Many people have asked my recommendations when shutting down their air conditioner for the season, so here goes. #1 Turn the circuit breaker to “off” #2 Pull the disconnect, put in “off” position ( this is mounted on the house next to the a/c unit) #3 Cover unit if you have a canvas cover (do not use plastic) #4 Put a piece of plywood (3/4″) on top of unit to protect against falling debris and icicles
Every spring we service air conditioners which have failed due to power surges which caused the unit to run during the winter months. Be sure to cut the power both at the electric panel and the disconnect.
Archive for October, 2009
Air Conditioner shutdown
Friday, October 30th, 2009Honeywell Round T87F Thermostat
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009If you still have a Honeywell Round Thermostat controlling your furnace, I recommend you replace it now.
With over 55 million of these thermostats manufactured , I am certain many are still in use.
The downside to this mercury bulb thermostat is it’s inaccuracy, which leads to overshooting your desired setpoint and wasting precious energy. This inaccuracy also means discomfort in your home due to wide temperature swings.
Today’s electronic thermostats are accurate to as little as 1/2 of a degree which translates into a more comfortable home and lower heating bills.
Remember, these Honeywell Round Thermostats contain mercury and must be disposed of appropriately. All professional heating companies will be happy to take them and dispose of them as necessary.
Furnace Blower Motor
Monday, October 5th, 2009There is not a more important component of your home comfort system than your furnace blower motor. It obviously moves the heated air to all rooms of your home but it also moves the cooled air, the humidified air, the filtered air and mixes the air from all floors to minimize stratification.
I feel you should set your thermostat to fan “on” so your furnace blower motor runs 24/7. Having said that,I must tell you that older PSC blower motors use 600 watts of electricity which translates into over $250/ year in operating cost. The benefits of fan “on” are well worth the cost of operation and should be a huge consideration when considering a furnace upgrade.
The new , high efficiency models of furnaces come with a high efficiency ECM blower motor which uses 40 watts of electricity, or approximately $36/ year. This blower motor not only gives you all the benefits listed above but it also qualifies for Federal energy tax credits, runs at about 1/3 the speed so it is ultra quiet and it increases the efficiency of the air conditioning system while improving filtration efficiency.
Be sure when it comes time to replace your furnace, that the new one includes the high efficiency ECM blower motor.
Maintenance is different than a Service Contract
Friday, October 2nd, 2009Maintenance of your furnace is very different than a Service Contract. Maintenance means each year a professional technician does a thorough tune-up of all the parts of the furnace and most importantly a safety check to ensure the heat exchanger is in tact with no carbon monoxide being produced. A Service Contract is just “insurance”, which normally covers the small, inexpensive parts if and when they fail. My opinion: Service Contracts are priced so the Contractor wins, whereas Maintenance offers a real value which means both the Contractor and the Homeowner win.