Communicating With Your Heating And AC Repair Company When Something Goes Wrong | Frisco, TX

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Heating and air conditioning systems are complex, with components scattered around your home according to their purpose. In many homes, the evaporator and furnace are in your basement along with air handling equipment, while the controls, mostly your thermostat, are in some central location upstairs. Ducting carries the warm or cool air around the house, and outside your home is the AC condenser unit that forms the other half of the pair that cools your home — or does it take the heat out? Of course, if you have a heat pump the outdoor unit serves a dual purpose, and the furnace isn’t needed. If you call your heating and AC repair company, trying to be concise about your climate control issue, how do you, presumably a non-HVAC expert, put into words what’s going on, or not going on? At One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas, we speak your language in Frisco, TX, and other cities and towns in the area. Sometimes, though, it helps to gather information to help us diagnose a problem, and perhaps this overview of common concerns and malfunctions can help.

Our heating and AC repair company provides routine repairs and maintenance in Frisco, TX along with new equipment installation, but we’re also available 24/7 for emergency calls. We recognize that loss of heat or AC can be a serious situation for many homeowners who rely on keeping their homes in a certain temperature range for health and other specific reasons, or because of a social gathering or special event that’s got to go off right. Fortunately, we have expert HVAC professionals, equipped with well-stocked vehicles, to respond to both emergency and scheduled routine calls on time. When we say we’ll be there, we keep our scheduled commitment for your peace of mind. So, when your heat is off or your house is sweltering, or something’s happening with the HVAC equipment that concerns you, how do you put it into words?

Talking About Air Conditioning System Issues

Air conditioning works hard in so many ways to keep you cool, and the complexity of the system can make it hard to explain what doesn’t seem to be working right. Newer systems with zone-based ducts and multiple smart thermostats can add to the need for specifics since the system can be “not cooling” in one area of the house while it’s working fine in other areas. A misbehaving thermostat can be looking for more AC when you’re away, and on an energy-saving setting when you’re looking forward to cooling air. Our heating and AC repair company team will ask specific questions to narrow down the heart of the problem, and it’s important to remember that sometimes, there can be a couple of problems happening at the same time, or a less-common solution rather than the typical one. Whatever’s going on, we’ll take care of it.

Sounds That Aren’t Right

• Outdoor Unit Sounds
• Indoor Unit Noises
• Sudden New Noises

If you’ve been living in your home for a while, sounds that you recognize as new and unusual from your AC system are clues that suggest something’s changed. Many noises are the result of parts wearing out, but there are other possible causes such as wildlife disrupting the functioning of your outdoor unit. Our heating and AC repair company team have seen a lot, so we know to look for the typical issues as well as the unexpected. For failing fan motors and compressors, we probably have the parts with us.

AC Electrical Concerns

• Breakers Keep Tripping
• Lights Dim or Motors Slow When Your AC Comes On

One of the first things to check if your air conditioning isn’t running at all is the circuit breakers that supply the system. There may be more than one. However, more than a rare breaker trip is a sign that your system is having issues, and needs to be checked before problems get worse. Let our heating and AC repair company team know about any of these issues, and also whether you see lights dimming, fans slowing, or other signs that something is pulling a lot of power in your home, especially if it seems to be timed to match the AC starting up. Our heating and AC repair company experts want to make sure that you don’t experience electrical problems. There are also a couple of parts in the outdoor unit that, when they stop working, could seem like electrical problems because the motors won’t start up.

AC Airflow Issues

• Cool Air is Blowing But Your Home Isn’t Getting Cool
• Air Flows But It’s Warm
• Air Doesn’t Flow Out of Vents

It’s easy to get descriptions tangled up when it comes to the question of whether the ventilation is working and whether it’s bringing cool air or not. Our heating and AC repair company are used to sorting this out, and as we mentioned, it can get complex if you have a zoned duct system with multiple fans. The best place to start in most cases is whether your home is getting cool enough or not, and we can go from there.

Water and Ice Issues

• Liquid Leaks Around Your AC Equipment, Indoors, or Outdoors
• Ice On or Puddles Near Your AC Equipment

Puddles of liquid and ice on your evaporator coils are simple symptoms you might notice if you’re looking around your system, but things are delicate in there so it’s better to have us check it out. Besides, these may be symptoms, not causes of trouble, and other solutions may be needed. A common one is taking care of icing by simply replacing a very clogged air filter. Good airflow is very important to system operation as well as the effectiveness of your AC unit, so you’ll often find our heating and AC repair company professionals asking if you’ve replaced the filter recently. For puddles, the cleaning we do on maintenance visits can help avoid overflows from blocked drains in your unit.

AC Odors from Vents or System

• Burning Smells of Any Kind, Especially Plastic or Electrical
• Moldy and Other Odors
• Natural Gas Smells
• Unexpected Sweet Smell in the Air

Smells typically mean that there’s something in the air you shouldn’t be breathing, so it’s a good time to call for urgent service. In the case of natural gas smells, your system can pick up gas from leaks nearby such as your furnace or water heater, and carry it in the vents around the home. If you smell gas, it’s time for an urgent call to the gas company and related emergency measures. The other smells can indicate various issues in your system, and shutting off the power before you call can help. One thing to note: our heating and AC repair company folks know that what may seem like an unrelated smell can be an important clue, like the sweet smell of refrigerant that you may have never experienced before.

Talking About Heating System Troubles

Because of the fuel involved in furnace operation, your furnace system can present safety issues that require prompt attention. The risk of carbon monoxide exposure is an important concern, and carbon monoxide detectors in your home can be a wise precaution. There are also sounds that can provide clues for our heating and AC repair company along the way, such as mechanical noises that develop and aren’t typical of your system, or certain startling noises that can occur when the system isn’t operating properly. A regular maintenance visit with a tune-up of your burner and ignition source can help avoid many issues and keep you warm all winter without interruption but still, our heating and AC repair company are ready for any surprises. As with air conditioning, keeping your air filter changed often enough can help your system perform at its best.

Airflow Issues During Heating Season

• Cold Air Blowing with the Thermostat Set Warm
• Barely Warm Air Circulating

In addition to air filter clogs, clogged ducts can be a factor in airflow, especially if it’s been many years since they were cleaned. Check also for furniture that has been moved in front of vents. Otherwise, let us know if you have a zoned system whether it’s the same in the bedroom and living room, for example, and whether you’ve been getting any heat at all, or nothing but the fan’s still in operation. Our heating and AC repair company serving Frisco, TX will work hard to get your family warm and comfortable.

The Sounds and Smells of Trouble

• Natural Gas Odors
• Other Smells Around the Furnace or Ducts
• Loud Furnace Sounds

If there is the smell of natural gas near your gas furnace or other appliances, or if it is being carried through your vents so you smell it elsewhere, take your emergency gas response measures such as calling the gas company. Smells, in general, can indicate furnace issues such as inefficient burning, but our heating and AC repair company will work to resolve the smell and also any heating issues of which it is a symptom. If your system is recently making loud noises when it starts up, that’s worth mentioning too, although it could turn out to be ducts flexing as the air blows through, there are other issues we may check.

Furnace-Related Electrical Issues

• Furnace Electrical Trouble
• Dimming Lights and Tripping Breakers when Furnace Starts

As with your air conditioning, it’s worth checking your circuit breakers to see if they’ve tripped causing your system to not work. The same caution applies here as with AC, though, resetting the breakers is not a safe way to fix the problem, and it will be helpful for our heating and AC repair company in Frisco, TX to know if the problem has been recurring. We’ll look for the reason that your circuit protection is shutting off the power so that you can remain safe when your system is operating.

Furnace Failure or Ongoing Concerns

• Water Leaks Around Furnace and Boiler
• Fuel Bills are Up Unexpectedly
• Furnace Doesn’t Operate
• Ongoing or Recurring Heating Issues

Reading this list of symptoms, you might get the idea that these are signs that your system needs replacing. That could be true, but there are many things that our heating and AC repair company team can do to fix individual issues such as boiler leaks or inefficient operation. A completely dead system can sometimes have a simple fix, but sometimes not of course. Recurring issues are very helpful to know about since we’ll only experience what happens during our brief visit.

Talking About Replacements and Upgrades to Your HVAC Equipment

Our heating and AC repair company are known for being clear and direct about our work, whether it’s performing repairs or planning a replacement system that fits your budget. There’s often a logical point at which it’s to your advantage to make changes to your system or upgrade it, and we’ll explain our reasoning and the solutions we recommend so that you can think it over. When we visit for maintenance, we can discuss your system’s potential lifetime to help you avoid having to make important decisions under time pressure from heat or cooling loss. Our heating and AC repair company has been a trusted resource for area homeowners for a long time because people know we can make their lives easier as well as more comfortable.

The Heating and AC Repair Company That Communicates Clearly with You in Frisco, TX

One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas serves our Frisco, TX customers with the values and practices we’ve developed since we started in 1988. From discussing initial concerns and reviewing the job to be done to providing clear pricing, our customers can feel comfortable doing business with us. We offer the same clarity in our scheduling: we hold to our commitments, and we’re the area’s 24/7 heating and AC repair company that people can count on. Give us a call for installations, maintenance, repairs, and urgent service, and let’s talk frankly about how we can help.