Kings Aire: Maintenance Tips

Preventive Maintenance

Let us perform preventative maintenance before the winter heating season and before the summer cooling season.

Kings aire offers service agreements that may include reduced rates on labor and parts and provide priority response.

Service/maintenance agreements may include cleaning indoor and outdoor coils, tightening electrical connections, checking supply voltage and operating current checking refrigerant charge, measuring temperature differential at supply and return registers, cleaning blower wheel and motor, inspecting and adjusting burner, checking heat exchangers, cleaning drain lines and pan, checking ductwork for leaks and insulation, and checking thermostat.

In order to maintain your 10 year warranty in good standing, maintenance is required.

Replacing Indoor Unit

I need a new outdoor unit, but my indoor unit works fine. What are the advantages of replacing my whole system at the same time? We recommend that you replace the indoor coil or air handler when replacing the outdoor unit.

Both of these components are integral to the closed refrigerant loop and together determine the capacity and efficiency of your system. If you do not replace the indoor unit there will be no test data available for the new combination to establish the expected capacity or efficiency of your system. Also, the indoor system may be partially blocked by particles that will decrease efficiency, and you may be faced in the near future with replacing the indoor unit after it fails and having to pay to have the closed refrigerant system opened again. It would be expensive and be another opportunity for contamination. You end up paying more. If your whole system is replaced, you will be less likely to need service in the near future.

Equipment Date Codes…

How do I verify when my Trane refrigerated air equipment was manufactured?The first letter of the serial number gives the year of manufacture as follows:

Z=2001R=2000P=1999N=1998M=97L=96K=95J=94H=93G=92F=91E=90D=89C=88B=87S=86Y=85X=84W=83U=82(seventh digit)T=81(seventh digit)O,A=80(seventh digit)

Covering My Outdoor Unit

Should I cover my outdoor unit in the winter?Covering the unit is not necessary. Air conditioners are manufactured to withstand all possible climate changes. In fact, rain helps keep your unit clean. Of course, because heat pumps run all year long, they should never be covered. This applies strictly to refrigerated air only.

Planting Shrubs or Flowers

How close to the outdoor unit should I plant shrubs or flowers?Manufacturers generally agree that plants should not be closer than 18 inches. Air conditioners need intake and exhaust air to operate efficiently. If air cannot circulate, the unit could build up heat and require service.

Life Expectancy

What are the average life expectancies for heating and air conditioning equipment?The average expected life of an air conditioner is approximately 15 years. The average expected life of a heat pump is approximately 10 to 12 years, since it operates year round. The average expected life of a gas furnace or air handler is approximately 18 years. Units in corrosive environments, such as, but not limited to coastal installations, will tend to have shorter lives.

Thermostat Fan Settings

Is there any advantage to setting my thermostat fan to “ON” so the fan runs constantly?Yes, there are a couple. The first is that you get constant filtering of the air in your home. The second is that because the air is moving, you have a more even temperature throughout

Refrigerant

I’ve heard a lot about new refrigerants. Do I need to think about them when buying a system?We do not advise homeowners to choose home comfort systems based on the refrigerant they use. The Clean Air Act does not allow ANY refrigerants to be vented into the atmosphere. They must be reclaimed, recycled and reused. Units using the current refrigerant, R-22, will always be serviced with R-22. They will not need to be changed to a different refrigerant. The scheduled phased-out of R-22 allows for plenty of refrigerant to be available to service all cooling units and heat pumps that use R-22 for the life of the equipment. We do offer limited lines of high efficiency comfort systems using R-410A refrigerant. Our gradual introduction of these products will allow servicers in the field the opportunity to purchase new recover equipment and service tools, as well as adapt to stricter installation and service techniques, to insure homeowners continue to receive the comfort and value they have chosen.

As the HVAC industry gradually and confidently transitions to a new refrigerant, we encourage homeowners to maintain their focus on purchasing energy efficient home comfort products that best meet their comfort needs. Purchasing higher efficiency cooling and heating systems and better sealing our homes will not only improve comfort and reduce energy costs, but will also improve our environment.