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Emergency HVAC Repair and Upgrade
Residential and Commercial HVAC Installation, Repair and Maintenance Services, Family Owned
Maintenance Tips & FAQs
As long as it’s running, we don’t often think about our HVAC systems. But in reality, it’s extremely important to perform scheduled maintenance of your cooling and heating systems. Just like your car, replacing air filters and checking fluid levels help extend the life and reliability of you HVAC system and equipment. Regular maintenance also decreases energy consumption and cost.
Heating System:
If you want to make sure your heating system is working correctly, check for the Standard Operation Sequence:
- Thermostat calls for “heat.”
- Inducer draft motor comes on.
- Igniter glows.
- Gas ignition lights and heats up heat exchanger. (5) After 60-90 seconds the indoor motor comes on.
If one or more of these do not occur, or you still do not feel heat coming from your vents after checking, contact us to schedule a FREE estimate.
Cooling System:
If you want to make sure your cooling system is working correctly, check for the Standard Operation Sequence:
- Thermostat calls for “cooling.”
- Indoor Motor comes on.
- Outdoor condensing unit comes on.
- Compressor and fan motor come on.
If one or more of these do not occur, or you still do not feel cool air coming from your vents after checking, contact us to schedule a service call.
- Keep system filters clean.
- Keep condenser coil outside of your home clean.
- Schedule a semi-annual check and cleaning by a licensed contractor.
- Use a programmable thermostat.
- Keep flammable liquids away from your HVAC equipment.
- Keep furnace venting systems clear.
The life expectancy of HVAC system equipment depends on such factors as:
- hours of usage,
- location of equipment,
- indoor and outdoor climate conditions,
- and maintenance and care.
On average a residential an HVAC air conditioner will last 10 to 15 years.
You need to consider replacing your equipment if you are having continual problems or frequent failure of the equipment. A knowledgeable contractor will be able to advise you on whether it is time and cost effective to replace your equipment.
However, investing in a newer, more reliable system can drastically lower your utility bills and is more environmentally friendly because it uses less energy than outdated efficiency ratings of existing equipment.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless. gas that can be lethal in high concentrations. It is caused by a lack of oxygen or a disruption of the fuel burning process. We recommend having a carbon monoxide detector in your home, especially if you have an older furnace. If, for any reason, you believe that you may have a leak call your gas utility company right away.
Refrigerants are the fluids in your air conditioning system and heat pumps. They transfer heat from one place to another (ie. from inside your home to the outside in warm weather). The two types of refrigerants most commonly used are:
R-22 Freon (Older System) – This type is being phased out of production gradually. Therefore, the cost of servicing and maintaining HVAC systems using this type of refrigerant will greatly increase.
R-410A (Newer System) – This is the alternative to R-22 that is used in all new HVAC systems. It contains no chlorine and therefore is more environmentally safe.
The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) measures air conditioning and heat pump cooling efficiency, which is calculated by the cooling output for a typical cooling season divided by the total electric energy input during the same time frame. A higher SEER rating means greater energy efficiency.
The Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) is a measure of a gas furnace’s efficiency in converting fuel to energy. Amount of energy (%) you get out of one cubic foot of natural gas. A higher AFUE rating means greater energy efficiency.