Homes in the 85281 zip code are
historic Tempe homes, built in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These Tempe homes are mostly ranch style
homes with long roof lines and a heat pump package unit on the roof with a
metal elbow. Some Tempe homes have or
used to have dedicated closets for furnace heaters or air handlers with the
return grille under the door. 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 Tempe 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 the heating system
works. Think of driving a Prius with a
hole in the gas tank… that’s what is happening to homes all over Tempe when
heating and cooling systems are installed on a home with leaky ductwork, low insulation
and ductwork sized for a smaller unit.
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. Addressing home performance issues should be
done by every heating and air conditioning company during heating
repairs, service and installation. No
heating company in Tempe should be talking about HVAC without addressing a
complete home performance picture.Do you know it’s rare for a heating contractor in Tempe 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 UV lights and washable filters (the scams 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.
Symptoms of a Broken Heater in Tempe
Have you experienced these common symptoms this winter?
1.
Your heater is blowing cold air
2.
Your heater or fan never shuts off and runs
constantly
3.
The heater never turns on
4.
The heater runs for 5 seconds then shuts off
5.
The thermostat doesn’t turn on
All these heating problems are likely caused not from the
age of the system or its components but something outside the unit itself.
What causes heater problems
around Tempe homes in the 85281 zip code
Common heater problems in Tempe around the 85281 zip code are listed below:
- Ductwork leaks. A return duct leaking 15% of its air in the middle of the summer will cause a 5 ton heating and cooling system to operate as a 2.5 ton system. The #1 reason why air conditioning components fail is because the system is overworked during the hot Arizona summers and it’s not because the heating and cooling systems are undersized. In Tempe homes, there was no code for ductwork sealing when the homes were built and after 20 hot summers, any tape that was used around the ducts has lost its effectiveness. Leaky ductwork wastes our hard earned money because every time the heater or air conditioner turn on, 15% of that is lost into the attic through ductwork leaks. If you could gain an extra 15% of airflow into your home, it would be noticeable, and it starts by sealing up the ductwork. SRP estimates homeowners can save $200 a year by sealing leaky ductwork.
- Undersized ductwork. Have you ever seen a child try to breathe through one straw? They get starved for air pretty quickly and that’s exactly what’s happening to your heating and air conditioning system when the ductwork is undersized. In Tempe homes were built with round rigid ductwork has was too small for the existing HVAC system. Next time your heater turns on, listen to see if your return sounds very loud, it’s likely from an undersized return.
- Low
insulation. Insulation on a heating and air conditioning repair post? Yes, your home’s insulation is very important in keeping the warm air in the winter time and cool conditioned air in during the hot Arizona summers. If your attic has too little, you’re heating and cooling system will be constantly running and short cycling on and off, overworking your system. In Arizona, the DOE Energy Star recommends R38 level of insulation in the attic. Most homes have been under insulated unless you were a part of the City of Tempe noise reduction program. To add insult to injury, most Tempe homes in 85281 zip code are grossly under insulated (insulation code was less than 6” in 1960).
- Capacitors that go bad, overworked fan motors and bad mechanical components. All these home performance defects cause the heating and cooling system to constantly overwork itself, putting stress on the mechanical components. The first components to go out are the capacitors and fan motors and then overtime, the compressor. Gain a few more years on your heating and air conditioning system by fixing the home performance defects and you’ll have a comfortable, energy efficient and long lasting heating and cooling system for many years.
Check our list of common problems for heaters if you notice the heater is not working.
What causes the most
heating problems in Tempe 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.
If you are looking for air conditioning repair contractors
in the Tempe area chances are you need fast service to get your air conditioner
working again. For fast, reliable
service call Green ID 24/7 at 602-926-1650.
Our technicians are trained to never over-sell repairs, in most cases a
quick repair is all that’s required to get it back in working condition.
