Not all air conditioning issues require a call out – here are some of the common causes and our solutions to fixing them

How does it work?

An air conditioning system works by passing cold gas through a coil, which, in turn, cools the warm air as it passes over it. Consequently, as warm air passes over the coil and cools, it causes water in the air to condense onto the coil.

Moreover, the air conditioner has a drip tray located below the coil on the inside unit. Condensation that forms on the coil drips into the tray and should flow to either a drain or the outside of the property.

Additionally, some drip trays connect to a gravity-fed drain and run directly outside. However, other trays connect to a condensate pump where they can’t drain by gravity and may need to pump up and over.

Blockages

Sometimes debris blocks these drains. By locating the drain tube on the outside of the building, you can check the end for a blockage. You can also gently blow down the tube. If the air flows freely, it should be clear. Be prepared for some water to come back at you if you dislodge a blockage—you don’t want a face full of water!

Knowing Your Tubes

There are generally two types of drain tube. The pictures below should help you identify the types.  The larger corrugated tube in most cases is a gravity-fed tube. The small thin tube generally attaches to a condensate pump. The good news is that clearing a gravity-fed tube should be easier. Tubes connected to condensate pumps most likely need a professional to check the pump is working and to ensure the blockage is not within the float side of the pump.

Condensate Pump Tube & Corrugated Gravity Fed Drain Tube

Gas Issues

Another cause of dripping water can be due to low gas. Low gas and lower pressure can cause water on the coil to freeze and build up. Sometimes when the unit is switched off the ice will melt.  Due to the excess volume of water it can’t be drained away quick enough, causing the drip tray to overflow.

Most units have a secondary rear drip tray, this is much smaller than the main one.  These trays feed into the front tray for any water to be drained away with the rest. As with the main tray this can get clogged. 

Keeping on top of Maintenance

It’s important for units to undergo regular maintenance to remove any buildup of dust and dirt. Consequently, this ensures the machine is working fully. Therefore, we recommend using a qualified engineer for annual servicing to avoid such problems.

Furthermore, there are special cleaning solutions available to help keep drains clear. These solutions are simple to use and can be sprayed onto the coil at the front, underneath the filter, and do not require rinsing. Simply spray on and leave to work while setting the unit to self-cleaning mode. Additionally, it’s a good idea to do this at regular intervals to avoid a buildup of dirt.

If in doubt, always call a professional.

Finally, we are available for servicing and fault finding of all split system domestic and light commercial air conditioner/heat pumps.

Call our experienced team on 0161 427 0772, or email us at info@greenhorizonenergy.co.uk

Tackling History

One of our latest projects was to insulate the loft of a 200 year old listed building adjacent to the iconic Stockport market. This commercial property offers retail storage space and a shop front spread over three floors. There was a new tenant taking over the lease and the Landlord was concerned about a lack of insulation.

Survey Findings

The team at Green Horizon Energy Solutions Ltd undertook a site survey. This confirmed the Landlords concerns, a lack in insulation. Considering the age of the property at 200 years old, the roof was in excellent condition. A breathable roof felt indicated that there had been a new roof not too long ago. Original slates were present from the outside, indicating they had been reclaimed and re-installed on top of a modern roof felt. At ceiling level, the joists looked to be a mix of new and old timber, clearly having some work done to strengthen the integrity of the old ceiling.

The Work

First Green Horizon Energy Solutions installation team laid a base layer of 100mm Knauf roll out insulation between the joists. Then followed an additional layer of 200mm Knauf roll was laid across the top. Care was taken to make sure sufficient air flow at eves level was left free for ventilation above the insulation and to prevent any issues with condensation.

Outcomes

The total 300mm of insulation provides a U value of circa 0.15 offering great thermal resistance for the commercial property. Energy costs will be cut for the tenant and it will also provide a comfortable environment to work in. Don’t just take our word for it though – our customer left us a 5* review on Google.

“Good service from initial contact to insulation being installed.
Excellent communication!
Highly recommended!”

This can be found: https://g.co/kgs/iyp4aiV

Heat is given off by all objects in your home if the surfaces around you are colder than you, heat will transfer from you to them and if they are warmer than you, they will give heat to you.

This is one of the reasons why people find underfloor insulation so effective. The reports from our clients show that they never expected it to make such a huge difference to the comfort they feel in their home.

Uninsulated Floors

If you have an uninsulated floor void exposed to cold outside air, this will lower the temperature of the floor. With such a vast surface area, a cold floor draws radiated heat from the body. This effectively sucking the heat from you. Insulating the floor void and raising the temperature of the floor boards you can reduce this radiant heat transfer. Heat exchange happens faster at higher temperature differentials, raising the temperature of the floor by just a few degrees can slow the transfer of heat between yourself and the cold floor boards.

Don’t blame the air temp…

Have you ever noticed when winter comes you reach for the thermostat, cranking it all the way up to 25c. Yet on a hot summers day, there is nothing better than sitting in an air conditioned room at a chilly 16c. This has a lot to do with radiant heat and shows that air temperature is not the only factor at play when trying to reach a comfortable temperature within your home.

All this comes into play on top of the other benefits you get for adding underfloor insulation, like eliminating draughts that come up through gaps in floorboards or around openings for pipes and wires.

Cavity wall insulation is another great example of the importance of radiant heat transfer.

To find out more or for a free no obligations quote – give us a call on 0161 427 0772

Whilst the UK temperature is hitting a current yearly high, it’s no surprise that improving your homes insulation has hit the bottom of your to do list.  But here’s the thing, thermal efficiency isn’t just for Christmas!

Insulating a home, isn’t solely about gaining a warmer home.  Its about regulating your temperature. 

Think of your house like a thermos flask.  Whatever is inside the thermos you want to keep warm for as long as possible, but we also use thermos for keeping things cool.  The product isn’t designed just for warmth – its aim is to regulate the temperature of the product inside and slow down the heat transfer.  Keeping the warm air out for a cold drink, or the warm air in for a hot soup.

This is the exact same for spray insulation and your home.  Spray foam doesn’t create heat, or cold.  It simply ‘traps’ it.  Keeping your home at a more stable temperature for longer.

At Green Horizon Energy Solutions – our open cell spray foam is a perfect solution for slowing the transfer of heat.  We use a product called H2foam lite E from Huntsman.  This was originally developed for use in timber framed houses in Canada which have to accommodate hot summers and freezing conditions in winter.  For more information about how we can help you insulate your home please get in touch.

Keeping cool

Here are a few more tips to help keep the heat at bay.

• Close your curtains, especially where windows are in direct sunlight.  Blocking out some of those hot rays will see the room temperature avoid those dizzying heights.

• Close doors on those cool rooms.  You really want to keep those rooms as little cool havens in your home, so where you have a cooler area of the home, make sure you keep it that way.  This also applies in reverse.  If you have a room that is an oven and you don’t need to be in there – then keep that heat away from the rest of the home by shutting it in.

• Create your own air con – if you have a fan you can easily do this.  Place a shallow bowl of ice in front of the fan and feel the cooled air blowing your way.

Underfloor insulation is an effective way to reduce energy costs and create a more comfortable environment within your home.

Survey says – don’t forget your toes

Underfloor insulation is one of the biggest areas for improvement in your home, yet it is vastly overlooked by most people.

If you were to do a survey about improving insulation within a home, you could guarantee most people would say loft first followed by walls, without giving a thought to the floor. Obviously heat rises, but it doesn’t just rise – it can move in any direction depending on the pressure difference.

Suspended floors – what you need to know

Most older homes, especially those built from the 1900’s through to the 1970’s were built with a suspended timber floor. At the time of construction, these were not considered necessary to insulate. The space below the floor was built as a ventilated space. Airbricks placed in the external walls allow for ventilation and prevent moisture problems within the timbers. However, these airbricks can cause unwanted draughts, making floors cold to touch.  This is caused by the floor being exposed to outside temperatures.

An expansion gap runs along the perimeter of the house, allowing the building to expand and contract with seasonal changes to temperatures. This expansion gap can cause draughts to trickle into the main body of the house. As heat rises within the property, this also causes what is know as the stack effect. This is where cold air gets drawn in to replace the warm air as it rises.

Beating the chills

One way to combat cold floors is to insulate them. Using traditional forms of insulation such as fibre rolls, can provide some benefit. However, in the main this is not overly effective. Fibre insulation is not an air barrier material so the cold air circulating below the floor cuts through the material. Its a bit like wearing a woolly jumper whilst stood on top of a windy hill.  Although you’ll feel some thermal benefit, the wind will get through the holes that naturally appear.  You would be better off with a windproof jacket that is airtight.

The expansion gap is also an issue when using fibre material as you can very rarely get the insulation into the gap with any effectiveness. Fibre materials will require some sort of netting in place to stop the material from falling out of place. This can make it a difficult job to complete. Even when it is possible to net the material in place, it will sag over time and will loose more of its thermal resistance.

PIR Boards – pros & cons

A newer way to insulate a suspended floor, would be to use rigid PIR board insulation. Although ridged board insulation does offer great thermal resistance and the boards themselves don’t allow air to pass through, they have their own set of issues.

To install rigid board effectively they need to be cut to size to fit tightly between the floor joists. The boards usually require to be foamed in round the edges with expanding foam from a can. Leaving as little as a 5% gap round the edge can equate to a 50% loss in thermal efficiency, akin to buying a fridge and leaving the door open, it’s just not effective.

Again, as above the expansion gap is an issue, if not worse when using rigid boards. It’s impossible to get the insulation into the gap effectively and the lack of movement in the board would restrict the properties’ ability to expand and contract.

Leading the way

Open cell spray foam insulation is one of the newest ways to insulate a suspended timber floor and a lot of the issues mentioned with the other two methods are mitigated. Open cell foam is a breathable material. It will allow timbers to continue to breathe as they should. As long as the air bricks are left clear this will prevent issues with moisture.

Open cell foam will stick directly to the underside of the floorboards, meaning you don’t need any type of fixing to hold it in place. It will not sag or degrade over time and comes with a 25 year warranty.

Open cell foam expands 100x on application. This makes it easy to fill the expansion gap and eliminate draughts. Open cell foam does not set hard and remains soft and flexible so filling the expansion gap is viable as it still allows expansion and contraction moving with the seasonal changes.

Open cell – gets our vote

With all this said, hopefully it gives you a good insight into why we believe open cell foam is the most effective solution for insulating a suspended timber floor.

We have been insulating suspended timber floors since 2016 with great effect and amazing feedback from our clients. Some clients report energy savings of 30% and all of our clients saying what a noticeable difference it has made to the comfort of their home.

Traditional Insulation Pit Falls

Choosing the correct insulation for a shipping container is critical to preventing issues with condensation. The way shipping containers are built, means the walls are not flat. This makes it impossible to get any traditional form of insulation to follow the contour of the outer skin without gapping. This causes issues as it leaves a cold surface behind the insulation where condensation can form. With the lack of ventilation on the cold side, moisture can become trapped. This can be bad news for the container & contents alike.

Why consider Spray Foam

Spray foam insulation bonds directly to the surface, following the contour of the outer skin.  This removes cold surfaces for condensation to form on as there is no longer a gap. There are two types of spray foam, open cell and closed cell. Closed cell spray foam is the most suitable for a shipping container due to the vapour resistance of the product.  Another advantage for closed cell is a thinner application can be used.  With a thinner spray, your shipping container loses less space. This ensures the maximum room is left to utilise for your project.

Boarding

If you plan to board over the insulation, you will need to choose a suitable frame to fix the boards to. These frames can be timber or metal. Ideally you want to stand the frame off from the external wall. This allows the insulation to fill the space behind the frame and helps eliminate cold bridging.

Vapour Barrier

Before boarding, for extra protection we advise fitting a suitable vapour barrier over the insulation. Although closed cell insulation has a high resistance to moisture, it is still only a vapour retarder. There is a difference between a vapour retarder and a vapour barrier. In most cases closed cell foam on its own is enough to stop moisture and condensation build up. For extra protection and where the foam is to be boarded over, we would advise an additional vapour barrier to be fitted.

Flues and Other Heat Generating Appliances

When fitting a flue for a boiler or heater, make sure this is suitably protected from direct contact with the insulation. Also consider adequate ventilation for combustion reasons. Seek advice from the installers or manufacturers of these appliances about their requirements prior to installation to avoid any issues later down the line.

Help Is At Hand

Green Horizon Energy Solutions will guide you through the best practices when it comes to insulating your shipping container.  Whatever the purpose – storage, office or workshop, we ensure the insulation is fit for your needs. We work with you to make sure building regulation requirements are met to create the perfect habitable space to meet your requirements.

UK Prices Set to Rise…

2022 saw sharp rises in energy prices across the whole of the United Kingdom. The energy bill support scheme (EBSS) took some of the burden with £400 automatically funded from the government to households in order to help with energy costs. However, from the 1^st of April 2023 this will come to an end and prices are set to rise again.  Households could see a further 20% added to their monthly bills.

That said, the Energy Price Guarantee has been extended for an additional 3 months until June. Hopefully bridging the gap through to the summer, when most of us (hopefully) won’t be using the heating. This is the UK though, so who knows what our weather will bring!

The Energy Price Guarantee limits the amount suppliers can charge per unit of energy used. The EPG will bring the average typical household in Great Britain to £2500 per year.

From the 1^st of April to the 30^th of June, the Ofgem energy price cap level is £3,280 annually. This is what you would pay if the EPG was not in place.

Watching the Pennies…

The UK has a vast number of older housing stock. Many of which are poorly insulated and are draughty homes leaking energy like sieves. Older regulations were less strict on the amount of insulation a home required at the point of build. This teamed with energy prices which were so cheap, it was never much of an issue for homeowners who could leave the heating on or throw more coals on the fire.  

Over the years things have changed. As global warming takes a hold, we have learned we can’t continue burning fossil fuels without affecting the environment. Newly built homes have much stricter regulations regarding thermal efficiency. When built to a good standard, they are far more energy efficient than they used to be. 

It’s not just global warming that’s at the front of people’s minds, but also the cost of energy. Huge price rises are putting families under pressure to find ways to save money on their energy consumption. It’s not just for heating though, also overall usage is coming under the spotlight, whether that be using more energy efficient appliances or changing the way they operate their households in general.  There are numerous things you can do to reduce your energy consumption. Whether you wish to do this to play your part in easing global warming or if you are looking to reduce your energy costs.

Bigger Picture Thinking…

Steps to reduce energy consumption can be as simple as turning a TV off, not just leaving it on standby. We understand on an individual basis, this is not likely to make a noticeable difference to your energy bills. As a collective though, if the nation were to do this we could reduce the countries global warming impact. Small steps taken by millions of people, could make a huge difference. It’s often the small steps taken individually that lead to bigger changes collectively.

Every small energy saving step you take in your home will add up over a year. It might not be a huge amount but it could be enough to treat the family to a nice takeaway or towards a family day out. At the end of the day, that extra money is better in your pocket than with the energy companies. If you’re not bothered about the amount you could save each year, just remember, that money is going to the energy firm and a small amount of money from everyone soon adds up and turns into hundreds of thousands of pounds if not more. All this money collectively could be going to your local economy and supporting individuals like yourselves in their local businesses instead.

Small Steps to Change…

Some other things you can do to reduce your energy bills are:

• Turn off lights in rooms you’re not in.

• Turn down boilers and hot water temperature.

• Only boil the amount of water you need & switch it off just before it boils, after all who drinks water at 100c anyway.  Tea will still brew nicely at 80c and it’s amazing how much energy you can save by not heating that water the extra 20c.

• ‘Shut that door’ as my mum would say. It sounds daft, but when anyone leaves my house I tell them to get out quick and close the door. Get your coat on, open the door step out and close it straight away. You’ve paid to heat the room, don’t let that blast of cold get in!

• Look at the energy ratings of appliances. I’m not suggesting you go out and buy new appliances for the sake of it, but when it’s time to renew things take note of the energy rating and think how much it could save you in the long run.

• Avoid using the tumble dryer when you can. I’m guilty of this especially in winter. Try to dry a decent amount at once. Drying on radiators can cause moisture issues in a property and covering the radiator with wet clothes is costly as it blocks the radiator from heating the room as it should.

• The same goes for washing machines. Make sure you have a decent load in at once and with the effectiveness of detergent, it’s just as effective to run on a cooler wash.

• Spend less time in the shower, just cutting showers by 1 minute can make a difference on energy and water consumption.

• Limit the number of baths you take.

• Only run the dishwasher when its full, avoid running when partially filled.

Investing in Changes to Save…

The above are just a few examples of steps you can make right now. This is not an exhaustive list and if you look around your home I’m sure you could find other ways to reduce your energy usage. Some other ways to tackle energy consumption require an initial outlay, but can be worth it in the long run. Both for energy savings and for the comfort within your home. Some steps you can take are to look at:

• Draught proofing.

• Top up insulation. Make sure if doing this that it’s done effectively. it’s one thing to top it up but it needs to also be fitted correctly, look for a professional who can advise on this.

• Look for areas that might not be insulated at all, Underfloor insulation is an area that’s often overlooked but could save you 20-30% on energy bills and make your home more comfortable, a large number of older homes have suspended timber floors that are uninsulated, you can learn more about this on our website : https://greenhorizonenergy.co.uk/underfloor-insulation/

• Insulate water tanks or heating pipes. Uninsulated pipes can lose a lot of heat before they even reach your radiators. If those pipes are running in a cold floor void a lot of that heat is wasted.

Don’t Forget…

There are lots of small steps you can take now to start saving instantly, some bigger steps that will take more thought and some investment but ultimately will give greater energy savings overtime. Whatever you do, remember every little counts and its money in your pocket at the end of the day.

One of our latest projects was to insulate the walls and roof of a Grade II listed stone built property in Burscough. Once a station house, Burscough Bridge railway station was closed to the traveling public in 2005 and was in need of a major refurbishment.

Local contractor JDC Construction & Developments ltd undertook the renovation works to bring this building back to life. Having worked with JDC previously on similar types of properties, they were confident that spray foam insulation was the perfect choice for their project, offering unrivalled air tightness, superior energy efficiency and speed of installation, they turned to us once again. We completed the works over a series of visits, fitting in with the contractors time frames and other works, in total we sprayed approx 285m2 of open cell insulation within a stud wall frame to the underside of the roof.

We sprayed Icynene open cell foam from Huntsman Building Solutions, BBA approved spray foam backed with a 25 year warranty.

Have you ever wondered…

• What is spray foam?
• Is it safe?
• Does it give off gasses?
• Will it cause condensation?
• Will it cause rot?
• Will it trap moisture?

These are just some of the many questions & concerns potential clients raise with us, sometimes because of reading negative press or outdated misinformed information.  Whatever your concern is and wherever its derived from, we’re looking to bust those myths and get to the facts about open cell spray foam.

In short open cell spray foam insulation is a polyurethane. It’s a plastic material that can be rigid or flexible – in open cells case, its flexible.

Why Icynene?

Green Horizon Energy Solutions work exclusively with Icynene from Huntsman Building Solutions, which is a water blown open cell foam. It uses water as a blowing medium and although there are some initial risks for the spray foam operative during the spraying process, once cured within a couple of minutes it is completely inert. Clients can return to the spray area within a couple of hours. The install of the product is a chemical process so we have to be mindful of this and for this reason the sprayers will wear a full air fed mask to prevent inhalation and to protect their eyes and face from encountering the raw material which has an exothermic reaction at 85c when expanding.

Icynene is water blown and therefore does not have an off-gassing period.  Some other types of foam use chemicals in the blowing phase, trapping tiny bubbles of gas within the foam which take time to work their way out (off-gassing), whereas water blown foam creates C02 bubbles which pop as it expands and are replaced immediately with tiny air pockets. This means there is no off-gassing period and the only thing contained within the foam is air.

What is open cell?

Open cell foam means exactly what it says, the cells are open – this is important when preventing trapped moisture. It will allow moisture vapor diffusion also known as breathability. Breathability is a products ability to allow moisture vapor to diffuse through the material.  Timbers need to breathe and by using an open cell foam this can still happen naturally. If you wrapped a bit of wood in a plastic bag it would eventually begin to sweat as the plastic bag is not breathable and there is nowhere for the moisture to go, but with open cell foam the moisture vapor can move through the material and into the atmosphere, working in essence, like a wind proof jacket as opposed to a plastic mac. We all know how you can sweat in a plastic mac as the moisture is unable to escape, yet in a windproof jacket this is not an issue because moisture is allowed to move freely through the material. By allowing materials to breathe you also in turn prevent the issue of rot. 

Condensation concerns?

Once open cell foam is applied to the underside of a roof or floor boards, the risk of condensation is drastically reduced.  Condensation forms when warm moisture laden air finds a cold surface and a dew point occurs which then cause the air to condensate on the cold surface, by spraying the underside of the roof you remove the cold surfaces for air to condensate on. There is 100x less moisture via diffusion than there is via convection, for example if you drilled a 2cm hole in a plasterboard it would carry 100x more moisture through than it would via diffusion alone.

The open cell nature of the foam will allow all materials in contact to continue to breathe naturally. Huntsman Building Solutions foams (Icynene), where developed in Canada in 1986 for timber framed houses that need to breathe.  They have a long-standing reputation in the field of insulation with proven results in making homes more energy efficient and preventing any of the issues listed above.  In the UK the foam has gone through numerous independent tests to determine the performance and deemed it suitable for the building market for both new and existing dwellings. It has achieved BBA & BDA approval and is approved for building warranties with NHBC as well as being recommended by the Energy Saving Trust.

Still want to know more?

We are always on hand to answer any further questions you might have regarding our open cell foam and we will always give you open and honest advise so get in touch to find out more.