Every time you inhale, you are exposing yourself to millions upon millions of microscopic airborne contaminants. Some of these include dust, pollen, dander, mold spores, viruses, and bacteria. Too much exposure to these contaminants can cause all sorts of health problems, from the flu to asthma. Fortunately, these contaminants are normally too widespread to cause serious issues. During the winter, however, these contaminants can become much more of a threat. Read on to find out why air purifiers are so much more important to have during the winter.
Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Lake City’
Why Air Purifiers are Especially Important During the Winter
Monday, January 4th, 2016Why Ice is Forming on Your Heat Pump
Monday, November 30th, 2015If you’re using a heat pump to stay warm this winter, you may start to notice ice forming on the outside part of your system. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your system is in trouble. In fact, it’s pretty much bound to happen if you start up your heat pump on especially cold days. Ice on your heat pump can become a problem under certain circumstances. Read on to find out where heat pump ice comes from, and how to deal with it.
Consider Installing a Ductless Mini Split System this Fall
Monday, October 26th, 2015The days are getting colder, and though Florida has a few more months of warm weather than other parts of the country it’s still important to make sure that you have a reliable heating system in place. If you’re in the market for a new heater, consider installing a ductless mini split system. Let’s take a look at how ductless mini split systems work, and the advantages they can provide.
What You Need to Know About Short Cycling
Monday, September 7th, 2015If you’ve ever noticed your air conditioner turning itself on and off every few minutes, you have a short cycling problem. Short cycling may seem like a harmless quirk, but it’s actually a big threat to the air conditioner. If you hear your system short cycling, you need to turn it off and call for repairs immediately. Let’s take a look at why short cycling happens, and the kind of damage that it can inflict on your system.
How a UV Air Purifier Benefits You
Monday, August 24th, 2015Indoor air quality is largely affected by airborne contaminants. There are millions upon millions of microscopic airborne contaminants floating around in the average home’s indoor air, including things like viruses, bacteria and mold spores. These biological contaminants are among the most dangerous you’re liable to encounter in your home. Some of the biological contaminants can make you sick, or even put you in the hospital in rare cases. For this reason, a UV air purifier is highly recommended in areas with suspect indoor air quality. Let’s take a look at how a UV air purifier works, and the benefits of using it.
Why Your Air Conditioner is Icing Over
Monday, June 29th, 2015During the hot days of summer, it may seem like a good thing that your air conditioner has ice forming on it. It’s meant to be cold, right? Not really, no. Ice on your air conditioner is actually a sign that the system is malfunctioning. If not fixed soon, it could cause a whole slew of problems for your air conditioner, including a full system breakdown. Read on to find out more about why your air conditioner ices over, and what to do about it.
Why Spring Air Conditioning Maintenance is so Important
Monday, May 18th, 2015Most homeowners would call for air conditioning repairs as soon as they noticed a problem with the system. That’s all well and good, but what about problems that don’t have obvious symptoms? If you’re really interested in keeping your air conditioning system in the best possible condition, it’s a good idea to schedule preventive maintenance at least once a year. Read on to find out more about the benefits of preventive maintenance, and why you should schedule yours this spring.
How Duct Sealing Can Improve Your Air Conditioner Efficiency
Monday, April 20th, 2015With summer almost upon us, it’s time to start making sure that your air conditioner is ready for the hottest days of the year. Annual maintenance and timely repairs are obviously both a good idea. However, there is one thing you can do to improve your air conditioner efficiency that most people never think about: duct sealing. Read on to find out more about duct sealing, and how it can help your air conditioner keep you cool this summer.
Why Consider a Ductless AC System?
Friday, March 27th, 2015Spring has brought some very warm weather with it this year, and if you are in the market for a new air conditioner, we have a suggestion for you: why not consider the installation of a ductless AC? Ductless air conditioners have become very popular for a number of reasons that we’ll get into more detail about below, but gaining the benefits a ductless system has to offer is very dependent on good installation. The experts at Touchstone Heating and Air Inc., can offer you and your home in Lake City comprehensive ductless AC services, so if you are considering going ductless, call us today!
How a Ductless AC Works
The main components of a ductless system are the outdoor unit, which contains the compressor and condenser, and the individual indoor blowers, which contain a small fan, a small set of coils and a small air filter. The indoor blowers connect to the outdoor unit via a conduit and a single outdoor unit can support up to 4 individual blowers. When a blower is turned on, the refrigerant begins to flow, cueing the cooling cycle to begin. The system will operate just as a traditional AC system, accept that the cool air is delivered through a single blower (or as many blowers as are on) instead of ductwork.
Benefits of a Ductless System
There are several benefits a ductless AC can offer that are worth considering:
- No need for ductwork – with a ductless AC system, it is possible to offer whole-home cooling without the significant expense of adding ductwork.
- Customized comfort – the individual blowers of a ductless system allow you to cool only what you need to and at the exact temperature you want.
- Better energy efficiency – unlike a ducted system that cools all or nothing, a ductless system allows you to cool only the areas you want cooling, which can save you energy.
- Can work with a heat pump – a ductless system that has heat pump technology can offer your home both heating and cooling.
If a ductless system seems like a fit for your Lake City home, call the experts at Touchstone Heating and Air Inc., today and schedule an appointment for ductless AC services.
How a Whole-Home AC System Helps Control Humidity
Friday, March 13th, 2015Air conditioners are interesting systems. Many people believe that they cool by blowing cool air into warm air, but this isn’t actually what’s happening. Yes, cool air blows in, but more importantly, air conditioners remove the heat and humidity from your living spaces and release it, then use this air to cool your home. It’s all part of the heat release/cooling cycle, and one of the benefits of this cycle is that humidity is also removed. How does your Lake City air conditioning system do this? Let’s take a look.
How Humidity Is Removed
Air conditioners use refrigerant to help facilitate the transfer of heat to the outside. The cycle starts with the heat from your return ducts being absorbed by the refrigerant. The refrigerant travels to the compressor where it is pressurized; as the pressurized refrigerant leaves the compressor to enter the condenser, the heat is released and the refrigerant starts to cool. The refrigerant travels from the condenser to the evaporator, where warm air from your home is blown over the evaporator coils that now contain cooled refrigerant. When hot air meets cool air, condensation is formed, and this condensation is removed via the condensate array of your air conditioning system. This is how your air conditioning system helps remove the excess humidity in your home.
Benefits of Removing Humidity
Humidity holds heat, which is why a humid day at 70 degrees feels much more uncomfortable than a dry day at 70 degrees. But excess humidity does more than make you feel uncomfortable – it can lead to mold and mildew development, dust mite populations and create rot. When you install a whole-home air conditioner, you gain the benefit of dehumidification along with improved comfort.
Get Ahead of Humidity with a Whole-Home Air Conditioner
Today’s air conditioners are some of the most energy efficient around, and can offer your home cool, comfortable air for years to come.
If you’ve been struggling with indoor comfort because of heat and excess humidity, call the experts at Touchstone Heating and Air Inc., today.