Modern Mechanical HVAC Blog

Air-Conditioner Maintenance Is A Must-Have Spring Service: What Your Contractor Should Do

Shawn Mitchell — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:24 +0000

Did you know that air-conditioner maintenance should be a part of your annual spring clean-up for your home? During the fall and winter, while your air-conditioning unit sits idle, it can become clogged with dust and debris, which can impact how it operates once you need it. If you schedule yearly maintenance with your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractor, then you will help your unit operate at top efficiency throughout the warmer months. The more efficient your Northern Virginia air conditioner is, the lower your energy bills will be.

This is what a contractor will do during your annual air-conditioner maintenance visit:

Check all wires, and tighten any loose connections.
Adjust the liquid pressure for maximum efficiency, and add additional liquid, if necessary.
Lubricate all components for maximum efficiency.
Clean all coils, fans and filters to remove all contaminants and dust.
Adjust belt tightness, and replace worn belts.
Look for, and seal, any air leaks in the air conditioner and surrounding ductwork.
Calibrate the thermostat for the most accurate temperature readings.
Clean and inspect the condensing unit, including the drip pan, water lines and pump sump.
Repair or adjust the air conditioner motor for optimal performance.

Before your contractor comes to your home to perform air-conditioner maintenance, there are several steps that you can take that will improve the maintenance visit, including:

Clear away all dirt, leaves and other debris from around the condensing unit.
Clean the condensing unit with a hose.
Change your home’s air filters that work in conjunction with your air conditioner and HVAC system.
Remove any blocks from your air vents, such as furniture or draperies, and open all closed vents.

If you would like to learn more about how you can boost the efficiency of your air conditioner this summer in your Northern Virginia home, contact us at Modern Mechanical. At Modern Mechanical, we strive to provide the best HVAC service in the area, and will help you find the HVAC equipment and provide the repairs that meet your needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air-conditioner maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

AC repair man image via Shutterstock

Use MERV Ratings To Select A High-Performance Filter

Shawn Mitchell — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:04 +0000

Filters are a little-seen but very important part of your home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. Filters help your furnace and air conditioner run at their best and most efficient while keeping your indoor air clean and free of dust, pollen, and other particles that can irritate asthma and allergies.

By using a filter that has a high MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating, you can keep your air even cleaner. MERV is an industry-standard rating of filter efficiency that indicates how effective a particular filter is at capturing and holding airborne particles from 0.3 to 10 microns in size. To give you an idea of scale, human hairs are often between 40 to 300 microns wide.

Filters with high MERV ratings remove smaller contaminants from your air, such as bacteria, viruses, mold spores and other microorganisms that cause disease and discomfort. MERV ratings range from 1 to 16, and the higher the rating, the more efficient a filter is at removing smaller particles from your air. A top-level MERV 16 filter, for example, traps very small particles such as bacteria, tobacco smoke, moisture droplets (such as from a sneeze) and powders. At the other end of the scale, a MERV 1 filter can handle only larger particles, such as textile and carpet fibers, larger dust particles and pollen.

Filters with a MERV rating of 1 to 4 are generally low cost, but they also are minimally effective. High-MERV filters offer the best level of filtration, and remove the greatest range of airborne contaminant types.

If you need even better filter performance, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters provide greater levels of filtration, at MERV levels of 17 to 20. HEPA filters are used where air quality is very important and airborne contaminants must be minimized as much as possible, such as hospitals and manufacturing clean rooms that house sensitive electronics.

Modern Mechanical is a trusted source of HVAC sales and service for customers in Northern Virginia and the neighboring areas in Maryland. We specialized in heating, air conditioning, plumbing, indoor air quality, and solar-power systems for residential customers. Contact us today for more information on HVAC filter efficiency and how filters with high MERV ratings can keep your indoor air more healthy and clean all year long.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about MERV ratings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Buying A Programmable Thermostat: 3 Tips To Assist Your Selection

Shawn Mitchell — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:13 +0000

Programmable thermostats are designed to make your life easier, more comfortable, and help you save substantially on your heating and cooling costs. When you’re buying a programmable thermostat, use these three tips to help you select the correct model with the options and features that best suit your schedule and lifestyle.

Program options

Programmable thermostats save energy costs by automatically reducing your heating or cooling energy consumption in accordance with your daily schedule. Most programmable thermostats are available with four daily temperature changes. The difference between thermostat programming options are the day-to-day programming. Thermostats are available with the following programming choices:

7+day thermostats may be programmed for a different schedule every day of the week, allowing the most flexibility for busy households.
5+2 thermostats offer one five-day schedule (such as during the work week) and then one two-day schedule, say for the weekend.
5+1+1 thermostats include the five-day schedule, and one schedule each of the remaining two days per week.
1+week thermostats use one program for the entire week.

Compatible model

When buying a programmable thermostat, make sure to choose one that is compatible with your heating and cooling system. You’ll see terms like one-stage heating and cooling, two-stage, and universal application on the packaging. Some thermostats go well beyond automatically heating and cooling your home. Depending on your home-comfort equipment and manufacturer(s), a programmable thermostat can monitor and adjust whole-house humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ventilation systems all from one central control panel. Check with your heating and cooling company to properly identify compatibility, and multi-system controls if you have questions.

Advanced features

Smart programmable thermostats make programming a snap, user-friendly, and even interactive via cell-phone applications, voice interface, the Internet and Wi-Fi. Large touchscreen panels with easy-to-read status messages, Help tabs, and even tamper-proof controls puts home comfort and energy savings at your fingertips. Other popular features include:

Humidity-level status.
Removable interface for programming anywhere in your home.
Tabbed touchscreen for quick navigation and programming.
System alerts (low battery, filter change, heating and cooling malfunctions).
Temporary Hold button for quick temperature changes.

Contact Modern Mechanical, and we’ll help you choose the right system for your household. We provide quality heating and cooling services and guarantees to Northern Virginia residential customers, with a minimum one-year guarantee.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about buying a programmable thermostat and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Thermostat image via Shutterstock

Dehumidifier: Warmer Weather Means Higher Humidity In Northern Virginia — You Need All The Help You Can Get

Shawn Mitchell — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:29 +0000

Summer is on its way, and that means hot weather and potentially high humidity in Northern Virginia. High humidity outside is bad enough, but when your home falls victim to too much moisture in the air, it can make being at home uncomfortable and unhealthy. High humidity can cause the growth of mold, dust mites and bacteria, which in turn can aggravate symptoms of allergies and asthma, and cause damage to wooden and cloth objects in your home. Additionally, too much moisture in your indoor air can cause wet stains on your walls, peeling wallpaper, rotted wood and other structural damage to your home.

Opening windows will only allow more humidity into your home, and using fans will only move your home’s moist air around. Some people turn the thermostat way down to deal with the unpleasantness caused by high heat and humidity, but that doesn’t actually remove the moisture, and can waste significant amounts of energy.

Your best bet to remove humidity from your home is to install and use a whole-house dehumidifier. Since the humidity won’t be confined to a single space like a basement, a whole-house dehumidifier integrated into your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) enables you to control moisture throughout your home. These systems can work with your air conditioner, or they can work on their own if you don’t need to run your A/C on certain days. Whole-house dehumidifiers draw air from every room in your home, and return drier air with the appropriate humidity level.

Ideally, you’ll want to keep your humidity between 30 and 50 percent. Keeping humidity below that range can cause your indoor air to be too dry, which brings with it a whole host of other problems.

For further advice on dehumidification and indoor air quality in the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas, contact us at Modern Mechanical. We provide HVAC and plumbing services to residents of Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties, as well as in Arlington.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about dehumidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Prevent Mold In Your Northern Virginia Home With These 5 Tips

Shawn Mitchell — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:00:10 +0000

Mold growth in your Northern Virginia home can be dangerous to both your health and that of your home. The bacteria that develops from mold can spread through your home, creating health problems for you and your loved ones, and destroying your home’s walls and other contents.

Here are five tips that can help you prevent mold in your Northern Virginia home:

Remove excess moisture: Northern Virginia is known for its humid weather conditions, and the moisture can get behind the paneling and drywall of your home as well as in other building materials, creating a breeding ground for mold. A whole-house dehumidifier, which you can install into your existing HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system, removes excess moisture from your indoor air, helping to prevent mold from growing.
Keep fresh air moving: Stagnant air also can create a fertile breeding ground for mold. Keeping fresh air moving through your home by installing an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), which enables you to provide ventilation without losing your costly conditioned air. ERVs transfers water vapor in the outside air to your home’s indoor air, to promote a balanced level of humidity.
Check for signs of leaks: Inspect your home for any signs that water pipes are leaking into the walls or on the flooring. Leaking water can pool up inside building materials and cause mold. Also inspect window trim and door jambs for any signs of water that is collecting.
Verify that your HVAC system is working properly: An HVAC system that is not working efficiently can result in stagnant, and sometimes dirty, air. Regular preventive maintenance ensures that you HVAC system is working efficiently and optimally.
Install ventilation fans: Putting vent fans in high-humidity areas, such as your bathrooms and kitchen, removes moisture and stops mold from growing. Run vent fans while cooking, and during and after showering, to vent moisture from these areas into the outdoor air.

Modern Mechanical serves the greater Northern Virginia and Maryland area, and our technicians can help you to identify ways to prevent mold in your home. For more details or information, contact us at Modern Mechanical.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preventing mold and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Mold image via Shutterstock

Improve Home Energy Efficiency For Lasting Results

Shawn Mitchell — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:09 +0000

The oncoming summer, and the increased cooling costs that come with it, might have you thinking about ways to save energy. While there are plenty of things you can do to cut costs in the short term, a far better strategy is to make long-lasting changes that boost your home’s energy efficiency right now, and in the months and years ahead.

Here are several ways in which to achieve last energy efficiency in your home:

Add insulation: Insulation provides a major boost to energy efficiency, and it’s just as helpful in summer as in winter. Insulation helps keep conditioned air inside your house where it belongs, and it’s especially important in your attic. Make sure your attic is insulated with an R-value of at least R-30. An insulation’s R-value measures its resistance to heat transfer.
Install a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat enables you to establish a heating or cooling schedule that conforms to your daily routine, allowing you to use your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) less. For example, on hot summer days you can cool your house to 75 degrees in the morning and evening while you’re home, but keep the temperature at 80 while you’re out of the house.
Lower your hot-water costs: Hot water is a year-round expense, making up 10 to 15 percent of the average home’s energy bills. Adding insulation to your water heater seals in heat and saves you money. You also can reduce water costs by turning down the thermostat on your water heater. The factory setting is usually 130 to 140 degrees, but 120 is sufficient for most homes.
Maintain your HVAC: Annual maintenance by a certified technician keeps your heating and cooling system running at peak efficiency, prevents major problems from developing and improves your indoor air quality.
Choose efficient appliances: Appliances like ovens, dishwashers, furnaces and refrigerators have the potential to either save you money or cost an arm and a leg, depending on which ones you choose. Look for Energy Star-certified appliances, and choose the most efficient models that you can find.

For more information on ways to increase home energy efficiency, contact Modern Mechanical. We provide expert heating, ventilation and air conditioning service in Arlington and throughout Northern Virginia.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home energy efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

How To Improve Home Insulation In Exterior Walls

Shawn Mitchell — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:12 +0000

Did you know that your home’s exterior walls can be responsible for allowing as much as 30 percent of your costly conditioned air to seep into the outdoor air? Exterior walls often are the most difficult areas in your home to insulate, because there’s a lot inside those wall spaces, including structural framing and electrical, plumbing and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) conduits. Therefore, home-insulation improvements can be a challenge.

New homes constructed today have exterior wall spaces designed to be insulation-friendly. But what can be done to improve home insulation in existing structures? Here are a few tips on how you can improve your home insulation in the exterior walls:

Resolve air leaks or moisture problems in all exterior walls before you begin adding insulation. Feel for drafts coming in, and look for indications of mold or mildew on interior or exterior wall surfaces. Check all the usual suspects: window and door trim, locations where pipes and electrical conduits enter the house, and plumbing vents. Use caulk or expanding foam to close the gaps.
Evaluate your existing insulation. On the outside of your home, remove small portions of the siding in unobtrusive spots. and drill a small hole through the stud wall behind it. Or, drill a small hole between studs in inconspicuous interior locations like closets. Insert a probe into the wall, and verify that insulation is present in the wall cavity. Extract a sample of the insulation from the wall to determine the insulation type and condition. Take samples at several locations, including a few on upper levels, to make sure insulation is installed consistently throughout your home.
Access the U.S. Department of Energy’s R-Value Recommendations Calculator to determine the optimum R-value (resistance value) for any insulation that you want to add. A insulation’s R-value measures it resistance to heat transfer. Loose-fill insulation made of fiberglass, rock wool or cellulose can be added to walls to fill gaps and supplement existing insulation. A qualified contractor can blow in the additional insulation through holes created in the exterior of the wall, the interior of the wall, or it can be blown down into the wall from the attic or up from the basement.

For more information, or to set up an appointment to have one of our expert technicians evaluate your home’s current insulation, contact Modern Mechanical. We’re the homeowner’s resource for heating and cooling in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Contact us today for more tips on insulation and energy efficiency.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Insulation image via Shutterstock

Your Heat-Pump System Includes These 5 Components: Learn How To Maximize Your Investment

Shawn Mitchell — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:06 +0000

If you’re in the market for a heat-pump system, you already may know that you can save as much as 40 percent on your electricity usage by switching to a heat pump from a furnace. However, you might not know what the five key components are in a heat-pump system, or how they work together to help a heat pump run efficiently and maintain your home’s comfort.

Here’s a quick primer on your heat-pump system’s five main components:

Heat-pump thermostat: The thermostat controls the heat or cooling mode through a reversing valve or a four-way valve. It determines the direction of the refrigeration process, depending on the temperature that you set.
Defrost controls: Heat pumps tend to work below the outside air’s dew point. As a result, frost or ice can collect on the coils, so a defrost control can be necessary to start the defrost cycle. When defrost mode starts, controls move the reversing valve to the air-conditioning mode. The condenser coils become hot, which melts frost and ice. When the defrost time expires, the heat pump reversing valve switches back to the heating mode.
Reversing valve: The reversing valve reverses the flow of refrigeration, so refrigerant can absorb heat from the air, and move it in the necessary direction. This way heat pumps can switch between heating and cooling mode. A heat pump needs to be able to use its metering device to drop the temperature of the refrigerant below the outdoor temperature in order to produce heat effectively. The tipping point occurs when refrigerant is not cool enough to absorb heat, and thus, heat your home.
Outdoor thermostat: Outdoor thermostats measure the outdoor air’s temperature, and then turn the heat pump’s condenser off when it reaches the tipping point. This saves energy because the heat pump is not running when it cannot heat the home comfortably.
Accumulator: When operating in cold weather, the accumulator gathers any liquid refrigerant before it enters the compressor, and boils it into vapor. This helps prevent the liquid refrigerant from slugging the compressor, thus, preventing irreparable damage to the heat pump. Heat pumps work best in locations where the temperatures seldom fall below freezing, though they can work with supplemental heaters just about anywhere.

For more information on heat-pump systems, and whether or not one is suitable for your Northern Virginia home, contact the experts at Modern Mechanical. We provide high-quality, professional HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and plumbing services to customers in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties, as well as Arlington.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat-pump systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

A Tankless Water Heater Saves Energy, But How Many Will You Need?

Shawn Mitchell — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:34 +0000

As much as 25 percent of utility costs in the average household is for the storage water heating system. Up to one-third of that expense, 8 percent of utility costs, is wasted to standby heat loss — re-heating stored water. Considering this, households of all sizes can benefit from a tankless water heating system.

Energy savings

A tankless water heater heats water on its way to the outlet that you turn on. When you turn off the hot-water outlet, the tankless heater shuts off. Conversely, a traditional storage tank water heater takes in cold water, warms it up, and then expends energy keeping it warm, in the tank, until you need it. Heat seeps out of the tank, in what’s known as standby heat loss. Therefore, a tankless water heater enables you to avoid this energy loss.

Determining how many tankless units you need

Depending on how much hot water you and your family use regularly, and the size and layout of locations in which you’ll need hot water, you may need to install more than one tankless unit.

To install the most efficient combination of tankless units, you should calculate the temperature rise necessary to heat incoming water to your desired temperature, and then determine the flow rate for each of your home’s outlets or appliances. The flow rate is the gallons per minute (GPM) that the outlet or appliance produces. Your household’s total flow rate is the sum of maximum hot water applications in use at one time.

These figures are important because each tankless unit’s flow rate is the GPM of hot water it can supply, when you factor temperature rise and loss. Because water loses heat as it travels through your pipes, then say you have converted remote attic space into a bedroom and bathroom. A tankless unit that you locate centrally in your home would have to have a higher flow rate to supply that distant bathroom with comfortable hot water.

Tankless versatility

You can size and combine tankless water heaters to meet your specific needs. You could install a small point-of-use unit under a sink to provide quick hot water, and then install a medium-size unit for the dishwasher and kitchen sink. A large whole-house unit could supply hot water for multiple bathrooms and the washing machine. It depends on how many hot water applications you use simultaneously.

Call the water heating pros at Modern Mechanical in Northern Virginia. We’ll help you design a tankless water-heating system that delivers optimal efficiency, and quick flow of hot water on demand.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!

Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock

Indoor Air-Quality Equipment Options For Better Home Comfort

Shawn Mitchell — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:00:40 +0000

Your indoor air will greatly affect how you feel on a day-to-day basis, and if your air is filled with contaminants, it will threaten your overall health. In particular, poor air quality can aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms in a home’s occupants. Fortunately, there are a few indoor air-quality equipment options you can use to rid your home’s air of impurities.

Air Purifier

Used to filter particles and contaminants from your home, air purifiers can greatly increase your indoor air quality. Available in portable or whole-house models, this indoor air-quality equipment removes a wide array of contaminants including dust, dander, odors and fungus spores.

Ventilation System

Adding a ventilation system to your home will help expel the particles from the air and alleviate the stuffiness and stale odor that plague too many homes. When outside conditions allow it, homeowners can provide natural ventilation by opening windows and doors. A ventilation system will keep your home fresh no matter what the weather’s like outside.

Humidifier

If the air in your home has too little moisture, it will leave your eyes, lips and skin dry and uncomfortable. Furthermore, this dry air increases the amount of static buildup in your home. Even though static charge is merely an annoying problem to most people, it can damage electronics in your home. A humidifier increases the amount of moisture in the air, which will reduce the unpleasant side effects of dry air. This piece of indoor air-quality equipment is available in single units and whole-house models. While humidification becomes less of a necessity now that spring has arrived, you might find end-of-winter deals that can save you money.

Dehumidifier

Too much moisture in your home’s air can lead to all-too-common enemies of homeowners: mold and mildew. These fast-spreading fungi release spores into your home’s air and can trigger headaches, fatigue and nausea. Furthermore, too much moisture leaves your home smelling musty and damp. A dehumidifier pulls the moisture from the air and can help keep damp areas such as basements dry.

For more expert advice about indoor air-quality equipment, contact Modern Mechanical. We provide heating and air conditioning services to Northern Virginia and nearby parts of Maryland.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air-quality equipment and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Modern Mechanical services the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!