Keeping your AC unit operating efficiently helps keep your home comfortable and healthy. Nobody wants to suffer from heat and humidity. But, it’s not just this. Humidity can also cause mold and mildew growth, which can impact your respiratory health. Therefore, it’s important to keep your air conditioning system well-maintained. Below are three benefits of routine AC maintenance and why hiring a professional to perform this maintenance is a good idea.

Benefits of Routine AC Maintenance

A few advantages you’ll experience from ensuring your air conditioner is well-maintained are:

1. Reduces the Need for Costly Service Calls

Routine AC maintenance checkups allow HVAC technicians to make sure your AC system is operating smoothly and is in the best condition possible. They can replace any worn or damaged parts before they further deteriorate which could damage other components of the AC unit and impede the unit’s operation. This will save you a costly repair or replacement down the road.

2. Generates Better Air Quality

The trained and experienced HVAC technician will remove any debris and dirt particles that accumulate in your unit. If allowed to build up, the dirt and debris could end up in the duct system where it can spread throughout your house, causing poor air quality.

3. Boost your Air Conditioner’s Performance

Your AC unit won’t run efficiently without routine maintenance. If you notice spotty cooling where some rooms in your home are warm and others are like an icebox, it’s an indication that your unit requires maintenance.

As dust and debris accumulates inside your unit and certain components and parts of your system experience wear-and-tear, your AC unit tends to become less efficient and doesn’t cool as well as it should. 

Why Hire a Professional AC Maintenance Technician?

Not only will a professional HVAC technician perform routine maintenance on your AC unit, but there are other services they’ll do as well to ensure it continues operating at peak performance.

Some other services they perform:

• Checking the refrigerant levels
• Testing for refrigerant leaks
• Checking for and sealing central system duct leakage
• Checking belts for wear and tightness and oiling motors
• Measuring evaporator coil airflow
• Checking thermostat accuracy
• Inspecting electric terminals, cleaning and tightening connections and applying a non-conductive coating if needed

In climates like Florida, you can keep your home cool and comfortable with a high-efficiency AC system. With proper routine maintenance, you’ll continue staying comfortable, even on the hottest days, while keeping your utility costs down. 

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Spring is in the air! The birds are chirping, the trees are budding, and temperatures are rising. It’s the time of year to plant gardens, host cookouts, and schedule an air conditioner tune-up. What? Spring doesn’t automatically bring to mind annual air conditioner maintenance? Well, it should and here are three reasons why!

Maintenance Extends Your Air Conditioner’s Life Span

Without regular maintenance, minor problems can turn into significant issues, shortening the life of your air conditioning unit. Friction caused by a lack of lubrication can damage parts. A plugged drain line can cause household water damage.  An HVAC professional would catch and address such issues during an annual inspection. Ensuring your air conditioner is in proper working order will extend the life of your unit and save you money in the long run. 

Maintenance Prevents Breakdowns

Summer is a great time of year for pool parties, lazy afternoons, and long walks on the beach. Summer is not the time of year to be caught without a working air conditioner. Yet, without annual tune-ups, your chances of roasting in the heat increase substantially. You may not be aware that your air conditioner has faulty electrical connections, an overburdened filter, or bent coil fins. According to the US Department of Energy website, “An air conditioner’s filters, coils, and fins require regular maintenance for the unit to function effectively and efficiently throughout its years of service.” An annual tune-up will remedy any issues before they become problems, saving you the cost of an expensive repair call on the hottest day of the year.

Maintenance Saves on Energy Costs

A well-maintained air conditioner is not only reliable, but it is also energy efficient. Dirt and debris can interfere with your unit’s functionality. According to Angie’s List, “Left unchecked, your A/C system can lose 5 percent of its operating efficiency each year because of this buildup, meaning it can’t cool your house as capably as it could if it were clean.” Neglecting maintenance results in a decline in performance and increased energy use. Even a 5 percent loss of efficiency can result in increased energy costs. An efficient air conditioner is reliable, saves you money, and keeps you cool! 

You may think you are saving money by not scheduling an annual tune-up for your air conditioner. You will soon discover, though, that any savings are eclipsed by the expense of emergency repair calls and increased energy costs, not to mention the shortened life span of your unit. We will take care of all your air conditioning maintenance needs, ensuring your unit will run reliably and efficiently throughout the hot summer months. Contact us to make an appointment! 

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If you need to install a new heating and cooling system, or if your existing HVAC system needs major repairs, you’ll need to hire an air conditioning contractor. Unfortunately, it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re trying to find the best contractor for your job, especially if you’re new to the process. Here are four mistakes to avoid when you’re hiring an air conditioning contractor.

Getting Only One Bid

A new heating and cooling system or a major repair is a big investment. Before selecting an HVAC contractor, shop around and get several bids. Don’t automatically hire the first company you meet with. Shopping around will ensure you’re getting quality work for the best price.

Basing Your Decision Only on Price

While it’s important to get multiple bids, the initial price doesn’t always tell the whole story. You don’t just want the lowest price; you also want the best value for your money. Find out how much experience your potential contractor has, what type of equipment they’ll install and why, and whether they guarantee their work. Those details make a big difference.

Not Asking for References

One of the best ways to avoid problems with your air conditioning contractor is to ask for references. Ask your contractor for the names of customers with projects like yours. Any reputable contractor will be glad to provide you with references.

Not Getting a Written Estimate

Any contractor can give you an estimate for an HVAC repair, but you must ensure that they stick to it. A reputable company will give you a quote in writing, including an itemized list of the services they will perform. Before you hire an air conditioning contractor, make sure you get a written estimate.

In the Sarasota area? Contact us now to request an appointment!

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After a global pandemic, one can’t help but think about the quality of air they keep in their own home. During the warm months, your air conditioner helps improve your indoor air quality by filtering the air before it is treated and pumped into your home. These air filters can filter out dust, allergens, and even smoke to prevent them from going into your home, but what about viruses?

In the case of COVID-19, it is transmitted through contact from the skin and close airborne contact when breathed out from the lungs. This makes it particularly difficult to filter out of the air. However, it is not just COVID-19 that air conditioner filters will struggle with; all virus particles are just simply too small to be reliably caught by an air conditioning filter. This is perhaps because people think the air conditioning filter is specifically meant to improve their air quality in the home. In truth, the filter is actually meant to protect the appliance. Dust and other contaminants can build up in the appliance, the ducts, and effect overall performance. The air filter keeps that from happening and produces cleaner air as a byproduct. Small virus particles aren’t really a threat to the appliance and an air filter thick enough to catch them would greatly diminish air flow and efficiency, so it just can’t be done.

While there are other ways of removing viruses from the air, they are not really available or reliable on a residential level. They are designed for sterile rooms and large facilities. Trying to add them to your home would be a huge expense. Unfortunately for now, the best way to stay safe is to adhere to CDC guidelines for specific viruses. If you are using an air filter in your air conditioner and changing it as needed, your air is as clean as it can get.

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If you have done a home remodel and added onto your home, you have a lot that is getting your consideration. You want to make sure it is structurally sound and even looks nice with the rest of your home. However, one thing you definitely want to give your attention to, especially as the temperature drops, is if your home’s HVAC can handle it.

The HVAC that was installed in your home was specifically sized for your home before you added on to it. If the renovation was very small or not an enclosed room, you should be alright not making any HVAC additions. However, if you added a whole room to your house, you need to make plans to add onto your HVAC as well.

When you added the new room, you should have had the ducts extended as well as part of the construction. However, what you need to keep in mind is that your current HVAC system may not be able to keep up. The heating and cooling appliances were sized for your old home and you may now need to get new appliances to keep up with demand. If you have noticed that your HVAC is running longer or not reaching the temperatures you set, it is time to give it some consideration.

An alternative, particularly if you did not run ducts to the addition during construction, is to look into ductless systems to augment your needs. These systems are installed in your home without ducts as a supplemental heating and cooling system for individual rooms. They can help supplement the temperature in this case or simply allow for more flexible heating and cooling in an area. It can be a more affordable alternative to replacing both your heating and cooling appliances because your home is now too big for them to keep up.

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We all know them. Maybe we’ve even been one. They’re armchair experts. Those friends, family members and acquaintances that convince us they can do the job we need to have done for a fraction of what it costs to call a real expert.

You might get lucky and the “armchair” repair is a success leaving you with a few extra bucks in your pocket. Often, you pay that friend a small fee and end up calling an expert in the end. When it comes to air conditioning repair, save you time and money by working with a real expert first. 

What qualifies a contractor to be an expert in air conditioning?

From the basics to top-tier qualifications, we recommend that you look for the following when hiring an air conditioning contractor:

1. Fully licensed and insured. This is a given. Anyone who comes into your home should be licensed and insured in the state where the work will be done. 
2. Employs NATE-certified technicians. NATE certification tells you that the technician is committed to be a leader in his/her field. In fact, NATE stands for “North American Technician Excellence.” To become NATE-certified, technicians put themselves through rigorous testing to demonstrate their expertise in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR).
3. Comes highly recommended. Though not a regulated qualification, you want to work with a contractor who comes recommended by people and communities you trust. This is where your friends, family members and acquaintances can lend their knowledge. If they’re happy with a contractor’s work, the odds are great that you will too. Outside of a personal recommendation, you can consult regulated review sites such as Google and Facebook. 

You want to get it right the first time when it comes to air conditioning repair (or any HVAC needs). Leave the armchair experts in the armchairs at your Super Bowl party and leave the air conditioning repairs to the experts. You’ll be more satisfied and spend less money in the end. 

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