Your Ductwork Won’t Last Forever – When Should You Replace It?
Has your ductwork been inspected lately? If not, having it looked over is a good idea. Duct systems can show significant deterioration after as little as 10 years of use, depending upon the quality of the materials used at installation. If your duct system has been in place since the home was constructed, chances are that its design and materials were chosen with more regard for cost than quality, which means they may be developing problems that can affect air quality, comfort and energy costs in your home.
So how do you tell if your ductwork needs repair or replacement? The best way to find out is to have your duct system inspected by your HVAC technician. However, if you’re hesitant to call your HVAC contractor without knowing that there’s cause for concern, you can check for telltale signs of duct deterioration on your own.
- Do a visual inspection of exposed ducts, generally found in the attic, basement or crawl space. Pay special attention to joints and seams, looking for deteriorating duct tape, gaps where joints have loosened or seams that have come apart completely, leaving ducts disconnected. Also look for crumbling duct insulation and holes, rust or corrosion in all visible air ducts.
- Check vents in each room of the house. Rooms that have weaker airflow than others may be served by damaged, collapsed or disconnected vents. Temperature differences from one vent to another can indicate leaky ducts or spans of ductwork that have lost their insulation.
- If you discover potential problems, your next step is a professional evaluation of your duct system to determine whether it’s time to replace or repair your home’s ductwork. Typically, a duct blower test will be performed to evaluate duct performance, which uses a blower fan to pressurize the system and sensors to measure airflow, allowing your technician to calculate the rate of air leakage.
For more information on keeping your ductwork in good shape, please contact Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We’ve been serving homeowners throughout the Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor,Trinity and West Chase areas since 1958.
Heat Loss in Your Clearwater Home – It Costs You, Even in Florida
You may not think much about your home heating costs here in the Clearwater area since we have such mild winters, but there are several things you can do around your house to reduce heat loss and save money, particularly during occasional cold snaps. These things don’t cost much money upfront, but they will make your home more comfortable this winter and continue to pay off next summer. Stopping heat loss works both ways—you’ll save on winter heating bills and reduce your summer air conditioning load.
You can do most of these things to reduce heat loss yourself, but call a licensed heating contractor if you need expert help:
- Reduce your water heating costs. Turn your water heater setting down so that your hot water is kept at 120 degrees or lower. Also wrap the water heater tank in an insulating blanket to reduce further heat losses.
- Check ductwork for leaks and inadequate insulation. Your ducts can lose a significant amount of heated and cooled air before it reaches its destination. Be sure duct joints are fastened with sheet-metal screws and sealed with mastic to prevent leaks. Insulate your ducts anywhere they run through an unconditioned space such as your attic.
- Seal air leaks in your home’s exterior. Caulk and weatherstrip around doors and windows to prevent energy losses. Check the places where plumbing and electrical wiring penetrate your walls to be sure the holes around them are well-sealed with caulk.
- Check your roof for damaged shingles. Leaks in your roof can cause structural damage and degrade insulation so that it no longer blocks heat from moving between your living spaces and attic.
- Maintain your furnace. Change your filter regularly. Have your heating contractor come out for an inspection and maintenance call every year. A well-maintained furnace will heat your Florida home efficiently and inexpensively.
Call us at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating for more energy-saving tips for your Clearwater home. We’ve been helping homeowners in this area stay comfortable since 1958.
Your Heat Pump Blows Cold Air? Possible Reasons
On a chilly winter night, the last thing you want to feel in your Tampa Bay area home is cold air coming from your heater vents. Thanks to the mild Florida climate, you don’t need to heat your home often, but when you do, you want it to work. If your heat pump blows cold air, it could be a number of easily fixable issues.
Before you call your trusted HVAC technician, take a look at this list of common reasons your heater might not be warming your home:
- If your heat pump blows cold air immediately after starting up, that’s normal. It takes a moment for the cool air in the system to be replaced with heated air, just like it takes a few seconds for hot water to reach your sink after turning the faucet on.
- A constant stream of cold air usually means your fan is set to “on” instead of “auto.” Find your thermostat and check. When the fan is set to “auto,” it only runs when the heat pump is in its heating cycle, while “on” means the fan is running constantly.
If none of these tips fix your problem, you need to call an HVAC contractor. The complicated electronics and machinery inside of your furnace require a trained professional and specialized tools to diagnose. If you haven’t already, think about purchasing a maintenance agreement from your HVAC contractor. They’ll regularly perform preventive maintenance on your equipment so it always works when you need it.
If your heat pump blows cold air and you’d like to schedule a professional to assess it, contact Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We proudly serve homeowners throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Why Isn’t Your Furnace Igniting?
A well-functioning furnace can make a family happy and healthy all winter. You may live in Florida, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch colds too! However, if you’ve been having blasts of cold air through the winter or your home hasn’t been as warm as it should, it’s probably because your furnace won’t ignite.
Why Isn’t My Furnace Igniting?
A furnace that isn’t igniting could be due to a variety of issues, the most common of which involves not cleaning and maintaining the furnace properly. In some cases, the furnace is old and needs to be replaced.
- The most common reason a pilot in a furnace won’t ignite is that the opening for the flame gets dirty over time and the debris prevents the gas from easily going where it needs to. This creates inconsistent temperatures, which the flame sensor reads and usually shuts off the flame. This is most often the case of a heating unit that starts to blow warm air, then suddenly blasts cold air.
- The second most common problem is when the pilot ignition switch goes bad. When this happens, the igniter doesn’t produce the spark necessary to keep the flame lit. This is particularly problematic on models that switch the flame off when not in use.
- The next most common problem is an improper pilot flame length. This occurs when the unit vibrates and the nut that controls the amount of gas released is loosened. Tighten the thermocouple till the flame is two inches tall, or however tall the user manual of your furnace tells you it should be.
- Lastly, if everything is hooked up right and it still isn’t working, it could be a damaged gas line. This needs to be examined immediately by a qualified HVAC specialist.
If your furnace won’t ignite and you’d like professional HVAC help, contact Cox Air Conditioning and Heating. We serve homeowners throughout Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, Trinity and West Chase.
Planning a Winter Holiday? Prepare Your Home and HVAC System Before You Go
As relaxing as vacations are, you may have some valid concerns about your empty home. Here are a few simple steps to prepare your home that can help you leave for your winter holiday without a care in the world.
- Using a programmable thermostat makes it convenient to remotely check on the temperature in your house. You can make any necessary adjustments to the settings on your HVAC system by using a smartphone or via the Internet.
- Temperatures below freezing make it unsafe to turn the thermostat completely off. Setting the thermostat on your HVAC system to 50 degrees will still save you money without risking frozen pipes and flooding.
- Many people are unaware that appliances still draw power while turned off. Prepare your home by unplugging appliances and large electronic devices while you are out of town.
- Prepare your home to use as little electricity as possible while you are out of town. Set your refrigerator to 42 degrees and freezer to 5 degrees to save money, but still minimize the chances of returning home to spoiled food. Throwing out or giving away perishables and unplugging your refrigerator before an extended winter holiday will save even more.
- During your winter holiday, change the water heater to its “vacation” setting. This low temperature will prevent water in the lines and tank from freezing and causing damage, but won’t keep hot water at the ready that will not be used.
If you need help to prepare your home for a winter vacation or for the winter in general, call us at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. Our HVAC system experts have been keeping Pinellas County and the surrounding areas comfortable since 1958.
It’s Easy to Save on Heating With These Tips
Go ahead, buy a new sweater. It will not only make you feel more comfortable this winter, but you can easily pay for it with the money you’ll save on heating by following even a few sensible, energy-saving tips.
Begin by lowering the temperature in your home. (See why the sweater comes in handy?) The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for every degree you adjust your thermostat, you can save between 2 and 4 percent on your heating bill. This will add up quickly, especially if you drop the temperature further during the day – when people are at work and school – and overnight.
While you’re setting the thermostat, make sure that you’re doing so on a programmable thermostat – a nifty invention that allows you to set your thermostat for a day or for as long as a week ahead of time. For anyone who wants to save on heating costs, a programmable thermostat is a must-have piece of technology.
Build even more momentum in your quest to save on heating by:
- Scheduling a fall heat pump tune-up to remove the dirt and grime that impedes your heat pump’s performance
- Sealing air leaks and weatherstripping and caulking windows
- Replacing your heat pump air filter. Keep an extra filter around all season long; it will come in handy when you put “filter check” on your calendar at the beginning (or end) of every month
- Inspecting the condition and amount of insulation in your attic. Then check the amount against that recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy in a handy guide.
- Running your ceiling fans in a clockwise direction to circulate warm air that rises to the ceiling. (In the summer, the fans should run in a counterclockwise direction.) Doing so will help you make use of the warm air already in your home.
- Keeping doors and windows closed but shades and window treatments open to take advantage of heat supplied by the sun
To schedule a tune-up or for other ideas to help you save on heating (and perhaps afford a second new sweater), call the experts at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating today.
Is Your High Efficiency Heat Pump Underperforming? It Could Be a Lack of Home Insulation
If you’ve installed a high efficiency heat pump but haven’t seen your energy bills come down as far as you’d expect, it might not be your heat pump that’s the problem. While a great heat pump can be incredibly efficient at using energy to provide heating for your home, it cannot make up for inefficiencies elsewhere. If you’re losing 50 percent of the heat in your home through gaps in your walls and ceiling, your furnace will need to be working twice as hard to keep your home heated, even with an AFUE rating of 90 to 95.
For most homeowners, the real inefficiency in their homes is the loss of heat escaping via air leaks and through insufficient insulation. While this can never be entirely stopped, it can be significantly reduced by using insulation effectively.
Typically as much as 40 percent of energy used is lost through air leakage in an average home, most of which can be avoided. The upfront cost of getting this work done will be repay itself many times over by reducing your future energy bills.
The first step to reducing your home’s inefficiencies is to engage the services of a qualified HVAC professional. An expert technician can install additional insulation in the attic and walls where needed and seal air leaks around the home to prevent escaping conditioned air. While some of these can be done as a DIY job, an qualified expert knows where to look for air leaks and will also know which insulation to use for the job, as well as how to use it.
For more information about using your high efficiency heat pump properly and to ensure sufficient insulation in your home, contact the pros at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We’re proud to serve homeowners in and around the Tampa area.
Heat Pump Efficiency Ratings – What They Mean to You
Falling leaves and chilly winds are indicative of the changing seasons, which may bring to mind the occasional cold snap that requires a competent heat pump. If your home’s equipped with an old, energy-draining heat pump currently, now might be the time to consider an upgrade, before the federal tax credits expire at the end of 2013. And if you’re shopping for a new heat pump, you’ll want to understand what those heat pump efficiency ratings are really telling you.
What Do Heat Pump Efficiency Ratings Really Mean?
Annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) is the industry term used for heat pump efficiency ratings. The ratings were designed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to give consumers the opportunity to compare different models. (These ratings must now be clearly displayed on new appliances.) The labeling makes it easy to know how adept a heat pump will be at creating heat to warm your home versus how much energy it will need to create the heat.
The AFUE rating reflects a percentage. For example, if a heat pump has an AFUE rating of 75, it means that 75 percent of the fuel’s energy is turned into heat to make your home nice and toasty, while the remaining 25 percent goes to waste through various escape routes.
Though the efficiency rating is useful in your attempt to make an energy efficient heat pump purchase, it doesn’t reveal how much heat may be lost by other means, such as through inefficient ductwork. If you have ducts in unconditioned or partially conditioned areas of your home, like your garage, up to 35 percent of the energy output of the furnace may be wasted.
If you’re in the market for a new heat pump or have questions about efficiency ratings, contact the pros at Cox Heating & Air Conditioning. We’re proud to serve homeowners throughout Palm Harbor and surrounding areas.
How Long Will My Heat Pump Last?
How long will my heat pump last? It’s a common question from homeowners, particularly if the performance of your heat pump last winter wasn’t so hot. Here’s a guide to see if your heat pump is showing signs of its age or if it just needs a little TLC.
How Long Will My Furnace Last?
The life span of a heat pump depends on the care and maintenance it receives, as well as the amount of wear and tear over the years. Salt and moisture in the Clearwater air also plays a part when it comes to corrosion and the quality of the heat pump itself. Generally, heat pumps last about 10 to 15 years. New high-efficiency heat pump may last longer, delivering about the same energy savings of 30 to 40 percent over its life span.
Heat Pump Troubles?
Heat pump troubles become more common toward the end of the heat pump’s life. Even a dirty filter causes more issues than you may realize.
There are several furnace issues that can arise. Components lose efficiency when dirt and grime accumulate.
The best way to troubleshoot heat pump issues is to have it professionally cleaned and inspected. Your HVAC technician can perform a number of checks, balances and inspections, as well as a thorough cleaning.
Sizing Up New Heat Pump Options
There are many benefits of installing a high-efficiency heat pump, such as performance, energy savings and financial incentives like rebates and tax credits to ease the initial investment. To leverage the best installation and performance, work closely with you technician. Ask for a home energy audit to see where you can perform efficiency upgrades, like air sealing and insulating, to maximize comfort and savings.
If you’re wondering, “how long will my heat pump last,” contact the HVAC experts at Cox Air Conditioning & Heating. We proudly serve the heating and cooling needs of homeowners throughout Clearwater and surrounding areas.
Why It’s Important to Avoid Ductwork Obstructions
When a doctor diagnoses clogged arteries, patients know their circulatory system is no longer working efficiently, and changes have to be made. The same is true for your HVAC system’s ductwork. Ducts are the arteries and veins of your forced-air system. Any obstructions will dramatically compromise the system’s efficiency.
When’s the last time you had a duct exam? If you can’t remember, you may want to schedule a duct inspection before you begin relying on your heating system to keep you warm this winter. Here are some of the common problems associated with various ductwork obstructions.
Filter issues
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Dirty filters are the most common source of HVAC airflow obstructions. Make sure you change your air filters regularly, as per the manufacturer’s instructions. This will increase energy efficiency as well as your indoor air quality. A less common filter-related obstruction is when the filter is sucked into the ductwork. This can become a fire hazard if the filter is drawn into the blower assembly fan.
Compromised ducts
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If your ductwork is older, or hasn’t been inspected in the last year or so, you may have duct leaks, insulation obstructions, or disconnections that are negatively affecting your system’s airflow. Leaky duct connections waste significant energy. Insulation can often detach from the lining of the ducts, or fall through leaky connections, causing obstructions. Flex ductwork has to be inspected for dents and collapsed sections that will prevent air from circulating effectively.
Zone dampers
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A zone system is a wonderful way to keep a tighter reign on whole-house comfort. However, the various dampers that control the flow of air can become stuck. If they are stuck in the closed position, they become ductwork obstructions. If they are stuck in the open position, it will compromise the heating and cooling in other areas of the house.
Dirty return air inlets
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The grilles in the return air inlets need to be inspected and cleaned routinely to avoid the accumulation of sediment and debris that can obstruct airflow.
Protect your Tampa-area home from ductwork obstructions by scheduling a duct inspection with Cox Air Conditioning and Heating. We’re the HVAC experts.
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