Made In America

Here at Gulf Coast Air Care we sell mostly Labor, but we do pride ourselves on all of it being "Made in America"
Watch the video & look at the impact of being conscientious about our "National Pride" and all the issues revolving around the Made in America ideas.
We strive to be nationalistic in our endeavors because... like Donald Trump said recently "who is negotiating or watching out for American interests"... like Commerce, Foreign Trade and Economic Equality?

Here is the link to an ABC News story that will do our country some good when the idea catches on!!
Made in America Video
http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_04vzdsr5/uiconf_id/5590821

Starting over Again

Well the entire website (www.gulfcoastaircare.com )disappeared a couple weeks ago
I still have the blog but the site is back under construction
Check there from time to time & see our progress
we will need to regain our page rankings & internet relevance
Hopefully the E mail will get straightened out & we'll be off & running again
Snuggle up
it's heater season

New Gadgets ( HVAC controls)

Here is a peek at the future of HVAC control.
Imagine controlling the home thermostat from your smart phone. The technology is out there and the price is dropping like computer prices were just a few years ago.  Not only the temperature & humidity, but security systems, lighting, and a wide variety of other things too !


Wireless Home Control


Just think about it, you have a router in the home, you can get a weather report on your wireless thermostat right before you leave, then, set the temp according to the weather details;  how much money would that save over time??... and if you aren't coming home at the same time as the rest of your family, you can adjust the temperature, check the security system, turn on the lights, open or close the garage, there are lots of options with a wireless t-stat, a control module and a phone app. 
Hey, I've seen apps to control the DVR and TV from a smart phone, seems to me those are kinda extreme,  but I can remember a few times when I was away from home & was wondering if I set things up to record my favorite shows & "is the house is too hot or too cold ?" or "what are the kids up to ?". 

Consider the advances in home security systems, you can now get closed circuit TV cameras that you can view from a smart phone so you never have to wonder whats going on at the house while you aren't there.  All these things can be incoprorated into the automated home comfort controls.


Closed Circuit Security Cameras (CCTV)




The possibilities are virtually endless so just think in terms of piece of mind , convenience and energy savings!

Maybe you have a dinosaur of a system and you were thinking about an energy upgrade this year ~ all I can say is don't limit your thinking and remember...this "upgrade" is an important choice that should be given the appropriate amount of consideration; just buying a furnace or an air conditioner is not the whole picture. 
Regardless of the choice you make, you will have the equipment for 15-18 years, so if there are existing comfort issues, it would be best to address them now.
Be sure you can add-on control or comfort features in the future and for goodness sakes don't forget the ducts.




Our specialty is Comfort & Indoor Air Quality, however, we work with an award winning security company in the local area, so if you have questions, feel free to give us a call anytime to pick our collective brain or have us help you make a wise decision about a home comfort investment.  Call today for a free consumer report on choosing the right comfort system or security system for your home.

Comfort & security go hand in hand.


Whole House Comfort & Security



For more info go to http://www.gulfcoastaircare.com/ or call (850) 934-2768







Duct Leakage and Duct Performance, What's the Difference?

Well this is a question that we are getting a little more frequently  but we should hear this question way more often.  You remember the old adage of statistics or analysis or the business accountant. 'If you focus on something, it improves.'
This is the topic.
ENERGY and COMFORT.
As Gulf Power prepares to add to all of our power bills' we should focus on offsetting that increase with a little knowledge and ask a couple questions.
1) Does my HVAC & duct system perform like it should ?
2) Do I have duct leakage? What is that costing me every month or every year?
Lets start with a couple basic ideas
Duct Performance:  If you have a 3 ton A/C system are your getting 3 tons of cooling (tons, in this case is not weight, just a silly science definition of cooling capacity) the tonnage in a duct system relates to airflow and air flow to performance.
Lets simplify: 1 ton of cooling equals 400 cfm of air flow thru the duct system, 1 cfm (cubic foot per minute) is equal to about as much air in a basketball.
So when a 3 ton system runs we are looking for 400 basketballs of air per ton or 1200 cfm total coming out of the duct.
We measure the airflow at every vent,  add it all up and...presto...Duct performance!
Did we get 1200?  If not we have a problem... maybe multiple problems!  Like... leaks, restrictions, blockage or undersized duct maybe even oversized A/C equip (this is common because "bigger is not better" when we're talkin' Air Conditioning )

Duct Leakage: We put the duct system under negative pressure with NO air flow and measure what's leaking out.  This is the most common issue we see when we measure find out why duct performance is not up to snuff.   Duct leakage is the missing basketballs' of air that you should have in the room  but they are not, instead, they are leaking into the attic or crawl space.  We often find that there are plenty of basketballs of air in one room (a small office or bedroom, lets say, and not enough in a large room like the Kitchen, Dining room or Living room)

So lets conclude this lesson by saying this again "if you focus on it... it usually improves"
know your duct performance & Duct leakage numbers and you will easily find a place to offset the upcoming Gulf Power Rate Increase.

For a short video about the tests ( Duct Performance & Duct Leakage) go to our website for a quick look at the consumer Education Videos  http://www.gulfcoastaircare.com/

For Indoor Air Quality & School Building Health... What's on our report card?

Do you trust our local school district with your child's Health ?
We see an influx of complaints every year when school starts.
Watch the video & ask yourself... What have the schools done to prepare for this year?
This video is from Indiana, where they haven only seasonal issues with Hot Weather & Humidity.
Here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we battle these conditions all year long.
I have confidence in our local school district and their maintenance crews.
But like Ronald Reagan always said... "Trust but verify"



For local help with IAQ issues & concerns go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com
Your Indoor Air Quality Specialists in the Florida Panhandle since 1994

NEWS – August 8, 2011 : Foreclosures Leading To HVAC Opportunities

NEWS – August 8, 2011 : Foreclosures Leading To HVAC Opportunities

NW FL in Late Summer...time for the Home & Products Expo

Well for Pensacola that can only mean  one thing,  time for the Home & Product Expo!

What is all the hype?
Well only that you get a chance to talk to a bunch of vendors at one time.
The companies that expend the extra money & effort to participate in these kind of events are the companies that will  do a great job when you hire them for a project.  Plus, they must meet the high standards & ethics of the local HBA to participate in the show.
Here's the scenario, you have been thinking about an upgrade... Kitchen, Bath, Energy Efficiency or Comfort project...Whatever it is.
For a couple of days (19-21 August 2011, actually) you have the opportunity to talk to some very qualified contractors & merchants who are on display,  they have put their best foot forward  for their trade or niche and you can look at all they offer in just a couple hours.  This is a great opportunity to work out the details of what you want & how to get it done.  Not to mention, you can usually get a discount, or added value extra in conjunction to the show special, that most of these companies offer.  In this economy there are two ways to look at it; 1) money is tight and you may need to really watch your budget or 2) hey these guys are willing to do all kind of extras and include add-ons just to have the work.  So if you have the resources, now is a great time to schedule a project.
Listen, Summer is coming to a close in a few weeks and now is the time; there is no better opportunity to work out the details than when all the good contractors are all together under one roof.
Just call  the company you're thinking of, I'll bet  they even have some free tickets to give away to get into the show.  For tickets from us, go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com & send us an Email or use the contact tab to call the office... we've got tickets too.

August, Back to School Soon

August

Wow, its almost ‘back to school’ time, I know the kids don’t want to hear it but the summer has flown by~ July is gone & August leaves us only a few weeks till we change back into the groove that is “school “ or “learning” if you wish. Does anyone else get that last minute pressure to get one more thing accomplished before the summer is over & the kids go back to school ? You know, that last trip to the water park or the long weekend visit with relatives that you have been meaning to see before everybody gets “one year older”. How about those projects that have been on the list for several months and you still can’t get them done? You know, cleaning out the garage, fixing that old fence or painting. Lord knows we could do ourselves a big favor by spending a few hours of clean-up around the house & yard to reduce that stress when The Weather Channel declares the we should prepare for heavy rain & high winds and the ‘cone of probability’ swings back & forth on the Gulf Coast. Soon we’ll all be guessing when it will cool down for good and the threat from Gulf waters subsides for another season. Isn’t that when “the Fair” comes to town? So with the Summer Camps all completed, the “X Games” medals handed out, and the beginning of Football season just around the corner I will settle into August with the hope for big attendance at the ‘Home & Products Expo’ at the Civic Center later this month. It seems pretty sad that my Colorado Rockies aren’t playing well enough to even cause a slight distraction from the heat and humidity that continues to drag on through the end of the summer.

AS ALWAYS, we are here for you if you have a situation at home or work where you can’t figure out why it’s not comfortable and you wish someone would get the problem resolved “once and for all”

For info or tips, try the consumer videos link at the top of our website ~ go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Till next Post,

Todd

The Secret to Avoiding the Summertime A/C Flood

Check Your drain line Most people never remember till it’s too late, to go out & check the A/C drainpipe. If you are wondering why that floor is all wet ~ go see if the line is flowing outside. All the water that comes off your A/C coil during the cooling season drains out thru that pipe. The line is running along with your refrigerant lines (1 large line insulated, 1 small line not insulated) Check and see if the water coming out is Clear or “Slimy and Milky” If its not clear water, you’re about to have a flood when the drain backs up thru the A/C unit and overflows in the house. At GCAC, we always use a shop vac to suck the water, slime, and the blockage out of the line. Don’t use a garden hose because you’ll just blow all that slime & junk all over the inside of your Evaporator coil in the house.

There may also be water pooling up around the side of the house or under the outside A/C unit. If you really want to do a bang up job, dig out all the mud, slime, weeds & junk that builds-up around the unit & put down some pea-sized gravel for the water to drain away.


In dry areas of the country where water is a premium, there are systems to capture this waste water and use it for irrigation; however, we are not in the desert or lacking in rainfall here in Florida.

Keep your eye on that potential problem, it can happen every year.

Get a drain line “tee” installed or use the biocide tabs to keep the stuff from growing in the drain line. If you have a “tee” or clean-out port you can dump some (1 cup) Clorox bleach in there or you can use vinegar & flush the line to keep it clear from growth; the best biocide tabs to use are the blue ones that look like a little piece of soap. They dissolve over the rest of the summer season & release a biocide to keep anything from growing or clogging up your A/C drain line.

DO NOT RUN YOUR A/C FAN IN THE “ON” position. This can cause a vapor lock in the drain line. The water can’t get out because of all the air pressure sucking in through the drain line. This is caused because your A/C fan never shuts off if you run it in the “on” position. This vapor lock can really give you problems if you run the fan constantly; let the fan cycle off & on in “auto” when the thermostat cycles.

Change your A/C Filter ! Any particles that get thru the filter can get on the coil & end up clogging the drain line when they wash off. Keep a clean filter & your problems are solved. For more money saving tips, look at the consumer education videos link on our website at www.gulfcoastaircare.com

The Secret to a long life for your A/C System !

Hey, let’s face it, A/C equipment is not cheap. If you’ve purchased a system in the last couple of years you know what I’m talkin’ about.
You probably want to know what it takes to get the full benefit from your system. Things like total comfort, low power bills, and a healthy home without mold or minimal dust. The home works like a system, several things are involved but the Lungs & Heart of the home is the HVAC system. We can tell you this, the duct system has a very critical part in the proper operation of your “home as a system” even though your duct system is “outta sight & outta mind.” When you purchase a new A/C system you want it to last as long as possible & you want to get maximum performance out of the system as well. Nobody likes to see the A/C man for any reason other than seasonal check-up & even then, all we want to hear is “everything checked out GREAT!!” Many people operate on the old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and to a point, I agree. Inspections are important. This is the Key!
Would you fly on an airplane if they lived by “ if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule?
The point is “Stuff Happens.”
So the common question is -“How do I get 15 -18 years of service out of my A/C system”? In addition to that ~ Wouldn’t you expect the overall comfort and energy picture to improve when you buy one of these high efficiency units from these so called “comfort companies.”
The problem is - nobody is looking at the duct-work, much less, testing it for leaks or checking to see if it can handle the performance criteria of the new A/C equipment. The condition of the duct system is extremely critical when you start to go up in efficiency ratings’ of A/C equipment; the DUCT needs to be sealed tight, sized correctly, and free from mold, dust & debris. The secret is to have a Sealed Duct System ! Documented – not a guess or a quick peek. Test the ducts & make sure that you are going the get all the performance you expect out of your new A/C equipment. The test is called a “Blower Door” test or “Duct Leakage” test; some people use the term “Duct Blaster“ test. Most companies that do this type of testing will also inspect or test the other critical whole house parts such as, the attic insulation, attic venting, air-balance valves or dampers, and weatherization features, like caulking of windows or doors. These all figure into the formula of operating the “House as a System”. All of this Data should be looked over & evaluated. Please call with your concerns & schedule your duct-leak test this month.
Test when you Invest!
For more homeowner tips, look the consumer education videos on our website www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Secrets to avoid the big rip-off !

Be careful of the bait & switch (or blow- n- go)

Hey, are you also wondering about this $89 “whole house” duct cleaning that is in the paper several times a week. Seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Or, maybe it’s only $69 this week. Who knows- it often changes with every new ad in the paper.
You can Eliminate the risk by looking for a company that is certified by NADCA (see Below)
All companies that are NADCA certified have technicians that are trained, tested, & sworn to uphold a code of ethics/conduct in the Marketplace.
Please don’t believe that you can get a “Whole House” service done for $69 - $89. With today’s labor costs you can’t even get a service truck to leave the shop for that price.
Everybody wants to believe that the $89 bait & switch special will make some sort of improvement in your Dust. Mold, Energy bills or Allergies, but there are specific industry methods & standards (ACR-2006) that are established to ensure the best cleaning process.
Be aware of ‘on the spot’ scheduling before you can get the real scoop on what procedure is required & don’t buy into scare tactics. "Black Mold” is not fatal if you breathe it in.
There are very specific conditions that can be identified through proper testing & inspection of your home or office.
NADCA even has a written schedule of suggested inspection periods & possible actions.
You should not be shocked to learn that this bait & switch is happening all over the country & consumer groups are standing by as 1,000’s of elderly homeowners or unknowledgeable consumers are getting ripped off. Call a service company that you trust & ask who they recommend for air duct cleaning, if they don’t provide the service. Or go the BBB website & see if they have guidelines or warnings. Also https://www.nadca.com/publications/index.aspx has an entire section of their website dedicated to the education of consumers so you know what to expect on price, time & end results.


For more Homeowner Tips, watch the 7 minute video link on our website -
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Carbon-Monoxide: Monitor vs. Alarm ~ Life or Death ~

The only thing in the IAQ business that can be "urgent/fatal" is carbon monoxide. This means we should have a conversation about how to avoid Carbon Monoxide (CO) in our homes. Any fuel burning appliance that is malfunctioning or improperly installed can be a source of CO. These can include a gas range/stove, furnaces, gas clothes dryer, water heater, gas or wood fireplaces, wood-burning stove and the auto exhaust from an attached garage. Initial symptoms are similar to the flu with no fever. Dizziness, fatigue/weakness, throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting, irregular breathing, sleepiness and confusion can all be possible symptoms. Low Level Carbon monoxide exposure can easily be mis-diagnosed unless you have a Low Level CO monitor or medical personnel can get a blood sample in time to see elevated CO in the blood stream; it changes rapidly when you are removed from the CO source area. Do you have a measure of safety or protection for your family? There are 2 options – an inexpensive CO alarm which has up to 4 full hours to give a signal or alert after dangerous levels have been exceeded in the home or a low level CO monitor that will start to alert you at the onset of carbon monoxide exposure. A low level CO monitor can give alerts when the level reaches a concern like 20 parts per million(ppm); a CO Alarm must reach 70 PPM for 4 hours before it’s required to go off and if the indoor space get ventilated after 3 hours, it starts the count down all over again! Yikes! You may never get any indication about the most serious or dangerous condition that can exist inside your home, And get this, most Fire Dept’s will not allow a fire fighter to enter a building if CO levels are above 35 ppm. Your cheap CO alarm will allow those levels without you ever knowing. Stats from the AMA (American Medical Association) show approximately 2,100 people die each year from CO poisoning or exposure. Often called “The Silent Killer”, CO is a tasteless, colorless & odorless poison. If you would like a FREE report or more information about Carbon Monoxide, CO alarms & Low Level Monitors Please call us today. If you have small children or elderly folks in the home and you aren’t sure, don’t take a chance.
Call your HVAC company for a Test or Inspection. Today!


For more money saving, homeowner tips, look at the consumer education videos on our website www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Residential Trends ~The “whole house as a system” saves you $$$$

The latest residential trend is to conserve energy and look at the whole house as a system; this idea ties comfort levels & health aspects of a building to the idea of looking at all the parts for the best durability, comfort & safety in the home. The whole house approach includes looking at how the A/C system, attic insulation, the windows and doors and the weatherization of the building envelope all act together as a system to keep the occupants safe, healthy & comfortable. In other words, this means looking at “Gaps, Cracks & Holes” to combat the influx of pollutants. In our climate here in Pensacola, the big pollutant is Humidity; water vapor or moisture leads to big problems. The trend and research shows us that you need to do a full energy diagnosis by testing the home. The biggest improvement is related to the HVAC system & controlling moisture or humidity through better A/C equipment. But hold on there~ it’s not all “just in the box” (A/C Equip). A US Dept. of Energy study has shown that most duct systems leak anywhere from 25-40%, or more, of their conditioned air out of the ducts into attics or crawl spaces due poor design or poor installation. The best way to diagnose the “whole house” issues is to use a blower door to conduct a “negative air test”. This is a new test that allows the homeowner to see all the areas that are affecting the health, comfort & durability of a building. The test data is also used in a comprehensive energy audit. Before the blower door was popular most contractors would “guess” at the problem & then try to find a solution to the issues like “Excessive Dust”, “Hot or Cold rooms” or “High Utility bills” . Now-a-days there are contractors in the market place that “test” and “never guess” at the biggest problem many homeowners face. So don’t accept a guess when it comes down to the comfort or safety of your family, have the whole house tested as a system.

For more money saving, homeowner tips, look at the consumer education videos on our website www.gulfcoastaircare.com

2 Secret Tips to Stop Mold Growth in your Home

Do What the Pensacola Pros Do!
1) Eliminate the Source ~the source is water, moisture or water vapor. So now here this~ "DO NOT RUN YOUR A/C FAN IN THE “ON” position". You can help yourself by understanding how the A/C system works. The Evaporator coil or “Cooling Coil” is in the air handler unit or the part of the A/C system that is indoors. When the A/C runs, the coil is wet ~ that’s how it cools the home & the moisture is the humidity it’s removing from the building. This source of water can really give you problems if you don’t let the fan cycle on & off (auto) when the thermostat cycles. If you run the fan all the time you are pushing some of that water from the coil into the ductwork, which gets the insulation wet, and grows all kinds of nasty spores & unhealthy mold. All that water on the cooling coil is the source of the mold. Plus, you should be looking at the drain-line outside where all that water dumps out of the house. If you don’t know where it is, you will find out soon enough ~ like, when the line clogs up & floods the house from the A/C system. Save yourself a hassle, go outside & find the drain-line outlet. Heck, you could call me to do it~ for a small fee, I’ll send a guy out to clear it for you, & we can even install a new fitting so you can just add a little bleach to keep it clean for the rest of the summer !! No Flood, No Hassle ~ How do they say it~ “Easy Squeezy, Lemon…” Oh, whatever.
2) THE second tip is less complicated but still very effective. You sterilize the coil fins & surface with the strong U V rays of the Sun! WHAT? Yeah, the Sun produces Ultra Violet light rays that kill mold on contact. SO we have a light fixture that shines the same intense UVC light directly on that wet coil so nothing can grow on there ~ ZIP, NADA, ZILCH. GAURANTEED !!
Don’t miss out on the most effective mold control product on the market to date for your A/C system, THE UVC LIGHT. I have these in my home & if there were something better, I would be telling you all about it.

For more Homeowner Tips, watch the 7 minute video link on our website at
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

2 Easy secrets to a comfortable home & lower utility bills

1) Prevention: In the Pensacola climate, you can save plenty of cash & keep a more comfortable home if you plan ahead & take advantage of the seasonal check up that most companies offer, (usually at a discount), going into the hot summer season. Having your system inspected & cleaned is like the old saying “an ounce of prevention & a pound of cure”. My Family recently had a tranny problem on our Honda Odyssey van that we let slide by for a couple of months, now we have a lot more ($$$) expensive problem! The lesson is “PAY ATTENTION” ! Hey, the HVAC system is the most costly system in your home ~ and it falls under that “Outta Sight, Outta Mind” category ~ plus its unbearable when you don’t have it running properly. So Plan Ahead Don’t be unhappy in the summer heat- Call Now

2) Monitor Humidity & Temperature: The easiest way to save money and to live comfortably is keep a close eye on the humidity level in the home. For each and every degree of temperature you raise your thermostat this summer season, you can save 10% on your utility bill ~ this is according to research by Gulf Power. “But how do I raise temp & still stay comfortable?” The secret is to lower humidity. If you can keep the moisture out it will still be fresh & crisp at a higher temp. The worst thing in the world for a high humidity problem is an A/C unit that is too big for the home. The secret is longer run times & a properly sized A/C system. An insider knows that the problem is usually in the duct system if the A/C equipment is cooling; this means look elsewhere ~like in the Attic!
Listen, if this sounds good to you, maybe we should talk. We are giving away a nice humidity monitor as part of this month’s ethical bribe. E-mail us or “friend us” on Facebook with a humidity comment & we’ll put your name in the drawing for a FREE humidity monitor ($20 value). If your humidity is out of whack or you aren’t comfy in the evening when the heat of the day is gone. Maybe, we can help! Remember, a true test is better than a guess & you can take that to the bank!


For more comfort info, watch the 7 minute video link on our website
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Wow, April already~ I want to comment about the Federal Energy Tax Credit for 2011. Why on Earth would our governmental leadership change what they offered last year? In 2010 (and 2009) we had a 30% tax credit incentive if you spent money to make your home more energy efficient. This year (2011) we have a 5% offering~ how Trivial!! I thought we were trying to simulate the economy & create jobs~ This is a blunder of the biggest magnitude. When the incentive was juicy, people considered spending the money, contractors were working to weatherize homes, change HVAC systems, add insulation, and help the national energy dependency on foreign oil; not to mention the relief on our power grid which is stretched pretty thin in some markets. According to the Dept of Energy, American buildings consume 45 % of the energy we generate, & much of that is wasted because of poor building construction practices, lack of maintenance and and the overall age of our "building stock" . It only makes sense to renovate our homes & office buildings; an energy retrofit can be an amazing change to the way we live and consume energy. Congress...Please raise the Tax incentive back to meaningful levels.