HVAC Blog - Bay Area's Air Conditioner Blog

Since air conditioning became common place and doors and windows remained closed more than open, indoor air quality has become a topic of concern. The diagnosis of Legionnaires Disease and Sick Building Syndrome has brought this to the forefront and even sprouted some cottage “clean air” businesses. There are basically two methods to clean the air in a dwelling.

The first and most obvious method is to filter pollutants from the air. There are many filtration products available. Pleated filters are more effective than the spun glass disposable filters. The efficiency of a filter is depicted by the MERV rating. MERV is an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. MERV ratings are used to rate the ability of a filter to remove dust from the air as it passes through the filter. Higher MERV ratings mean fewer dust particles and other airborne contaminants pass through the filter. Most filters will have the MERV rating listed on the filter itself. Many manufactures offer an extended use media filter. These media filters typically are installed on or near the air handler or furnace. They generally are four to six inches thick and can be used for six to 12 months before replacing.

Another option, when it comes to filtration, is to install an electronic filter. Electronic filters usually consist of a prefilter, a charging grid and a collection cell. The prefilter will catch any large particulates, as the remaining particulates pass through the charging grid they will be given a positive electrical charge, the negatively charged collection cell will attract the particulates effectively removing them from the air stream. Electronic filters are a great choice for individuals who desire cleaner indoor air than merely a filter can offer. If an electronic filter is used it is recommended to filter the air before it enters the duct system to ensure the ducts remain contaminate free.

The second method to clean indoor air is to treat the air itself. The most effective product available to sanitize the air is a product manufactured by RGF, Inc. called the Guardian. The RGF Guardian uses photohydroionization to produce peroxides which combat pollutants in the air. This product is effective against bacteria, viruses and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The unit is mounted in the air duct system; the peroxides produced are carried by the air flow. These peroxides will attach themselves to the virus or bacteria molecule, rendering them inert. The peroxides then convert to either oxygen or hydrogen molecules. The Guardian has been tested by third party laboratories such as the University of Kansas, the United States Navy and the Chinese government. Effective against SARS, Norwalk virus, Bird Flu, Swine flu, Staph, Strep, Mold, Yeast, E Coli and is extremely effective against household odors like cigar smoke, dirty diapers, and pet odor, the RGF Guardian has the most documented test results of any indoor air quality product.

Many air conditioning contractors offer ultra violet lights as a solution to indoor air quality. Ultra violet lights are an effective tool when it comes to maintaining a clean evaporator coil. Usually the UV light is mounted so the coil is immersed in ultra violet light. The UV light will kill any existing mold or microbial growth on the coil and prevent any future growth from occurring. Keeping the evaporator coil clean will help maintain the efficiency of the coiling by ensuring that air can easily pass through the coil, it can also reduce the amount of algae growth in the drain pan which can clog condensation drain lines. UV lights will do very little to improve the quality of air in your home. For the ultra violet light to be effective, a pollutant must be within three to six inches of the UV light for up to three minutes. Obviously, when the air conditioning is operating, the air moves past the UV light quickly without enough exposure time for the ultra violet light to be effective.

As new building materials are introduced and building envelopes become sealed tighter, indoor air quality will continue to be at the forefront of the HVAC industry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 1, 2010

Going Green

By Chris G

The green movement has sprung to life and continues to shape the future of the HVAC industry. Many manufactures are scrambling to become “Green”. Providing energy efficient equipment is the obvious way to begin a green initiative. Air conditioning and heat pump systems are vastly more energy efficient than systems manufactured 10 years ago. 15 SEER is now common place with systems achieving ratings as high as 21 SEER. The energy savings can amount to huge $ savings. For instance, a ten year old system which had a SEER rating of 8.0 when new may be operating at 5.0-6.0 SEER due to clogged or restricted coils and old motors which are drawing higher amps than when new. Replacing this system with one which is rated for 16 SEER could double or even triple the energy efficiency of your system. Considering that air conditioning uses about 52% of the energy in an average west Florida home, (data provided by Progress Energy) your monthly electric bill could see savings of 30%-45%.

Another option for going green is to reduce the amount of new materials used in the construction of a product. For this reason manufactures have increased the amount of recycled materials used in the manufacture of a particular product.

The Trane Company is not immune to touting its “Green” benefits. Trane offers ultra high efficient units which consume considerably less energy and utilize 80% post consumer recycled product in their condensers and 60% in the air handlers. Trane has positioned itself as an industry leader in the Green movement. Trane is committed to providing energy efficient products and is devoted to leading the industry by exploring new methods to reduce emissions and incorporate new materials into its product line.

Remember, we all have to share this planet. It’s up to everyone to do their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 10, 2010

The Skinny on R-22

By Chris G

As of January 1, 2010 the EPA has mandated the national shift from R-22 (Freon) to R-410a (Puron). This means that manufactures cannot build equipment which operates on R-22 (Freon), any equipment with a manufacturing date before January 1, 2010 can still be sold. The motive behind the change is to minimize the effect that escaped refrigerant has on the environment. Puron is a non-ozone depleting chemical and is not considered a “green house gas.”

This refrigerant conversion has led to vast confusion for the end consumer. The purpose of this blog entry is to clear the waters when it comes to R-22.

The first misconception is that R-22 cannot be purchased. This is false, R-22 is readily available and will be available through the end of 2025, however; the price of R-22 refrigerant has risen dramatically. Most manufactures have stated that replacement parts for R-22 systems will continued to be stocked but will not rule out any price increases.

The most confusion arises when a homeowner has a relatively new component of a split system (i.e. an air handler or condenser) and the other component has failed. Currently many manufactures still have some R-22 equipment available for purchase. The available equipment is scattered in warehouses across the country and in some cases may have extended shipping times and shipping costs.

With some manufactures, the R-410 air handlers can be converted back to R-22. This means that if your condenser is fairly new but the air handler needs to be replaced, the air handler can be converted by changing the thermal expansion valve. If the condenser has failed and you have an air handler which is convertible, the expansion valve in the existing air handler may be changed with an R-410a valve effectively converting the system to operate on the new R-410a Puron refrigerant.

Changing one component of a split system poses a different problem. The building departments require an air conditioning system to deliver at least 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) in order to obtain a permit. The governing body of appliance energy efficiency is the American Heating and Refrigeration Institute. The AHRI rates air conditioning and heat pump systems for energy efficiency and assigns a reference number to the equipment combination. When a building permit is requested for an equipment change-out, the AHRI ref # is required, therefore; when only changing out one component it must be with an approved matching component. The issue is that AHRI does not test new equipment with older equipment or with equipment which has been converted to accept a different refrigerant than for which it was designed. In this case a permit would not be issued for the air conditioning installation.

Due to this, in most cases it is necessary to change the entire system with a system which has been rated by the AHRI. This is the only way to ensure that the equipment will deliver the efficiency which was promised A complete list of approved equipment combinations and the energy ratings can be found on the AHRI web site at www.ahri.org.

In the long run it is better to change the entire split system with a high efficiency system. It is projected that the cost for R-22 Freon and parts for R-22 equipment will increase and eventually will be limited in availability. Newer high efficiency equipment will have lower operating and maintenance costs and will lower your carbon footprint.