Air conditioning manufacturers have yet to invent an air conditioner with a complete artificial intelligence system that can analyze malfunctions and immediately report them to you with advice on action to take. (“I am leaking refrigerant and need a professional recharge.”) Although we may one day see this sort of technology, for the moment we will have to go with the best warning signs that an AC can give: unusual sounds. Below are 3 sounds you shouldn’t hear from your air conditioner. Call for repairs whenever you notice these sounds and don’t delay!
1. Hissing
No, your air conditioner isn’t showing disapproval of something you’ve done. What it is doing is signaling that high-pressure refrigerant is escaping somewhere inside it. This is a serious condition that will have major consequences for the system unless it is fixed. The refrigerant charge must remain at a fixed level for the AC to work correctly; when the charge drops because of a leak, the air conditioner’s cooling power will also drop. Worse, it can cause icing along with the coils or even severe damage to the compressor, which can cause the system to breakdown completely. Call on professionals to find and seal the leak, then recharge the refrigerant.
2. Clicking on start-up
If your AC has difficulty starting its cooling cycle and makes clicking noises as it comes on, then it is probably “hard-starting.” A number of malfunctions can cause this, but all of them need to have immediate professional attention before they do harm to the compressor or cause one of the motors to burn out.
3. Shrieking
This usually means that the bearings on one of the motors are wearing down. The bearings will need to be replaced—or very soon the whole motor will need replacement. Don’t open the AC cabinet yourself and attempt to find the issue. This work requires trained air conditioning technicians.
It is important that you never dismiss any of these warning signs. An AC that is neglected will usually be an AC that’s broken—or at the very least one that’s draining power unnecessarily.
For fast repairs for air conditioning in Pflugerville, TX, call on Intelligent Air Services any time of the day or night.
A lot of people try to save money and time by only calling a professional when their air conditioner develops a problem. This is fueled by the belief that if the air conditioner doesn’t have an obvious problem, then it is a waste of time to call a professional to examine it. Unfortunately, this belief is untrue.
By neglecting preventive maintenance for your air conditioner, you are actually increasing the likelihood of expensive repairs that you otherwise wouldn’t have to pay for. Read on to find out why you need to schedule air conditioning maintenance today.
As your air conditioning system gets older, its various parts will begin to accumulate wear and tear. As the parts wear out, they will slowly start to lose effectiveness. If you wait to conduct any sort of maintenance, those parts will eventually break down completely. Before that happens, though, your system will become less and less efficient. This will lead to it having to be on longer to accomplish the same output, which will waste money.
Conducting preventive maintenance at least once a year will allow your HVAC technician to identify and fix any parts that are dragging down the rest of the system. If any parts are on the verge of breaking down, they can be replaced before they have the chance to cause further damage to the air conditioner. This is especially important during spring. Conducting your preventive maintenance during spring ensures that your air conditioner is in the best possible shape, right before the season where it will see the most use. If there are any problems developing in your system, unbeknownst to you, then the added strain of operating during summer will almost certainly make them worse. Preventive maintenance prevents that from happening.
Waiting to have your air conditioner examined until it breaks down does not save you money. In fact, it often results in you having to spend more money to repair or replace a system that could have been saved by preventive maintenance.
If you haven’t scheduled preventive maintenance for your air conditioner in the past year, call Intelligent Air Services. We provide air conditioning maintenance in Kyle, TX and throughout the Austin metro area.
In a perfect world, heaters would last forever and never need to be replaced. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. You can and should take excellent care of your heater, in an effort to make it last as long as possible. No matter what you do, however, you will eventually have to have it replaced. The key then is to be able to recognize when you need a new heating installation. Let’s take a look at some of the signs that you should replace your heater with a new one.
Your heating bills are going to rise and fall naturally month to month, as your demand fluctuates. That’s not what we’re talking about here, though. If you notice your heating bills consistently rising over the months, it’s a sign that your heating system is losing efficiency. This could be the result of a specific problem within the system, but taken with the other signs in this list it’s a good indication that the heater needs to be replaced.
The same accumulation of wear and tear that causes an increase in heating bills will eventually cause an increase in repair cost and frequency. As a system reaches the end of its life, the cumulative effect of years of wear and tear will cause multiple parts to start failing in rapid succession. This can result in your heating system requiring repairs every few months. If you need to have your heating system repaired every few months, you should just save money on future repairs by replacing it entirely.
Every heating system has an estimated lifespan, usually established by its manufacturer. If you don’t know your heating system’s estimated lifespan, a good rule of thumb is to evaluate its health at 15 years. If your heating system is older than 15 years old, it is probably very close to the end of its life. If it’s younger than that, you might be able to get a few more years out of it with proper care.
If you have any questions about whether you should replace your heater, contact Intelligent Air Services. We provide heating installation services in Leander and throughout the Austin area.
When you take your car in for a maintenance check, the technician will often ask whether you would like a new air filter. When an air filter becomes clogged with dirt, the car is no longer fuel-efficient. As it turns out, this is the same for a furnace. A furnace filter does not exist solely to improve the air quality in your home. In fact, filters were not first added to furnaces for this purpose.
Find out more about the damages that may occur with a clogged air filter in this guide, and call Intelligent Air Services when you notice trouble with your furnace in Austin, TX.
Furnace Filters
Originally, furnace filters were added on in order to keep the unit from becoming damaged. The blower fan of your unit sucks in air from your home and moves it into the system so that it can heat up before returning to the home. If debris were to get into the unit as the air was sucked in, it could get into the fan motor, block the heat exchanger, or even present a fire hazard in some cases. Hence, it was decided that a filter would be an appropriate means of controlling it.
But if the filter becomes too clogged with dust and debris, this can also present some problems. The main issue is that there is not enough air moving into the unit. If air cannot easily pass through the filter, the necessary airflow is hindered. The system is designed to accommodate a certain amount of air. Without enough air blowing past the heat exchanger, the furnace plenum could become overheated.
If the plenum of your furnace were to become overheated, it wouldn’t be a safety issue. In most cases, a safety switch takes over—called the furnace limit switch—and it shuts off the system in order to protect your home when the temperature in the plenum is above a preset setting. Of course, this means you are without heat. Your system may start up again once the unit cools down, or you may need a technician to come to check it out.
Take preventive action by changing your filter every couple of months. And call Intelligent Air Services today for repairs and more for furnaces in the Austin, TX area
What would you say if I told you that right now, as you read this, you’re inhaling millions of microscopic airborne pollutants?
If you’re reading this from home, that’s probably the case. The air inside the average home is absolutely full of contaminants, from dust and dander to viruses and bacteria. Several of them are lung irritants, provoking allergy attacks and hay fever. Others, like viruses, can infect people and cause more serious illness. In order to combat these pollutants, it’s best to make use of an air purifier in your home. Let’s take a look at some of the air purifiers available on the market, and the pros and cons of each.
Filters are air purifiers that basically “strain” particulates out of the air, capturing them as the air flows through the device. They are largely passive in their operation, simply a fiber mesh stretched over a frame. Despite their simple natures, however, filters can be quite effective air purifiers. HEPA filters, for example, are so closely woven that they can capture individual virus and bacteria cells. They are so effective that they are often used in hospitals to maintain sterile environments. They can be installed as portable or whole house units.
Electronic air purifiers, also called ionization filters, are devices that utilize electromagnetism to capture contaminants. The device creates an electric field around itself during operation. When particles pass through this field, they contract a negative charge. The negatively charged particles are then attracted to positively charged metal plates in the purifier, and stick to them. The plates can then be removed, cleaned, and replaced.
Germicidal lights are a bit different from other air purifiers, in that they don’t physically remove anything from the air. Instead, they bathe the area around themselves in ultraviolet light. This sterilizes or kills many of the germs commonly found in a home’s air supply, making your air safer to breathe. Germicidal lights are a great option for people who find themselves getting sick often.
If you’d like to know more about air purifiers, call Intelligent Air Services. We provide air purifier services throughout Austin, TX.
Short-cycling is one of the most damaging behaviors that a furnace can experience, causing all sorts of problems in other parts of the system and increasing the chance of a complete breakdown. It is characterized by the system rapidly turning itself on and off over and over again for a long period of time. Let’s take a look at what the causes of short-cycling are, and how you can prevent it from happening.
Short-cycling is caused by the furnace overheating, which activates a safety device called the “limit switch.” The limit switch shuts down the entire system to prevent it from damaging itself by overheating, but it doesn’t actually address the cause of the overheating. The limit switch is simply a stopgap measure, designed to preserve the health of the furnace as much as possible until the source of the overheating can be fixed. Once the furnace has cooled down sufficiently, it will reactivate in response to the thermostat. It will then overheat again, provoking the limit switch and starting the whole cycle over again. If the source of the overheating isn’t found and fixed right away, this prolonged cycle of turning on and off can cause extreme damage to parts of the furnace. The heat exchanger can develop cracks from the strain, causing a fire risk and releasing combustion gases into the ducts.
The most common cause of short-cycling is actually one of the easiest furnace problems to fix. All furnaces include an air filter in their air return ducts, designed to protect the system from dust and debris that might otherwise damage it. If not cleaned or replaced every couple of months, however, the air filter will become so clogged with dust that it will prevent the flow of air into the furnace. This causes the internal temperature of the furnace to steadily rise, kicking off the whole short-cycling problem. The easiest way to prevent short-cycling, therefore, is to have your furnace air filter changed at least once every other month.
If you think your furnace may be in need of repair, call Intelligent Air Services. We provide heating repair services throughout Lakeway
With so many DIY classes, shows and kits available to homeowners, it can seem like just about any home repair can be handled by doing it yourself.
Unfortunately, this isn’t really true, especially when it comes to whole-home systems like your heating. This is because whole-home systems are complex, electro-mechanical devices that require training, expertise and knowledge for a successful repair. The trained and certified professionals at Intelligent Air Services bring years of experience to each and every job, so if you are in need of heating repair for your Cedar Park home, call us today!
Items Homeowners Can Do for Their Heating
There are a couple of things homeowners can do to help keep a furnace healthy. The first is to change the air filter every three months. When air filters become clogged, they can cause all kinds of problems for your heating system, so do yourself and your system a favor and change it regularly. Another thing homeowners can do for their furnaces is schedule regular maintenance. Maintenance keeps your system running optimally and efficiently, so it’s important to schedule maintenance every 12 months. Lastly, just stay aware: strange sounds, strange noises, poor performance and sudden spikes in energy usage typically mean a problem has developed with your system. If you see these signs, don’t ignore them; instead, call an expert for help.
So Why Shouldn’t I Repair My Furnace?
If you are still thinking you want to try and repair your own furnace, bear these factors in mind:
- Mistakes cost money – the whole point of doing things yourself is to save money; however, if you don’t have the expertise needed, you may actually incur more costs by making mistakes as you endeavor to repair your furnace.
- Safety concerns – your furnace is a powerful appliance, and if you have a combustion furnace, you will be handling highly flammable fuels. Translation: you could get really hurt, so unless you know what you are doing, call an expert.
- Specialized tools – heating technicians use specialized tools to make repairs; it is likely that you won’t have these tools and won’t have the training necessary to use them.
DIY is great for small jobs around your home, but heating repairs for your Cedar Park home should always be handled by your Intelligent Air Services expert.
Commercial heating isn’t actually that different from home heating in terms of construction and operation. The basic mechanisms are the same, it’s just the scale that is different. As such, many of the signs that indicate a need for repair in a home heating system can be found in commercial heating systems as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the common signs that it’s time for commercial heating repair so that you know when to call a professional.
Commercial heating systems will often make a lot of noise during operation. They’re large machines, after all, tasked with moving a lot of air over a large area. However, there are a few noises that indicate a problem with your commercial heating system. A grinding noise is a common signal that your air handler motor is in trouble. The motor is equipped with bearings to decrease the strain and stress that it is put under every time the heater turns on. As the bearings wear down, the strain on the motor increases. Eventually, the motor will overheat and burn itself out if the bearings aren’t replaced.
A booming sound is also problematic, as it is often a sign of a misfiring burner. This is usually caused by carbon buildup from the combustion process. If not addressed, the buildup could eventually prevent the burner from igniting at all.
Heating bills are always going to be slightly different from month to month. However, if your heating bill starts consistently rising from month to month then you may have a problem. This could be caused by any number of factors, but the most common is simply an accumulation of wear and tear. As parts start to wear down, they will gradually start to lose efficiency. This will lead the system to work longer and longer to accomplish the same heat output, contributing to higher heating bills. Replacing the worn down parts should fix the issue.
If your commercial heating system is having issues, call Intelligent Air Services. We provide commercial heating repair throughout Austin, TX.
Considering our mild winters here in Austin, TX, it can be tough determining when your heater is in need of repairs. Obvious signs like an inability to turn it on are easy enough to diagnose—but not all symptoms are so clear-cut. If you can spot those smaller symptoms, you can get an early jump on the problems they represent, and hopefully save yourself hassle and money in the bargain.
How can you tell you need heating repair? Here are a few telltale signs.
- Low Heat: No heat is fairly obvious, but sometimes a furnace can generate some heat without it being as hot as you’re accustomed to. Clogged burners, low airflow and other possible causes can lie at the bottom of it, but until it’s fixed, your heater will work harder to do its job and your monthly bills will go up.
- Low Air Flow: Perhaps there’s plenty of heat coming from the system, but not a whole lot of airflow. The results are the same: increased strain on the system as it works harder to do its job and higher bills that quickly follow. Furthermore, the trapped air in your furnace could cause other components to overheat.
- Strange Noises: Noises are an obvious sign of a problem. Anything that you don’t recognize as an ordinary part of the system constitutes a strange noise: hums, buzzes, grinding, clanging, or the like.
- Higher Bills: If you’ve noticed, many of the above symptoms result in higher bills. In fact, higher bills themselves could be a symptom of a problem: indicating a hidden component using more energy than it should because of some issue. If your bills go up even though you haven’t used your heater more than normal, it’s a sign of something wrong.
Call Intelligent Air Services for quality heating repair!
Posted in Heating
Electric furnaces have become a popular choice with homeowners over the last few years, in part because of their high energy efficiency and somewhat longer lifespan.
But as with any other heating system, an electric furnace will most likely need some kind of repair at some point. Because of the way they work, there are a couple of electric furnace repairs that are specific to an electric unit. The experts at Intelligent Air Services can handle any kind of furnace repair, whether electric or combustion, so call us when you are in need of heating repair in Lockhart, TX.
Electric furnaces generate heat by a component known as a heating element. This element consists of multiple tightly-wound metal coils that generate heat when electrified. When the air around the heating element reaches the correct temperature, the furnace’s blower turns on and pushes this air into your home’s living spaces via the ductwork.
Electrical
With an electrical furnace, it isn’t uncommon for one of the repairs to be electrical in nature. Sometimes coils in the heating element can malfunction, or the heating element itself malfunctions. The heating element turns on in a sequence, and sometimes this sequence can become problematic. Tripping breakers can occur when there is a short in the system and the furnace draws too much power.
The Blower
The blower assembly has a number of moving parts, including the fan itself, the motor and the fan belt. There is also a ball bearing that helps keep the fan and motor in motion and safety switches that monitor the fan’s operation. Common issues that can develop with the blower assembly are worn fan belts, electrical or operational problems with the motor and bent or lose fan blades.
Low Air Flow
The top reason for low airflow in any furnace is a dirty air filter, and this is true for electric furnaces, too. Clogged air filters restrict the airflow, which can decrease the volume of air reaching your living spaces. Low airflow can also be attributed to issues with the fan.
Your electric furnace needs to supply heat to your entire home, so unless you are an expert, it’s best to leave all heating and furnace repairs for your Lakeway, TX home to the specialists at Intelligent Air Services.