You might know that an air conditioner and a heat pump are similar. But they can’t be exactly the same, can they? What does that mean for their care? Do they require the same maintenance? Do heat pumps and air conditioners show the same signs of problems? Do they need the same repairs? Mostly, yes, but there are some details to be aware of.
No matter what time of year it is, no matter whether you’re running your heating system or your air conditioner, you always rely on one critical part of your HVAC system: the ductwork! All the air passes through it, all year long.
The heated or cooled air whooshes along the ducts and comes out your vents, and with it comes … what? Well, whatever is lurking inside your ductwork. Dust, mold spores, and other contaminants can make it so that your air isn’t nearly as fresh as it should be. Duct cleaning can solve that problem!
When something goes wrong with a heating system, it helps enormously to have the repairs done as soon as possible. That can take a small problem—say, an issue with the blower fan motor—and get it sorted out before it gets any bigger. You want to repair that motor, not wait until it needs to be replaced! So prompt repairs are critical.
That means you must be aware of when your heating system is working properly and when something starts to go wrong. How can you tell there’s a problem with your heating system? Odd noises, higher bills, and cold spots in your home are all clues. Another sign of a heating system problem is strange smells. Do odors always mean you need furnace repair? No, but sometimes it’s urgent! Here are the details.
Let’s imagine that you’ve been noticing a sink draining more and more slowly lately. Especially during the holiday season, you might be asking even more of your plumbing than you usually do. It’s entirely likely that your slow sink will get worse, or even become completely stopped up, before the new year. So what will you do? Go out and buy a bottle of liquid drain cleaner? No! Don’t do that! Why not? Give us a moment and we’ll explain.
Your heating system needs maintenance. It will boost the efficiency of the system, keeping your energy bills from rising. It will increase the effectiveness of the system, so your whole home will be perfectly cozy and comfortable. It will reduce friction and overheating, catch tiny problems early, and ensure that electrical components are properly calibrated, dramatically cutting your chances of needing repairs this year.
There are many reasons to have heating maintenance performed like clockwork, each and every year. But there’s no reason that’s quite as important as the well-being of yourself and your family, and that’s why we feel so strongly about it. Heating maintenance includes many steps that are specifically for your safety, to keep your heating system from causing any hazards. Here are the details.
Not all water is the same. While of course the majority of what runs through your pipes will always be H2O, just hydrogen and oxygen, the amazing thing about water is that it is a miraculous solvent. It’s extremely good at dissolving little bits of everything it passes through, and then it carries those bits along with it as it enters your home and flows through your plumbing.
You might have heard something about this, but chances are, you don’t know the whole story. We’re talking about hard water. What are the hazards it poses? What can you do about it? Do you need a water softening system? Here are some facts.
One of the things homeowners rarely think about is their ductwork. It’s out of sight and, all too often, out of mind. But it has a bigger impact than you might realize! If you haven’t been paying attention to your ducts, it’s always a good idea to have them professionally inspected to see what’s going on in there. And sometimes, there are signs you can spot which indicate that there’s definitely a problem.
HVAC duct leaks are all too common, caused by anything from nibbling rodents to stray home improvement nails and screws to simple deterioration with age. What happens if your ducts are leaking? And what are the signs of an HVAC duct leak? We’ll explain everything.
Your air conditioner runs in cycles. When the thermostat gives the signal that your home has gotten too warm, the compressor kicks on and the refrigerant starts circulating, carrying the heat out of your house. Once it gets cool enough, the thermostat signals for the compressor to shut off again. The air conditioner then enters a resting state, waiting for the next signal to turn on.
These cycles should only happen a handful of times per hour. But what if your air conditioner is coming on and shutting off over and over, every few minutes? It’s called short cycling. It’s a sign that something is wrong with your air conditioner. It can also cause more problems to occur! Here’s what’s going on.
All air conditioners require maintenance!
All heat pumps require maintenance!
This is true whether they are central systems which lead to ductwork or mini splits, also known as ductless systems. But these systems are not the same.
Do ductless systems have different maintenance needs from central air conditioners? What does ductless maintenance involve? Here’s the lowdown.
As you look around today, you see hybrid cars that get more than fifty miles per gallon of gasoline. There are electric school buses. Light bulbs now use a fraction of the energy of the incandescent bulbs of days gone by. Technology keeps improving, and it is helping us to cut our energy use and thus our bills. This is also true in HVAC technology.
Today, air conditioners are required to be more efficient than ever before. And this is possible because manufacturers can make them more efficient now! What amazing advances in AC efficiency have made it possible for air conditioners to use less energy while working better than ever? Check this out!
