Monday, August 29th, 2011
House
House Hunters
It’s that time of the year again….the kids are going back to school, vacations are becoming cherished memories, the leaves are starting to don their fall colours. Of course, it’s also the start of the major house hunting season!
If you’re looking for a new home, here are a couple of quick tips. It’s one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make so ensure that you employ a good home inspector to look after your interests. Remember that your HVAC provider would be happy to help you too, if you want some added reassurance that furnaces, a/c equipment etc are all up to scratch (or to let you know if costly changes will be needed).
Good luck in your search – we’re sure your perfect home will find you very soon!
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!
Filed under: Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC, Tip of the Month
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Why does my air conditioning always break down on the hottest day?
Hot day
It may seem like Murphy’s Law, the temperature goes up and your a/c equipment chooses that exact moment to break down, but there’s actually a logical reason for this to happen.
The hotter it gets, the harder your equipment needs to work. For example, if it’s 28°C outside and with your a/c running it’s 22°C inside, that’s a 6°C difference. Now consider when that changes to 32°C outside. Your equipment now has to make up a 10°C difference. So, as the a/c works harder any little problems will start to show….dirty filters, plugged ‘p’ traps, dirty coils, bad air flow etc will all start to affect performance.
So, if you want to keep your cool over the summer…keep all doors and windows closed when equipment is running (otherwise you’re just trying to cool your entire town!!) and make sure your machinery is well maintained and clean.
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!
Filed under: Air Conditioning, Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC
Friday, August 12th, 2011
Exhaust fan
Wake up call
Last Friday we got a call at 11pm from a restaurant. They were frantically trying to find someone to come and look at the exhaust fan which had stopped working. 5.30 on Saturday morning, off we went….and found the exhaust fan working and the make up air pushing air into the kitchen! So, why the panic call the night before, and what had changed between then and now?
Well, closer inspection to the exhaust fan revealed that the pulleys and belt were so warm that the belt was slipping a little. Not too bad at that time in the morning, but you can imagine the heat build up after it had been running all day! When we checked the make up air it was also found to be in desperate need of attention.
Discussing all this with the manager his face fell, and he told me he has a maintenance company who come to the premises twice a year. It seems the company had been missing a lot of the equipment, but why? Well, what usually happens when you employ a new company to do your maintenance work is that a journeyman will come out and do all the work needed. He usually comes for the first few visits to sort out any major problems. Then the company will just start sending an apprentice to change the filters etc. Only sometimes are the apprentices shown what to do!
Restaurants are especially vulnerable to this, the apprentice can’t turn off the exhaust fan when the kitchen is cooking, and the make up air in this case was hidden in the ceiling. So, unless the apprentice knows to look for it or has been told its location, the equipment remains untouched. Years go by…..and then the equipment waits until a busy weekend in the middle of summer, and stops working!
It really is worth investing in an hour of someone’s time to have them check that all your equipment IS being maintained, otherwise it could cost you thousands of dollars to replace all your uncared for machines.
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!
Filed under: Exhaust / Make up Air, HVAC, Restaurant
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Fridge
Why is my Fridge dripping?
We recently posted a blog about fridges not cooling in the summer, which proved very popular, so we thought we’d also cover the second most common fridge complaint….a water leak.
We get lots of calls in the summer about water sitting in the fridge and sometimes on the floor (which is yet another good reason not to have hardwood floors in the kitchen!). Where is all that water coming from? Well, in the freezer there is a coil which is responsible for keeping everything cold. When the humidity is high in the summer, and you open the fridge door, all the moisture ends up on the coil. Of course it freezes once it’s there so over time ice builds up. Your fridge is equipped to deal with this though, using a heater. When the ice melts it drains down the back of the fridge and is evaporated by the heat of the compressor.
There are two reasons this water can become a problem. One is that the drain gets plugged; by dust, dirt or bits of food. The other reason could be that the heater is burnt out, which means the unit cannot defrost itself. More and more ice will build up and some will melt on the off cycle. This is an easy problem to avoid, just keep your fridge clean and well maintained…..and we hope this helps you through a hot summer!
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!
Filed under: Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC, Refrigeration, Tip of the Month
Refrigerator
My refrigerator is not keeping cool…what’s wrong with it?
It’s that time of year again, when we hear this a lot. Well, first the good news! 9 times out of 10, there’s nothing wrong with it. We need to go back to basics to explain this one….bear with us.
There are two coils in your fridge. One gets cold, one gets hot. The inside coil gets cold and the refrigerant (gas) moves the heat to the outside coil, on the bottom of the fridge. A small fan blows air across the coil and gets rid of the heat. The problem with this design is that all the dust and dirt on the floor under your fridge will be pulled onto the bottom coil and, over time, this will block its ability to eject the heat. In summer, this problem is exasperated because room temperatures go up. So, a room that is normally 18° C is now 22 or 24°C, making your fridge work harder to cool inside. This is why these issues always show up in the summer.
So, to save money and help your fridge last longer, clean the coil at the bottom of your fridge. It’s as easy as vacuuming it. (some manufacturers put them at the top just to make it a little more confusing for you!)
Now you can enjoy a cold beer, with a clear conscience!
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!
Filed under: Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC, Refrigeration, Tip of the Month
A/C Ready for the summer
This is the time of year when everything starts warming up (hopefully!) and your equipment will need to run at 100%
In the HVAC industry the first few hot days of the year are a very busy time for us. Everyone switches on their equipment, after leaving it off all winter, so everyone discovers their problems at exactly the same time. So, test your equipment NOW to be ahead of the game. If the cooling seems a bit weaker than last year, if it sounds different or there is a new noise or vibration, call in your HVAC provider and get it serviced as soon as possible.
A lot of people put this off, and find out the hard way that in the heat of mid summer it is A. the worst time possible to be without air conditioning and B. almost impossible to find an HVAC guy who can get to you any time soon (and, of course, people in high demand can also charge whatever they like). Get any little service repairs completed now and you’ll find that it will be done almost instantly and all parts for repairs or replacements will be in stock. This will not be true in another month or so!
Enjoy your summer!
Filed under: Air Conditioning, Tip of the Month
Second example of a condensing coil with fan.
- Condensing coil with fan.
Air Cooled A/C Units
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.
Filed under: Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC
Cleaning a condensing coil
Welcome Spring!
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!
Filed under: HVAC, Tip of the Month
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
Alternative P trap for HVAC unit
P trap for HVAC unit
The bird did it!
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.
Filed under: Air Conditioning, Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
- HVAC unit
Do you turn it off?
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.
Filed under: Energy Management, Energy Management / HVAC, HVAC
