Older Home Specialist
Monday, June 29th, 2020
As the heat increases during the summer and you run your air conditioning system more and more often, you might begin to notice parts of your house are warmer than you expect. Some rooms are comfortable, but others are turning into hot spots. If this is a new occurrence, it’s often a warning sign you have an air conditioner that needs serious repair work—or may need to be replaced.
Monday, June 15th, 2020
Years ago on our blog, we warned customers about the dangers of purchasing HVAC equipment online. There are plenty of reasons for this, such as getting a system with a voided warranty. A common item people purchase on their own is high-tech thermostats, thinking they can’t go wrong with basic climate controls. Unfortunately, a mismatched HVAC system and thermostat can end up damaging the HVAC system.
But the most important reason to never purchase HVAC equipment online is the issue of sizing. Unless you’re a professional HVAC technician, you won’t know how to properly size a new air conditioner to work correctly for your house. Sizing must be precise. A system that’s too large or too small means years of trouble from an AC that never seems to work right.
Monday, June 1st, 2020
When you’re enjoying a comfortable summer day inside your home with the AC sending around cooled air, the last thing you want to hear is the fan for the air conditioner shut down, leading to all the air from the vents vanishing. Or to have the air from the vents change to room temperature. Both of these are examples of what occurs when either the indoor or outdoor fan stops working.
The indoor fan does the job of pushing air through the evaporator coil to cool it down and then into the ductwork. The outdoor fan is responsible for moving air across the condenser coil to release heat and then exhaust it. If the indoor fan breaks–no air in the vents. If the outdoor fan breaks–no cooling indoors.
What causes this to happen? Here are the five most common causes.
Monday, September 23rd, 2019
One of the reasons window air conditioning units are only useful for apartments or for a single office is because of their limited reach. The only way to cool a whole house with window units is to place them in windows in every room—which isn’t always possible and blocks up so many windows you’ll end up with a perpetual twilight in the house! And even with all the window ACs, you’ll still end up with hot spots.
With a central air conditioning system, you don’t have to worry about having rooms all around the house cool. Or you shouldn’t. Unfortunately, uneven cooling still happens, and the most common case we run into is an upper story of a house that’s hotter than the lower one. Heat rises, and in the San Fernando Valley the AC may not be equipped to deal with it.
Monday, July 1st, 2019
Summers in Southern California are long and hot, with the heat often extending well into October. Air conditioning systems get extreme workouts during this time—so much so that it may seem as if a home’s air conditioner is always running from July onward.
But there’s a difference in an air conditioner that runs frequently and one that is actually running constantly and never powering down.
Monday, May 6th, 2019
The compressor is the workhorse of an air conditioning system. It’s like the engine—without it, nothing happens and an air conditioner becomes a central fan blowing around room temperature air.
What happens when the compressor in your AC stops working and it can’t be repaired? This is a serious situation, and you’ll have a number of options to consider—one of which is to have the entire air conditioning system replaced. Is this the best option, or are the other choices more cost-effective?
Monday, April 22nd, 2019
We would love to tell homeowners who are looking for air conditioning solutions for their home that the entire HVAC industry is honest and above-board. But it’s not: there are many unlicensed contractors prowling around, searching for ways to take advantage of customers who just want a quality air conditioning system installation or repair.
In general, you shouldn’t hire any HVAC contractor who doesn’t have a license, since that means the contractor probably lacks insurance to protect you in case of an accident and probably lacks experience as well. A specific thing to watch out for are shady claims and stories you’ll hear from HVAC contractors who aren’t on the up-and-up. Below are a few of these sneaky stories:
Monday, March 11th, 2019
It’s hard to say goodbye to old friends. You probably don’t think of the HVAC system in your house as an “old friend,” even though it has provided your house with years of comfort. It’s not a flashy piece of equipment, and most of it is hidden. But saying goodbye to it does mean paying for a new one—and you don’t want to do that until it’s necessary.
Since spring is a good time to have a new HVAC system put in (take advantage of the mild weather and technicians’ less busy schedules), it’s also a good time to start considering if this is when you’ll retire your current one.
Monday, April 23rd, 2018
If you’re asking this question, it’s probably because you’ve decided you need to get rid of your old air conditioning system before the heat waves of late spring arrive. This is a good plan: if you think you have a rickety AC that won’t make it through the coming summer, or if it’s draining money, or it simply can’t keep the house cool the way you like, it’s time for a new one. Call our team, because we can help see that you end up with the great new air conditioning installation and cooling system that will work for you for years to come.
If you’re already thinking about what type of AC to get, one of the options is to have a high-efficiency air conditioner with a high SEER rating. High efficiency often means money savings—but does it always?
Monday, February 26th, 2018
We just went through a genuine cold spell here in Southern California. Saying that to somebody from the Midwest would probably get laughter or anger. “It was in the 40s at night!” But it’s cold for us, and our homes often don’t have heating systems meant to deal with these conditions for long stretches. (We’re always happy to help boost your home heating if you need it!)
Now, however, we’re heading toward spring and the major heat of summer. The hot weather arrives fast in So. Cal. In fact, it could strike at any moment. Here’s how a Burbank, CA, HVAC contractor can help your home get ready for the big heat during the early spring.
4925 Sepulveda Blvd,
Sherman Oaks,
CA
91403
Office Hours Mon-Fri 7am-7pm
License# 593847
