(FAQs)Frequently Asked Questions
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Our technicians have different checklists depending on what time of year they are coming. We recommend having a technician do a maintenance check in spring, summer, fall, and winter to make sure your HVAC system is running at peak performance and won’t break down on you.
These are the recommended maintenance items for every spring and fall.
- Filter Replacement
- Blow out condensate drain and clean pan
- If water is available, we wash condenser coil
- Measure freon levels and fill if necessary
- Visually inspect the unit for refrigerant leaks
- Check supply and return air temperatures
- Tighten the unit’s electrical connections
- Measure and record Volts/AMPS on motors
- If applicable we inspect Safety Controls
- Inspect electrical disconnect for proper operation
- Inspect and lubricate motors & non-sealed moving parts
- Inspect and replace worn out belts
- (Electric Units) Sequence Electric Heat, Check AMP Draw
- Inspect & adjust indoor blower components
- Lubricate all motors and non-sealed moving parts
- Cycle heating and cooling
- Check outside air economizer (If Applicable)
- (Gas Units) inspect the adjust ignition & burner assembly
- (Gas Units) Inspect Heat Exchanger
Air conditioners take heat from inside your business and sends it outside through an interrelated system of five parts:
- The Refrigerant: The refrigerant is usually Freon and Puron. Think of it like the “blood” pumping through your air conditioner unit. It changes from a gas vapor to a liquid as it collects the heat from inside your business and sends that heat outside.
- The Compressor: The compressor is like the “heart” of your air conditioner. It pumps the refrigerant in and out of the refrigeration components in a loop. Refrigerant enters the compressor as a low pressure warm vapor and is compressed into a high pressure hot vapor.
- Condenser: When the hot refrigerant vapor moves from the compressor to the condenser, the vapor is cooled by pushing it through air cooled condenser coils. This changes the refrigerant from a hot vapor to a hot liquid and it is pumped into the expansion valve.
- Expansion Valve: The hot liquid refrigerant is pushed through a small opening at high pressure which turns it into a mist. As the liquid refrigerant expands it cools rapidly. The cold liquid mist moves from the expansion valve into the evaporator coil.
- Evaporator Coil: The cold refrigerant runs through the evaporator coils in the plenum of your HVAC system. The hot air inside of your business is blown across the cold evaporator coil to cool it down before it is blown back inside of your business. As the hot air passes over the evaporator coil it transfers the heat back into the refrigerant. As the refrigerant heats up, it turns back into a warm vapor and is pushed back into the compressor where the process starts over again.
Freon is a generic name for the different types of refrigerants used in HVAC systems. Puron is the name that Carrier Corporation gave to the refrigerant R-410A.
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).
This ratio tells you how energy efficient your HVAC system is. It’s calculated by taking the cooling output during a typical cooling session and dividing it by the electrical energy input during the same time. The higher the SEER rating the more efficient your HVAC system is operating.
An economizer can help you save energy by using cooler outdoor air instead of cooling indoor air. It can also improve air quality by introducing new air into the system. These can help reduce costs in cooler temperate climates, but will most likely not be effective in hotter humid climates.
