We’re quickly careening into summer here in Oregon City, and with the influx of sunshine and water vapor in the air, things will start to get a bit sticky. If you own a heat pump, is it ready to take on the summer heat? Should you wait to tune it up for summer, or is now the ideal time? We often field such questions from homeowners in our service area, and we can do the same for you. Here is some info to get you started, but give us a call here at The Clean Air Act when you’re ready for your heat pump maintenance.
The Clean Air Act Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Oregon City’
Getting a New Air Conditioner? Size Your Home First
Monday, March 21st, 2016This is the right time of year to replace an older air conditioning system with a new one. The winter cold is fleeing here in Oregon City, OR and other nearby towns, but temperatures are still pretty cool and chances are you won’t need your air conditioner on a regular basis for a couple of months. That gives you lots of time to properly plan for a new air conditioning installation, including selecting a model and evaluating its features. Among the most important considerations during this process is sizing the new air conditioner’s power levels to make sure it fits your home. A trained technician can help you with the ins and outs.
How Leaking Refrigerant Affects Your Air Conditioner
Wednesday, May 7th, 2014An air conditioner cools down your house by removing heat from the inside through the evaporator coil. That heat then moves to the outside cabinet where it is released. But what is actually carrying this heat from one place to another? It’s the vital part of an air conditioner that often goes under the trademarked name “Freon,” but which is generally known as refrigerant. Without this blend of chemical moving through the coils and lines of an air conditioner, there can be no cooling power.
The secret of refrigerant is that it shifts easily between liquid and gas state: during the evaporation stage, it absorbs heat; during the condensation stage it releases heat. But it never dissipates during this process, so its “charge”—its level—never drops from the optimal amount inside an air conditioner.
Unless there’s a leak in the system and that leads to trouble that requires professionals to fix the problem.
For the necessary repairs you need to keep your air conditioning system working, call on Clean Air Act and our 24-hour emergency air conditioning service in Oregon City, OR.
What Goes Wrong When Refrigerant Leaks
Because an air conditioning system is designed for a specific refrigerant charge, when the charge drops the AC will start to work ineffectively. Less refrigerant means an impaired heat exchange cycle: the refrigerant can no longer absorb as much heat from the outside, and you will start to notice warmer air coming from the vents.
The decay will start to speed up, not matter how slowly the refrigerant leaks out of the system. Once the evaporator coil encounters trouble absorbing heat, it will not cool down the remaining refrigerant enough, and the moisture along the coil will start to freeze. As more moisture freezes, it further blocks heat absorption along the coil. Ice will continue to develop across the coil until a full block of ice completely halts all heat exchange.
Before that point, however, the compressor might fail. Without a sufficient amount of refrigerant to cool it down, the compressor will start to overheat. If the compressor burns out, it will have to be replaced, and this is one of the most expensive repairs an air conditioner can incur. In many cases, it is more cost-effective to replace the whole air conditioning system instead of just the compressor.
Watch For the Warning Signs
Fortunately, leaking refrigerant does provide a few warnings to tell you what is happening. The first is an odd hissing noise from the cabinet as the high-pressure refrigerant escapes. The second is a drop in cooling that doesn’t seem to come from a mechanical error inside the AC. The third is the first indication of frost across the indoor coil. If you notice any of these symptoms, call for repairs. Technicians will locate and seal the leak, and then recharge the refrigerant.
Call Clean Air Act whenever you need fast and effective repairs for your air conditioning system in Oregon City, OR. We maintain the highest standards of quality for the benefit and comfort of our customers.
How to Estimate Size for a Replacement Gas Furnace
Wednesday, April 9th, 2014Gas furnaces are designed to be long-lasting and reliable, but sooner or later, they need to be replaced just like any other appliance. Furnace specialists can replace your old furnace with a new one, but before that happens, you need to determine the size and type of furnace for your home. The easy solution is to simply ask for a furnace the same size as your old one, but that may not be the best option.
Here’s how to estimate size for a replacement gas furnace in Oregon City:
Sizing matters because an improperly sized furnace can cost you a great deal. If it’s not powerful enough to heat your home… well… it won’t heat your home! If it’s too powerful, on the other hand, it will cycle on and off throughout the day, costing you a great deal of money in unnecessary wear and tear. Proper sizing is critical for maximum furnace efficiency.
Estimating that size is trickier than it seems. In the first place, you have to take the furnaces AFUE (annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating into account. The higher the rating, the more efficiently it will heat your home, and the smaller it will need to be. In most cases, your new furnace will have a higher AFUE rating than your old one, so you might not need to spend as much as you thought.
Other factors involved in calculation include your home’s exposure to sunlight (which can naturally warm you home if you have a lot of it) and the amount of insulation it has (which will help it better retain the heat generated by the furnace). And of course, you need to estimate the square footage of your home, which remains the primary factor in determining the proper size.
As you might imagine, the calculations to estimate size for a replacement gas furnace can get very complicated with all of those variables to consider. That’s why you need trained professionals like the ones at Clean Air Act to help. We handle furnace services in Oregon City and we can properly size your new furnace to ensure you get the most value for your money. Give us a call today to set up an appointment!
How to Keep Your Heating System Maintained During the Summer
Friday, March 28th, 2014Although summers in Oregon can turn unpredictable, residents still will need to use their heater on only a few occasions. Otherwise, it’s air conditioner season, and people will spend little time thinking about their heating systems until fall starts.
However, your heater needs some care and maintenance during the summer season to make sure that it is in prime shape for the end of the year. If you leave it alone for the next few months, it could cost you in money and comfort the next time you need it for an extended period.
Here are some ways you can maintain your heating in Oregon City, OR during the coming summer. For whatever professional help you need, contact Clean Air Act today and talk to our heating specialists. If you require repairs for your heater or air conditioning, you can reach us 24 hours a day.
Ways to keep your heater in good shape during its summer vacation
- Schedule a regular maintenance visit if you haven’t already: You should have your heater given a professional inspection and tune-up once a year, preferably in the fall before the cold weather starts. If you weren’t able to have a maintenance visit year, then it’s never too late to start. Before you shut it off for a long stretch, schedule a maintenance check-up that will see that it doesn’t have repair needs or serious cleaning and adjustment that should be done.
- Take care of impending repairs: Has your heater recently indicated signs that something in it needs fixing? If so, don’t let it go during the summer and think about taking care of it in fall or winter, when the problem might turn into a breakdown. Use the summer months to call in a repair technician to take care of the trouble. After all, the best time to have a heater down for repairs is when you don’t actually need it to keep you warm.
- Regularly change the air filter: If you use a forced-air system like a furnace or a heat pump, your air conditioner will use the same set of ducts and vents as your heater during the summer. That means it will also use the same filter on the return vent to prevent debris from entering the system. You need to keep this filter free from clogging, or else it will have a negative impact on both your AC and heater. Change the filter once a month during the summer when you are regularly using your air conditioner, and you’ll protect both systems.
Replace if necessary…
If you think your heater is coming to the end of its service (inflated bills this winter, too many repairs, etc.) then use the summer as a time to schedule new installation to replace it.
At Clean Air Act, we want your heater ready to go whenever the cold strikes. Call us for the assistance you may need to get the most from your heating in Oregon City, OR.
How to Save Money on Your Heating Bill this Season
Tuesday, October 8th, 2013Oregon City OR heating issues are no different from those in other Oregon cities. We have wet, cool winters, meaning that an effective heating system is the best way to keep your home warm and cozy when the temperatures drop. Because of that, we often accept high heating bills as the price of fending off the cold and the damp. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. With a few easy steps, you can cut down on costs without skimping on reliable heat from your furnace. Here’s how to save money on your heating bill this season.
The obvious steps are those you’ve likely heard about since elementary school. Set your thermostat a few degrees cooler than you’re accustomed to and wear warm clothes in the house instead of just depending on the heater to warm you. Don’t run the heater if you’re not going to use the whole house, and turn the heat down before you go off to work in the morning to avoid unnecessary expenditure of energy.
You can use upgrades to your existing energy system to help meet some of these goals. Zone controls, for instance, let you tailor the heat settings to warm only one or two portions of the house while leaving unused sections alone. Similarly, programmable thermostats let you automatically set the heat to turn off when you leave in the morning and turn back on again ten minutes before you arrive home.
In addition to such features, you can ensure that your heater is running at maximum efficiency by scheduling regular maintenance sessions to tighten loose fittings and clean dirty parts. That will ensure that your heater isn’t wasting unnecessary energy.
If you need more tips on how to save money on your heating bill this season, or you want to schedule an upgrading or maintenance service for your existing heater, call the Oregon City, OR heating experts at Clean Air Act. We handle heating issues, and will work to ensure that our wet winters don’t impact your family’s health and comfort. Contact us to make an appointment today.
Low Refrigerant: One of the Many Reasons Air Conditioning Repair Service is Necessary
Wednesday, August 28th, 2013Your air conditioning system has a ton of moving parts in it that allow it to efficiently remove heat from your home and exhaust it outside. One of the most important components of the system is a refrigerant that your AC circulates through the system. If you don’t have enough refrigerant in your system it can cause a number of different problems. We wanted to let our customers know about a few of these problems so that you can recognize them and call for comprehensive air conditioning repair services in Oregon City, OR. Give us a call here at Clean Air Act if you need any kind of services for your AC system.
Oregon City, OR Air Conditioning Repair: Low Refrigerant
In order to understand why low refrigerant is such a problem, it is first necessary to understand why the refrigerant is so important.
If you have a central air conditioning system then you likely have an indoor unit that contains a series of evaporator coils and an outdoor unit that contains the condensing coils. These two sets of coils are filled with the refrigerant and they allow your system to absorb heat out of your air and then exhaust it outside.
These are a few of the signs that could indicate that you have low refrigerant.
- Not enough cooling – If you don’t have enough refrigerant in your air conditioning system then your system won’t be able to remove as much heat from your home.
- Increased energy usage –If you start to notice that your energy bills are increasing even though you haven’t been using your AC system any more, it could be an indication that you have low refrigerant. If your air conditioner doesn’t have enough refrigerant it will have to work harder to cool your home using the refrigerant that it does have.
- Icing – If your air conditioning system is icing up it could be because you have low refrigerant.
- Gurgling – When your air conditioning system makes a gurgling sound it could be caused by low refrigerant in your system.
For any air conditioning repair services that you need, call the Oregon City, OR air conditioning technicians at Clean Air Act. We can work on any type of system that you might have.
Common Reasons to Call for Air Conditioning Repair Service
Tuesday, July 30th, 2013Whether your air conditioner makes a grinding sound or it whistles when blasting cool air throughout your home, there are numerous reasons to call for professional air conditioning repair services in Oregon City. At Clean Air Act, we have encountered a diverse range of HVAC problems over the years and have devised the following shortlist so that you know what to look for. Wen it comes to the integrity of your AC, there is truly no substitute for the expertise of a professional. Only a trained technician can know how to troubleshoot a problem and provide a viable solution. Call us today for all of your air conditioning repair services in Oregon City.
- AC does not cool home completely. This is a common complaint amongst homeowners who have become frustrated by the lack of cooling in their homes. There is not one reason why this can happen, but rather several. The only way to diagnose the root of the problem is by hiring a professional to do so. You may have low refrigerant levels or there could be a problem with your ductwork.
- High energy bills. Keeping an eye on your energy bills is a great way to make sure that your AC is not hampered by a problem affecting its efficiency. Our energy bills are high enough without AC faults causing them to rise. If you notice yours spikes from one month to the next, then you might want to consider professional air conditioning repair.
- Strange sound. You should expect your AC to make some sound during its operation, but if it begins to make a strange or unusual sound, such as buzzing, grinding, banging, hissing, whistling, or something else, then it could be an indication that something is wrong.
- AC won’t start. Before calling a professional, make sure that your AC did not merely trip the circuit breaker. If that doesn’t help, then you should also check to make sure that the thermostat is in cooling mode and properly calling for cooling. If neither of those work, then you could have a bad capacitor or a faulty control board.
Call Clean Air Act today for professional air conditioning repair services in Oregon City, OR.
Maintaining Indoor Air Quality This Heating Season
Monday, January 14th, 2013During the winter, most of us try to keep our homes sealed up pretty tightly in order to keep as much of the heated air inside as possible. While this is a great way to improve the energy efficiency of your home in Oregon City, it can potentially cause the air quality in your home to suffer. With no ventilation, the contaminants that enter your air just get recirculated through your home. In fact, the EPA estimates that indoor air quality is one of the leading threats to respiratory health in the U.S. At Clean Air Act, we offer friendly and honest indoor air quality services in Oregon City. If you’d like to learn more about how to improve the indoor air quality in your home this winter, read below. Give us a call today if you’d like to speak with one of our indoor air quality technicians.
Clean Your Home
A great way to make sure that the air quality in your home is as good as possible is to regularly clean your home. Vacuuming and dusting are especially important as dust is one of the most common air contaminants. If you have pets, vacuuming can really help to eliminate some of the pet dander that is likely accumulating in your air.
Control Moisture
If you get dry skin during the winter, using a humidifier is a terrific way to add some more moisture to the air. The winter is notoriously dry which can lead to itchy and irritated skin. Make sure that areas that typically collect moisture, like your bathroom or the basement, are able to dry out so that you don’t get mold infestations. If you use a humidifier, always use fresh water and regularly clean it.
Increase Ventilation
Another good way to improve the air quality in your home is to properly ventilate it. Opening windows is a great way to let in fresh air—as long as the temperature permits it. You can also turn on attic, kitchen and bathroom fans to get more fresh air into your home.
Consider a Whole Home Air Quality Control System
Perhaps the best way to make sure that the air in your home is clean is to invest in a home air filtration and purification system. There are many different types and brands of air filtration systems available on the market. Some of them just sit in your room filter the air while other more effective models are actually installed in your ducts and air handler to filter the air as it passes through.
If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home, contact Clean Air Act today. If you or one of your family members has a sensitivity to a particular contaminants or if they suffer from asthma or allergies, a whole home are filtration system could potentially make them more comfortable. If you’d like to talk with one of the professional Oregon City air quality technicians at Clean Air Act, just call us today.
What Can an Air Cleaner Filter Inside My Home?
Monday, November 26th, 2012What is one thing that you need at every moment of every day? It’s air! You breathe in about 400 cubic feet of air every day. That’s about 35 pounds of air every single day. Many of us spend most of our time indoors which means that the air we breathe is provided to us by an air conditioning or heating system.
When you’re at home, you want to make sure that all the air you breathe is as clean as possible. The EPA says that indoor air quality is one of the top five dangers to respiratory health. That’s why it’s important to have a good indoor air quality system in your home. Below we’ve outlined some air quality issues that an air cleaner or other IAQ system can help improve the air quality inside your Oregon City home.
Allergens
If the air inside your home is too dry in the winter, the air can cause all kinds of allergy-related irritation. When it’s dry, you tend to create more dust from dry skin. Without moisture in the air, allergens like dust, pollen and pet dander can travel freely through the air and into your respiratory system.
Viruses
Viruses are another type of air-born problem that can be associated with poor air quality. These can be solved by installing UV germicidal lights in your home.
Asthma
In poor air quality situations, asthma related irritations can flare up. Not only is this due to increased dust levels, but also because of dry air.
Dry Skin and Throat
Without moisture, the mucous membranes in your throat and nasal passages can dry out. With proper humidity, these air passages offer our bodies a defense against viruses and infections. This can also lead to bloody noses and scratchy throats.
How Indoor Air Quality Systems Can Help
Indoor air quality systems can do a number of things for your home. When you have an indoor air cleaner, like a filter or an electrostatic system, they can help remove dust particles, bacteria, mold spores and even viruses from your air.
On top of that, some models also include humidity control features. In a dry climates, this can be almost as important. Properly humidified homes are more comfortable to live in and can be potentially cleaner.
If you’re having problems with the indoor air quality in your Oregon City home, then call the experts at The Clean Air Act.