Removing the Mystery From SEER Ratings

April 10, 2023

It can be a challenge searching through all the air conditioner brand options available in O’Fallon. It would be best to find a brand that works well for your region’s climate and the size of your home. Other factors to consider are tax rebates, energy savings, and performance levels. However, one of the primary factors and, often, one of the most confusing is determining the SEER rating of your air conditioner. This post will highlight what you should know about SEER ratings and how they impact air conditioner performance. What Is a SEER Rating? SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) measures how efficiently an air conditioner functions. It takes a complicated concept and transmits it in easy-to-understand and smaller numbers. You will usually find the SEER rating on a yellow sticker on the exterior of a unit. First, you will see the term “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio.” Then, underneath it, a larger number will tell you the rating of the air conditioner you wish to purchase. And underneath that, you will see a scale indicating where the unit sits when compared with similar models of air conditioners. The SEER guide system was created in conjunction with legislation passed in the late...

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8 Signs Your Mini Split Needs Maintenance

March 20, 2023

Mini-splits are heating and cooling units that do not require air vents or ducts to circulate heated or conditioned air in your home. These systems are becoming increasingly popular among many homeowners due to their ease of installation, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. However, like any other home appliance, mini-splits need routine maintenance to keep them in good condition and maintain optimum performance. Neglecting mini-split maintenance can result in higher energy bills, decreased performance, and even premature system breakdown. Experts recommend getting your mini-split checked and maintained annually by an HVAC expert. The good news is that ductless mini-splits are not maintenance-intensive. Regular upkeep and yearly maintenance can help keep your mini-split in good shape and extend its service life. Below are eight tell-tale signs your home’s mini-split needs maintenance. 1. Short-Cycling Short cycling is when your mini-split unit shuts down before a cooling or heating cycle is finished. As a result, your ductless unit will keep turning off and on frequently, making your home less comfortable. Common culprits behind mini-split short-cycling include low refrigerant levels and electrical faults. This problem may also occur due to a malfunctioning thermostat or dirty air filters. Additionally, if you have recently installed a mini-split,...

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Prepare for Cold Weather with These Winterizing Tips

December 20, 2022

Like it or not, cold temps are on their way. It’s smart to winterize your house to get ready for a safe, cozy, and comfortable season. With the help of the pros, you can prepare your house and your family for the chilly weather to come. 1. Tune-up Your Heating System The last thing you want on a cold winter’s day is for your furnace to go down. Do your best to avoid that issue by scheduling furnace maintenance at the start of the season. During a furnace tune-up, a technician will look over your heating system to check whether everything is in order. The service might include cleaning the system, lubricating the components, and tightening the connections. The technician will also test the unit to ensure that everything is in proper working order. That way, you can catch small issues before they turn into major repair needs. Not only will that improve your chances of staying warm all winter, but it may also save you money. Whether your home is heated by a furnace, a heat pump, or a geothermal system, it’s smart to schedule a tune-up before the heating season is in full swing. While you’re at it,...

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Air Conditioning and Humidity in Your Home

July 15, 2022

If you’ve noticed that your home feels sticky or damp, you may be experiencing high humidity levels. High humidity levels can be caused by a few different things, including the weather, but if your home feels muggy, it’s a good idea to make sure that your air conditioning system is running properly and working the way it should be. High humidity levels in the home can often be a sign that your air conditioning system is failing. Can an AC System Cause High Humidity Levels? Generally, air conditioning systems should help to dehumidify your home, as opposed to increasing humidity in the home. If your home feels stickier or more humid than normal, it could be a sign that a key component of the system has failed or that the air conditioning unit isn’t working efficiently. Most air conditioning systems work by pushing warm air over a series of coils located in the main air conditioning unit. These coils quickly cool the air, and that air is brought back into the home through vents, fans, and ducts, cooling each room to the proper temperature. As the warm air passes over the coils and cools, water vapor in the air also...

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A Guide to Get Started With HVAC Dampers

June 20, 2022

Updated August 23, 2024 An HVAC damper is a device that regulates the airflow in and out of your home. It’s used in heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. It’s important to understand how they work and what they’re used for to maintain your system and keep it running efficiently. A damper is usually placed near the end of each duct run and has three positions: closed, half-open, and fully open. The closed position blocks airflow completely, while the half-open allows only partial airflow. The fully open position allows maximum airflow out of the ductwork. Contact Us for AC Service Today! When Can You Open and Close the HVAC Damper? The short answer is that you can open and close anytime the temperature in your home or building needs to be altered, according to in O’Fallon, MO, where the temperature fluctuates dramatically. The longer answer is that you should open or close your HVAC damper when the outdoor air temperature is higher or lower than the indoor air. Opening the damper allows more fresh air, lowering its temperature as it passes through the building’s ducts. Closing down the damper restricts airflow outside, forcing your heating or cooling system to work harder....

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Learn Why Your AC Is Leaking Water

May 18, 2022

An AC comes in handy when dealing with the hot summer climate. It’s one of the best ways to keep your home cool and comfortable. However, over time, you have to deal with repairs and maintenance issues, especially if it is nearing the end of its life cycle. One of the main problems you should be ready to deal with is a leaking air conditioner. If not handled on time, this small problem can evolve into other issues, including mold growth, damaged walls and ceilings, and wet floors, not to mention the poor performance of your AC. To understand why your AC is leaking water, you need to know how an AC works. How Does an AC Work? The first thing you need to know about air conditioners is that they don’t cool the air; they remove indoor heat and transfer it outside. Among other components, the unit works via filtered return vents, an evaporator coil, and a condenser. The return vents suck the warm, humid air from living spaces and blow it over the evaporator coil. The heat is absorbed by the refrigerant, turning it into a hot gas. Free of humidity and heat, the air is then blown...

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6 Ways To Assess Your New Home’s Heating and Cooling Systems

March 16, 2022

When you purchase a home, there’s always a little uncertainty about what you’re getting, especially if it’s not a new construction. At the top of that list of things that could go wrong are typically the roof and the heating and cooling system. The roof is normally included in the pre-purchase inspection, but the HVAC system may not get that much attention. Given that, consider these six ways to assess the condition of your new home’s heating and cooling system. 1. Review Your System’s Service Life When it comes to evaluating your new home’s HVAC system, you can get a good sense of where it’s at by assessing its current age. The average air conditioner will serve your home for about 10 to 15 years while a furnace may last 15 to 20 years, both with proper maintenance. If you don’t have the paperwork from when your system’s components were installed, you can easily find it on the unit itself. The easiest one to find is the air conditioner. There should be a nameplate on the unit’s housing, which will include the date that it was manufactured. The furnace can be a bit more tricky because you’ll be looking for...

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6 Reasons for Hiring Licensed HVAC Professionals

March 2, 2022

HVAC refers to systems that transport cooled or heated air throughout a home or commercial property to maintain comfortable temperatures for the occupants. An HVAC contractor’s work is to install, maintain, repair, regulate, and upgrade these climate control systems so that the residents can enjoy acceptable air quality and thermal comfort. Cooling and heating tasks aren’t DIY tasks, so it’s important to work with a licensed HVAC professional to make sure everything gets done right. If you have a furnace, air conditioner, heat pump, or air ducts needing repair, maintenance, or installation, you need to call in an experienced contractor to help you with the task at hand. Saving money is important for homeowners and business owners. So, there’s always the temptation to handle the tasks yourself or engage the cheapest contractor to save some cash. However, you might end up with regrets and losses later if that individual doesn’t install, fix, or upgrade the unit the right way. Here are more reasons to hire a licensed contractor for all of your cooling and heating needs. 1. Skills and Tools Licensed HVAC professionals have something you don’t have: training in HVAC care and maintenance and years of experience. The many...

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How to Prepare Your House for Winter Weather

November 17, 2021

The winter weather can do all sorts of damage to a house if it hasn’t been adequately prepared. Fortunately, there are some things that homeowners can do to ensure that their house can withstand the chilly months. Here’s how to prepare your house for winter weather. Make Sure Your Heat Turns On Because most people don’t use their heat once it starts to warm up outside, they may not notice that there’s some sort of issue with it until they try to turn it on during the winter. This is why it’s a good idea to test your heat before the temperatures start to dip outside. Make sure it turns on, and let it run for a few minutes so that you can determine if it’s working properly. If it isn’t, you should call HVAC technicians as soon as possible so that they can figure out what the issue is. You don’t want to be stuck with a chilly house simply because you forgot to make sure that your heat was working properly. Remove Leaves From Your Gutters It’s not uncommon for all of those leaves that fall off of your trees in the fall to end up in your...

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How Efficient is Geothermal Heating?

March 10, 2021

Heating your home during the cold O’Fallon winters can often come at a pretty steep price in terms of your utility bill. On especially cold days, it can seem like your furnace never stops running, using lots of electricity or natural gas in the process. While it’s important to keep your home warm during the winter for the comfort of your family and the safety of your plumbing pipes, doing so doesn’t have to be expensive or inefficient. In fact, one option, geothermal heating, provides exceptional efficiencies to the point that you’ll wonder why you ever heated your home any other way. At , we’re proud to be able to install these exceptional systems, and we want to tell you more about them to see if one could be right for you. What Is a Geothermal Heating System? A geothermal heating system is a high-efficiency heating and cooling system. The system uses a series of pipes buried under the ground that is filled with refrigerant to transfer energy from under the ground to the interior of your home. Inside your home, a geothermal system has a unit that changes the temperature of the refrigerant to thereby change its pressure to...

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