Welcome to A/C 101 basics & general home maintenance.

There was always the question of what came first? The chicken or the egg?

Funny enough our air conditioners are commonly mistaken for the thing in our homes that gives us cold air, right? Well kind of.

 Although your A/C unit does in fact provide cold air to your home, that's not what the primary function of it was designed to do. WHAT? That's right, the cooling effect is actually the byproduct of what it's actually doing, 

Removing moisture or humidity from your home is the primary job of your A/C system by design, the cooling effects are a bonus and the result of this humidity removing appliance removing this humidity, thus cooling the air at the same time. 

So I ask the question, which came first? The removal of humidity or the cool air?

We're always getting ask the question, Should I have my A/C serviced and how often should I have it serviced?

Here in Florida we don't spend alot of time running our heaters, if we turn it on at all.

However we are always running our air conditioner almost all year long, especially in our summer months.

The summer months also usually include our thunderstorms and high humidity levels and really high heat waves.

It's these times we want to make sure our A/C is in good running order.

We recommend at a minimum, having your system serviced in the spring before the summer months get here to ensure your system is operating at its peak optimal level of performance.

Having your system serviced pre summer can catch a problem/s before it strands you in the middle of the summer leaving you hugging your pitcher of iced tea to try and stay cool.

Having your system serviced in spring can also expose and catch some of the smaller problems you may not even know exist or are happening that are leaving your system to run inefficiently. Just because it seems it's doing its job doesn't always mean it is.

Your system could be running much longer or more frequently than it needs to because it was neglected, poorly serviced in the past or is the result of the wear and tear from the prior summer.

So, at a minimum have your system serviced in the spring and it certainly wouldn't hurt to have it serviced in the fall as well after our summer heat load, Florida storms in the summer can really do a number on our A/C  systems if left unchecked.

There are a few good practises and  general maintenance issues for your home or business we would like to help you address here today. There are a few things you can perform yourself & add to your normal monthly routines to help keep your a/c running as smooth and efficient as the day it was installed. So let's address these items now. 

First, Let's discuss one of the absolute most important items you must keep up with as part of your monthly routine, YOUR AIR FILTER.

This is probably the most forgotten and missed item in your monthly home maintenance routine, not only is it the most crucial and often times most misunderstood item, but also the biggest contributing factor to your indoor air quality and efficiency of the most expensive appliance in your home. So let's dive into this one.

Why do we have air filters?

Air filters come in all shapes, sizes, styles and effectiveness. The primary job of your air filter is simply just as it sounds, to filter the air and remove the contaminants from the air in your home through the air exchange process every time your A/C or heating system comes on.

How often should I check, change or clean my filter? 

I'm so glad you asked, First, Let me say this, every homes A/C & heating system is designed differently. So how frequently you may have to change or clean your filter may not be the same for your neighbor, friend's or families home.

And oftentimes in our busy day to day lives & schedules it is forgotten or overlooked.

We like to strongly encourage you to start a schedule using your POWER BILL as your set monthly reminder.

Let's face it, your power bill will arrive every month without fail from your power company, So why not utilize it as your (fail safe reminder) as well to,

When your power bill arrives,

1) check, change or clean the air filter

2) pour vinegar into your drainline ( discussed in detail below)

The closer to the ground your air intake or ( return grill ) is will usually mean you will need to change it monthly, especially if the floors around your home and intake are hard non porous surfaces,  whereas homes with all there intakes ( return grills ) in the ceilings may only have to change them every two or three months. The amount of pets and traffic through and in your home will also be a factor. 

The best initial practise to time your filter change intervals is to replace the filter when the power bill arrives, next month when the power bill arrives again check your filter.

If the filter still looks clean leave it in for another month, if it's noticeably dirty, change it. 

Which leads us to the biggest misconception about air filters and the misleading marketing practises the filter makers use.

90 DAY FILTERS,  

Folks THIS ONE is a BIG one. A lot of these filters are marketed and labeled as 90 day or 3 month filters.

First, let me make this very clear, regardless of what the filter makers claims are that you buy, stick with the recommendations we discussed above until you have established a time frame for what your homes filter change requirements are!

As we mentioned above every homes A/C and duct design is different, so what works elsewhere may not work for your home.

What filter should I use in my home?

The easy answer is,  if you can see through it, don't buy it, what is it actually capturing if you can see through it anyway?

Filters come in all sorts of levels of efficiently & effectively capturing contaminants floating around your home. Most air filters are typically referenced with a (  Filter Performance Rating (FPR)  and ( MERV Rating (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) . Which in short means the higher the MERV number the more effective it is at capturing even the smallest of contaminants measured in microns.

Not everyone needs or can afford the highest level of filter for their home especially if your a monthly filter changer. And some of these higher end filters can actually cause issues with your A/C systems efficiency.

Unless your a severe allergy sufferer or have other bronchiolar problems such as asthma etc. you can choose a quality air filter within the a FPR rating of say 5 and a MERV rating of 8. 

These usually can be purchased from one of the big box stores in 3 or 5 packs.

For someone with some forms of brochilor problems and a standard filter is not helping you may want to consult a specialist depending on the severity of the problems or you may experiment with a higher quality filter to see if this keeps conditions under control for yourself or your loved one.

Other options maybe electrostatic filters, electronic air cleaners, large high micron cased filter cabinets, hepa style filters etc.

If you feel your unsure what you should use or need air filtration above the standard air filters, we encourage you to reach out to your service provider or us to help determine what best suits your homes needs.

Second, let's discuss your condensate drainline.

Everyone typically has what is referred to as  a clean out tee in their drainline.

This is usually found very near the indoor unit or ( air Handler) at the bottom where the main drainline is attached to your system.

Sometimes it's just an exposed pvc pipe and sometimes it maybe insulated with a black foam looking sleeve.

What would my clean out tee look like?

 You should be able to easily identify the clean out tee with a pvc stem rising upward from your main drainline with a pvc cap on top, simply remove the cap and or stem to pour some  vinegar into it.

So why do I have this in my drainline?

 It's simply there for you to conveniently pour a little vinegar in during your normal monthly routine maintenance.

Why do I need to pour vinegar into my drainline?

 Vinegar has been used for years and proven to be a safe and chemical free way to clean and disinfect things like our countertops, bathrooms, floors etc.

Pouring vinegar into this TEE is a safe effective way to help prevent algae from growing inside your drainline and causing it to backup. This method is not the end all solve all, but it is the most effective and safest preventative practice to help keep it at bay.

 How much vinegar should I be putting into my drainline?

There isn't really a set amount each homeowner should use.

Some drainlines are shorter whereas some can be as long as 100 feet

We like to recommend about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of straight white distilled vinegar monthly, in the warmer seasons when your using the air conditioning for the typical 10 to 30 foot run.

If your drainline does become clogged and you have a safety float switch install correctly   ( discussed below) your unit may shut down and you may notice a blank screen on your thermostat.

Not to worry, if this happens you may first try using a wet/dry shopvac and suck out the drainline where it exists outside ( typically by the outdoor unit).

If this doesn't work or your not able or comfortable doing so, Then just give us a call and we'd be happy to come remedy the issue for you. 

Thirdly, let's talk about the condensate safety float switch, pictured at the top left of this page, some models vary in location and styles but are easily identified by the small low voltage wires leading to them and are generally located near and around your drain line at the indoor unit ( air handler ). 

This little device can seem to be a problem that may confuse and even scare some folks at some point ( usually in the middle of summer) when your A/C just seems to shut off completely and some experience a blank screen on their thermostat.

Well don't let it ruffle your feathers and get to concerned.

If you do experience this it may very well be a really good thing. This little device is actually there to protect your home from incidental condensate backups and over flows that could potentially flood your home and damage your floors and walls.

See, when your drainline gets clogged (even if it's a partial clog) the primary drain pan will fill up with water and spill into the reservoir of this device.

When this happens and the ( safety float switch) is functioning and wired properly it will shut the entire A/C system down to prevent the water that can't drain to the outside as it should, from dripping over the pan and into your home. 

Here in Florida our A/C systems work extremely hard to remove humidity from our homes,

Most don't realize that our A/C system can remove up to 50 gallons of moisture out of the air in our homes in a 24 hour period, That's 10, 5 gallon buckets of water that could be running under the wood, tile or carpeted  floors of your home, that you may not know until the damage is done. 

So if you do experience a blank thermostat or the system just completely shuts down chances are it's this device that's come to save your day and your home.

If your capable, you can remedy this by sucking out the drain line from outside with a wet/dry shopvac or simply get in touch with us and we'll be happy to take care of this issue for you.