Your questions answered: HVAC FAQs

No matter what your HVAC questions are, the techs at Clean Air HVAC in Pacheco have answers. Whether you have questions about choosing new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we are here to help. Our online FAQs answers give you a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 925-233-6238.
Like any product you want to keep in good shape, HVAC equipment requires proper care in order to provide the maximum benefits. Trained experts can service your heating and cooling products to ensure they're working at their top potential and help prevent more expensive repairs in the middle of the hottest or coldest months of the year.
The cost can range depending on the equipment size and different features, so we suggest contacting Clean Air HVAC at 925-233-6238 to get a quote.
With two-stage heating, furnaces may operate on two different levels: high and low. Since you can heat your home on the low setting a lot of the time, a two-stage furnace can work longer and more efficiently. Two-stage heating also works more quietly than traditional furnaces and can provide more even heat distribution and fewer temperature swings.
Clean Air HVAC offers a selection of different brands and models that incorporate advanced technology to assist with heating and cooling your home more efficiently. Technology in the newer HVAC systems provides more precision when it comes to meeting your home comfort needs. If you want more information, please contact our experts at 925-233-6238.

Modern furnaces are designed with a number of innovative features older furnaces don't have. Todays heating systems provide more even heating and are better at governing airflow. Although the air coming out of your vents may seem cooler than your old furnace, the airflow is much better and more efficient.

Another benefit of modern furnaces is their ability to integrate with other HVAC products as part of a high-efficiency whole home comfort system. When combined with a high-efficiency air conditioner, furnace blowers can more easily accommodate add-on cooling. Other innovations, such as Precise Comfort technology and variable speed motors, will help your furnace operate more efficiently and quieter than ever.

The Department of Energy recently increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditions, and the standards vary by region. Contact Clean Air HVAC at 925-233-6238 to learn the requirements for the Pacheco area.

There are several ways to decrease your energy costs and one of the best ways is to make sure you have an energy-efficient HVAC system. Clean Air HVAC offers many highly efficient products that will help lower the amount of energy you are using and save you money. In addition to looking for products that have the Energy Star® certification, high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, here are some other factors to consider:

  • Remember to book ongoing maintenance and have an experienced contractor take a look at your system to ensure its running efficiently.
  • If you have clear areas of your home that you need to heat or cool, you may want to consider a zoning system. This allows you to target that area and reduces wasted energy on heating or cooling areas that aren't used.
  • Programmable or smart thermostats make it easier to maintain your home comfort while not wasting energy to heat or cool your space if you aren't home. It is an easy way to lower energy costs and once you set it, you can walk away and understand its going to take care of your indoor comfort.
Clean Air HVAC has been supporting the Pacheco community for many years and has been providing trustworthy and dependable service. Our service and the products we carry are of the highest quality and you can be confident in the results. Our well-trained team is here to help you achieve your ideal home comfort.

There are four things to consider when improving your indoor air quality:

  • The indoor air quality in your space starts to suffer when the air begins filling up with air pollutants. The biggest concern is removing these pollutants. Some to-dos to include on your weekly checklist is vacuuming, washing your linens and confirming any cleaning products are stored properly.
  • Especially in newer homes, the insulation is installed so well that it might be difficult for these pollutants to leave the home. While it helps to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, its important to get some fresh air inside.
  • Make sure that you have good ventilation and schedule routine maintenance on your system. And while that's important, you can also take your IAQ even further by using air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems to get rid of particles while eliminating chemical vapors.
  • Smart or programmable thermostats can help control humidity levels as well as the temperature. This can help prevent germs and other particles from collecting while preserving your home comfort.
Each house brings a unique situation, which is why we recommend that you contact our pros at Clean Air HVAC to find out which solution will be best for your space. Our experts will conduct a review of your current system and chat about what your ideal home comfort looks like. That will help us select which products will be most effective.
You may be surprised to learn that air conditioners don't technically make your home cooler; they actually remove the hot air and move it outside. This hot air blows across a refrigerant coil on the indoor unit and then is sent to the outdoor unit where it is released. Your air conditioner pushes as much hot air outside as is necessary to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat.
Different regions have different minimum energy efficiency standards. Additionally, air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, have higher minimum efficiency levels than HVAC products manufactured prior to that date. The team at Clean Air HVAC can help you determine the minimum requirements for Pacheco, let you know if your current systems meets those requirements or help you find a replacement air conditioner that does.
Your systems service panel should have a white label on it, with your systems model and serial numbers at the top. M/N is the model number and S/N is the serial number.
Since equipment size needs vary by home, the best way to figure out the right size equipment for your home is to have a technician from Clean Air HVAC come out to perform load calculation tests. The tests take things like square footage, insulation value and amount, and more into account to determine your homes unique HVAC equipment needs.
Yes debris can inhibit your systems ability to function effectively. Its not uncommon for heat pumps to have frost or ice on them in the colder months, but many include defrost controls so they can work efficiently regardless of the weather conditions.
When a cooling systems has two-stage cooling, it means that there are two levels of operation. This allows the system to work as efficiently as possible since there is one level for milder weather and one for harsher weather that demands the system work harder. Two-stage cooling also enables almost unnoticeable temperature changes so you don't experience extreme differences in temperature. Aside from better efficiency, other benefits of two-stage cooling include quieter operation and better humidity control.
Your system could be freezing up for a variety of reasons, but the most frequent are dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporator coil and/or a faulty blower motor. Changing a filter is something any homeowner take care of; however, you'll need to call the professionals at Clean Air HVAC at 925-233-6238 for other problems or if you have other questions or concerns.
Clean Air HVAC carries a number of great thermostat options for your HVAC systems. The best thermostat for you will depend on a variety of variables, such as whether you want one that's programmable or not. No matter what kind of thermostat you'd like or if you're searching for something that can fit with a home automation system call Clean Air HVAC to hear about which thermostats you can choose from. Our team will help you find one thats best for your system, your family's needs and your budget.
A heat pump covers both your homes heating and cooling needs, offering you one HVAC system that can be used all year. During the warmer months, heat pumps act like an air conditioner, capturing the hot air from inside your home and moving it outside; in the cooler months, this process is reversed. Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and may produce two to three times more heat than the energy it uses.
At Clean Air HVAC, we do recommend replacing both your indoor and outdoor units at the same time because:
  • Outdoor systems are now built to work with their matching indoor system for the most efficiency. When you replace just one of your systems, you may not see the same energy efficiency levels as if you had replaced them together.
  • Thanks to technological improvements, newer systems mean increased efficiency. This is true for HVAC products as well. While the advancements focus on improved heating and cooling efficiency, they also include benefits such as better air handling, filtering and noise reduction.
  • If your heating and cooling systems are over 10 years old, they need to be replaced. Older models have outdated technology that is likely contributing to higher energy bills due to poor efficiency. So by replacing your indoor system at the same time as your outdoor equipment, both your systems will provide better energy efficiency that helps you reduce your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable.
Your home energy system might have a communication module that directs performance stats to an online site or portal. You can visit this to monitor your system's status, the amount of energy being produced and the positive impact you are having on the environment. You can also take a look at your owner's manual for suggestions on monitoring performance.
Rain will clean the modules automatically in most areas; however, if you live in a dusty area, you might see improved performance after periodically spraying the modules with water. Please note that high-pressure hoses and detergents should never be used to clean solar modules, as they can damage the product.
Clean Air HVAC can help recommend the right thermostat for you based on your home and current heating and cooling equipment. We offer a selection of programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats, which can help improve the efficiency of your homes furnace and/or air conditioner. Browse our thermostats or give us a call at 925-233-6238 for more information.

A significant portion of your monthly utility bills can be attributed to your heating and cooling system. It makes sense, because our home comfort is an important aspect of our day-to-day lives. Luckily, there are high-efficiency solutions from Clean Air HVAC that can keep you comfortable while also decreasing energy costs. When it's time for you to look for a new HVAC system, there are a couple things to consider. You'll want to look for air conditioners with high SEER ratings and furnaces with high AFUE ratings. These ratings measure efficiency, so the larger the number the better off you'll be when it comes to saving on energy costs. You can also consider these tips:

  • Keep your system operating to its best ability by arranging routine maintenance. It helps sustain efficiency and make sure everything is working properly.
  • Consider a zoning system if you only have specific rooms that need to be heated or cooled. There is no need to use energy regulating the temperature in a room that is never, or rarely used.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy says that programmable thermostats can save up to 35 percent on heating costs and 25 percent on cooling costs. There are a lot of programmable and smart thermostat products that are easy to use and vary in the type of features-so you can find an answer that you are comfortable with.
A zoning system lets you parcel your house and heat or air condition each area differently. While these systems operate well for buildings that have areas that are rarely visited, they can also be beneficial in situations where you and your family argue about the temperature in various areas of your house. There are a collection of additional benefits of zoning systems, such as efficiency and comfort. View our selection of zoning systems or give Clean Air HVAC a ring to see how a zoning system could fit in your home.