Zack Hammonds HVAC 

Welcome to part three of indoor air quality products from your Atlanta HVAC Contractor! Today we are reviewing the benefits of a Ventilator. Warning: you'll probably want one of these after reading.

*As mentioned in the previous Zack hammonds indoor air quality articles, no indoor air quality components are mutually exclusive. If you want to really harness the power given to you by modern air purification technology, you have to consider them all.

Ventilators (ERV and HRV)

Have you ever stunk up the house with food or old garbage? Been worried about CO2 buildup, or other airborne pollutants like cleaning products that get recycled through your HVAC system? What's the answer? Open the windows right? But let's say it is 100 degrees outside with crazy high humidity - in other words, a normal Atlanta summer - opening windows isn't the best for the utility bill. If it is freezing outside, you again don't want warm air funneling out an open window. The answer? A ventilator. Ventilators takes the stale air from inside your home, and exchange it with fresh air from outside. During the exchange, the cooled air that is passing out is used to cool the air coming in....the energy is exchanged. Not flawless, but very energy efficient. With a ventilator, you can bring fresh air inside during the middle of a hot Atlanta summer without killing your air conditioning bill. The same is true for the Winter season.

There are two types of ventilators: Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV). The latter exchanges humidity as well as heating and cooling energy. So if you are using a whole home humidifier in the winter, an ERV is the better way to go, to adjust the dry air coming in.

Ventilators sit downstream of your HVAC system. Assuming you have all four indoor air quality (IAQ) product types installed, when air is pulled from your home and heated or cooled, it is first taken through the Advanced Air Cleaner to filter microscopic particles like dust, pollen, toxins and viruses. The next IAQ product the air goes through, or by, is the UV Lamp. Remember, the UV Lamp isn't doing anything to the air. It is killing mold that grows in the damp indoor evaporator or fan coil. After the UV Lamp, the air is humidified or dehumidified, and then we hit the Ventilator. See the image below:

As always, thank you for reading the Zack Hammonds blog! If you need a local HVAC specialist in the Atlanta, GA area, we are your best choice. To read more about us please visit: Atlanta Air Conditioning. We'll see you soon for Part IV of Indoor Air Quality!

Welcome back to Indoor Air Quality Part II: Advanced Air Cleaners.

Zack Hammonds is happy to post our IAQ blog part 2 to further educate Atlanta homeowners on the purpose and importance of indoor air quality products.

If this is your first reading, you should catch up with our first IAQ blog post that talks about UV Lamps and how they help the efficiency of your air conditioning system while protecting your home's indoor air from mold. Now we are moving on to advanced air cleaners.

If you are not familiar with the layout of a typical air conditioning and heating system, take a look at the image below. See the bubble identifying the Advanced Air Cleaner. It is installed after the return air duct, and before the furnace (or air handler). Normally there is a small filter that comes with your HVAC system. These filters are thin, and made to just capture larger particles in the air. They do not filter at very high levels.



Remember that the job of a UV Lamp is to kill mold growing in an evaporator coil (or a fan coil). A UV lamp does not clean the air, but protects the air. The job of an advanced air cleaner is to clean & filter the air returning being drawn from your home before it goes back into the HVAC system, and then back into every room of your house.

What are the advantages? We're so glad you asked. Read on:

1) Cleans your indoor air. When we say these air cleaners clean your indoor air, we really mean it. Down to microscopic things like pet dander, chemicals, smoke, and bacteria. Some can even kill the flu virus! Think about that....someone has the flu at home. What does your current system do? It potentially pumps those germs throughout the entire house. Not anymore. Advanced air cleaners are also great ways to remove seasonal allergens from your air.

2) Protects your air conditioning system. An advanced air cleaner keeps your air conditioning and heating system clean and running more efficiently. Every system has a filter - they are typically 2 inches thick and made to be replaced monthly. These filters keep out the big stuff, but are not the ideal choice for really keeping your system clean, and definitely do not do much for indoor air quality.

Measuring the ability of an Air Cleaner

The ability of air cleaners or filters is measured with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV). MERV ratings tell you what an air cleaner is capable of doing. MERV 16 is high end for residential applications. MERV 17-20 is most often found in labs with radioactive or carcinogenetic materials...meaning, not your place. MERV 16 will filter most tobacco smoke, all bacteria, and many other things including hair spray, mold spores, pollen, dust mites and the list continues. Imagine your home with the dust, bacteria and chemicals filtered every time your system turns on. Now that is a great start to pure indoor air.

Another note to consider when using an Advanced Air Cleaner: a variable speed fan motor in your furnace or air handler will also increase your air quality, as these fans control climate and air flow much better than traditional fan motors in older HVAC systems.

Thanks for reading the Zack Hammonds blog! We are your finest choice for Atlanta air conditioning and indoor air quality solutions. Visit our website at Atlanta Air Conditioning.

The next IAQ blog is Indoor Air Quality Part III: Ventilators.

Zack Hammonds is starting a five part series on indoor air quality. Maintaining a healthy home is critical, and something that can be overlooked in many HVAC installations.

The primary thing to take away from this series is this: indoor air quality components all do different things. They are not mutually exclusive. Each component we talk about has a specific purpose that cannot be replaced with another IAQ product.

Indoor Air Quality Part I: UV Lamps

To start this series, we are discussing UV lamps. A homeowner one time, at the mention of a UV lamp said, "I heard those things don't work". Why did he have that perception? Because he wanted a UV lamp to filter air, or do some other indoor air quality task that it was never meant to do. A UV lamp has one purpose: to kill mold in your evaporator coil.

What is an evaporator coil? When running your air conditioner (or heat pump) in the summer, chilled refrigerant is pumped from the air conditioner outside via copper tubing to the evaporator coil inside. The fan in your furnace then pulls air from inside your home, and pushes the air through the chilled copper tubing. The air is cooled and dehumidified as water condenses on the coil. (homes that do not have a furnace typically have a "fan coil" which in a basic sense is a combination of the evaporator coil and the fan from a furnace). More information on this process is available at: Heating & Air Conditioning 101

Now that you understand what an evaporator coil is, let's move back to the UV Lamp. The dark, damp interior of an evaporator coil is a breeding ground for mold. Once mold begins to grow in the coil, air conditioning efficiency drops, and mold spores can be released into your indoor air. A UV lamp mounts inside the coil, and kills mold that tries to grow. This protects your air from mold spores, and helps the indoor cole run efficiently to keep air conditioning bills (and heating bills when using a heat pump) at a minimum.

Thanks for reading the Zack Hammonds blog. Visit Atlanta Heating for more information. The next IAQ topic: Indoor Air Quality Part II: Advanced Air Cleaners.

Dust, dirt and pet dander are the most common airborne contaminants inside your home, but smoke and aerosol residue are also present in many homes. The air filter on a furnace has one main purpose, to capture these contaminants and keep them from damaging the heating equipment. Filters also improve indoor air quality by removing dirt and dust from the air as it circulates through the system, which keeps everyone breathing easier.

When a filter becomes dirty these benefits rapidly disappear. Not only will a clogged filter be rendered incapable of removing air contaminants; it will also begin to impede the furnace’s overall air flow, making it less efficient. That’s because the furnace will be forced to run longer in order to reach the thermostat setting, resulting in higher energy costs for the homeowner. In the end, the added wear and tear will reduce the lifespan of the system as well.

Routine filter changes are the key to avoiding this kind of situation. During the winter months, it’s important to check the air filter every 30 days. If it appears dirty or clogged, change it immediately. If you have a high-density filter on your furnace, follow the manufacturer’s recommended filter replacement schedule but keep a watchful eye. Any sort of build-up will prevent air from flowing freely through the furnace and quickly reduce its efficiency. Avoid potential problems by making routine filter changes a part of your regular, homeowner maintenance schedule.

Visit Atlanta Heating Service to see our special offers and get started today!

Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool - wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system - leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure. If you have any questions please call us at (770) 860-1837

Don't wait for your heater or your air conditioner to stop working before giving it a tune-up. Instead, get a preventative maintenance agreement with Zack Hammonds, it can save you on your monthly energy costs. In fact, routine HVAC maintenance is vital to efficient, worry-free heating and cooling.

Others may claim they know how to do a tune-up, but get the facts first. Some of these so-called "tune-ups" are nothing more than a basic HVAC system inspection. Nothing compares to our full heating and air conditioning precision tune-ups by our NATE certified technicians. Our tune-ups are so thorough you'll marvel at our expertise, because we care so much about our work.


Advantages/Benefits:

• 10% Discount on service calls
• Priority Service
• Keeps operating efficiencies high and utility bills low
• Helps extend equipment life
• Helps protect against costly failures
• Provides you the convenience of scheduled service on a regular basis
• Gives you peace of mind

• Clean/Replace Filters
• Monitor Voltage/Amperage
• Check Operating Temperatures
• Check Refrigerant Level
• Clean Outdoor Coils
• Visually Check for Refrigerant Leaks
• Adjust, Lube & Check Blower Assembly
• Check Indoor Coils
• Check & Adjust Burner/Pilot Assembly
• Tighten Electrical Connections
• Check Condensate and Drain Lines
• Check System for Proper Operation & Safety

1. Check the pilot light if you have a natural gas system. The flame should always be clear blue. A yellow or orange flame could be a sign of a problem. 2. Before winter begins, test your heater to see if it runs. Contact us if you don’t feel any warm air coming from the vents. 3. Inspect the furnace for worn, shiny or sagging belts. They cause undue stress on the fan motor. Repairs require loosening the motor chassis mounts and sliding the motor back enough to make the belt taut and aligned with the fan. 4. Seal air leaks in attic, basement and crawl space, and also around windows and doors. 5. If you have any doubts about the efficiency or effectiveness of you heating unit, have it inspected by one of our technicians. A professional can make the appropriate adjustments to endure your unit runs in prime condition.

If your unit is not operating properly, please call us (770) 860-1837 or schedule a repair online to have your system thoroughly inspected.