When your heat pump suddenly becomes noisy, the first thing that may come to your mind is that it's about to break down. But don't panic just yet. Loud heat pumps could be just that — loud. At times, the loud noise could be a sign of a problem. So how can you tell the difference? Read on to find out the common noises that heat pumps make and what they indicate.
Heat pumps usually make some strange sounds while they operate. For instance, those that have a Scroll-type compressor make clicking and tapping sounds as they shut down. When coming on, they make rickety sounds. Swooshing sounds are also to be expected when heat pumps go into defrost mode. Shifting valves are responsible for the sounds, which shouldn't be a cause for concern. Rattling sounds at startup or shutdown that resemble an unbalanced washing machine are also typical.
Some loud noises can be signs of trouble. They include:
Gurgling — Low refrigerant charge often causes gurgling noises. It can severely downgrade your heat pump's performance.
Rattling — Frequent rattling or vibration-like sounds could be caused by loose components or unsecured ducts.
Metal-to-metal noises — At times, a heat pump can make banging or clanging sounds like metal hitting against metal. The fan blades could be hitting a chunk of ice or other components. The contact could damage the fan or the parts that the fan blades are hitting. To avoid costly repairs, turn the unit off as soon as you hear these noises.
Popping — This sound could be as a result of liquid refrigerant entering the compressor. You should have it fixed soonest possible.
Squealing — A high-pitched squealing sound could indicate your unit's motor is going bad. It could also be due to your compressor putting too much pressure on the refrigerant.
If your heat pump is making any of these worrisome sounds, call in an HVAC professional to examine it. If you need help with a noisy unit in the Broken Arrow area, contact the heat pump specialists at Air Assurance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
Some holidays raise more IAQ concerns (indoor air quality) especially Christmas and New Years. Even though it’s not as widely celebrated, Valentine’s Day is another celebration that can degrade IAQ as well.Between the gifts and the décor, this holiday could introduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your air that might be mildly irritating or cause serious reactions. VOCs are gases that come from anything made from a hydrocarbon.Found in household cleaning products, air fresheners, candles, makeup and hair sprays, a Valentine’s Day celebration could leave behind respiratory irritants and chemicals that could have a serious long-term impact.
Instead of lighting paraffin candles made from wax, choose those made from beeswax or soy. If you want scented candles, choose those scented with essential oils rather than manufactured perfumes. The labels should indicate if they’re natural.
Skip the aerosol air fresheners or those that plug into the walls. They’re usually loaded with VOCs. Weather permitting, open a window to pull in fresh air or freshen the air naturally.
Look around your home. Sometimes odors indicate pet or kitchen odors that deep cleaning will remove. Use natural products like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide to clean rather than the perfumed commercial cleaners.
Since Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love, show yours to your family and friends by giving up the use of artificial fragrances in your home as much as possible. Many people associate scented products with freshness and cleanliness, but in fact, public health experts have plenty of IAQ concerns regarding them. Some cause respiratory irritations while others are responsible for more serious organ damage and even cancer. Young and old people are most at risk for VOC exposure from artificial scents. You can find unscented products throughout grocery store aisles. You can also use your HVAC system to address IAQ concerns year-round by adding air cleaners and UV (ultraviolet) lights.
To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
The idea of heating up a building with a heating device is not new. In earlier centuries, the Romans would burn coal underneath brick buildings. This worked as powerful insulation for heat in the winter months.
Later, there was a safer option invented called the chimney. The chimney did just as good of a job; however, it was safer due to the smaller area of flames. Finally, into the modern era, a better method was discovered. Instead of using wood or coal as the fuel for the heat, gas was used.
If your home renovations involve creating new spaces that need to be heated and cooled, it’s a good idea to bring your HVAC contractor in early on to help you choose the best HVAC option for your comfort and budget.
If your HVAC system has the capacity to condition the new space, you might be able to run the ductwork to it. Your HVAC professional will run a sizing calculation first. Improving home energy efficiency throughout, including the new space, might make it possible to use your current equipment.
Even if your existing equipment has enough capacity, if it’s old or has had frequent breakdowns, you would probably be better off replacing it. If you choose one with high energy efficiency and meet the criteria, the lender or local government agencies might give you financial incentives to replace the old, inefficient equipment.Your home will have lower heating and cooling costs, greater comfort and you’ll have a warranty that might be transferable to the next owners should you sell your home.
Putting independent A/C systems in a new addition is fairly easy, but it provides no heat. You can use electric heaters, but they’re the least efficient kind of heating available. Ductless mini splits have become the go-to heating and cooling system for home renovations that require conditioning.The mini splits that are heat pumps provide comfortable heat without using a combustible fuel by extracting the heat from the air outdoors. Ductless heat pumps offer many advantages. They’re easy to install, each has its own thermostat, and they’re energy efficient. When you’re not using the space, turn the thermostat off for more energy savings.If your considering making home renovations, contact Air Assurance before you get started We can help you make the best decisions regarding home comfort and your budget in your Broken Arrow home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
Running the HVAC system accounts for about half of the total energy used in an average home. If you're looking for ways to reduce your household energy consumption and save money, one vital factor to consider is how your home's roof affects the HVAC system.
The amount of energy needed to maintain comfort in your home is directly affected by the sun beating down on the roof. When there's a lot of heat getting absorbed through the roof, and it radiates down into your attic and living space, your HVAC equipment has to work harder to compensate, and you'll pay higher energy bills.
Research in recent years has given us a greater understanding of the role roofing material plays in how much solar heat enters homes and other buildings. This has led to the development of roofing with two key qualities that help it stay cooler and more energy efficient:
High solar reflectance. This allows a material to reflect sunlight better, so there's less solar heat absorbed into the roof system.
High thermal emittance. These materials release a high percentage of solar radiation that does get absorbed, which reduces how much heat can be transferred into an attic and conditioned living space.
If you want to increase your home's efficiency and you're planning to have new roofing installed in the near future, here's are some materials to consider:
Cool asphalt shingles. Regular asphalt roofing is a poor solar reflector, so it tends to soak up heat. New cool shingles are topped with specially-treated granules to reflect the sun's rays.
Coated metal. Bare metal can reflect sunlight, but it doesn't emit heat well. More efficient versions feature painted or granular-coated surfaces that provide both qualities.
Clay or concrete tile. While some types of tile roofing naturally reflect sunlight and shed heat, there are also products available with treated surfaces to provide better solar reflectivity and heat emittance.
To learn more about improving HVAC system efficiency in your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
It pays to spend a little time researching the credentials and reputation of an HVAC contractor before you schedule service or repairs. In most homes, the HVAC system is the sole means of maintaining comfort day and night. Hiring a capable and reputable company might make a good deal of difference.
In Oklahoma, all HVAC contractors and technicians have to have a license issued by the state to practice. They must also have bonding and insurance coverage. Using someone who isn’t licensed could void your warranty and leave you vulnerable for financial or physical damages that occur at your home during a service call or installation.
The key to finding a solid contractor you can trust is to look for one who has NATE (North American Technician Excellence). NATE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the capabilities and competence of HVAC technicians and contractors. They require passing a battery of rigorous tests for membership. Additionally, members have to continue their educations and retest every two years.
Most HVAC contractors are local, which means you can ask the contractors you’re interviewing for a list of past and current customers. You can also access the Better Business Bureau’s database online that will give you their ratings with this trusted authority on companies large and small. Air Assurance has an A+ rating in the Broken Arrow region.
In order for an HVAC contractor to be an authorized dealer, the company has to exhibit high performance and competency standards. The contractor will have advanced knowledge of the equipment, since they can access all the technical information available. At their simplest, HVAC systems are complicated and when the technician has all the information at his fingertips, installing and servicing the equipment will be exact.Whenever you need to hire an HVAC contractor, look for these qualifications.
For more information, contact Air Assurance, a local HVAC company serving Broken Arrow homeowners. We have NATE certification, a top rating with the BBB, and are a premier dealer for Lennox.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
When you think about hosting a birthday party, what do you consider? Providing food, music, decorations, etc. for your guests. But there are other party considerations that people tend to overlook, particularly when it comes to your HVAC system.If your guests are too cold, or too hot, it can ruin an otherwise joyous occasion. So if you're hosting a party, here are a few preparations you should make first, to make sure your house is comfortable and inviting, and that the birthday is a happy one.
It would be a a disaster if your HVAC system suddenly stopped working in the middle of your party. That's why important to have an HVAC technician inspect your system annually, to make sure your home is being heated and cooled as it should be.If you haven't done it yet this season, schedule an inspection for a few days before the party. Your HVAC technician will fix or replace any parts that are causing problems, oil your motor, check your thermostat settings, and make sure everything is in good working order when your guests arrive.
Check and see what the humidity is scheduled to be like around the time of the event. If it's high, try running the HVAC system for a day or two beforehand, to dehumidify your home. On the other hand, if humidity is already low, running your system could make things too dry, giving your guests cracked skin and fostering viruses and bacteria - which, in a house full of people, could lead to a whole lot of illness spreading quickly. In fact, you might even consider getting a small humidifier, to counteract your HVAC's dehumidifying effects.On the day of the party, be sure to turn on your HVAC system a few hours before everyone arrives. Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature and give the system time to condition the whole house, so it's pleasant and comfortable when the first guests arrive.
For more HVAC party considerations, contact us at Air Assurance today. We provide quality HVAC solutions to Broken Arrow.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
Most of us set the thermostat to suit ourselves, without much thought about what's good for those furry creatures we share our homes with. But over the years you've had indoor pets, you may have noticed that some animals are more sensitive than others to temperature.Here are some things to think about this winter when it comes to indoor heating and your pets.
Although a range of 65-78 degrees is best for most humans, if you have a sensitive animal you may have to make some adjustments.In general, dogs are fine with cooler temperatures than those preferred by cats. Some cat breeds, such as Siamese and those with thin or no hair, are extremely sensitive to chills. Some dogs, too, such as small breeds with thin coats, may shiver at the lower end of that range. Be sure to provide such pets with blankets and/or space heaters to help them stay warm if you keep your home on the cooler side.Larger breeds of dogs and cats, as well as pets with more body fat, also tolerate cooler temperatures better than smaller animals.Very young pets, elderly pets and pets with special medical conditions, such as infections and joint issues, may do better with warmer temperatures.Also, be sensitive to the fact that air conditioning and heating can dry out the interior of the home. While drier air may be good for some pets, do monitor the condition of your pet's coat for excessive drying and flaking. You might need to adjust for a little more humidity if this happens, or else add some supplements to the pet's diet for its skin.
If you must leave your pets alone for extended periods, make arrangements to have someone drop in daily to ensure the HVAC system is working fine and the pets are not in any distress. It's a good idea to schedule maintenance on the system before you leave home.
For more on indoor heating and your pets, contact Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.
