Heating Problems and Repair Solutions For Heat Pumps and Furnaces For Chandler Home For as diverse as the "All-American City" is in it’s housing types, we have found that most heating and cooling repairs in Chandler homes all stem from a couple core problem areas. Even in newer Chandler homes, with subdivisions seemingly popping up overnight in the 85248 and 85249 zip codes, you can bet builders and AC contractors did not pay detailed attention to the quality of their workmanship. In older Chandler neighborhoods around Corona Del Sol like Twelve Oaks, College Park and Anderson Springs, aging HVAC systems have notoriously common (and preventable) heating and cooling problems. Here is our list of the most common heating and air conditioning problems in the City of Chandler. Heating Repair Findings for Bungalow Style Homes in Chandler Chandler bungalow homes were built in the 1980’s throughout the 85224 and 85284 zip codes and includes the Twelve Oaks and Gila Springs neighborhoods. The bungalow home is characterized by vaulted ceilings in the main living area, plenty of windows and natural sunlight and package heat pumps on the roof. Chandler homes south of Chandler Blvd and between Kyrene and McClintock and some along the 101 freeway are typically one to two stories, with partial stucco or wood siding, have all electric package heat pumps on the roof and have tight attic spaces. Green ID has been performing heating and cooling repairs and replacements around these homes since 2009 and find that these homes are plagues with undersized ductwork, ductwork that has been outlawed in Arizona since 1990 and metal elbows that are far too small for the unit they deliver air for. If heating and cooling contractors would only take a whole home approach to installing heating and air conditioning systems, their units would operate 10 times better. How do we know? We have measured and seen the effects of addressing the whole home on a heating and air conditioning system… the electrical usages (amps) DECREASES, the airflow (CFM50) INCREASES, and the utility bills go DOWN. The best Chandler HVAC contractors will address home performance (not radiant barrier) issues should be done by every heating and air conditioning company during heating repairs, service and installation. No heating company in Chandler should be talking about HVAC without addressing a complete home performance picture. On homes with a package unit on the roof, do you know it’s rare for a heating contractor in Chandler to go into the attic at all during a maintenance inspection, heater tune up or a heating service call? Heating contractors need to focus more on the whole-home and less on the bells and whistles of heating systems like Aersoeal UV lights and washable filters (the unnecessary products of the HVAC industry). If the ductwork was sealed like it should be, homes wouldn’t be half as dusty and the need for a UV light would go away. Heating Repair Findings for Ranch Style Homes in ChandlerRanch style homes in Chandler are characterized by long roof lines and a heat pump package unit on the roof with a metal elbow built in the 1980s. Some Chandler homes have or used to have evap coolers on the roof next to the main heating and cooling system. The main ductwork is a metal trunk that runs down the middle of the hallway with 7 foot ceilings and registers located above the bedroom doors. In these Chandler homes the heating systems go bad not because the units are old, but because the components around the heating system are bad. The components that deliver the air, the ductwork is very important to how hard the heating system has to work. Think of driving a Prius with a hole in the gas tank… that’s what is happening to homes all over Chandler when heating and cooling systems are installed on a home with leaky ductwork, low insulation and ductwork sized for a smaller unit. Heating Repair Findings on Stucco Spec Homes in Chandler Chandler spec homes were built after 1990 and are homes where the original homeowner had 3-5 model home choices to pick from. The builder would then pull out the plans for the particular model chosen and build it as quickly and as cheaply as code would allow. At Green ID we have a saying that, “code is the worst you can legally build a home,” that is exactly what builders and HVAC companies did in these spec homes. Chandler stucco homes vary widely in size and layouts depending on each home builder. The HVAC air handler systems are most commonly located in the attic but are also found in garages and air handler closets inside the house. Most of these homes are found in Chandler zip codes of 85225, 85526, 85286, 85248 and 85249. These homes, while the code for insulation increased to R30, may be insulated with the wrong type of insulation if it was done with fiberglass batts. What? The Pink Panther type of insulation? Yes, like Joe Camel the Pink Panther is not your friend here. All these type of homes in Chandler have flex ductwork, which is super easy to install that little to no skill or training is required, so what happened is that best practices went out the window and are still long forgotten by Arizona heating and cooling companies. This means that the average Chandler homeowner will have to run their heating and cooling system longer, their energy bills are going to be higher than they should be and the HVAC system will have to be replaced sooner. Heating Problems and Repair Solutions for Heat Pumps and Furnaces for Newer Chandler Homes Built After 2000 in 85248 and 85249 Zip Codes Even though Arizona builders and HVAC contractors are forced to build better through stricter codes, we often find that even newer homes have their own set of heating and cooling problems. After 1990, Chandler HVAC contractors stopped using sheet metal ductwork and started using 100% flex ductwork. Flex ductwork is easy to install, in fact anyone can install it. Because anyone can install it, the best practices for airflow and duct design have almost all been long forgotten by installers, technicians and sales reps in the heating and cooling industry. Some of the best practices for airflow are common sense things like a duct doubling back on itself or a kinked duct across a roof truss is bad for airflow. Other things like how to route the flex duct off a plenum are more subtle. Heating and air conditioning systems in newer Chandler homes in the 85248 and 85249 zip codes with the newer refrigerant R410A are probably not charged correctly either. SRP estimates that 60% of the HVAC units installed after 2005 were never charged properly with the correct amount of refrigerant. Over and undercharging a system can cause comfort problems in the home, high energy bills, shorten the life of the unit and lead to costly repairs much faster than expected. Newer Chandler homes that are 3000 sq ft or more are particularly prone to refrigerant charging problems because of the long distance from the outside condenser to the attic air handler. Symptoms of a Broken Heater in Chandler Have you experienced these common symptoms in the winter?
What Causes Heating and Cooling Problems Around Chandler Homes Common heater problems in Chandler homes are listed below:
Check our list of common problems for air conditioners and heaters if you notice the heater is not working. What Causes the Most Heating and Air Conditioning Problems in Chandler Homes? The answer is not the heating units themselves, it’s the other components of the home that cause the heating system to work much harder than it should. Fix those, and you’ll have a system that operates much more efficiently, quietly and less troublesome during the heating season. Sign Up For Our Newsletters & Receive 15% Off Your Next HVAC Repair
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