www.pillarandsons.com
March 2010 Newsletter
About this edition: DIY projects should be fun for home owners and should save you money too. Leaving the highly technical jobs to the professionals is always the best decision.
We have had record setting low temperatures this whole year so far. Heating usage and costs have followed along too and we are all reminded of this every time we get our heating Bill.
The highest heating bill reported to us this winter has been $800.00 for one month. This customer called us and we went out and investigated and found that he had installed his own new digital thermostat. The owner was a pretty handy guy but didn’t understand the wiring and he caused this high electric bill by trying to do it himself.
The only DIY project that we recommend that you do to your HVAC equipment, Is a monthly filter check and or changes. When we clean and inspect your equipment we can tell if you have been doing your filter maintenance. Just like your dentist can tell if you floss. Keeping your filters changed on a regular schedule will help lengthen the life of your equipment and will give you better quality air to breathe.
Spring is right around the corner and it is time to call our office and schedule your cool check and be prepared for the dog days of summer.
Thanks for reading and we will see you next month.
www.pillarandsons.com 919-761-8507
“Because you deserve better service”
Newsletter
April 2010
www.pillarandsons.com
April showers bring May flowers and the air conditioning season too. Your air conditioner has been sitting idle all winter and now your turning it on for the first time after the long winters night.
Many times insects will get into your electrical compartment at the end of the summer and set up house all winter. They can cause damage to many electrical devices and leave you without air conditioning.
There are dozens of reasons why your ac may not be blowing the cold air that you need.
The most common reason is ants. Just one lonely ant can stop any air conditioner from running. Preventing this is easy and you can do half of the job yourself, by spreading ant killer all around your units outside.
We can do the other half of the work by performing maintenance and cleaning of your system. Then you will be ready for the dog days of summer.
Even if we have already been out to perform your summer check up you should still spread out some ant poison.
Its not so hard to stop any air conditioner when one lonely ant can do it.
Thanks for reading and remember to check and or change your filters every month.
www.pillarandsons.com
919-761-8507
www.pillarandsons.com
Newsletter
May 2010
This news letter is all about filters for your HVAC system and how to decide which type you should be using. There are many choices before you at the hardware store and it can be a hard decision to make. Some brands claim to be the best and say that they last 90 days and are very expensive. Others are cheap and you can see right through them. The fact is all filters work, some better than others. In most cases, 90 days between filter changes is way too much, especially the most expensive high density ones that claim to catch more dust than all of the others. The truth about these “Filtrete” high density filters is that they do catch so much more of what’s in your indoor air and because of this, they clog up faster and should be changed monthly in the summer and winter when your system works the hardest.
A clogged high density pleated filter can simulate NO AIR CONDITIONING and can cause damage to your systems compressor. So before you call and report your ac is down, remove and replace those filters and you may have just solved your problem and avoided a service call.
Many of our customers have had us install Air Bear 5 inch media filters directly on to their furnace. This is a real good choice because they only need to be replaced once a year and we can take care of replacing them at your scheduled maintenance visits. These filters are 5 inches thick and are designed to filter the air in the average home and do a better job than any other product that you can buy and DIY. They are very affordable and the refills cost about what you would spend on filters in a years time. Then your off the hook and don’t have to remember to change your filters. We will send you a post card two times a year to remind you it’s time for maintenance and a filter refill when needed.
No filter out there can catch it all though and that’s why we also recommend adding a UV Light after the Air Bear 5 inch filter. Then you will be breathing the purest air possible in your home at a very affordable price too.
Then there are electronic air filters that claim to be the best thing since sliced bread. Our experience is that they are regularly problematic and costly to repair and maintain. The Air Bear has no moving parts or electrical circuits to repair and maintain. It simply needs a fresh refill once a year. The UV bulb also needs to be replaced once a year too.
If you intend to keep using standard 1 inch filters and change them when needed yourself then we recommend a pleated filter with a cost of about 3.00 each. Then change every month in cold and hot weather. Some months can be skipped when run time is minimum due to mild weather. Thanks for reading and see you next month
Pillar and Sons Heating & Cooling
Pillarandsons.com
Newsletter
June 2010
This time of the year plenty of people are having problems with their air conditioning. The most common problem is that the system is freezing up. Performance is way off and the temperature in your house keeps going up and it seems like very little or no air is coming out of your vents. That is what happens when your system freezes up.
You can tell if your system is freezing up easily by going to your outside unit and look down inside the compartment and look for ice on the pipes and all around the compressor. Another place where the ice would be is where the pipes attach to the unit itself. Usually close to the ground look for a pipe with soft black insulation on it and then where the insulation ends there it will be, hard white ice sometimes several inches thick.
There are plenty of reasons why an air conditioner freezes up. The two most popular reasons are low on Freon or really dirty filters that are starving your system for return air.
So check your filters and change them if they are dirty and you may have avoided a service call. You could also have a bad blower motor or something causing the blower motor from running.
What you should do if your system is freezing up.
First you should turn the thermostat OFF and turn the inside fan from Auto to the on position to help melt the ice. Even if you think that the fan motor is not working you should still turn it on. Unless you smell something burning then you should just turn the system off completely. In a few hours the ice should begin to melt enough for you to start feeling air coming from your vents again. Just because the air is flowing again does not mean that the system is fixed and you should keep the system off until we can get there. Please keep in mind that we can’t work on the system if it is frozen up when we arrive. So please keep the system off until we can get there.
If you continue to run your system while it is frozen up you could destroy the compressor.
This is the heart of your air conditioner. This could cost thousands of hard earned dollars and possible DAYS of down time and in these temperatures who can stand that?
So if you just changed your filter and it was what we call slammed full of dirt and your house has cooled down then you have done a DIY repair, however if air flow seems to start to diminish again and the house begins to get warm again. Follow the instructions above and call 761-8507 to book your service call. Thanks for reading and we will see you next month, and don’t forget to check and or change your filters every month.
www.pillarandsons.com
News Letter
July 2010
Pillarandsons.com
July 4th has come and gone and the hottest month of the year is coming up.
August is always the hottest month of the year. Are you staying comfortable
In the record high’s we have been having this summer?
If your power bill is higher than ever you probably need a clean and check.
Many times we respond to “My system is running all of the time and it just can’t cool the house down”. It could be struggling to keep up because the coils are dirty. This dirt in your coil prevents the Freon from being properly sub cooled and can cause diminished efficiency and poor performance. It can also be the cause of that higher than normal power bill. Because it never seems to turn off.
If ignored it can also dramatically shorten the life span of your air conditioning system.
You would never let the maintenance on your car go for five years? Would you? Then why are you doing it to your air conditioner? Today’s prices of a new air conditioner is
In the thousands of dollars.
Save money and put off having to replace that unit and have us perform your maintenance.
Our summer special for maintenance is $79.00 for the first system and $59.00 for additional systems. This includes a complete check of all electrical circuits, Freon levels, cleaning of the outside coils and clearing the condensation drains. Parts and Freon are extra if needed.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to check or change your filters.
Pillar and Sons Heating and Cooling.
Pillarandsons.com
August Newsletter
*So what are the best settings for your thermostat and should I get a programmable one?
Experts say that summer begins June 21st but it has been hot since April this year making the summer seem longer than usual.
So far this year, we had record cold temps in January, and now record highs for July. We are expecting that August will also hit record highs too. Heat check reminders are scheduled to start to go in the mail the first week of September. By October you will need heat again. Not too many nights from now we will be sleeping with our windows opened and the leaves will need to be raked.
Heating and air conditioning maintenance is way beyond DIY and we make sure everything gets checked out properly every time we come to your home. Our program is the only one in town that
Includes FREE diagnosis and trip charges 7 days a week for our SRP customers.
So even if you do have down time after an inspection and cleaning we will be there for you the same day, guaranteed for all SRP customers. All you pay for is the repair, even on weekends. With No haggle discounted up front prices for your repair too, so there are no surprises, just honest service.
*In the summer you should set your thermostat between 74 and 78 degrees. -- (75) Is recommended.
*In the winter you should set your thermostat between 67 and 71 degrees.
Programmable thermostats can save $ If you follow the temps above.
If you have a heat pump, our best advice is to keep it set to the same temperature all of the time, especially in the winter. Don’t turn that heat pump too far down in the winter to try and save money on your heat. That can cause the system to run for a very long time to warm up the house and can offset any savings that you thought you would achieve.
The same rule applies to all air conditioners, if you set them too high above 75 while at work then the extended run time to recover to 75 can be long enough to offset any savings that you thought you would achieve.
Natural gas and propane heat recovers very quickly because duct temperatures are much higher than a heat pump. Therefore you can turn your gas heat down lower while you are away and recovery time will be faster. But all of the rules above apply to gas heat if turned down too low.
That’s it for now thanks for reading and don’t forget to check or change your filters every month.
www.pillarandsons.com
