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In our previous blog post, we talked about how often and for how long a furnace should cycle on and off. We also dove into some reasons that could cause your furnace to go off this schedule. A common problem that plagues older furnaces, or even improperly installed furnaces, is a process called short-cycling.
Short-cycling is when your furnace, or air conditioner, cycles on, runs for a very short period of time (think 5 minutes instead of the preferable 15), and shuts back off for a few minutes, only to cycle back on yet again. During this time, your furnace is never completing a full heating cycle.
Short-cycling is both the sign of a potential problem with your furnace and will cause further problems. Read on as we explain!
We are right in the throes of summer, and your air conditioner is working its hardest to keep you comfortable indoors.
Wait, you mean it isn’t? Your air conditioner isn’t actually keeping you nice and cool? Understandably, this is a very frustrating problem for you to have–after all, your air conditioner has one job, right?
There can be a number of different reasons this might be happening, some of which are a bit more serious than others. Unfortunately, we don’t have a super quick answer to whether or not you should shut your air conditioner off if you notice it’s not cooling, because the truth is, it depends! But fortunately, we’re about to tell you what it depends on. Read on!
One of the common misconceptions around air conditioners is that ice is a regular part of the cooling process. It makes sense, right? Air conditioners chill the air, so if it’s cold enough, ice will form, right?
It’s easy to imagine why homeowners who are unfamiliar with how an air conditioner works may think this, so we don’t blame people for believing this myth!
However, this belief could do your air conditioner harm. Ice on the air conditioner is actually a pretty serious problem and can lead to a number of other problems for the air conditioner.
Freon is the name given to a particular type of refrigerant that was used prior to this year. If you have a system that still uses Freon, then it’s time to start considering a replacement. First off, this means that your air conditioner is on the older side, and well cared for cooling systems are designed to last about 10-15 years. Secondly, Freon is bad for the environment.
The type of refrigerant used in AC systems today is more environmentally friendly, and absolutely necessary for the functionality of your cooling system. It’s the component that actually allows the cooling system to cool. But, you could have a refrigerant leak, and when your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it can experience a number of problems.
One of the most common questions we get about central air conditioner installations is in regards to how long they last. After all, you want to make sure you’re getting a good return on your investment, right?
Well, the short answer to this is that central AC systems last about 10-15 years. However, this is dependent on a number of factors, including the steps followed during installation, whether or not your system was installed by a professional, the size of the system, and more!
Read on as we uncover some factors that impact how long a central AC system lasts.
With winter slowly, but surely, coming to an end soon, it’s time to focus our attention on our air conditioning systems. What kind of shape is yours in? Is it time for you to invest in a replacement?
If it is time for you to upgrade, you are likely tempted to just go ahead and buy the biggest and best system you can afford and get it installed quickly, right? We really want to encourage you to slow down and consider the implications of this, though. Rushing into an air conditioner purchase can lead you to not only getting the wrong model of air conditioner for your specific home, but the wrong size too, which will have serious implications to the efficiency of the equipment and the comfort of your home.
To properly size a system, our professionals must do what’s called a cooling load calculation. “Wait,” you might be wondering,” I thought you were going to tell me how to calculate the air conditioning load of a room?”
This is actually a pretty complex job, and it’s not just the room we have to calculate the load for, but your entire home. There are a number of factors that go into this calculation. They include:
