Refrigerant recovery from an HVAC system has been mandatory since 1995 when the EPA enacted the Montreal Protocol and required 608 certification of all technicians. Refrigerant must be recovered; otherwise, huge fines can be imposed. The EPA allows for de-minimis release, or basically refrigerant released when connecting hoses to and from a unit or tank.… Read More »
If your furnace needs a new control board, the average cost for an HVAC technician to install it is $400-$700. If you are a DIY type of person, furnace control boards can be bought online for $50-$250, depending on the furnace. Can I Replace My Own Furnace Circuit Board? Doing it yourself is very tempting… Read More »
If your furnace is giving you trouble and not starting, you can try several things before calling a technician. While the furnace may have a problem that requires a technician to troubleshoot, there are often simple causes. Below are eight common reasons a furnace will not start to try out before calling a professional. Of… Read More »
Testing the furnace limit switch by bypassing it is common to see if it has gone bad. A furnace should only be run for a short while to test the switch. The furnace limit switch helps protect the heat exchanger from becoming too hot and cracking. If the heat exchanger cracks, it can let noxious… Read More »
R-22 is an old refrigerant that has been slowly replaced by other refrigerants such as R410a. R-22 units can still be bought, and it looks to stay that way for some time although units are becoming more scarce. Units and parts are still sold online on sites such as eBay. The government did pass laws… Read More »
The Paris Rhone evaporative air cooler is a unit that can cool an area using water and a fan. Evaporative air coolers are popular in a location with low humidity and work well as long as the humidity levels stay low. *This unit was sent to me to review with my honest opinion and results… Read More »
A Furnace Draft Inducer Motor Vents Toxic Gases Outside. A Furnace Pressure Switch Confirms the Draft Inducer Motor is Working. A draft inducer motor and pressure switch work together to make sure toxic gasses are vented from a furnace. When a furnace turns on, one of the first components to start is the inducer motor.… Read More »
If you have a vent that is not outputting good airflow, there are several options to get it working properly. Some air conditioning systems don’t push enough air out the vents creating a system that underperforms. If this is happening to your system, then there are low-cost ways to boost the airflow. How Do I… Read More »
There are times that a room or space needs to be cooled, and there are no windows to install a window mounted unit. When this happens, there are a few options depending on your budget and HVAC skill set. Let’s take a look at a few options for how to cool a room that has… Read More »
Condensation pumps in combination with a mini split or air conditioning are used to get rid of moisture that is created by a unit. Some systems gravity feed water from a unit, but in some cases, an HVAC system must use a pump when it is too low for gravity to remove the water. When… Read More »