A/C
Inspecting an a/c unit unit involves looking at the outside compressor and the air handler inside the house (located in a hall closet or in the attic). We run the a/c and check temperatures between the return air vent and the ceiling air registers. The difference in temperatures should range between 14 and 19 degrees. If these temperatures are not correct, we recommend contacting an a/c specialist for further analysis.
When the a/c is is operation the evaporator coil (a cooling coil in the air handler) pulls water vapor out of the house air and is drains out the primary condensation pipe (the PVC pipe you generally see draining outside of the house). It's important to keep the pirmary condensation pipe clean.
Cleaning the pipe involves pouring a cup of bleach or vinegar down the bleach tee (PVC pipe) located by the air handler or furnace. The bleach will kill the mold that wants to grow inside the pipe. This proceedure should be done every time you change your air filter. See the pictures just below.
If the pipe gets clogged, water comes dripping out of the secondary drain pipe (a pipe usually located at the under side of the roof edge (also known as a soffit). If there is no secondary drain pipe there will probably be a float switch that will turn off the unit. But if all else fails, then water could start dripping out of the unit onto the ceiling or floor. Then you call an a/c guy to clean out the primary condensation pipe.
Picture 1 shows a primary condensation pipe that is not extended at least 3 feet away from the foundation and is dribbling down the foundation wall.
Picture 2 shows the "bleach tee" where you pull off the cap to the insulated PVC pipe and pour 1 cup of bleach or vinegar into the pipe to kill the mold that wants to grow inside the pipe and clog it up.
The cleanliness of the evaporator coil is very important. Using good return air filters is important to keep this coil clean. If this coil gets dirty, it slows down the air flow and makes the fan work harder. It is also important to keep it clean because dust, dirt and mold can grow on this coil and you get to breath this ickey air.
Heat Pump This is a type of a/c unit that is a heater as well as an a/c. It reverses itself in the winter and warms the air in the house. It has an Emergency Heat setting which is an electric heater that you can turn on in case the compressor fails. This Emergency You can run on this setting until the a/c guy shows up to repair the compressor.
The back-up electric heat is also part of the "defrost cycle". During the winter if temperatures drop below freezing the condensor coil outside can freeze up and greatly reduce the efficiency of the heating system. The unit will sense the temperature problems and turn itself back into a cooling unit which melts the ice. The cold air produced in the house is now warmed by the electric. This is all done automatically.
This is a picture of the type of pleated return air filters that you should use. Change these every 3 months. When you change the filter also pour a cup of bleach down the "bleach tee" of the primary condensation pipe.