Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question that interests you to go directly to the answer.
Why should I replace my existing heating or air conditioning system?
How expensive are air conditioning and heat pump systems?
How do I choose the right heating system?
What is involved in replacing an old system?
What is involved in installing a new system?
How long can I expect a new system to last?
What are some preventative maintenance things I should be aware of?
Should I change my indoor coil?
Where do I get replacement parts?
What is covered in my warranty?
What benefit I have by replacing my old air conditioning? Should I change my indoor coil?
What is wrong with the traditional Water heater?
Q: Why should I replace my existing heating or air conditioning system?
A: You may wish to consider replacing your air conditioning or heating system if it is old, inefficient, or in need of repair. Today's systems are as much as 60% more efficient than those systems manufactured as little as 10 years ago. In addition, if not properly maintained, wear and tear on a system can reduce the actual or realized efficiency of the system. If you are concerned about utility bills or are faced with an expensive repair, you may want to consider replacing your system rather than enduring another costly season or paying to replace an expensive component. The utility cost savings of a new unit may provide an attractive return on your investment. If you plan on financing the purchase, the monthly savings on your utility bill should be considered when determining the actual monthly cost of replacing a system. The offsetting savings may permit you to purchase a more efficient system.
Q: How expensive are air conditioning and heat pump systems?
A: Many factors affect the cost of a heating or air conditioning system, including the size of your home, the type and condition of the ductwork installed, and accessories you might need such as a thermostat or an electronic air cleaner. We have a complete range of systems and accessories available to meet all your needs, including your financial ones! Active Temp Control will be happy to assist you in finding the right system to meet not only your comfort needs but also your household budget.
Q: How do I choose the right heating system?
A:To help you make the most suitable decision on the heating system that is right for your home, we have provided some key information below:
Efficiency - Efficiency is directly related to your monthly hydro bill. the more efficient your system is, the less gas is required to heat your house. The efficiency measurement unit is AFUE%. The higher the AFUE%, the more efficient the product . For Example 80% is Mid efficiency, and 90% and up are high efficiency. Currently, Coleman carries the highest AFUE (up to 98%) in the market.
BTU ( British Thermal Unit) is used to measure the size of the unit required to heat your space. Furnaces come in different sizes measured by BTU, 40,000 BTU, 60,000 BTU, ... 130,000 BTU and so on. Our professional consultants can help you in determining the right size of furnace for your home keeping efficiency in mind.
There are 3 types of Residential gas furnaces in the market:
Single stage furnaces run at their full capacity at any temperature. They have only one level of gas usage, regardless of outside temperature. They are currently available in the market and are the least expensive to purchase.
Two Stage, is a two level operation. In moderate temperature, they operate at 68% of their capacity, the first level, and as temperatures drop, they will switch to their second level of full capacity. With this type of furnace, your indoor temperature only fluctuates between a few degrees. Two Stage furnaces come with a Variable speed, ECM motor. Variable Speed ECM Motors ensure the right amount of airflow within your home, at the same time ECM Motors (Energy Star) will save you money on your electricity bills.
Benefits:
- Saves Money on gas and Electricity bills.
- Improves indoor air quality
- Consistent temperature within entire home
- Environment friendly Longer furnace life
- Quieter,
- more consistent, therefore more comfort.
- Energy star equipments are eligible for government rebates
Modulating furnaces are the most modern. In addition of having all the benefits of the two Stage furnaces they only allows 1% of temperature fluctuation at any point of time.
Benefits:
- Most Efficient
- Most reliable
- Ultimate comfort
Q: What is involved in replacing an old system?
A: Aside from the placement of the new equipment, Active Temp Control will inspect the system and make a determination of whether or not these items need to be supplied or replaced. Some of the items include: ductwork, insulation, refrigerant piping, electrical service, wiring, thermostat, condensate piping, flue piping, flue terminations, chimney liner, slabs, filter, driers, registers, grills, drain pans, and evaporator coil.
Q: What is involved in installing a new system?
A: If a system is being added to the home for the first time, most of the items noted in the previous question and answer may be required to install the new system. Besides the equipment, the most significant component is ductwork. The ductwork can be either metal or fiberglass ductwork. The ductwork needs to be properly sized to deliver the right amount of air to each room. The ductwork consists of supply and return ductwork. The supply duct is attached to the outlet of the furnace or air handler and delivers air to individual zones in your home. Active Temp Control will determine the size of the ductwork going into a space by the amount of air that needs to be delivered to the space.
Q: How long can I expect a new system to last?
A: If you have a qualified technician perform regular preventative maintenance and service suggested for your unit by the manufacturer, industry averages suggestd that an air conditioner should last 12-15 years (sea coast applications may be less) and a gas furnace should last as many as 20-25 years.
Blowers: Tuning up the distribution side of a forced-air system starts with the blower. The axle should be lubricated; blades cleaned and blower motor checked to insure the unit isn't being overloaded. The fan belt should be adjusted so it deflects no more than an inch when pressed. Every accessible joint in the ductwork should be sealed with mastic or UL-approved duct tapes. Any ducts that run outside the heated space should be insulated. On a hot-water system, the expansion tank should be drained, the circulating pumppumps cleaned and lubricated, and air bled out of the radiators.
Thermostats: While thermostats rarely fail outright, they can degrade over time as mechanical parts stick or lose their calibration. Older units will send faulty signals if they've been knocked out of level or have dirty switches. To recalibrate an older unit, use a wrench to adjust the nut on the back of the mercury switch until it turns the system on and, using a room thermometer, set it to the correct temperature. Modern electronic thermostats, sealed at the factory to keep out dust and grime, rarely need adjusting. However, whether your thermostat is old or young new, the hole where the thermostat wire comes through the wall needs to be caulked or a draft could trick it into thinking the room is warmer or colder than it really is.
Humidifiers: A neglected in-duct humidifier can breed mildew and bacteria, not to mention add too much moisture to a house. The new generation of humidifiers are self cleaning, automatic and maintenance free. Recommended to replace the filter annually or as often is required. A common mistake with humidifiers is leaving them on after the heating season ends. Don't forget to pull the plug, shut the water valve and drain the unit. A unit with a water reservoir should be drained and cleaned with white vinegar, a mix of one part chlorine bleach to eight parts water or muriatic acidd. Mist-type humidifiers also require regular cleaning to remove mineral deposits.
Duct Cleaning: Inside the walls and floors of 80 percent of North American homes run a maze of heating and air conditioning ducts that connect each room to the furnace. As the supply ducts blow air into the rooms, return ducts inhale airborne dust and suck it back into the blower. Add moisture to this mixture and you've got a breeding ground for allergy-inducing molds, mites and bacteria. Many filters commonly used today can't keep dust and debris from streaming into the air and over time sizable accumulations can form.
Q: What are some preventative maintenance things I should be aware of?
A: With the proper attention, heating and cooling systems can keep you comfortable year-round. Heat pumps and oil-fired furnaces and boilers need a yearly professional tune-up. Gas-fired equipment, on the other hand, burns cleaner and can be serviced every other year. A close inspection will uncover leaks, soot, rust, rot, corroded electrical contacts and frayed wires. In furnace (forced-air) and boiler (hot-water) systems, the inspection should also cover the chimney, ductwork or pipes, dampers or valves, blower or pump, registers or radiators, the fuel line and the gas meter or oil tank as well as every part of the furnace or boiler itself.
Next, the system should be run through a full heating cycle to ensure that it has plenty of combustion air and chimney draft. Finally, cleaning the burner and heat exchanger to remove soot and other gunk will prevent such buildup from impeding smooth operation. For the burner, efficiency hinges on adjusting the flame to the right size and color, adjusting the flow of gas or changing the fuel filter in an oil-fired system. A check of the heat pump should include an inspection of the compressor, fan, indoor and outdoor coils and refrigerant lines. Indoor and outdoor coils should be cleaned, and the refrigerant pressure should be checked.
Blower Tuning up the distribution side of a forced-air system starts with the blower. The axle should be lubricated; blades cleaned and lower motor checked to insure the unit isn't being overloaded. The fan belt should be adjusted so it deflects no more than an inch when pressed. Every accessible joint in the ductwork should be sealed with mastic or UL-approved duct tapes. Any ducts that run outside the heated space should be insulated. On a hot-water system, the expansion tank should be drained, the circulating pump cleaned and lubricated, and air bled out of the radiators.
Thermostat While thermostats rarely fail outright, they can degrade over time as mechanical parts stick or lose their calibration. Older units will send faulty signals if they've been knocked out of level or have dirty switches. To recalibrate an older unit, use a wrench to adjust the nut on the back of the mercury switch until it turns the system on and, using a room thermometer, set it to the correct temperature. Modern electronic thermostats, sealed at the factory to keep out dust and grime, rarely need adjusting. However, whether your thermostat is old or young, the hole where the thermostat wire comes through the wall needs to be caulked or a draft could trick it into thinking the room is warmer or colder than it really is.
Humidifier A neglected in-duct humidifier can breed mildew and bacteria, not to mention add too much moisture to a house. A common mistake with humidifiers is leaving them on after the heating season ends. Don't forget to pull the plug, shut the water valve and drain the unit. A unit with a water reservoir should be drained and cleaned with white vinegar, a mix of one part chlorine bleach to eight parts water or muriatic acid. Mist-type humidifiers also require regular cleaning to remove mineral deposits.
Filters Most houses with forced-air furnaces have a standard furnace filter made from loosely woven spun-glass fibers designed to keep it and its ductwork clean. Unfortunately, they don't improve indoor air quality. That takes a media filter, which sits in between the main return duct and the blower cabinet. Made of a deeply pleated, paper-like material, media filters are at least seven times better than a standard filter at removing dust and other particles. An upgrade to a pleated media filter will cleanse the air of everything from insecticide dust to flu viruses.
Compressed, media filters are usually no wider than six inches, but the pleated material can cover up to 75 square feet when stretched out. This increased area of filtration accounts for the filter's long life, which can exceed two years. The only drawback to a media filter is its tight weave, which can restrict a furnace抯 ability to blow air through the house. To insure a steady, strong airflow through the house, choose a filter that matches your blower's capacity.
Duct Cleaning Inside the walls and floors of 80 percent of American homes run a maze of heating and air conditioning ducts that connect each room to the furnace. As the supply ducts blow air into the rooms, return ducts inhale airborne dust and suck it back into the blower. Add moisture to this mixture and you've got a breeding ground for allergy-inducing molds, mites and bacteria. Many filters commonly used today can't keep dust and debris from streaming into the air and over time sizable accumulations can form.
To find out if your ducts need cleaning, pull off some supply and return registers and take a look. If a new furnace is being installed, you should probably invest in a duct cleaning at the same time, because chances are the new blower will be more powerful than the old one and will stir up a lot of dust.
Professional duct cleaners tout such benefits as cleaner indoor air, longer equipment life and lower energy costs. Clean HVAC systems can also perform more efficiently, which may decrease energy costs, and last longer, reducing the need for costly replacement or repairs. Cleaning has little effect on air quality, primarily because most indoor dust drifts in from the outdoors. But it does get rid of the stuff that mold and bacteria grow on, and that means less of it gets airborne, a boon to allergy sufferers.
Q: Should I change my indoor coil?
A: When replacing your air conditioner or heat pump the answer is most likely yes. The efficiency ratings that are advertised for an air conditioner or heat pump are based on the performance as part of a matched system. If only the outdoor portion is changed, the efficiency and savings could be less than that of a matched system.
Q: Where do I get replacement parts?
A: Contact Active Temp Control for help obtaining replacement parts.
Q: What is covered in my warranty?
A: All Active Temp Control products come with a written limited warranty on parts. This warranty states that a replacement part will be furnished for any part of the product that fails in normal use and service during the applicable warranty period specified, in accordance with the warranty's terms. Active Temp Control can review with you the warranty periods for the products you select.
Q: What benefit I have by replacing my old air conditioning? Should I change my indoor coil?
A: When replacing your air conditioner or heat pump the answer is most likely yes. The efficiency ratings that are advertised for an air conditioner or heat pump are based on the performance as part of a matched system. If only the outdoor portion is changed, the efficiency and savings could be less than that of a matched system.
FAQ about Tankless water heater is written by Mr. Ivan Koval, referenced to Rinnai, Noritze, Bosch, Rheemand Takagi Manufacturers.
Q: What is wrong with the traditional Water heater?
Q: How is the new tank-less water heater different?
A:Tank-less water heater provides hot water without using a storage tank. As the hot water tap is turned on, incoming cold water travels through a pipe into the unit, and either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. Like tank water heaters, tank-less water heaters use either gas or electricity to operate. As the name suggests, tank-less water heaters use no storage tank. The source of the heat in the unit, electric element or gas burner, is powerful enough to instantly heat the water as it flows through the heating unit, on demand. Temperature control system keeps the temperature of the water flowing from the tap at the desired level.
Q: Why should you choose tank-less water heater over the conventional one?
A: As cost of energy had increased and tank-less heater technology improved, the balance of benefits and shortcomings tipped towards the new type of tank-less water heater. The following table outlines the key points.