Heat Cool and Insulate » air quality

Carrier Air Conditioners

Jeff — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:25:10 +0000

Air-conditioning is one of a handful of technologies that has utterly transformed the way we live. Throughout history people have tried to stay cool during hot months of the year. From ancient Persians using systems and wind towers to Chinese during the Han Dynasty using rotary fans and Egyptians using ventilators as well as Mad King Ludwig using air cooled by water from mountain runoff. In 1902 Willis Carrier invented the first modern air-conditioning system powered by electricity. Developed to control temperature and humidity in manufacturing plants primarily in the printing industry, this innovation has become a must-have for most businesses and homes in the US and in many countries around the world.

Today

Carrier air conditioners

are found worldwide in applications from heavy industrial to home and automotive systems. Having owned several Carrier air conditioners I can personally vouch for their reliability and performance. Our most recent acquisition in the carrier line is a Carrier hybrid heating system which combines an air conditioner/heat pump and a high efficiency gas furnace.We have had this system in place now for three years and could not be happier. It has substantially lowered our heating and cooling bills and has operated flawlessly.

The Carrier hybrid heat system, in conjunction with the infinity control set allow flexibility not available to the typical HVAC system. During times of moderately cool weather that heat pump functionality of the carrier air conditioner allows heating of your house by electricity only. With today’s heat pumps this can be much more economical than even a high efficiency gas furnace. This works by reversing the normal air-conditioner functioning and extracting heat from the outside air to heat the house. As temperatures drop this becomes less efficient and at a certain temperature the system will switchover to the gas furnace. This gives great flexibility in how your home is heated and can provide substantial savings over using a gas furnace or electric resistance furnace.

Another advantage I discovered after putting the system in was the ability to buy electricity from our utility at demand prices. Since electricity prices fluctuate during the day and are normally very low at night when much of our heating demand occurs in the spring and the fall it has further reduced our overall utility costs.

For anyone considering installing a new HVAC system I highly recommend Carrier air conditioners and heating systems.

Related Blogs

The Many Various Benefits Of Home Dehumidifiers

Jeff — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:08:13 +0000

Dehumidifiers are most often used by people suffering with certain allergies as they help to decrease the water vapor in the house and therefore the likelihood of mold developing. Dehumidifiers do however have many other uses too. Check out some of these little known benefits of having a home dehumidifier:

Protection of mattresses and bedding supplies such as duvets and covers. If you keep a mini dehumidifier running inside of your wardrobe then you can vastly decrease the chances of a damp smell engulfing your clothes. The growth of microscopic mildew is also thus prevented. Mildew on bedding could allow it to spread into the mattress, if this occurs then the mattress will need throwing away.

Do you keep your lawnmower and other tools in a shed when they are not being used? I am willing to bet the answer is ‘yes’. If that is the situation then you need to be aware that although they get protection from outdoor elements like bad stormy weather they do not have any protection from levels of high humidity that sheds and garages are commonly associated with.Running a home dehumidifier can lengthen the lifespan of this equipment a lot by affording them protection from being the victim of corrosion.

So as to prevent rusting and corrosion vintage car lovers should consider running a desiccant dehumidifier inside their car and a normal mechanical dehumidifier in the garage.

Air with high humidity makes food decay a lot quicker and it will not stay fresh for long. A nice conveniently small dehumidifier placed in your pantry can maintain your ingredients and home bake freshness and enjoyable for so much longer saving you money. It will also reduce the likelihood of fruit flies, pests and weevils from deciding your kitchen is a nice place to be.

Think how frustrated you would become if some of your most cherished belongings were to fall victim to spiralling humidity levels and the damage that this can cause. It would be terrible to lose old photo albums, pictures, books and so on that are so often stored in places like basements and attics which are often victim of high humidity. All manner of heartache can be avoided through using a home dehumidifier.

Condensation does sometimes damage electrical equipment, this is particularly true in high humidity areas where condensation may form within electrical devices such as: computers, television, laptops and such like. Irreparable damage often occurs if condensation enters into electrical appliances. Precious folders full of memories cannot be replaced if lost eve if the hard drive can be. A home dehumidifier will prevent all of the above scenarios.

Do your wooden doors squeak or creak? Have they suffered from expansion and cracks? Do you possess any other wooden furniture that has suffered from similar warping? All of these problems may well be caused by excess water vapor in the air. Yet again running a home dehumidifier can solve the problem.

Purchasing a dehumidifier is a relatively small investment a delonghi dehumidifier or an ebac dehumidifier come highly recommended and when weighed against the potential benefits and savings that you are likely to make it becomes quite a simple choice.

Easy Steps To Protecting Your House From Damp

Jeff — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:02:17 +0000

If moisture is allowed to enter a house it can cause many problems with the damp that it creates. Near the top of that list certainly are allergies, mold, loss of household energy efficiency and damage to property (which can become structural damage over long periods of time.

If you want to avoid these problems and gain better air humidity, quality and prevent your house from suffering the effects of damp and become more energy efficient, then there are a few things that you need to consider. Moisture control should be of high priority. If you want to be saved from the harmful effects of damp caused by moisture and improve your households energy efficiency then you need to effectively control the moisture level in your household.

To improve the flow of water moisture around your household the following three things need to be concentrated on.

1) Attics 2) Foundations/Basements 3) Walls

In order to effectively control moisture flow through a home you need to understand the basics of how it moves. The three usual ways for moisture to travel through the house are: 1) By heat transfer 2) By diffusion 3) Via air currents.

By far the most important way moisture travels is through water vapor in wall cavities via diffusion. The air due to simple physics will of course always move from an area of high concentration (outside) to an area of low concentration (inside) through any gap. Transfer of moisture via air flow currents is by far the quickest method, usually cracks and holes in walls are the number one reason for this occurring and these should be effectively filled in.

The other method of diffusion, through materials and heat transfer takes a lot longer and the usual household building materials are already very effective at stopping this from occuring, along with insulation that works in reduction of heat transfer.

It will also be helpful to fully understand exactly how moisture appears in a household. Firstly water is often carried through the air, the higher the air temperature the greater the volume of water it is able to move around. As the temperature of the air decreases it will hit a point at which it is no longer capable of carrying that moisture. The air’s moisture will condensate on a nearby cold spot, when the air hits this temperature that is aptly named the dew point.

Therefore by installing vapor diffusion retarders, sealing any cracks or holes in walls and ensuring a good flow of air are the best and simplest ways to control moisture transfer in your house. If you are still having trouble with moisture then seriously consider the use of a home dehumidifier (ebac dehumidifiers come highly recommended) they are very effective at extracting moisture from the air even in very damp conditions. If you follow the above guidelines then you ought to be able to effectively handle most damp and moisture problems either with or without a home dehumidifier.

Air Conditioning Basics

Jeff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:22:11 +0000

HVAC is the acronym for the home heating, ventilation and cooling system furthermore it is the reason for upwards of 40% of all household energy consumption. When people use this acronym they are generally referring to the overall feel of your house in terms of temperature, humidity, air quality and so on.

One of the main problems for house dwellers in many places around the world is maintaining the temperature at a reasonable level. This is generally done through the use of air conditioners, home dehumidifiers are also used a great deal but for controlling humidity levels.

Air conditioning units have many features and so therefore they can be compared to each other in many different ways, this can make choosing a dehumidifier tricky. Here are a few guidelines for choosing an air conditioning unit:

Efficiency, of course get hold of the most efficient air conditioner that you can, this is of course even more important now with the rising cost of household fuel bills. Efficiency can be measured by the amount of energy needed to complete a specific task. A scale is used by most suppliers that allows you to compare units, the scale is called the S.E.E.R – scale. This represents: Seasonal, Energy, Efficiency, Rating. The lowest efficiency rating score you should be seeking is a 10 although the system does actually go up to 18, the higher the score the more efficient it is.

Noise. If possible before purchase try to see one demonstrated and in action. this will give you a clear idea of how noisy it will be. Ensure that you factor in the noise level and consider whether or not it will be tolerable in the place that you are thinking about installing it.

If you are designing a home or planning to move somewhere else then the regional climate will be a major consideration in just how much you have to pay attention to your air quality. It maybe that you require both an air conditioning unit and a home dehumidifier.

Features. There are of course an incredible amount of features that are offered these days. Don’t be fooled by thinking a machine with lots of features is the best one. the best one may be very simple looking but very efficient. Therefore, look for efficiency above anything else.

One of the most important aspects of buying air conditioning systems is their correct installation. A HVAC contractor will often do this type of work possibly with a builder and it will be their task to ensure good air movement throughout the house. Achieving this is due almost completely down to getting good return air and supply air. This is done by the HVAC contractor so ensure you get a good one by recommendation if possible preferrably from your local builder.

With the above guidelines in mind you should have no problem finding a suitable air conditioning system and you may well be looking for a home dehumidifier at the same time so make sure you shop around to ensure you are getting a good deal.