If you’ve had to deal with air conditioning repair, you may have heard the term “short cycling” before. It’s a condition whereby your unit turns off and on again very quickly, sometimes without adequately cooling the house and often with far more frequency than is proper. This is of especial concern as we gear up for summer here in Hammond, LA, because you’re going to need your air conditioning when the temperatures hit triple digits. Short cycling can be caused by anything from low refrigerant levels to a system that’s too powerful for the space it’s supposed to cool. But why should you worry about short cycling with your air conditioning?
Zone Control Systems or Centralized Systems?
May 18th, 2015Our summers come full of heat and humidity in Hammond, LA, and you need a reliable air conditioner if you want to survive the high temperatures in comfort and style. While most people think of air conditioners as centralized units blowing air throughout the home via a series of ducts, there are other options available. Zone control systems, which divide your home into separate sections via a series of vales and coils, make an attractive addition to a standard air conditioning system, and offer a number of benefits for those who choose to install them. It does, however, represent a significant up-front cost, and before you invest you need to know that such a system is right for you. Zone control systems or centralized systems? Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision.
How Does My Air Conditioning System Work?
May 11th, 2015Air conditioners are one of the unsung heroes of your household, delivering cool comfortable air for a very reasonable price. Summers in Hammond, LA, would be insufferable without them, and yet we rarely pay attention to them until they suffer a breakdown. Anytime there’s trouble with your AC, you should call in a trained professional immediately, but it may help to understand how the system functions on the most basic level. That can help you spot signs of trouble more readily and respond to trouble sooner rather than later. “How does my air conditioning system work?” you ask. We’ve provided a quick outline below.
What’s the Difference between a Heat Pump and a Standard Air Conditioner?
May 4th, 2015Summers don’t come any hotter than they do in Hammond, LA, where the Deep South brings both high temperatures and stifling humidity. Good air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity in such an environment, but you also need to ensure that your energy costs don’t run away with you in the process. Many local residents prefer to use a heat pump instead of a traditional air conditioner, since it is a strong money-saving alternative to home HVAC systems. But how does a heat pump work? More importantly, what’s the difference between a heat pump and a standard air conditioner? We’ve included a quick primer below.
Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Programmable Thermostat?
April 27th, 2015In warmer weather, your bills can really take a turn, since the heat and humidity in our area leave us running the air conditioner for most of the day. Air conditioners contain many parts that require a lot of electricity to run, so in some homes, the AC is responsible for up to half of the energy bill. Using your thermostat wisely can help to cut down on costs and reduce unnecessary wear and tear on your AC system. Here are a few tips to help you cut back.
Do You Need an Air Conditioning Maintenance Visit?
April 20th, 2015If you plan to run your air conditioning system this season (and let’s face it; it is very difficult to get by without it) air conditioning maintenance is a must. Many homeowners decide not to schedule maintenance every year, and still others are not even aware of this vital service. But without it, your air conditioner may run into trouble at some point in the season, and you may notice that your energy bills get worse and worse.
Are You Doing Enough to Reduce Allergens in Your Home?
April 13th, 2015The beautiful sights of spring are all around us, but unfortunately, that means that so is the pollen. When you go outside, your allergies can really act up in response, but when you don’t have a quality system in place for indoor air quality control, the inside of your home may be just as prone to contaminants, if not more so. Try these tips to reduce allergens indoors and make it a little bit easier for those with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
3 Things You Should Know about Air Conditioning Replacement
April 6th, 2015Finding a new air conditioner can be a stressful experience, but a lot less so if you have the right technicians to work with you. A quality air conditioning technician will help you find the most efficient system for your money, and make sure that everything is secure and operating properly.
Sooner is better than later
If at all possible, replace your air conditioning system before it breaks down. Of course, it’s difficult to determine if your air conditioning system is on the verge of breaking down. But if you find yourself making frequent repairs for a unit that is over ten years old, early AC replacement may simply be more cost-effective. Sometimes, it is more expensive to remove a broken-down system than it is to replace a working one, especially if it’s early enough in the season that replacement is not urgent. Scheduling replacement early allows you time to choose an efficient system that will help you to save money later on.
A unit that is too big or too small may cause a lot of trouble
If your air conditioning system is not the correct size for the layout of your home, there are a number of problems you could encounter. An undersized system won’t get the job done, but it may run for a long time to try to condition the home, using up energy and failing sooner than its expected lifespan. And if it’s too large, an air conditioner may start and stop frequently, wearing down the components. But installer beware: the existing system needing replacement may not be the proper size, so the home should be reassessed before any installation.
Refrigerant must be measured out precisely upon installation
Adding refrigerant to an air conditioning system is not as simple as you might guess. You must have the right amount of refrigerant for the size of your unit, or else your home may not cool down quickly enough. What’s worse is that you may encounter compressor damage or a frozen coil, among other issues. Professionals can determine just how much refrigerant is necessary, and they have the proper certifications to handle it.
Professional installation is key to efficiency and proper performance. Call the professional technicians at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for air conditioning replacement in Hammond, LA.
Why Your Air Conditioning Systems Has Ice on It
April 3rd, 2015Air conditioners are a type of refrigeration system: using the action of a compressor to circulate refrigerant, they remove heat from one location to lower the temperature, and then exhaust the heat elsewhere. You may, at some point, notice ice developing along the inside of your air conditioner. Considering the chilled air coming from the system, this might seem like a normal side-effect of how an AC operates.
However, as we’ll explain below, the development of ice on an air conditioner isn’t something you want to happen. But please don’t try to solve the problem by scraping the ice off. This won’t work! Instead, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning and we’ll help you with the necessary air conditioning repair in Hammond, LA that will restore your system. We are on call 24 hours a day for your convenience.
The Reasons Ice May Develop on Your Air Conditioner
- Low refrigerant: If the refrigerant lines in your air conditioner develop a leak and permit refrigerant to escape, it will often cause the evaporator coils to ice up. The reason this occurs is that the lower amount of refrigerant in the coils can no longer absorb enough heat to warm itself above freezing. The coils will remain cold and cause water moisture along them to turn to ice. This will further slow heat absorption, causing more ice to grow… and eventually you’ll have a solid block of ice over the AC coils and a system that won’t work at all. Repair technicians will need to seal the refrigerant leaks and restore the proper refrigerant charge for the air conditioner to work again.
- Dirt and grime along the coils: If contamination has entered the air conditioner’s indoor cabinet, it can cause the coils to become dirty. This will limit their ability to absorb heat through evaporation, and the coils will start to freeze water vapor along their length. You must have professionals detach the coils, defrost them, then clean them.
- Clogged air filter: An air filter that is too congested with dust and debris to allow sufficient warm air to enter the AC cabinet will cause the evaporator coils to stay too cold. Make sure that you change the filter once a month during the summer season when the air conditioner runs to avoid this problem.
At the first sign of ice on your AC, call for repairs. Our technicians at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning are ready around the clock to provide you with the professional air conditioning repair service in Hammond, LA that will find why the ice is appearing and fix it.
Do I Have Other Air Conditioning Installation Options Than a Standard Split Unit?
March 25th, 2015The majority of homes use a split system central air conditioner to provide cool temperatures during the summer and other periods of warm weather. The “split” means that cooling system is divided into two separate units: an outdoor cabinet that contains the compressor and the condenser coils, and an indoor unit that contains the blower fan and the evaporator coils. The two units connect through power and refrigerant lines, and the indoor unit hooks to the ventilation system that distributes the cooled air throughout the home.
Aside from a small window unit, which is only effective for small homes or apartments, are there other options when it comes to a new air conditioning system aside from this old standard? There are, and we’ll look at a few of the choices for a new AC installation available today. Give A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning a call today to learn more about your alternatives for air conditioning installation in Mandeville, LA.
Ductless Mini Split
This is an excellent choice for homeowners who want to combine the power of a central air conditioner with the point cooling of a window unit, bypassing the need for ductwork. Ductless mini splits still use an outdoor cabinet, but replace the single indoor cabinet with multiple small air handlers placed on the walls of the rooms. The mini air handlers send conditioned air directly into the living spaces without using ducts. Ductless mini splits offer increased energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
Zone Control Systems
Zone control is an improvement to central air conditioning that can either be part of a new installation or done as a retro-fit. Zone control systems permit you to manipulate temperatures separately in different areas of the house, and this allows for customized comfort for the rooms and the people in your home, as well as lowered energy bills.
Heat Pumps
Outwardly, there isn’t much different between a heat pump and a central split air conditioner. But there is a huge difference in their operation: a heat pump can also provide warmth as well as cooling. They make very energy efficient options for the mild winters in Southeast Louisiana.
What choices for central air conditioning are right for your home and family? You will need to talk to AC professionals, like our skilled team at A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning, to make the right decision. We’re here to see that you receive the ideal comfort and savings from your new air conditioning installation in Mandeville, LA.