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I don’t know about you, but I really dislike chemistry.  I appreciate all that it has done for me, and I really enjoyed the “Fire Fridays” we had in my high school chemistry class, but chemistry was not and is not my thing.  Perhaps that’s why I have never quite understood refrigerants in air conditioning. No not refrigerators, but refrigerants.  I feel as if there is someone out there like me who probably does not quite get it either.  So, I did some research and I am going to try to give you just a little information about it.

Freon or Chlorofluorcarbon (CFC) is a refrigerant that was invented in 1928 and has been used for refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosols etc….  Freon was great at the beginning of the 20th century, because it was non-toxic and non-flammable.  It wasn’t until later that it was discovered that it harmed the ozone.

If a freon leak is detected, the good news is that as it is non-toxic, it is not that dangerous.  However, if you have heart problems you should be more concerned.  If you notice a leak, it is best to get it fixed as soon as possible and to open windows and move to an area with fresh air while you wait.

As I mentioned, Freon or R-22 is one of the items that is working on depleting the ozone.  Therefore, it is being slowly and gradually phased out and replaced by other, safer, refrigerants such as R-410A (Puron).  Unlike Freon, Puron is not harmful to the ozone and that is not the only reason that it is swiftly becoming the best choice of refrigerant for new systems.  R-22 is being limited and so most likely its price will raise continuously.  As of this year, 2010, no new equipment can be produced that uses R-22.

Refrigerants are needed for your air conditioner.  If you are concerned that you are low, or if you have detected a leak, contact Flame.  Also, feel free to contact Flame if you are interested in a new Puron using system.  For more info:  Flame FAQs

Works Cited: www.puron.com Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia, Chlorofluorocarbon Environment, Health and Safety Online:  Freon Exposure and Your Health and About.com:  Inventors, Freon

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“t’s July, I got my air conditioner inspected and it’s working fine, so now what?”

It may seem like right now you are in a type of  “HVAC Stalemate.”  Yet, there are some things that you can keep doing to keep your home at its optimum heating, cooling and air quality level.

E3 Energy Efficiency Evaluation:

We all know that bills can stink, especially energy ones.  Even though your air conditioner may be running just fine in this hot weather, that does not change the fact that it is still costing you money.  An E3 evaluation will give you various exams and inspections to show you where your house is leaking and how you are losing hot/cold air as well as money.  If you ask me, this evaluation sounds pretty cool.  You will get to see for yourself where your house’s “leaky spots” are and a trained consultant will give you suggestions to fix it, almost like a report card for your home.  This is great to do in the summer to keep your house up to date and help with this cooling bills and come fall, those heating bills. (Flame Perk- these are only $95 until July 31 at Flame)

Generator:

There is no bad time to purchase a generator.  Why?  Because there’s never really a good time for your power to go out (except perhaps when it’s 75 & sunny and it only goes out for 20 minutes or so during the afternoon).  More often than not, the power goes out right when you’ve run out of batteries, when it is 93 degrees and humid, after the sun has set and in the middle of your favorite TV show.  As we’ve mentioned, your air conditioner is in good shape-so now perhaps it is time to have peace of mind in other ways.  

When looking at a generator-you have a choice between either a portable generator or a stand-by generator.  The stand-by generator is permanently located outside of your home, and it has an automatic transfer switch that will turn the generator on as soon as the power goes out.As one can tell by the name, portable generators are not permanent.  Unlike the stand-by generator, they must be hooked up and turned on when the power goes out.  However, because they are portable, they can be used for other things like camping.  Stand-by generators are typically more expensive, but they can often power more than portable ones and you don’t have to worry about turning it on when the lightsgo out.

Look Ahead:

Unfortunately, fall is not that far away and so it is not too soon (maybe a little soon) to start thinking about colder weather and furnaces.  Schedule your furnace inspection early so that places do not get too booked up.  Also start thinking and considering whether or not you are going to need a new furnace or air conditioner.  Are they around 15 years old?  Then the answer is probably “yes”.

As you may be able to tell, there is always something you can do to help your home.  If you have any questions about any of these things, feel free to contact Flame!

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When I visited Italy, I looked at ancient Roman baths that used to hold thousands of people.  They had incredibly tall ceilings and I thought in the winter these buildings must have become pretty chilly.  Though here in the United States in the 21st century we do not have large bathing houses filled with ornate sculptures that we have to heat but we do face that same heating problem with warehouses, indoor tennis courts, garages etc….

A typical furnace heats the air and as you know, heat rises.  Therefore in these large buildings with high ceilings, a furnace needs to heat a lot of air before it begins to make the area where humans are a comfortable temperature.  There is another option and that is infrared gas-fired radiant heating.  This uses either radiant tube heaters or spot radiant heaters that heat objects as opposed to air.  By doing this, these heaters give people instant warmth when they stand underneath one.  People are not the only objects heated, other articles are warmed up as well and they in turn radiate heat into the air.

What are the advantages of this type of heating?

• More economical than a traditional furnace, because the whole big space does not have to be heated, and therefore less fuel and energy is consumed.
• People are able to be warmed up quick!  Even though these radiant heaters may be still working on warming up the area, when a person stands under one, they are warm right away-they do not need to wait for the whole building to get warm.

The forms these heaters come in are either tubes or spot.  Like its name suggests, the tube heater is a long tube-like device that can range from 30 feet long up to 100 feet plus!  Spot heaters are small and rectangular.  They are used to heat up more specific, smaller areas-for example: just one person working a singular machine or work station.

I am not sure how the Romans solved their heating problems in big open spaces, but you can Contact Flame to find out how to solve yours with the infrared gas-fired heating equipment.

Also- Click Here for more Info!

Image found:  http://www.wyomingathletics.com/facilities/wyo-facilities.html

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So you scheduled your air conditioner inspection?  GREAT.

Unfortunately…you wake up on the morning of your inspection and discover it is raining very hard and there are thunderstorm warnings all day in your county.  BAD.

This entry is here too warn you that if this happens, mostly likely someone from Flame will be calling you to re-schedule.  Not because the technicians have decided to watch a movie and eat popcorn on this rainy day, but because it is a safety hazard for technicians to be working on your air conditioner in rain and storms.

Therefore, please don’t be too disappointed, your air conditioner will still get checked out!  Just not on the day that I am sure that you have been dreaming about for months.  If you look ahead at the weather forecast and it looks rainy and stormy, feel free to call Flame yourself to re-schedule.  Remember, even though rain could interrupt the inspections, they are still imperative to the maintenance and life of your air conditioner!

Contact or call Flame for any questions or to schedule an inspection!

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They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, which is why it may be difficult to stop your dog from going to the bathroom on the air conditioner condensing unit.  If your unit is in your backyard, this is the perfect place for a ‘doggy toilet.’  Though it may not seem like a big deal at first, it can ultimately lead to some bad consequences.

Continuous urination on the condensing unit could lead to erosion on the metal on the unit.  This is very visible.  It could also eat away at the coil that contains the refrigerant, resulting in a leak.  This leak makes your air conditioner run improperly.  (And you thought you just had to keep your dog away from eating the thawing steak on the counter).  Not only could your dog’s “business” be the cause of a cooling malfunction, it also makes the condenser unit look bad.

How to fix it?  Try planting bushes or putting up a little fence around the air conditioner so that your dog cannot get to it.  Also, there are sprays that deter dogs from going to the bathrooms in certain areas.  Last but not least, if building a new home–keep this in mind when figuring out a location for your air conditioner.  Unfortunately, now you do not just have to worry about keeping doggy out of the living room she or he will not go to the bathroom, you have to be careful of the air conditioner too!

Contact Flame for any questions!

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There’s more to starting your air conditioner than just pressing a button or flipping a switch.  Here’s a list of things that you should try to do in order to have it running optimally:

• Clean the air filter on the furnace!
• Turn the damper on the furnace to “Summer”
• Turn the Humidistat from 35% to 0% (if you have one)
• Turn the disconnect back on for your unit about 24 hours before you begin to use it (keep an eye on the weather report to see when those really hot days are coming up, so your unit can be all ready in time!)
• Wash the Condenser Unit!  That is the part of your air conditioner that is located outside of your home.  Put your hose on a “fine spray” and spray from the top down
• Turn on your air conditioning!

Perfect!  You are all set to enjoy cool air as summer approaches.  If you have any questions about these steps, feel free to contact Flame! Or check out the FAQ page.

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It is almost summer (thank goodness!) And that means no school, days at the pool and also air conditioning. Though it may not seem possible right now, the day will come when the temperatures are in the high 80′’s or even the 90’s and you will really want that nice cool breeze blowing on you inside your home.  Uh oh…what if you go to turn your unit on during that sweltering day it does not work?  What a disappointment!

That is why Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical is offering a special on air conditioner inspections right now for only $99.50!  You should get your air conditioner inspected around once a year and it is good to get it checked out right before it is being used to see if there are any problems.  So if you want your air conditioner to work when you need it, schedule an air conditioner inspection today!

Contact Flame if you have any questions!

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Moving is a big deal.  First you have to find a house, then you have to sell yours….and then you have to pack.  As you can tell, a lot goes into moving from one house to the next and one of the last things you may think about is heating and cooling equipment.  (it’s much more fun picking out paint colors instead!)

However,  it is very important to have a NATE (North American Technician Excellence) Technician check the furnace, air conditioner, water heater etc… before you close! There may be problems that the previous owner did not even know existed and you do not want to move into a new home and find that the heating and cooling is dysfunctional!   That’s why it is imperative to have these things inspected.

Also, you should not just have your furnace and air conditioner inspected just when you move in-but every year after that!  Inspections help to troubleshoot and prevent future problems and prolong your unit’s life.  Moving into a new house is often very exciting and you do not want no heat or air to bring you down!  (Especially if it’s 90 degrees while you are trying to figure out where the couch should go in the new living room….a/c may be helpful!)

Questions?  Contact Flame!

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It’s that time of year again:  Spring Cleaning!  When cleaning your home (or thinking about cleaning your home…) you should also think about cleaning your ducts.  Duct cleaning helps to clean out and sanitize dust, mold, pollen and other small particles.  Typically ducts should be cleaned every 3 to 5 years, however there are some reasons that they should be cleaned more frequently than that.

For example, if you have pets that shed excessively, if people in the house smoke, or if you are moving into a new house.

Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical offers NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) certified technicians to inspect, clean and sanitize your ducts.  They can also install UV Germicidal lights that kill irritants and that help to keep your ducts clean!

Questions?  Contact Flame!

(Information found at http://ezinearticles.com/?Air-Duct-Cleaning—How-Often&id=82012)

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Unlike certain things- wine, cheese…. furnaces do not get better with time.  Though 14 or 20 may not seem like old ages to you, a furnace’s typical lifespan in only about that long, 14-20 years (if it is well maintained).

Hopefully this will get you thinking.  Is your furnace too old?  Have you not replaced it since your bought your house 15 years ago?  Then it probably is.  The good news is that furnaces are more energy efficient today than 15 years ago, so a new furnace will end up saving you more money on your heating bills.

Also remember than in someways 14-20 years may not seem like a long time, but it is still a fairly length investment.  Though some really energy efficient furnaces may seem a little pricey, the savings it gives you could really add up during its lifespan.

So start thinking about how old your furnace may be….  Contact Flame with any Questions!

(Info taken from http://www.galttech.com/research/household-DIY-tools/replacing-a-furnace.php)

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Size Does Matter:  The Importance of Sizing Furnaces and Air Conditioners

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