Archive for July, 2012

Newcastle Air Conditioning Guide: The Ins and Outs of Ductless Splits Air Conditioning

Monday, July 30th, 2012

So, it’s time to install a new air conditioner and you’re pretty sure there just isn’t enough room in the walls or ceilings to place the necessary ductwork. No problem. There is a rapidly evolving technology that allows you to have air conditioning without ductwork. It’s called mini-split ductless air conditioning and it relies on individual units placed in key locations around your Newcastle house. Here’s how they work.

Multi-Zone Cooling

The first step is to install a central unit. This is your compressor and condenser and is usually placed outside like the core of a central AC system. These units range between 15,000 and 40,000 BTUs depending on how much cooling your home needs and will support up to 4 zones within your house.

Once the central unit is installed, smaller room-sized units are placed throughout your house. These units are designed for between 9,000 and 18,000 BTU spaces and are usually placed high on the wall of your room to distribute cooled air. The smaller units are connected to the main unit by refrigerant lines that are run up the side of your house (or inside if you want them out of the elements).

Because each indoor unit is individual and has its own thermostat, you save electricity by having direct control over each part of your home. In fact, the average ductless split system uses something like 30% less electricity than a standard air conditioning system.

Is it Right for You?

This is the most common question we hear and to be honest, it really depends on your needs. If you have a large house – we’re talking 3,000 square feet or bigger, a multi-zone ductless system may not provide enough cooling on its own. Most systems only support up to 4 individual units and therefore cannot cool massive spaces. However, if you have a smaller home, or more importantly have no space for ductwork, these systems are much more efficient than installing multiple window units.

If you have any questions about installing ductless air conditioning in Newcastle, give Advantage Airtech Heating & Air Conditioning a call today!

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Durham Region Heat Pump Tip: Signs You Should Replace Your Heat Pump

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

The decision to replace major equipment can be a difficult one. How do you know when to call it quits on a part of your Durham Region heating and cooling system that is as important as the heat pump?

Here are some signs that you should replace your Durham Region heat pump:

  • If your heat pumps is making significantly more noise than it used to, it can be sign of major mechanical distress. Many times, replacement is the best solution.
  • Some components of a heat pump cost as much or more to repair as the whole unit does to replace. These components may include the compressor, the outdoor coil, the accumulator and the reversing valve. Once one of these goes, you are often better off replacing the heat pump than the broken component. Additionally, when repairs become so frequent as to no longer be cost effective, it’s a good time to replace the equipment.
  • A malfunctioning heat pump can cause problems with the humidity in your home. This is not a definitive indicator, but if you notice the humidity level rising in your home, you may need a heat pump replacement.
  • Any time your energy bill rises without a significant increase in usage, faulty or failing equipment is one of the top suspects. Your heat pump could very well be the culprit.
  • If you notice a cooling imbalance, such as rooms being too warm while others are too cool, your heat pump may be close to breaking.
  • Finally, if your heat pump is ten or more years old, replacing it is a good idea, even if it seems to be working fine. A new model will be much more efficient and chances are that the old one is headed for a major breakdown soon.

Keep in mind that these are not always definitive signs that your heat pump is done for good. Also, some of these may occur in combination. For example, you may have an old heat pump that is making a lot of noise and causing humidity problems.

Consult with a Durham Region heat pump professional like Advantage Airtech Heating & Air Conditioning for full diagnostics before making the decision to replace any major household equipment.

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Save Energy and Increase Efficiency of Your Air Conditioning System!

Friday, July 20th, 2012

AC Effciency | Toronto | Advanatge AirtechDid you know that how your equipment is installed can have a big impact on its efficiency? If you have decided to replace your old air conditioner with a new, more energy efficient model, you want to make sure that you are able to utilize it to its full capacity. Your air conditioner needs to be the right size, connected properly to your duct system, and charged with the correct amount of refrigerant. Give us a call today to learn more!

We are all trying to find ways to save energy this summer. An easy way to use your air conditioner less is to avoid using the oven on really hot days. Use the stove instead, or even better, grill outside. The less heat in your home, the less energy your air conditioner will need to keep it cool. You should also make sure you have adequate insulation and keep your curtains closed during the day, which will help keep the cold inside where you need it. A programmable thermostat is also a great way to save energy!

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Toronto Air Conditioning Tip: The Room by Room Benefits of Ductless Splits AC

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Ductless splits air conditioners are designed to eliminate the need for ductwork in a Toronto home where space is at a premium. Usually homeowners with older homes – those built before the 1970s – have very little space to work with when it comes to installing the ductwork a traditional central air conditioning system requires. These homes are often heated with boiler systems and have window units to provide cooling in warmer weather. As a result, cooling costs can be extremely high each summer and the house usually isn’t comfortable during these months.

Ductless air conditioning in Toronto offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the cost of installation is significantly lower than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with a Toronto AC contractor like Advantage Airtech when you call for an estimate.

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Pickering Air Conditioning Question: What Are Thermostatic Expansion Valves?

Monday, July 9th, 2012

The thermostatic expansion valve, sometimes known as a TEX, TEV or TXV, is a critical piece to influence the efficiency of your Pickering air conditioning system.  A tiny sensor controlling the evaporating phase of process, the valve can have a big effect.

Cool air is manufactured by a rapid movement of a refrigerant between liquid and gaseous states.  Compound chemicals that are able to do this at a low temperature are compressed and expanded, absorbing and releasing heat at different points along the way.  The TEV controls the flow of the refrigerant into the evaporator coils according to the temperatures of the various ingredients.

Cool Air 101

To condition air, the refrigerant evaporates into a gas that runs through a coil and absorbs heat.  Passing through a compressor, the freon condenses under pressure back into a liquid again and releases the heat, becoming cool enough to chill a party.

Too much refrigerant in the evaporator tube and the pressure is not low enough to expand to gas and absorb heat, working inefficiently for no gain.  Too little refrigerant and the conversion is also ineffective by not reaching the density needed to condense.

There are four types of valves with different benefits for different types of cooling environments.  With its ability to adjust minutely to changing conditions, the thermal expansion valve creates the perfect mixture of pressure and freon for more complicated systems.

At the Starting Gate

An interactive device, the valve senses the evaporator pressure and temperature and adjusts the flow of the refrigerant so as to maintain a given “superheat”, the differ­ence between the refrigerant vapor temperature and its sat­uration temperature.  By controlling superheat, the TEV keeps nearly the entire evaporator surface active while not permit­ting liquid refrigerant to return to the compressor.

Some valves operate on an electrical impulse from sensors that can measure the temperatures.  Others are open all the time.  The thermostatic expansion valve actually utilizes the pressure between the two sections to open or close itself, regulating flow based on the very same pressure it is designed to moderate.

Like the buildings they comfort, Pickering central air conditioning systems are varied and diverse.  There are nearly as many thermostatic expansion valves as there are units to receive them. For more information about central air conditioning systems, give Advantage Airtech Ltd. a call!

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Newcastle HVAC Question: Do Heat Pumps Work for Air Conditioning?

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

It’s possible that in the course of your search for a new air conditioning system in Newcastle, you read or were told about heat pumps. Doesn’t sound right, does it – heat pumps providing cooling for your home? Regardless of the seeming misnomer, heat pumps are actually much older and more reliable cooling technology than you know. And once you understand how these units work, the name makes much more sense.

What Is a Heat Pump?

Technically every refrigerant containing air conditioner is some form of heat pump. A heat pump is a device that removes heat from one area and transfers it to another. So, in the case of your air conditioner, warm air cycles into the condenser, the heat is removed, and the cooled air is circulated back through your home. The actual science behind this is slightly more complicated, but the gist is simple – cold air isn’t produced and then pumped into your home; warm air is removed.

Your refrigerator and freezer operate under the same principle. It works so well that it’s been a standard technology for nearly 100 years, albeit with quite a few upgrades and enhancements. So, if an air conditioner already is a heat pump, why are these devices called something different? Because heat pumps can do so much more.

Heat Producing Heat Pumps

A true heat pump can work in two directions. It can extract heat from your home or it can extract heat from outside and pump it into your home. A true heat pump offers year round climate control because it both heats and cools – not too shabby if you think about the cost of a furnace and central AC system. And with modern green technology, heat pumps can even be connected to geothermal systems that draw their energy from the earth – saving a tremendous amount of money.

So, back to the main question – should you purchase a heat pump for your Newcastle air conditioning needs? The short answer is “it depends”. For the most part, a heat pump is comparable to the same air conditioning model in terms of energy efficiency and capacity. The major difference is its ability to heat your home. If you have any questions about installing a heat pump in your home, give Advantage Airtech Heating & Air Conditioning a call!

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