Over the next 12-16 weeks we call summer, we will see many serious thunderstorms roll through the city and like every other year, we will be flooded with calls from concerned homeowners when their home AC system stops working after a storm passes their home! In some cases, the AC doesn’t work, but the fan runs non-stop, regardless of what you do, recirculating the warm air into your home.!

In this article, we wanted to cover a few safety precautions you can take, as well as a few quick things to check before you call us for AC Repair. While there is no way we can cover every component or equipment check our technicians will need to do after a lightning strike, it’s a good DIY starting point.

What To Do If You Think Lightning Hit Your Air Conditioner or Heat Pump

1 – Document the Event!

The first thing we suggest you do, is document the storm and all possible damage for insurance purposes. You will want to get a note paper and write down the date and time of the possible lightning strike, as well as your recollection of what happened. If you have a small video camera, like a flip camera, that can come in handy as well.

While this may sound trivial, it can be important for insurance adjusters to have when they review your claim. Remember, the burden of proof is yours.

2 – Check Your Thermostat

Go to your thermostat in the hall or whatever room it’s in. If it is an electric thermostat, make sure the light is lit and the thermostat has power. Turn it on, and set the temperature to trigger the fan unit to come on.

• If the thermostat does not work, check your breaker.
• If its a battery operated thermostat, replace the battery.
• If all power issues have been checked and the thermostat still won’t work, call us.

3 – Check the Fan Unit

In split system cooling, you have an indoor fan and an outdoor condenser. After you made sure the thermostat works and is telling the ac system to start, you should hear the fan and/or outdoor condenser start up almost simultaneously. If the fan unit does not start:

• Check the circuit breaker.
• If you reset the breaker and it trips back off as soon as the system tries to start, call us.
• If the power is on but the unit wont start up, it may be related to the outdoor unit.

4 – Check the Outdoor Condenser

In almost all cases, your outdoor condenser, whether air conditioner or heat pump, is likely to have 2 circuit breakers within a few feet of the unit. Follow the large gray colored electric whip to the panel and check the breakers inside.

• If the breakers are in the On position, reset them by switching off, then back on.
• If one or both immediately trip back off, call us immediately.

Other Considerations

Most Insurance companies will not pay for the entire system to be replaced, and want to focus on only the parts that failed. The main issue with this, is that 6 months down the road you could have another failure like a motor or compressor that was damaged during the storm months before, and the Insurance company will not pay twice.

While there is no way to fully test for these types of future breakdowns, when we repair an air conditioner or heat pump repair after a lightning strike, we run it through full load tests for long periods of time, thus minimizing the risk of failure due to the lightning.

Did Lightning Strike Near Your Air Conditioner?

Call Us Today for a Full System Inspection and Repair

Over almost 30 years of crawling and climbing, we have picked up a few tips along the way that will not only help you prepare for the summer cooling season, but also help us do our job, should your air conditioner break, and we get the pleasure of climbing inside!

HVAC Located in Attics

Having your home HVAC system in the attic is actually very common in Charlotte. Most of the time, you will have a pull down set of stairs (at least we hope you do) that gives us some kind of access to your home attic.

Try Not to Stack boxes Around Your HVAC System!

If the Service Technician needs to spend an hour rearranging your attic just to find the hvac system, they may never get there! Attics can reach more than 150 degrees in the summer months and it’s not uncommon for a technician to work in 5-10 minute increments, to avoid overheating!

Expect Us to Arrive Early!

If we are going to replace or repair your air conditioner, you can expect us to be at your home by 7:30am if the unit is in your attic! If we wait until 10, it might just be too hot to get started!

Consider Having Us Install an Attic Fan!

We can be in and out in just a few hours, and your attic, shingles and service technician will thank you forever!

HVAC in The Crawl Space

Just as common as the attic, many Charlotte residents have HVAC units installed in their crawl space! Aside from the bugs, snakes and critters we commonly encounter in crawl spaces, it’s very important to remember the following:

Keep Your Crawlspace Clean of Debris!

We can usually tell how long it’s been since your last service, by the number of things stacked between the inside of the crawl space door, and the hvac unit!

If You Seal or Insulate The CrawlSpace – Leave it To a Pro!

There is much more to increasing the efficiency of your crawl space than simply spreading plastic and closing the vents! We are happy to share these stories with you any time… but think “Swimming Pool” and you get the picture!

Schedule Your Spring AC Service Now

Like we mentioned earlier this month, it’s the perfect time to have your annual air conditioner service done to prepare for the long summer!

Clear away the path in the attic, open the crawl space door, and call us out now! Don’t wait until it breaks down!

Spring may not be when most of us start thinking about air conditioning, but now is most definitely the right time to call us for your air conditioning system’s annual spring checkup! Many of our customers have added their AC tune-up directly to their spring cleaning list, to make sure the whole home is prepared for the arrival of summer.

Spring Cooling System Check Up!

You home cooling system has a number of components that we inspect as a part of your spring air conditioner checkup. While some of the standard cleaning items can be done on your own, much of the air conditioner check up is  a job best left to the professionals, no matter how handy you may be elsewhere around the home. Central air conditioning units are complex pieces of equipment.

Call 704-333-0363 or email Lisa to have your AC Service scheduled today!

Visual Inspection

One of the first things we do, is an overall visual inspection of your entire HVAC system! We look for the warnings signs that signal there may be something wrong with the HVAC system. This may include:

• Rust or Corrosion
• Standing Water in Drain Pans
• Water or Moisture Stains on Equipment
• Scorching or Signs of Overheating
• Hanging or Improperly Sealed Duct
• Much more…

Electrical Systems and Components

After our visual inspection, we test the electronic control systems of your air conditioner, testing the capacitors, switches, circuit boards and relays, for proper operation. This also includes a thorough inspection of all electrical and thermostat wiring on the system, to be sure there are no broken or chaffed wires and all connections are tight and ready for the long cooling season.

Cooling Components Checkup

Next on the spring AC checklist are your evaporator coil and condensate drain line. The coil is a key part of your home air conditioning system and if it’s not clean and working properly, your AC is not going to work, or at best, work with lower efficiency! The condensate drain line carries water condensation away from the evaporator coil, and if this becomes clogged or improperly connected to the rest of the drain system, your AC system can become flooded and you could have a very bad mess on your hands!

Operation and Functionality

Once we are satisfied that the electrical and component systems are in operating condition, we start your AC system and check for proper operation. We check your air conditioning unit’s coolant levels, compressor start and run system, as well as all safety and control systems on the running unit. While the unit is running, we will also check the disconnect switch to make sure that it is in good working order, as this is a vital part of safety for your AC system.

Schedule your Spring AC Tune Up Today!

Call 704-333-0363 or email Lisa to have your AC Service scheduled today!

7 Ways to Save on Heating Costs

Always Keep Doors and Windows Closed!

Our fathers all used to ask the same question… Did you grow up in a barn? Keeping exterior doors closed all the time can save a considerable amount of your heat!

As far as windows… just because they appear closed, walk up and make sure both the Top and Bottom are firmly closed to the sash! Many time, the top window can slide down just a half-inch, and let a lot of your heat out the gap!

Install a Programmable Thermostat

Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to automatically program small temperature  swings, based on when you are home, awake, and need the heat! Reducing the inside temp just 5 degrees during the day when nobody is home can save a considerable amount on your heating bill!

Contact us today and we will gladly provide an estimate to install a programmable thermostat.

Replace Your Filters Every 30 Days

A heating system struggling to get air – well, it has to work harder! Working harder means less efficient!

Change your filters often!

Cover Drafty Windows with Plastic Window Kits in Winter

Run over to Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick up one of the Window Plastic kits! They install in 5 minutes per window, heat the edges with a blow dryer, and you have instantly sealed your windows for the winter!

Use Bathroom Ceiling Fans Sparingly!

The vent fan in your bathroom is nothing but a pump! If you leave it running when nobody is in the bathroom, you are simply pumping the warm air out of your home! Turn off your vent fans when the shower is not running!

Have a Heating System Tune Up Every Year

We cannot stress enough, the importance of keeping your heating system properly tuned with an annual heating system tune up!

An improperly running gas furnace or heat pump can run 30-40% longer than it needs to, wasting a lot of energy for no reason!

If your System Is Older – Replace It with a High Efficiency Unit

A gas furnace that’s just 15 years old is far less efficient than one made today! When you combine the Savings with a New Furnace to the Stimulus Tax Credits for HVAC, it just makes sense to install a new Trane or Carrier Gas Furnace or high efficiency Heat Pump System this year! Call us, or request a Free HVAC Quote today!

What Money Saving Tips do You Have?

Why Do Heat Exchangers Crack?

Cracks in metal surfaces are caused by stress and flexing of the metal. Each time your furnace heats up and cools down, this cycle will naturally cause the metal surfaces to contract and expand, applying more stress to the metal and ultimately resulting in a crack or failure of the heat exchanger. This is a natural process that happens to every furnace over time and the rate at which it happens to yours, just depends on how the unit is maintained, and the quality of your installation.

If you have ever owned a gas grill, you have seen the cracks that develop around the edges of the metal burner surface. These are very similar to heat exchanger cracks, in the way the metal burner goes through many heating and cooling cycles, eventually developing small hairline cracks. Over longer periods of time, those small cracks eventually turn into bigger cracks.

Premature Cracks in the Heat Exchanger

As previously mentioned, natural expansion and contraction of the metal surfaces will create cracks in the heat exchanger over several years of normal operation. Premature cracks however, can also occur very early in the life of your furnace without proper maintenance or an improper installation.

Common Causes of Premature Heat Exchanger Cracks

• Improper Air Flow
  Dirty filters, closed off vents and furniture blocking return vents can contribute to improper air flow to your unit, causing the the system to work harder than it was designed!
• Improper Combustion of Gases
  Hand in hand with the airflow restrictions, when your burners are not firing properly, they can run hotter, or at lower efficiency than the unit is designed to work.
• Improper Displacement of Condensation
  Most common in furnaces that have not been run (heat or cool) in a long time, condensation accumulates in the heat exchanger, eventually rusting out the system.

The life of a heat exchanger is about 20 years with regular gas furnace maintenance.  Gas packs, or Gas Package Units, are known to wear out faster than other units, since they are exposed to the weather and susceptible to the heating, cooling and most importantly, condensation cycle more often.

In the current heating season of 2009-2010, roughly 65% of all cracked heat exchangers we have replaced were on gas packs, less than 10 years old!

Do You Have a Cracked Heat Exchanger?

In most cases, the heat exchanger repair is simply not worth the cost on a furnace more than 8-10 years old! Other parts may have been exposed to the same conditions that caused the heat exchanger to fail, and you end up in a cycle of repairing several parts within a short time frame.

Call us or request a repair quote today – we are always happy to provide a second opinion, and recommend what we feel is best for your specific situation.

In most cases, unless you have scheduled routine furnace maintenance, you may not even know you have cracks or holes in the unit, until the heating system fails!

This article aims to help you understand the functions of your furnace heat exchanger and the life threatening dangers of running your system with a cracked heat exchanger.

What Is The Furnace Heat Exchanger?

The non-technical definition is that the heat exchanger is a series of tubes or ribbons inside your furnace that form a chamber of sorts, designed to separate the hot gases and flames of the heating system from the forced air passing over it, and being spread throughout your home.

When you furnace ignites, a flame is generated. That flame and the hot gases are routed into the heat exchanger, and eventually out the flue, or exhaust system. The tubes or ribbons naturally heat up as the unit runs. When the blower turns on, the air is forced to pass through or over the heat exchanger, thus warming the air and sending it through your home in the form of heat!

The Dangers of a Bad Heat Exchanger!

While natural gas or propane burns very clean, the combustion process can produce small amounts of CO, or Carbon Monoxide. CO is known as the deadly killer, because it is odorless, colorless and tasteless. In other words, you would never know if there is CO being put into your home without a CO Detector.

When your heat exchanger has holes, cracks, or rusted out sections, the air passing over it can actually spread those dangerous gases into your home! Having your heating system inspected annually can detect heat exchanger problems before they get out of hand and put your or your family at risk!

If you have been told you have a bad heat exchanger, we are always happy to provide a second opinion, or an estimate to repair or replace the furnace. Contact us today!

Short Video of a Bad Heat Exchanger

We have been through many of these winter freezes over the last 25+ years of serving Charlotte customers, and wanted to offer 5 simple tips to make sure you are ready for the freezing temperatures!

5 Ways To Prepare for Freezing Temps in Charlotte

It goes without saying – Being Prepared for the Worse, Will Always Yield the Best Results! By following these simple steps below, you can rest assured you are prepared in case of a freezing emergency!

Make Sure Your Heating & Plumbing Systems are Ready!

More than just turning them on to be sure they operate correctly – Your heating system is going to be asked to do quite a bit of added work over the next week, a few precautions now could save you a service call, and keep you warm when others fail!

• If you have an oil heating system, make sure you have oil and a clean filter on hand!
• If yours is a Heat Pump System, make sure the outdoor condenser is clear of all debris, and the fan motor starts properly!
• Heat Pump owners should also switch the thermostat to emergency heat, to be sure it works properly!
• Any forced air systems should change their filters now, if not done in the last 3 weeks!
• All outdoor water pipes should be wrapped in insulation!
• If your kitchen sink is on an outside wall, leave the cabinet doors under the sink open! This will keep the pipes a bit warmer and help prevent freezing.

If You Have a Fireplace – Prepare it for Use!

Your fireplace can be a great source of backup heat when all else fails! In the ice storm of 2002, fireplaces kept many of the 1.3 million without power, warm until it was restored!

• Make sure your flue is clean!
• Make sure the damper operates!
• Set your stockpile of firewood closer to where you need it!
• Stack wood in the fireplace, ready to light!
• Make sure you have matches or a long-tip lighter ready to go!

Visit the ATM and Get Some Cash in Hand!

Nothing works like cash! While we are not expecting any ice during this cold blast, there may still be trees that fall onto power lines and render ATM and charge card terminals useless! If you lose power or your heating system fails, you may need to get to a motel in a hurry! Having some cash in your hand will be the easiest way to make sure you get a warm place to sleep!

Fill Your Car with Gas, and Check the Antifreeze!

Gas stations always have a little bit of water that accumulates within their tanks & the same holds true for your own car! When you go below 1/8th tank of gas, the fuel to water ratio is greatly increased and when freezing temps come around, you risk freezing. By keeping your tank full of gas, you can sleep at night knowing the car will start in the morning!

If your vehicle has nothing but water in the radiator, you should look for a way to park it in a garage in severe cold temps, or face the thought that the water may just freeze! The easiest solution is to make sure you run a 50/50 mix of coolant in yur radiator. It will not only help the car run cooler in the summer months, but prevent freezing in the winter!

Always Have a Backup Plan!

Regardless of how prepared you are, there is always the risk of failure of one or more of the preparations you take. Use the following list below to make sure you have a backup plan!

• Put the Phone Number of your Emergency Heating Repair and Plumber on the Refrigerator! B&E has put all of our heating technicians on call for the next week, and we will always have a service tech within 1 hour of your home! Our 24 Hour Emergency Heat number is 704-333-0363
• Unpack your Spare Blankets, and make sure they are handy and ready for use!
• Have your flashlight and spare batteries ready to go!
• If you have space heaters, get them out today and make sure they work!
• Make sure you always have a Fire Extinguisher in your home and readily charged for use!

Share Your Own Tips Below!

There is an endless supply of emergency preparation tips – why don’t you share some of those you find to be the best? Here are some additional resources you can read.

• About.com – Extreme Cold Weather Planning
• Ready.gov – Storms and Extreme Cold

Carbon Monoxide

Millions of homeowners are exposed to Carbon Monoxide and do not know it until the family is exposed to a harmful amount at or about 70 ppm (parts per million) for over 3.5 hours. International limits for unsafe levels are between 15 and 35 ppm.

Carbon Monoxide can come from additional sources in your home besides your heating equipment. These sources include: Hot Water Heater, Gas Range Stove, Gas Logs, Space Heaters, Boilers, and even attached garages. B&E Air Conditioning & Heating can test CO levels in any building, identify the source, and correct the problem.

The following are steps to take to reduce Carbon Monoxide exposure at home

• Carbon Monoxide by vehicle is deadly. Move it outside and out of the garage to warm up
• Do not use a gas oven to heat your home. It can produce high CO levels when doors are open
• Double check gas furnace and water heater for damaged or disconnected flue pipe
• Double check that the fire place flue is open when in use
• Keep combustion appliances clear to allow combustion air from entering the room
• Do not burn charcoal or gas BBQs in a garage or enclosed area
• Do not use unvented kerosene or gas space heaters indoors for long periods of time
• Do not start a lawn mower or other gas powered appliances in the garage or shed
• Be aware of CO poison and act immediately if symptoms are realized
• Have a low level CO monitor in your home

A minimum amount of liability, workers compensation, and bond is required. There should be enough insurance coverage for all jobs that are bid and performed to protect the company and the consumer.

With all the doom-and-gloom news about the economy, we are thankful that B&E is still running strong. When asked how we manage to have stay in business, we offer the following tips and strategies for keeping our doors open and new customers calling:

• Do not slack off on your marketing and advertising
• Emphasize your licensing, insurance, and professionalism
• Save cash, negotiate with your vendors, train and innovate
• Resist the temptation of credit cards
• Stretch your business budget by managing small stuff such as keeping your heating and air expenses in check. Keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler (or warmer) can add up

B&E Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. is Celebrating  27 Years
We want to express our thanks to our loyal customers

How to Save on Your Energy Bill and on Taxes

Here’s How it Works:
You get a tax break for installing energy efficient gas furnaces, gas packaged units, air conditioners, and heat pumps – of up to 30 percent of the product cost or up to the $1,500 maximum.

Savvy Charlotte homeowners are taking advantage of this incentive to go green.  To be eligible for these tax credits, save your receipts and the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement for your records when filing your 2010 taxes. Also look for Manufacturer’s offering rebates for additional savings.

Qualifying Equipment:
Packaged Unit Air Conditioner / 14 SEER or Higher and 12 EER
Gas Furnace / 95 percent minimum
Split System Air Conditioner / 16 SEER or Higher and 13 EER
Heat Pump / 15 Seer or Higher, 8.5 HSPF, and 12.5 EER

Duke Energy Cash Incentive
Duke Energy is offering a $200 cash incentive when you install a high-efficiency Heat Pump or Air Conditioner. Equipment  must also be equipped with a high-efficiency fan motor (ECM) on the indoor furnace.

Qualifying Equipment:
Heat Pumps / 14 SEER, ECM Fan Motor on indoor furnace, and 8.2 HSPF
Air Conditioners / 14 SEER and ECM Fan Motor

Piedmont Natural Gas Incentives
Designed for cost savings with long-term use of efficient equipment, the current programs include rebates available for PNG customers. High -efficiency natural gas equipment are eligible for:

$300 for a high-efficiency furnace
(AFUE = 90% or higher)

Note that not all new equipment qualify for the above incentives. B&E will provide you with a Certificate of Product Performance from AHRI,  the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute. Contact a B&E Air Conditioning & Heating representative for additional questions.

For more information about energy efficiency and the Federal Tax Credit, please visit energystar.gov/taxcredits or Duke Energy , and Piedmont Natural Gas for additional program requirements.