Mobile homes, also known as manufactured housing, are a popular and economical choice for many Americans. Modern mobile homes can be very small and simple dwellings, or larger and more elaborate structures with all the features and amenities of traditional constructed homes.

When considering a mobile home purchase, keep in mind that these structures often have unique characteristics in cooling, heating, and ventilation that must be accommodated. Here are a few of the home comfort factors you should consider before buying a mobile home:

Heating and cooling: Most mobile homes will have a traditional forced-air heating and cooling system, which means there will be a series of supply and return ducts with corresponding vents. In cold climates, supply vents should be installed around the edges of the home’s rooms and open spaces. In hot climates, better cooling can be achieved if the supply vents are located in the home’s ceiling.

Make sure the furnace and air conditioner are correctly sized for the heating and cooling needs of the mobile home. If you live in an area with frequent temperature extremes, the better solution is to increase the home’s insulation rather than using an HVAC system that is oversized for the space.

Ventilation: Mobile homes, like other homes, require adequate ventilation to maintain adequate levels of indoor fresh air, to hold down airborne dust levels and to keep moisture problems from developing. Many mobile homes have metal roofs with sealed and unventilated attic spaces underneath them, which can cause moisture accumulation in the winter. In the summer, this can make the whole house feel hotter.

To avoid these problems and improve attic ventilation, invest in a mobile home with a shingled roof that has plenty of overhang on all sides, with ventilation vents and openings installed in the overhang.

Since 1986, AC Pro and its network of certified professional contractors have provided expert heating and air conditioning services to customers in Southern California and Nevada. Contact us today for more information on the specialized cooling, heating and ventilation needs of mobile homes.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Mobile home image via Shutterstock

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

Starting off a new year is a great time to put up a carbon monoxide (CO) detector if your home lacks one. But before you do, give some thought to where you will install the detector.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you mount CO detectors in the hallway near the bedrooms in your home, where the alarm will wake family members if they are asleep. Just like smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors are usually best installed on the ceiling instead of on a wall, where it’s less likely that people will come into contact with them and accidentally dislodge them.

Still, the recommended installation locations may vary by manufacturer, so be sure to read the detector’s manual before beginning the installation process.

If you’re installing one detector, give some thought to enhancing your home’s safety by installing several more. Specifically, position one CO detector on every floor of your home, in the basement and near or over an attached garage. This is the advice of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, which has lobbied homeowners about the virtues of carbon monoxide detectors since the 1990s. The association says that CO detectors should be located within 10 feet of each bedroom door so they can jar you awake if you are sleeping.

For obvious reasons, the detectors should not be installed directly above or beside fuel-burning appliances. Nor should they be placed within 15 feet of cooking or heating appliances (which can emit low levels of CO) or near very humid areas, such as bathrooms, the association says.

If you have questions about carbon monoxide detectors, call on the experts at AC Pro. We’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Carbon monoxide detector image via Shutterstock

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

Did you know many Southern California and Nevada homes could be losing as much as 20 percent of energy to air leaks and poor insulation? According to Energy Star you could save as much as 10 percent on your utility costs by sealing leaks and improving insulation. You should seal before you insulate, because it can be difficult to get to leaks once insulation for home comfort is added.

Leaks are often located where two or more materials meet. There are plenty to be found in your attic, where air is drawn out of the house due to the “stack effect.” (The stack effect occurs when conditioned air is sucked out of attic leaks, creating a vacuum that sucks unconditioned air in through lower levels.) Common leak locations:

• Windows and door frames
• Pipe and plumbing penetrations
• Vents to the outdoors
• Attic hatches
• Dropped soffits
• Beneath roof eaves
• Flues and chimneys
• Crawl spaces

You can seal many leaks with caulk. In the attic, you may need a high-temperature or fire-resistant caulk to seal around potentially hot flues and chimneys. Weather stripping is a good choice for sealing around windows and for the attic hatch. If you have bigger holes that create large leaks, expanding spray foam may be the way to go, but be careful — it’s sticky and can get quite messy.

Some homeowners express the concern that they might seal their building too tightly, reducing air circulation and bottling pollutants up inside. That’s why Energy Star recommends a good ventilation system, such as a heat recovery ventilator.

Once you’ve plugged up the air leaks, you can increase insulation for home comfort, if necessary. Energy Star recommends insulation with an efficiency of R-30 to R-60 for Southern California and Nevada. But keep in mind that every home is different, and your current insulation levels should be evaluated by an AC professional to determine just how much you need to add for maximum efficiency.

Contact a contractor in the AC Pro network to get started. We will help you find and stop the sources of energy loss in your home.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

AC PRO services the Southwestern United States including Southern California and Nevada.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

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Ventilation is the exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, and it is responsible for removing indoor pollutants and for controlling moisture within your home. When you want to make your heating and air conditioning system more efficient, or improve the air quality within your home, it is an important element to consider. There are several different ways that air is exchanged within your home.

Natural ventilation is the most commonly used method. It occurs when air moves through small cracks or holes in the home or when you open windows and doors to let more air in. This method is uncontrollable because it relies on outdoor conditions, and a home that was built for energy efficiency will have the holes and cracks that allow air to pass through.

Spot ventilation improves the effectiveness of other home venting systems. It removes pollutants and controls moisture at their source. This method utilizes exhaust fans in areas such as the kitchen or bathroom when there are high amounts of moisture in that area.

Whole-house ventilation systems use a network of ducts and/or fans to pull stale air out of the house and bring fresh air inside. This type of system is generally installed when you’re concerned that the other methods aren’t doing enough for the air quality in your home.

If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home and aren’t sure of your best option, you should consider hiring a professional contractor to check out your heating and air conditioning system. For more information, or to request professional service in Southern California or Nevada, contact a professional from the ACPro network.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

AC PRO services the Southwestern United States including Southern California and Nevada.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

As the costs of heating continue to rise, newer methods of cutting those costs come to the marketplace. A recent method used to reduce higher costs is the use of home heat recovery ventilators. This innovation can not only cut heating costs, but recycle heat energy that is otherwise lost.

A heat recovery ventilator works by using the heated air that is already inside the home. As air is circulated, clean, outside air comes in and dust-laden exhaust air leaves. The principle behind heat recovery ventilators is to capture the heat from inside the home and use it to preheat incoming fresh air. The ventilator uses a heat exchanger core to make the transfer.

As the warm, stale air goes out, it passes the cooler incoming air, The two air streams are not mixed but the core captures and transfers up to 85 percent of the heat of outgoing air to the fresh, incoming air. The air comes in, preconditioned, preheated and reduces the amount of energy required to heat up fresh air to the interior thermostat setting.

Usually, heat recovery ventilators can be installed using the existing ducting in a home. They are also very useful in reducing excessive humidity and moisture that can become trapped inside a tight, well insulated home.

A professional heating and air conditioning specialist can look at your particular situation and tell if your home would benefit from the installation of a heat recovery ventilator. Heat recovery ventilators can often pay for themselves and add value to the existing heating and air system. Adding that value can potentially increase the value of your home as well. AC Pro Contractors have a wealth of experience that can assist you in determining whether or not a heat recovery ventilator is right for you. Feel free to find an AC Pro contractor near you for advice on ventilators or any other home comfort issue.

For an honest assessment of how a recovery ventilator might help, go to: www.acpro.com. At AC Pro we will direct you to qualified heating and air conditioning specialists in communities throughout the Southern California and Nevada areas. ACPro recommends only the most reliable and trusted professionals.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog

They may not be something you think about every day, but ventilation systems are an important part of your home’s air conditioning and heating equipment.  Although an airtight, energy efficient home should be the ultimate goal, air flow between the inside and outside does need to occur in order to control air pollutants and moisture in the house.

There are three common types of ventilation systems, and the ones that you use will depend on your home, location, and heating and air conditioning equipment.

Spot Ventilation: Many houses have at least one source of spot ventilation such as a bathroom exhaust fan or the one above the stove.  These are great for quickly removing air pollutants, moisture, and odors, but they are not a good stand-alone solution because they tend to be noisy and relatively inefficient.

Whole-House Ventilation: For uniform ventilation throughout the entire house, this is the most common type of system.  There are four types of whole-house ventilation systems:

• Exhaust ventilation – forces air from inside your home to the outside.
• Supply ventilation – brings fresh air in from outside.
• Balanced ventilation – provides an equal exchange of inside and outside air.
• Energy recovery ventilation – the most energy efficient solution, uses a heat exchanger and fans to exchange inside and outside air and temper the moisture content.

Natural Ventilation: Fresh air naturally comes through windows and doors, and cracks, holes, and vents.  This system is not at all effective in tightly sealed homes and is generally not recommended because of its uncontrolled nature.

For the hot and arid summers of Southern California and Nevada, the best ventilation systems may be energy-recovery ventilators, which are whole-house systems that also control indoor humidity by transferring water vapor from the incoming air to the drier air that is leaving the house.

We recognize the importance of effective ventilation systems and can help you find the solution that’s right for your home.  In addition to increasing your home comfort, a proper ventilation system will also reduce indoor allergens, bacteria, and fungi, which will contribute to the overall health of your family. Find an AC Pro now for more information.

Our goal is to help inform our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ventilation systems, indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

AC PRO services the Southwestern United States including Southern California and Nevada.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

AC Pro Home Comfort Blog