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As the chill of winter begins to thaw and the promise of warmer days looms on the horizon, we Kansas Citians are gearing up for the transition from heating to cooling. However, the change in seasons can sometimes reveal issues with HVAC systems that lay dormant during the colder months.

If your furnace or air conditioner is not working properly, here are some common problems that residents in our area may face in early spring. We’ll also provide tips on how to fix them!

Clogged Air Filters:

The most problem we see is clogged air filters. Over the winter months, dust, dirt, and other debris accumulates in the filters. This reduces airflow and makes the system work harder to heat or cool the home.

Solution: Regularly check and replace your air filter to ensure optimal airflow and energy efficiency.

Thermostat Malfunctions:

Fluctuating temperatures in early spring can sometimes cause thermostat malfunctions, leading to inconsistent heating or cooling in the home.

Easy Fixes for Thermostat Problems:

1. Check Power Source: Begin troubleshooting by ensuring that the thermostat has power. If it’s battery-operated, replace the batteries with fresh ones. For hardwired thermostats, check the circuit breaker to ensure there’s power to the HVAC system.
   
2. Clean and Calibrate: Dust and debris accumulation can affect the accuracy of temperature readings. Use a soft brush or compressed air to clean the thermostat’s interior components gently. Additionally, some thermostats may need recalibration to ensure accurate temperature readings.
   
3. Verify Settings: Double-check the thermostat settings to ensure they are correctly configured for heating or cooling mode, depending on the weather. Also, check the fan settings to ensure they are set to the desired mode (auto or on).
   
4. Check for Obstructions: Ensure that the thermostat is not obstructed by any objects that could interfere with its temperature readings, such as curtains, furniture, or electronic devices.

When to Call a Professional: While some thermostat issues can be resolved with simple troubleshooting steps, usually you’ll want a professional to handle your thermostat problem. Consider calling a HVAC technician if:

1. The thermostat continues to display incorrect temperature readings or fails to respond after troubleshooting steps have been attempted.
   
2. There are signs of wiring issues, such as exposed wires, loose connections, or burnt components.
   
3. The HVAC system fails to turn on or maintain the desired temperature despite proper thermostat settings and troubleshooting efforts.
   
4. The thermostat is outdated or malfunctioning and requires replacement or upgrades.

Refrigerant Leaks:

Refrigerant plays a crucial role in the cooling process of your HVAC system. It absorbs heat from the indoor air and transfers it outside. However, refrigerant leaks disrupt this process, and lead to diminished cooling. Below are some symptoms of refrigerant leaks and how to address them effectively.

Symptoms of Refrigerant Leaks:

1. Reduced Cooling: One of the primary indicators of a refrigerant leak is a noticeable decrease in the cooling performance of your HVAC system. If your air conditioner struggles to maintain the desired temperature despite regular operation, it could be due to insufficient refrigerant levels caused by a leak.
   
2. Warm Air Blowing from Vents: When refrigerant levels are low due to a leak, the air blowing from your vents may feel warmer than usual. This occurs because the refrigerant is unable to absorb and transfer heat effectively, resulting in compromised cooling efficiency.
   
3. Ice Buildup on Refrigerant Lines: Another visible sign of a refrigerant leak is the formation of ice or frost on the refrigerant lines or evaporator coil of your air conditioner. Low refrigerant levels can cause the remaining refrigerant to expand rapidly, leading to condensation and freezing of moisture on the components.
   
4. Hissing or Bubbling Sounds: In some cases, you may hear hissing or bubbling sounds coming from your HVAC system, particularly near the indoor or outdoor unit. These noises can indicate the presence of a refrigerant leak, as the escaping gas creates pressure changes within the system.
   
5. Elevated Energy Bills: A refrigerant leak can force your HVAC system to work harder to achieve the desired level of cooling, resulting in increased energy consumption and higher utility bills. If you notice a sudden spike in your energy costs without a corresponding increase in usage, it could be due to a refrigerant leak.

Steps to Address Refrigerant Leaks:

Schedule a Professional Inspection: If you suspect a refrigerant leak based on the symptoms mentioned above, it’s crucial to contact a qualified HVAC technician to conduct a thorough inspection of your system. HVAC Technicians with One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning use specialized tools and techniques to detect the location and severity of the leak.

Refrigerant leaks in your HVAC system can compromise its efficiency and lead to costly repairs if left unaddressed.

If you suspect a refrigerant leak, contact a professional HVAC technician to inspect and repair the issue. Attempting to handle refrigerant without proper training and equipment can be dangerous and may result in further damage to the system.

Outdoor Unit Blockages:

After months of inactivity, the outdoor unit of an HVAC system may become blocked by debris such as leaves, branches, or dirt. This can restrict airflow and hinder the system’s ability to operate efficiently.

Solution: Clear any debris from the outdoor unit and ensure that it has adequate space for proper airflow. Trim vegetation around the unit to prevent future blockages and maintain optimal performance.

Ductwork Leaks:

Leaks or gaps in the ductwork can lead to wasted energy and reduced indoor comfort as conditioned air escapes into unconditioned spaces such as attics or crawlspaces.

Leaks in ductwork can occur due to various factors, including poor installation, aging ducts, or damage from pests or environmental factors. These leaks allow conditioned air to escape into unconditioned spaces, such as attics or crawl spaces, resulting in energy waste and decreased system efficiency. Additionally, leaks can introduce contaminants, such as dust, allergens, and pollutants, into the indoor air, compromising air quality and exacerbating respiratory issues.

The Aeroseal Solution:

Aeroseal duct sealing (a service by One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning) offers a unique and highly effective approach to addressing leaking ductwork. Unlike traditional methods that rely on manual sealing techniques, Aeroseal utilizes a patented aerosol-based sealing process to target and seal leaks from the inside out. Here’s how it works:

1. Pre-Seal Assessment: A certified Aeroseal technician begins by conducting a thorough assessment of your ductwork system using advanced diagnostic tools. This assessment helps identify the location and extent of leaks within the ducts.
   
2. Sealing Process: Once the assessment is complete, the technician prepares the ductwork system for sealing by blocking off vents and registers. They then inject Aeroseal sealant particles into the ducts, which are carried by airflow to the site of leaks.
   
3. Targeted Sealing: The Aeroseal particles accumulate at the edges of leaks, where they bond together and form a durable seal. This process continues until the majority of leaks are effectively sealed, with minimal wastage of sealant.
   
4. Verification: After sealing is complete, the technician conducts post-seal diagnostics to verify the effectiveness of the process. This may include airflow testing and measuring pressure differentials to ensure that leaks have been adequately addressed.

Benefits of Duct Sealing:

1. Improved Energy Efficiency: By sealing leaks in the ductwork, Aeroseal helps prevent conditioned air from escaping, reducing energy waste and lowering utility bills.
   
2. Enhanced Comfort: Sealed ductwork ensures more consistent airflow throughout your home, eliminating hot or cold spots and providing greater comfort year-round.
   
3. Better Indoor Air Quality: Aeroseal helps prevent the infiltration of pollutants and allergens into the ductwork, improving indoor air quality and promoting a healthier living environment.
   
4. Long-lasting Results: The durable seal created by Aeroseal is designed to last for years, providing lasting benefits without the need for frequent maintenance or resealing.

Leaking ductwork can significantly impact the performance and efficiency of your HVAC system, leading to wasted energy and compromised comfort. duct sealing offers a cutting-edge solution to this problem, effectively sealing leaks and optimizing the performance of your ductwork system. By investing in Aeroseal duct sealing, homeowners can enjoy improved energy efficiency, enhanced comfort, and better indoor air quality for years to come.

As spring arrives in Kansas City, it’s essential for homeowners to be proactive in addressing common HVAC problems that may arise during the transition from winter to warmer weather. By staying vigilant, performing regular maintenance, and seeking professional help when needed, residents can ensure that their HVAC systems operate efficiently and reliably throughout the changing seasons.

Many people are understandably concerned about viruses. In this video we answer the question: Can a residential UV light kill a virus?

We have installed UV lights for years, but there is more interest at the moment so in this video we answer frequently asked questions about residential uv lights and if they can kill viruses, bacteria, can a uv light help when you have an illness, and if our clients feel like they are worth it.

This video covers why preparing your outside air conditioner for the winter elements can be a great idea. However, there are certain mistakes you want to avoid when winterizing your outside air conditioner for winter. If you cover your air conditioner, you want to make sure you first have an air conditioner, not a heat pump. It is also a great idea to only cover the top of the unit instead of wrapping the entire air conditioner. Also a good coat of wax on the outside unit is a wonderful way to protect it from the elements.

We recommend this cover for your air conditioner during the winter:

(As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

We’re All About Sealing Up Ductwork

In the video above we explain a very easy simple tip to seal the space around your furnace filter slot.

We want to deliver the airflow where it’s supposed to go and the furnace filter slot is a weak spot in every system that allows air to escape the filter and go directly to your furnace blower.

Why Is It A Problem That Some Air Escapes The Filter And Goes Directly To The Furnace Blower?

When air is not filtered, it allows all the dust, dirt, and allergens to go directly into your furnace blower and into your house.  This will make your furnace dirty and less efficient.  Your house will seem to have more dust, and dirt in your furnace creates many problems and will cause parts to wear faster and break more often.

Even More Important If Your Furnace Is Located In An Attic, Crawl Space, Woodshop, etc.

If your furnace is located in a dirty (woodshop, etc) or unconditioned space, the space around your furnace filter lets the air in that space escape the filter entirely and go directly to the furnace blower.  Your furnace will be pulling humid, dirty air directly into the blower compartment.  That is not a good thing at all. That’s why we recommend closing the space around your filter with something like the FilterLock by Allergy Zone.

We recommend the FilterLock Furnace Filter Slot Seal Door Cover to solve this pesky problem. See below for our affiliate link to the FilterLock Furnace Filter Slot Seal Door Cover.

It improves indoor air quality by blocking allergens, dust, and gases like carbon monoxide from entering your home.

In this video Ramon shows us how to properly replace the media filter in his MicroPower Guard Electronic Air Cleaner. The MicroPower Guard an air filtration system designed to trap microscopic contaminants that traditional filters can’t catch.

The MicroPower Guard Air Cleaner uses an electric charge to polarize and trap harmful particles while simultaneously cleaning the air in your home.

It is important to change the filter correctly in your electronic air cleaner. If you leave the power on to your furnace while you change the filter, it could damage your system.

In this video we share the symptoms of a freon leak in your air conditioner and how to know if your air conditioner is low on freon or out completely! We also share why freon is so expensive and how you can prevent a freon leak at your house.

Freon is a brand name for the refrigerants R-12, R-13B1, R-22, R-410A, R-502, and R-503 manufactured by The Chemours Company. The term “freon” is a common descriptor or proprietary eponym (similar to a generic trademark) like “xerox” or “kleenex.” It is commonly used when referring to any fluorocarbon refrigerants.

Has this ever happened to you? Your air conditioner is running, but it is just not quite keeping the house at the temperature you want it to be. It always is working hard and not cooling the house enough. We get this question in many different forms and the answer as to why can vary.

Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

Is there something you can do about your air conditioner not cooling enough or are you stuck with certain areas of your house never getting below 85 degrees in the summer time? When it comes to your air conditioner, just about every symptom could have several different possible solutions. There’s always multiple explanations as to what could possibly be going on. For that reason before we get started fixing the problem, we need to cover our bases and get to the bottom of what is really causing the problem if your air conditioner is not cooling enough. The first thing you should do is to take an inventory of what is happening.

Take An Inventory Of What Is Going On With Your Air Conditioner

When you think you have a problem with your air conditioner the first thing to do is nothing. That’s right. Don’t touch anything. Just leave it alone and take an inventory of what is happening. Go to the thermostat. Is it set on cooling? What temperature is it set at versus what is the room temperature?

If you know the air conditioner is set to cool, and you can see that it is not getting to the set temperature, you know you have a problem. What’s working and not working? Is the furnace blowing air inside? If you go over to a register and put your hand in front of it is it blowing air? Now to the unit outside. Is it blowing air? There’s a little fan on the top or side of your air conditioner. Is that fan blowing or not blowing. If it is blowing air what is the temperature of that air? Hot or cold? If you know those things we can really help figure out what’s going on.

What Is The Temperature Of The Air Coming From The Outdoor Fan?

What difference does it make what the temperature is of the air coming off the outdoor unit fan? When you put your hand over the outdoor fan, the air coming from it is usually hot. What your are feeling is the heat that was inside now being pushed to the outside. So, if you feel air coming for the outdoor fan and it feels cool instead of warm, that means the hot air is not being taken out of the inside of your house. Under normal circumstances the hot air from inside is rejected outside.

What Is The Solution To Your Air Conditioner Not Cooling Enough?

So let’s say everything appears to be working but just not quite cooling enough. Usually around 80% of the time it needs maintenance. A dirty coil for example, can cause your air conditioner to not be efficient and to not cool as much as when it is clean. Dirty filters will also cause your air conditioner’s performance to suffer and can cause a multitude of problems relating to efficiency. When the air is not allowed to circulate properly, your air conditioner will feel like it is not keeping up to the desired temperature especially in the heat of the summer. The good news is that if your air conditioner is not cooling enough, a simple maintenance visit will more than likely fix the issue. However, we strongly recommend a trained professional to do the maintenance on your air conditioner. A maintenance visit and the complete cleaning of a cooling system involves high voltage electricity and refrigerants at high pressure. There are also many smaller components that can be damaged in the process of cleaning your air conditioner if you do not know how to do it properly. So, if your air conditioner is not cooling enough, don’t fear the worst. It is probably something very simple that can be fixed during an air conditioner tune up or maintenance visit. It is a good idea to get your air conditioner checked out if it is not cooling enough because it is currently using much more electricity that it needs. So it’s already costing you more money than it should, plus you’re not comfortable. Maintenance will help that a lot by cleaning up all of the components.

Check Your Air Conditioner Early In The Season Especially If You Think It May Have A Problem

In addition to getting an air conditioner maintenance and tune up to address the problem of your air conditioner not cooling enough, we recommend you do some in-house things to keep the cool air in your house. Take an inventory of your house to make sure you are not blocking registers or releasing the conditioned air. One common issue we see every summer is a customer complaining about the duct work sweating near the basement. Water dripping from the duct work isn’t normal and the issue is usually resolved by finding a basement window that got left open and closing it. If a basement window is left open during the spring, it lets in an endless amount of humidity in your basement. This causes condensation to collect on everything that is cool and will cause things like the duct work to “sweat” and cause water issues in your basement.

Double Check Those Storm Windows

Another thing you can do on your own to make sure your air conditioner can keep the desired temperature is to make sure your storm windows are closed. If your storm windows are left open during the heat of the summer you go from what could be the equivalent of a double or triple pane glass to a single pane window. You don’t notice these things when it is 72 degrees outside, but you do when it is 100 degrees outside which can cause your air conditioner to not cool enough.  

Matt has worked in the HVAC industry for more than 20 years and there are two products he has in his own home that he does not want to live without. One is a UV Sterilization System and the other is a Micro Power Guard high efficiency air cleaner. As a life-long allergy sufferer, he is allergic to pollen, ragweed, animal dander, you name it. However he always says that when he is home, he doesn’t feel like he has allergies. “Growing up I was a mess. But now I can open my windows in my house, and because of the filtration that I have in my system, it’s actually helping clean the air out constantly, so that that’s where it really helps and I don’t suffer.”

Allergy Sufferers Keep Their Homes Closed Up

Homeowners, especially if they have allergies, are reluctant to open their windows. Therefore they are going from heat to air conditioning immediately because they they just cannot handle opening the windows because the suffering is not worth the economic savings that they’ll get by opening the windows and not running the air. This is a good call because that is exactly what the Mayo Clinic recommends if you have allergies. Here is the list of recommendations from the Mayo Clinic to combat the allergy season:

• Use the air conditioning in your house and car.
• If you have forced air heating or air conditioning in your house, use high-efficiency filters and follow regular maintenance schedules.
• Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.
• Use a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.
• Clean floors often with a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter.

If you keep your house closed up and do not have a high efficiency filtration system or UV sterilization system, it is like breathing in a bubble. Homes are built so tight we are all just sharing the same air over and over again and that would be the equivalent of me blowing up a balloon and then having somebody else breathe what’s in the balloon. We’re doing it every day in our homes. Gross. Let’s freshen up that air.

What Does An HVAC Professional Use In His Own House to Combat Allergies?

Two things. One is a UV (Ultraviolet Light) Sterilization System. The UV Sterilization System has two bulbs in it that produce two different types of UVC rays, which are used for killing germs and bacteria and viruses. This is the same type of light they are using at hospitals where they wheel it into a hospital room and shine UVC rays on the surfaces of the room that could potentially have bacteria. The UVC Light is there to kill bacteria and viruses. There is a seperate bulb inside the chamber that produces UVB rays which helps to take care of all of the chemicals that we have in our homes. So many items in our homes off gas chemicals and we breathe them. Think of anything in your home that has a smell: Glade plugins, candles, aerosols, detergents, beaches, even the paint on your walls and the glues in the carpet have chemicals in them and we breathe in those chemicals potentially triggering allergies and illnesses.

Second is a Micro Power Guard Air Filtration System

The Micro Power Guard takes care of the particles floating around our homes. There are particulates in the air such as dust, pollen, animal dander, smoke, etc. that regular air filters don’t do a great job at removing. Regular disposable air filters will catch the bowling ball-sized particles but will leave the finer particles that can effect your allergies. How the Micro Power Guard is so efficient is because it has an electronic polarized media. It uses the electricity to polarize or magnetize itself and turns it into a magnet for particles and it does it through a carbon insert. It uses electricity to pull the small the small fine particles towards it so that it definitely doesn’t get through for you to breathe. We’ve been putting these in four years now and they work better than anything else we’ve used. They’re amazing. They’re safe and reliable too. Our Micro Power Guards have a lifetime warranty. True Story: The only time we had a Micro Power Guard fail was when a customer submerged it in the bathtub in order to clean it. Other than that, they’ll work forever.

Air Envy?

Yes. It’s a thing. We’ve actually had cases of air envy where where one homeowner says, I don’t know what you did next door, but I want air like his. Whatever you did over there. That’s what I want. Once you experience clean air you will notice when it is not there in other homes or buildings. Matt doesn’t notice two cats in his house and he’s allergic to cats. Matt said “I’ve had I’ve had friends over for hours and later said ‘you have cats?’ and I say actually we have two of them and I’m badly allergic to cats. They cannot believe they didn’t notice when they came into my home.”

UV Sterilization System and Micro Power Guard Help With More Than Just Allergies

We’ve written before about how Micro Power Guard Air Filters also help with illnesses in your home. In a study done by Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc.* researchers set out to measure the potential exposure benefits of whole house high efficiency in-duct air cleaners. The study focused on sensitive subpopulations such as those who have asthma or severe allergies. The results indicated that the use of high efficiency in-duct air cleaners provide an effective means of controlling allergen levels not only in a single room, like a portable air cleaner, but the whole house. The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation recommends the use of portable air cleaners in bedrooms of asthmatics. While the use of portable air cleaners in the bedroom did prove to be beneficial in the study, the researchers found that in reality, the use of high efficiency in-duct air cleaners provide a more effective means of controlling allergen levels and the influenza virus not only in a single room, but the whole house.

Perhaps the most interesting result from the study…

Involves the estimation of the risk of influenza infection from an individual who remains in the home over the course of a five-day infectious period with someone who currently has the illness. Since influenza can trigger asthma, the researchers were interested in the effect of high efficiency filters on the transmission of the illness. The study assumed that the infectious individual spent one-half of their time in the bedroom and the other half in the family room, while a healthy individual spent 69% of the corresponding time indoors at the home during which they were exposed to the house-wide average concentration of quanta in air. For this scenario, the risk of infection by influenza was greater than 30% in the ventilation configuration with a portable air cleaner in both of the two rooms frequented by the infectious individual. In comparison, the risk of infection was less than 4% for the high efficiency in-duct system. The “high efficiency air cleaner” used in this study was a high efficiency electrostatic air cleaner with HEPA-like removal efficiency for aerosols. One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning has this product for your home as well as more options that add even more protection for the health of your indoor air.