Homeowner Hints and Notes:

Many times homeowners are unfamiliar when they either purchase a new home or replace their existing air conditioning or heat pump system with a new one on how everything operates. This page has been put together to help new homeowners and new system owners understand their system, how it was designed and even troubleshoot some minor issues.

Please remember that these hints are designed to be generic in nature and may not be entirely accurate for your system or thermostat. Your best source of information is the instruction manual that came with your system. The vast majority of systems will follow these guidelines and save you time and money.

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Thermostat Operating Instructions:

“Cooling”
1. Press Mode Button until “Cool” is displayed
2. Set Fan Mode to “Auto”
3. Use “Up” or “Down” Arrows to set desired temperature.
4. System may not start immediately after power interruption or temperature setting changes. This is normal.

“Heating”
1. Press Mode Button until “Heat” is displayed.
2. Set Fan Mode to “Auto”
3. Use “Up” or “Down” Arrows to set desired temperature.
4. System may not start immediately after power interruption or temperature setting changes. This is normal.

“General”
1. Filters should be cleaned or changed monthly.
2. Before calling for service, please check your electrical circuit breakers and thermostat settings.
3. Warranty Service is performed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday.
After Hours and weekend service available at additional charge.

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Additional Thermostat Notes:

• If your thermostat screen is completely blank, one of two circumstances has occurred:
• Your drain line has become clogged and the “Float Switch” has automatically shut the system down. This is done to prevent any water damage to your home from an overflowing drain.
• A Fuse within your air handler has failed and shut the system down.
• With either of these situations, it requires a service call to have your drain line cleared or your fuse replaced.  Please call for service.
• You may avoid Drain Line clogs or blockages by having Algaecide Tablets put in your drain pan during your Annual Preventative Maintenance Service. If you do not have these installed, it may help to mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a cup of warm water and pour it down the cleanout in your Drain Line monthly to keep the line clean.


• If you have a programmable thermostat, for basic instructions, see above. You may override the programming with the “HOLD” button. Bring the temperature to the setting you wish to maintain and then press the HOLD button. That will maintain that set temperature for a period of time, depending on the thermostat, for as little as two hours or as long as you leave it on HOLD.

• On the Fan Mode, your setting should always be on “Auto.” Some thermostats will only show “On or Off” and will not show an “Auto” Option. If that is the case in your situation, set it to the “On” position. If “Auto” is a choice, please set your thermostat to that setting.


• If you have a variable speed air handler, you may choose to set it on a specific setting (low, medium, high) but do not do this if you have a single speed air handler as you will not gain any benefit and will spend more money needlessly on increased utility usage. Variable Speed Air Handlers Nomenclature from Carrier start with FK, FV or FE.

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Temperature Differentials in Different Rooms

• Your system is designed to maintain reasonably consistently temperatures. With “Normal Room Occupancy,” your system should maintain temperatures within 3 degrees of the thermostat setting when measured in the middle of each room.


• There may, however, be differences from room to room based upon a number of factors. These factors include:
  
  • Single system 2 story homes and townhomes homeowners will typically find that their upper floor is warmer than the first floor due to the fact that heat rises. This is normal.
  • Rooms having greater exposure to the sun at different times of the day may experience some temperature differential as well. Rooms in the East will typically be warmer in the morning and Western exposure rooms may be significantly warmer in the afternoon.
  • Your new home system was designed for “Normal Occupancy.” This means if you plan on converting a spare room into a home office, please discuss it with your builder and have them let Air Flow Designs know before the installation of the duct work and equipment. Otherwise, multiple computers, printers, copiers, fax machines will all contribute significant latent heat to the room and you may be unable to keep the room at a comfortable operating temperature.
  • Also, please advise your builder if you plan on entertaining large groups of people frequently. Each additional person, over the Normal Occupancy design criteria adds approximately 500 BTU’s to the cooling load requirement. So if you frequently entertain groups of 20-30 people in peak cooling periods of the year, your system could be undersized.
    
• Another key factor that also plays a significant role in maintaining a comfortable and consistent temperature is your choice of window covering or the lack of them.
  
  • A room without any type of window covering (Blinds, Shutters, Draperies, Shades, Curtains) allows greater solar heat infiltration and will be warmer than it was designed to be.
    

System’s Ability to Cool Basis and Capacity

• Your system is designed to maintain a temperature between 15-18 degrees what the outdoor temperature is. If it is 95 degrees out side, your system has been designed to maintain a temperature of between 77 and 80 degrees inside your home. The lower you set your thermostat during our hot, humid summers, the longer your system is going to have to run and the more it will cost you in utility expense.
• Older systems were frequently oversized. With today’s tighter building standards, a home may require a smaller system today than it would have if that home had been built 20 years ago. Today’s systems, with SEER (energy ratings) ranging from 13-18 SEER are designed to run longer than older, larger systems of the past to help dehumidify homes more effectively.
• Variable Speed Air Handlers, when matched with more sophisticated thermostats, will allow you to select your humidity level as well as temperature setting. Most people find they are comfortable at a thermostat setting of 1-3 degrees warmer in the summer if they get the humidity level down to in the low 50% range.

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Preventative Maintenance

The single most important maintenance that a homeowner can perform on their system is to make absolutely certain that they are cleaning or changing the filter monthly. This will keep your system cleaner, help it to maintain its efficiency and reduce long term repair and operating expense. In most systems, the filter is located in the bottom of the air handler behind a filter door. In some applications, filters can be located in filter back return grills, either in the ceiling or at the air handler on the interior of the home. These should be changed or cleaned just as often as the air handler installed filters.

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Typically, filters should be replaced or cleaned once a month depending on how many pets and people are in the building. Some units are equipped with permanent filters that require washing. Very important to use the proper size filter evaporator coil should be covered. Pleated filter should be checked once a month they are advertised to last 3 months normally they do not especially if you have pets

Basically the SEER rating is like miles per gallon (MPH) on your car. The higher the number the more efficient your system will run resulting in lower electric bills.

When the thermostat is set to “auto,” the fan operates only when the temperature requires it. This is the most used setting. However, there are advantages to using the “on” setting. First of all, the air in the house is constantly filtered through the unit’s air filter. Secondly, the constantly circulating air results in an even temperature throughout the house. However, the "on" position will result in higher humidity since air is being blown over wet coils after the condenser shuts off. For Southwest Florida, the "auto" position will yield the driest home.

Yes. However, you need to allow plenty of room (a couple feet) for air circulation in and out of the unit. circulation, the unit could

Yes! Not replacing the entire system at the same time will result in compatibility issues as well as efficiency problems.

There are several things that can cause frost on your coil and/or reduced air flow.   Anything that restricts the airflow through the inside unit will cause your evaporator coil to freeze up.  As the ice builds up on the evaporator coil, the airflow becomes more and more restricted making the condition worse.  When the ice is also on the outside pipes next to the compressor, you have a situation where damage to the compressor can occur.

a. Check your filter, a dirty air filter can restrict the airflow through the inside unit.

b. Dirty (clogged) evaporator coil can restrict airflow through inside unit.

c. Make sure your return air grill is not being blocked.

d. Call us you may be low on refrigerant (freon) or many other things that we can identify and fix.

It is a good idea to have your unit serviced at least once a year. This can help with drain lines clogging, evaporator coils getting to dirty, and many other things. If your unit has not been serviced in a couple years it is probably a good idea to schedule one just make sure you get a company that you can trust. This can save you  money on your electric bill, repair bills.