Can Your Home Get AC Without Existing Ductwork?

September 14, 2022

Your home doesn’t have ductwork, and maybe you’ve heard about how much of a hassle it is to install. Some homeowners can’t even get it installed even if they want to because their home’s structure is too old to support it. Fortunately for you and many others, there’s such a thing as a ductless air conditioner. It’s called a ductless heat pump or a mini-split system. The Way Mini-Splits Work A heat pump cools a space by transferring heat from there to the outside. There are three main components: the air handler indoors, the compressor outside, and the refrigerant line connecting the two. A mini-split has the same three components, though the air handler and piping are more compact, and the most obvious difference is that it doesn’t channel its cool air to a system of ducts. The air handler on a mini-split can only cool one room, but one positive is that the compressor can support up to eight air handlers. Installation is simple; you won’t have a hard time finding room on your wall for the air handler, and the refrigerant line can usually stretch up to 50 feet. A 3-inch hole in the wall suffices to bring...

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What a Multi-Zone HVAC System Does

July 26, 2022

HVAC zoning saves money, prevents energy waste, and makes homes more comfortable overall. If you’re looking for a worthwhile improvement for your Burbank home, having your HVAC system zoned is an excellent choice. With zoned heating and cooling, you can lower your carbon footprint and maintain everyone’s ideal indoor temperature. What Is a Multi-Zone System? A central HVAC system has a single thermostat and a single system of air ducts that uniformly distributes heated and cooled air throughout the entire building. When you set your preferred temperature at the thermostat, your air conditioner or heater will run until every room reaches or nears this setting. Although central HVAC is effective for keeping homes both comfortable and safe, it’s often responsible for higher than necessary energy bills. After all, when homes are uniformly heated and cooled, homeowners are spending money to regulate temperatures in areas that aren’t being used. Multi-zone systems make it possible to alter the temperature in one area of the home independent of all others. When zoning central HVAC systems, HVAC companies install dampers in the existing ductwork. Dampers open to permit airflow when heated or cooled air is needed in a specific zone, and they close to...

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How To Tell if Your AC Is Running Efficiently

August 10, 2021

Having an air conditioner that’s running efficiently can save you money and frustration as the weather gets hotter and stays hot throughout the summer and into the early fall. When you’re trying to determine whether or not your air conditioner is getting the air cold enough at a quick enough pace, there’s a simple test that you can try. You’ll need a thermometer and a hot day. Temp the Air From the Air Conditioner On a day that’s hotter than 80 degrees, turn on your air conditioner and find a supply vent. You’ll know that it’s a supply vent because it should be pushing air out. An air conditioner that’s running well should be able to blow a piece of paper enough that it makes cracking sounds as the paper moves under the wind. Put the thermometer on the vent and let it take the temperature of the air coming out of it for about five minutes. You can use a weather thermometer or a cooking thermometer. It just can’t be a thermometer used to check for fever because this kind will shut off. After about five minutes, take the thermometer off the register and check the reading of the...

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