Archives for August 2014

Do It YourSelf WebSites

Online Sites for HVAC Do-It-Yourselfers
A Review
By Betty Stephens

Need help in getting started on a Do-It-Yourself HVAC project? Here are some links to resources that may help you out.

Ductworks: The Original On-Line DIY Heating & Cooling – A Help site for Do-It-Yourself homeowners and builders to set them save money by offering initial help when they cannot find what they are looking for. May call or fill out a “Contact Us” form and they will find it for you. They are providers of HVAC products
https://www.ductworks.net/

Mold in HVAC System – Mold Removal Guide | Air Conditioner
removemoldguide.com/do-it-yourself/remove-mold-in-air-conditioning.
You are guided through the steps for your DIY air conditioner mold removal project.
www.central-air-conditioner-and-refrigeration.com/central_air_condition
o

HVAC Parts: If you’re not, changing the filter once a month, it will help. You’ll be … You may read this “Fix It Yourself or Do It Yourself” material online and it sounds great. You try it … You won’t find any professional hvac site that will teach how to installs it.
http://http://www.hvacpartsoutlet.com/

Need assistance finding your furnace or air conditioner parts? This site caters to do it yourself (DIY) homeowners and handymen, as well as HVAC Help Desk. McAfee SECURE sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud..
www.doityourself.com/

Website and internet advice for HVAC businesses: Office manager or unlucky ones that been told to “get us on the internet” or “fix than website! A couple of great do-it-yourself website software), goal is to cut through the noise and demystify the online marketplace, and to help you achieve a better understanding.
www.energystar.gov

HVAC Maintenance Tips • For Home Improvement Homeowners choose to take on duct sealing as a do-it-yourself project. Do-It-Yourself Air Conditioning Repair – YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCGpX2ru2Xc

Denver, CO Plumbing & HVAC Parts Department:
http://www.bellplumbing.com/denver-remodeling/plumbing-parts-departme

Do it yourself plumbing and HVAC projects in the Denver area: If an exact replacement is no longer available, we’ll help you find the best HVAC Training Videos, Watch and learn how to do hvac.
www.hvac-for-beginners.com/hvac-training-videos.html

Do It Yourself Geothermal Installations:
www.geothermalgenius.org/…/diy-geo-do-it-yourself-geothermal-installa

Web site for HVAC Repair Beginners. If you are having problems with your heating or cooling system, you should be able to find most of the common problems by using the air conditioner, furnace, heat pump, or boiler troubleshooting.
http://www.hvac-for-beginners.com/

Do-it-Yourself Heating, Air Conditioning, and Ventilation: Contact for all of your do-it-yourself heating, air-conditioning, and ventilating needs.
http://dalehuberco.com/

HVAC Installation: Doing a home HVAC installation is rather straight forward. Do it yourself what you may think will be the easiest part of a home HVAC installation is probably is not.
www.doityourself.com/stry/hvac-installation

Ductwork Design Services and heating & cooling products for the Do-It-Yourself homeowner. The design services start at $275 and include a Free Step-by-Step Ductwork Installation DVD with each design package. Half of your design fees can be applied to the purchase of your complete HVAC system.
https://www.ductworks.net/

RV A/C

Natural Gas Versus Propane A/C Cooling Units for RV’s
By Betty Stephens

If you drive an RV in the summer you know the heat can be a problem. The built in HVAC for the cab does not seem to be strong enough to cool the entire RV, so when you’re driving in extreme heat it may be necessary to run the generator to power the living area A/C to cool down the RV. There may be times in the summer that is may be necessary to have two A/C units running to cool RV (cab and living area AC).
To rapidly cool the living area on hot days try closing all the vents in the bedroom, opening the vents on the front A/C along with all the vents in the living area, shut the door to the back area of the RV and turn up both A/C units. Having the rear vents closed forces most of the cold air into the front part of the RV and helps cool it down.
Recreational vehicles normally have an air conditioner vents located on the rooftop. The location of the air conditioner means excellent cooling power and it can work well even when you are driving on the highway. Air conditioners in RV’s work like a typical refrigerator does. It does not cool the room down, instead it removes the heat. It takes the heat from the RV and dispose of it outside.
Parts of the Air Conditioner
An air conditioner has eight main parts: a compressor, condenser, evaporator, wires that
connect the parts together, an air moving system, a fan to push the air over the
condenser and another fan to push air over the evaporator. It also contains liquid for
cooling.

The RV’s AC compressor performs the job of circulating the Freon through the condenser and evaporator coils cooling fins and the cycle is repeated as the thermostat setting determines it necessary. Both the compressor and the fan motor use capacitors to provide a high voltage charge to get them moving and a lesser charge to keep them running. Only one capacitor is usually used for both fan and compressor. It the capacitor goes bad, neither the fan nor the compressor will start.
Energy Source
The air conditioner runs on what is known as AC power. The AC power is derived from a 120 volt socket that is plugged into a generator or a home. A gas generator burns a gallon of gas every hour and may be costly. It is a wise idea to use another power source such as a home or a generator that does not use gasoline.

The Compressor
Compressors condense the refrigerant vapors and heat it up as it condenses it. Then it moves to the condenser where the heat is taken out by the fan. This makes the vapor cool and becomes a liquid. The liquid slides down the capillary tubes and on to the evaporator. The liquid begins to soak up the heat from the air in the RV as it moves along it by the evaporators fan. This makes the liquid expand and when the liquid has soaked up enough of the RV’s heat, it becomes a vapor once again. This overly heated vapor is sucked by the suction the compressor creates and the cycle repeats itself.

Propane Cooling Unit
Propane is a liquefied petroleum gas, used in RVs for heating, cooking and refrigeration. It may be called bottle gas, referring to how it is sold and stored. Propane offers the RV owner these advantages:
1. Liquid propane is more readily available than gas in a power outage as gas stations may also lose power causing the pumps from working.
2. Liquid propane can be stored indefinitely whereas gasoline tends to go off after a few months.
3. Liquid propane is a clean burning fuel and the propane generator produces less emissions than a gasoline or diesel powered generator.
(LP Gas – Propane; abbreviation for liquefied petroleum gas, which is a gas liquefied by compression, consisting of flammable hydrocarbons and obtained as a by-product from the refining of petroleum or natural gas. It is also called bottled gas, LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and CPG (compressed petroleum gas).
Natural Gas Cooling Unit
A gas cooling unit uses ammonia as the coolant, and water, ammonia and hydrogen gas to create a continuous cycle for the ammonia.
It works like this:
Heat is applied to the ammonia and water solution in the generator. As the mixture reaches the boiling point of ammonia, it flows into the separator. Ammonia gas flows upward into the condenser, dissipates heat and converts back to a liquid. The liquid ammonia makes its way to the evaporator where it mixes with hydrogen gas and evaporates, producing cold temperatures. The ammonia and hydrogen gases flow to the absorber where the water collected in the separator in step No. 2 mixes with the ammonia and hydrogen gases. The ammonia forms a solution with the water and releases the hydrogen gas, which flows back to the evaporator. The ammonia and water solution flows toward the generator to repeat the cycle.

Ceiling Fans

DO CEILING FANS HELP LOWER ELECTRIC AND A/C BILLS?
By Betty Stephens

Ceiling fans can cut back excessive use of your home’s air conditioning and heating unit and use 5% less energy. They use about the same energy as a 100-watt light bulb.
The Department of Energy says YES. The Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration predicts that the price for natural gas, used for electricity and heating fuels, may increase 65 percent this winter .So, it is time to start thinking about ways to save on heating and cooling, especially since it makes up 45 percent of an energy costs. The answer to saving money is with a ceiling fan.
Turn on Fans
Fans make a room feel cooler, and the one in our living room quit w Turn up your thermostat because a ceiling fan can make an air-conditioned room feel four degrees cooler.

Savings with a Fan
The ceiling fan works to move the air throughout the room, which makes cooler. If you use a ceiling fan in cooler climates, it can actually make a house feel cool enough to prevent the need for an air conditioning. In hotter climates, a ceiling fan can make an air-conditioned room feel four degrees cooler, allowing you to raise the thermostat. By raising it two degrees, you can save up to 14 percent on your yearly energy bill.
Always turn off the fan when no one is in the room. Ceiling fans make people feel cooler, but they won’t actually change the temperature of a room like an air conditioning unit would. So there’s no point in burning the energy used by a fan when the room is empty.
Using the Fan
A ceiling fan should rotate counter-clockwise (in summer time), which moves the airflow in a downward direction creating a cool, wind-chill effect. When the fan is rotating clockwise, change its direction by just flipping the fan’s slide switch, is found on the motor housing at the body of the fan. In cooler weather change it back and the fan can make a room feel warmer. When a fan is rotating in a clockwise direction, it forces warm air down from the top of a room to the bottom.
Choosing the Right Fan
The height of the ceiling determines the fan you should choose. There should be at least seven (7) feet between the floor and the blades of the fan. This height prevents people from hitting their head. Buy a fan with a rod that allows the fan to have a hanging depth (the distance between the ceiling and the bottom of the fan) of about 10 inches, this allows the air to circulate (If there’s enough room.).
Fans with a performance grade motor are expensive but are designed for lots of use, operating 12 or more hours a day. A medium grade motor can be used for 12 hours or less a day, and a moderate or economy grade fan can be run for eight hours or less a day.
Summary
In the summer, cooling your home can account for half of your summer power use. Central Air Conditioning comfort comes with a hefty price. A 2.5-ton central system uses about 3500 watts. At 12 cents per kilowatt hour, it costs 42 cents an hour to run your air conditioning unit multiplied over 24 hours, It is a $10 a day expense. Over the course of a month, summer can cost your family $300 or more in extra electricity costs. So run your fans. A ceiling fan can cost around a penny an hour to run. You can run more than 40 ceiling fans for the same cost of your central AC.

Solar Power

Solar Power
By Betty Stephens

Today human’s energy production is derived mainly from fuels, such as coil, oil and gas. Most of that energy is the sun’s stored energy. Sunlight is actually the Earth’s primary source of energy. Solar Power is the energy generated by sunlight. Solar energy is being increasingly adopted throughout the globe because of its environmental benefits. This type of energy produces no waste and does not give out any harmful emissions. Also, it does not put a strain on the Earth’s ecosystem by using up too much land.
The amount of energy generated by photosynthesis about six times larger than the whole human power consumption. There are two ways to convert sunlight into electricity: directly or indirectly.
1. Direct conversion is achieved by using Solar Panels. The solar panels are constructed with silicon PV cells/ Solar Panels can be installed on the ground, on countryside houses, or massive power plants, or on rooftops.

2. Indirect conversion is achieved by concentrating sunlight using lenses or mirrors to generate heat. The heat is then transferred to a transfer fluid for a conventional power plant or it can even be combined with PV arrays to improve their efficiency. It is the same basic process as using a magnifying glass to burn something.
How Solar Panel Work
Solar cells work because of the tendency of certain natural materials, called semiconductors, to convert light energy into an electric charge. Each cell produces a small voltage, and when you connect many cells together in a panel, their voltages add together to produce enough electrical power for home or industrial use. Solar panels produce free energy, but their production and installation involve significant expense.

Solar panels produce a DC voltage that fluctuates with the intensity of the impinging sunlight. To use this voltage to charge a battery, you have to regulate it and match it to the battery voltage by connecting the panels to the battery via a charge controller. This controller not only regulates voltage, it also monitors the batteries and disconnects the current when they are full to prevent overcharging. In order to use the DC current from the batteries in your house, you must route the electricity through an inverter, which converts it to usable AC current.
To approximately measure the efficiency and solar power output of your installation you can use one of the available online solar calculators. They can provide you with a rough estimate of your need.

Solar Calculators
1. PVWatts is the standard and most accepted one inside the solar community. A tool developed and hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
You can use the following link: PVWatts map viewer
There you can either pick your location by using the map or directly entering your ZIP code. When found, you should click the “Send to PVWatts” button.
Then you will be sent to the PVWatts Calculator page where you will be asked to fill in some details corresponding to your hypothetical PV array setup. The application is well documented and provides help for every field.
2. Solar Estimator is a very good application from solar-estimate.org that has a wider variety of options such as solar hot water systems and solar spa/pool heating. You can test it by clicking this link. The approach is different from PVWatts since it returns the necessary setup to provide a determined percentage of your electrical consumption. The information output is complete, showing charts and lots of useful data.
1. Find Solar Calculator is an application similar to the Solar Estimator with much less output information but with interesting data like carbon emission savings. You can test it by clicking this link.
2. The rest. Most contractors’ website have their own solar calculators.
When considering installing your own PV solar system, speak to a qualified and licensed solar professional about your specific situation. Keep in mind the following benefits. Advantages:
• Free Energy – The sun provides the “fuel” to generate power for the home’s electrical system and components. This saves money on electricity bills
• Clean Energy – Electricity generated by the sun produces no harmful emissions. This reduces the home’s carbon footprint.
• Installation Incentives – Federal, state and local jurisdictions periodically offer grants, tax breaks, discounts and rebates for the installation of renewable energy products, including solar systems.
• Reduced Dependency – Generating your own solar power using panels on your roof means you are not as dependent on utilities and the electric power grid to provide your electricity.
Disadvantages:
• Inconsistent Fuel Source – The sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day. Some locations have trees or taller buildings that could shade your roof.
• High Initial Cost – Even with multiple incentives, a solar power system may still cost tens of thousands of dollars.
• Site preparation – If the system is a retrofit (not part of new construction, but built on to an existing structure), expenses related to reconfiguring the house’s electric system will be necessary.
• Maintenance – Generating your own electricity means that the upkeep of the system is in your hands

A/C Technicians

What Does an HVAC Tech Do?
By Betty Stephens

HVAC Professionals
HVAC technicians are professionals in the field of heating, ventilation, air conditioning service and support. They can be an independent contractor or employed by a company that specializes in climate control solutions.

They work in residential homes, schools, hospitals, office buildings, or factories. Their worksites may be very hot or cold because the heating and cooling system they must repair is broken. They are mostly full time workers. Technicians generally work indoors, but may have to work on outdoor heat pumps, in bad weather. They often work in awkward or cramped spaces, and some work in buildings that are uncomfortable because the air conditioning or heating system is broken.
The HVAC technician may install new systems and therefore must be proficient in reading blueprints connected to the installation, and participates in preparing the space for the installation of new equipment including the ductwork construction and installation as well as the main components for the system. The HVAV technician is responsible for making sure the installation is conducted in compliance with local regulations, so that the unit provides efficient heating and air conditioning.
Maintenance of Existing Systems
The HVAC technicians may also maintain existing systems, inspecting each component in the system. This includes making sure that each portion of the overall system is functioning at an acceptable level of efficiency. If a part is wearing out or in danger of breaking down, the technician repairs the unit. An HVAC technician checks for ventilation efficiency of a system and makes adjustments.

HVAC Tech Tools
HVAC technicians must use several types of tools on their job. They often use screwdrivers, wrenches, pipe cutters and other basic hand tools when installing systems. To test or install complex system components, technicians may use more sophisticated tools, such as carbon monoxide testers, voltmeters, combustion analyzers, and acetylene torches. When working on air conditioning and refrigeration systems, technicians must follow government regulations regarding the conservation, recovery, and recycling of refrigerants. This often entails proper handling and disposal of fluids.

Selling Services
HVAC technicians may also sell service contracts to their clients, providing regular maintenance of heating and cooling systems. HVAC techs often used other craft workers at times to help install or repair cooling and heating systems. On a large air conditioning installation job, other contractors may work on the project, such as a ductwork; a sheet metal workers, installers, or electricians.