Many times homeowners are unfamiliar when they either purchase a new home or replace their existing air conditioning or heat pump system with a new one on how everything operates. This page has been put together to help new homeowners and new system owners understand their system, how it was designed and even troubleshoot some minor issues.

Please remember that these hints are designed to be generic in nature and may not be entirely accurate for your system or thermostat. Your best source of information is the instruction manual that came with your system. The vast majority of systems will follow these guidelines and save you time and money.
 
Thermostat Operating Instructions:

“Cooling”
1. Press Mode Button until “Cool” is displayed
2. Set Fan Mode to “Auto”
3. Use “Up” or “Down” Arrows to set desired temperature.
4. System may not start immediately after power interruption or temperature setting changes. This is normal.

“Heating”
1. Press Mode Button until “Heat” is displayed.
2. Set Fan Mode to “Auto”
3. Use “Up” or “Down” Arrows to set desired temperature.
4. System may not start immediately after power interruption or temperature setting changes. This is normal.

“General”
1. Filters should be cleaned or changed monthly.
2. Before calling for service, please check your electrical circuit breakers and thermostat settings.
3. Warranty Service is performed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday thru Friday.
After Hours and weekend service available at additional charge.

Additional Thermostat Notes:

• If your thermostat screen is completely blank, one of two circumstances has occurred:
• Your drain line has become clogged and the “Float Switch” has automatically shut the system down. This is done to prevent any water damage to your home from an overflowing drain.
• A Fuse within your air handler has failed and shut the system down.
• With either of these situations, it requires a service call to have your drain line cleared or your fuse replaced.  Please call for service.
• You may avoid Drain Line clogs or blockages by having Algaecide Tablets put in your drain pan during your Annual Preventative Maintenance Service. If you do not have these installed, it may help to mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a cup of warm water and pour it down the cleanout in your Drain Line monthly to keep the line clean.


• If you have a programmable thermostat, for basic instructions, see above. You may override the programming with the “HOLD” button. Bring the temperature to the setting you wish to maintain and then press the HOLD button. That will maintain that set temperature for a period of time, depending on the thermostat, for as little as two hours or as long as you leave it on HOLD.

• On the Fan Mode, your setting should always be on “Auto.” Some thermostats will only show “On or Off” and will not show an “Auto” Option. If that is the case in your situation, set it to the “On” position. If “Auto” is a choice, please set your thermostat to that setting.


• If you have a variable speed air handler, you may choose to set it on a specific setting (low, medium, high) but do not do this if you have a single speed air handler as you will not gain any benefit and will spend more money needlessly on increased utility usage. Variable Speed Air Handlers Nomenclature from Carrier start with FK, FV or FE.

Temperature Differentials in Different Rooms

• Your system is designed to maintain reasonably consistently temperatures. With “Normal Room Occupancy,” your system should maintain temperatures within 3 degrees of the thermostat setting when measured in the middle of each room.


• There may, however, be differences from room to room based upon a number of factors. These factors include:
  
  • Single system 2 story homes and townhomes homeowners will typically find that their upper floor is warmer than the first floor due to the fact that heat rises. This is normal.
  • Rooms having greater exposure to the sun at different times of the day may experience some temperature differential as well. Rooms in the East will typically be warmer in the morning and Western exposure rooms may be significantly warmer in the afternoon.
  • Your new home system was designed for “Normal Occupancy.” This means if you plan on converting a spare room into a home office, please discuss it with your builder and have them let Air Flow Designs know before the installation of the duct work and equipment. Otherwise, multiple computers, printers, copiers, fax machines will all contribute significant latent heat to the room and you may be unable to keep the room at a comfortable operating temperature.
  • Also, please advise your builder if you plan on entertaining large groups of people frequently. Each additional person, over the Normal Occupancy design criteria adds approximately 500 BTU’s to the cooling load requirement. So if you frequently entertain groups of 20-30 people in peak cooling periods of the year, your system could be undersized.
    
• Another key factor that also plays a significant role in maintaining a comfortable and consistent temperature is your choice of window covering or the lack of them.
  
  • A room without any type of window covering (Blinds, Shutters, Draperies, Shades, Curtains) allows greater solar heat infiltration and will be warmer than it was designed to be.
    

System’s Ability to Cool Basis and Capacity

• Your system is designed to maintain a temperature between 15-18 degrees what the outdoor temperature is. If it is 95 degrees out side, your system has been designed to maintain a temperature of between 77 and 80 degrees inside your home. The lower you set your thermostat during our hot, humid summers, the longer your system is going to have to run and the more it will cost you in utility expense.
• Older systems were frequently oversized. With today’s tighter building standards, a home may require a smaller system today than it would have if that home had been built 20 years ago. Today’s systems, with SEER (energy ratings) ranging from 13-18 SEER are designed to run longer than older, larger systems of the past to help dehumidify homes more effectively.
• Variable Speed Air Handlers, when matched with more sophisticated thermostats, will allow you to select your humidity level as well as temperature setting. Most people find they are comfortable at a thermostat setting of 1-3 degrees warmer in the summer if they get the humidity level down to in the low 50% range.

Preventative Maintenance

Annual Preventative Maintenance Tune-ups are highly recommended by all manufacturers. Please visit our “Products” page to check out our Air Flow Designs Protection Plan and see what sets us apart from other AC companies. We are one of the very few AC companies in Florida licensed by the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office to offer a comprehensive Protection Plan. It covers ALL Parts and LABOR should you require a repair and it also provides you Priority Service as well when you require a repair. In addition to all that, it also includes an Energy Saving Tune-up that can nearly offset the annual expense of the plan in utility savings. Be sure to check it to and call us at 321-397-2110 or 1-800-AIR-FLO1.

The single most important maintenance that a homeowner can perform on their system is to make absolutely certain that they are cleaning or changing the filter monthly. This will keep your system cleaner, help it to maintain its efficiency and reduce long term repair and operating expense. In most systems, the filter is located in the bottom of the air handler behind a filter door. In some applications, filters can be located in filter back return grills, either in the ceiling or at the air handler on the interior of the home. These should be changed or cleaned just as often as the air handler installed filters.

Additional Hints for Homeowners
Heat Pump Operating Instructions

• During the cooling season, the heat pump operates like a conventional Air Conditioning system.
• Unit will “change tune” slightly as it moves from cooling to heating, as the temperature varies or as frosts builds up on the outdoor unit.
• During the heating season, the heat pump will deliver an adequate supply of warm air to maintain the thermostat setting under normal conditions. This system is designed to run almost continuously in cold weather conditions.
• There will be moisture draining from the surface of the outdoor coil and around the base when the unit is in the heating mode. This moisture will turn to frost when the outdoor temperature is below 40° F
• The Outdoor Unit may become totally white with front / ice during cold weather. Unless this condition persists for over 2 hours, you should not be concerned. Frost will build up rapidly during damp cold weather (28° to 38° F).
• When the heat pump starts to defrosts, it will, without stopping, give a slight “Swoosh,” stop the out door fan and briefly deliver slightly cooler air inside. The duration of this defrost cycle may take up to 10 minutes depending on the amount of frost on the outside coil.
• Steam or Fog (Looks like Smoke) from the outdoor unit is normal during defrost cycle.
• It is very important that nothing restrict air flow or the defrost water runoff near the outdoor coil. Leaves, grass clippings and the like should be cleaned off the outdoor coil.
• Air filters must be cleaned or replaced monthly. Dirty air filters restrict air flow and increase operating costs and long term maintenance expenses.
• Indoor air supply registers must not be blocked or restricted by furniture or draperies.
• It is highly recommended that Air Flow Designs, Central LLC perform a professional maintenance tune up once per year.