Kilowatt Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Burbank’

Spring Is a Good Time to Think About Heat Pumps

Monday, March 20th, 2023
heat-pump-installation

How would you sum up the winter we just went through in SoCal? Probably: “Rain. Lots and lots of rain.” Great news for alleviating drought conditions, but not so great for driving, outdoor activities, and staying warm.

That’s all going to come to an end soon. Southern California springs are often as warm as summer in other parts of the country. Spring is the best time to start thinking about your home comfort needs. In particular, we want anyone reading this post (yes, we’re talking to you) to think about heat pumps, those wonderful two-in-one refrigerant systems that operate as both cooling and heating systems.

There are two ways we want you to think about heat pumps…

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What Can I Do to Help My AC Through a Heat Wave?

Monday, August 22nd, 2022
beautiful service technician fixing thermostat

People are worried about the heat this summer and whether their air conditioning systems will make it to the end without breaking down. We understand this feeling: nobody likes a heat wave, and facing one without an AC to cool down a house is a frightening prospect.

You can always count on our expert technicians for air conditioning repair in Burbank, CA and elsewhere in our service area when you’ve got a failed AC. We know that you would much rather not have your AC run into trouble in the first place, so we have some tips that you can use to lower the amount of strain on your air conditioner and help it finish the season without making you sweat.

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Considering Your Heating as We Approach Spring

Monday, March 7th, 2022
dog-on-vent

March is the month when winter officially ends, and in Southern California we can expect steady warm weather from here on with only occasional mild cool spells. You probably won’t need your central heating in Burbank, CA to run much more than a few days during March before it goes into its long mid-year hiatus.

As the spring weather settles in, it’s a good time to consider your home’s heating needs and the recent performance of its heating system. Do you need to make upgrades or replacements? What changes can you make during spring to ensure you have the best heating for next year? We’ll look into some of these heating considerations more below.

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5 Important Facts About Heating Repair You May Not Know

Monday, November 15th, 2021
Safe-and -reliable-furnaces

You can find lists of interesting information about home heating all around the internet, mostly fun facts about the history of the development of central heating. 

This isn’t one of those lists. These aren’t necessarily “fun” facts (although we hope you enjoy reading them), but they are important facts that can help you know more about your heater and why professional heating repair in Burbank, CA is often essential. We think this is useful information that can make central heating easier for you. 

Okay, let’s dig in…

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Why We Recommend Upgrading to LED Lights

Monday, September 20th, 2021
outdoor-string-of-lights

Are you thinking about making some big lighting changes to your house? Changing old and tired lighting decor can enliven your home, but it’s also an opportunity to do much more: upgrade from old incandescent lights to LED lights.

LED stands for light-emitting diode, and these lights work using semiconductors rather than running electricity through a filament. This isn’t new technology: the first LED lights were developed in the early 1960s. For many years their primary use was commercial. Gradually through the ‘80s and ‘90s, they emerged as a replacement option for standard lightbulbs. Today, you can purchase LED lights from your local grocery store.

If you want a full upgrade for your house to LED lights, you’ll need the assistance of a skilled professional Burbank, CA electrician. We recommend you give this upgrade serious thought, and below are the best reasons:

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Does Your AC Have Enough Space to “Breathe”?

Monday, September 6th, 2021
ac-maintenance

Most homes with central air conditioners have split systems. These are air conditioners with a set of indoor and outdoor units. The indoor unit contains the evaporator coil and the air handler that sends cooled air into the ventilation system. The outdoor unit, also known as the condenser, is a cabinet that holds the compressor, evaporator coil, and exhaust fan.

Any resident of Southern California knows the sight of these outdoor condenser units. They’re usually located along the side of a house or in the backyard, sometimes disguised behind a fence because people generally don’t find them the most beautiful part of the outside decor. Homeowners sometimes try to hide condensers behind shrubs or other plants, making them disappear into the landscaping. Unfortunately, this can lead to serious AC problems! The condenser of a central air conditioner must have a clear area around it to give it room to “breathe,” as we’ll explain below.

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Can an Air Conditioner Ever Become Dangerous?

Monday, July 12th, 2021
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If you use a gas furnace to heat your home, there is some potential for the furnace to become dangerous. Toxic gas and combustion dangers can occur if the furnace isn’t given proper regular care. It’s not difficult to avoid these hazards with a gas furnace, but it’s important to know about the possibilities.

What about air conditioning systems? Can an AC malfunction in a way that creates hazards for your home? The answer is yes, but they’re different from natural gas concerns. They occur with extremely old ACs, and the best way to avoid these problems is to make sure you don’t keep an air conditioner that’s long past its estimated service life, i.e. more than 15 years. 

We’ll take a look at how an old air conditioning system can create health concerns.

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Still Have an R-22 Air Conditioner? It’s Time to Replace It

Monday, June 28th, 2021
old-compressor

You can look for many different signs that you have an over-the-hill air conditioner ready for a replacement. General age is a good measure: most ACs don’t last far beyond 15 years. You can also watch for declines in efficiency that create higher electric bills, or a run of expensive repairs that indicate a system approaching the end of the line. 

One sign it’s time to repair your AC that is absolute is if it’s an R-22 unit. If you have an R-22 air conditioning system, arrange to have a replacement put in as soon as you can—otherwise, it will force you to replace it at some point when it’s much less convenient for you.

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Let’s Talk Generators—They’re a Big Topic Now

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
natural-gas-generator

Southern California hasn’t traditionally been a location where generators for homes are common. People often think of generators as useful for places that experience extreme winters and unpredictable storm seasons. 

But that’s changing, and generators are now a big topic for So. Cal homeowners. We work with generators and we’d like to recommend that 1) you install a generator for your house, and 2) you have a whole-house generator installed rather than rely on a portable one.

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Warning Sounds From a Furnace in Trouble

Monday, February 8th, 2021
furnace_replacement

We’re probably going through the last spell of “cold” weather here in Southern California, and that means you’re in the final stretch of depending on your furnace on a regular basis. It’s also a time when a furnace is more likely to have malfunctions because of the accumulation of strain during the season. That fall maintenance visit seems distant, especially when you’re getting ready to schedule AC maintenance.

It’s a wise idea to keep a close watch on your furnace for signs it may be in trouble. Or in this case, a close listen. Odd sounds are one of the ways you can tell you may need professional repairs for your furnace.

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