SMITH
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, INC.

HVAC is a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system.

Good heating and cooling, with the right type of system, is more important than the average home buyer realizes. No matter how perfect the home, convenient the layout, or magnificent the view, all will be useless if you are not completely comfortable.

Good heating and cooling not only brings you proper and complete indoor comfort year round, but it also contributes to family health and reasonable housekeeping maintenance costs. Since a good heating and cooling system is quite thoroughly hidden, it is too frequently forgotten or not considered as carefully as it deserves.

Should a heating and cooling system should do more than heat and cool? Yes! Heat from the fireplace kept past generations from freezing, but it certainly didn't create total comfort, which you should expect from a modern system. The concept of total comfort has many facets, which contribute to your family's long-term enjoyment of its home.

Here are some simple things homeowners can check before calling for service:

1. Check your thermostat—Do you have it set for heating or cooling and is the choice appropriate for the season or is it inadvertently in the "off" position?
2. Check the air filter. If it’s very dirty – if it hasn’t been changed in months and it’s clogged with dirt – your system’s working hard to get ANY air through. Replace the filter and see if the system then operates properly.
3. Check that nothing is blocking the free access of air to your outdoor unit—this applies to air conditioners and heat pumps. Shrubs and bushes can block and restrict airflow to outside units and snow can drift against outdoor heat pump coils.
4. Check your electric fuses or breakers. As you certainly know, your HVAC system uses electric power to do its job. Your load center has fuses or circuit breakers. One or more provides power to the HVAC system. You might have one for the furnace and another for the air conditioner. For a heat pump, one is usually provided for each separate piece of heat pump equipment; one for the air handler and one for the outside unit if you have a split system, for example. If the fuse is blown or the breaker has “flipped” to the “off” position, you can play with the thermostat for an extended amount of time and you won’t accomplish anything!
   
   It is kind of wasteful to call a service person to “throw” a circuit breaker! However, that is one of the first things our service people check. And you’d be surprised how often a service call consists of not much more than resetting the circuit breaker.
   
   Additionally, your unit might have one or more Disconnect Switches. Perhaps your home has such a switch outside the house. Perhaps a mischievous youth moved the switch from “on” to “off” without you knowing it.
   
   Again, it will be easier for you, the contractor, and the HVAC technician, if you took care of this yourself. However, if you reset a circuit breaker or replace a fuse and it immediately trips or blows—call for expert service assistance.
5. HVAC experts recommend regular replacement of dirty filters. Perhaps you have done the required thing and replaced the filter very recently. Very soon after that effort, you might discover the system isn’t doing the job! If the filter was in the HVAC equipment, go back and check that the system’s fan door is installed properly. Many heaters have a door interlock switch. Your furnace probably will not begin operating until the access door is tightly in. Others simply will not work well if the access panel is allowing air to bypass the unit.
   
   Please contact the experts at Smith Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., when you need HVAC advice or assistance. We want your business!

Choosing a home heating and cooling system is one of the most important decisions a homeowner can make. Choosing a good system will lead to complete indoor comfort year round, as well as contribute to family health and energy efficiency. Choosing the wrong system can lead to an uncomfortable home environment, which can have an adverse effect on the family's happiness.

However, because the heating and cooling system is unseen, this important decision is often overlooked. We can help you understand the major types of heating and cooling systems in common use today, help you to identify a quality HVAC System contractor, and ensure that you and your family are provided the comfort you deserve.

Factors to Consider when choosing an HVAC system:

1. Temperature Control (Zoning) - A number of different zoning options are available. In most cases, it is recommended that the blower run constantly.
   • Multiple Systems - More than one heating/cooling system
   • Zone-Damper Systems - Consists of multiple ducts and thermostats located throughout the house
   • Programmable Thermostats
2. Humidification and Dehumidification - An HVAC System that provides proper humidification and dehumidification offers the following benefits:
   • Healthier Environment - Reduces occurrences of sore throats, dry skin, nose bleeds and other health-related problems
   • Helps Efficiency - System can be set lower because the body feels warmer
   • Lessens Static Electricity
   • Helps Preserve Furniture and Wood (i.e., doors, floors, millwork)
   • Proper Humidification Control - Adjusts to outside temperature
3. Clean Air (Indoor Air Quality) - The HVAC System should include components that ensure clean, fresh air. Some of these options are:
   • Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV)
   • Electronic Air Cleaners
   • Media Air Cleaners
   • Electro-Static Air Cleaners
   • Ultra-Violet Treatment
   • Periodic Duct Cleaning
4. Efficiency - The HVAC System should provide maximum energy efficiency. Some of the options for providing an energy-efficient system are:
   • Energy Efficient Equipment
   • Variable-Speed System
   • Two-Speed System
   • Programmable Thermostat
   • Properly Designed and Installed Sheet Metal Ductwork System
   • Proper Duct Sealing
   • Multi-Stage System
5. Noise Control - If an HVAC System is properly designed and installed using good quality components, its operation will be extremely quiet. To ensure optimum noise control, the system may include:
   • Vibration Isolation
   • Insulated Compartments
   • Acoustic Lining
   • Proper Location of Equipment
   • Variable Speed Equipment
6. User-Friendly - A user-friendly HVAC System will include:
   • Easy-to-Operate Thermostats and Controls
   • Clear Maintenance Instructions
   • Long-Term Maintenance Agreement

Regular maintenance of your home's heating and cooling system can optimize its efficiency, prevent future problems and help troubleshoot comfort issues. Scheduling off-season check-ups with a qualified heating and cooling professional will help keep your system running at peak performance and help prevent system failure during the heating and cooling season.

A crisis during peak season doesn’t allow you or your contractor the time to consider all your options when immediate comfort, not efficiency, may be your priority.

What You Can Do:

• Once a month inspect, clean or replace the filter in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. A dirty filter may increase energy costs by causing your system to work harder, which also can possibly reduce the life of your system. Depending on your system, your filter may be found in the duct system versus the heating and cooling equipment itself. Electronic filters should be checked monthly and cleaned as needed. The manufacturer’s instructions should be followed carefully. Care should be taken to ensure the interior components are installed in the correct orientation after cleaning.
  
  
• Check that there is adequate clearance around your outdoor unit of your central air conditioning system. Trim back shrubs or plants crowding the unit and be careful to avoid debris such as grass clipping getting inside the unit. Trim back shrubs or plants crowding the unit and be careful to avoid debris such as grass clipping getting inside the unit.
  
  

• Check air flow and your comfort level. The contractor should discuss with you if any of your rooms are too hot or too cold. The air flow being delivered to all rooms should be checked to detect comfort issues that may cause you to unnecessarily adjust your thermostat and reduce your energy savings.
  
  
• Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
  
  
• Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce its life.
  
  
• Lubricate all moving parts (if required by the manufacturer). Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increase the amount of electricity used.
  
  
• Check and inspect the condensation drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house, affect indoor humidity levels, and cause the system to stop working.
  
  
• Check the system controls to ensure the equipment starts, operates and shuts off properly

• Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils can reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
  
  
• o Check the central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant can make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.

• Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure and burner combustion. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections can be a fire hazard and contribute to health problems. A dirty burner can cause improper burner operation and can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.
  
  
• Check the heat exchanger for holes, cracks or warping. Boiler heat exchangers can leak water and are easy to spot. Furnace heat exchangers mix combustion gases with house air when they leak, which is an important safety reason to have them inspected.
  
  
• Check the condition of your vent connection pipe and chimney. Parts of the venting system may have deteriorated over time. Chimney problems can be expensive to repair and may help justify installing new heating equipment that won't use the existing chimney.
  
  
• Adjust the controls on the boiler or furnace to provide optimum water and air temperature settings for both efficiency and comfort.
  
  
• Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency.
  
  
• Water levels in humidifiers should be checked and adjusted monthly. Interior components should be replaced on an as needed basis. The pad on drum type humidifiers should be replaced annually. The water supply to humidifiers should be shut off for the summer months and activated for the heating months. On systems with air conditioning or a heat pump, the damper in the humidifier ductwork should be closed during the cooling season.

• Radiators and convectors should be inspected annually for leaks, particularly at the valves. Radiators should be bled of air annually, and as necessary during the heating season.
  
  
• Circulating pumps should be lubricated during the heating season (according to the manufacturers’ instructions). Expansion and pressure tanks should be inspected annually and pressure or level adjusted accordingly.
  
  
• Electric baseboard heaters should be inspected to ensure an adequate clearance from combustibles. Baseboard heaters which have been mechanically damaged should be repaired or replaced.
  
  
• Test that the pressure-relief valve and high-limit control are functioning properly.
  
  
• Clean the heat exchanger. A dirty heat exchanger can reduce efficiency.