Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

The Moldy AC—It Happens!

Monday, July 29th, 2019

virus-cellsNobody likes talking about mold in homes. It’s icky and unpleasant. And, in the case of black mold, it’s downright dangerous. Unfortunately, living in a humid place like Florida means we have to confront the reality of mold and mildew sometimes cropping up in our homes. A good defense is the best way to keep these troubles away.

Our expertise when it comes to unwanted mold is when the mold occurs inside a home’s air conditioning system. This can happen, and happen more often than anybody would like. For a number of reasons, ACs can encounter bad mold and mildew problems, which hinder their ability to function, send awful smells around a house, and even spread black mold spores everywhere.

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Why Won’t My AC Keep Up With the Heat and Humidity?

Monday, July 15th, 2019

man-in-front-of-fanMid-summer heat can be tough to bear in North Central Florida. The combination of high temperatures and high relative humidity means sweat and plenty of it. Fortunately, if your house has a quality central air conditioning system able to handle the high temperatures, you’ll have a fantastic oasis to escape from the worst conditions of the summer.

Unless…

And that unless is why we have this post. You may discover your air conditioning system can’t keep up with this summer’s heat and humidity. You can hear it running, feel cool air coming from the vents, but it’s just not enough. The house is too hot and stuffy. What’s going on?

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Raise the Thermostat Setting This Summer! (Yes, Really)

Monday, July 1st, 2019

woman-is-coolIt’s midday during the hottest part of the summer in Florida. Outside the temperature is above 90°F the relative humidity is more than 80%. And yet we’re recommending you raise the setting on your thermostat? You might think we’ve lost our minds.

But we’re not telling you to turn on your heating. What we’re recommending is to go against the first instinct you’ll have when the outdoor temperatures soar, which is to turn the thermostat down as low as possible because this will give you more cooling, or faster cooling. This isn’t what happens, however. Finding a higher temperature for your indoor comfort on hot days is not only a way to save energy and spare your air conditioner extra work stress, but also a way to enjoy greater comfort and convenience.

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Going on Summer Vacation? Tips for What to Do With Your AC

Monday, June 17th, 2019

summer-vacation-dogSummer is here, and you’re planning a summer trip. Although you have plenty on your mind about what to pack and how to plan, there are a few things at home you’ll need to think about before you go. One of these is your air conditioning in Lake City, FL. Is it better to shut the entire system off while you’re on the trip to save energy? Or should you let it stay on?

At first, it sounds odd to leave the AC on while you’re away from your home for more than a day. That’s just a waste of energy when nobody is in the house to enjoy the cooled air. If saving energy is your main concern, then shutting off the air conditioner is the best choice. However, in many situations, we recommend keeping the air conditioning system on—although with the thermostat at a higher temperature.

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My AC Is Running Constantly—What’s Wrong?

Monday, May 20th, 2019

air-conditioner-maintenance-tools

When the summer heat ramps up in Florida, it can be searingly hot. On some days it may feel as if you have to run your air conditioning system constantly.

But there’s a difference in needing to keep your air conditioner on and your air conditioner’s compressor never cycling down. When the compressor just continues to run and run, then there’s something wrong. The compressor is designed to run through cooling cycles, which is why under normal circumstances you’ll hear the compressor kick in periodically during the day. When it never shuts off, you probably need air conditioning repair in Lake City, FL from professionals.

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How and When to Change the AC Filter

Monday, May 6th, 2019

pleated-air-filter

Spring air conditioning maintenance helps your cooling system to run at higher efficiency and avoid air conditioning repair in Alachua, FL. It also extends the service life of the system.

A professional does most of the maintenance during a scheduled visit. But there are a few maintenance tasks you’ll have to do on your own during the summer and fall, and the most important is changing the air filter in the HVAC system. This filter is what protects the inside of the air conditioner from dust and lint the blower fan draws through the intake ducts. The professional will change the filter during maintenance, but after that, you’ll need to make the periodic filter change yourself.

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A Helpful AC Tip to Clean the Condensate Drain

Monday, April 22nd, 2019

water-dropletsIt’s time to get down to the nitty gritty of your air conditioning system. It’s about to shoulder an immense amount of work as the hot and humid season in Florida settles in, and you don’t want it to go up against the heat without the proper preparations.

One of the essential  air conditioning services in Lake City, FL to schedule is professional preventive maintenance. Nothing is better at fixing up an AC for another summer. Our Energy Savings Agreement is the fast, easy, and affordable way to set this up.

But once the professional maintenance inspection and tune-up is done, there are a few maintenance jobs you can do over the season, such as changing the air filter and cleaning the condensate drain—which we’re going to examine below.

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Do I Need an HVAC Expert to Help Select a New Air Conditioner?

Monday, April 8th, 2019

ac-techniciansShopping for a new central air conditioning system for your home is hard to compare to most other types of shopping. It might not be as stressful as buying a new car, or as expensive, but with a new car there are many different models that would suit you, and personal preference is one of the most important criteria in making a final choice. With an air conditioner, there’s a narrow number of units that will do the job necessary, and choosing the wrong one means a house that isn’t comfortable and utility bills much higher than necessary.

You absolutely need a Lake City, FL, HVAC professional to help you to find a central air conditioner for a new installation. Trying to go it alone can end up creating major problems.

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Is It Too Early to Think About AC Maintenance?

Monday, February 25th, 2019

air-conditioner-unit-being-repairedMost HVAC contractors recommend their customers schedule maintenance for their air conditioning systems during the spring. This fits the maintenance in at an ideal time, when the weather is starting to warm up but isn’t yet warm enough to make an AC necessary. HVAC contractors are less busy in this period, making scheduling simple.

The situation is a bit different in Florida. The official start of spring isn’t until the third week of March, but our weather can warm up much faster with higher humidity. It’s a good idea to be prepped for hot conditions starting in April.

So if you’re already thinking about arranging for AC maintenance here in late February—that’s good! We think it’s best to arrange for your regular maintenance before the rush of other homeowners who realize the weather is starting to turn hot.

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Can a Ductless System Manage the Heat?

Monday, November 19th, 2018

ductless-system-with-technicianAre you looking to make a change in your home’s air conditioning in Gainesville, FL? As we move into the cooler weather at the end of the year, it’s a good time to make changes and upgrades to an aging cooling system, or one that was struggling with the basics of a Florida summer. There’s never a bad time to improve a cooling system in Florida’s weather, since more heat could always be around the corner. But late fall and winter offer the opportunity to sneak in a new installation when there are far fewer hot days.

If a new AC is on your end-of-year shopping list, you may already have considered going ductless. Ductless mini split systems are becoming more popular for home comfort each year. You may feel uncertain, however, about making the change. Can a ductless system really keep you as cool as you need?

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