I have blogged on a number of occasions the benefit of purchasing a high efficiency furnace with an ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) and finally an Electric Utility sees the benefit of this motor and is giving a $100 rebate for installing this blower motor in both an existing furnace and a new furnace equipped with an ECM motor.
I am so thrilled to see Dakota Electric offer this rebate and help offset the higher initial cost of this motor.
My hope is that the other Electric Utilities will follow suit and join Dakota Electric in offering a rebate to homeowners who choose to purchase an ECM blower motor in their new furnace.
Dakota Electric gets it, I hope the others will follow.
Archive for July, 2010
Dakota Electric gets it
Monday, July 19th, 2010Hail Damaged Air Conditioner
Friday, July 9th, 2010Like every summer, 2010 has brought hail storms which have damaged the coil fins on a number of Twin Cities air conditioning units. This damage can , in some cases, be “Combed” out to put the fins back in their original factory spacing but in more severe cases an insurance claim must be filed and the entire unit replaced.
The folded over fins (from the hail damage) do not allow proper airflow to move through the condensing unit for the necessary heat transfer required to cool your home. Without proper heat transfer , your air conditioner will not produce the necessary BTU’s to cool your home.
Take a quick look at your air conditioner to see if there is hail damage and if so, call a Contractor to get a quote on the necessary repairs.
Water on the floor
Friday, July 2nd, 2010I had another call today about water on the floor around the furnace. This is an inevitable problem with all air conditioners if you do not do preventive maintenance on your A/C system.
As you all know, an air conditioner rings gallons of water out of the air as it cools your home. This water is drained from the evaporator (“A” coil) by gravity through a hose connected to the front of the coil, above the furnace.
The “A” coil has a drain pan on it’s bottom which catches the water to be drained away. The “A” coil also catches dirt in the air stream which mixes with the water and will eventually build up enough to clog the drain fitting and hose, causing the water to overflow the pan and run onto the floor around the furnace. Be sure to check the drain system for debris and replace the hose periodically. We recommend an annual maintenance plan which will leave this messy job to our service technicians.