Articles tagged with: hvac

HVAC Warning Signs

Most people don’t think about their HVAC unit until its broken, which is too late.  Here are five helpful warning signs that your unit may need servicing by a certified heating and cooling technician.

It’s Not Cooling:

The most obvious sign that your HVAC needs help is that it’s not cooling. Your HVAC technician will check for the three primary causes:

Evaporation coils: They may be clogged, if there clogged with dirt the system will not cool properly and you’ll be hot.

Leaking refrigerant: Your technician will have to run a test to locate the source of the leak and fix it for your system to start operating at its full capacity.

Leaking ducts: If you have a leak in your duct, the cold air that should be keeping you cool is spilling into the attic, between walls, or outside your home.

Making Weird Noises:  

The cause of unwelcome noises could be a loose fan, screws that need to be tightened, clogged coil fins or parts that need lubrication.

Your Bill Goes Suddenly Up:

Your electric costs should be about the same this month as they were in the same month a year ago. If you notice a big change, chances are something is wrong with your HVAC system.

It Smells funny:

If you notice a foul odor coming from your vents, you could be experiencing a problem which results from bacterial growth within the HVAC system vents.

It’s Leaking:

If you notice any discolored circles on your ceiling, dripping or puddling near your unit, you have a problem. The cause for the leak could be an overflowing pan, clogged filter or backed up condensate line.

If you notice any of these problems with your system, it’s time to call a certified technician.

Clay is interviewed by Little Texas Cottage

Recently, Clay was interviewed by our friend and marketing guru, Chris Doelle for a project called Little Texas Cottage.  Clay and Chris have been friends and worked together for over a decade so of course, Clay got the call when air conditioning was needed.

green, netzero, energy, texas, air conditioning, savings, money, rainwater

Building our green dream in Central Texas!

Little Texas Cottage is a custom home building project outside of Austin where Chris is showing that you can build a super high efficiency home using technology that exists today and without spending half a million dollars.

Chris interviewed Clay for the first of a many-segment installment, where they just got into the basics of why a HVAC is the cornerstone piece of today’s green building movement.

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What the heck does the V in HVAC stand for?

ventilation_passive_houseA lot of people refer to their air conditioner/heater simply as “their AC,” but hear it referred to as HVAC.  What is that all about? HVAC is a common term used in the heating and cooling industry. It stands for “heating, ventilation and air conditioning.”  Those are the three functions combined into most modern heating and cooling units.

The one that confuses people is the V – ventilating.  This often overlook aspect of modern systems is one of the most important.  The system provides ventilation, reduces air infiltration, and maintains pressure relationships between spaces. The means of air delivery and removal from spaces is known as room air distribution.

Without that distribution of air, the heat or cool would not travel.  Air movement is what ultimately makes the entire system work.