Air Advice | Blog & Articles | Hunter’s Air & Heat, Inc.

Cleaning Your Furnace or Heat Pump

January 12, 2022

A furnace is a heating system that uses gas, oil, or electricity to heat air that passes through ducts into your home. A heat pump is like an air conditioner that works in reverse. It takes the cold air from inside your home and passes it through liquid refrigerant coils outside. The liquid refrigerant absorbs the heat from the indoor air, warms up, and starts to evaporate. Then it cools down as it condenses back into a liquid again and returns indoors to repeat the process until it has done its job of heating your house. Cleaning your furnace or heat pump, as well as getting routine maintenance, can help your unit run more smoothly. Cleaning Basics for Your Heat Pump or Furnace Over time, furnace filters will collect dust and debris. This can cause them to work less effectively, which leads to an increase in the energy consumption of your furnace. If you do not clean your furnace regularly, it will emit unpleasant odors and grow harmful bacteria or fungi. This guide should help you know how to clean your furnace or heat pump. Step 1 – Turn Off the Furnace or Heat Pump The first thing you want...

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What’s Causing Your Furnace to Rust?

December 20, 2021

Since furnaces do not use water or steam to produce heat, you wouldn’t expect to find rust on them, but you’re almost certain to come across a little of it on a furnace’s surface or inside its compartments. Oxidation is normal, and as long as there’s not too much, there’s no cause for concern. A great deal of rust is another matter. Are you wondering where the rust could have come from? Here are some possible causes. High Levels of Humidity Humidity is water vapor or gaseous water found in the air. Although you can’t see it, humidity is everywhere. Some areas have higher levels than others. Also, different times of the year have varying magnitudes of humidity depending on the temperature. Such high volumes could bring about rust on your furnace. Also, water leakage around the heater increases humidity in the air and predisposes the furnace to rust. Exhaust Fumes A furnace works by burning fuel to produce the heat that warms your home. However, as the exhaust pipe or blower expels warm air, a vacuum is left. Naturally, cold air rushes in to fill it. If the area has high humidity, the cooler air has a lot of...

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8 Reasons Your Furnace May Be Leaking on the Floor

November 17, 2021

Issues with furnaces can range from minor to major, but they all result in an unpleasant experience. Issues with the furnace can be hard to identify. A common problem that many homeowners run into is a leaking furnace. While this is not necessarily a complicated or expensive issue, it does have the potential of being both if the problem is not fixed in time. Luckily, our professionals are here to help. Our technicians can identify and repair any issues your furnace might be having. Here are some of the reasons why your furnace is leaking on the floor. 1. Seal Failure One of the most common reasons for a furnace to leak is because of a seal failure. Several seals are located on the furnace, and one of them is the primary seal. This seal is located at the bottom of your furnace between it and the floor. It helps keep your home free of any fumes that the furnace may give off while it’s running, which means that if this seal is faulty, then gas can travel into your home. Fortunately, the replacement of this seal is an easy fix, and it will ensure that your furnace is not...

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Should You Use a Humidifier or Dehumidifier This Winter?

October 20, 2021

When you think about temperature control and maintaining a comfortable indoor environment during the winter, you likely think about keeping your home warm. While heat is a key element to indoor air quality and comfort during the winter, it is just one factor. Humidity plays a critical role in keeping your home comfortable. Proper humidity levels prevent mold growth and minimize the occurrence of respiratory illnesses. Finding and maintaining the right balance of humidity in your home can be challenging. Should you use a humidifier or a dehumidifier to keep your home comfortable during the winter months? Using a Humidifier During the Winter Before determining which appliance is right for your home, it is good for you to understand how humidity levels are affected by seasonal changes. Typically, your home should have a humidity level of between 40% and 50%. These numbers will fluctuate based on how humid it is outside. Cold air during the winter is dry. Typically, you are going to use a humidifier in your home more frequently than you would a dehumidifier. The colder the areas in your home, the dryer the indoor air will become. You can do things like applying weather stripping or patching...

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What Exactly Is Furnace Maintenance?

September 22, 2021

The seasons have once again turned cold, and your mind is turning toward your furnace and keeping your house warm. Part of these thoughts should focus on your furnace maintenance and wondering if it’s getting all the attention it should. Here’s what should be included during your annual furnace maintenance appointment and why scheduling it is a must every fall. Why Furnace Maintenance Is a Must With all that the fall brings with it, you may be tempted to skip your furnace maintenance. Before you do, take a few minutes to understand why it’s important to keep your house safe and comfortable. As your heater runs, its efficiency slowly degrades, costing you more in utility costs. It also causes more wear on your system, resulting in more frequent furnace repairs. One of the major goals of maintenance is to maintain your furnace’s efficiency. Most manufacturers recognize the need for maintenance to keep their heating systems working properly. As such, routine professional maintenance is often a term of your warranty with a new heater. If you skip your annual maintenance, you may be left with unexpected repair bills due to faulty components. Getting Things Clean Your heating system draws in air...

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End of Summer Maintenance

August 3, 2021

Most air conditioners work at high capacity all summer long. Throughout the hottest days of this season, they’re subjected to a tremendous amount of stress. As the end of summer draws near, it’s important to start getting your air conditioner ready for short-term, seasonal retirement. With these six end-of-summer maintenance tips, you can make sure that your home cooling equipment is ready to reliably perform when the warm weather comes back around. 1. Change Out the Air Filter Air filter changes are both the easiest form of AC maintenance that homeowners can perform and the most important. These components capture and collect airborne particulates to improve indoor air quality and limit stress on the entire system. If you use your air conditioner every day during the summer, you should probably change your filter every two months. If you only use it moderately, you may be able to change it every three months. However, at the end of the season, always wrap things up with a fresh, clean filter. To give your system the best start in the coming summer, you may even want to upgrade this component from the stock fiberglass option that it came with to a higher-quality, pleated...

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Making the Best Use of Your Air Conditioning

July 27, 2021

By ensuring that you use your air conditioning system efficiently, you reduce your electricity bills. Additionally, efficient AC usage prevents overworking the unit and, therefore, prolongs its life. The following are ways to get the best out of your air conditioner. Seal Your Home Typically, the air conditioner works by taking the heat from your indoor environment to the outdoor environment. Now, since the outdoor environment is essentially warmer than your house, nature will balance the temperatures by having the hot temperatures move into your home. To prevent heat from entering your house, seal it off using insulation material that prevents air movement. With this trick, you save on bills and keep your house cool without having to overwork the AC. Keep the Sun Out You don’t need an air conditioner to keep your house temperatures down. You can keep the heat away by ensuring that the sun rays don’t reach the interior of your house. One good way to prevent this is to plant trees in your yard so that your house is in the shade. Planting bushes or shade trees in front of windows will not only keep the sun out, but it will also provide privacy. Another...

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How Does Central Air Conditioning Work?

June 7, 2021

Many of us are familiar with the term “centralized air conditioning system.” In fact, most of us have one in our homes. However, many of us don’t quite understand how an air conditioner works. Rather, we just set the thermostat to the temperature that we want and enjoy the outcome of the process. Understanding Heat Transfer The majority of people that are asked to explain how an air conditioner works will state that the air conditioner cools the air in their home. While that is the overall effect of the entire air conditioning process, that’s not really an accurate description of how it works. The air conditioning process is actually a heat transfer process. The system inside of your home is designed to take the heat from inside your home and transfer it outside. In reality, this whole process is conditioning the heat from the air inside of your home. Setting Your Thermostat Every air conditioning system has a thermostat that controls when the system operates and when it shuts off. A typical thermostat will display the actual temperature inside of your home. It will also display the desired temperature that you can set. For example, your thermostat may read...

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How Many Watts Does an Air Conditioner Use?

May 16, 2021

The summertime heat in Wharton, TX, is intense. Air conditioning will likely account for up to 40% of your summertime electricity bills. As the weather gets hotter, your air conditioner will have to work harder to keep your home comfortable. It’s important to know how many watts of power your air conditioner uses. The total watt usage of your air conditioner has a big impact on your electricity bill, and it can also tell you if something’s gone awry with your cooling system. What Is a Watt? A watt is a unit of electrical power. It is one joule per second. The watt is used as a measure of energy transfer. Your electricity bill likely shows how many kilowatt-hours of power you used during the billing cycle. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. The watt was named after James Watt, who was a Scottish inventor. Window Air Conditioners Window air conditioners are designed to be installed in a window during the cooling season. The humidity drains to the outdoors. In the winter, these units are removed from the window. A window air conditioner may be used in a bedroom in a home without central air conditioning. They can also be used...

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How Do UV Light Indoor Air Quality Products Work?

April 13, 2021

The quality of indoor air can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor air quality. Some common pollutants in the air include pollen, dust, bacteria, viruses, and other forms of microorganisms. Ultraviolet (UV) light has chemical properties that allow it to inactivate several types of harmful pollutants. When installed in the HVAC system or used as a standalone system, a UV light air purification system can clean the air inside your home, allowing you and your family to breathe cleaner and healthier air. Here is a look at how UV indoor air purification systems work. What Makes UV Light Inactivate Pollutants? UV light is a chemical-free way to kill bacteria, mold, and other forms of pollutants. For decades, UV light solutions have been used for disinfection purposes. The UV light solutions are designed to provide UV-C type radiation. It is one of three types of UV radiations emitted by the sun. The other two types are UV-A and UV-B radiations. The UV-C type light from the sun does not reach us, as it is completely absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. UV light is made of small protons that vibrate at a certain wavelength and frequency. The type of UV...

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