Ideally, your home’s air conditioning unit should be running as quietly as possible while providing you with a cool indoor environment. Yet a slight change in the sound of your air conditioning unit, even the slightest hint of a rattle or a whine, can be a telltale sign that it needs a thorough inspection.

A lot of people take their home’s heating and cooling units for granted. In any season, though, you will need your HVAC system to work properly. After all, extreme summertime and wintertime conditions would be a lot more intolerable without an efficient way to regulate indoor temperatures. It’s a good thing that you can turn to a reliable Edina heating and cooling company like Air Quality Services (AQS) whose highly trained technicians can keep your HVAC system in tiptop condition throughout the year.

In place of pilot lights, new gas furnace models now have electronic igniters that light the gas and initiate the heating process. A busted igniter can keep you from heating your home as needed and should be fixed right away, as SFGate.com contributing writer Laurie Reeves points out.

Springtime is a welcome, wonderful change of season after months of sheer cold. This also means opening your windows for the cool spring air. While enjoying the natural outdoor air, it’s just the right time to get your furnace checked for its annual whole-nine-yards maintenance run. Being able to do so may entail a good degree of savings down the line, according to Trent Hamm in his article in U.S. News and World Report.

Keeping your house warm during winter is essential, and you definitely won’t want to be left out in the cold when your furnace stops functioning. When this happens, the first thing that you should do is to contact an HVAC company for furnace repair in Eden Prairie, MN. In the meantime, while waiting for the specialists, here are some easy furnace fixes that you can try for yourself to speed them on their way:

A centralized air conditioning system is often an advantage for larger homes with ample electrical capacity to handle it. While the system is supposed to provide the cooling loads for the home, what if the component units themselves are freezing up? In his article for SFGate, Robert Korpella said that freezing is a distinct possibility when the coils are wrapped in ice.

Almost all American households have their own heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems installed for having quality air indoors and keeping them comfortable during different seasons. According to the Energy Information Administration, people tend to neglect how keeping themselves warm affects their electricity bills, with an approximate increase of almost 23%. Carelessness is not the only factor that drives higher bills, as defects and faulty parts in the equipment greatly influence the systems’ energy consumption as well. Heating System Problems and Solutions Over time, air tends to build up in heating systems, resulting into irregular distribution of heat through the radiators. By bleeding concerned radiators with a radiator key, one can release the trapped air, thus enabling water to flow. In relation to temperature failure, there are circumstances wherein residents do not feel warmth coming from their systems and even when they are boiling water. Possible causes may include defects in the heating pump, the pump valve, or the power supply. A machine’s inactiveness for a long period also gives rise to defects that would require restarting the equipment or simply by giving it a gentle tap. Clogged radiators due to rust and dirt can cause a difference in the set thermostat and released temperature, as hot water can’t flow through. Removing these radiators and washing them can help equalize both factors. Unnecessary noises when a system is either active or not is to a degree acceptable for old equipment, since pipes have become cramped with each other. For newer systems, however, it might pose bigger problems, so have the relevant components replaced immediately. Aside from having DIY cleaning techniques alongside annual tune-ups from trusty Eden Prairie heating maintenance professionals, discussing with technicians the possible improvements and/or solutions—like the “zoned heating” method, which opens more areas for better air Continue Reading

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted research regarding the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. As explained in the results of the study, NIST was the first organization to evaluate the links between poor installation and the system’s efficiency. The head of the study, Piotr Domanski, stated that, “Our measurements indicate that improper installation could increase household energy use for space heating and cooling on the order of 30 percent over what it should be.” The most common error revealed in the study was faulty, leaking air ducts, followed by restricted airflow and improper refrigerant undercharge. Other factors contribute to poor performance as well in different types of equipment like heat pumps and air conditioners. Essentially, simultaneous defects give rise to increased energy expenditure. DIY Maintenance Regular maintenance is significant in avoiding huge electricity bills and unexpected repair expenses. Administering simple DIY techniques like cleaning and replacing air filters of your heating and cooling system regularly can decrease energy consumption by almost 15%. For the summer season, people tend to use air conditioners more often; therefore, it is advisable to change filters at least once a month. The area where a piece of equipment is placed should be cleaned too, as accumulation of leaves, dust, and other particles can block air ducts and may cause health problems for the occupants. In addition, the impeded airflow would result in equipment inefficiencies, and thus a corresponding increase in energy consumption as people would tend to make adjustments to the system’s controls. Professional Maintenance Aside from these DIY strategies, tapping the services of professional Edina heating and cooling maintenance annually is most helpful. Ideally, technicians such as those working at Air Quality Services would disassemble the equipment in order to clean its interiors and moving parts, an aspect where DIY Continue Reading