You can expect three benefits from a well-maintained system:

Efficiency
As soon as parts begin to wear, filters become clogged, and blower fans and belts need tuned up, energy costs begin to rise, because your systems have to work harder and consume more energy to keep your home comfortable. With regular HVAC maintenance, you’ll be able to keep your system clean, operating at peak efficiency and consuming just enough energy to run smoothly.

Safety
When you have your system serviced, you can rest assured that it operates safely. For gas-powered systems in particular, maintenance ensures that carbon monoxide, a by-product of the combustion process, is safely vented outside the home. But other systems, such as heat pumps, need to be serviced to keep electrical components operating safely, too.

Life span
When a heating and cooling technician services your HVAC equipment, he or she will check for dirt buildup and parts that are wearing out. Removing buildup will ensure that the system’s components don’t rub together, create friction, increase energy consumption and then wear out quickly. Your system will last longer when it is free from dirt buildup.

While the benefits of regular HVAC maintenance should persuade you to schedule a service appointment, there’s a final benefit that should help to convince you: It will help to root out potentially big problems before they happen. With annual inspections, your HVAC technician can spot wear and tear problems, frayed belts and worn electrical components and fix problems before they lead to a costly repair, or in the worst-case scenarios, system failure.

Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning is a family-owned business serving the South Georgia and Northern Florida areas. Call us today to schedule your next HVAC maintenance appointment.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

HVAC maintenance image via Shutterstock

The dust that accumulates in your home can decrease air quality, leading to various health complications including fatigue, headaches and nausea, and increasing the possibility of asthma and allergy attacks. In addition, air that’s laden with dust creates a safe haven for dust mites, which is considered an allergen.

Fortunately, incorporating several steps into your daily life will improve your home’s indoor air quality and keep your family healthier.

• Regularly change the furnace filters. A dirty filter cannot properly cleanse the air it releases back into your home. Consider using a high-quality disposable filter instead of a standard fiberglass filter that only traps large particles. If you have the extra money in your budget, consider an electrostatic filter, which is considered the most effective filter type for allergy sufferers.
• Keep your home’s humidity level in check. Dust mites require a high level of humidity to survive, and by lowering the level you can help lower the amount of dust mites in your home. In addition, high humidity breeds fungus such as mold and mildew. Mold and mildew releases spores in the air, which will lower the indoor air quality.
• Consider installing an air-purification system in your home. Available in various sizes and types, air-purification systems help remove impurities from your home’s air.
• Dust your home the right way. Feather dusters and cleaning clothes push dust into the air. Instead, use a damp microfiber cloth and start from the highest point while working your way downward. Whenever the microfiber cloth becomes dingy, rinse with cool water and wring out until slightly damp.
• Vacuum your home regularly with a sweeper that features a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. The HEPA filter captures tiny particles –such as dust — that can lead to serious health complications. You should run the vacuum at least every other day and after dusting.

Contact Ray and Son Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more about improving the air quality in your home. Serving South Georgia and Northern Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Dusting image via Shutterstock

Check the thermostat

• Make sure the selector is in the “heat” position and the temperature is set at least 3 degrees higher than the temperature inside your home.
• Replace the thermostat battery if the low-battery indicator is on or you can’t see the LED display. The battery is located inside the thermostat box, which usually comes loose with a gentle tug.
• Turn the thermostat fan switch to the “on” position. If you don’t hear the blower come on, the problem may be the power supply.

Check the breaker switch

Locate the breaker switch labeled for your heat-pump system. You can reset the switch by turning it all the way off and then on.

Troubleshooting the indoor unit

• The power switch for most indoor units is located near the unit and looks like a regular light switch. It should be in the “up” or “on” position.
• Most units shut off automatically when the service panels are loose or removed. Check that all service panels are secure.

Troubleshooting the outdoor unit

• Look for a reset switch on the unit. When the unit is reset, it should begin working again.
• If the outdoor unit freezes up, it has to go through a defrost cycle before it can continue working. Wait a few minutes to see if the system resumes normal operation on its own. If it doesn’t start blowing warm air in a few minutes or you can see an ice buildup, call for repair.

You can prevent many common problems with heat pumps by scheduling an annual preventive maintenance check. Homeowners in the South Georgia and Northern Florida area can call Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning for maintenance checks, as well as heat pump troubleshooting and repair.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Troubleshooting image via Shutterstock

When you know early in the year where your home is leaking energy, you have time to make upgrades before the hot, humid days of spring and summer roll around. Increasing your energy efficiency also helps you button up your home for the rest of those chilly winter nights.

Although you can conduct a rudimentary home energy evaluation on your own, when you hire professionals, you benefit from their training and the specialized equipment they use.

• Almost all energy audits involve using a blower door test to check for air leaks around your home, which can account for substantial energy losses. Ray & Son uses a calibrated blower door test, which the Department of Energy states is the better test, since it measures how much infiltration occurs in the home, in addition to learning where the leaks are. The technician places a large blower in an exterior door to create negative pressure, which helps to detect air leaks indoors around door frames, windows or pipes and electrical fixtures. Once sealed, your home’s energy efficiency will rise.
• The second test involves a thermographic scan of your home. The scans result in colored pictures that indicate hot and cold spots. This test helps to pinpoint where you need more insulation or larger ducts to heat or cool rooms that receive insufficient conditioned air.
• The third test involves inspecting the ducts in your home. Leaking ducts can add significant costs to your energy bill. Sometimes ducts can be hard to inspect on your own because they’re difficult to access or are insulated.

Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning, a NATE-certified HVAC contractor serving South Georgia and Northern Florida homeowners, can inspect your home and help you implement a plan once you have the results of the energy evaluation. With warmer weather ahead, our services can save your energy dollars and increase the comfort inside your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Sealing air leaks image via Shutterstock

Most homes are ventilated in three different ways — natural, whole-house and spot ventilation work together to control moisture and air pollution in your home.

Natural ventilation
All homes are naturally ventilated to some degree when air passes through walls, windows and doors — and by opening windows, however, increasing your home’s energy efficiency can also reduce the amount of natural airflow, so this method isn’t always enough to maintain comfortable air quality.

Whole-house ventilation
A whole-house system is a controlled system that uses one or more fans, as well as a duct system, to bring air in and out of your home. The major types of whole-house systems include exhaust, supply and balanced.

• Exhaust — Exhaust systems force air, as well as air pollution, out of your home. This forces air from outside to replace the indoor air, but may also bring in extra moisture in warmer temperatures.
• Supply — Supply systems pull fresh air into your home, which forces the old air outside. In colder temperatures, supply systems may also cause some heat to be forced outside, which makes them more suited for hot or mild climates.
• Balanced — A balanced system mixes both supply and exhaust strategies. While this eliminates the problems that come with relying on one strategy, balanced systems are more expensive to install and maintain.

Spot ventilation
This strategy uses individual exhaust fans, such as those found in kitchens and bathrooms, to control moisture and air pollution directly. Spot ventilating is useful for getting rid of a large amount of moisture or air pollution in a single room, but it is limited in its ability to address the whole house.

If you have more questions about ventilation or want to know which type of system would work best for your home, contact the heating and cooling professionals at Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Ventilation image via Shutterstock

In addition to heat sources such as furnaces and fireplaces, lawn equipment and motor vehicles also emit this dangerous gas, which happens to be undetectable by the human senses – and worse still, can be deadly in excessive doses. That’s why it’s so important to have at least one carbon monoxide detector installed in your household.

Of course, the key to maximizing the effectiveness of these life-saving devices is proper placement during installation. While we recommend installing multiple carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home, we realize this may not be feasible in every household. If you’re only installing one detector, be sure to place it within 15 feet of the master bedroom. This will ensure that you hear the alarm, even during a deep sleep. You’ll also want to place the detector somewhere between eye level and 10 feet above the floor.

If installing multiple carbon monoxide detectors, they should be placed:

• On each level of multi-story homes, including the basement
• Within 15 feet of all sleeping areas
• Near known sources of carbon monoxide, such as attached garages or heating sources, but far enough away to prevent false positive readings
• Away from areas known for high humidity, such as bathrooms and kitchens

You also want detection devices to be easily accessible, especially if you’re using a battery-operated system. If you’re installing a hard-wired detector, be sure to choose a model with battery backup; this ensures that your family remains protected, even during a power outage, when alternate heat sources can become a major source of carbon monoxide.

With this basic guide, you should be able to find a suitable location for your carbon monoxide detector(s). If you have any further questions, contact Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning today for an expert consultation. Serving South Georgia and Northern Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Carbon monoxide detector image via Shutterstock

When the temperature drops, rather than dedicating resources to creating heat from scratch, heat pumps instead put their energy toward transferring outdoor heat into your home. Because they work this way, heat pumps are a highly efficient heating option. In fact, for every watt of electricity the heat pump consumes, it produces 3 to 4 watts of conditioned air. This paves the way for significant savings on your monthly energy bills.

Heat pumps also work in a distinctly different way than typical forced-air furnaces in terms of comfort. The latter works by frequently cycling on and off. When it cycles on, it produces a hot blast of air. But once it’s off, the air in a home often quickly cools down. Heat pumps bypass that problem by generating heated air that’s at a slightly lower temperature, but which is emitted evenly and consistently throughout the day. Many homeowners find this to be a more comfortable way of heating a home.

The ideal climate for using a heat pump? Regions that have milder winter seasons, such as winter weather common to the South Georgia and North Florida areas. Mild winters are ideal because a heat pump has to source heat from the air in order to function. In the summer, it finds heat inside your home and exhausts it outdoors. In the winter, it must do the same: Find heat in the outdoor air and bring it inside. Usually, heat-pump systems have a balance point of around 35 degrees, meaning such a system will be able to locate heat in the outdoor air above that balance point and still maintain efficiency.

Explore the possibilities that an air-source heat pump provides. If you have questions, or would like to review our line of heat pumps, contact Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning. Serving the South Georgia and Northern Florida area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Heat pump image via Shutterstock

Here are five easy steps you can take to keep your ducts in top condition:

1. Seal your ducts. Leaky ducts not only lose a significant amount of conditioned air, they can also pull unwanted moisture and contaminants into your heating and cooling system, and circulate them throughout the home. Seal accessible ducts with mastic or metal tape, and call a professional for those hard-to-reach spaces.
2. Keep air filters fresh and clean. Inspect air filters monthly, and clean or change them as needed, making sure that filters are tightly in place so that air and particles can’t get around the filter. Upgrade to the highest efficiency filter that is compatible with your system.
3. Clean your home regularly. Simple dusting and sweeping often stirs up more dust than it removes. Wipe away dust with a wet cloth or mop, and use a high-efficiency vacuum on carpets. Removing dust from the home prevents it from being sucked back into your HVAC system.
4. Insulate ducts in unconditioned areas. Adding insulation will help ensure that the conditioned air inside of your ductwork isn’t affected by the often extreme temperatures of unconditioned spaces.
5. Have HVAC systems checked annually. Having a technician clean and adjust your system components before the peaks of the heating and cooling seasons ensures safe and efficient operation year round. It also ensures that your system components receive a routine cleaning, which prevents unwanted contaminants from building up in your ducts and being circulated throughout your home.

By following these five suggestions for proper duct maintenance, you can enhance your family’s comfort and quality of life, while reducing energy costs and extending the longevity of your system. For more information on keeping your ducts in top working order, contact us today at Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning. Serving South Georgia and Northern Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Air filter image via Shutterstock

Consider the items commonly stored and operated in an attached garage:

• Motor vehicles
• Gas-fueled yard equipment, such as chainsaws, weed eaters, and lawn mowers
• Chemicals, such as pesticides and cleaning fluids

Each of these items emits fumes and pollutants that are harmful to humans if inhaled in excess. So the question is: How can you prevent these items from harming your family?

Inside the garage

Even if you only use your garage to store a vehicle, indoor air quality is a major concern. Every time you start the vehicle, harmful contaminants are released into the air, and every time you return home and shut the vehicle off for storage, even more contaminants are produced and trapped within the garage space.

The best way to handle this issue is to install some form of mechanical ventilation in the garage itself. Exhaust fans, such as those commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, are a simple means of reducing pollutants in the garage. In exhausting fumes from the garage itself, these fans also cause air from within your home to infiltrate the garage, refreshing the air and preventing contaminants from entering the home.

Protecting the home

In addition to installing exhaust fans in the garage, you should also seal any air leaks between the garage and home itself. Some air leaks are fairly easy to spot. Common trouble spots include areas where doors, pipes, ducts and wires pass from the home to the garage.

To ensure air leaks are thoroughly sealed, consult a NATE-certified HVAC technician. Using techniques and equipment designed specifically for the purpose of spotting hidden air leaks, a trained technician can help you devise a direct, cost-effective strategy for addressing leakage issues.

For more on how you can enhance the indoor air quality of your garage and home, contact Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning.  Serving South Georgia and Northern Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Attached garage image via Shutterstock

Consider these six simple steps to household energy savings this winter:

1. Start by looking for simple, no-cost solutions. Often, energy loss can be attributed to oversights such as an open window or fireplace damper.
2. Seal around drafty windows and doors. In most cases, this is an affordable fix, as air leaks can be sealed off with weather stripping or caulk.
3. Consider upgrading outdated windows. Despite your best sealing efforts, older windows are prone to excessive heat transfer, so upgrading may be your best option. If money is tight, consider storm windows as an affordable alternative.
4. Address common leaks, such as areas where ducts, pipes, vents and wiring pass through the exterior of the home to the attic, basement, crawl space or outdoors. Most issues can be remedied with caulk and weather stripping.
5. Address small, hidden leaks. One common culprit of energy loss is leakage around electrical switches and outlets, which can often be easily fixed with the installation of a pre-cut foam gasket.
6. Don’t forget the ductwork. A significant amount of conditioned air can seep out of leaky ductwork. Luckily, this energy loss can be stifled by proper duct sealing. Search out accessible duct leaks and correct the issue using metal tape or duct mastic, and call in a professional to evaluate the efficiency of hidden ductwork. If you have ductwork passing through unconditioned areas of your home, consider insulating these ducts against unwanted heat transfer.

These are but six easy steps that you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your home this winter. For more energy-saving tips, contact Ray & Son Heating & Air Conditioning – serving South Georgia and North Florida residents since 1965.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.

Sealing air leaks image via Shutterstock