How to Choose an HVAC Contractor

There are many ways to choose an air conditioning service contractor. The above info graphics image entails a quick easy reference on how to choose one, enjoy!

Thermostats Functions

Most homes have a thermostat that controls the heating and air conditioning. Understanding that your thermostat is a valuable item in your home is paramount. Seriously, it is the key to how much you pay for your energy.

Here are some basic features of a digital thermostat.

Mercury switch - a glass vial with a small amount of actual mercury inside. Mercury is a liquid metal — it conducts electricity and flows like water. Inside the glass vial are three wires. One wire goes all the way across the bottom of the vial, so the mercury is always in contact with it. One wire ends on the left side of the vial, so when the vial tilts to the left, the mercury contacts it — making contact between this wire and the one on the bottom of the vial. The third wire ends on the right side of the vial, so when the vial tilts to the right, the mercury makes contact between this wire and the bottom wire.

Thermomoters is a component that exists , usually display on the cover. The other is on the top layer of the thermostat.

Bimetallic Strip

These thermostats are coiled bimetallic strips. Bimetallic strip is a piece of metal made by laminating 2 pieces of metal together. The center of the coil is connected to the temperature lever, and the mercury switch is mounted to the end of the coil. So when the coil winds or unwinds, this tips the mercury switch one way or the other.

Non Digital Thermostat

In the older homes chances are the thermostats are not digital. This type of thermostats have 2 switches, these switches move metal balls that make contact between different traces on the circuit card inside the thermostats. One switch controls the heat/cool, the other controls the circulation fan.

Whew, thats the basics of the nomenclature and basic functions inside a thermostat. Yes, there are other types that is way beyond the focus of this article.

The purpose of this post is to let our reader know the basic functions of a thermostats. If you need one replace, you can have a certified hvac technician like Cool Ace Air do this. Again the point of this post is to give you some knowledge about thermostats when you’re talking to a tech.

A/C Tune Up Video

Cool Ace Air


Get your a/c in shape before it gets too hot for you to do anything about it. If you're from the hotter climate like Phoenix, AZ. You want to be sure your a/c is working properly. Check us out at http://coolace.com for more information.

Ace Air Tune Up Chart

Here's an easy to read info graphics on air conditioning DIY. Has some basic info on what you can check for a tune up, and if you have questions or other technical work that needs to be done. Contact Cool Ace Air!

Ace Air Dateline NBC

Is it unethical to upsell your product/service? Recently, Chris Hansen of Dateline NBC conducted a segment on scams in the home improvement industry. They wanted to see if the work was being done, and if the price of service is worth it.

There was a scene that showed an upsell on a semi rusted a/c capacitator. Ethically this is good business practice. The examples showed was weak in terms of severity of a scam. Feels like this first segment was an appetizer for the preceding worse scams to follow.

The point of this post is to make everyone aware in the home improvement industry. Technicians job from every industry is to upsell their service and products. How else will they make money? As a homeowner it is your right to agree or refuse the service if you don't agree. If you are afraid of being had by a slick technicians, then bone up on some information about your appliances. Once you've been informed then it is up to you as the homeowner to agree or disagree. We would suggest that you talk to 3 technicians to get a feel for the possibility of the upsell on your air conditioner problem. If you're from Phoenix, AZ contact Cool Ace Air, or just go to http://coolace.com to find out more.