ratings of nearly 20 and heating seasonal performance factors of nearly 10. Plus, you can take advantage of very attractive federal tax credits. All this comes in a neat package — no complications.

Ready to take the next step in energy efficiency? For more information on solar ready systems contact Blanton’s Heating & Air Conditioning in Fayetteville. We can explain our systems and assist you all the way as you move up to solar.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Solar Ready Heat Pumps & Air Conditioning and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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The Super Service Award is given to fewer than 5 percent of the businesses on Angie’s List. As the name of the award implies, it’s reserved for companies that maintain superior service. Choosing an award recipient gives you peace of mind, because you know that the business is committed to providing top-notch service time after time.

Of course, Blanton’s Heating & A/C has been dedicated to providing that kind of service to Fayetteville-area homeowners since Nathan (Bill) Blanton founded the company in 1951. Our company’s mission is spelled out on our website: “Providing the highest-quality installation, most innovation design and energy-efficiency products in the industry.” It goes on to say that the Blanton team is “committed and driven to delver prompt, dependable and unparalleled service with a constant focus on ensuring 100 percent customer satisfaction.”

And if all that isn’t enough, Blanton’s is also a member of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America and employs NATE-certified technicians.

So if you’re looking for an air conditioner, a heat pump, an air cleaner or any of the many other systems we provide, or you simply need maintenance or a repair, give us a call. You can be assured of dedicated and dependable service. Angie thinks we’re super, and we think you’d agree.

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

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