Touchstone Heating & Air Inc Blog | Air Conditioning and Heating Tips

How Heating Maintenance Improves Your Winter Safety—Even in Florida

November 14th, 2022

Each fall, we make it a point to remind our customers to schedule heater maintenance in Wellborn, FL and elsewhere in North Central Florida. It’s easy for people who live in a warm climate to let their home heating needs slip past. There simply isn’t the same urgency in Florida when it comes to winter as there is in a place like Wisconsin. But heating maintenance is still important in our region, and that’s why we make a bit of noise to ensure the homeowners know it’s the time of year to get their heating maintenance appointment on the calendar before the winter.

There are several reasons why these annual inspections and tune-ups for home heating systems are important, even in the Sunshine State. Maintenance ensures the best performance from a heater when necessary, lowers the occurrence of malfunctions, and keeps energy efficiency high. But even without those factors, there’s an important reason to always have heating maintenance … and that’s safety.

Get Ready for the Season Ahead With Heating Maintenance

October 17th, 2022

It’s October, and even if the weather is still warm, this is when we recommend our customers arrange for their annual heater maintenance in Fort White, FL and throughout North Central Florida.

Unfortunately, people often forget the importance of heating maintenance in a place that gets as warm as Florida, but this is an important service, as we’ll explain below.

Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Home’s Air Quality

October 3rd, 2022

Over the past two years, a huge shift has taken place in how people live in their homes. I.e., they live in them a lot more now. With a massive shift to work-from-home, many homeowners have discovered aspects of their houses they didn’t know they needed to change, such as available work space. Many people also found out that their homes have poor air quality.

Low indoor air quality isn’t a new phenomenon, but its effects have become more noticeable as people spend more time in their homes. If you have concerns about your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ), you can start by asking yourself some questions:

After This Summer, It’s Time to Think About Your AC’s Future

September 19th, 2022

The title of this blog may sound melodramatic. But consider how important your home’s air conditioning system is to your comfort during a Florida year. Do you want to have next summer be the one where you abruptly discover that the time to replace your air conditioner was last year? Preparation and planning are key to ensuring uninterrupted comfort and energy-efficient comfort in your home. This post will help with that preparation and planning.

We’ll start with a basic but essential question…

Signs of a Failing Compressor in an AC

September 5th, 2022

The compressor is the literal heart of the AC: it’s what makes refrigerant circulate through the system and go through the process of evaporating and condensing. It’s an extremely powerful component that uses more electricity than any other part of the AC—from 35,000 to 41,000 watts per hour. It’s also an expensive piece to replace if it fails. Homeowners often find it more cost-effective to replace the entire air conditioning system in the case of the burnt-out compressor.

We want to help you avoid running into a problem because of a failed compressor. If you call for AC repair in Madison, FL in time, we can sometimes rescue the compressor and keep your AC working for several more years.

Below are some warning signs of a compressor that’s failing.

How an Old AC Can Become Too Costly (And Not Just in Money)

August 22nd, 2022

We understand that people want to get their money’s worth from their homes’ air conditioning systems, so they’ll try to push those ACs to last as long as possible. But an old air conditioner is a costly thing to have in a home—and not only because it will waste money.

The average service life expectancy of a central AC is 10 to 15 years. When an air conditioner reaches this range or goes beyond it, it will create problems. Below are some of the ways your old AC can be costing you.

Should I Invest in More Expensive Air Filters for My AC?

August 8th, 2022

Purchasing a new air conditioner is a big investment in any home. It is critical that you do what it takes to maintain your AC.

Many factors play a role in that process, such as ensuring that you are buying high-quality air filters (and changing them often enough). The big question, though, is if there really is a difference and a benefit to those really expensive air filters. Or can you go with the least expensive options and do just fine? When it comes to air conditioning in Newberry, FL, the answer to this question is not always as clear as it may seem.

What Happens If I Run My AC Without Its Filter?

July 25th, 2022

We place special emphasis on a maintenance task that homeowners can do on their own to help their air conditioning systems: regularly change the air filter. After a span of one to three months, this filter will pick up enough dust and debris that it will choke off airflow into the HVAC system. This leads to numerous troubles:

A drop in energy efficiency leading to higher electricity bills
Strain on the blower fan motor that can make it overheat and trip the circuit breaker
Low airflow from the vents
Reduced cooling power
Infiltration of dust and debris into the AC unit, leading to damage

And you might think, “Well, if a clogged air filter is such a bother, why not run the AC without the filter?” We hope you don’t actually try this, because that air filter does an important job. If you run your air conditioner for any length of time without the air filter, you risk serious damage to the cooling system and AC repair in High Springs, FL—or even a full replacement.

Common Misunderstandings About Air Purifiers

July 11th, 2022

Although the technology of air purification isn’t new, it’s become more widespread in residential usage than ever before. People have a greater concern about the quality of the air circulating through their homes, and having an air purifier in Live Oak, FL is one option to help improve comfort and general health.

Because there’s plenty of information about air purifiers available, it’s easy to pick up misunderstandings and myths about them. We’ll help clear up some of the common misconceptions about air purifiers—and we hope you let us clear up your air with our professional indoor air quality services!

How AC Refrigerant Coils Work—And How They Can Go Wrong

June 27th, 2022

An air conditioning system has many different parts that combine together to provide cool comfort for a house. The part of an AC that does the direct cooling of the air is the evaporator coil, which works in conjunction with a second coil, the condenser coil, to allow for the heat exchange process that’s at the core of how an air conditioning system works.

Today, we’re going to look closer at how these coils work, as well as how they may end up requiring professional AC repair in Lake City, FL.