My power bill is very high during the summer and the winter. Will a new system lower my bills?
Replacing an old inefficient heating and cooling system with a newer high efficiency system can reduce your heating and cooling energy consumption.

My home is very dry during the winter. What can I do to change this?
A lot of people have a problem with very dry homes during the winter. Dry air can cause dry cracked hands, a dry nose, a dry throat and the occasional zap when you turn on the TV. The simplest solution is to install a humidifier on your heating and cooling system. This will allow you to dial in the desired humidity you want. Your furnishings, your skin and even the structure of your home will benefit from proper humidity. If fact moist air feels warmer. This will allow you to lower your thermostat setting and save on energy bills.

The room over my garage is always cold in the winter and hot in the summer. How can I fix this?
This is a very common problem for anyone with a room over their garage. This is caused by the garage being exposed to the outdoor air in combination with small amounts of insulation in the room. A solution to this problem is a zoning system. A zoning system is a series of easily installed electronic dampers and thermostats that allows you to control the temperature of selected sections of your home.

I have an old furnace. Can an old furnace be dangerous?
An old furnace can be very dangerous. All furnaces have a major component called a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger consists of a series of closed chambers that are heated with gas or oil burners. As the heat exchanger is heated the metal it is constructed from expands and as it cools it contracts. If you can imagine a paper clip that is being bent back and forth, it will eventually break. The same goes with a heat exchanger. After years of expanding and contracting it will eventually crack. When this happens, deadly carbon monoxide gas (which is normally vented through the flue) can get into you home. A furnace's heat exchanger should be inspected every year before the heating season.

The drain pan below my indoor unit keeps filling up with water. Is this a problem?
If the drain pan under your unit is full of water, your system has a problem. Once you detect water turn the system off. All of the systems installed by Classic Air Care have a float switch mounted in the drain pan. Once water opens the switch the system will be cut off to prevent possible ceiling damage. A full emergency drain pan can be caused by several problems, the two most common are a clogged condensate line or a rusted primary drain pan in the unit. At the first sight of water you should call and have a technician inspect the system to determine the problem.

When should I change my filters?
Filters for a heating and cooling system should be changed whenever necessary. Filters should be inspected every month. If a filter is full of debris simply replace it. A clogged filter can cause the system to operate improperly and shorten its operating life.

When should I replace my system?
A system can last anywhere between 7 and 15 years. The life of the equipment is determined by many factors, the most important is annual maintenance. A maintained system will usually last its whole design life. However we have seen units at homes next to the ocean that have corroded beyond repair (due to salt spray and lack of maintenance) in five years. If you have a split system that is over 10 years old and only the outdoor or indoor unit fails, it is wise to replace both sections not just one at a time. It will be cheaper in the long run due to efficiency and labor costs. Also adding a new component to an old system can shorten the life of the new component. If you do decide to replace only the indoor unit or the outdoor unit on a heat pump make sure it is matched by model and make. A mismatch will not work.

I have a problem with allergies, is there anything I can do with my heating and cooling system to help this?
If you have allergies there are many new products on the market for your heating and cooling system that can relieve some of the symptoms. One of the most popular is an Ultra Violet lamp which is inserted into the duct work. By exposing the air that passes through the duct work to ultra violet light many airborne contaminates such as viruses, bacteria , mold, toxins and waste products can be eliminated. Also, the average store bought air filter only collects 15% of the air born particles that pass through your system. There are now super high efficiency air filters out that can collect up 95% to 99% of all air born particles. The combination of an Ultra Violet lamp and a high efficiency air filter can create a very clean indoor environment that can help relieve many allergy symptoms.

How often should my system have maintenance?
A Heating and cooling system should have maintenance performed on it twice a year. Once before the heating season and once before the cooling season. This is called seasonal preventive maintenance or a seasonal Precision Tune Up and Professional Cleaning. This process includes cleaning the systems coils and coating them with a disinfectant, checking all components, lubricating all components that need lubricating, checking all electrical systems, checking freon levels and waxing the outside of the units.

My system is not running, what should I do?
If your system is not running, the first thing you can check is your fuse box. If the fuse has been tripped due to bad weather just flip the fuse and check the system. If it still doesn’t work call for a service technician.

My outdoor unit is covered with ice. Is this a problem?
If the coils of your outdoor unit are covered with a large layer of ice you may have a serious problem. This can be caused by a bad defrost board, low freon level, restriction in the refrigeration line, bad fan motor or a bad fan capacitor. If you start seeing ice wait to see if the unit goes into defrost mode. If the ice starts building up call for service.

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