Corcoran & Harnist

Preventive Maintenance
Admit it: You probably don’t think about your indoor comfort system until it stops working and you become either too cold or too hot. It’s human nature to put something in the back of your mind as long as it doesn’t cause a problem and stays in the background.And you might think of your heating and cooling system as just a “box” that can be turned on or off in order to control your temperature. But your system is a lot more than that. It doesn’t just control temperature. It has an impact on the air that you breathe, on moisture and mold growth, the amount of energy that you use and money that you spend, and most importantly, on you and your family’s health.

Don’t ignore your heating and cooling system. Your HVACR system is a great big mechanical system, just like your automobile.You know that you need to keep your car tuned up and get your oil changed regularly. Your comfort system also requires regular maintenance from qualified specialists.Preventive maintenance agreements (PMAs) are agreements between you and Corcoran & Harnist for scheduled inspections and maintenance of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

PMAs are generally scheduled semi-annually to maintain peak efficiency, prevent utility overpayment, and avert system failures through predictive maintenance that can help extend the life of your HVAC system. PMAs usually consist of fall and spring scheduled sessions for one of our service technicians to go through your entire HVAC system preparing it for the upcoming season in a proactive approach before system failure and prior to overpaying your utility company.

The HVAC system is most likely the single biggest use of energy in your home. In commercial applications where refrigeration is applied (combined with the HVAC systems), huge amounts of energy are used in the building. In fact, over 1/3 rd of the energy used in the United States is used to heat and cool buildings.

According to the Consortium of Energy Efficiency (CEE) up to 50% more energy can be saved with proper installation, sizing, and maintenance of commercial central air conditioning and heat pumps. Although the CEE study did not measure residential systems, a compelling case can be made that proper maintenance can save homeowners as well.

Proper HVAC maintenance can help your unit last decades. On the flip-side, a neglected air conditioner loses roughly 5% of its efficiency each year that it operates without upkeep. So that green machine you bought to stay cool could start to function like the most inefficient equipment on the market, if you fail to perform regular air conditioning maintenance.

The old but true cliché “out of sight, out of mind” is often the reason for neglected maintenance guidelines for your HVAC system. HVAC systems are usually installed where they aren’t seen, such as in a section of the basement, a closet, on rooftops, or in mechanical rooms, making them easy to ignore. The systems are simply taken for granted, until they fail. Decreased efficiency, utility overpayment, discomfort, loss of productivity, eventual premature replacement, and higher repair costs are the result.Just because your HVAC system is out of sight, does not mean it can be neglected. Getting your HVAC system checked twice annually is just as important as changing the oil in your car every 3,000 miles!

Installing
It’s time to replace your heating and/or air conditioning system. Or maybe you are building a new home and need help. We want to help you understand the services that Corcoran & Harnist delivers and that you should expect from your heating and air conditioning contractor.A quality installation begins with a professional design.Unfortunately, some contractors merely size a new system based on the old system’s capacity rather than completing a professional design. What if your home’s heating and cooling needs have changed since the last system was installed many years ago? What if the original system was not sized properly to begin with? Guesswork can lead to under-sizing your new system which can reduce the comfort of your home. Even worse, over-sizing will add unnecessary expense to the job’s cost and may contribute to moisture-related problems down the line.

It takes time and expertise to complete a professional load calculation and system design. Contractors lacking in the necessary technical skills or who are just interested in making a “fast buck” may try to convince you this is not important.The Load Calculation is where it all begins.Year-round, comfort is the goal. In the summer, your air conditioning system not only cools your home’s air (sensible cooling), it removes moisture (latent cooling). In the winter, your heating system must keep you comfortable without causing high utility bills.

Corcoran & Harnist uses the Manual J® residential load calculation procedure. Insist on it! Manual J is the official standard for residential load calculation and is required by many building codes around the country.Your contractor will carefully measure your home and evaluate its levels of insulation. Windows’ sizes and quantity will be noted, levels of infiltration will be estimated and internal loads including lighting and kitchen appliances will be taken into consideration. A computerized analysis will be completed that indicates just how much heating and/or cooling capacity your new system should provide.

Selecting the right equipment.Heating and air conditioning equipment comes in many capacities, configurations and efficiencies. It’s important that the equipment selected is compatible with your home’s heating and cooling needs. Once again, it’s difficult for a contractor to select the right equipment if an accurate Manual J load calculation has not been completed.

Don’t forget about your home’s duct system.All too often, old heating and air conditioning systems are replaced without giving any thought to the old duct work. Properly installed and maintained duct work can last twenty years or more. But time, heat and humidity can degrade your duct’s insulation. Over the years, your ducts may have collected contaminates that should be removed.

Think about it. Have some of the rooms in your home been less comfortable than others? Too hot or too cold. Now is the time to evaluate the amount of air each room should get and verify that your duct system is clean and configured to deliver the right air to the right rooms. It may even be time to consider replacing your duct system.You won’t get the full benefit of your new heating and/or air conditioning system if your ducts need repairing or replacing.Grilles and registers provide for room air distribution

Your return air grille(s) and supply air registers play an important role in providing heating and air conditioning comfort. There are times when simply replacing one or more of these devices can cause a noticeable improvement in your home’s thermal comfort.Return grilles that are undersized can reduce the efficiency of your air conditioning system as well as the comfort in your home. Corcoran & Harnist will verify that these devices are sized and operating properly and may make suggestions for improved performance.