Question:
Ok, late last summer I had to have my heat pump/conderser replaced as the 20 year old Carrier unit finally died. My home warranty company covered the replacement but install a Goodman. I have come to find out now that Goodmans are not necessarily the best brand and are not all that efficent when the outside temp gets above 100 (which never happens here in AZ…lol). Anyways, I still have the old evap coil/air handler and I am wondering if that is a problem. During the summer months it is tough to keep the house cool at all. Would replacing the air handler with a matching unit be worth the cash or no?

Reply:
It is never a good practice to mix and match indoor units with another brand of outdoor unit. The engineering that goes into making the air conditioning work to it’s maximum ability cannot be matched by another brand.
I am surprised that this situation has occurred as it is definitely not the right thing to do.
I can only assume that to change the indoor unit would have been a nightmare and they opted for the next best thing.
I am not surprised you are having capacity problems during high heat load conditions with this setup.
I would contact the warranty company and make some serious inquiries.
Yes it would definitely be better to replace the indoor with a matching unit but only after you request that a heat load analysis for your home be carried out (by experienced and technically competent company – not joe joe’s backyard cleaning service, if you know what I mean). Just to make sure the machine can do the job adequately in the first place. Believe me all this will save you money in the long run.
Good Luck

Buy a home, improve it and sell it for a nice profit. Heck, it is the American Dream. While the strategy is a good way to make money, this is only true if you do not go crazy with your remodeling and spend far more than you can recover when you sell.

Far too often, homeowners do not consider the importance of a great kitchen area. There are numerous homes on the market right now that include great landscaping, new floors, and an old kitchen. Since buyers want to see an updated kitchen, this is one way to effectively turn them off from your home.

What is a top of the line remodeled kitchen worth when you go to sell your home? Well, that depends on the rest of the home. If you have a million dollar kitchen and a 10 dollar home, you are going to have problems selling for a good price.

If you are going to begin remodeling, make sure to stick with designs and colors that many people will find appealing. While you may think that a lime green kitchen is divine, others will not share this opinion. Try to select neutral tones, classic styles, and clean designs.

As far as changing the actual structure of the home goes, do not expand rooms that don?t make sense. For example, expanding a small bathroom might be a good idea, but adding an oddly shaped addition to the home itself may be a turn off. If you must go through a remodeling stage, be sure to keep it simple.

When remodeling, you will get the most bang for your buck with time tested strategies. Focus on the kitchen and bathroom first unless there is some element in desperate need of help. If they are all good, add a room or buff out the landscaping.

If you really want to avoid making a mistake when remodeling, bring in help. Show your plans to friends and ask them what they think. Actually listen to them! If they think it is a bit too much, then pull back from the abyss and go with something more acceptable.

Do not view your home as a place you live in when remodeling. View it as a product that must be sold for a profit. Do your plans increase the price you can ask for that product? If so and the amount is more than you are spending, you are on the right track.

Have this ever happened to you? Do you have thoughts of improving your home but you don’t really know where to start or what to look out for? In order to improve your home, you must know what exactly you want to achieve. Home improvement can do wonders. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you read on to find out more about home improvement?

After a long stressful and tiring day at work, do you feel relaxed and at ease when you reach home? If your answer to this question is no, I want to tell you how home improvement can change this situation. Are you wondering how you can do it? Well, you can do it with Feng Shui!

First of all, let me share with you what Feng Shui is all about. The main goal of Feng Shui is to ensure that everything is connected together somehow. It is about the flow of energy that is always moving and balancing is the main objective. Feng Shui is influenced by the location of your home and the direction in which your house is pointing at.

If your home doesn’t help you feel relaxed; you should really do something about it. If your home is too unventilated and warm, you can also consider home improvement. Feng Shui can also help you to improve your love life significantly and make you score more dates. Below are some of the ways that you can on how you can actually try out to improve your life with the help of Feng Shui.

By adding wind chimes, you can stop the energy from being stagnant. This is especially important if you want to improve your life . You should also get rid of sharp corners because this is considered bad. How can you counter this problem? You can try using plants to soften the corners. One thing to bear in mind; to never sit with your back facing the window. You should always sit in such a way that you are facing away from the walls.

Using fresh flowers will not only improve Feng Shui but also your love life! The fresh flowers should be placed near a west facing window. Energy level can also be improved with the help of a crystal in the room. The whole house should be kept clean at all times, particularly your home entrance.

A great way to improve the energy levels in your home is to use mirrors; however you put them anywhere you like. You have to be very careful. You know exactly what is being reflected. Keep certain rooms for certain activities.You should make sure that every room is used, otherwise stagnant energy can build up. By using Feng Shui techniques you will be amazed at how easy it is to improve your home.

Believe me; once you start to applying these tips on home improvement, you will be amazed with the results. Remember, home improvement is very easy and can be done by you! Some food for thought, improving your home can improve your life because it’s a place where you grow and live. Try it for yourself, I wish you all the best!

In interior decorating, there are many different options in blinds and shades. By learning more about the different colors, styles, and fabrics, you can better determine which ones will work best in your room, your home, and your own interior decorating style. 1. Roman. Roman shades consist of a rectangle shaped fabric panel that is a flat panel when lowered and when raised, rises in folds that can be hidden by the window frame. 2. Cascade. Cascade shades are very similar to Roman shades, except that they fold up in an irregular fashion resembling a cascade. They offer your windows softness and elegance that is well suited for more formal rooms and homes. 3. Roller. Roller shades are a flat shade that was very popular in the last few decades. The vinyl material rolls up and down on a stick that is spring activated. The most common roller shades come in white or tan, but other colors and designs are available that can help to add life and beauty to your windows in place of drapery. The hem of the roller shades helps to add visual interest and appeal. From scalloped hems to uneven hems and more, you will be delighted at the detail that a hem can add. 4. Balloon. Balloon shades are constructed of a fabric panel that when raised, gathers in irregular scallops that add great beauty to a room. These panels can be raised in irregular folds and a hem can be added for additional beauty. Fan. Again, these are a flat panel of fabric, similar to the cascade. Where the cascade is pulled up by drawstrings on either side, the fan is pulled up with a drawstring in the center. By lowering the panel full down and then pulling it partially up, you create a fan shape of folds across the bottom of the shade. This shade leaves the bottom portion of the window exposed to allow in light and air. 5. Skirted balloon. A skirted balloon shade features the same look of the balloon shade, but has a flat panel on the bottom that resembles a skirt. The folds on the balloon shade falls against the flat panel of fabric. 6. Tailed balloon. Tailed balloon shades are made much like the balloon panels, except that the side drawstrings are not used. This allows the center of the shade to raise in soft fold and the outsides hang, much like a tail. 7. Pleated. The pleated shade features pleats that are permanent. These are normally made of stiffened fabric or folded paper. 8. Fan. The fan shade features a flat panel of fabric that is much like the cascade shade. The difference comes in with the gathering of the folds. In the fan shade, the folds are gathered into fan-like folds. This allows the bottom part of the window to stay open for light and air exposure. 9. Austrian. The Austrian window shade is made very much like the balloon shade. In it, the fabric is twice the length as the balloon shade and then the folds are gathered to create a tall and elegant window shade. 10. Cloud. The cloud shades are another variation on the every-popular balloon shade. It gives a soft and different effect than the balloon shade.

You can add embellishments to the bottom of the shades or vertical blinds instead of hems. This can include fringe, ribbons, rickrack, tassels, and more to give your shades a new and exciting look and feel.

Question:
I can hear the compressor come on but the fan does not work. Is there a reset button or something? Help!

Reply:
Depends where you live.
If you live in a part of the world where it is winter right now the A/C could be just in the start up phase where it builds up heat first before supplying the needed heat indoors…normal operation for reverse cycle (heat pump) units.
If you are in America right now you are in summer and this could indicate a problem.
If the latter, you will need specialist help. It’s no good explaining what the problem could be, just call an A/C technician to fix your machine as soon as possible, not because of danger but because at this time of year you might be on a long waiting list.