Cooling & Air Conditioning

We service and install any make and model of Air Conditioning and are authorized in the following brands:

      


At InHouse we understand the discomfort of experiencing an air conditioning system failure when it is hot. And living in the harsh Arizona climate, we all know how HOT it gets in the summer. We depend heavily on our cooling systems to keep us comfortable. That’s why our air conditioning service technicians are ready when you call to assist during your time of need.

All of our air conditioning specialists are fully trained and qualified to handle whatever difficulties you may be experiencing. Many of our technicians are N.A.T.E certified where they have been trained in specific areas by our nation’s top HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) instructors. The N.A.T.E. certification gives you added assurance that any technical problems can be diagnosed quickly and corrected proficiently by our service professionals.

Whether you have an air conditioner, refrigeration, thermostat, central air, furnace, or heat pump we can take care of any problem that may arise. And, we’ll be at your residence or place of business in hours, not days.

Nobody knows better than InHouse how unbearable it can get when temperatures suddenly soar to triple digits and the equipment your family depends on for their comfort suddenly and unexpectedly malfunctions. That’s why the InHouse Team of professionals takes pride in being able to handle any emergency, keeping our customer cool and happy when the unexpected happens.

We are equipped, tooled, and trained to handle any emergency quickly and proficiently. We are factory trained by all major HVAC equipment manufactures so that we can service and repair any unit on the market. And, when its time to replace your unit, we maintain a warehouse full of brand name equipment. Having what our customers need in-stock saves time.

Factors To Consider about your Air Conditioning Unit

• Age of your system
• Efficiency (seer rating)
• Type of system
• Repair History
• Condition of system
• Cost vs Savings
• Other benefits

Age - In Phoenix systems have a relatively short life expectancy due to our extreme temperatures. Any system over 10 years old is a candidate for replacement.

Efficiency - With todays ever increasing power rates, the seer rating of your system must be considered. Seer rating simply equates to how much energy it takes to operate the system and directly affects your power bill. Today, you can get seer ratings of 13,14, 16 and even higher. Prior to 1997 seer rating could range from 6 to 10. The operating cost of a 13 seer vs 6 seer is substantial and will pay for a new system in a very short period of time.

Type System - There are several different type systems in Phoenix. It is important that a complete evaluation is performed to determine the most cost and energy efficient system for your needs.

Repair History - Have you had more than two repairs in the last 18 months? If so, chances are more repairs are on the way. This is a problem because two major repairs such as a compressor and motor can equal or exceed the cost of replacing the entire system.

Condition - The overall condition must be considered. Even if the major components are okay certain small repairs can become costly and impractical. For instance, if a unit is developing leaks in the coils it will generally continue to develop leaks and repeated repairs surpass the cost to replace.

Cost vs Savings - The higher efficiency of a system the more it will cost to buy but with todays competitive market and rising energy rates you'll be amazed at how soon the system will pay for itself. New systems can be financed with -0- down, no payments, deferred and the monthly payments will many times be less than the savings on your power bill.

Other Benefits

• Manufactures Warranty
  
• Reliability
  
• Peace of Mind
  
• Increase Home Value
  
• Strengthens Home Sale
  
• Good Investment

Energy Factors

Although we've talked briefly about efficiency, with todays increased energy rates it deserves more attention. Here's what is happening:

Power Rate Increases in Las Vegas

• 7/00 - 2/01 ...... +15.7%
  
• 3/01 ................ +17%
  
• 3/29/02............ $485 million increase approved
  
• Over 3 billion since 1999
  
• 2006................. +16%

There's no question about it. Our rates are going to continue increasing. By the rest of the nations standards, we still have very low cost per kilowatt rates but it's now becoming a national issue so Las Vegas has a lot of catching up to do. In simple terms, rates will continue to climb!

Your air conditioning system (and heating if it's a heat pump) uses more power than any other appliance in your home. And for health and comfort, air conditioning is a must in Las Vegas. Fortunately, we now have high efficiency systems that can offset increasing power rates. The difference in operating costs between a new high efficiency system and a 10 or 15 year old system can be dramatic. Start by getting a Energy Savings Calculation estimate FREE from Guardian.

If your system is a Heat Pump the energy savings is enough to justify buying a new system because a Heat Pump uses electricity the year around to both heat and cool your home. This makes the savings vs cost factor so attractive that it's foolish not to buy a new system.

If your system is electric/electric meaning electric air conditioning and electric heat strip elements for heat, you have an extremely expensive system to operate. Heat strip elements work the same as the burners on the top of your electric range and use considerable power. This is the least efficient form of heating system.

The higher the efficiency (seer rating) of a new system the more it costs to purchase. The contractor should give you the various options of seer ratings vs cost vs savings so you can make an informed decisions on what is most economical and practical for your particular needs.
Guardian will provide you with a complete energy evaluation and recommend a system for you...all FREE of charge.

What System To Buy

In the "Factors to Consider" column we briefly described the different types of system. Understand what system you currently have in your home. If you don't, have the contractor inspect your system and explain it to you. He should also make a recommendation of what system to install.

The preferred systems are in order:

• Gas/Electric
• Heat Pump
• Other

If you currently have a heat pump or electric/electric system and you have gas available in the home, it may be practical to convert to a gas/electric system. It will depend on the cost of running gas piping to the heating/air conditioning system. The contractor can make recommendations and provide you with cost comparisons and practicality.

If you have a split system (condenser on the ground outside and furnace/air handler inside) both systems may or may not need replacing. This depends on the age and overall condition of each part of the system. We often find perfectly good furnaces/air handlers inside the home but worn out condensers outside. The condenser unit is the work horse of the system and usually wears out quicker than the indoor unit.

To get the full benefit of increased seer rating you have to match the indoor system to the outdoor system. For instance, if you install a 13 seer outdoor condenser unit and don't change the indoor unit, the net effect may be something like 12 seer rating. This of course is still a great improvement over lower efficiency systems.

Options with a split system are:

• Replace complete indoor/outdoor units
  
• Replace outdoor unit and indoor evaporator coil only *
  
• Replace just outdoor unit

*Replacement of just the evaporator coil may or may not be practical. Ask your contractor.

The manufacturer or brand of a new system should be considered. Considerations include:

• Reliability
  
• Warranty
  
• SEER Stability
  
• Major Components
  
• Construction
  
• Price

Like all other products you buy, the above factors can vary between manufacturers. Likewise, you can buy different models from an entry level builders model to a top of the line model. The price will vary accordingly. All air conditioning operates on the same theory so there are no "breaking" innovations out there.

The answer is usually a compromise to get the best system at the least cost. Beware of contractors that represent only one manufacturer. Their product may be good but it's all they have to offer. Rely on a reputable contractor to evaluate your needs and recommend the system for you.

InHouse Home Services is an authorized dealer for all major manufacturers and collaborates with many others.

IMPORTANT NOTICE – SRP and APS have revised their high efficiency rebate program effective 2005. Rebates now start at 14 SEER with the amount of the rebate correspondingly higher as the seer rating increases. Call our office at 800-871-2339 for further details.

The "Not-So-Technical" Explanation of How an Air Conditioner Works

An air conditioner is basically a refrigerator without the insulated box. An air conditioner is doing exactly the same thing as your fridge, except it dumps the heat it takes out of the controlled area and dumps it outdoors instead of in your kitchen. To understand what goes on in the system, let's start where the "freon" gas enters the compressor located typically in the outside part of the unit.
As the Refrigerant gas enters the compressor, it squeezes this freon gas that has just absorbed heat from the indoor air, causing it to become extremely hot.

This is just like what happens near the end of a bicycle pump when you push the handle down. The air being compressed into the end of the pump will get hot, because all the heat that the air inside it contained, is squeezed into an area that is many times smaller than where it just was.

This now high-pressure freon gas, that is now many times hotter than it was before it got squeezed, runs through a set of coils outside where a fan blows on it to cool the high temperature gas, so that a large portion of this concentrated heat is removed from it. The fan and coil arrangement outside are very similar to a radiator on a car.

As the Outside unit (or radiator) cools this hot vapor, it condenses into a liquid just like steam condenses into water when it loses its heat. This high pressure freon liquid which has now had a lot of its original heat forced out of it, is then pulled back into the house where it waits its turn to pass through a tiny opening that is the entrance to the indoor coil that sits within your home's air stream.

By using this tiny opening to "back-up" the pressure on the outdoor part of the system, it allows the compressor to maintain a low pressure side within the indoor coil that is in your home's air stream. When the cooled High pressure gas finally passes into this low pressure area, the difference in pressure causes part of it to immediately expand into a gas. In a sense, this is like the compressor working in reverse, because now the cool freon is occupying a bigger area, so the heat that was left in it now has to spread itself out over its bigger size.

This need to use its limited heat over a now bigger gas molecule, causes it to rapidly become quite cold, so that as it passes through the indoor coil, the air passing over this coil (the radiator effect again) is cooled and then spread through your home by your home's duct work. Meanwhile the heat that was taken out of your home's air, has entered the warming freon gas so that when it gets back to the compressor the whole process is repeated.

How BTUs and EERs Work

Most air conditioners have their capacity rated in BTUs, or British Thermal Units. A BTU is, generally, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree F. Specifically, a BTU is 1,055 joules, but the first definition is easier to understand in real-life terms. One "ton", in heating and cooling terms, is 12,000 BTUs. A typical window air conditioner that you find at K-mart might be rated at 10,000 BTUs. What that means is that the air conditioner has the ability to cool 10,000 pounds of water (about 1,200 gallons) one degree in one hour. Or it could cool 5,000 pounds 2 degrees in one hour. Or 2,500 pounds 4 degrees in one hour, and so on.
Not many of us live in aquariums, so knowing how much water an air conditioner can cool is not much use. To get a very rough idea of how much air can be cooled, take the fact that a cubic foot of water weighs about 63 pounds. Water is about 6,300 times denser than air. So 100 cubic feet of air weighs about a pound. A typical bedroom contains about 1,000 cubic feet of air, or 10 pounds of air. That means (ignoring differences in heat capacity) that a 10,000 BTU air conditioner can lower the temperature of a bedroom, if it is perfectly insulated, by 10 degrees in just a couple of minutes. It is not the case that the room is perfectly insulated (in fact many rooms have little or no insulation) but what that tells you is that you probably do not need a 10,000 BTU air conditioner for a typical 10' x 12' bedroom. For comparison, you can happily cool an insulated 2,000 square foot house with a 5 ton (60,000 BTU) or so system, implying that you might need perhaps 30 BTU per square foot. Keep in mind that these are all rough estimates and you should not rely on any of this information to size your home's air conditioner - ask an HVAC contractor.

The EER (Energy Efficiency Rating) of an air conditioner is its BTU rating over its wattage. For example, if a 10,000 BTU air conditioner consumes 1,200 watts, its EER is 10,000/1,200 = 8.3. Obviously you would like the EER to be as high as possible, but normally a higher EER is accompanied by a higher price. How do you decide if the higher EER is worth it?

Let's say that you have a choice between two 10,000 BTU units. One has an EER of 8.3 and consumes 1,200 watts and the other has an EER of 10 and consumes 1,000 watts. Let's also say the price difference is $100. To understand what the payback period is on the more expensive unit you need to know:

1. Approximately how many hours per year you will be operating the unit
2. How much a kilowatt-hour (KWH) costs in your neighborhood

Let's say that you plan to use the air conditioner in the summer (4 months a year) and it will be operating about 6 hours a day. Let's also imagine that a kilowatt-hour costs 10 cents in your neighborhood. The difference in energy consumption between the two units is 200 watts, which means that every 5 hours the less expensive unit will consume one more KWH (and therefore one more dime) than the more expensive unit. Assuming there are 30 days in a month, you find that during the summer you are operating the air conditioner 4 months * 30 days/month * 6 hours per day = 720 hours. 720 hours * 200 watts/hour / 1000 watts/KW * 0.10 cents/KW = $14.40. Since the more expensive unit costs $100 more, that means that it will take about 7 years for the more expensive unit to break even.

Maintaining Existing Air Conditioners

Older air conditioners may still be able to offer years of relatively efficient use. However, making your older air conditioner last requires you to perform proper operation and maintenance.

Air Conditioning Problems

One of the most common air conditioning problems is improper operation. If your air conditioner is on, be sure to close your home's windows and outside doors. Other common problems with existing air conditioners result from faulty installation, poor service procedures, and inadequate maintenance. Improper installation of your air conditioner can result in leaky ducts and low airflow.
Many times, the refrigerant charge (the amount of refrigerant in the system) does not match the manufacturer's specifications. If proper refrigerant charging is not performed during installation, the performance and efficiency of the unit is impaired. Service technicians often fail to find refrigerant charging problems or even worsen existing problems by adding refrigerant to a system that is already full. Air conditioner manufacturers generally make rugged, high quality products. If your air conditioner fails, it is usually for one of the common reasons listed below:

Refrigerant Leaks

If your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, either it was undercharged at installation, or it leaks. If it leaks, simply adding refrigerant is not a solution. A trained technician should fix any leak, test the repair, and then charge the system with the correct amount of refrigerant. Remember that the performance and efficiency of your air conditioner is greatest when the refrigerant charge exactly matches the manufacturer's specification, and is neither undercharged nor overcharged.

Inadequate Maintenance

If you allow filters and air conditioning coils to become dirty, the air conditioner will not work properly, and the compressor or fans are likely to fail prematurely.

Electric Control Failure

The compressor and fan controls can wear out, especially when the air conditioner turns on and off frequently, as is common when a system is oversized. Because corrosion of wire and terminals is also a problem in many systems, electrical connections and contacts should be checked during a professional service call.

Needed Maintenance

An air conditioner's filters, coils, and fins require regular maintenance for the unit to function effectively and efficiently throughout its years of service. Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases.

Air Conditioner Filters

The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your air conditioner is to routinely replace or clean its filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce a system's efficiency significantly. With normal airflow obstructed, air that bypasses the filter may carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil and impair the coil's heat-absorbing capacity. Filters are located somewhere along the return duct's length. Common filter locations are in walls, ceilings, furnaces, or in the air conditioner itself.

Some types of filters are reusable; others must be replaced. They are available in a variety of types and efficiencies. Clean or replace your air conditioning system's filter or filters every month or two during the cooling season. Filters may need more frequent attention if the air conditioner is in constant use, is subjected to dusty conditions, or you have fur-bearing pets in the house.

Air Conditioner Coils

The air conditioner's evaporator coil and condenser coil collect dirt over their months and years of service. A clean filter prevents the evaporator coil from soiling quickly. In time, however, the evaporator coil will still collect dirt. This dirt reduces air-flow and insulates the coil which reduces its ability to absorb heat. Therefore, your evaporator coil should be checked every year and cleaned as necessary.

Outdoor condenser coils can also become very dirty if the outdoor environment is dusty or if there is foliage nearby. You can easily see the condenser coil and notice if dirt is collecting on its fins.
You should minimize dirt and debris near the condenser unit. Your dryer vents, falling leaves, and lawn mower are all potential sources of dirt and debris. Cleaning the area around the coil, removing any debris, and trimming foliage back at least 2 feet allow for adequate airflow around the condenser.

Coil Fins

The aluminum fins on evaporator and condenser coils are easily bent and can block air-flow through the coil. Air conditioning wholesalers sell a tool called a "fin comb" that will comb these fins back into nearly original condition.

Sealing and Insulating Air Ducts

An enormous waste of energy occurs when cooled air escapes from supply ducts or when hot attic air leaks into return ducts. Recent studies indicate that 10% to 30% of the conditioned air in an average central air conditioning system escapes from the ducts.

For central air conditioning to be efficient, ducts must be airtight. Hiring a competent professional service technician to detect and correct duct leaks is a good investment, since leaky ducts may be difficult to find without experience and test equipment. Ducts must be sealed with duct "mastic." The old standby of duct tape is many times ineffective for sealing ducts.

Obstructions can impair the efficiency of a duct system almost as much as leaks. You should be careful not to obstruct the flow of air from supply or return registers with furniture, drapes, or tightly fitted interior doors. Dirty filters and clogged evaporator coils can also be major obstructions to airflow.

The large temperature difference between attics and ducts makes heat conduction through ducts almost as big a problem as air leakage and obstructions. Ducts in attics should be insulated heavily in addition to being made airtight.

After getting an energy calculation you will have a good picture of savings vs cost. This alone is a major consideration in your decision to buy a new system.

Attic Ventilator

Take a load off your air conditioner
Have you ever been in your attic in the middle of the summer? It’s HOT! That’s why you need an attic ventilator. Assisting your air conditioner in cooling your home and in lowering your utility bills, an attic ventilator exhausts the hot air from your attic and brings in cooler air from the outside. This circulation of air greatly reduces the heat load on your home allowing your air conditioner to work more efficiently and to cool your home faster. Adding an attic ventilator to your home will save you money and make you more comfortable

Hard Start Kit

A hard start kit is designed to assist your compressor on start-up. If your inside air conditioning coil is located more than 50 feet from your outside condensing unit, you probably need a hard start kit to assist your compressor when it turns on. You see, your air conditioner works like a pump circulating the refrigerant throughout your system. The harder the pump has to work the less efficient it is and the more likely it is to break down. A hard start kit helps your air conditioner when it needs help most, when it first starts up and has to begin the pumping process. The addition of a hard start kit will extend the life of your compressor, which could save you from the high cost of a repair or replacement.

Time Delay Relay

Let your air conditioner do “highway miles … instead of city miles”
By stopping your unit from going on and off (short-cycling) so much, a time delay relay keeps it from wearing out prematurely. A time delay relay is also the perfect accessory for families that have children who like to play with the thermostat. No matter how often you change the setting on the heat/cool switch or the fan on/auto switch, you can't burn out your compressor. This is because the time delay relay won't turn your system on for 3-5 minutes after the last thermostat adjustment has been made.

Digital Setback Thermostat

Saving energy with virtually no effort
A digital setback thermostat is designed for people with fixed schedules that take them in and out of the home. With it, you can program the temperature to ‘set-back’ when you are not at home. This feature keeps you comfortable when you’re home and saves you money when you’re not by reducing the energy needs to heat and cool your home.

Digital setback thermostats are available in what are called 5+2 day configurations and 7-day configurations. The difference is flexibility. A 5+2 day configuration allows you to set Monday – Friday as a group setting with up to four different time settings. This configuration also allows you to set Saturday and Sunday as a separate group with up to four different time settings per day. The 7-day configuration thermostat allows you to program each day differently with up to four different time settings per day.

Additional Return Air Runs

Solve many system airflow problems
Lack of return air is a very common problem for those systems that were either poorly designed or originally planned for heat only applications. Adding additional returns to your system allows for greater supply air into your home, resulting in better airflow and comfort for your family. The benefits you will receive by taking care of this problem include: quieter operation, better airflow, fewer repairs, longer life of your equipment, lower utility bills and, best of all, greater comfort.