For a lot of folks, air conditioning is just as mysterious as it is essential. They appreciate the creation of cool air in the summer, but really have no idea how it works. Yet, understanding the technology is a good idea so when your air conditioner breaks down, you’ll have at least general idea of what’s happening. A review of how evaporator and condenser coils contribute to cooling your home should be a key part of any explanation of air conditioning.

How a Central A/C Works

Refrigerant (also called coolant) is essential to any air conditioning or refrigeration system. Made to transition easily from liquid to gas and back to liquid again, the refrigerant moves through the A/C system, removing heat from inside the house and releasing it outside into the air. The refrigerant does this inside evaporator and condenser coils.

Evaporator Coil

The evaporator coil, in homes with furnaces, typically is located in a metal box fitted on top of the furnace. In homes without gas furnaces, usually in mild-winter climates, the evaporator coil is often located in a dedicated air-handling unit. As the refrigerant is pumped through the copper evaporator coil, it turns into a gaseous state as it absorbs heat and moisture from the inside air. When heat and water vapor is removed, the result is cool, drier air. The blower and ducts do the rest of the job of circulating conditioned air throughout the home.

Condensing Coil

After removing heat from the home, the A/C pumps the heated refrigerant outside to the condenser/compressor, a metal box usually positioned on a concrete pad next to the house. A compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, returning it to a liquid state, and in the condenser coil, the refrigerant releases heat into the air with the aid of an exhaust fan.

For the essential heat exchange to occur properly, the evaporator and condenser coils must be cleaned regularly, and airflow must be maintained to both outside and inside units. To schedule a spring maintenance tune-up for your Portland area home’s central air conditioner, please contact us at Roth Home & Cooling.

Without looking up, which direction is your ceiling fan rotating? If you answered counter-clockwise (as you’re looking up at the fan), you’re correct — most of the time. However, ceiling fans usually are equipped with a switch on the fan housing that allows you to change ceiling fan direction from the default factory setting, counter-clockwise, to clockwise. The first setting helps you feel cooler in warmer seasons, and the second aids in recirculating warm air during the heating season. Either strategy, used in the correct season, will help save energy and money in your Portland area home.

Ceiling Fan Heating

In most rooms, warmer air collects near the ceiling. In the winter, this can be a problem since people don’t spend time in the tops of rooms. They need that warm air down where they’re standing or sitting. A ceiling fan set to clockwise blade rotation will blow air upward, displacing the warm air near the ceiling, and force it toward the walls and then down into the room. When your thermostat senses the warmer air, it won’t kick the furnace on quite so soon, and you’ll save money on utility bills.

Ceiling Fan Cooling

When set to rotate counter-clockwise, a ceiling fan will blow air downward, creating a wind-chill effect for anyone who feels that air movement. This will make the room feel cooler, and allow you to turn up the thermostat as many as four degrees without starting to feel uncomfortable. During mild days, ceiling fans may allow you to keep the A/C off entirely. This provides energy savings, since it costs substantially less to operate a fan than it does an A/C or heat pump.

It’s important to remember that ceiling fans don’t actually cool a room; it’s all about the cooling “effect.” If no one is in the room to feel the air current, it’s not doing any good. Turn off ceiling fans in empty rooms.

Remember, the right ceiling fan direction can save you money in all seasons. For more helpful ideas for saving money on energy in your Portland area home, please contact us at Roth Home & Cooling.

Has your home’s central air conditioning system been acting up? Perhaps it’s not cooling your home as quickly as it used to, or appears to be running constantly. Or maybe your monthly electric bills seem noticeably higher than last year’s, even though you haven’t otherwise changed your energy use at home. You can call a trusted A/C technician to look at your system, but before taking that step, try some A/C troubleshooting tips.

A/C Troubleshooting Tips

Check the air filter. A clogged filter can explain both decreased performance and increased energy use. When the filter is clean, it allows for smooth airflow through the A/C evaporator coil and the home’s ductwork system. When it’s dirty, your air conditioner has to work harder and longer to deliver the same amount of cool air. This wastes energy and stresses parts, leading to more repairs. Check the filter today, and then put your filter inspections on a monthly schedule. Change the filter when it looks clogged or dirty.
Clear debris away from the outside condenser/compressor. This unit also requires smooth airflow to allow for optimum heat exchange between the refrigerant in the coil and the outside air. Dirty coils, both inside and outside, also will impede heat exchange, though cleaning the coils is best left to a trained A/C technician.
Make sure the condensate drain isn’t clogged. The water – which is condensed out of the cooling air during the A/C process – can back up and damage walls, floors, fixtures and belongings. It also can promote mold and mildew growth.
Schedule annual preventative maintenance for your central A/C. This may not fit in with the other A/C troubleshooting tips, but it’s probably the most important. For your cooling system to run with its intended efficiency, and provide the comfort your family expects, it requires professional maintenance annually. During the tune-up, all of the other troubleshooting steps can be addressed as well.

For more A/C troubleshooting tips, or to schedule a spring preventative maintenance visit, please contact us today at Roth Home & Cooling, providing quality HVAC and plumbing services to the greater Portland area.

Choosing between propane and electricity to fuel your home heating system often comes down to the cost of both options. In our climate, using a propane furnace or a heat pump that utilizes electricity can be an efficient and dependable way to heat your home.

Energy Produced

A gallon of propane produces around 27 kilowatts (kWs) of electricity. According to Portland General Electric (PGE), each kW (not including taxes or fees) you use under 1,000 per month on a standard plan costs $06.5 and anything over 1,000 costs $07.22. The cost of 27 kWs is $1.75 if you keep usage under 1,000 kWs for the month and $1.94 if you exceed the 1,000 kW threshold.

Current Costs

Although propane costs vary by provider, the national average for a gallon of propane as of March 2014 was $3.08. The current cost of an equivalent amount of electricity from PGE (minus service charges, taxes and fees) is $1.75.

Efficiency

The heating efficiency of propane and electricity is measured differently. Propane furnaces carry AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) ratings that indicate how much fuel is used to heat your home and the proportion that’s wasted as combustion gases. The most efficient furnaces available have efficiency ratings close to 99 percent, which means the system only wastes 1 percent of the fuel it uses.

A heat pump’s efficiency is measured by how many units of heat it produces based on the amount of energy it uses. The current minimum HSPF (heating season performance factor) stands at 8.2. A typical heat pump offers 300 percent efficiency because it produces three units of heat per unit of energy it uses. A combustion system can never attain efficiency greater than 100 percent.

To learn more about heating with propane and electricity, contact the pros at Roth Home & Cooling. We’ve been providing exceptional HVAC services for Portland area homeowners since 1976.

Did you know that your home’s dryer vents can pose a threat to your safety? Even if you empty the lint trap after every load, you’re probably not cleaning up all the lint buildup, which can eventually prevent your dryer vent from exhausting properly. Due to the blockage, your dryer may overheat, threatening your Portland home and your personal safety.

Signs of Blocked Dryer Vents

Clothing doesn’t dry completely or takes much longer than normal to dry.
Clothes dry, but feel much hotter than usual to the touch.
Clothes smell musty coming out of the dryer.
The vent hood flap doesn’t pop open as it should when the dryer is in use.
The laundry area or laundry room is excessively hot when the dryer is in use or has just completed it’s cycle.
A lot of lint accumulates in and around the lint filter.
Your dryer sheets seem to smell stronger than usual after the drying cycle.

What Your HVAC Contractor Can Do

You probably already know that your contractor should inspect and clean your HVAC system every year. Your plumbing vent pipes also need annual maintenance. You should have your HVAC technician clean your dryer vents using specialized cleaning equipment. He can remove any debris (branches, leaves, bird nests, etc.) blocking your vent pipe, which typically sticks out of your roof.

Your HVAC contractor will then use a high-powered vacuum equipment, snakes and brushes to clean out the entire length of the vent. Your contractor may also need to replace non-metal transition ducts running between the dryer and main vent because they constitute a fire danger.

Semi-rigid metal ducts will make your venting system safer and help improve your dryer’s efficiency and performance. If it’s been more than a year since your last dryer vent cleaning, schedule an inspection right away.

When it comes to sheer convenience, few appliances have as much of an impact on your household than your garbage disposal. Your disposal is handy for getting rid of food scraps and waste that might otherwise create a smelly mess in your kitchen.

Garbage disposal maintenance is absolutely essential if you want it to last for years to come. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind to keep your disposal in great shape and prevent maintenance emergencies.

Do’s

Operate your garbage disposal regularly. Disuse can lead to rust, corrosion and clogs.
Drop a few frozen vinegar cubes into your garbage disposal. This not only keeps the blades sharp, but it also helps clean and disinfect the disposal itself.
Flush your garbage disposal with cold water and keep running your disposal until all food scraps have been flushed out.

Don’ts

Don’t grind onion peels, corn husks and other stringy, fibrous foods in your disposal. These fibers can easily get tangled around the motor and burn it out.
Don’t feed bones, fruit pits and other extremely hard foods into your disposal.
Don’t stick your hand into your garbage disposal to retrieve dropped items without disconnecting the unit’s power beforehand. If possible, use needle-nose pliers or a bent coat hanger to retrieve items.

Don’t forget that your technician can also help out with garbage disposal maintenance, especially when it comes to tough jobs like motor repairs and blade replacements.

The experts at Roth Home & Cooling can help maintain your garbage disposal. Contact us whenever your Portland home’s disposal needs a professional’s touch.

The U.S. Department of Energy has put into effect new regulations that require all manufacturers of water heaters to meet a higher energy factor (EF) rating. Based on the new requirements, there will be significant changes to water heaters manufactured after April 15, 2015. This includes gas-fired, oil-fired, electric, tabletop, instantaneous gas-fired and instantaneous electric. Tankless water heaters already meet the new requirements.

How does this affect me?

Some of the changes that affect you as a consumer are as follows:

Higher priced units – up to 35% more expensive.
Larger units – 2” tall and 2” wider, and in some cases units may be even larger.
More complicated installation requirements
Possible significant home retrofiting costs if your water heater is located in a small space like a closet or attic.

These new regulations will improve the efficiency of water heaters, however, resulting in energy savings for the homeowner.

Why do I care?

According to manufacturer’s suggested service life, the average lifespan of a water heater is about 8–12 years. Homeowners with water heaters 10 years old or older need to seriously consider replacing it now, before the regulations go into effect and costs go up.

What do I do next?

Roth Home & Cooling recommends you book a consultation with one of our experts who will answer any questions you may have about the new regulations, evaluate your current water heater and provide you with options on the next steps. Then, if you decide you want to install before the new regulations take affect we’ll reserve your water heater from our inventory.

We’ve been installing water heaters for over 40 years. We can answer all of your questions, tell you about interest-free financing, schedule an appointment that’s convenient for you, and professionally install your new water heater for years of reliable service.

For more information about the new regulations visit these websites:

You may not know that your water pipes are shaking until you hear a sudden bang or rattle coming from somewhere deep inside your walls. This may happen when you turn water on or off at a faucet, or when your washer stops the flow of water coming in.

The sound of shaking water pipes can be annoying. However, what’s worse is the potential damage these pipes can sustain. You need to fix them now to avoid leaking pipes in the future.

What Causes Pipes to Shake?

Flowing water contains energy, and when something disturbs the water’s flow, it releases contained energy into the structure around the water. This released energy can cause unsecured water pipes to move around quite a bit. Solenoid-triggered water valves, found on dishwashers and washing machines, can stop the flow of water suddenly, causing stored energy to shake your pipes. Water flowing above 80 psi can cause backflushing, which also results in moving pipes.

Shaking pipes strain pipe joints and seams, but the damage may not show itself for a long time. One day, your pipe joint might fail or a crack, leaving your with a major water leak on your hands.

What Can You Do About Shaking Pipes?

To subdue your rattling pipes, you need to bring in a licensed plumbing contractor. Your plumber will identify what’s causing your pipes to shake and offer solutions to fix the problem. This might be as simple as securing your pipes to studs and joists, or be as complicated as installing water hammer arresters and water pressure regulators.

A water hammer arrester is a sealed tube installed on top of water pipes near the valve. It contains a cushion of air that absorbs the energy within the water when the valve shuts. A water pressure regulator keeps the amount of water flowing into your home at a manageable pressure below 80 psi.

Most modern homes contain a garbage disposal in the kitchen. While this addition to your sink can be a convenience, it can also require more maintenance on your part. It’s not uncommon for garbage disposal motors to burn out, but sometimes you might think this is the problem when your disposal is really just jammed. Here are the steps for determining whether you need a new garbage disposal motor:

Preliminary Precaution

Before you get started, it’s important that you double check that your garbage disposal is turned off. The breaker associated with the disposal should be switched off to avoid any accidents, and you should never try to clear a jam by simply sticking your hand down into the disposal.

Checking the Motor

The first step when your disposal is not working is to check to see if the circuit breaker has been tripped. Try switching the circuit breaker on and off, then turn the garbage disposal on to see if it works. As always, avoid placing your fingers near the disposal.
You can also use a special wrench designed for garage disposals to work on the blades at the bottom of your disposal. This may help the motor kick start, but be sure to only make contact with the blades with your wrench.
There should be a reset button for your disposal. If the above suggestions don’t work, try holding this button in for approximately 30 seconds.
Unplug your garbage disposal and plug a different appliance in the outlet to see if the problem is your power source. If there’s no electrical current flowing through the outlet, you’ll need to consult with an electrician to remedy the problem without risking injury.

If your garbage disposal motor is broken, it’s a good idea to consult with a professional to get it fixed. Contact Roth Home & Cooling to schedule an appointment in Vancouver today today.