Tag: Blog

Holiday plans are in full swing for many of us, with the bustle of buying presents and readying homes for an endless stream of friends and family members. While you’re busy preparing menus and wrapping the last of the gifts for loved ones, you might want to add one more task to your “to-do” list before all of your gatherings begin. You need to ensure that your HVAC system is in prime working condition.

Preparing Your HVAC Unit for Holiday Traffic

The worst time for your HVAC system to break down is over the holidays. Unsavory odors, poor air quality, and a complete system breakdown can really wreak havoc on your Yuletide cheer. Fortunately, taking some simple steps to prevent an untimely issue with your HVAC will allow you to focus on more pressing matters, such as creating warm memories with your loved ones.

Simple Steps for Holiday HVAC Preparation

With this quick and easy holiday HVAC checklist, you’ll ensure that your home is comfortable and ready for any holiday event you host. Follow these preparation steps for HVAC success.

Clean the Ductwork

Dirty and clogged air ducts interfere with the airflow from your central HVAC unit. A quick inspection and cleaning of your ductwork will keep your home smelling fresh and free from excess debris. Clean ductwork also allows your central HVAC unit to perform more efficiently.

Inspect and Replace the Air Filters if Necessary

Your furnace air filter is hard at work, pulling dirt, mildew, mold, pollen, and other allergens from the air that you breathe. While it’s ideal to replace your furnace air filter regularly, the reality is that this doesn’t always happen. Now is a great time to inspect that filter for tears, cracks, and visible signs of pollutants. If any of these are present, consider replacing your filter to improve air quality and HVAC system function overall.

Keep the Vents Clear

Ensure that the Christmas tree and packages don’t block the floor air vents. Also, check that furniture, rugs and curtains are not blocking the airflow.

Seal Up the Leaks

Air leaks occur when outside air seeps into your home or heated air escapes through small cracks around windows and openings in your roof. An air leak can be a contributing factor to an increased number of pollutants in your home, leading to sniffles, coughs and allergic reactions. Inspect your home and HVAC unit for air leaks and seal them to improve air quality and heating efficiency and even reduce energy costs. Use caulk and weatherstripping to keep your home sealed up tightly.

Check the Thermostat and Regulate the Humidity Levels

The presence of extra moisture in your home can cause the development of mold, mildew, and other pathogens that thrive in warm, moist places. All that extra cooking and baking is bound to release extra moisture that circulates through your system. If your thermostat has an adjustable humidity setting, you might want to lower it a bit. Another option is to install a dehumidifier in rooms that are prone to extra moisture, such as the kitchen and bathroom, to offset any potential growth of these harmful substances in your HVAC system.

Don’t Wait Until Company’s Coming!

Performing regular, scheduled maintenance on your HVAC system year-round could eliminate the need for an extra service call around the holidays. If your system is cleaned and maintained regularly, it will continue to work for you when you need it most. We offer a three-tiered maintenance plan, allowing you to stay within your budget and pick the best plan. Signing up for one of these plans will help reduce repair bills and middle-of-the-night emergency phone calls. It will also help prevent you from sitting in a cold house during a fierce Indiana snowstorm as you wait for help to arrive.

Making Your Holidays Even Cozier!

Dugan Air provides expert HVAC service and installation for valued clients in Franklin and the surrounding areas. With offerings such as system maintenance plans, repairs and installations, emergency services, smart thermostat sales and service and air purification products. We provide you with the best heating and cooling solutions for your home. If company is coming, take one thing off your plate as you prepare. Contact Dugan Air today for an inspection of your HVAC services and start the season off right!

For any refrigeration system, it is the flow of the refrigerant that determines if it will operate efficiently. The refrigerant flow has to be regulated to ensure that the right amount required at any given time is available in the evaporator. The thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) is the most common device that regulates the refrigerant flow in the system. The amount of refrigerant released into the evaporator depends on the outlet temperature and pressure of the operator.

How the Thermostatic Expansion Valve Works

The Thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) forms an essential component of a refrigeration cycle. Other vital parts include condensers, compressors, and evaporators. As part of its throttling function, the TXV lowers the pressure of the refrigerant as it flows by, causing it to expand. Low refrigerant pressure leads to the liquid’s low temperature, which allows it to absorb cold room heat through the evaporator.

Throttling devices are designed to ensure that all the refrigerant evaporates to prevent the escape of the liquid into the suction port. If the liquid gets to the suction port, it could damage the compressor, leading to the breakdown of the whole system. With the TEV, the refrigerant flow is automatic and determined by the sensing bulb.

Essential Parts of a Thermostatic Expansion Valve

The sensing bulb is the focal point of the TEV. It is fixed on the suction pipe on the lower end of the evaporator. It has a special liquid that corresponds to the refrigerant used in the system. When the sensing bulb detects increased temperatures at the evaporator exit, the fluid in the sensing bulb expands, pushing down the diaphragm. The diaphragm is made of a solid and supple material that can flex to pressure the valve needle.

The superheat setting spring’s function is to counteract the pressure of the valve needle. Once the diaphragm is pushed down, the spring goes back to create constant tension. External forces from the bulb and spring and temperature from the refrigerant determine the evaporator pressure in the equalization area. Depending on the balance of the surrounding conditions, the valve will open or close to maintain a stable superheat.

The valve needle opens, allowing refrigerant into the evaporator. The size of the opening at the outlet varies as the hand moves up and down. The variation in the opening size is vital in controlling the amount of refrigerant let into the evaporator.

5 Common Thermostatic Expansion Valve Issues That Require Troubleshooting

1. Poor Valve Installation

A poorly installed valve will not function well. When you engage someone who is not a professional, the chances are that you will end up with inadequately brazed fittings and poorly mounted bulbs. Other signs of improperly installed valves include bends in the tubing and dents in the system.

2. Improper Sensor Bulb Mounting

Sensor bulbs are supposed to be tightly mounted to remain in fixed positions. A loose sensing bulb may lead to TEV overfeeding and potentially cause flooding in the compressor. Poor insulation or a lack of insulation means that the bulb can sense ambient temperature and send the wrong signal.

3. Valve Blockage

When the valve has a blockage, it means the evaporator may have to operate under low pressure, which will negatively impact its efficiency. A blocked valve may not readily detect and adequately respond to superheat changes. Some valves have removable inlet filters that can be removed and cleaned.

4. Low Bulb Charge

Low bulb charge can also cause underfeeding. An inadequate charge will not allow the bulb to have enough pressure that can drive the spring pressure to allow the valve to open. Low valve charge may cause inefficient operations in the evaporator, potentially leading to a breakdown of the entire system.

5. Superheat Setting Issues

Depending on ambient conditions, the superheat settings may not correspond to the needed operation parameters. Each specific TEV has a special rate of change per turn of the superheat spindle. Check if the settings correspond to the TEV and adjust accordingly. Such setting adjustments may need the expertise of HVAC specialists.

Engage a Reliable and Reputable Service Company

The services at Dugan Air Heating & Cooling are available to residents of Franklin and the surrounding area. We specialize in AC installation, repairs, maintenance and furnace and heat pump repairs, replacement, and maintenance. Our team of highly skilled, experienced, and licensed technicians stops at nothing to exceed your expectations. Contact Dugan Air Heating & Cooling today.

When temperatures rise, you are constantly thankful for the relief your air conditioning brings. But your AC doesn’t seem to be working quite the same as you remember, and now you’re wondering about its efficiency. Here are some simple ways to identify when your system is no longer efficiently cooling your home and requires service.

Time Your Cycles

When your system runs shorter or longer cycles, you have a problem with its operational efficiency. Ideally, your system’s cycle will last between 15 and 20 minutes and will cycle two or three times an hour.

Time your cycle during normal operating conditions, meaning not during extreme heat and when it is only working to maintain temperature. If it runs longer than 20 minutes or is extremely short, you have an efficiency problem and need service. Either problem will increase your utility costs and the wear on your system.

Check the Temperature

The temperature coming from your vents should be 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the air cycling into the system. Any less than that, and you have either a problem with your refrigerant or a dirty evaporator coil.

Checking the temperature differential is rather easy if you have a meat thermometer. First, let it sit out in the room with an air return duct and record the ambient room temperature.

Next, carefully put the probe in an output vent with your unit running, and you can feel the cool air coming out. Simply compare the two temperatures and make sure it is at least 15 degrees different. Just be careful not to drop the probe into your ductwork.

Get a Sense for Air Volume

While you’re checking your temperature, also check your air volume. For this, you simply need to feel with your bare foot or hand by placing it in front of an output vent.

An efficiently running HVAC system will have noticeable air movement from your vents. It is this air movement that works to cool your home, not just the compressor running.

Lack of airflow can be caused by a physical obstruction, like a dirty filter or evaporator coil. A mechanical failure, such as a bad blower motor, may also reduce airflow.

Check Your Air Filters

Your air filters are the most common form of an airflow obstruction, being that their entire job is collecting airborne contaminants. You should change your filters regularly, about every 90 days for the standard 1-inch filter. However, poor air quality may necessitate more frequent changes.

Plan to check your filter monthly so that you get a sense of how quickly it clogs. Gently vacuum the dirty side, known as the intake side, to help extend its useful life.

Inspect Your Condensing Unit

Your air conditioner has two primary units, the indoor evaporator unit and the outdoor condensing unit. The outdoor unit is responsible for transferring heat from the refrigerant to the air outside. Anything preventing that unit from transferring the heat properly causes the system to run inefficiently.

The primary thing you want to check is for anything preventing air from flowing through the condensing coils. This could be branches, weeds, grass, or any other debris blocking the area around the unit. As a rule of thumb, keep everything at least 12 inches away from your unit.

Loud or Unusual Sounds

While you’re looking for inefficiencies, listen to your system run, both inside and outside. Any loud or unusual sound indicates a problem that is likely causing cooling inefficiency.

For instance, a squealing sound may be one of your fan motors going bad. This could potentially restrict how much air the fan is drawing through the system.

Likewise, banging, rattling, or clanking from your condensing unit may indicate something broken in the compressor. A bad compressor may not regulate the refrigerant’s pressure properly.

Consider the Age

The average air conditioner will last 10 to 15 years with proper maintenance. As your system ages, some components become suboptimal, leading to reduced operational efficiency.

If your system is over 10 years old, begin the conversation with your HVAC technician about a replacement. Starting the process now allows you more control over the process, rather than waiting for a catastrophic failure.

Dugan Air has been the air conditioning service provider of choice for people around Franklin for over 14 years. Our NATE-certified technicians are sought out for their reliable heating and AC installation, maintenance, and repairs. Call to schedule your air conditioning service with one of our friendly technicians today.