An Added Benefit or Two…

Hard Start Kit

What is a hard start kit for my air conditioner? Also, known as a start assist kit, which can be added to most central air conditioning applications has huge benefits for only a minor price cost. Some of the major benefits include extending the life of your compressor, protecting vital internal components and reducing your energy consumption.

Hard start kits are a great way to save energy which in turn results in lowering monthly energy bills. They reduce start time by as much as 50% by minimizing the “in-rush” current period during start-up. This can somewhat be considered a “green” or environmentally friendly addition to your air conditioner.

A compressors start up is it’s most difficult time, the impact of increased power during start up generates more heat in the windings of the compressor so by starting a compressor up to 50% faster, this decreases stress and increases the life expectancy.

Surge Protector

Do I need a Surge protector for my a/c unit? Although it’s not required, the better question is why wouldn’t you have one? Especially here in South Florida where power outages, power flickers, power surges, brown outs, etc are very common every day (sometimes multiple times per day). Your air conditioner system can be sensitive to these types of surges and you risk damage to your equipment by not having one, with that being said surge protection for your HVAC system is logical and low-cost solution.

Also, FPL has started a program called SurgeShield, which is basically a whole home surge protection device that is added onto your existing power meter. This is another low cost solution with huge benefits in the event that your home is victim to a power surge. By signing up through us, we have even more money saving options for this program for you!

Safety Water Sensors

What a lot of people don’t realize here is South Florida is that your air conditioner doesn’t just cool the air in your home, but it also removes the humidity from the air. The humidity that it removes comes in the form of water, and that water needs to drain somewhere. You know that white colored PVC pipes coming out of your air handler? Those are your condensation drain lines, which is where the removed humidity exits your system to the exterior of your home.

A common problem is water leaks from your air conditioner, this happens because mildew/algae can build up inside those drain lines (algae LOVES dark damp places) and create a blockage. When this happens, the water backs all the way up and starts leaking inside your attic/closet/garage (wherever your air handler is located). This has been known to create damage and mold growth! YUCK!

Today we install what are known as water sensors (sometimes they come in the form of a “float switch”). These devices are created to shut down your a/c system when it detects a backup. which in turn helps prevent any damage from those water leaks that MAY have occurred.

NOTE: This devices don’t prevent back-ups, they just prevent overflows!!! You still need to have your maintenance performed to prevent the backups from occurring in the first place!!

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 954-747-1887 or use our Contact HI-VAC link.