Your furnace and air conditioning unit are designed to be quite sturdy, but they aren’t designed to run forever. Both your air conditioner and your furnace (along with your blower) are in the business of changing the temperature of air and moving this air throughout your home. With that much air, it’s unsurprising that dust and grime begin to build up over time. The more dust and grime you have, the harder your air conditioner, furnace, and blower will have to work to do their job. Too much dirt and they’ll stop working. In other words, if you want your air conditioner and furnace to run for a long time, you need to do a little bit of maintenance work on them. Take a look at that air conditioner. Some of the coils are blocked with gunk. It’s simply not running as efficiently as it should, which means the unit has to work harder to cool the home. If it’s overworked, it’s also more likely to break down. How can you fix that? Cleaning your external air conditioning unit is actually pretty easy.

Just stop by your local HVAC supply shop and buy some cleaning solution (one jug of it will be enough for quite a few cleanings). Go home, cut the power to your AC unit using the breaker box, then wet down the coils on your unit with a garden hose. Using gloves and safety glasses, spray on some of the cleaning solution, let it sit for a while, then spray the coils down again with a garden hose to wash away both the grime and the cleaning solution. Wait a bit longer, then flip the power back on. It’ll look like new and run more efficiently, too. What other steps can you take? Make sure you change the filter in your blower on a regular basis. Go down to your basement (or wherever your blower is located) and check the filter in your blower unit. If you’re not sure when you last changed it, it’s probably time to change it. Mark down the size of your filter, then head to your local hardware store and pick up a replacement filter. Swapping the filter is easy, but the important step is to note the lifetime of your new filter and mark on your calendar when you need to change the filter.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can clean the blower as well. The blower is a giant fan usually found next to the filter. Turn off the breaker and remove the cover on the blower unit. Most of the time, these just unplug like a normal fan. Unplug it, then use a brush to clean off the blades and a vacuum cleaner to clean the area around the blower unit. ac service in houston txPlug it back in, put it back in place, put the cover back on, and flip the breaker again. new ac unit installed priceYou’ll have more efficient air flow, which means a lower energy bill.parts of a car ac unit There are other regular maintenance steps well worth taking for your furnace and air conditioner, but they usually require additional equipment (like a high-powered vacuum) and can cause damage if done incorrectly, so you’re better off having an expert handle them.

The end result of these tasks is a more efficient heating and cooling system in your home. It will run less, which means a smaller energy bill for you, and it also extends the life of your air conditioner, furnace, and blower system, meaning you save long-term on replacement costs. This post is part of a yearlong series called “365 Ways to Live Cheap (Revisited),” in which I’m revisiting the entries from my book “365 Ways to Live Cheap,” which is available at Amazon and at bookstores everywhere. Images courtesy of Brittany Lynne Photography, the proprietor of which is my “photography intern” for this project.The cooler months are creeping in and your air conditioner has outlived another hot, summer season. But how do you know if it will survive next summer’s heat wave? Here are some common indicators that your air conditioning system could be on its last limb.If you find yourself calling for AC repairs yearly, it is most likely time to invest in a new system.

Frequent repairs probably means your AC is starting to give out, and it’s much better to get the issue under control before you’re caught in the middle of a sweltering summer with no AC.This one should seem obvious, but if your AC doesn’t seem to be cooling your home properly, it could be for a number of reasons. Problems such as a compressor failure, a wrong calibrated thermostat or a refrigerant leak are all issues that could cause your AC to run improperly. Once you find out the situation, it could be the case that it’s more cost efficient to purchase a new air conditioner.If you’ve noticed a hike in your HVAC bills it could be a sign that something is wrong. Air conditioner’s that have to work overtime are using much more energy, and it might make sense to invest in a more energy-efficient air conditioner that will decrease your peak season payments.Unusual noises means there is some kind of problem with your AC. High-pitched sounds could be a motor issue, and rattling noises may indicate that a part is loose.

Don’t risk it by letting it go. You can call one of our HVAC professionals to inspect it and determine whether the problem is worth repairing or if it’s time to throw in the towel and opt for a new unit.Just like everything and everyone, the older it gets, the weaker it eventually becomes. Is your AC unit not cooling as efficiently as it did 5 years ago? Are specific rooms warmer or cooler than others? Is it taking longer to cool down your house? These are all signs of an aging air conditioner. If your unit is getting close to or over 10 years old, it is most likely time to look into getting a new, energy-efficient air conditioning system.Call W.G. Speeks Heating and Air Conditioning Experts for Quailty Air Conditioner ServiceIf you’ve experienced any of these AC issues recently or any other issues you think need to be addressed, please call us at 800-276-2800 and see why W.G. Speeks has been the reliable Richmond, VA heating and air conditioning experts since 1943. PW in the News

Rheem Air Conditioner Units Sold With Defective Coils, Leaking Reported Rheem Manufacturing, a leader in the air conditioning manufacturing and sales industry, is selling air conditioning units to consumers with the expectation that the air conditioners will operate appropriately and will last for years. Customers, instead, report being sold central air conditioner units that have been constructed with defective, leaking evaporator coils. What’s more, according to a number of reports, Rheem does not appear to be honoring its warranty. Our firm is investigating claims for a Class Action Lawsuit against Rheem Manufacturing for selling air conditioning units constructed with defective evaporator coils. AC Coils Leak, Warranty Not Honored Rheem evaporator coils are reportedly leaking just after the unit has been installed, in many cases. When these leaks occur within the warranty period, Rheem has the option of replacing the defective coils. Instead, according to reports, Rheem has only been offering replacement costs for parts, not labor.

Should the customer discover the leak following expiration of the relatively short warranty period, consumers are expected to pay for replacement coils and labor, which may total about $2,000, despite that Rheem appears to be aware of the issue with their coils. Science Backs Copper Coil Corrosion Theories Experts explain that the corrosion seen in some Rheem air conditioner models causes the coils to leak. A prevailing theory is that contaminants in the air cause the corrosion, which occurs on indoor coils during the cooling cycle. The contaminants apparently become acidic when exposed to moisture, which causes etching on the coils, a phenomenon known as “Ant-Nest Corrosion” because the etching appears similar to ant nest activity. This corrosion thins the coils, eventually making the coils porous and very prone to leaking. The coil’s copper surface “will be discolored adjacent to the corrosion pit(s). Surface films can vary from dull gray-black to red-brown or purple, depending upon the specific environment,” Peter Elliot of Corrosion Materials Consultancy Inc., and Richard A. Corbett of Corrosion Testing Laboratories wrote in a paper on the matter, according to an ABC News report.

“The corrosion initiates from the tube surface and progresses rapidly into the tube wall,” they explained. The damage progresses rapidly; “Perforation usually occurs in weeks or months, not years.” Researchers writing in Metal Madrid, report that the defect causes “the loss of refrigerant liquid and the consequent environment pollution. It is known that attack requires the simultaneous presence of moisture, oxygen, and a corrodent, usually an organic acid … or other volatile organic substances.” In fact, note the team, some 10 percent “of all premature failures of copper tubes used in the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry are the result of ant-nest corrosion” and “usually occurs in thin-wall copper pipes, especially when copper is de-sulphurized. The paper authored by Elliot and Corbett provided the same explanation that, “Any nest corrosion will only occur when oxygen, moisture, and a specific corrodent, usually an organic acid, are simultaneously present on a copper surface.