Improving AC Efficiency-How Hot Is Your Condensor?

Alot of homeowners may not realize it, but maintaining and servicing your exterior condensing unit is one of the most effective ways you can lower your cooling costs. This is especially important in this latest economic downturn, and with the outside temperatures approaching 110 degrees. Your condensing unit is the part of your air conditioning system which sits outside the house and is exposed to the extreme heat of the summer and cold in the winter. This makes is much more susceptible to break down and required service.

The condensing unit works by a fan pulling air across the hot freon in the coils from the exterior, thru the unit and out the top. The only problem is, it can also pull in grass, cottonwood pollen, dirt, and other assorted coil clogging debris. This restricts air flow and cooling of the hot freon and can cause premature failure of your compressor, (Repair/replacement costs can vary but average around $1500-$2500 if the compressor or entire condensing unit has to be replaced). "That is why it is very important to check the coils at the start of the cooling season, but also at various times throughout the summer to insure proper air flow across the coils." says Don Thomason with Thomason Heating and Air Conditioning. "Clogged condensing unit coils cause the system to run hotter and longer, significantly reducing the effective life expectancy of the unit".

The importance of air flow across the coils is also important with regards to landscaping. Keep landscaping shrubs/grasses from close proximity to the unit. This can also cause reduced air flow and premature failure of the compressor as easily as dirt and debris clogging the coils.

Although condensing units are rated for several years of service by their manufacturers', regular routine maintenance and service can insure full service life and reduced utility costs throughout the service life of the unit.

For more maintenance tips and helpful homeowner information, please visit our website at http://abouthomeinspection.com, or contact our offices at 918/812-8954.

Attic Insulation and Ventilation

Most homeowners do not realize the importance of proper insulation and ventilation when it comes to improving the efficiency of thier home. Attic ventilation is necessary to prevent moisture problems and heat build up which can shorten roof life expectancy and reduce cooling efficiency. Proper installation and amounts of insulation at the attic will also limit heat and cold transfer from the interior living space to and from the attic.


In the summer, heat builds up in the attic space, which will cool at night if the attic is properly ventilated. However, if the attic is unventilated or ventilated incorrectly, the heat will build-up over a period of days and continue to increase the temperature inside the attic.



A 90-degree day with no attic ventilation can heat the roof sheating to 170 degress or more. Heat readiating from the sheathing down to the attic floor can raise its temperature to as much as 140 degrees. Without adequate ventilation, today's heavier insulation will absorb and hold more heat built-up during the day and make the attic less likley to cool at night. Overheated ceiling insulation conducts the heat through the ceiling down to the residents of the home. This causes the air conditioning system to operator for longer periods of time to reduce the heat.



Under these extreme temperatures, roof sheathing material can also delaminate, becoming brittle and hazardous to walk on when traversing your roof. It can also delaminate to the point of requiring complete replacement at time of tear off and repalcement of your roof covering, raising roof replacement costs significantly.







For more information on Attic Insulation and Ventilation, and links to a homeowner checklist for proper ventilation, visit our website: abouthomeinspection.com , and click on the Attic Ventilation link.



Mention our blog when booking a home inspection and receive $40 of General Home Inspection when paid at the time of service.

A New Year, A New Name

The New Year has already started and we are well into the middle of January. Most of the snow if finally gone and spring is just around the corner. I know most people are breathing a sigh of relief that we made it through 2009, but wasn't it about this same time last year that we held great anticipation of the Great Opportunities that would present themselves in 2009? Though like most, I am approaching 2010 with a cautious optimizim, I am excited about the New Year and the fact that we are no longer Pillar To Post® Home Inspection® but are now the "About Home" Inspection Company. We will still be providing the same comprehensive, professional home inspections that our clients have come to know and rely on, only our name has changed! Our new phone number is 918/812-8954 and our fax is now 866/877-3563. If you need to e-mail me directly, brad.stringer@sbcglobal.net. With the new name, we are looking at new opportunities and ways in which we can improve the quality and level of service to our clients and real estate professionals here in our market area. Look for our new brochures and marketing materials rolling out to the offices shortly. I am sorry that this post was more of marketing post, but we want everyone to know about our name change, and that we are looking forward to working with all of you in the upcoming New Year!

Hope For The New Year

Well, one of the things I have set as a New Year's resolution was to get a blog set up and going so that for those who want to follow what is going on in the local real estate market from a Home Inspector stand point could have a resource. Also, we have so many great friends and professional acquaintances out there that it sometimes is difficult to stay in touch on a regular basis. So, with that in mind, here we go . . .

I am encouraged for the New Year because . . . normally this time of year we, like most realty professionals tend to see a slowing of activity as we move into the Holiday. However, I am definitely busier this year than at the same time last year and I have been performing more inspections in the last month on homes in the 3000+ square foot range than I have for quite sometime. The bad news is, most have been foreclosures, but those with credit and money seem to be starting to take advantage of some of the great values out there in this size and price range.

I am still seeing alot of the traditional 1800-2500 square foot houses as a bulk of my inspections, but I am encouraged by the fact that the larger homes appear to be starting to move. Inspections have also not been specifically concentrated in a single area. We have done inspections from Muskogee and Bartlesville, to Tulsa, Bixby, and BA.

I am also encouraged in that we will likely finish the year higher or similar to the level of business we did last year, which in the past years economy, is a good thing, as Martha Stewart would say. This is due in large part to the support of our realtor and client referrals, so Thank You one and all for you support in this last year.

We will be announcing something totally new in the New Year, so please check back after the first for an update. Until then, Merry Christmas everyone and may God richly and greatly bless you in this upcoming New Year!