Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc Blog: Archive for March, 2015

What to Expect During Heating Maintenance

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Heating maintenance is a regular task that you need to have done once a year in order to ensure that your home’s heater will work for years with high energy efficiency and a low number of repair troubles. Keeping up with maintenance will also help prevent surprise breakdowns at times when you need your heating system the most.

Because Florida has mild winters and only a few truly cold days, it is too easy for homeowners to forget about regular annual heating maintenance. But this is a mistake, and it’s simple to have it corrected with just a call to Kool Breeze. When you sign up for air conditioning maintenance with us (a job that’s much easier to remember) you’ll also be signing up for heating maintenance as well. You’ll have both issues taken care of with one program. Contact us today and ask about our program for AC and heating maintenance in Pensacola Beach, FL.

Here’s what you can expect to occur during a heating maintenance session (depending on your specific heating system):

  • Thermostat calibration check (all heating systems)
  • Inspection of the evaporator and condenser coils in the indoor and outdoor unit, plus cleaning them if necessary (heat pumps)
  • Check of safety precautions, such as the load limit switch (primarily furnaces)
  • Clean or replace the air filter (all forced-air heaters)
  • Look for water damage behind air handler units (ductless mini splits)
  • Check on refrigerant pressure and refrigerant levels, with refrigerant added if the charge is low (heat pumps)
  • Cleaning the blower assembly (all forced-air systems)
  • Check and adjust electrical connections (all systems, including gas furnaces)
  • Clean the heat exchanger and gas burner, check for gas flow to the burner (gas furnace)
  • Check motor amperage and lubricate moving parts where necessary (all systems)
  • Check airflow and temperature difference (all systems)

If at any point during the various checks and adjustments the technician comes across a malfunction or impending malfunction that will require repair work, he or she will notify you of it. You can decide when to schedule the necessary work, although it is best to have any repairs done as soon as possible. After all, one of the points of maintenance is to prepare the heater for any sudden cold shift in the weather.

Call up Kool Breeze and speak to one of our staff members about signing up for our air conditioning and heating maintenance program in Pensacola Beach, FL. Our program provides extra benefits, such as priority scheduling and discounts on non-warranty parts.

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Heat Pump Components: The Reversing Valve

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

How do heat pumps manage to provide both air conditioning during the long Florida summer weather and effective heating during the mild winters? A large part of the explanation involves going into the basics of refrigeration and how a standalone air conditioner works. However, the shorter answer is that a component called the reversing valve is what makes a heat pump able to operate as both a heater and an air conditioner.

Because of how critical this component is for the operation of a heat pump, if it malfunctions, a heat pump will end up trapped in one mode or the other. Should you find that your heat pump will not change from heating to cooling mode, or vice versa, then call up Kool Breeze and talk to our repair technicians. They have extensive experience fixing heat pumps in Fort Walton Beach, FL and the surrounding areas, and they will deliver the work necessary to restore your home’s heat pump to full operation once more.

What the reversing valve does

The reversing valve is a valve attached to the refrigerant line that leaves the compressor in the outdoor unit of a heat pump. Inside the valve is a slider; depending on its position, the slide will route the refrigerant leaving the compressor down one set of lines or the other.

When the heat pump is in cooling mode, the position of the reversing valve sends the hot refrigerant from the compressor to the outdoor coils, where it releases heat, cooling the refrigerant. It then travels to the indoor coils, where it absorbs heat and lowers the indoor air temperature.

When the heat pump switches to heating mode, the slider in the reversing valve moves position so that the hot refrigerant leaving the compressor travels first to the indoor coils. It releases its heat, warming the indoor air, then moves to the outdoor coil and absorbs heat before returning to the compressor.

Like any mechanical device, the reversing valve can break down and become stuck in one position. Repairing the problem usually requires replacing the valve entirely, and this is a job you must leave to professionals.

The next time that your heat pump malfunctions and you cannot get it to do both parts of its job, give Kool Breeze a call. We provide comprehensive services for heat pumps in Fort Walton Beach, FL and are ready around the clock whenever you need service.

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Why You Need Annual Cooling and Heating Maintenance

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

The air conditioning and heating systems in your house are complex mechanical devices made of numerous precision components. Over time, like any mechanical appliance, your home’s AC and heater will start to wear down and suffer from dirt and damage that will reduce their effectiveness and eventually cause them to cease working. Although it’s impossible to stop fully the effects of time on an HVAC system, you can slow it down with the help of professional maintenance services twice a year: in the spring for your air conditioning system, and in the fall for your heating system.

To sign up for an excellent program for cooling and heating maintenance in Navarre, FL, just call our staff at Kool Breeze. We offer a program that provides you with two precision tune-ups a year that will help you get the most from your heater and air conditioner as well as save money.

The reasons maintenance is important

  • Extended system life: The same way that you can’t expect a car to last for many years if it doesn’t receive regular services like oil changes, an air conditioner and heater won’t have lengthy services lives without professional maintenance. Most ACs and heaters won’t even make it to half their manufacturer’s estimated lifespan without maintenance—and needing to replace a comfort system early is the most expensive “repair” of all.
  • Fewer repairs: Approximately 85% of the repairs a comfort system may require during its lifetime can be avoided through preventive maintenance. That’s a significant amount. If you keep up with routine maintenance, you will experience very few malfunctions with the system.
  • Continual energy efficiency: The combination of dirt and wear and tear on a heater and air conditioner will cause a drop in energy efficiency because the system will need to work harder. Each year that a comfort system goes without maintenance means an average drop of 5% in energy efficiency—and that will quickly add up to a system that costs you much more to run than it should.
  • Avoid surprise breakdowns: This is especially important for the AC, which does an immense amount of work in Florida’s hot climate. Without maintenance to help alleviate wear and tear on the system and catch early repair needs, the AC might collapse on you during the hottest day of the summer, leaving you scrambling to arrange for emergency repair work. Maintenance will see that you go into any intense weather fully prepared.

The cooling and heating maintenance in Navarre, FL from Kool Breeze provides you with extra benefits as well: priority service, a 10% discount on non-warranty parts, and more. Give us a call today to find out more about our heating service options in Navarre, FL.

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How to Keep a Gas Furnace Safe

Wednesday, March 4th, 2015

Gas furnaces are the most popular way to provide heat for homes. They have incredibly high heating power (greater than almost any other type of heater) and are cost-effective because natural gas is less expensive than electricity.

However, some homeowners are wary about having a natural gas furnace installed because of the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks. It’s true that gas furnaces, as with any appliance that uses natural gas, can create hazardous and explosive fumes. However, the actual danger a modern gas furnace poses to a household is minimal and often exaggerated.

Nonetheless, it’s important that you takes steps to see that your home’s gas furnace remains safe. For professional assistance, you can call on the team at Kool Breeze. We work on all kinds of furnaces in Pensacola Beach, FL, and offer excellent maintenance and repair work whenever you require it.

Tips to keep your furnace operating safely

  • Regularly change the filter: The air filter in a furnace protects the interior of the heater from sustain damage and becoming dirty. To make sure the furnace suffers from as few issues as possible, you should replace/clean the filter every month during periods when the furnace runs on a regular basis.
  • Schedule annual maintenance: This is one of the most important steps to take for furnace safety. Each year, preferably in the fall, have a professional technician inspect and tune-up your furnace. The technician will find any repair issues or problems with safety mechanisms and have them taken care of before they can turn into problems.
  • Never try to repair the furnace on your own: It’s imperative that you do not tinker with the interior of the furnace cabinet. This is one of the ways that gas leaks can start. (In most jurisdictions, it is illegal to work on an appliance connected to a gas line unless you are a licensed professional.)
  • Always call for prompt repairs: If you notice anything amiss with the furnace’s performance, don’t wait to call for technicians to fix it. Delays can lead to a furnace that operates unsafely.
  • Put carbon monoxide detectors in your home: Although the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is low, CO detectors will give you the peace of mind that there are no toxic gases in your home.

Kool Breeze offers a regular maintenance program for furnaces in Pensacola Beach, FL that will not only keep your furnace safe, it will also look after your air conditioning system. When you sign up, you’ll receive additional benefits such as a 10% discount on non-warranty parts and priority service. Call us today for more details.

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