Have you ever wondered where the cold air comes from in an air conditioning unit? Probably not, but if you are thinking about buying air conditioning there are things you need to know, and take into account, before the installation. You need to consider where the equipment is going to go and what type of equipment you need, based on whether it is for office, home, warehouse, small store, two storey building, high rise etc.
There are thousands of types of air conditioning out there but they basically fall into two categories – air cooled and water cooled. This article is about ‘air to air’ or air cooled air conditioning (HVAC)
So, basically, that means that the unit cools using a fan across the coil outside to get rid of heat. Like all systems there are pros and cons, depending on your needs. Pros include the fact that they are easily installed, work in many locations, and come in packages so no piping needs to be run. The downside can be the noise. Air across the coil and the fan motor make noise, although the newer units are a lot quieter than the older ones. Dirt can also be an issue. The air passing across the coil leaves a lot of dust and grime, causing the unit to lose efficiency over time. Therefore regular cleaning and servicing is a must.
Air to air is the most common air conditioning used today.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company serving Vancouver and BC area. “There is no knowledge that is not power” – giving power to our customers.
Well, we saw the sun today, and since it was for more than 10 minutes we figure it must be spring!
Spring comes with decisions to make about your air conditioning and HVAC equipment – and how to get it ready for another hot summer (we hope!). Along with the general maintenance and filter changes on your equipment, we also recommend an inspection of your condensing coils. What’s that? Basically, the most common types of air conditioners use an ‘air to air’ system which involves pulling outside air over a coil to a fan, and that cools the unit. Over time dirt and dust build up on the coil, reducing efficiency and costing you money.
We get asked a lot how often a coil should be cleaned, and should it be done every year? The short answer is that it very much depends on how much the equipment is used, and how much dirt is in the air where you are located. Most equipment running on a normal work week, without any major pollutants around will probably be okay for two or even three years. Of course, the best judge of this will be your HVAC provider who will be able to let you know how dirty the coil is, and whether it needs cleaned.
One last tip for this month – with spring comes cottonwood! Depending on your location, some days it can even look as though it’s snowing. These are the cottonwood seeds, and they are a menace to all your equipment! If you are in an area with a lot of cottonwood it’s best to wait until after the worst of it is over to clean your coils, otherwise you’ll just end up having to clean it twice.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area. We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!
What does a water leak have to do with a bird? Well, sometimes we get call outs to a water leak where the ceiling is full of water and it’s right below the air conditioner. All air conditioners have what’s called a ‘P’ trap and this is there to let the water drain away from the unit. It has a trapped bit of water so that air can’t come in or out of the unit (similar to the ‘U’ pipe under your sink).
Roof top air conditioning units tend to have the ‘P’ trap on the side so that it can just drain onto the roof and then use the existing drainage system. BUT, on a hot summers day, when water is in short supply, birds know that there is water in the trap. Being highly intelligent, they go collect rocks and drop them into the trap, raising the water level so they can take a drink! Over time your drain trap becomes clogged with these rocks to the point that the water can no longer drain, causing the air conditioner to fill with water and leak into your building.
A good maintenance program is essential for roof top units, and another easy fix is to put a 90 degree fitting on the end of the trap so the birds can no longer reach the water.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company serving Vancouver and the BC area. Always putting customer needs first, we constantly look for ways for you to save energy and money.
When doing a Energy Management building assessment for a client this becomes my number one question. Most times I am met with a blank look, or they have been told never to touch the equipment, or it’s always just been left on since they started. With the rising price of energy and the cost of equipment repair and replacement, the days of ‘just letting it run’ are behind us. HVAC equipment, heaters, A/C, exhaust fans, ceiling fans, lights, furnaces, and other equipment specific to the building or business should all be turned off if and when possible.
A good example of how this can save you money is a walk around I did recently. I noticed the building was running a gas dehumidifier and asked ‘the’ question. Well, it turned out that it ran 24/7 so we put a simple controller on it so it would turn off at night when it was not needed. When they got their next gas bill in the mail they were saving almost $5000 A MONTH (yes, I did say $5000 – that’s $60,000 a year!) just by implementing this simple step.
So, spend some time walking around your building asking ‘the’ question – you and your business will be glad you did.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area. Our focus is Energy Management – saving you money whilst saving the environment.
Program your thermostat. One of the easiest ways to save money is to control the number of operating hours, to ensure it’s only on when it’s needed! Less usage will also translate as less maintenance costs and, of course, less energy consumed. There are now internet controlled stats on the market which mean you can control settings anywhere at the touch of a button.
Changing filters. Dirty, clogged up filters will affect the efficiency of your a/c system. Ideally filters should be changed every 3 months to ensure optimum performance.
Cleaning coils and fans. Similarly, dirty coils and fans will increase energy consumption of your equipment and cost you more. Equipment should be cleaned at least once a year.
Updating equipment. The older the machine, the slower and more energy thirsty it will be! Regular maintenance will prolong the life, but eventually it will be much more cost effective to replace aging systems.
Cleaning burners. If heating burners are allowed to get dirty they will clog up and prevent proper combustion of the gas. This will affect the efficiency of the unit.
Back to basics again this month, the blower wheel is the bit of your equipment that pushes air through the ducts to heat or cool your space. There are lots of different ways of pushing air, but most manufacturers have settled on the ‘squirrel cage’ fan. This is basically just like the wheel you used to have your pet hamster run around in! In this case though a motor turns the wheel, while fins on the outside of the wheel grab the air and push it down the duct work.
No matter what kind of blower you have, it will get dirt on it and decrease the efficiency of your system. If it is not cleaned over a period of time it will eventually damage your equipment. This brings us back to last month’s blog and the importance of filters. Filters help to reduce the amount of dirt reaching the blower wheel, helping to keep your equipment in top condition.
Simple things make all the difference. Getting the basics right will save you a lot of time and money down the line.
Blower wheel
Squirrel cage wheel
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area. We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!
This month we’re going back to basics, as some of you have pointed out that you know very little about our business and the Tip of the Month has occasionally been too technical.
So, the most basic equipment of all is the filters. All forced air heating and cooling systems must have filters installed (forced air simply means that the system uses a fan to ‘force’ the air through the space). Filters can range in price from $3 to $60, depending on the size and type of filter. Some systems need to use up to 3 filters in a row, for example in a kitchen where the exhaust air must be clean or a hospital where the filters will catch micro- organisms. Let’s focus on basic filters in common usage though. You definitely get what you pay for where filters are concerned. If you want cleaner air and need to keep out dust (in a computer server room, for example) paying a little extra for a quality filter makes a lot of sense. Where there is lots of fresh air and natural air movement (a public building with open air sections), a cheaper filter works just as well.
In most cases a middle of the road filter is a good bet. It should be checked 4 times a year, and maintenance programs can be set up to include filter changes and equipment checks at these times.
Cheep Filter
Good Filter
Here is a video of what a filter should not look like.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area. We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!
Air conditioning is basically the movement of heat from one place to another. Heat pumps, ice rinks, geothermal systems and even your home refrigerator all use this principle.
An air conditioning system is a sealed system with refrigerant in it, which is pumped around a loop. There are 4 basic parts in the system:
1. the compressor, which is basically a pump to push the gas (refrigerant) around the loop;
2. the metering device, which is just a valve which controls the flow of gas;
3. & 4. an inside coil and an outside coil. One gets hot and one gets cold. In the case of a heat pump, the system can change which ones are hot or cold.
There are also endless lists of parts that can be added depending on your needs, but these 4 make up the basis of all systems.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area. We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!
Does my Heating or A/C need oiling? I Hear Squeaking!
In a word – no! Many heating or cooling (HVAC) units use belts and pulleys to move the air around the building. There is a belt that goes between the pulleys on the electric motor and the blower wheel. When this belt is adjusted correctly the system will work for a long time with no problems. However, if this belt is loose, the pulleys and belt will wear much faster than they should. If the belt is too tight there is too much tension causing excessive wear on the bearings in the motor and blower. Both scenarios will produce a squeaking noise.
Newer equipment now uses variable speed motors which ramp up slowly and adjust speed depending on demand in the system. This is easier on the equipment and saves power.
Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area.
We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!
When do I need an Energy Management system? Not a question we ever hear, but it’s very obvious to us when people should be asking!
It’s now that time of year again….it’s cold, it’s busy, and staff are run off their feet. This is the season when there is no time to check any of your equipment; and that’s unfortunate, because this is when it is working at its fullest capacity. This is where a building control system or an energy management system really starts to pay for itself, especially if you have many locations or many units. All of them can be set or checked remotely…..easy!
With a properly set up system in place for the winter you will be maximizing your savings in several ways. You will only be using energy (heat) when the space is occupied. One member of staff (or your service provider) can quickly go on-line and check any problems, and either fix it there or call a technician to the problem if needs be. These systems can pay for themselves very quickly and, not only will you save money, you’ll also make huge savings on time.
Wishing you all a peaceful Festive Season and a prosperous New Year.
