Should I Just Replace a Noisy Air Conditioner?

Monday, August 6th, 2018

woman-surprised-by-loud-noiseRattle and whir—an air conditioning system can really turn into a major piece of noise pollution, can’t it? If you dread having to turn on your AC because it sends a racket through your home and disturbs the summer peace, you may have to make a decision about replacing it.

Yes, sometimes you should replace an air conditioner that’s making a lot of noise. But a noisy operation isn’t an automatic reason to scrap an AC. Let’s go a bit deeper into the Case of the Loud Cooling System.

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Why Your AC Is Leaking Water

Monday, July 23rd, 2018

water-lineHave you ever stopped to listen to your home’s air conditioning system as it runs? We recommend doing this occasionally, since it can sometimes identify when there’s a malfunction in it (you don’t want to hear grinding or hissing noises, for example). One sound you’ll occasionally hear that isn’t an indication of a problem is dripping water. Your air conditioner doesn’t use water to cool down the air—only special evaporative coolers do that—but water is a byproduct of how it works.

And where there’s water, there can be water leaks. You might see water dripping from your air conditioner at some point. It usually means the air conditioner must be repaired. We’ll explain why.

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My AC Is Running All the Time—What’s Wrong?

Monday, June 25th, 2018

air-conditioning-compressorWe may joke about how during our hot and humid Louisiana summers the air conditioners have to be running nonstop. Of course, there are cooler spells and evenings when ACs power down, and no air conditioner needs to power the compressor constantly to meet a home’s cooling demands. (At least, not if it was correctly sized for the space when it was installed.)

If you do notice that your air conditioner’s compressor is running constantly rather than cycling down as it’s supposed to, you may have a malfunctioning cooling system. Below we’re going to look at some of the reasons you’ve got a runaway air conditioner.

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Why Your AC May Overheat and Stop Working

Monday, June 11th, 2018

compressor-in-ac-unitYour air conditioning system works hard on hot days—that’s what it’s there for, after all! But even an air conditioning system can get too hot, causing its motors to trip the circuit breaker to the system. You can reset the breaker, but it’s likely to happen again and again and again. Not an inconvenience you want during the summer!

An air conditioner is designed to handle extremely hot days, but malfunctions can cause it to overheat and trip a breaker. We’re going to list the most common malfunctions that create this problem and what you can do to help prevent them.

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Do I Need a Dehumidifier When I Have an AC?

Monday, May 28th, 2018

flushed-man-before-fanIf you’ve lived through a summer here in Louisiana, you understand that humidity is a serious problem for comfort. Even mild warm days can feel like a blistering 90°F when the relative humidity level is high enough. The reason for this is that the higher moisture levels in the air trap heat inside the body, making it harder for it to release the excess heat through perspiring. Humidity causes other troubles as well: encouraging mold and mildew growth and causing water damage to surfaces.

But you have an air conditioner in your home, so that should take care of the humidity problem, right?

Well, not really. You may have heard that air conditioners are natural dehumidifiers, but there’s more to it than that.

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What Is Refrigerant—Really?

Monday, May 14th, 2018

air-conditioning-condensers-on-risersIf you looked up the word refrigerant in a dictionary, you’d probably come across a definition like this:

re·frig·er·ant: noun 1. A substance used for refrigeration.

Not terribly informative or helpful, is it? If you’re curious about what the refrigerant in your home’s air conditioning system is, how it actually provides cooling, and why it’s so important, we’re here to give the dictionary a bit of help.

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Replace Your Old AC with a High-Efficiency Unit!

Monday, April 30th, 2018

air-conditioner-money-saverYou’ve had your current air conditioner for more than ten years. Maybe more than fifteen or twenty. It’s just not working as well as it used to, or it’s started to run up astronomical bills each summer. Maybe it’s breaking down frequently and needs repair to keep it hobbling on. Or you might feel it’s time to retire it before all of those things start happening.

That’s great! Replacing your old air conditioner can significantly improve your life during summer, not to mention keep your electrical bills under control. You also have some excellent new options for air conditioners that are better than your old system was even when it was new. We recommend you look into a high-efficiency air conditioning unit.

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Summer Problems You’ll Avoid Thanks to Spring AC Maintenance

Monday, April 16th, 2018

service-markerWe always encourage our customers to schedule spring air conditioning maintenance with us. We don’t want to be a pest about this, but it is extremely important to have these inspections and tune-ups done each year before the big summer heat and humidity arrives. There are many reasons why air conditioning maintenance is such an important job, and we’re going to look at a few specific problems an AC that doesn’t have spring maintenance done might run into.

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How to Shut Down Your AC at the End of the Season

Monday, October 30th, 2017

ice-on-acEventually, your air conditioning system is going to shut down for the rest of the year. The cold settles in for winter, and it won’t be until spring arrives that you’ll turn on your cooling system once more. But you can’t simply trust that your AC will leap to life next year, fresh from a winter nap and ready to get to work once more. Air conditioners don’t work that way! You’ll need to schedule maintenance for it in spring, the same way we encourage homeowners now to schedule maintenance for their heating systems.

And there are a few steps you can take now to help your AC shut down for the season and remain in good condition over its winter break. You can call on us if you need any other air conditioning service in Benton, LA or elsewhere in our service area.

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Consider Going Ductless for Your Next AC Installation

Monday, September 4th, 2017

behold-a-ductless-mini-splitThe fall is an ideal time to take care of HVAC installations in your home, both heating and cooling. The period between the harshest weather of the year allows you to take stock of your home’s comfort needs without feeling rushed. It’s also a good time to take advantage of the slower schedules of HVAC professionals, who aren’t under the burden of handling numerous AC or heating emergency repair calls.

So as we wrap up another hot and humid summer here in Louisiana, we encourage you to think about whether it’s time to retire your current cooling system and have a new air conditioner installed. If you think that, yes, 2017 is the year when you have a new AC put in, then you might want to think about the possibility of going with a ductless air conditioning system. Our technicians are experienced with working with ductless mini split systems, and they’re glad to help you make the choice and take on the installation duties.

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