Archive for the ‘maintenance’ Category

Is Your HVAC System Leaking? Having AC Drain Pan Problems?

Tuesday, July 16th, 2024

There are big problems, and there are little problems. It’s best for your happiness and comfort to avoid as many big problems as possible.

AC drain pan problems and leaks and overflows can cause big problems for your home, your quality of life, and your pocketbook.

photo of a condensate pump that removes excess water from the AC drain pan — Example condensate pump

If you have a heat pump or a regular air conditioner, and you suspect a problem, you’ll want to go inspect the indoor portion of your HVAC system. You’re looking at where the water drains from out of the cased coil into the line that exits the house, which it can do through a passive drain or a condensate pump.

If you see evidence of water leakage or mold, you could have a clogged drain line or other problem causing water to go where it shouldn’t be.

What Is a Drain Pan and Drain Line?

When water condenses on the coil in your AC and drains into the pan, it’s supposed to go out the drain line. The pan is a flat trough the sits below the coil (see item 1 in the diagram), and is usually about two inches tall. This pan isn’t visible from the outside of the unit. It is usually concealed by the metal casing (see item 7 in the diagram).

diagram of an air conditioner with labels for the different parts to understand ac drain pan problems

The drain line is typically a PVC pipe or clear tubing that the water drains into from the drain pan. For most air conditioners, this line leads into a small, powered box called a condensation pump. In other systems, the line passively takes water outside your home.

Photo of a p-trap that helps prevent leaks in an air conditioner — Example of a p-trap

There is also a P-trap, which is after the drain line exits the coil, but before the condensate pump. The same thing is present if your system uses a passive drain too.

So the pan and line are inside your home or garage, and the line takes any access water to the outside.

What Can Go Wrong with the AC Drain Pan?

If the drain line gets clogged, the pan can start to collect water. As you know, standing water doesn’t usually turn out to be a good thing. You can get mold, algae, rust, and other buildup that can be the reason the line clogged in the first place, or it can make what used to be a partial blockage much worse.

If this problem is left unattended, you can end up with much bigger problems, such as:

Frozen coil

This will reduce the functionality of the air conditioner, costing more money to produce the same level of cooling because it makes the system work harder. It’s worth noting that dirty air filters can contribute to this problem, because when air flow is hindered, it can cause the coil to freeze. When the coil thaws, you have a drainage issue. So if your AC isn’t performing well, check the air filter first before suspecting a clogged line.

System shutdowns

If the line is clogged, excess water or moisture from the coil thawing can cause the system to just stop working.

Water damage

If the drain pain or the line has a leak, that would be a serious situation because it could mean water is seeping into areas of the house where it will only cause problems.

Heat pump problems

If you have a heat pump, drain pan problems can affect the AC mode of your system in the same way. This can get technical, but if you have a 90-96% furnace, condensed liquid can cause the drain line to freeze. But it should not shut down the system unless the pumps fails and it has a float safety switch. Or, your system could have a water sensor that will shut off the system if it detects water.

What to Do If You Suspect a Drain Line Leak or Problem

If you leave these problems unattended, you could end up with a non-working air conditioning system and will have to fork over big money to replace the whole thing, or repair complex components.

So, it’s worth your while to look over your system for evidence of dripping or leaking water. If the system seems to be operating normally, it’s probably doing fine. You should also get routine maintenance done now and then so you can keep these bigger problems away. When we do maintenance on air conditioners, we also clean out the P-trap.

Manufacturers recommend checking your system every year, ideally in the spring before you need to use your AC that year.

If you do suspect a serious problem like a drain line leak or water collecting in the drain pan, don’t let it sit there getting worse. Contact your local AC repair service.

If you live in Snohomish County or any of the zip codes listed in the footer of our home page, B&C Comfort can come out and repair the problem. Click the link below to get on our schedule.

Schedule an AC maintenance appointment

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Should I Turn Off the Pilot Light for My Gas Fireplace in the Spring?

Tuesday, May 31st, 2022

Most people in the Puget Sound region don’t use their gas fireplaces during the warmer months of the year in spring, summer, and early fall. So, it’s a common question – should you turn off your pilot light during those months? Is it dangerous or wasteful to leave it on?

The short answer is – you do not need to turn off your pilot light, and there is little risk in leaving it on all summer. Leaving it on is the simpler way to go. But, if you want to turn it off, you can, and there’s no harm in that either.

For more details about shutting off your pilot light, keep reading.

What Is a Pilot Light?

photo of a fireplace pilot light burning

Your gas fireplace is never actually ‘off’ in the usual sense of that word. For most fireplaces, there is a very tiny flame that is always burning, and that’s called your pilot light. Some newer fireplaces feature a standing pilot system with an ‘intermittent pilot,’ where the pilot isn’t actually on all the time. But in general, when you flip the switch that turns ‘on’ your gas fireplace, what you’re really doing is just increasing the flow of gas and enabling the larger fire to burn.

The pilot light is what makes the gas fireplace so easy to use.

Compare it to a gas barbecue. For a BBQ, you have to ignite the flame every time you use it. There is no flame always burning. But with a gas fireplace, and other gas elements in your home, the pilot light never stops burning, unless you have a standing pilot system, as mentioned. Either way, everything lights when you turn it on, every time.

What Happens if I Leave My Pilot Light Burning All Year?

In theory, nothing happens, and there’s nothing wrong with doing this. And in fact, it has a couple advantages. If you were to turn off your pilot light, there’s always a small chance a spider will crawl in there and build a web. That will greatly complicate the process of turning the pilot light back on in the fall. Leaving it on ensures this won’t happen.

It’s also true that there is a small cost to leaving the flame burning year-round. Costs vary depending on the price of natural gas in your area. The cost works out to around $5 per month in most places, give or take.

Hiring a technician to re-light your pilot light in the fall will surely cost more than that, so turning off your pilot light to save money doesn’t really make sense.

If your pilot light is off for some reason and you need help turning it back on, we recommend calling your gas provider. B&C Comfort generally doesn’t make house calls just to turn on pilot lights, and we would also charge you to service the unit for maintenance.

As for safety, yes, turning off your pilot light will reduce the likelihood of experiencing a gas leak during the spring, summer, and early fall. But those are just as likely in the winter as in the summer – which is to say, gas leaks are very rare. Plus, there are built-in safety mechanisms that shut off the flow of gas if the pilot is leaking.

However, if you ever do smell gas, shutting off your gas valve and turning off the pilot light is the first step to take. Then, call your gas company.

What If I Can’t Figure Out How to Turn On or Off the Pilot Light?

If you can’t figure it out, that’s a good reason to leave it on and not worry about it. Or, you can call a professional and have them take care of it.

Is Turning the Pilot Light Back On As Easy As Turning It Off?

No. Turning off the gas is relatively easy. You just turn the valve and shut off the flow of gas. This extinguishes the small flame that is the pilot light.

Turning it back on is more complicated. If you just turn the valve back on, all this does is resume the flow of gas. But the pilot light is a flame, and it must be relit. As you can imagine, there are some safety considerations here.

That’s why we recommend having a professional from your gas company come in to re-light your pilot light. Again, if you ask B&C Comfort to do it, we will charge you for and perform a full service and maintenance call.

If you don’t want to pay for that, then the simple solution is to leave your pilot light on continuously through the summer. But if for any reason you’d rather turn it off for the warmer months, then make it a habit to book your appointment right then to have it turned back on in the fall.

If you live within our service area in and around Snohomish County (see the complete list of zip codes at the very bottom of our home page), our schedule fills up months in advance.

So if you want to turn off your pilot light in the spring, get on our fall schedule now so you can have it turned back on before the cold weather returns!

Tags: fireplace maintenance
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How to Change the Air Filter On Your Air Conditioner or Furnace

Friday, January 28th, 2022

So you’ve decided it’s time to change the air filter on your air conditioner or furnace. Good decision! The reality is, you should be changing this regularly, at least a couple times per year even in the mild climate of the Greater Seattle area.

But if you’ve never done it before, how do you change an air filter?

The good news is, it’s actually pretty simple in most cases. We’ll walk you through the basic process. However, if you still aren’t able to figure it out, you can always give us a call and we can try to talk you through it over the phone. Or if necessary, we can come out and help you in person.

Before we get to how to change it, let’s quickly address how you know it’s the right time to change the air filter on your air conditioner.

One good way to test this is to hang a white sheet about five inches away from one of your vents, and leave it there for an hour. If during that time the sheet turns noticeably gray, that’s a good sign your air filter is due for replacement. Also, if there’s a buildup of dust around your vents, no need to use the sheet because that’s also a clear sign your filter is probably clogged up.

And in case you’re wondering, here’s a post on why changing your air filter is so important, and how it protects your health, your wallet, and your comfort.

How to Change an Air Filter in 6 Steps

1. Find the Air Filter

This step might seem silly, but sometimes, especially in larger homes with multiple vents, ducts, and other HVAC equipment, finding the air filter can be a little challenging.

Generally, it will be in the main air handling unit or in the main air duct vent. It could be in the return air duct that pulls air from your home back into the HVAC systems. Or it could be near the air handler that blows out the warm or cool air. This is quite common if your heating and air conditioning systems share the same ducts, which is true in most households.

You probably will have to open up a metal panel on top of the unit if it’s in the actual device, and this might require some unscrewing. In other cases, the door may be held with hooks, or it might just open up with minimal effort.

2. Turn Off the Power

You can turn off the unit or just switch off the circuit breaker. But you want to make sure there is no chance of electricity still operating in the unit when you open it.

3. Remove the Current Air Filter

Next, once you find the air filter and turn off the power, you can remove the current air filter from its location.

When you do this, pay attention to the orientation of the air filter. There are usually arrows printed on the sides of it pointing in one direction, either toward where the air is blowing from, or away from it. You will want to insert the new air filter facing the same direction, so pay attention to the old one before you take it out.

4. Inspect the Current Air Filter to Decide on the Replacement

Once you remove the air filter, take a moment to look at it. It will probably be quite dirty, especially if you’ve never done this before or it’s been a while. Hold it up to the light. If you can’t see much light through it, it’s dirty.

Assuming you need to replace the air filter, you want to learn two things in your inspection:

The size of the air filter that fits in your system
The MERV rating

Air filters come in many sizes. Generally, you’re looking for a length and a width, and it should be printed somewhere on the filter. If you can’t find it, you can always just measure it yourself. To be sure, you can also just bring the filter into the hardware store and make sure the new one you buy is the same size.

MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective the air filter is at filtering out particulates. Ratings above 10 are considered able to filter out microorganisms that can impact your health and air quality.

The lowest quality air filters are made of fiberglass. These cost less, but they don’t last as long and need to be replaced more often, like almost every month. Pleated air filters are higher quality and should last several months.

HEPA filters are the highest quality. However, these are so good that in some HVAC systems they can impede airflow so much that the system has to work really hard to heat or cool your home, increasing your costs and risking breakdown. So just going for the highest possible MERV is not necessarily the best idea.

If you’re in doubt, give us a call and we’ll try to help you out over the phone. In general, you should be okay with a MERV rating between 5 and 13.

5. Dispose of the Old Air Filter

Especially if it’s very dirty and filled with possible health hazards, it’s a good idea to slip the old air filter into a plastic bag and then throw it in your usual garbage can.

If you happen to have a reusable filter, then you’ll need to add a step here to clean it and wait for it to dry. Some reusable air filters can be washed with water. Others can be vacuumed. Check the instructions on yours to find out how to clean it.

6. Buy and Insert the New Air Filter

Then, go to the hardware store and pick out the new air filter of the right size and desired MERV rating. Or, order it online. But if you do that, be absolutely certain about the size. Going to the store is a less risky approach because you can compare the old filter to the new one right there.

To insert the new one, slip it in the same way the old one came out. Again, use the arrows on the side to make sure it’s facing the correct direction.

The arrows always face away from the return air duct, and toward the air handler system. If that’s confusing and you aren’t sure if the original was installed right, give us a call and we will try to talk you through it.

Tags: AC maintenance, AC service, furnace maintenance
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Do I Really Need to Clean My Gas Fireplace?

Thursday, April 18th, 2019

Do I Really Need to Clean My Gas Fireplace?

Image by Sophie Janotta from Pixabay

It’s a good question. After all, your gas fireplace is a lot simpler than a wood-burning fireplace. No chopping, no carrying wood inside on a freezing day. No spiders in the woodpile. No ash. No hot coals to worry about. And best of all – no trouble starting the fire. Just flip a switch.

So there’s a lot to love about gas fireplaces, and it’s easy to get lulled into complacency and believe you don’t need to clean your gas fireplace either.

The truth is, you do need to clean it, just a lot less often than a wood-burning fireplace. The recommended frequency to clean and maintain a gas fireplace is once per year. If you want to use B&C Comfort and are in our service area (click here and scroll all the way to the end), we are regularly booked out several months in advance, so get on our schedule today.

Schedule my fireplace cleaning

Why You Need to Clean Your Gas Fireplace

But why must we clean our gas fireplaces if they burn so cleanly and make no visible mess?

Here’s the simple answer: all fire (combustion) produces waste products.

In general, the products of combustion are water vapor and carbon dioxide. But it’s not that simple. Water can react to metals and form rust, or combine with certain other chemicals to form corrosive acids, even very mild ones that take years to be noticed (see this article from the Chimney Safety Institute for more) Carbon dioxide is one of those chemicals – it can combine with water to produce carbonic acid. Your fireplace can also create other waste products such as carbon monoxide, which is a deadline odorless gas.

if you don't clean your gas fireplace water vapor and carbon dioxide can form acid and form rust

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

So regardless of what else might be crawling around in your chimney, venting system, and in the components of your fireplace, over time you will build up soot and other residues.

These residues will collect on the glass doors, the internal fireplace parts, the walls, the fake logs, and in the chimney/venting.

They will affect performance.

They will affect visibility.

They will affect safety.

Over time, an uncleaned gas fireplace will develop clogged or partially clogged gas lines and air passages. The motion of your fans will become inhibited. Small leaks can form.

Nothing works forever without ongoing maintenance. And let’s not forget, you are using this fireplace to burn a fire in your house. So, once a year, it’s a pretty smart move to make sure everything is cleaned and in working order.

Additional Gas Fireplace Maintenance Issues

Besides just the residues and soot collecting on everything, your annual fireplace cleaning is the perfect time to make sure everything else is working properly. Here are a few other items a professional can look at while they’re cleaning your fireplace.

Check functionality of thermopile and thermocouple, as applicable
Check that venting system is working properly (a major safety issue)
Look for chipped or cracked glass doors
Evaluate status of ceramic or faux logs – these too wear down over time
Do a carbon monoxide test

It takes a trained eye to quickly evaluate the quality and functionality of these and other gas fireplace components.

But in addition to cleaning, it’s very important to keep your fireplace working in perfect shape. It maximizes your energy efficiency, maintains optimal safety, and keeps your fireplace looking great.

If you live in our service area (scroll to the end of this page to find out) and haven’t cleaned your fireplace in a long time (or ever), now’s a good time to get on our busy schedule.