How to choose a reputable HVAC technician in your area

This answer is pretty short and sweet. Unless you have someone that you know personally and trust to do the work, or if you have faith in someone else's recommendation, the best advice I can offer is to go to http://www.angieslist.com/. That is what that site is there for, so that you can go there to find a trustworthy technician in many fields, and also see the customer comments and ratings of others that have used their services before. It's one step beyond "Well, I know a guy"...

Thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions or need assistance in locating repair parts please call Toll Free to (866) 432-8551 or visit us at http://www.americanhvacparts.com/.

Hurricane Irene put your house underwater. Will you need to replace the entire heating system?

No, not necessarily. Once the water subsides, and the house drains, as with everything else in there, it needs to dry. So after giving it the proper amout of time, once all the moisture is gone, you can begin to troubleshoot the unit.

First off, I can tell you that the unit will not work. There are several electrical components in these systems that will fry when wet because they are, well... electrical. But there are a lot of mechanical parts in the unit as well. So if you replace the electrical components the system should go back to normal. Can this be expensive? Yes. But still less expensive in most cases than replacing the entire unit and having the new one installed and the old one hauled away.

Some people may want to attempt this project themselves which is fine, but if you are inexperienced you may want to call out a tech for diagnostics. Odds are he will tell you to replace all the components or to replace the whole unit, so I just say replacing all the parts yourself is the better gamble. At least all the parts will be new and unaffected by any water so that should get you up and running without paying the price for a technician.

Ductwork can be a different issue. Depending on the length of time under water, and when drying, the humidity factor in the attic etc, mildew and even bacteria growth can start to occur in the ducting itself. While it may just seem that it smells bad, when the system is back up and running, that bacteria can be sent airborne into your home, being breathed in by yourself and your family. Ducting is fairly inexpensive and rather easy to install, so you should just bite the bullet and replace it all. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you have any questions or assistance in locating repair parts, please call Toll Free (866) 432-8551 or visit us at http://www.americanhvacparts.com/.

Good bye spring and summer, hello fall and winter. What to do to prepare...

The warm, sunny months are coming to an end soon, and Jack Frost is about to come out and play. It is this time when the weather is still in between seasons that it is wise to do a little pre-season check up and maintenance to keep you from being, well... left out in the cold. Run down the following steps and you should be set for a cozy and uneventful winter season.

With there being different types of heating equipment used across the country, there are different maintenance steps for each system. Here I will list them by type:

Gas Furnace -
1. Turn on the furnace and make sure that the gas valve kicks on and the burners start going and the wheel starts blowing. If everything goes off without a hitch you are in good shape. In some furnaces, they have what is known as a standing pilot which means that the pilot is constantly lit. To conserve energy and money, some people will shut the gas to the furnace off during the warmer months. The common mistake is that it is left off for the duration until the weather gets cold again and then when trying to relight the furnace it wont light because a valve has gone bad, an igniter is burnt out, etc. A big plus to checking this out before it's crunch time.
2. It is always good to have spares of common parts such as igniters, flame sensors, limit switches, a gas valve, a capacitor and a motor. Sounds expensive, but when weighed against the potential costs of frozen pipes, electric space heaters, or even hotel rooms, it is a small price to pay to be prepared. Sure, many companies offer next day air and such, but when weather conditons get out of hand, they can effect the rate of travel on your parts getting to you which just extends the time you are without heat.Look at what just happened with hurrican Irene. The eastern sea board was under water for days and nothing went in or out. Think ahead.

Heat Pump -
1. Turn on the system and have the system change from cool to heat. If this works, then your reversing valve is functioning properly. Heat pumps are a bit trickier to diagnose if you are not sure what you are doing, so in this case you may want to call out a tech so that he can test all of the components as heat pumps are more electrical than mechanical.
2. Stock up on spares. Capacitors, contactors, solenoid coils, defrost boards, etc. If a tech came out, they should be able to suggest anything that they think you might need as a "just in case" precaution.

Electric Air Handler -
1. Turn the system on to call for heat. If you are running an air handler with no heat pump, then you will be using electric strip heat. Observe the heat strip and make sure all the coils are glowing red hot. As long as the blower is running and the coils are glowing, you stand to be in pretty good shape.
2. Again, spare parts. Sequencers, capacitors, fan timer boards, blower motor, blower relays. The same is recommended to call a tech if you are not sure what you do or may need.

It never hurts to have a tech come out and do a maintenance inspection for you if you are not sure what you are doing. It will cast you a few extra bucks, but at least you will be ready whne the time comes. And as always, make sure your air filters are clean and changed regularly. Follow these few tips and you should be in for a toasty heating season.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you have any questions or assistance in finding parts please call Toll Free (866) 432-8551 or visit us at http://www.americanhvacparts.com/.

Not sure if the repair part you received is correct? Follow these steps to find out...

Ok, so ordering repair parts online of any kind can be a risky gamble. Whether it's parts for a computer, a car or even HVAC you have to be able to trust that the people running the business know what they are doing to ensure you get the right part the first time. Typically, if you go to a company that specializes in any certain line of parts, it's a pretty safe bet you will be ok. But there are those times that mistakes happen. The information you provided when ordering the part may have been incorrect, the operator may have taken the information down wrong, or the part may have simply been incorrectly pulled off of the shelf. Then there are times where you may think you have gotten the wrong part but the manufacturer has changed the appearance or part number, or the product may now be made by a different manufacturer all together.Another possibility is that you may have opted to go with a less expensive aftermarket part which will look different as well. Here I will help you to know what to do to determine whether the part you received is correct or not.

To do this, you are essentially going to start over from the beginning with the company you purchased the part from. It is always a great idea to get the name of the person who assisted you in case you need to travel this route. They may have some notes from your original call, or just remember helping you, so this way it may be quicker and easier to get to the bottom of the problem.You will want to do the following to get this started:

1. Provide all of the same information that you provided originally, then also go back to the equipment and verify that the information you provided is correct and the same.
2. Provide the part numbers from the part(s) you are replacing.
3. Provide the part number that you received.

So that's really it. Just as if you were placing the call for the first time, you will provide all of the information. The operator should then be able to determine in a reasonable amount of time whether the part that you received is correct, incorrect, been modified, been upgraded, is universal or ios made by a new company. After this determination has been made, if the wrong part was sent a reputable company will take care of this for you right away. There are different policies that each company has to handle situations like this, so it is best to ask the operator when handling the problem. If the part is correct, universal, upgraded, modified or made by a new company, the operator should also be able to assist you in some fashion to ease you mind and provide instruction whether written or digital, or a direct contact to the company's tech support for assistance in making the part switch.

As usual, thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions or require assistance in ordering any parts, please call Toll Free (866) 432-8551 or you can visit us at http://www.americanhvacparts.com/.

How to diagnose a gas furnace

When it comes to diagnosing a gas furnace, there a quite a few more parts in play here than with a condensing unit. There is a transformer, an inducer (vent) motor, a pressure switch, a door switch, a circuit board, a gas valve, an igniter, a flame sensor, burners, limit switches, fan switches, a blower motor and a blower wheel. As you see there are many more possibilities of what could be causing your problems as opposed to the case with a condensing unit. But it doesn’t mean you have to call a tech to figure it out, it just means we need to know what the problem is from the get go.

 

Because of all of the variables here, we cannot list them all. We have however in previous blogs touched on certain topics of what may be the cause for your problem depending on the situation. As we are adding new tips frequently, it shouldn’t be long before your problem is addressed if not already there. If you do not see the problem you are having listed, we can still be of assistance by calling us at Toll Free (866) 432-8551 or you can visit our website at http://www.americanhvacparts.com/.

How to diagnose an outdoor condensing unit

When it comes to diagnosing an outdoor condensing unit, the process is pretty easy. In a standard condensing unit, there are only a few parts in the unit. There is a contactor, a fan motor, a compressor and a capacitor. These parts all work in tandem. The way a condenser works is the thermostat sends a signal to the contactor. When this happens, the contactor becomes magnetized and pulls down the bridge completing the power circuit from one side of the contactor to the other. On one end of the contactor, there are 2 wires which are the live 220 volt power lines coming from the house. At the other end of the contactor, there are the wires from the compressor and the fan motor. So once the power bridge has been engaged, the compressor and fan motor are now supplied with power and should begin to run. The capacitor which is connected to the compressor and fan motor is simply a start assistant to help them both get running. The compressor’s purpose is to pump refrigerant into the house to provide the cool air, and the purpose of the fan motor is to suck air through the coil and keep the refrigerant and unit cool. Now that you know the functions, you can begin the process of diagnosing the unit.

 

At this point, you will need to run down a check list such as the one below...

 

1. Is the contactor engaging when the thermostat is turned on and calling for cooling?

    a) If yes, then proceed to step 2.

    b) If not, you will need to test the line voltage from the thermostat wire to see that you are getting 24 volts. If there is 24 volts, the contactor is bad. If not, the thermostat wire could have a break in the line somewhere or the thermostat itself could be bad.

2. When the contactor engages, what happens? Does the motor run and not the compressor? Or vice-versa? Or nothing at all?

    a) If one or the other runs but not both, the problem could be either a bad motor or compressor or a bad capacitor. If the motor is not running, try spinning the blade with a stick to see if it gets going. If it does, it is the capacitor. If it doesn’t, it most likely means the motor is bad and will need to be replaced along with a new capacitor. If the motor is running but not the compressor, unless you have the tools to test the capacitor, you will want to replace the capacitor. If after replacing the capacitor the compressor still does not run, your compressor is bad and will need to be replaced.

    b) If nothing at all begins to run, odds are it is just the capacitor. It is highly unlikely that the compressor and fan motor would fail at the same time. Either way, the capacitor is going to be the least expensive part to try first.

3. Are all the parts functioning but you are still not getting any cool air?

If this is the case, you are likely to be low on freon which should only be happening if there is a leak somewhere in the system. Only thing left to do now is call a tech.

 

So there you have it. Diagnosing the condensing unit in 3 simple steps. For more helpful tips, keep checking back here for our latest blog entry. For any parts needs, please visit www.americanhvacparts.com or call toll free to 866-432-8551.

My ac works, and it blows cold, but for some reason it takes a while to cool down the house. Why?

In this entry, I refer you back to my last blog where I addressed the issue of the house not retaining the cool air. Make sure all doors and windows are sealed and blinds are closed. That will help ensure that the air is not escaping or being superheated by the sunlight. Beyond that, there are a few potential reasons why this is happening.

When you have an issue like this, most likely there has not been any maintenance on the system for a while. And this is something that you can do yourself rather than calling out a technician. Maintaining your unit is imperative to having the highest efficiency and extending the life of your equipment. Simple yet effective fixes are available and at little to no cost to you other than a little of your time.

First of all, check your filter. If your filter is dirty and clogged, it is essentially choking your system for air. If it’s dirty, change it. They are cheap, and very easy to replace.

Next, open your furnace up and inspect your blower wheel. Over time, the wheel can build up dust and dirt and wind up caking the blades reducing the ability to scoop the air. An easy fix to this is to take a vacuum with a hose attachment and vacuum the blades, but the most effective fix which takes a bit more time is to take out the wheel and wash it off completely. Removing all that build up will make a HUGE difference.

Then there are some variables that may be the cause. Your air blows through a coil which produces the cold air. Sometimes the underside of the coil can get clogged with a blanket of dust, dirt and lint, thereby reducing the ability of the air to get through as easy. It’s like cleaning the lint trap on your dryer. It all sticks together, so just grab a corner and start rolling and it will all come out together.

Have you checked your ducts lately? Depending on where you live, there may be rodent problems and they love to chew things. So there may be some tears in your ductwork from that, or just tears from age. Also, the duct may have came loose somewhere. Without a sealed system, you won’t get the maximum airflow. Check to make sure all connections are tight and sealed, and any tears can usually be sealed with some simple everyday… you guessed it… duct tape.

Are there rooms that are rarely used in your home? This is another way that the air may not be moving properly if you are cooling rooms that don’t have the need. Simply just close the dampers on the vents in those rooms. By reducing the amount of open vents, you are forcing the air to the remaining open ones and the back pressure will make the air blow stronger.

That’s really all there is to it. Like I said before, simple. For more helpful tips, keep checking back here for our latest blog entry. For any parts needs, please visit www.americanhvacparts.com or call toll free to 866-432-8551.