Is It Safe to Use a Window Air Conditioner During the Rain?

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A window unit air conditioner is commonly used within homes to cool a small space. This type of system has a minimal cost, is easy to install, and requires minimal maintenance. However, this type of system can cause issues during times of heavy rains or other severe weather.

What Can Happen to a Window Unit During Heavy Rains?

If the window air conditioning unit is improperly installed, then rainwater can easily enter the home, resulting in damage to your flooring, walls and décor. if you use a wall air conditioner unit, it is important to understand how to prevent and/or remedy this issue so that you do not have damage in the home. Follow the simple tips below to care for your unit during rainy seasons.

1. Inspecting the System

First, inspect the window unit from every angle to ensure that the system has been installed properly. There should be no gaps between the window and the window frame where the unit comes in contact with the window. The side panels must also be installed seamlessly so that there are no gaps.

2. Make Adjustments

If you find that you have gaps in your system between the window and the unit, you will need to close these gaps. Check for both proper alignment and balance on the window frame as well as the alignment to the sash. Make sure that you tighten the sash and secure the top flange with no less than two screws to guarantee your unit will not move.

3. Check the Side Panels

The side panels of the air conditioning system can extend to fill in the window space and keep rain from entering the home. You must check this area to ensure that no rain will be entering the space, which can occur during a light drizzle or downpour. If you see any gaps or holes where water could enter the home, be sure to seal them with a silicone caulk so that the water cannot enter into your living space.

4. Additional Tips

  • It is common for damage to occur to the side panels of the system. When this happens, additional parts may need to be ordered from the manufacturer. If you have trouble tracking a water leak to your unit, you can seek out the water stains and damp areas near the frame. This can help you understand that you may have an issue with the actual window itself, instead of your A/C system.
  • When you close any gaps or plug holes that exist near your unit, you will be able to prevent any water from coming in, and it will also help maintain better energy efficiency in your home, translating to money savings on energy costs.
  • Be aware of safety hazards in the home. Be sure that when you install the air conditioner in the home, as you can have issues with the unit coming out of the window frame. If the unit is tiling forward you can also have issue with condensation moving improperly from the back or the bottom of the system.

With the above tips, you will be able to have your window unit system installed properly for the summer season and be able to enjoy the cooling comfort the unit can bring without any issue. Contact us today to learn more about window air conditioning units and how you can prevent issues or other problems that may occur with this type of system.

Heating & Air Conditioning Service Experts Since 1967

Regular HVAC system check-ups are also essential for energy efficiency. It’s smart to schedule both a cleaning and an inspection, which can target malfunctioning parts before they break down and become a problem. We’ve been providing reliable heating & air conditioning services in the San Jacinto area since 1967.

Our focus is to provide support to our customers by delivering certified technicians who understand HVAC systems and can pass along that knowledge to you. We’re constantly staying up with the latest technologies and it shows in our work. Call us today to schedule your next service appointment! (951) 663-4895.

How Do I Know If My A/C is the Right Size for My Home?

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Understanding HVAC systems can be complicated, especially when it comes to determining the right size air conditioner–or cooling system–for your home. Your living space is unique to you and your family; therefore, you will have to consider a variety of factors when deciding whether your A/C is properly sized for your home.

Below we have created a helpful graphic that outlines a few things you should keep in mind when assessing your current (or planning to purchase a brand new) home cooling system.

 

Sizing AC

If you’re in the market for a new A/C, then give the experts at J&M a call. Whether you’re considering a central air conditioner or a ductless system, we know how to keep your home comfortable! (951) 663-4895.

How to Cool Down in the San Jacinto Summer Sun

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We’ve been serving the San Jacinto area since 1967, so we know it can get hot when summertime hits. We’ve been providing residential and commercial customers alike with quality service and have accumulated some great advice for homeowners. We’ve listed a few fun events you won’t want to miss in San Jacinto this summer, as well as what to take care of when you’re back home.

Whether you’re inside your home or enjoying the great outdoors, we’ve got a few ways that you can cool down this summer in the San Jacinto area. Read on for several great ideas on how to combat the heat this upcoming summer season.

Summer Tips for Staying Cool in San Jacinto

cool-down-san-jacinto-sun

Along with heating and cooling services, we also offer an array of indoor air quality services. Indoor air quality, also known as IAQ, plays a crucial role in not only the comfort of your home, but also the health of you and your loved ones. If you suspect that your indoor air quality could use an improvement, or are unsure about the quality of your home’s indoor air, we can help. Call us now to find out more (951) 663-4895.

Air Conditioner Fun Facts

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One degree can save you so much money! So many people will have their system completely fail before the summer is over. Call us now and we’ll send one of our highly qualified techs to your house to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.JMAirNHeat Air Conditioner Facts - Main

10 Geothermal Heating and Cooling Myths

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Geothermal heating and cooling consists of buried pipes beneath the property and an indoor handling unit. The pipes heat and cool the indoor air as needed, through utilizing belowground temperatures, which stay relatively consistent.

10 Myths about Geothermal Heating and Cooling

These systems have been used for over 60 years, both in the United States and abroad. Many real estate owners are unfamiliar with just how the systems work, however, and there are therefore many myths surrounding their usage.

1. Since geothermal HVAC systems use electricity, they aren’t a renewable technology.

Geothermal HVAC systems use just one unit of electricity in order to move as much as five units of heating or cooling. This one unit delivers the energy from the earth to the building.

2. Wind and photovoltaic power are better renewable technologies than geothermal HVAC systems.

While photovoltaic power and wind power play an important role in adding to the electrical grid, geothermal HVAC systems actually remove four times the kilowatt-hours of consumption. Geothermal HVAC systems are quite often the best way to reduce conditioning’s environmental impact.

3. To Use Geothermal HVAC, You Need a Lot of Yard Space or Real Estate

Some earth loops can be buried vertically, which means that you won’t need much aboveground surface. The vertical position is dependent upon the physical characteristics of your land. Additionally, you can tap into an existing aquifer if one is available, which means you’d only need to use a few square feet of real estate.

4. Geothermal HVAC heat pumps emit too much noise.

In reality, these systems are very quiet, and since there is no outside equipment, your neighbors shouldn’t hear anything.

5. Geothermal systems don’t last long.

The indoor equipment usually lasts for decades and is less expensive to replace than traditional HVAC systems. While earth loops are more expensive to install, they usually last for generations.

6. Geothermal HVAC systems can only heat, not cool.

These systems cool just as well, and they don’t require an additional backup heat source. Some customers do prefer to have a small backup to use on the coldest days so their loop can be smaller.

7. Geothermal HVAC systems can’t heat everything at once, like indoor water, a house and a pool.

HVAC systems can actually be designed to heat multiple things at once.

8. Geothermal HVAC systems end up putting refrigerant lines in the ground.

The majority of systems only use water in their loops and lines, which makes them an even more environmentally friendly option.

9. Geothermal HVAC systems use a lot of water.

In the past, there have been “pump and dump” systems that wasted water after it passed over the heat exchanger; however, those systems are now very rare. In fact, geothermal systems actually don’t consume any water. Instead, the water is taken and returned to the aquifer.

10. Geothermal HVAC technology is too expensive.

There are federal and local incentives for purchasing geothermal HVAC technology, which makes the price competitive with most conventional equipment.

If you’re looking to lessen your carbon footprint without losing the often-needed ability to heat and cool your home, geothermal HVAC systems may be the answer. Speak with your HVAC company for more information.

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Sizing Your New Residential Air Conditioner

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The first step in buying a new air conditioner is figuring out the right size of air conditioner for your home. Air conditioners are sized in terms of tons of cooling capacity—one ton of cooling is equal to about 12,000 British thermal units every hour. An air conditioner with the right tonnage size will cool your home at maximum efficiency, but undersized or oversized units waste energy and may not cool your home effectively.

Why Size Matters

An undersized air conditioner won’t have the capacity to cool your home in a reasonable amount of time. Depending on your home’s volume and insulation, it may never manage to cool your home to your desired temperature. It will, however, run constantly and use up a huge amount of energy. You may save money on your initial purchase of a small air conditioner, but the high energy bills—and lack of comfort—simply aren’t worth it.

Some people buy oversized air conditioners deliberately, thinking that more powerful units will cool their homes better. In fact, oversized units will cool more quickly but the speed of cooling actually makes them less efficient. An oversized unit will cool the air in your home so fast that it will turn off before your building structure cools. As a result, the air will start to warm again right away, and your system will begin to cycle on and off repeatedly. This kind if cycling is both irritating and highly energy inefficient.

Chill Factors

Quite a few variables must be factored in to determine the right size air conditioner for your home. The size of your house is very important—not just the square footage but also the total volume of air that your house contains. In addition, you need to consider the area of the exterior walls that receive sun exposure.

Windows play a major role in determining your home’s cooling needs. You will need to consider the total number of exterior windows, the age and condition of your windows, and the number of windows that face the sun.

Insulation and ventilation are also important for air conditioner sizing. Different homes of identical volume may need different size air conditioners depending on the age of the home, the quality of the insulation, and the existing ventilation and ductwork.

Finally, don’t forget to consider local climate conditions as well as your own landscaping (i.e.; shade). With all of these factors, it’s almost always advisable to consult a trusted HVAC professional who can help you to calculate your air conditioning needs correctly.

An HVAC professional can also help you to make the other decisions that go along with buying a new air conditioner. Once you’ve identified the right size, it’s time to consider energy efficiency and performance quality at the right price for your budget.

Thank you for visiting our blog, and please follow us for more about the world of air conditioning!

Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying a New AC or Furnace

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Over time, all homeowners face significant expenses for the upkeep of their property. Sooner or later, the need to purchase a new air conditioner or furnace is a pretty likely scenario. If you’re unprepared to make an educated purchasing decision, you can potentially buy an AC or furnace that performs poorly and forces you to spend money on higher utility bills or unanticipated repair costs. Here are some of the prime mistakes when you start shopping for your new unit.

Not Matching the Unit to Your Household

Every residential building layout calls for a specific amount of heating and cooling output. For this reason, air conditioner and furnace manufacturers create product lines geared to suit a wide range of needs. Before you make a purchase, you must know the AC and/or furnace size that will cool or heat your home properly. If the unit you buy is too large or too small, you can run into serious issues that include constantly unpleasant indoor temperatures, a jump in the amount of money you pay for monthly utilities and unexpected AC or furnace breakdowns.

Being Too Frugal at Purchase Time

No one wants to spend money needlessly, especially when it comes to something as costly as a new air conditioner or furnace. However, if you put the purchase price of a furnace or AC before all other considerations, you may be doing yourself a major disservice. That’s because the cheapest available units may have significant reliability and efficiency issues that put you on the hook for frequent repairs and much higher utility bills.

Putting Efficiency Low on Your Priorities List

The most efficient air conditioners and furnaces available today use far less power than the least efficient. As a rule, less efficient units have a notably smaller purchase price than higher-efficiency units. This fact might encourage you to place efficiency low on your list of buying priorities. However, if you spend the extra cash on a more efficient AC or furnace today, the savings in utility costs you receive over time may actually exceed any amount of money you save by opting for a less efficient unit at purchase time.

Not Giving Due Consideration to Your Contractor

Contractors have a crucial impact on the process of purchasing and installing a new air conditioner or furnace. While a reputable, cost-conscious provider can help make this process go smoothly, a provider who’s disreputable or doesn’t pay close attention to the bottom line can complicate matters to no end. Important contractor-related steps include verifying the professional reputation of all potential candidates, comparing the prices offered by at least two reputable providers and finalizing all agreed-upon work with a written contract.

For more information on need-to-know heating and cooling topics, please bookmark our blog and check back with us regularly.

Air Conditioning Guide

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Complete Guide To Make Your Air Conditioner Run At Its Best

When you own a home, it is important to take proper steps to ensure every aspect of the home stays in good shape. This includes the air conditioning system. At J&M Air Conditioning and Heating, we offer you quality-cooling services for your home. We can provide you with air conditioning repair services, air conditioner maintenance and air conditioner replacement. While we offer all of these services, there are also steps you can take as the home owner to help keep your unit running effectively and efficiently. Below are a few air conditioning guide to get you started.

Filters

Your air conditioning system has filters that help to keep your unit running smoothly. The filter may not seem like an important factor, but it is. The filter will remove any allergens, dirt and grime that can move through the air into your home as well as settle into your air conditioner. By changing out your filter regularly, you will have clean air to breathe as well as a properly functioning unit. When you do not change out your unit, problems can occur such as a dirty evaporator coil. The coil can take on dirt which can harm the ability of the coil to absorb heat.

Keeping Coils Clean

The evaporator coil is an important part of your unit, as is your condenser coil. We can offer air conditioning maintenance service to keep this portion of your unit clean, or you can take matters into your own hands. Keep foliage at a minimum near your unit outdoors. Remove any sticks or leaves that may gather on the unit. You can clean the area of the coil, trimming foliage when needed and keeping the area regularly maintained.

Clearing the Condensate Drain

The condensate drain is where any condensation is removed from the unit outside. This drain needs to be cleared every few months. You can use a stiff wire to clear the drain from any clog. Any moisture around the unit can cause issues and see the cool air removed from your home.

These are all simple steps that you can take to help prolong the life of your air conditioning system. We also recommend having our trained technicians inspect your unit before and after the summer months. With a thorough inspection, our technicians will check for refrigerant, test for refrigerant leaks, check the duct work, check electrical components and so much more. Every aspect is covered so that your unit is ready to function properly. Contact our office today to learn more about our service options and schedule an appointment.

Heating & Air Conditioning Service Experts Since 1967

We’ve been providing reliable heating, air quality, and air conditioning services since 1967. Our focus is to provide utmost support to our customers.

To this end, we train and retrain our technicians, and make sure they have all the knowledge and experience needed. We’re constantly staying up with the latest technologies and it shows in our work.

 

Common HVAC Contractors Errors

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HVAC ContractorsJust as everybody makes mistakes, HVAC contractors can make them as well. When you are trying to find a company to repair your HVAC system, it is very important that you find one that has HVAC service technicians who actually know what they are doing.

We are going to provide you with the most common mistakes that are seen when using a company with inexperienced service technicians.

Not Understanding Combustion Safety

If an HVAC contractor responds to a call about carbon monoxide, they generally go straight to your homes furnace to look for cracks in the heat exchanger. Once they find that there are not any cracks, they will just assume that it was a false alarm so they just change the batteries in the carbon monoxide alarm. The problem however is that most HVAC contractors don’t know very much about back drafting of combustion appliances therefore they don’t test for it.

Focusing On “The Box” And Ignoring Airflow

Another most common mistake most HVAC service technicians make is on airflow. Since most contractors aren’t very knowledgeable about airflow, when they install duct work in your home it is usually done incorrectly. Most contractors install ductwork that is too small for your home or that looks somewhat like an octopus because it is just put together. If you find yourself having to replace ductwork in your home always be sure to double check the work to make sure it was done correctly.

Ignoring The Opportunities In Home Performance

The HVAC installation process usually involves the HVAC contractors going into your attic, crawl space, and basement where they can see the quality of insulation and air sealing inside your home. Even if the HVAC contractor did not do the insulation or air sealing work, it is a great complementary service to advise you as a home owner about some work you could do to your home to improve its overall performance.

Here at J&M Heating and Cooling, we always make you aware of some things that can be done to improve your homes comfort.

Forgetting the ‘V’ in HVAC

HVAC contractors very commonly overlook ventilation. New homes today are being built tighter than ever because of energy codes that require higher levels of air sealing. These tight homes need mechanical ventilation throughout and spot ventilation in the bathrooms and kitchen. It would be a very good idea to ask your HVAC service technician about ventilation just to be sure they have checked everything out because a home without ventilation can become health hazard very quickly.

Trying To Be The Lowest Bidder

When you search for a company for any of your HVAC installation needs you more than likely want to find the best deal. However the best deal usually comes with the worst work. The company that gives you the lowest bid can’t do the work properly because they have to scrimp on labor and materials. It is not their loss but yours because your HVAC system will be installed or repaired incorrectly. When contractors get low bid work they have to keep their costs as low as possible in order to make a profit.

Now that you know a few of the mistakes most HVAC contractors tend to make you are on the right track to keep from getting ripped off.

At J & M Air Conditioning and Heating, we have a team of highly trained contractors that are sure to give you the service you need. So don’t hesitate and give us a call today!

Heating & Air Conditioning Service Experts Since 1967

We’ve been providing reliable heating, air quality, and air conditioning services since 1967. Our focus is to provide utmost support to our customers.

To this end, we train and retrain our technicians, and make sure they have all the knowledge and experience needed. We’re constantly staying up with the latest technologies and it shows in our work.

Energy Savings on Vacation

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Energy SavingsEverybody wants a respite from reality, somewhere where the cares of the everyday doldrums are nonexistent. When you go on vacation it is supposed to be relaxing, not having to think about “did I leave the lights on,” “did I lock the doors,” “did I turn the air conditioner off?” Here at J&M Heating and Air, we want to offer some peace of mind tips on how to make sure your energy savings are on while on a vacation. And we want you to have peace of mind while you are getting that much deserved R&R. Listed below are some helpful tips to help you do just that:

Unplugged Appliances

It is always a good idea to manage your energy savings while you are away on vacation. Unplugging nonessential appliances while you’re gone will help cut down utility cost. These appliances even if they are turned off, if they are still plugged into the wall use electricity. Things like alarm clocks, coffee pots, blow dryers, and electronics should all be unplugged. This will not only give you energy savings while you are away, but help reduce risks of fire hazards.

Lights Off

Some people think that leaving lights on when they are away will help to deter burglars from invading their homes. While this might be a good idea, it is also a costly one. Leaving lights on for long periods of time leave killing your energy savings. Installing your lights on an automatic timer can help give the illusion that you are home. Your lights will stay off during the day, and will allow for some lights to be on at night. These timers are inexpensive and are easily installed. If you are not able to install these timers, you can have someone checking on your house from time to time while you are away.

Refrigerator

If your vacation is going to last more than a couple of days, it might be a great idea to clean your fridge and freezer out before you leave. Unplugging this appliance can help you tremendously with energy savings. This major appliance is an energy hog when it comes to the appliances in your household. If you are unable to unplug the appliance setting the fridge and freezer at higher temperatures can still help you save money.

Heating and Cooling Unit

Your heating and cooling unit is a heavy hitter when in it comes to energy consumption. When you are on vacation there really isn’t a need to have your heat and air at full blast while you are away. While you are away getting your rest and relaxation, so should your air conditioning and heating system. Whether you choose to vacation in the winter or in the summer, setting your thermostat 72 degrees above or below can help you with your energy savings. This not only helps to save on your utility bill, but can also help save the life of your heat and air conditioning unit in the long run.

Digital Programmable Thermostat

There are technological advances happening every day now it seems, and these advances stretch into the HVAC world as well. Digital programmable thermostats are advanced thermostats that does just what is states, you can program your thermostat to different settings based upon many factors. While you are away on your vacation you can program your thermostats for a vacation setting that can have your unit to barely be in use, or completely off. You can program it come on hours before you are to arrive back home.

At J&M Heat and Air we have qualified HVAC technicians that come and help you install a new digital programmable thermostat. We also offer service contracts to help check on your AC system twice a year. No one wants to worry about expenses that are not related to their vacation while they are away, call us to help with HVAC need you may have.

Heating & Air Conditioning Service Experts Since 1967

We’ve been providing reliable heating, air quality, and air conditioning services since 1967. Our focus is to provide utmost support to our customers.

To this end, we train and retrain our technicians, and make sure they have all the knowledge and experience needed. We’re constantly staying up with the latest technologies and it shows in our work.