I thought it might be helpful to put together a brief troubleshooting guide for folks who find themselves with an oil burner not starting, at the most inconvenient time, like a holiday weekend when your local service company gets a premium for an "emergency" service call. So my experience is with the Beckett AFG model burner, but the principles might apply to other burners. Let me say from the outset, if you aren't mechanically inclined and have no experience with mechanical systems, you... Read more ..read more

I have a Trane whole house AC system. The outside unit was replaced I believe last year. The inside unit was installed circa 2010. I had a previous issue with the outside unit where a wire in a molex connector was loose and that was fixed by the installers for the outside unit. The installer for the inside unit ghosted me. The local guy who worked on the older outside unit before passed away a few months ago. I don't trust the competency level of the last local who checked on things. We've... Read more ..read more

Hey everyone, I've been pondering a question about air conditioning efficiency and thought this would be the perfect place to seek some insights. How much impact do regular maintenance and filter replacements have on the overall efficiency of an air conditioning unit? I've heard conflicting opinions, and I'm curious to know about your experiences. Additionally, any tips on DIY maintenance or signs that it's time to call in a professional would be greatly appreciated ..read more

I have a 20 year old ac / heat pump. I’m in the Phoenix area. The unit is located outside the master bedroom and is extremely loud when it cycles on, to the point of disrupting sleep unless ear plugs are worn. It cools well but can use up to $15 of electricity a day in the heart of summer. Sometimes it will slip to 75 degrees inside if it’s extremely hot outside (110 to 115). I don’t use the heat pump at all but would need it to be a heat pump due to no furnace at the house. Should I... Read more ..read more

Hi all, My new house has 2 stories and 1 thermostat per floor and there's only 1 outdoor unit, so, I assume the air conditioning for first and second floor is handled by 1 single unit. The house already has ductworks. I want to zone my house like so : Floor 1 Zone 1 : master bedroom and the bathroom attached to it, thermostat will be in the bedroom. 1 vent in bedroom and 1 vent in bathroom Zone 2 : study room -> 1 vent Zone 3 : family room + dining room + kitchen (open... Read more ..read more

I have a thru the wall AC unit which no companies will service hence DIY I am a licensed electrician and worked on larger units many years ago. My unit is blowing cool air but not cool enough. The unit uses 410A refrigerant it calls for a low psig of 300 and a high psig of 500. These are terms I'm not familiar with. With the unit running the refrigerant reads about 120psi. But the compressor is only drawing about 1/2 it's rated amps. The coils are all clean as is the filter. Blower... Read more ..read more

This could be an epic tale, but I'll try to keep it short... We bought this house in July. The Ruud boiler was obviously old, but our home inspector and an additional check by an HVAC guy said it worked. It's connected to a radiant heat system embedded in the basement floor and also in the attic of this ranch house. First chilly day we turned it on but got very little heat and I couldn't keep pressure in the system. Called in an HVAC guy to bleed it and tune it up. He couldn't get all the... Read more ..read more

Every year for the last 28 years the pilot flame on my gas boiler goes out. Don't know why. This usually happens each season a few weeks after I run the heater for the first time. It's not a wind-related thing, and I noticed it when I did my routine inspection before I bought the house. To fix it, the previous owner replaced the pilot assembly. It's like somebody turned the gas off at the service, but my gas water heater that's on the same gas line never goes out. There is no indication of... Read more ..read more

I only know that the a/c is at least 10 years old and the lights were dimming at first when we moved in. I replaced the capacitor and lights stopped dimming for 3 days. I made sure everything in house was off during testing. Hvac tec came out for free just to test capacitor and said I installed it correctly and it is fine. That is all he would check for free since we are new in town. He suggested a hard start kit. Installed the kit and it quit dimming lights for 2 days this time. Any idea... Read more ..read more

We have had an issue for a while with moisture around the ceiling a/c vent in the bathroom or even dripping when there is a heavy rain. Crazy mystery. 1. The duct is dry 2. We can see no signs of moisture in the attic above 3. The roof was replaced a few weeks ago. 4. A/c has not been in use for a couple of weeks. Where in the heck can this be coming from. There must be a genius out there who can figure this out. Thanks ..read more