Maintaining your home’s HVAC system is important for many reasons. The most important reason, and the one that might seem the most obvious to you, is that it will save you money. It can be difficult to justify paying a service technician or contractor to do routine maintenance on an HVAC system if at the end of the day you’re only saving a few dollars on your energy bill. But by doing routine maintenance yourself, you’ll save much more than 92% on their labor rates and get your equipment up and running for years to come–saving you big bucks in the long run.
How to choose the right size for your home?
Choosing the size of your HVAC unit is something that should be left to a professional. There are too many variables to consider when making this decision, including square footage of the house, insulation values, number of windows and doors, local climate, normal weather patterns in your area, etc., for an ordinary consumer to make an informed choice on their own. Using an HVAC sizing calculator can help get the job done, but even then you’re just getting a close approximation of what you’ll need.
So when in doubt, call in the professionals whose livelihoods depend on making sure you get the right sized equipment.
What are the different types of AC Systems?
There are three types of central air conditioning systems: heat pumps, conventional AC units, and split-system air conditioners. The main difference between them is how they transfer heat away from the interior of your house (heat pump), or off your house (conventional unit). They both use the refrigerant mentioned earlier to move heat away from the interior of your house, but they do so in different ways.
You can also choose between a single- or two-stage compressor. A two-stage unit is more efficient than a single stage unit, but they are also more expensive to purchase and maintain, so this might be something you can save on if you go with the single-stage central AC unit. Whichever type of AC system you choose, make sure you consult a professional to ensure that it’s the right size for your home.
What is central air conditioning and what are its benefits?
Central air conditioning (AC) is a system designed to heat and cool individual rooms or zones in a home. There are three main parts of every central air conditioning system: an indoor unit that sits near the ceiling in a home’s interior, small ducts that deliver air to every zone or room in your house, and an outdoor compressor that is connected to the evaporator coil by large pipes.
The way central AC works is relatively straightforward. Inside the evaporating coil of the outdoor unit there is a fluid called a refrigerant. The compressor forces the refrigerant through the pipes to the evaporator coil, where it is turned from a gas into a liquid as it rapidly absorbs heat from your home’s interior air. As the refrigerant passes back into the indoor unit, where there is little or no activity at all, it quickly vaporizes and is ready to absorb more heat. This is when an AC unit’s thermostat kicks in and sends a signal back to the compressor, which then shuts off until the refrigerant-to-gas transition is complete.
Benefits of hiring a professional to maintain your AC unit
It is important to have a regular maintenance schedule for your HVAC system, and not just because it will keep your house comfortable. In most climates around the world, an AC unit that isn’t up to par with current climate conditions can be a fire hazard. If you’re using old or faulty equipment that doesn’t meet up with code requirements, then your system will become increasingly less efficient and more likely to break down.
Another reason for regular maintenance of your AC unit is the fact that faulty equipment won’t be able to make you comfortable, leaving you at risk during extreme weather. You can schedule an annual tune-up or check-up with a professional HVAC service who specializes in AC unit care to make sure your system will be ready for the next summer.
Common problems with your HVAC system
Although there are several parts to an HVAC system, it is all built on the same simple principle: a compressor pushes gas through tubes and turns it from a liquid into a gas. Since every part of your system is ultimately dependent on this basic process, most problems with your heating or cooling system have to do with this transfer of fluid.
The most common problem with your HVAC system is a broken fan, which leads to problems like increased pressure and the development of leaks in the refrigerant coils. If you experience either of these issues, then you will need to schedule a repair or maintenance appointment. Another relatively simple issue is an AC system struggling to keep up with the climate conditions of your area. In this case, you need to have a technician come out and do a check-up on your system to see what parts might be causing it to fail at cooling your house down.
The first step to maintaining your HVAC system is being able to recognize the signs of a malfunctioning unit. Here are some signs that you should never ignore:
HVAC noises
You have probably heard a lot of different sounds coming from an HVAC unit. These can range from a low hum as your compressor turns on, to the white noise you hear when it’s just running. However, if you are hearing crackling or popping sounds coming from your unit, then this might indicate that there is a problem with the fan motor which has caused it to overheat and consequently break. If your interior blower stops working all of a sudden, then this can mean that your capacitor has burned out and needs to be replaced.
There is a wide variety of noises that your unit can make, and it’s important not to ignore them or assume they’re normal because you don’t know what the sound means. If you feel like there is something wrong with your HVAC system, then you should always call us at Cirtech Cvac Inc.
HVAC temperature issues
This is a tricky problem to handle, because it’s important not to mess with the temperature settings of your system while you are trying to diagnose the issue. However, if your entire house feels warm even though all of your registers are set properly, then this may mean that your compressor is undersized for the size of your house. If you’re experiencing irregular temperatures throughout your home, then you might want to schedule a visit from one of our technicians who can come out and do a full-inspection on your unit.
In some cases, if someone in your family returns from being away from home for an extended period of time, it’s normal for the temperature of your HVAC system to be a little bit lower or higher than what they’re used to. This is because your unit may have been operating at a different temperature while you were gone, and it needs some time to warm up or cool down to the temperature that it will be set at.
There are also external circumstances which can affect your AC unit’s ability to maintain the proper temperatures. If you have a large number of trees in your backyard, then one of them might be casting a shadow on your unit. If there is too much snow on the ground around it, then this will prevent proper airflow to and from the compressor. At Cirtech CVAC Inc., our technicians are highly trained when it comes to diagnosing any AC issues.
