First off, good job at making sure to change your filter out! This helps to prevent issues within the HVAC system long term. A clogged filter causes the fan motor to work harder in order to push air through. It can also lead to air flow issues throughout your home. Luckily, the air filter isn’t too difficult to find.

If your system sits horizontally, the filter is probably located on either side of the unit. A lot of times it will be in a vertical metal drawer. Simply pull it out, pop out the old filter and replace. Make sure you get it all the way back in so you don’t end up with escaping air.

For systems sitting vertically with the return air duct entering on top, your filter is likely located in a slot above your HVAC unit. Vertical systems with the return air duct entering on bottom usually have a slot for the filter below the HVAC unit.

If you still haven’t located your air filter, check the return air grills around your home. For those who don’t know, these are the ones you cannot open or close. Sometimes air filters are actually located behind those grills. If you do find one that has a filter, be sure to check the others as you may have more than 1 filter.

These days, we take air conditioning for granted (until it stops working.) We simply expect that when we walk into our homes, they will be cool. It hasn’t always been that way. Even after the first air conditioner was created, it was a long while before home air conditioners were created.

Before the 20th century, American’s fanned themselves to keep cool. I’m sure they had some really intricate hand fans! Once electricity was revealed, it wasn’t much longer before oscillating fans were invented.

The very first large scale, electric air conditioner was made in 1902 by a 25 year old man named Willis Carrier. The system wasn’t perfected by any means at that point. It simply pulled humidity out of the air, which was helpful for his job at the printing plant. He improved his invention in 1922 by adding a central compressor. Memorial Day weekend, 1925, American’s were able to experience air conditioning on a large scale. It was introduced to them within the walls of the Rivoli Theater in Times Square, New York. The movie business did really well during that time. In part, the introduction of air conditioning helped with that.  People poured in theaters to escape the brutal summer heat.

In the 1930’s, air conditioning was introduced into places like department stores and offices. This helped tremendously with productivity at work. I presume people were happy to be at work in those days since they typically didn’t have air conditioning at home. By 1965, only about 10% of homes had the luxury of air conditioning. Imagine that, for every 100 people only 10 had air conditioning. As of 2007, about 86% of American’s had air conditioning in their homes.

You may or may have not heard, but either way, R22 is being COMPLETELY phased out by 2020. This is great news considering that when R22 escapes a system, it goes into the atmosphere. This creates a huge problem for our ozone layer. This gas also known as, “Chlorodifluoromethane”, has been creating holes in our ozone layer for a while. In case you didn’t know, the ozone layer is basically the earths sunscreen. It protects the earth and its inhabitants from ultraviolet radiation. Without it, our crops would burn and so would we!

Luckily for us, the EPA has created a plan and says that the ozone should heal itself completely by about 2065. They are phasing out all ozone depleting substances. There are class I and class II substances. Class I substances have a higher negative impact on our ozone, they are completely phased out in the United States. Class II are transitional substitutes for Class I substances. They will be phased out by 2020, this includes R-22.

A newer gas referred to as R-410A is filling the shoes of R-22. It does not contribute to the depletion of the ozone. It, unfortunately, still has high global warming potential. Luckily, R-410A systems operate at a higher SEER rating than that of an R-22 system. This means less energy consumption! Overall, R-410A will have much less of an impact on our environment than R-22.

To learn more or to get an estimate on a new R-410A system in the Metro Atlanta area, call us at 770-672-6963. We’ll be happy to help you help us improve the environment.

Be sure to share this with your friends! The more people are aware of this issue, the more action will be taken to correct this environmentally taxing issue.

References:

EPA

Wikipedia

You may think a maintenance plan for your heating and air system is unnecessary. People often brush off HVAC related things until it’s not working. This is a HUGE mistake. By doing this, you are costing yourself money….probably a lot of it. Due to the lack of maintenance, you may even have to replace the system prematurely. By maintaining your furnace and air conditioner, you can keep the system running efficiently for 12+ years.

First, there is the obvious advantage. You get the comfort of knowing that a certified HVAC technician inspected your system to ensure everything is operating safely. The technician will also clean the unit, test amperage and change your filter.

Second, a little less known advantage. You get preferential treatment in scheduling emergency service. When you call AccuTemp when it’s 95+ degrees outside,  you can be sure that our phone is ringing off the hook. It seems like EVERYONE’s air conditioner breaks around the same time, all summer long. A lot of companies will tell you they can’t make it out to your home for 3 days or more. That’s only to diagnose. They might need to return with the part to repair your a system days later. If you have a maintenance plan with us, we will be sure to be out to your home within 24 hours.

Third, if you need a repair, you get a discount! Because of the fact that you maintain your system, we are willing to give you a discount. We reward you for being proactive. Help us help you.

Last but not least, you’ll be saving money on your energy bill! Since your system is being maintained, it’s likely to hold it’s efficiency better for longer. This means your energy bill will remain about the same cost as it typically is from the time it’s installed. When one doesn’t maintain their system, the unit continually loses efficiency. That means their operating costs will continually increase.

Do yourself a favor, get a maintenance plan today!

For questions or to schedule, call 770-672-6963.