FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IF YOUR SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING?????

If your air conditioner isn't working, first check the circuit breaker or fuse that serves the unit.

Change the fuse or reset the circuit breaker if necessary. If the compressor turns off and won't come back on during a very hot day, the unit may have built up a high head pressure and the high-pressure limit switch may have tripped. This switch is usually located right inside the access panel on the compressor unit. Simply push the button to return it to operation.

If the air conditioner doesn't cool or isn't cooling effectively, check the thermostat to make sure it is set to "cool" rather than "heat." Dirty evaporator or condenser coils or a dirty filter in the air handler or furnace also can keep air conditioners from cooling effectively. Also, if you operate the air conditioner when the air temperature is below 60°F, you might find frost on the evaporator coils. If you do, it's time to turn off your air conditioner.

Keeping your air conditioner clean is the key to efficient cooling. Check the filter in the air handler once a month while it is in use and replace or clean the filter as necessary. Check to be sure that the condensate drain is clear (and the condensate pump is working properly if it has one) and that the condenser and evaporator coils are clean.

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Thermostats measure your home's ambient temperature and use that information to activate your furnace or your air conditioner, depending on the thermostat's setting.

A mechanical thermostat works when its bi-metal coil contracts and expands with the room temperature. The movement of this coil activates a switch that opens or closes a circuit to make the furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner turn on or off.

Programmable electronic thermostats make it possible to automate the way your thermostat works and use your home climate systems more efficiently, resulting in lower energy bills.

Their timers allow you to warm up your house before you get out of bed in the morning or come home after work, and can be set at different temperatures for different times of the day. If you have a mechanical thermostat, you might consider switching to a programmable electronic model.

Look for thermostats that allow you to program daily cycles, weekly schedules, and override default settings.

Zone-Controlled Climate Systems

Sophisticated zone-controlled home climate systems divide the house into several separate zones or areas that may each be controlled by separate settings and times on individual thermostats. With zone controls, thermostats open and close dampers, sending warm or cool air when and where it's needed

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WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NEW SAFE FREON...R410-A? (Also called PURON by Carrier)

Here are the facts:

FACT #1:

New R-22 is expected to be available beyond 2020. Recycled and reclaimed R-22 makes the fluid likely to be available past the life of all equipment installed until 2010. You can have confidence buying a system using R-22 ten years from now. It’s simply not an issue today.

FACT #2:

R-22 is not likely to be subjected to major price increases like R-12 because of its widespread availability and a lengthy phase out period.

FACT #3:
R-410A is a good alternative refrigerant, but it will be years before it serves the majority of applications.

FACT #4:

Homeowners should select heating and air conditioning products based on efficiency, reliability, durability and dealer recommendations — NOT on the refrigerants they use.

What This Means For The Heating, Ventilation And Air Conditioning (HVAC) Industry. An HCFC known as R-22 has been the refrigerant of choice for residential heating and cooling systems for more than 40 years. Currently all major HVAC manufacturers use R-22 in more than 95 percent of the systems they build. And, even though HCFCs are considerably safer for the environment (at least 95 percent less damaging to the ozone layer than CFCs), they still contain chlorine which is an ozone-destroying chemical.

The U.S. regulations under the Clean Air Act targeted several dates of specific interest to the HVAC industry: January 1, 1996: A production cap was placed on a variety of HCFCs, including R-22. This cap limited production in the U.S. to 15 million tons per year. (Note: To date, demand has not reached the cap.)

January 1, 2004: The cap will be reduced to a total production of 10 million tons by banning the use of R141B and R142B, HCFCs used today as foam blowing agents. This is intended to have no impact on R-22.

January 1, 2010: HVAC manufacturers can no longer produce new air conditioners and heat pumps using R-22.

January 1, 2020: Refrigerant manufacturers will no longer produce R-22 to service existing air conditioners and heat pumps. (Recovery and recycling will provide refrigerant for servicing installed systems beyond 2020.)

However, and this is important to note, the Clean Air Act does not allow any refrigerant to be vented into the atmosphere during installation, service or retirement of equipment. Therefore, R-22 must be reclaimed (reprocessed to the same purity levels as new R-22), recycled (for reuse in the same system) or destroyed.

This means there will be plenty of high quality R-22 available for many years to come. Manufacturers can build R-22 products until 2010 giving consumers a ten-year window in which they can continue to purchase these products with confidence because of this availability.

WHAT ABOUT COST?????

Consumers can also feel confident that R-22 will be available at a reasonable price beyond 2020. Many comparisons have been made between the phase out of R-12 (a CFC) and R-22 (an HCFC), but few similarities actually exist. The major price increase that occurred with R-12 was largely due to a high government excise tax that was placed on it in order to accelerate its phase out. It is highly improbable that this will occur with R-22. This refrigerant is significantly less damaging to the ozone layer should it ever escape. And, there is a 20 + year phase out timeline firmly in place.

Because R-22 will be readily available for many years to come, market conditions will not be influenced by the same volatility and forced acceleration campaign that surrounded the phase out of R-12. However you the consumer should know that your current cost for R-22 is $11.00/pound and the cost for R-410A is currently $35.00/pound.

The Future Alternative to R-22.

As R-22 is gradually phased out of use over the next two decades, R-410A will be phased in. R-410A is an HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) and is considered to be the most likely replacement when R-22 is no longer used in residential systems. However, as a point of clarification, units using R-22 will always be serviced with R-22. They should never need to be changed or retrofitted to a different refrigerant.

Is Puron™* A New Alternative Refrigerant?

Puron™* is the trademarked name that one equipment manufacturer has given to R-410A. However, developed by a major chemical company who refers to it as Genetron® AZ-20**, this is not a proprietary refrigerant and is available for use by the entire HVAC industry. Other manufacturers may adopt similar positioning taglines as they begin to market new R-410A products, so you can expect to see a variety of catchy monikers for R-410A in the coming years.

Why Isn't R-410A More Widely Used Today?

The transition to R-410A requires that heat pump and air conditioning systems be redesigned. R-410A is a refrigerant with operating pressures almost 50 percent higher than R-22. Because of this, a redesign of the compressor as well as other components is necessary. Additionally, since R-410A demands special synthetic lubricants for the compressor, there are compatibility issues with the lubricants, cleaners and other fluids used in the manufacturing process. All of these issues must be carefully evaluated.

And, with these significant product and production process changes, testing and training must change also. Dealers must be schooled in stricter installation and service techniques required for working with R-410A units and must obtain new recovery equipment and servicing tools, as well. The Clean Air Act accommodates the magnitude of this total effort by allowing a lengthy transition period for the phase out of R-22.

Another reason R-410A is not widely in use is that industry production capacity of the refrigerant is limited. It will take several years for the chemical producers to gear up their production of R-410A for complete industry transition by 2010.

It’s important to remember that properly installed home comfort systems rarely develop refrigerant leaks. So a system using either R-22 or R-410A will have negligible detrimental impact on the environment for the length of its lifespan.

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