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