On Long Island, we have a long history of brownouts. When the electricity is restored it often surges at higher-than-normal levels because individual power stations must coordinate the distribution of power, and older systems will adjust more slowly than new ones. Thus, after a brownout, there are usually multiple small surges that could cause potential damage to a heating and cooling system.

Another major concern during brownout conditions is the restarting of machines. Whenever the air-conditioning unit starts, it draws a large amount of energy, causing a change in voltage over the entire home.

Surge suppressors also prevent surges from more common causes, including turning on and off of other major appliances (refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, etc.). While a single small surge from an appliance won’t necessarily damage another appliance, continual small surges can wear down circuitry and lead to a shortened life.

That may be of little concern in the case of small appliances such as toasters, alarm clocks and desk fans, but in larger appliances, surge suppressors could be the difference between your unit surviving a storm or having to be replaced.

For more expert advice about surge suppressors and other issues related to home comfort, please contact us at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. We have proudly served homeowners in the Long Island area for over 75 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Surge protector image via Shutterstock

This new generation of programmable thermostats allows you to take full control of your home’s temperature, even when you are at work or out of town.

There are several key differences when comparing smart thermostats to ordinary programmable thermostats:

• These thermostats have the technology to communicate with the owner via the internet.
• A smart thermostat can monitor your heating and cooling equipment and your humidifier, and report its findings on the web or with a phone call or text message.
• With this information, you can analyze your heating and cooling and make adjustments to reduce your energy usage, and ultimately reduce your energy costs.
• Smart thermostats enable you to set up your temperature preferences all 365 days of the year, whereas standard devices allow you to program your preferences for a 7-day setting.

In addition to these benefits, smart thermostats can be a valuable tool when you are not at home but others are.

• Do you have a pet living at home? On days when it is extremely hot, you can access your smart thermostat to cool your house off and keep your pet from overheating. You will no longer have to leave work to make adjustments; just log on for control.
• Do you go on business trips throughout the year? If outdoor temperatures become extreme, and you’re out of town in the winter, you can set the home’s temperature higher to prevent your pipes from freezing.

Smart thermostats make life better — and easier. The installation process is simple, but generally requires that you enlist the help of a trained technician. Use a local contractor that you can trust, and contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating today! We have been proudly serving Long Island homeowners for over 75 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about programmable thermostats or other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Thermostat control image via Shutterstock

Even in healthy people, poor indoor air quality can cause minor ailments such as headaches, fatigue and lung irritation. But for people with respiratory problems, pollutants can exacerbate conditions such as allergies and asthma.

Here are T. F. O’Brien’s top tips for improving indoor air quality:

• Investigate your windows or doors for air leaks, which will allow outdoor pollutants to enter your home. Air leaks are easy to seal using caulk or weather stripping.
• Seal ductwork leaks. Leaky ducts can unleash all sorts of contaminants into your living space, and can in fact be a health hazard, as leaks can draw hazardous carbon monoxide and other contaminants into the ductwork, which then delivers it to your home’s living spaces. Check for leaks around ducts, paying close attention to where the duct’s piping connects, and seal them with a mastic-type sealant and/or metal tape.
• Change your system’s air filter regularly, and consider upgrading to high-quality disposable filters, which will perform better and keep more allergens out of your home’s air.
• Look at your habits. Are you vacuuming regularly? Do you dust with a dampened cloth rather than a feather duster, which lifts much of the dust back in the air? Regular, efficient cleaning methods help rid the home of dust and other irritants.
• Check humidity levels. Too much moisture can contribute to the growth of mold, which can be harmful to one’s health. Consider using a dehumidifier to regulate indoor humidity levels.
• Use an air cleaner to dramatically reduce the amount of irritants in your home, whether particulates such as dust and dander or microbials such as bacteria and mold. A whole-house air cleaner works with your cooling and heating system to purify all of the air in your home.
• Schedule annual HVAC maintenance to ensure good indoor air quality. An HVAC service professional can check for and solve air quality problems.

For more expert advice about indoor air quality and other home comfort issues, feel free to contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating.  We’ve been serving the Long Island area since 1934.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Indoor air image via Shutterstock

During warmer spring and summer weather, humidity can make a home unpleasant, creating sticky air that makes everything feel damp. More importantly, excessive humidity can wreak havoc on your home, staining ceilings and walls, rotting wood and leading to other structural damage. Worse, too much humidity can cause mold, mildew, bacteria and dust-mite growth that can lead to or magnify symptoms for those who suffer from asthma and allergies.

Even if you can tolerate the unpleasantness caused by heat and humidity, you’ll need to remove excessive moisture from the air in your home to avoid structural problems and health problems. To remove the humidity, you need the comprehensive control that a whole-house dehumidifier offers.

Working in tandem with your heating and cooling equipment, a whole-house system draws moisture from the air, once it is cooled after passing through your air conditioner, often called an in-duct or flow-through system. The air that is then delivered into every room of your home is drier, with a humidity level within your comfort zone. Further, whole-house systems utilize humidity sensors, which read your indoor humidity levels, and then adjust the output of the system accordingly.

Portable dehumidifiers are another option, though they can be noisy, require a lot of maintenance, and you would need one in every room.

You’ll want to maintain a healthy indoor humidity range between 30 and 50 percent, recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency to contain mold growth. Below the 30 percent range would make the air too dry, and lead to a new set of problems. Keeping your humidity within the EPA’s recommended levels will help you avoid asthma and allergy problems, protect your home’s structure and ensure a comfortable home environment, too.

For more expert advice on dehumidifiers or any other home comfort matters, contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. We’ve been serving Long Island since 1934.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Humidity meter image via Shutterstock

1. First, decide if you want a manual or programmable thermostat. You may have a manual thermostat now; you set it and the temperature stays at that level until you walk up to the thermostat to manually change it. But a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature at variable levels throughout the day, so that you save money on energy when your home isn’t occupied. You also can set a programmable thermostat to really capitalize on savings. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can shave about 10 percent a year from your heating and cooling bills using a programmable device to seasonally adjust the thermostat’s settings by at least 10 percent for eight hours.
2. Select a new thermostat that is compatible with your HVAC system. Do you have a single-stage heating and cooling system or a two-stage system? Does your system require direct line voltage, often used in older homes, or does it run on the standard 24mV?
3. Decide which objectives and options are most important to you. If you are sold on the idea of a programmable thermostat, think about how long of a period you can set your thermostat for–without setting off family squabbles about the “right” temperature.

Your programming choices generally allow for:

• Seven-day programming, so you can program settings for each day of the week separately
• Five-two programming, so you can set a different schedule for weekdays and weekends
• Five-one-one programming, so you can set a weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedule
• One-week programming, so that you can set one program that lasts all week

Programmable thermostats can also come equipped with a backlit display, vacation mode and convenient touch-screen controls, among other features.

Once you have a programmable thermostat, you won’t know how you lived without one. If you need assistance making this sure-fire, energy-saving home improvement, call the thermostat experts at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Thermostat image via Shutterstock

While the filter helps to keep your A/C system clean, there is always some dust that gets past the filter, especially when the filter is dirty. As a result, it’s critical that homeowners service their air conditioners regularly, with the expert help of an HVAC contractor.

One of the primary air conditioner components impacted by dust is the evaporator. The evaporator coil is what actually cools the air running through your air conditioner. This part, which is not easily accessible to the homeowner, is designed to remove the heat from the air passing through the air-handling unit, thereby cooling the air. To make it as efficient as possible, the space between the fins on the evaporator are very small, making them a great place for dust and dirt to become trapped. And Long Island’s humidity only makes this problem worse.

As more dust and dirt are trapped in the evaporator, less air will flow through your HVAC system. In turn, this reduces the amount of cool air delivered throughout your house, increasing the amount of time that your air conditioner needs to run, with corresponding increases in energy consumption.

To ensure optimal air conditioner efficiency, the evaporator needs to be cleaned annually. As part of your spring A/C maintenance plan, a trained technician will thoroughly clean the dust and dirt out of your air A/C evaporator, along with other components, ensuring you the best possible air conditioner efficiency for your home.

If you need further information about servicing your air conditioner, or have any other questions about home heating and cooling efficiency, contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. Serving the Long Island area, our trained experts are ready to help you and answer all your questions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air conditioner image via Shutterstock

Duct efficiency

Leaky ducts will allow conditioned air to escape, increasing energy bills and decreasing home comfort. Not only does inefficient ductwork cause your HVAC equipment to consume more energy to overcome air leaks, but it might lead you to turn the thermostat up or down, also causing increased energy consumption. Hiring a professional HVAC company to seal the ducts will increase your heating and cooling systems’ efficiency, create a more comfortable environment and lower energy costs.

HVAC efficiency

Older, inefficient HVAC equipment typically produces below average results. If your budget can handle it, consider upgrading your old heating and cooling system to an Energy Star-rated unit. When choosing a new system, make sure to purchase a unit that’s sized to meet your home’s heating or cooling load. If it’s too large or too small, it will cause HVAC equipment to run cycles that are too short or too long, respectively, both of which will increase energy use.

Air loss

A home with an abundance of small holes and cracks in its exterior shell is hard to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Air leaks throughout your home cause air to escape through those small cracks and holes, which wastes energy, increases your energy bills and affects home comfort. Use weather stripping, door jams and caulk to seal problem areas and minimize air loss.

Other problems that could cause your home comfort to diminish include:

• Dirty air filters
• Inefficient thermostat settings
• Poor indoor air quality

However, if you regularly replace filters, upgrade to a programmable thermostat and use correct settings and install a whole-house air purifier you will greatly increase your home comfort, while saving money on your monthly heating and cooling bills.

For more expert tips on improving your home comfort, contact T.F.O’Brien Cooling & Heating. Since 1934, we have provided the absolute best customer service and workmanship to the Long Island area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Home comfort image via Shutterstock

If you’re looking into tankless water heaters, you need to learn a whole new vocabulary. No longer can you think in terms of a 40-gallon or 60-gallon hot water heater to size your sytem. Now, you’ve got to think in terms of flow rate and incoming water temperature to make sure that your hot water needs are provided for.

Incoming water temperature — Since there is no tank to hold heated water, a tankless unit works by quickly raising the temperature of all incoming water. The amount of heating the unit is capable of depends in part on the temperature of the water coming from your local utility’s water supply (along with the flow rate). In general, colder climates typically have colder incoming water temperatures.

Flow rate — The amount of water flowing through tankless water heaters also affects their performance. Basically, the faster the water flows, the less time the heater has to heat the water. This is dependent upon how the water is used at any point in time. Different fixtures and appliances will use different amounts of water, measured in gallons per minute (GPM):

• Toilet: 0.5
• Bathtub: 2.0 – 4.0
• Shower: 1.5 – 3.0
• Kitchen sink: 1.0 – 1.5
• Laundry sink: 2.5 – 3.0
• Dishwasher: 1.0 – 3.0
• Clothes washer: 1.5 – 3.0

Knowing the flow rate of the applications for which you’ll use a tankless water heater will help you to calculate the necessary system capacity. Doing so will help ensure that your tankless heater provides enough hot water at a high enough temperature to meet your family’s needs.

For an expert consultation, and to calculate incoming temperature and flow rates, contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. One of our trained experts can help you make the best decision for your family.  Serving the Long Island area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Hot water image via Shutterstock

If you suffer from allergies indoors, you don’t have to agonize throughout the spring and summer. A few changes in your home can help reduce your allergy symptoms and alleviate suffering.

Here are three steps that can help to ease allergies indoors:

• Change air filters — Your HVAC equipment’s air filter naturally collects the dust inside your home as your home’s air circulates through the entire system. However, if you don’t change the filter, it will become clogged, no longer able to trap dust and debris. As a result, that dirt will generally remain in your ductwork and the air. You can reduce the amount of dust in your home by replacing the filter at least every three months. You may want to replace the filter monthly, however, if you have extreme sensitivity to dust.
• Professional maintenance — If you haven’t kept a regular maintenance schedule, then you probably have a large buildup of dust and contaminants in your system. With preventive maintenance, an HVAC professional will clean your ductwork and HVAC equipment, which will help to reduce the amount of dust in your home. So it’s important to schedule tune-ups each year to help reduce dust and allergens in your home, as well as reduce other harmful emissions, such as exhaust fumes and other chemicals, which can aggravate allergies.
• Sealing ducts — If your ducts are improperly sealed, dust inside your ductwork will leak out before it can be trapped in the filter. Instead, the dust is scattered throughout the house, further impacting allergies. Having your ductwork professionally sealed will help direct the dust into the air filter, and keep your indoor air as clean as possible.

For more information on reducing spring allergies, or other HVAC issues, contact us at T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. We provide all of Long Island with the HVAC service and care that you need to stay healthy throughout the year.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Allergens image via Shutterstock

• If you notice a vibrating noise that’s gradually getting worse, especially from an older furnace, it may be from a fan mounted directly with metal supports. After a few years, the mounts can loosen, causing a vibrating noise when the fan kicks on. To correct this, stop the fan and tighten any loose nuts and bolts. If you continue to hear the noise, place your hand in different spots on the housing to dampen the noise. You may find the cover, for example, quiets down when wedged in tighter. If this doesn’t work and you can’t ignore the noise, call a repairman.
• A loud whine is often a dying exhaust fan motor. If you haven’t replaced your motor in the last 15 to 20 years, replacing it will often correct this noise.
• Burners may emit a loud, low rumble when they ignite. Older models have open burners that can often be heard far away from the furnace. Usually the only solution is to replace the furnace with a newer, high-efficiency model that has a sealed combustion chamber. This would be a good time to call.

Contact the friendly experts at T.F. O’Brien Heating & Cooling if you have any questions about a noisy furnace. We have proudly served Long Island for more than 75 years. Our technicians will be glad to fix any furnace that goes bump in the night, and if you repair or replace your furnace now, you will be ahead of the game for next winter .

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Furnace repair image via Shutterstock