4 Reasons Your Home May be Uncomfortable

There are many reasons you may have hot and cold rooms in your home. It is amazing that so many homes have the same problems, so don't feel like you are the only one. Everyday people tell me there upstairs is too hot or bedroom is too cold. Many times the repair is not major. An NCI Company can do some simple and quick tests to your home in about 60-90 minutes and see what is going on. Majority of the time the fix does not mean you have to buy a new furnace or A/C. Below is information provided by NATIONAL COMFORT INSTITUTE.



Four Reasons Why Your Home May be Uncomfortable
If you asked a number of people to define a comfortable home they might say; a place with nice furniture, a place that is warm and dry, a place that has a lot of space. When we get a call from a customer who says their home is uncomfortable it usually means they are having problems controlling temperatures and humidity within the home.




1. Undersized or Oversized Furnace or Air Conditioner
When someone designed your home, part of the design included the heating and cooling system. As with most homes, yours may have been modified since that original design. Or, if your home is new, the comfort system design may not be adequate for the home you are living in. We can evaluate the comfort and performance of your system based on the way your home is now. This includes any design changes, new insulation, windows, the addition of furniture, draperies, carpets and the hundreds of other items that can affect the way your comfort system performs.

For example, if your heating system isn't able to "keep up" on colder days, there's a good chance it's undersized. If it turns on and off constantly, chances are it's oversized. If your cooling system just won't cool your house down on the warmest days, there's a good chance it's undersized, or wasn't installed correctly. If it cycles on and off constantly and doesn't seem to pull the humidity out, it's likely oversized. This condition also wastes a great deal of energy and causes unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment.




2. Incorrect Duct System
Most homes have a heating and cooling system that was designed for ideal scenarios. Unfortunately most homes are never ideal and often the air delivery systems do not work the way they were designed. In some cases, a duct system may be installed improperly or was damaged at some point so that it's not delivering the correct air into each room. This usually results in an uncomfortable home. Our technicians can check the airflow into each room and evaluate if your system is delivering the correct amount for the size of each room in your home.



3. Poor Air Quality
The funny thing about air quality is that you can't always smell it, but you can often feel it, and it can be a major contributor to discomfort in the home. Poor air quality can be anything from excess humidity in the air to bacteria and mold spores or even gasses emitting from your furnace or air conditioner. We have a variety of methods to check your home's air quality and report back to you. Some problems may be a minor nuisance and others could be life threatening.




4. Home Ventilation and Pressure
Even when you're not home, there are a variety of physical activities taking place that you can't see. Your home is a living and breathing entity with constant air movement - even when the heating or cooling system is turned off. The degree to which your home is sealed up or unsealed affects pressures that determine the way air travels throughout the home. This pressure can be controlled through proper venting and ducting depending on what is required. Air balancing can help correct these pressure imbalances. This process should only be performed by technicians who are trained and certified, and have the right instruments to measure and adjust the air in your home.

How to select a contractor.

There are many things to consider when selecting a contractor. This blog is around heating and cooling contractors, but the same principle applies if you are buying a furnace, deck, roof, kitchen, or a basement remodel.

• Check references: I can not stress this enough. If you are spending $2500 or $10,000 you must check the contractor references. A new furnace or a/c should last 20 years. But even more important is in Minnesota for example you will spend $26,000 over those 20 years on average to heat and cool your home. So ask for testimonials. If the contractor surveys there customers ask to see the surveys. If you want to make the best choice ask to talk to customer they have done work for. Make sure they will call you back on Saturday when it is -20 or 95 degrees outside if your heating or cooling doesn't work.
• Ask for copy of liability insurance certificate: Check to see what there coverage is. You want at minimum $1 million dollars coverage. Then if you really want to be safe call there insurance company to confirm there premiums are paid in full. To many companies can show a certificate but may not be late on payments. If something happens you the homeowner are responsible. If the contractor is not willing to give you this info "walk away".
• Confirm they have a current State Bond: In Minnesota for example contractors are required to have a state bond to help protect the homeowner in case the contractor goes out of business.
• Get Permits: Ask for copy of the local permit at time of installation. Note: some cities do not require permits so you can't in those cases. But call your city hall to confirm that is true.
• Back ground screened employees: Does the company criminally screen there employees. The people installing your new furnace or A/C have access to your home, make sure they are safe.
• Does the company work from home: Confirm they actually work from a office. Some contractors may office from home and do great work. But the majority of bad contractors also work from home. Don't base decision on this but it will help.

Don't worry about the brand of furnace or A/C you buy. If it is a Carrier, Goodman, Amana, Trane, Bryant, Chevy, Ford, or BMW it does not matter as much as who installs it. What matters is how well trained the installers are, will they be there for you if it fails, and will it save you money on your energy bills for the next 2 or 20 years. (BTW: no Chevy, Ford, or BMW don't make furnace and A/C)

The upfront cost of the installation will be determined by factors I listed above. Just because someone offers a lower installation you are not saving money. I have learned that lesson over the years. When the cost is lower the odds say something is missing.

How to clean a Trane Air Conditioner

TRANE SPINE FIN COIL CLEANING

It's very important to clean your a/c system every year in both residential & commercial buildings. Annual cleaning will add 5-7 years to there life typically. Which just that savings will cover the cost of having it done. Plus the likely hood of the unit breaking down on the hottest day of the summer is much less if you annually have it inspected.

Trane is unique in there outdoor coil design. The use a technology called Spine Fin which is an all aluminum coil. Carrier did this many years ago but have now switched back to the standard copper coil and aluminum plate fins. Spine fin is a proven technology that has a lot of advantages over copper/aluminum plate fin coils. Spine fin has less fittings having less chance of leaks, retains efficiency longer, and allows your compressor to run cooler saving you money each year of it's life.

But some people complain and think spine fin coils are impossible to clean. It is actually easier to clean spine fin coils. The part that needs to be clean is the leading edge because that is where heat is extracted from the coil. What people think is hard is when you have a lot of cotton wood that gets into the coil. Below is a method to clean cottonwood quickly, but you must take care while doing it. My companies technicians have used this method for years and it is great. Trane does approve to using this method also.

1. Remove power to compressor terminals
2. Go to thermostat and give call for cooling
3. The outdoor fan motor should be running now but not the compressor.
4. Take a torch. Must be lazy orange flame, don't use hot brazing flame. You can also use propane or map gas turbo torch.
   
5. Run the flame along the coil allowing the fan to pull the flame through the coil. This will burn the cottonwood. Note: smoke will come out of top of a/c, and yes it will smell a little depending how dirty it is as the cottonwood burns.
6. Last shut power off to outdoor unit and hose it off with garden hose. For best results I strongly recommend using a condenser coil cleaner to spray on first like Calgon Nu-brite. This will help pull the dirt from the inside of the coil. Don't ever use a pressure washer as you will damage the coil. Wash the coil from the top and work your way down.
   

When doing this you can leave the outside hail guards on the Trane unit. If the unit is really bad you may have to remove the panels. I have seen units that look like a wool jacket is wrapped around them they are so dirty. For more information you can go to www.ComfortMatters.com.