Here’s What a Spring A/C Tuneup Will Involve

Gainesville summers are long and hot, and your air conditioner needs all the help it can get to make it through the cooling season efficiently and without operating problems. The best way to ensure top performance from your air conditioner all summer long is to schedule preventive maintenance this spring.

Benefits of Annual Preventive Maintenance

A spring A/C tuneup is a wise investment for several reasons. Not only does it increase system efficiency and lead to lower utility bills and carbon footprints, but it also extends the operating life of the air conditioner. Regular maintenance also helps prevent common problems that require expensive repairs, or worse, system replacement.

Spring A/C Tuneup Tasks

It’s essential to hire a reputable contractor that employs skilled technicians who undergo regular training to keep up with changing techniques and technologies. Your technician will perform a comprehensive inspection and tuneup of your system, which will include these tasks:

Inspect the wiring and terminals for corrosion and check for loose connections.
Check the pressures, temperatures, and airflow against system specifications.
Inspect and clean the indoor and outdoor coils for optimum heat transfer.
Flush the condensate drain to prevent clogs during periods of high humidity.
Clean and inspect the blower assembly and the motor.
Check the thermostat for accuracy and calibrate it if needed.
Lubricate the motor, fan and other moving parts to prevent friction.
Test the electric control to ensure the system cycles properly.
Measure the refrigerant level and check for leaks if it’s low.
Inspect ductwork for obstructions and air leaks.

Maintaining Your System Between Tuneups

Once your system has been tuned up, here are three essential monthly tasks that will help ensure continued efficiency:

Inspect the air filter and replace it when you can’t see the filter through the dust.
Hose down the outdoor unit to remove debris that can interfere with airflow and heat transfer.
Vacuum around the indoor unit to prevent condensate drain clogs.

To schedule your spring A/C tune-up with one of our skilled technicians, please feel free to contact us in the Gainesville area at Bounds Heating & Air.

A Zoning System Provides More Control Over Temperatures

There are a number of ways you can boost the energy efficiency of your Gainesville area home’s HVAC system. One of the simplest is to add a zoning system. In addition to energy savings, you’ll benefit from more precise zone-to-zone comfort in your home, providing more control over temperature variations.

What Is a Zoning System?

Traditionally, homes with forced-air heating and cooling utilized one strategically placed thermostat. Unfortunately, this contributed to significant temperature variances from one part of the house to another and made it impossible to control temperatures independently from room to room. A zoning system changes all that. Most homes can be set up to accommodate as many as four different zones. Every zone has its own thermostat, each of which is connected a control panel that controls dampers to regulate conditioned airflow.

When Is a Zoning System a Good Idea?

Your home may benefit from a zoning system if:

- It has multiple levels. As you know, the temperature variance between the basement, main floor, and second story can be dramatic. In most cases, the basement will be too cold, and the upper story will be too warm for comfort. A zoned system will control each of these levels separately. You can also make sure you aren’t heating an area of the home that isn’t in use.
- You have unique architectural features. Does your home have a guest wing? Vaulted ceilings? Or a room with ceiling-to-floor windows? Each of these spaces will be enhanced by a zoned system so it can be controlled independently of your main living spaces.
- You have personal temperature preferences. In most families, there is at least one person who likes his or her bedroom or living area hotter or colder than everyone else. Rather than compete in the battle of the thermostat, you can put bedrooms or TV rooms on separate zones so everyone can live at his or her desired temperature.

The system can be installed now, or it can wait if you are planning to replace your heating or cooling system in the near future. Contact Bounds Heating & Air to discuss adding a zoning system to your Gainesville area home.

Reduce Home Heat Loss and Increase Home Comfort in Your Florida Home

When you take the steps to reduce home heat loss in your Florida home, you’ll simultaneously benefit from whole-home comfort, as well as reduced utility and HVAC repair costs. The more your home is susceptible to heat loss, the harder your heating system has to work to keep you comfortable. Plus, the same steps you take now to reduce heat loss will also work to prevent heat gain once air conditioning season begins.

4 Ways to Reduce Heat Loss

The following are four steps you can take to reduce home heat loss and begin saving money:

Seal the leaks. Anywhere there’s an air leak in your home, warm conditioned air will make its way to the cooler outside environment. This becomes a major source of energy waste. Use caulking to seal cracks or gaps in your exterior walls, paying special attention to where the siding meets the foundation and roof and exterior penetrations caused by electrical and plumbing work. Once you’ve finished caulking, inspect the weatherstripping around doors and windows and replace any that appear worn or no longer form a tight seal.
Upgrade insulation. Unless you live in a newer home, verify that your insulation meets current energy efficiency standards. If not, you’ll want to upgrade the insulation in your attic, crawl spaces and basement to start. If you can afford it, also augment the insulation in your exterior walls. Use the guidelines listed on this map of Recommended Levels of Insulation. The Gainesville area is located in Zone 2.
Update your windows. If you can’t afford to replace your windows, start making a plan to replace a few at a time with their energy-efficient counterparts.
Observe routine HVAC maintenance. Your HVAC equipment is also prone to heat loss via leaky or uninsulated ductwork and dirty filters. Observing routine maintenance appointments will make sure that small problems are addressed before they become a source of significant energy loss or unnecessary repair or replacement costs.

Contact the HVAC professionals at Bounds Heating & Air to schedule a home energy auditor to learn more ways to reduce home heat loss.

What Duct Cleaning Service Includes

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air pollution in the average home can be even more dangerous than outdoor air pollution. When dust, pet dander, cigarette smoke, the fumes from cleaning compounds, and other common substances are trapped indoors, it can cause a serious health threat. Poor indoor air quality is linked to the increase in allergies and asthma in both adults and children.

Another reason that American homes are not as healthy as they could be is that many people underestimate the importance of duct cleaning. At Bounds Heating & Air, we recommend regular ductwork cleaning to ensure clean air in your Newberry, FL home. This service also helps your HVAC equipment operate more efficiently, which in turn saves you money on your utility bills.

What to Expect from Your Duct Cleaning Service

The first thing we do during your ductwork cleaning appointment is to inspect your HVAC system to ensure it is working properly. Next, we look at the air ducts within the system to determine if they need to be cleaned. If the ductwork in your Newberry, FL home could benefit from cleaning, we start by cleaning the supply and return ducts with specialized cleaning equipment. We also clean the following items:

Diffusers, grilles, and registers
Blowers and fans
Supply and return air plenums
Primary and secondary heat exchangers
Coils and other components

During the process of duct cleaning, our technicians inspect the ductwork to make sure that it hasn’t sustained structural damage. If your ductwork needs repair, you may schedule another appointment with our company. For HVAC systems that are not performing as expected, we may recommend that you consider air duct sealing or airflow balancing and testing. At the conclusion of your appointment, our technicians change the air filter, straighten the coil fins, and visually inspect the access panel seals.

How to Determine the Frequency of Ductwork Cleaning

Bounds Heating & Air recommends that you have the ductwork in your home or business professionally cleaned every three to five years. If you own pets, have one or more smokers in your home or someone already suffers from allergies or asthma, you would benefit from more frequent cleaning. Other factors to consider include whether your home or business has been recently renovated, if there is a mold build-up, there are pests in the building or you can visibly see dust and debris in your ductwork and air vents.

Please contact our friendly staff with any questions you may have regarding duct service. We are also here to provide any additional information you may need regarding all aspects of HVAC products, service, and maintenance.

5 Things to Consider When Buying a New Furnace

Like a house and a car, a heating system is a major investment for most families in Gainesville, FL. If you are in the market for a new heating unit, you have probably spent a fair amount of time researching already. This ensures that you are prepared to purchase the most energy-efficient heating system in the event that your current unit suddenly quits working.

When Should I Replace My Furnace?

Despite their high quality, heating systems will eventually need to be replaced. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a furnace typically lasts between 15-30 years before you must replace it. The length of time varies based on brand and furnace quality.

When you believe it is time to replace your furnace, consider the following:

1. Types of Furnace Sources

It’s important to consider how the fuel your furnace uses impacts your daily life when buying a new furnace, as each of them has their own benefits and disadvantages. There are three types of furnaces you should know about: gas, oil, and electric. Electric furnaces are popular since almost every home has a connection to local electricity, but that doesn’t mean they’re the most efficient. The most efficient source for a furnace is oftentimes natural gas. However, if you do not have a natural gas line, you should factor in this additional installation expense.

2. Choosing the Right Size

The size of your furnace matters when buying a new one; a small furnace will overwork itself, raising your energy bills and possibly requiring premature maintenance. The bigger one you buy, the more it will have to adjust itself in order to maintain the desired temperature. It will switch off when it overshoots and start up again when the temperature drops.

3. Installation Ease

There are labor costs that are additional to the actual cost of purchasing a new furnace. Depending on what utilities and heating infrastructure already exist in your home, you may be looking at additional costs on top of the actual furnace. If you are replacing an older furnace, there may be structural home changes to account for.

4. Maintenance Expectations

One more thing you should consider when choosing a new furnace is maintenance. While it may not be top of your mind when purchasing the unit, you will need to know what is required to keep it working for years. You can maintain your HVAC system by taking minor actions like making sure the vents and air filters are properly cleaned and replaced on a regular basis.

5. Your Replacement Company

At Bounds Heating & Air, we know that replacing your furnace is not always an expense you were looking forward to making. That is why we know it is important that you weigh your options and choose a furnace that is right for your needs and your home. We hope that you keep Bounds Heating & Air in mind for your furnace replacement or furnace repair needs!

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