The temperature in your home struggles to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat, and some rooms may feel a lot colder or warmer than others. For many people, the first assumption is that there is a problem with the air conditioning or heating system—which has mechanical, electrical, and/or gas components and is likely to suffer some damage over time. But few suspect that the main culprit may actually be something that does not have all of these moving components—the air ducts.
A/C Designs of St. Augustine, LLC Blog: Posts Tagged ‘St. Augustine’
Inaccurate Temperatures in the Home? It May Be the Ducts!
Monday, December 7th, 2015Our Favorite Tips for Better Cooling Efficiency
Monday, November 2nd, 2015It’s warm for a majority of the year in our area, so it’s important to have the resources to stay cool on a hot day. But it’s just as important that we run our cooling systems efficiently year round, in order to help the environment, keep costs low, and extend the lifespan of our heating systems. In today’s post, we offer a list of some of our favorite tips to help you save money on your cooling bills without giving up your comfort.
These Common Habits May Cause Trouble for Your AC
Monday, April 6th, 2015Most homeowners don’t put a lot of thought into the way an air conditioning system works. And why should they have to? You have access to complete home cooling at your fingertips; all you have to do is program the thermostat. But without a basic understanding of how an air conditioner runs, you may end up accidentally forming habits that contribute to the decline of your system over time. You can delay air conditioning repair and make your system run more efficiently for longer by avoiding these common mistakes and calling the experts at AC Designs Inc. as soon as you notice trouble with your unit.
- Setting the thermostat too low. It’s a common belief among homeowners: if you turn the thermostat all the way down to 68 or 70, it will cool the home faster. Unfortunately, this is a false assumption. The refrigeration cycle cannot remove heat from your home any faster. A lower temperature setting will only take longer to reach. And as you dip below an efficient setting, you spend more money and wear down your unit faster.
- Neglecting to change the filter. The air filter in your unit is not only there to improve the air quality. It also protects the AC system from damages. But if it becomes clogged, airflow is blocked over the coil, which could cause it to freeze and lead to additional mechanical problems.
- Running the AC throughout the day. If you run your air conditioning system all day, the parts become worn and are far more susceptible to damage. Take advantage of your programmable thermostat to adjust the settings throughout the day, raise the temperature at peak hours, and keep it off or at an efficient temperature while you’re away.
- Skipping an annual maintenance check. An annual maintenance check can keep your air conditioning system in good condition for the rest of the cooling season. A tune-up includes cleaning, adjusting, and inspecting all of the major components.
Give us a call and check with the friendly technicians at AC Designs Inc. if you have any further questions about operating your AC unit. Our experts are happy to answer your questions and provide air conditioning repair when you need it in the St. Augustine area.
Noises from a Furnace That May Indicate Repair Needs
Friday, January 30th, 2015Everyone hears strange noises coming from their furnace at one point or another. Though not all furnace noises indicate that something is wrong with your furnace, there are quite a few sounds that do. If you don’t know which noises indicate a serious problem, you won’t know when to call a professional until it’s too late. Therefore, we’ve assembled this list of the most common furnace noises that indicate a need for repairs.
Grinding
Within every furnace is a collection of parts referred to as an “air handler.” This is the section that is responsible for circulating the air through the system and throughout the house. The motor that operates the air handler is under quite a lot of stress while the furnace is operating. In order to ease the burden on the motor, lubricated bearings are installed inside it to decrease the friction. These bearings can occasionally dry up, however, which increases the resistance on the motor. The grinding sound coming from your furnace is likely the sound of the bearings in the motor wearing down. If the bearings are not fixed or replaced, the motor will eventually burn out from the strain of running without them.
Booming
A loud booming sound coming from your furnace could be a couple of different things. In some homes, the warm air in the ducts can cause them to expand and flex. This creates a booming, thunderous sound that echoes through the ducts. This isn’t really anything to be worried about. However, the sound could also be coming from your furnace’s burner assembly.
The burner assembly is the part that actually burns the fuel to create heat. Over time, carbon particles that are left over from the burning fuel can build up on the burner. Once a burner becomes sufficiently caked in carbon, it can have trouble igniting on time. When it finally does ignite, it burns through the excess gas build up all at once. This miniature explosion can also make a loud booming sound.
If you are having issues with your furnace, call AC Designs, Inc. We provide professional furnace repairs throughout St. Augustine.
What Are My Heating Options in St. Augustine?
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014St. Augustine enjoys the same pleasant winters that attract visitors to everywhere in the state when the temperatures drops elsewhere in the country. However, we can’t escape cold weather entirely here in Florida, and it’s important that you have a heater in your house that is ready to go to work when necessary.
Below are some of your options for quality heating in St. Augustine, FL. If you need to have a new heating installation for your home, call AC Designs Inc. today. You’ll need the help of our professionals to make certain that you receive the ideal system for your needs. We will handle the installation work so that the new heater provides you with many years of trouble-free comfort.
Some Choices for Heating
- Heat pumps: For Florida weather, a heat pump is a terrific option. These systems work as both heaters and air conditioners: essentially, they are ACs that can reverse the direction they move heat so that instead of shifting heat out of a house, the shift it into a house. A reason that heat pumps are an excellent idea for Florida is that they work most efficiently as heaters during mild cold weather. A heat pump will struggle in sub-freezing temperatures—but how often do those occur in Florida? When heat pumps are providing warmth during mild cold, they obtain energy efficiency superior to most other heating systems. And, of course, a heat pump will deliver fantastic cooling during the rest of the year.
- Gas furnaces: The most common kind of heating system in the U.S. is the gas furnace, and for some excellent reasons. Gas furnaces can produce high levels of heat, able to keep even the draftiest of homes warm. Because natural gas is less expensive an energy source than electricity, gas furnaces are also one of the less costly heating systems to run. Modern gas furnaces are also safer than older units, so you should have few worries about dangers due to carbon monoxide.
- Electric furnaces: If your home does not have access to a natural gas line, you can choose instead to have an electric furnace installed. Although they cost more to operate than gas furnaces, you won’t need to run the system often during a Florida winter. They have a number of advantages, such as long service lives, small size, and few repair needs. If you are concerned about using natural gas in your house, an electric furnace is a good alternative.
Call Us for a Great Heating Installation
Our technicians at AC Designs Inc. are glad to help you with your needs for heating in St. Augustine, FL. Let us look over your home and find the right system that will keep it warm and match your budget plans. You can count on our more than 10 years of experience keeping the greater Jacksonville and Daytona areas comfortable.
How to Tell You Need New Commercial HVAC Installation
Wednesday, November 12th, 2014Your commercial HVAC system has kept your employees, tenants, customers, and/or clients comfortable throughout the years. But as the years go by, you may begin to wonder: when is it time to replace an older commercial HVAC system? Commercial heating and air conditioning systems are built tough to handle a large heating or cooling load, but they cannot last forever. The following are some of the signs that new installation is the best choice for your business.
- Old Age: Commercial HVAC systems unfortunately have an expiration date of sorts, although this number varies depending on the system. Ask your commercial technician about the lifespan of your particular unit or check with the manufacturer for an estimation. Keep in mind than if you use your system more often than the average property, or if you do not change filters and schedule regular maintenance, your system may not last as long.
- Frequent Repairs: Another common sign indicating the need for new installation is frequent calls to a technician for repairs. Not every problem should be a major cause for alarm. If a problem with your HVAC system is fixed quickly, it usually will not have any major effect on your equipment overall. However, if you’ve found yourself contacting a contractor multiple times over the last couple of years, the components may be beginning to wear down. Generally, it’s less costly to replace the entire unit than to fix it piece-by-piece.
- High Energy Costs: It costs a lot to run an air conditioning or heating system for long enough to heat or cool an entire building. But if you notice an even greater increase in your heating or cooling costs than usual, it may mean that the parts are in poor condition and cannot operate efficiently.
You should also keep in mind that commercial installations and repairs are a job for trained professionals only. Commercial specialists know what to look for with larger systems, and will not try to upsell you with a new system if a simple repair will keep it running for another year or two. Call AC Designs Inc. to speak with specialists about commercial HVAC in St. Augustine.
How a Better Thermostat in Your System Controls Will Save You Money
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014To make the most of your system controls in St. Augustine, it is strongly advised that you upgrade your thermostat. Your thermostat controls the cycling of your system, which is very important when it comes to maintaining good energy efficiency. You want a thermostat that is precise and accurate for temperature setting, and that may also be programmable. AC Designs Inc., has the latest in today’s thermostats, and our trained technicians can install them correctly, quickly and efficiently. Call us today!
Types of Thermostats
There are 3 main types of thermostats you can upgrade your system with:
Digital
Digital thermostats have precise temperature-setting and intuitive buttons that make them very easy to use. The precision of a digital thermostat is where you can gain savings because you can set the exact temperature you want. With older thermostats, the face may display a range of degrees rather than an exact number, which makes it easier to be off by 2-3 degrees. Every degree can make a difference in energy usage, so precision is key to being energy efficient.
Programmable
Programmable thermostats take things a step further by allowing you to program how you heat or cool your home. You can set schedules for times of day, days of the week and vacation periods. Programs can be set for up to 7 days in advance, and if you expect your daily routine to be steady, you can loop the program. Programming your system helps you to reduce energy usage when your home is unoccupied, which can help save you money in monthly energy bills.
Smart
Smart thermostats use the latest in remote technology to allow you to control your home’s heating and cooling from virtually anywhere. Using any kind of smart device and a simple app, you can monitor, change and program your thermostat from any location where there’s an internet connection. You can also track monthly energy usage with a smart thermostat.
Having the right system controls in St. Augustine can help you tremendously with improving energy efficiency. To upgrade your thermostat, call AC Designs Inc., today.
Common Repairs for Ductless Air Conditioning
Wednesday, September 24th, 2014Ductless air conditioning is one of the best ways to cool a home without the use of ductwork. Some older homes or new room extensions do not have ductwork set up and it may be a hassle to install. Instead of trying to cool your home or room with fans or window air conditioners, you may choose a ductless mini split air conditioner to provide efficient, quiet cooling, and, in many cases, heating as well. But if you’re considering ductless installation, or if you already own one of these systems, you may be concerned about the potential need for air conditioning repair that may go along with it.
Ductless air conditioners work much like central air conditioners, except that air is distributed through individual air handlers in place of ducts. Like traditional AC, refrigerant cycles through an indoor and outdoor unit, undergoing a series of phase changes to remove heat from the air in your home. Because all of the major parts are in place, ductless AC may need the same types of repairs as traditional units. But some repairs may be more common with ductless units. Here are a few reasons you may eventually need to call for air conditioning repair if you own a ductless mini split system.
- Low Refrigerant: Refrigerant is an important component of your air conditioner, and without it you may not feel enough cool air or any at all from some air handlers. If your air conditioner is low on refrigerant, it may be due to loose connections, corrosion, or a leak from the compressor, which could indicate major damage.
- Thermostat Trouble: Ductless units may be prone to thermostat trouble because of how the units are controlled. Each air handler is wired to its own thermostat for individual zone control in each area of the home. Usually, each of these also hooks up to a central master thermostat as well, which controls the entire system. If you’re experiencing problems starting one or more units, it may be due to problems with the thermostat wiring.
- Aesthetics: Finally, ductless owners may call for air conditioning repair for aesthetic purposes. Ductless blower units are mounted to the wall or suspended from the ceiling, but faulty installation may lead the units to peel away from the wall.
For air conditioning repair in St. Augustine, FL, call on the dependable experts at AC Designs Inc. today!
How Air Conditioners Control Humidity
Wednesday, August 13th, 2014On a hot day, you turn on your air conditioner to keep cool. But what do you do on a particularly humid day? Turn on your air conditioner! When you feel affected by humidity, it’s because your body cannot evaporate sweat effectively when there is moisture in the air. Luckily, your air conditioner can remove both heat and moisture from the air in your home on those hot, sticky days in St. Augustine.
To understand how air conditioners control humidity, it helps to know more about the process of heat removal. Air conditioners do not actually create any cool air. Rather, they cool your home via the process of heat exchange. The indoor portion of an AC removes heat from your home, and it is released outside.
At the outdoor condenser unit of your AC, heat is released from the refrigerant as it changes into a high-pressure gas. Inside, at the evaporator coil, refrigerant condenses into a liquid. Here, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the home as an indoor blower fan sucks in warm air and blows it over the cold coil. The coil cools the air, and the blower fan sends it through the ducts.
When you pour a glass of ice water on a warm day, moisture forms outside of the glass as condensation. Similarly, as indoor air blows over the cold evaporator coil, water droplets form along the coil. The water then drips into the condensate pan, a shallow tray underneath the evaporator, and flows outdoors via a condensate drain.
Sometimes, this system can run into problems. If there isn’t enough airflow over the coil, the water outside of the evaporator may freeze. Additionally, water leakage is one of the most common reasons homeowners call for air conditioning repair. A clogged drain may cause water to leak into the home, or the water may back up and flow into the air conditioning system. The best way to prevent such problems is by scheduling maintenance with a technician at least once a year.
Call AC Designs Inc. today for repairs, maintenance, and questions about air conditioning in St. Augustine!