Tips and Hints

Beating Summer's Heat

Summer heat can be brutal on an air conditioner, especially one that's seen better days. If you want to squeeze all the life you can from your air conditioner, follow these simple tips:

• Have your a/c system checked by one of the pros at Wrenn at least every other year.
• Keep shrubs and plants 18" away from the unit. Air conditioners need plenty of room to breath
• Don't put anything on top of the air conditioner, if it's a top discharge unit. Blocking air flow means the unit must work harder to remove heat
• Keep the outdoor coils clean - flush them occasionally with clean water. Before doing this, make SURE the power is turned off
• Change your filters. Dirty filters mean the unit can't move air efficiently
• Check your home's insulation levels. Contact a local insulation contractor if needed.
• Install roof ventilation, like continuous ridge vent or powered attic ventilators. This is especially important with overhead ductwork.
• Keep windows and doors closed
• Keep exhaust fans off as much as possible. They remove air from the living space, which means your air conditioner must work that much harder

Brushing off Winter's Chill

Winter in the south is normally pretty mild, but we do get the occasional blast of artic air. To make sure your heating system is ready for those cold winter nights, check this list:

• Have your heating equipment checked by one of the pros at Wrenn. Heating appliances are intricate pieces of machinery, and each part depends on the others doing their job. If your furnace is more than 10 years old, you should have it checked annually
• Change your filters. Dirty filters can not only rob you of airflow, they can cause your furnace to cycle on and off, resulting in poor heating and higher fuel bills
• Check your weather-stripping. Simple things like caulking around windows and doors can make a big difference in the amount of heat your home loses
• Install storm windows and doors. This provides an air-gap "barrier" between your home and the cold winter temperatures.
• Bundle up. Wear warmer clothes inside, and turn the thermostat down a few degrees. Utilities suggest that each degree you lower your thermostat can save up to 5% on your heating costs.
• Keep doors and windows closed as much as possible. With small kids running around, that can be hard to do, but everytime your door opens you increase the runtime of your heater.

Troubleshooting 101

While we're not trying to make you into a Master Technician, these basic troubleshooting steps can help you to decide when it's time to call one of the Pros at Wrenn

First things first - know your limits. If you don't have the tools or skills necessary to troubleshoot a complex mechanical system, then do yourself a favor and call us. Nothing is worth your life or health, and playing around with a 100,000 btu gas burner or a 230 volt transformer can kill you. The simple steps outlined here are safe, but please use common sense around any electrical appliance.

Your system is running, but not cooling/heating

• Check circuit breakers for one that may be tripped. You're looking for a "double" breaker, the one that controls the outside unit. To be sure, turn all of the double breakers completely off, then turn them back on.
• Check the outside unit for a reset button. Most of them are red in color, and are located near where the copper lines go into your outside unit. If you have a package unit, you'll have to contact us - the resets on these systems, if there are any, are buried inside the unit and require specialized handling
• Check the wall next to the outside unit for a small grey or black box. This is your outside disconnect. Some of them have circuit breakers, others have fuses, and some have a simple pullout. If yours has a circuit breaker, try resetting it. If yours has fuses, you can try replacing your fuses with ones of the same amperage and class. Be very, very careful; this box is powered by 240 volts so make sure you've turned the power off before doing this.

Your system is not running at all

• Check circuit breakers. You may be looking for either a single or double pole breaker on this one.
• If you have a furnace inside the home, look for a light switch nearby that's turned off. Many municipalities require a power off switch to be installed near a furnace, and most contractors use a simple light switch for this. Sometimes this switch is in the closet with the furnace, other times it's on the wall next to it.
• If you have a furnace inside the home, check to make sure the panels on the front of the furnace are securely in place. Modern furnaces have a "kill switch" that shuts off power if the blower door comes open. To be sure, remove the panels and re-install them. This can be tricky sometimes, so be patient and make SURE that your panels are securely in place.
• Try turning your system completely off at the thermostat for 30 minutes. Turn it back on and see if the system starts working again.

Your system is running, but no air is coming from the vents

• Check your filter and make sure it's not completely clogged with dirt or dust. Dirty filters can cause many problems, so be sure to change your filters regularly.
• If you have a furnace inside the home, look for the copper lines that are routed into the furnace area. Do you see any ice? If so, you'll need to thaw the system - at the thermostat, turn the Fan to the On position, and turn the System to the Off position. Leave the system in this configuration for an hour or so (or until you feel good airflow coming from your vents) then set the System switch back to Cool and the Fan switch back to Auto. You'll need to call the pros at Wrenn to find out why your system froze up.
• If you have a furnace inside the home, check to make sure the panels on the front of the furnace are securely in place. Modern furnaces have a "kill switch" that shuts off power if the blower door comes open. To be sure, remove the panels and re-install them. This can be tricky sometimes, so be patient and make SURE that your panels are securely in place.

If none of these work, then it's time to call the Pros at Wrenn Heating and Air Conditioning. You can reach us anytime day or night by calling (803) 279-4064.