How an A/C Tune-Up Turns Back Time

How an A/C Tune-Up Turns Back Time

The parts and connections within your air conditioning system can loosen while it takes a breather during the heating season. Plus, while it’s not in use, dust collects on vital components. These are the natural processes that any kind of equipment would experience over time. However, the most important step you can take to remove these equipment “age spots” is to schedule a tune-up on your cooling system as you prepare for a hot summer.

Not only can a tune-up reset your equipment to its earlier high-performing condition, it can also bring out hidden problems that are increasing your energy costs and creating potential health and safety issues.  By doing so, tune-ups often pay for themselves many times over through energy savings as well as avoiding future repairs and improving indoor air quality. 

The federal Energy Star program says that your typical maintenance checkup for your

cooling system should include the following:

•      Check thermostat settings to ensure consistent, energy-efficient cooling.
•      Tighten electrical connections, measure voltage and current on motors. As electrical connections become faulty, you can’t be assured safe operation. Plus, your major components will likely wear out sooner.
•       Lubricate all moving parts. Otherwise, these parts can cause friction and increase your electrical usage.
•       Check and inspect the condensate drain. Plugged drains can cause water damage and impact humidity levels – affecting both comfort and respiratory health.
•       Check your system controls to make sure it starts, operates and shuts off properly.
•       Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. When coils are dirty, the system has to run longer, which increases energy costs, reduces the life of the equipment and affects your comfort.
•       Check refrigerant level. Too much or too little refrigerant makes systems less efficient.
•        Clean and adjust blower components. Airflow problems can reduce system efficiency by up to 15 percent – and make it hard for you to stay comfortable.

To schedule your tune-up, let us hear from you.

Who to Hire: What to Look for in Home Contractors

When you invite someone in your home to make a repair or install a new piece of equipment, you begin with a list of questions. Among them, you will want to know:  Is the contractor honest and ethical? Will he do quality work and install quality equipment? Will he be timely, punctual and follow up on issues that could arise later?  

The Federal Trade Commission is well aware of the trouble homeowners find when they hire a disreputable contractor to perform services. Accordingly, they provide information at ftc.gov that guides homeowners on how to make this important decision. The first recommendation is:

Do Your Research

·         Check with friends, neighbors or co-workers who’ve used the contractor.

·         If you can, take a look at the work done and ask about their experience. Check for qualifications.

·         Look at websites you trust that post ratings and reviews. Do people seem to have similar experiences, good or bad? You also can check out a contractor’s online reputation by searching for the company’s name with words like “scam,” “rip-off” or “complaint.”

·         Find out how long they’ve been in business. Look for an established company whose record and reputation you can check out.

As you proceed, get written estimates. However, the FTC says, “Don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder. Ask for an explanation to see if there’s a reason for the difference in price.”

Signs of a Home Improvement Scam

How can you tell if a contractor might not be reputable? The FTC says you may not want to do business with someone who:

•                knocks on your door for business or offers you discounts for finding other customers

•                just happens to have materials left over from a previous job

•                pressures you for an immediate decision

•                only accepts cash, asks you to pay everything up-front or suggests you borrow money from a lender the contractor knows

•                asks you to get the required building permits

•                doesn’t list a business number in the local telephone directory

We’d be happy to answer any questions about the services we provide. Schedule an appointment or learn more about RC Mechanical, Inc. here.

Why We're Here

Most of you don’t call us just because you feel like chatting (unless our moms are reading this blog). Most of you get in touch with us because you have something on your mind. We’re glad that you do. 

We want to know whatever problem you’re experiencing with your home comfort, because we want to help solve it. That’s why we’re here. It’s to serve customers who want to be comfortable indoors, who want to breathe clean indoor air and who want to save on their energy bills.

We’re part of the air conditioning and heating industry for a reason. And it’s not because we’re afraid of hard work. This kind of residential contracting work that takes us into attics, basements and all other parts of the home on really hot days can get quite messy. But that is not a problem for us.

In fact, we like knowing that we’re going to make your life better and a lot more comfortable by the time we’re done with our service or installation. After all, it sure does feel great to restore someone’s air conditioning system on a very hot day – and see the relief on their face when they feel the relief in their cool home.

So, if we can ever be of service to you, besure to let us know. We’re happy to help.

Why Your Air Conditioning System Needs Prep Work for Summer’s Long, Hot Run

If you’ve never jogged a mile in your life, how well do you think you’d do in a marathon? Could be a struggle, wouldn’t you expect? Maybe some huffing and puffing and conking out before the finish line?

Well, your air conditioning system is about to launch into a serious marathon through the summer months. And unless you want it to huff and puff and conk out before the cool temperatures return, you’d be wise to get your system ready. 

Great athletes know that they can’t jump into their sport of choice and take home gold medals just when it’s convenient. They’ve got to prepare for the long run. Similarly, your air conditioning system needs some prep work to make sure it’s ready for the endurance test it’s facing.  

After a very cold winter across the country, we’re heading into a really hot summer, and you can expect your air conditioning system to see heavy action during the scorching days ahead. Your best bet for preparation is preventive maintenance, which can help you detect potential problems before they occur – while also improving your system’s energy efficiency.

Without preventive maintenance, the odds increases that your air conditioning system will lose its strength as it works harder and harder each day. With preventive maintenance, you can save money on energy bills while also helping avoid inconvenient repairs and shortened equipment life.

What does prep work involve? Your check-up checklist will include checking refrigerant levels; inspecting and cleaning coils; checking and tightening electrical connections; oiling parts and motors; checking blowers and grilles for clear air flow; testing and calibrating your thermostat; and changing or cleaning air filters.

Because your systems are sealed for their protection and your safety, only professional service personnel should conduct this thorough annual service. We’d be honored to have you trust your system to us. Let us hear from you

Being Uncomfortable Is a Matter of Degrees

Thermostat settings on your air conditioning system are most times directed by personal preference as well as energy savings preference. For example, the Energy Star program recommends a setting of 78 degrees for conserving energy and staying comfortable while you’re in the home – plus, programming your thermostat for higher temperatures when you’re away during the day.  Others might be more comfortable at 75 degrees, or lower. Again, it’s a balance between your personal comfort and your desire to save on energy usage.

Then there are those other very unfortunate times when the temperatures in your house are not at all what you want them to be. And with growing discomfort, you watch those temperatures inside your house rise to 80, 85, 88… Not good. Not good at all.

However, there’s one solution we recommend as your best option to avoid this scenario. Please take a moment and look at this report:

Why Your Air Conditioning System Needs Prep Work for Summer’s Long, Hot Run. 

Questions You’d Like to Ask Your Furnace

Do you ever get the feeling that your old furnace has a mind of its own? Sometimes it probably seems that way. These older models do appear to get more and more stubborn over time – not unlike the rest of us!

It’s as if all you’re asking is, “Can we have a little heat?” And they say, “Wait and see.”  Worse, they refuse to do what you ask, which is simply, “Will you keep me warm this winter and save on my energy bills?”

As your household systems age, how they answer these questions become less and less of a sure thing. In many cases, you can count on more and more unwelcome repairs, plus a larger use of energy. When you add it all up, oftentimes a replacement makes the most sense for your budget as well as your comfort.

If you’re in that decision-making mode about your new furnace, this free report, Making the Case When Your Furnace Doesn’t Make the Grade, tells you what to look for when it’s time to replace. Read and learn more.

Making the Case When Your Furnace Doesn’t Make the Grade

It’s a common question for a common experience. When your home heating system is getting past its prime, when you find that your comfort isn’t what it used to be, when energy bills appear higher than they should be and when you’ve had to call for repairs on multiple occasions… that’s the time homeowners ask, “Should I replace my furnace? Or should I shell out more for repairs?”

Your home comfort system is a significant part of your home – not just representing a portion of your overall investment, but also claiming about half of your energy costs each month. So, the equipment itself as well as its operational efficiency are integral to your family finances.

When making the case for replacement rather than repair, what should you consider? Energy Star, a program of the federal government, suggests that you first take into consideration the age of your equipment.

If your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, or if your furnace or boiler is more than 15 years old, that’s the time to consider replacing your system with home comfort equipment that has earned the Energy Star label. High efficiency heat pumps can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs over the units they replace. Energy Star-qualified furnaces are 15% more efficient than conventional furnaces. Or, if you have a boiler, consider replacing it with an ENERGY STAR qualified boiler that is 5% more efficient than a new, standard model.

What else should you consider?

·         If your equipment needs frequent repairs and/or your energy bills are going up, your cooling or heating equipment may have become less efficient.

·         If some rooms in your home are too hot or too cold, improper equipment operation, duct problems or inadequate insulation could be the cause.

·         If your home has humidity problems, this could be caused by poor equipment operation, inadequate equipment and leaky ductwork that leave the air too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer.

·         If your home has excessive dust, that’s not just a sign of poor housekeeping. Leaky ducts can pull particles and air from attics, crawl spaces and basements and distribute them throughout your house. Sealing your ducts may be a solution.

Let us help you get a complete picture of energy use in your home. Schedule your energy analysis today. Just call or email and mention this offer, and we’ll take care of you.