Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘High Springs’

Why Your Furnace Air Filter Matters

Monday, February 5th, 2024

Did you know that the filter on your furnace has a major impact on how your furnace can operate, as well as your indoor air quality? It’s true. Selecting the right type of filter and changing it out on time each month is one of the best ways to take care of your furnace and improve your indoor air quality.

When you do experience furnace problems, you can give our team a call to schedule furnace repair in High Springs, FL. In the meantime, you can keep reading to learn more about why your furnace air filter is so important and how you can maximize its efficiency.

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How an Air Purifier Will Benefit You in the Winter

Monday, November 28th, 2022
virus-cells

Winter in Florida may not be a flurry of snow as it is for more northern states, but can still be drizzly and cold. It’s a time when you’ll want your home sealed up as best as possible to trap heat so you and your family can stay warm without having to rely too much on your heating system.

A shut-up home like this creates problems, however. Winter is a season with increased illnesses, as germs and viruses find it easy to thrive on people packed together in closed-in spaces. This is the flu season, and of course there are a few nasty strains of viruses still making the rounds—and they spike in frequency during the winter. 

For this reason, and several others, we recommend installing an air purifier in High Springs, FL to help with winter conditions. We don’t mean one of those portable room air purifiers, but a powerful and effective whole-house purification system installed into your ductwork and controlled through the thermostat. This isn’t just a benefit for the winter: it will help you throughout the year, such as during spring when allergy season starts.

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What Happens If I Run My AC Without Its Filter?

Monday, July 25th, 2022
pleated-air-filter

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.

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What Does “Tonnage” Mean for Commercial HVAC?

Monday, July 12th, 2021

AC-units-on-roofWe offer service for light commercial HVAC in High Springs, FL. “Light” commercial means we work with AC and heating units that are 25 tons and under. No, that doesn’t have anything to do with how much the equipment weighs. The “tonnage” of a system is a bit more complex, and it has to do with the amount of heating and cooling an HVAC unit can provide. 

This applies to residential ACs and heaters as well, so even if you don’t own or operate a commercial facility, you may wish to stick around and learn about how professionals determine the amount of power necessary to provide climate control for a building.

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Why You Hear Water Dripping in Your AC

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

waterOne of the caution signs we tell homeowners about that will help them determine when they need repairs for their air conditioning in High Springs, FL is strange sounds. When you hear your AC making noises like hissing, bubbling, grinding, screeching, or clanging, it usually means something is wrong that requires the assistance of our HVAC professionals. 

One sound you’ll hear from an AC that might be a bit odd but which is normal is dripping water. You’ve probably heard this many times before while your air conditioner was cooling down the house, and maybe you wondered at some point why it makes that sound. After all, an air conditioner doesn’t use water to cool the air. So why is there water dripping in your AC? 

We’re going to answer that question here, not just because it’s an interesting bit of information, but because knowing the facts can help you recognize potential future problems.

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Improving the Energy Efficiency of Your Air Conditioner

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Homeowners throughout the Gainesville, FL area are thinking about energy efficiency as we enter the cooling season. Because the cost of operating your air conditioning is a major portion of your home budget, you’re probably always looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of your AC. There are many approaches to reducing energy consumption, and in this post, we’d like to share just a handful. While we can’t control the cost of energy, we can control how we use it and how much of it we use. For more information about energy efficiency and your air conditioning system, call the Gainesville, FL AC experts at Touchstone Heating & Air today!

  • Install a programmable thermostat: If you’re still using a manual thermostat to cool your home, then you may be interested to know about digital programmable thermostats. Not only is the digital display easier to read and adjust, but the programmability can cut down your energy usage significantly. You can program it to automatically turn down your AC when you normally leave for work, and automatically turn the AC back up an hour before you get home, so that you can walk into a cool, crisp living space. Such programmability allows you to balance your home comfort with energy efficiency.
  • Install a zone control system: If you have a forced-air distribution system that uses the ductwork in your home, then you may have often wondered why you have to cool your downstairs kitchen in order to sleep comfortably. A zone control system uses electronically controlled dampers within your existing ductwork to control the flow of cool air, and to break your home into zones, each of which may be individually controlled. You can save energy and defuse any family arguments about home temperature with a single upgrade.
  • Regularly replace the air filter: Your air filter is designed to prevent the harmful accumulation of dust and debris on the components of your system. But when it becomes dirty or clogged, then it can have an adverse effect on airflow, thus making your AC work harder and increasing its energy needs.

These are just a few ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your home during the cooling season. For more information about how you can improve the efficiency of your air conditioning system in Gainesville, FL, call the experts at Touchstone Heating & Air today!

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