Broken flue pipe

What is a flue pipe?

A flue pipe is a structure that vents products of combustion (like smoke) from appliances or fireplaces. Think of a flue as a pipe installed to protect you from inhaling hazardous fumes.

Why should I care about the flue pipe?

Since the main purpose of a chimney is to vent the products of combustion from your home, its installation and overall condition is a point of concern each and every winter.

A FLUE PIPE REMOVES CARBON MONOXIDE.

November is National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month, but the need to monitor carbon monoxide levels in your home are actually all year long- not just in the winter.  One of the most important things your chimney needs to remove from your home is carbon monoxide. 

Even if you own a new home, you may be at risk.  Sometimes, carbon monoxide originates in a furnace or other burning appliance and finds its way into the house due to inadequate venting. Inadequate venting often comes from blocked or damaged pipe.

How often should my flue pipe be inspected?

Atlanta Energy Solutions strongly recommends that all flues and chimneys in use should receive annual inspections and cleaning, if needed.

We proudly serve Mableton, Smyrna, Marietta, and the surrounding Cobb County area. Call us today at 404-803-7471 if you need service! 

A broken flue  Atlanta Energy Solutions repaired in early Jan 2017

Outdoor air conditioner maintenance

Your home's central hvac system requires scheduled maintenance. A homeowner is wise to enlist a professional hvac company to perform a detailed service every year, but there is one thing that a homeowner can do monthly to ensure top energy efficiency from an air conditioning system. Keeping the outdoor unit free of debris is important. Excessive accumulation of tree limbs and plant vines can block the outdoor unit's airflow, forcing the unit to work harder and use more energy than necessary. Proper outdoor unit efficiency may be maintained by keeping the outdoor unit clear of leaves, low hanging tree branches, and shrubbery. In the case of the unit in the picture, 40% of the outdoor unit's vents were blocked by untamed plant growth and several vines were blocking the fan blade path creating excessive unit operation noise. This customer was overworking their air conditioning system due to lack of regular maintenance.  Atlanta Energy Solutions arrived on the scene, took care of the operating noise and reduced energy efficiency, and completely serviced the customer's hvac system. If you need help maintaining you air conditioning system, call Atlanta Energy Solutions at 404-803-7471, Mableton's #1 heating and air company!

How to charge a residential hvac system

Adding Freon to your homes cooling system may be the least understood practice in the home improvement industry. Even though there are a few tried and true procedures for this, often there is one proper method for the type of cooling system in question.

my gauges

Make sure the system been properly installed and that there is no moisture in the line set. A correct line set evacuation is critical for maximum efficiency. Replace the filter and clean the coils if needed. One should never check the charge on a system with dirty coils or clogged filters. The blower wheel must also be reasonably clean. A cooling system needs to be able to "push" the proper cfm of air through the ductwork. Often, a simple visual inspection of the evaporator may be used to determine if it is clean or not. Also, not every residential cooling hvac system in cobb county has the same metering device. Find out what type of metering device that is on the equipment that you are working on. This can be done by looking up the model and serial number. Be careful when applying refrigerant gauges, so that you do not let air into the copper line set. Some refridgerants must be added to a system as a liquid. Some can be added as a vapor. Check the side of the jug for instructions. If adding liquid into the hvac system refrigerant loop, be sure to add it in slowly to avoid drowning the compressor. This is commonly called slugging, and is very bad for the longevity of the compressor. Do this process slowly. Use the superheat of subcooling method. If you do not understand these methods, call Atlanta Energy Solutions immediately! After aquiring the target superheat or subcool, be very careful when taking the gauges off the system. Remove the hoses quickly and safety, wearing gloves if need be. Now check the temperature drop inside the house. The drop should be 16-20 degrees differance between the return and the supply registers.

Variable Speed HVAC systems

Modern high efficiency HVAC systems in Marietta, both gas heating appliances and de-humidifying cooling equipment, are now using cutting edge, quiet, higher efficiency motors to reduce power bills. These motors also aid overall system electrical consumption by maintaining the proper air flow across pieces of the HVAC system such as evaporator coils and  condenser coils. During the cooling mode of your HVAC system, air flow is critical to proper operation. With the use of ECM motor technology, manufacturers of heating and cooling systems raise efficiency of the home to incredible levels. There are many of these systems in Smyrna, Mableton, Marietta, and the surrounding areas

You may be curious what ECM stands for.  An ECM motor is some times referred to as a "Variable Speed" motor. On one hand this is true, it does change its motor speed, but only as it needs to, as the system requires.  In basic terms, all an ECM motor is attempting to do is sustain a continuous cubic feet per minute of airflow through a duct system. In the heating and air industry,  ECM stands Electronic Communicating Motor.

How does this help a heating and air conditioning system in Cobb County? It may help to compare an ECM motor works to an automobile's cruise control.  When you are using cruise control, you set how fast you want the car to go in miles per hour. The automobile's engine will attempt to push the automobile along at a certain pace to maintain that speed.  If your automobile goes up a hill, the cruise control mechanism feels a change in the road, and it attempts to power the engine as much as it can so that it can sustain the set speed you selected.  This situation is very similar to a variable speed, or ECM motor. It will rev the heating and cooling system up and/or down to maintain your preferred comfort level.

By maintaining consistent air flow in a home's heating and cooling system, we can get the maximum efficiency out of the HVAC equipment. This, coupled with the fact that an ECM motor uses less wattage than a normal motor, is why these motors are becoming more and more popular as part of a total energy-efficient system.

If you are interested in upgrading your home to an Energy Star Rated Variable Speed ECM heating and cooling system, give Atlanta Energy Solutions a Call today at 404-803-7471 for a free estimate!

The Case of the Broken Gas Light - Marietta, Georgia

I love outdoor gas lights. They take me back to a time in my childhood when I read lots of Sherlock Holmes. Here in the metro Atlanta area, many homes have these oft ignored outdoor lights, such as the one pictured below. This particular gas light had been ignored and non-functioning for years before the homeowners elected to do something about it. What a crime! Luckily, Atlanta Energy Solutions, LLC was on the case!

The victim was an old pole gas light, very popular in the 70's and 80's in Cobb County, Georgia. The single pale glass was so dirty that it could not be seen through. Egad Watson! There is foul play here!

Our super sleuth technician went to work, finding the clues at the scene. Time had ravaged this gas light victim, but through dedicated training and deduction, Atlanta Energy Solutions llc was able to crack the case! 

After a complete investigation, we came to the conclusion that a complete gas light restoration had to be preformed, and our victim was saved! Now all that remains is to wait until night fall, light the new mantles, and enjoy the fantastic outdoor ambience that a gas light can provide to any deck or patio! Here at Atlanta Energy Solutions, we are proud to solve any of your home mysteries, big or small. It's elementary!

Glass had to be scrapped and sanded, but now it is so clean! The home owner was very happy, and the gas light puts out great illumination at night for the front yard. Maybe we will paint the pole next visit!

Why is my furnace making a buzzing sound and not blowing air?

We all lead busy lives.  If your family is anything like ours, a quiet moment is a rare occasion.  In the few quiet moments we experience, we hope to hear the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing peacefully through the trees.  Unfortunately, sometimes we also hear another sort of buzzing; the kind coming from the furnace.  Why is it making noise and not blowing air?

The test:  does the furnace come on and heat the home?

If yes, you probably have a loud standby mode, which is more of an annoyance than an actual problem. 

Loud standby mode explained:  Your furnace may have a standby mode, which is similar to the 'sleep mode' on a smartphone or tablet.  The standby mode occurs when your furnace is waiting for a command usually from a thermostat or other communicating device.  When it receives a command, for example turning the heat on from a thermostat, the normal sounds of operation will commence, drowning out the buzzing.

If no, the problem is more complex and would require a technician to effectively diagnose it, however, the two top reasons experienced while working in the Smyrna and Marietta, Georgia area are:

• Gasket Dry-Rot (new gasket pictured below):  Heating systems, like automobiles, have various gaskets and seals. If they become loose or deteriorate they can cause vibration and/or excessive part wear.  When gasket dry-rot is the cause of the problem, repair costs are typically minimal.

• Defective part(s):  There are many parts on a residential furnace that can break down and cause unpleasant noise and failure.  In these cases, it is best to call a qualified professional to get your system back up and running. 

We have over 17 years of experience troubleshooting these issues at Atlanta Energy Solutions, LLC.  Call us at (404) 803-7471 to bring comfort back to your home.

Why is my furnace (heating system) blowing cold air?

It's January.  When you turn the furnace (aka heating system) on, you expect to only feel warm air coming through your vents.  You may be surprised to know that is not always the case.  One of the most common complaints I hear this time of year is, "why is my furnace blowing cold air?".  Of course, the answer is:  it depends.  However, here are the most common reasons:

• The thermostat is set to continuous fan mode. 
  • You know that little slider for the fan control that can be set to "on" or "auto"?  If you set it to on, the fan will consistently run.  It is a nice feature to filter/clean the air and keep the air flow moving. 
  • Regarding the cool air, if you use this setting and have the temperature set at a comfortable 68 degrees, the furnace will blow out air to target that temperature.  If rooms are already heated to 68 degrees, the furnace may blow out room temperature air to keep the temperature constant. 

• The thermostat is set to cool mode.
  • Adjusting the temperature higher may not be enough.  Sometimes, you have to ensure that your system is set to heat.  If your system is set to "cool", that may be the reason it is blowing cold air.

• The heating system is broken. 
  • In this case, it is best to call a professional.  If you are in the Atlanta metro area, we would be happy to help.  Call the HVAC professionals at Atlanta Energy Solutions, LLC: (404) 803-7471

It's Snowing In Atlanta Metro! Is your HVAC system keeping you warm?

My wife woke me up early this morning - snow (well flurries...) again!  Our system was set to 73 degrees, but the temperature in our home was 66 degrees.  The Vinings area was hit with a power outage this morning, leaving many folks freezing. Fortunately, the power came back on a few hours later and we are back to a toasty 73 degrees.  We are lucky.  How's your heating system?  Are you staying warm?

Be sure to check the defrost function on your heat pump to ensure it is operational.  Don't end up like the customer below!  If you do, give Atlanta Energy Solutions, LLC a call:  404-803-7471. Our primary service area is Cobb County.