What New Homeowners Should Know About Their HVAC System And Scheduling Air Conditioning Repair | Dallas, TX
Are you planning to purchase or even build a new home? Owning a home requires a lot of effort, and even after purchasing or building one, a lot of work goes into ensuring that it is as comfortable as possible. It requires a lot, from installing air conditioners to landscaping your yard and ensuring the plumbing system works. To ensure that your new Dallas, TX home is at a comfortable temperature and required humidity levels, you should have some information on the workings of an air conditioning system. It will help you take up measures to maintain it. Fortunately, a professional air conditioning repair technician can help. Below is a guide to heating and air conditioning to ensure that you can avoid those costly air conditioning repair expenses.
Duct Problems
The cool or warm air should be delivered into your home whenever you turn on the air conditioner or furnace. Most HVAC units fear a network of air ducts that deliver the conditioned air throughout your home into various rooms. Ducts are made from various materials from rubber, polyurethane, stainless steel, silicone, neoprene-dipped polyester fabric, and PVC. Unfortunately, the air ducts experience various issues that might need further inspection.
The main issue that air ducts face is the accumulation of dirt within. It is recommended that homeowners have routine duct cleaning from a reliable air conditioning repair technician in Dallas, TX. However, this doesn’t have to be as frequent as air filters. It is an important task that you should have a technician do whenever they come for the seasonal maintenance visit. If the air ducts are dirty, the air entering your home will contain contaminants. It exposes you to serious respiratory issues.
Failing to have a duct cleaning service might see you pay for costly air conditioning repairs. Smooth airflow is critical to the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system. Your air conditioner must work harder to push conditioned air onto your home. The dirtier the air ducts, the more the unit strains to maintain the set temperatures. Eventually, this will reflect on your heating and cooling bill at the end of the month. Neglecting duct cleaning means that you will have to pay for costly air conditioning repairs. You should have your air ducts cleaned every 1-2 years.
HVAC Emergencies
Knowing when you’re dealing with a heating and air conditioning emergency is essential as a homeowner. Not all HVAC issues need simple air conditioning repairs. Others might result in severe or fatal damage to your home or family. Further, if left unattended for long, they can render your home uninhabitable, damage the unit beyond repair, or even require costly repairs. You may opt to replace the entire unit.
By knowing what comprises a heating and air conditioning emergency, you can enlist the services of an emergency HVAC technician. These professionals are always available to pick up your call and promptly attend to your problem. They will be within your home in no time. Doing this will avert extensive damages and possibly fatal consequences of an HVAC emergency. Remember, HVAC emergencies cannot wait for regular technicians to be available during regular work hours.
Any heating and air conditioning issue having anything to do with the fuel component of the furnaces needs an immediate investigation. You should immediately call an emergency HVAC technician if you have a gas leak, the pilot light is acting up, or any other fuel-related problem. The same applies to the refrigerant in an air conditioner. Refrigerants are toxic and might have devastating impacts if inhaled in large volumes. Even if the HVAC unit is new, contact an emergency air conditioning repair company technician to address such issues.
Leaks
You might notice drops of water dripping from the air conditioner sometimes. The issue with air conditioners is they are of two distinctive types, water leaks and refrigerant leaks. The two are very different in terms of repair costs and severity. Whenever you notice a liquid pooling near your air conditioning unit that you aren’t clear that it is water, that could mean that you have a lubricant or refrigerant leak.
If the unit leaks the refrigerant, it won’t efficiently cool or heat your Dallas, TX home. If the air conditioning unit doesn’t have enough refrigerant, it will strain to attain the set temperatures, meaning it will use more energy than necessary. This takes a toll on your finances. Besides impacting your air conditioning unit and your finances, refrigerant leaks can severely impact your health. That is why you should immediately have it inspected by a professional emergency air conditioning and repair service provider.
If the liquid pooling up around the air conditioner doesn’t have any color or smell, that might probably be just water. Water leakages arise when the condensate drains and drain pans are clogged. An air conditioning repair technician can quickly address the two. Whatever the case, leaks aren’t a good sign and might cause further damage. Hence, it is recommended that you have a professional address them.
Air Filters
Understanding the role of an air filter in preventing heating and air conditioning repairs is critical. Whether you’re dealing with a furnace or an air conditioner, they all have an air filter designed to filter particles and contaminants to ensure that the air entering your home is clean and high-quality. Unfortunately, a dirty air filter will do more than leave your Dallas, TX home with poor air quality.
Usually, the air filter in your heating and air conditioning system prevents small dust particles, pet hair, and other contaminants from entering your home. With passing time, the air filter gets clogged by dirt. This prevents it from efficiently filtering the air and makes the HVAC unit work harder to cool your home. It is recommended that homeowners replace their air filters after every 1-3 months to avert such issues.
Air conditioning repair companies get calls from various homeowners that their units aren’t sufficiently cooling their homes. However, this is mainly caused by dirty filters and air ducts. If the air conditioner blows hot air, there is a high probability that the problem stems from a lack of airflow, usually due to a dirty air filter. The frequency at which you should replace the air filters also depends on whether you have pests. Homes with pets must replace the filters each month or invest in HEPA filters or those with a higher MERV rating.
Thermostat Problems
Whenever people have a problem with their HVAC systems, they head directly to the furnace or air conditioner to determine what is wrong. Although there is a lot that could go wrong with the functionality of the furnace or air conditioner, there are other things that could affect the functionality of the HVAC system. Whenever everything seems to be working correctly, but the unit isn’t efficiently cooling your home, the problem might be with the thermostat.
The thermostat is like your HVAC system’s brain. It measures the ambient temperatures of your home to ensure the air conditioner or furnace knows when it should turn on. Should your indoor air become too cold or warm, the thermostat is supposed to cycle the cooling or heating on to remedy the mistake.
However, the thermostat cannot perform this critical role if it is faulty. In some instances, your cooling or heating might cycle too often or even not cycle often enough. You should have the air conditioning repair technician examine the thermostat to ensure that it is accurate and also appropriately interacts with other parts of the HVAC system.
If the thermostat is faulty, the technician might repair or replace it depending on the extent of the damage. They will also help you select a thermostat that you can remotely control and with self-diagnosing features to ensure you know the unit has a problem. Nowadays, air conditioning repair professionals recommend the installation of smart or programmable thermostats, and there are many affordable options.
Seasonal Maintenance
Do you want to keep your HVAC system working efficiently for the longest time? Then you should have routine maintenance done by an air conditioning repair technician. Since it might be inconvenient to have a person come over for maintenance now and then, most Dallas, TX homeowners schedule HVAC maintenance just before summer or winter kicks in. Rather than having the unit serviced during the peak seasons, having seasonal maintenance performed twice yearly before the two seasons kick in might prove beneficial. This allows homeowners to have the unit serviced when it is least needed and prepare the air conditioner and furnace for the incoming high-demand season.
Using the HVAC System Right
You may think extending your HVAC system’s service life and getting the most from it depends on maintenance and repairs. However, timely air conditioning repairs are critical in extending the service life of the unit. homeowners also should know how to use the appliance properly. How you use and how often you use the appliance can mean a longer or a shorter service life for your unit.
Generally, never put too much stress on the HVAC system. Unfortunately, some homeowners do not understand when they stress their heating and air conditioning system more. The more the HVAC system has to cycle on or run, the more stress it is exposed to. Do you tend to blast your air conditioner or crank the temperatures up? Your heating and air condition system will not last for long because of all that time it spends running.
Do you want to get more out of your heating and air conditioning system? Most air conditioning repair professionals in Dallas, TX, recommend that you install a smart or programmable thermostat to set your indoor temperatures based on a predefined schedule. It can also be controlled remotely and remembers the settings. It will make you use the AC modestly. This ensures that your home is comfortable and brings about a lot of convenience. Eventually, your HVAC unit will serve you longer with modest use.
Upgrading Your Heating and Air Conditioning Unit
You might love your heating and air conditioning unit too much; it is understandable. However, a time comes when you’ll have to upgrade it. Whenever your old furnace or air conditioner stops working, or you want something more efficient and convenient, you should consult an air conditioning repair technician to help you understand your options. Traditionally, some homeowners combine a forced air furnace with a central air conditioner. This is a good option if you are looking for efficient and affordable heating and cooling.
However, it requires air ducts that you might not have already installed at home. It is an excellent choice if you have air ducts. Some air conditioner repair companies recommend that you consider installing ductless heating and air conditioning systems whenever planning an upgrade. Ductless heating and air conditioning systems can be installed at your Dallas, TX home without a need to install air ducts, lowering the installation costs.
Additionally, ductless systems allow temperature zoning. It means you can heat or cool different parts or rooms at your home differently. You can have an air conditioning repair technician install an air handler in various parts of your home to achieve zoned cooling and heating effect. It means that if some family members like it cool while others like some heat, they will all be accommodated.
Need An AC Repair Service? Let Us Help
Air conditioning may be on your bucket list if you plan to purchase or construct a new house. However, there are several things you should know to ensure that you can use your unit efficiently and that it can last longer. From air conditioning repair issues, maintenance, and inspections to how you use the system, there are many things you should possibly know to ensure that your unit can serve you for an extensive period. Contact our licensed professionals at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for a professional and reliable air conditioning repair.