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Air Conditioning
Air conditioning can greatly enhance the comfort of your home, but if it is used improperly or inefficiently, wasted energy and frustration will result. These hints and suggestions are provided to help you maximize your air conditioning system.
Your air conditioning system is a whole house system. The air conditioner unit is the mechanism that produces cooler air. The air conditioning system involves everything inside your home including, for example, drapes, blinds, and windows.
Your home air conditioning is a closed system, which means that the interior air is continually recycled and cooled until the desired air temperature is reached. Warm outside air disrupts the system and makes cooling impossible. Therefore, you must keep all windows closed. The heat from the sun shining through windows with open drapes is intense enough to overcome the cooling effect of the air conditioning unit. For best results, close the drapes on the windows.
Time is very important in your expectations of an air conditioning system. Unlike a light bulb, which reacts instantly when you turn on a switch, the air conditioning unit only begins a process when you set the thermostat.
For example, if you come home at 6 p.m. when the temperature has reached 90 degrees F and set your thermostat to 75 degrees, the air conditioning unit will begin cooling, but will take much longer to reach the desired temperature. During the whole day, the sun has been heating not only the air in the house, but the walls, the carpet, and the furniture. At 6 p.m. the air conditioning unit starts cooling the air, but the walls, carpet, and furniture release heat and nullify this cooling. By the time the air conditioning unit has cooled the walls, carpet, and furniture, you may well have lost patience.
If evening cooling is your primary goal, set the thermostat at a moderate temperature in the morning while the house is cooler, allowing the system to maintain the cooler temperature. The temperature setting may then be lowered slightly when you arrive home, with better results. Once the system is operating, setting the thermostat at 60 degrees will not cool the home any faster and can result in the unit freezing up and not performing at all. Extended use under these conditions can damage the unit.
Adjust Vents
Maximize air flow to occupied parts of your home by adjusting the vents room by room. Likewise, when the seasons change, readjust them for comfortable heating.
Manufacturer’s Instructions
Since the air conditioning system is combined with the heating system, follow the maintenance instructions for your furnace. The manufacturer's manual specifies maintenance for the condenser. Review and follow these points carefully.
Temperature Variations
Temperatures may vary from room to room by several degrees. This is due to such variables as floor plan, orientation of the home on the lot, type and use of window coverings, and traffic through the home.
Alarm System
If your home selections included pre-wire for an alarm system, you will need to arrange for the final connection after your move-in. The alarm company will demonstrate the system and instruct you in its use. We recommend that you test the system each month.
Appliances
Read and follow all manufacturer instructions for the use and maintenance of each appliance in your home and keep them available for reference.
Manufacturer’s Service
If a problem arises with an appliance, call the customer service number listed in the manufacturer's warranty. When reporting warranty items to the appliance manufacturer, be prepared to supply the following details:
Date of purchase (your closing date)
Serial and model numbers, found on a metal plate or sticker on the side or bottom of each appliance.
Description of the problem
Registration
Mail warranty registration cards directly to the manufacturer.
Appliance Serial Numbers
For warranty service on an appliance, contact the appropriate manufacturer directly at the service number provided in the appliance literature. You will need to supply the model and serial number (usually located on a small metal plate or seal attached to the appliance in an inconspicuous location), and the date of purchase (your closing date).
Closing Date ________________
Appliance |
Manufacturer |
Model # |
Serial # |
Service Phone #
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Range |
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Range Hood |
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Cooktop |
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Oven |
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Microwave |
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Dishwasher |
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Disposal |
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Attic Access
The attic space is neither designed nor intended for storage. The builder provides access to this area for maintenance of mechanical equipment, wiring that may traverse the attic space. When you perform needed tasks in the attic, use caution and avoid stepping off wood members onto the drywall. This can result in personal injury or damage to the ceiling below. Your limited warranty does not cover such injury or damage.
Brass Fixtures
The manufacturer treats brass fixtures with a clear protective coating, electro-statically applied, to provide beauty and durability. This coating is not impervious to wear and tear. Atmospheric conditions, sunlight, caustic agents such as paints, and scratches from sharp objects can cause the protective coating to crack or peel, exposing the brass and resulting in spotting and discoloration.
Cleaning
Initial care of these products requires only periodic cleaning with a mild, nonabrasive soap and buffing with a soft cloth.
Corrosion
Unless you have ordered solid brass fixtures, the brass on your fixtures is a coating on top of a base metal. Water having a high mineral content is corrosive to any brass—coated or solid.
Polish
When peeling, spotting, or discoloration occurs, you can sometimes restore the beauty of the metal by completely removing the remaining coating and hand-polishing the item with a suitable brass polish. Applying a light coat of wax and buffing with a soft cloth helps maintain the gloss.
Tarnish
Like sterling silver, brass will gradually tarnish and eventually take on an antique appearance.
Brick
Brick is one of the most durable and lowest maintenance finishes for a home's exterior. If applicable a record of your brick color is included in your selection sheets.
Efflorescence
The white, powdery substance that sometimes accumulates on brick surfaces is called efflorescence. This is a natural phenomenon and cannot be prevented. In some cases, you can remove it by scrubbing with a stiff brush and vinegar. Consult your home center or hardware store for commercial products to remove efflorescence.
Tuck-Pointing
After several years, face brick may require tuck pointing (repairing the mortar between the bricks). Otherwise, no regular maintenance is required.
Weep Holes
You may notice small holes in the mortar along the lower row of bricks. These holes allow moisture that has accumulated behind the brick to escape. Do not fill these weep holes or permit landscaping materials to cover them. |
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