Ask the Expert

What do I do when my heat pump is making puddles outside? Ask The Expert Video Episode 279

You can either turn off the unit so it stops creating condensation, or you can install a french drain where the unit is draining to keep it from getting muddy or collecting on the ground.

1:25

Do I need more refrigerant for multiple lineset lengths? Ask the Expert Video Episode 278

The installation manual should tell you how many length of lineset a condenser is charged to handle. Additional refrigerant would be needed if those lengths were exceeded.

1:25

What are the refrigerant requirements for the multi zone pro kit? Ask The Expert Video Episode 277

The most difficult part is properly charging the unit with the appropriate refrigerant amount. Some of our customers do the rough work themselves, then bring in a pro to charge the unit. That's definitely something we've had customers do, and do it successfully.

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Can I Run Iron Out or Bleach Through Open-loop Geothermal? - Ask the Expert Episode 276

Almost every geothermal manufacturer I'm aware of will not accept any significant level of iron as acceptable water quality. Any significant level of iron is bad. You can try something like Iron Out or CLR, but it's probably not going to remove the iron deposits significantly enough.

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Do I Need to Change the TXV Valve When Switching from R-22 to R410A? - Ask the Expert Episode 275

Why? Well, R410A works at a different temperature and a different pressure than R-22. If you don't change it then it's not going to boil off correctly. And when it doesn't boil off correctly, it means the refrigerant is going to return to the condenser mostly as a liquid rather than a saturated vapor. You don't want the liquid coming back. You want the vapor.

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Can a Mini Split Bring in Fresh Air? - Ask the Expert Episode 274

There are some home central heating and air units that will have devices on them that will occasionally pull fresh air into the house. This is only something you really need if you've got a brand new house of if it's really built tight and doesn't have a lot of air flowing through cracks and holes and all the things you're going to have in an older home.

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Air Handler and Condenser Different Sizes? - Ask the Expert Episode 273

In some cases, yes. It's going to depend on what kind of Goodman air handler you got. If the air handler has a TXV rated for a 2-ton, and has the capability of running the air flow down to 800 CFM, then it should work.

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What Unit Should I Get in San Diego? - Ask the Expert Episode 272

If you're in San Diego, I would look into getting a heat pump. If you're worried about low temperatures, you might look into dual fuel heat pump. You could get a coil.

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What Size Unit Should I Get? - Ask the Expert Episode 271

Today's question is from Gustavo Cortez.

"Hey Dan, what size HVAC system should I get and how do I know?"

He's got one contractor telling him he needs a 3.5 ton AC and others telling him he needs a 3-ton unit. And it gets up to 115 degrees where he is in California.

First off, no one can give you an opinion about what is right. They only way you're going to know exactly what you need is if you get somebody to do a manual J load calculation on your house. Some heating and air contractors will do it or you could get an engineer.

Now, something to consider is that there isn't a big difference between 3.5 tons and 3 tons. And with the kind of heat you get in California, I would go with the 3.5 tons because it won't be so much more tonnage that you have to worry about it. Make sure it's variable speed and a DC converter that can cycle up like the MrCool Universal.

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