Blog | HVAC Tips in Malvern, PA

Odd Furnace Sounds? Here’s What They May Mean

December 28th, 2020

You never want to have a noisy heating system in your home. Modern furnaces are designed to run at minimum noise levels: you can expect to hear some clicking as the furnace starts up, the sound of the burners igniting, and the hum of the blower fan as it pushes air through the furnace and into the ductwork. You may also hear an occasional rattle from the metal ducts as they expand from the heat. Otherwise, your furnace will vanish into the general soundscape of winter in your home, something you barely notice.

When you do notice noises from the furnace, it’s usually a sign it needs heating repair in West Chester, PA. We’ve listed some of the more common warning noises you may hear from your furnace this season and their possible meanings. When in doubt, always call for professionals service. Furnaces are not appliances amateurs should ever attempt to repair.

Is a Heat Pump a Viable Option for Winter Comfort?

December 14th, 2020

If you have some familiarity with the heat pump, then you know that the major advantage of this comfort system installation is that it can operate as both a cooling and heating system. A heat pump is similar to a refrigerant-based air conditioner: it circulates refrigerant between two sets of coils, evaporating refrigerant in one coil to absorb heat and condensing the refrigerant in the other coil to release that heat.

What makes a heat pump different from an AC is that it can change the direction it circulates refrigerant, causing the two coils to swap functions. An air conditioner can only move heat from inside the house to outside. But a heat pump can reverse the way it runs so that it moves heat from the outside to the inside. All it takes is an adjustment on the thermostat for the cooling system to become a heating system.

But this leads to an obvious concern … does this actually work in cold weather to make a viable choice for a year-round West Chester, PA, HVAC system?

Is It Time to Replace Your Furnace?

November 30th, 2020

If you have worries about your furnace in Malvern, PA, such as concerns that it might be too old to make it through the winter, now is the best time to face the problem. You don’t want to have to schedule an emergency furnace replacement during a freezing day in January, leaving your family shivering (or having to check into a hotel) while the new unit is put in. It’s still fall and the right time to make the choice about whether your furnace can get by with repairs or if it needs to be replaced.

You don’t have to face this question alone. You have our experienced heating professionals to provide you with expert opinions and service. We can inspect your furnace and give you an honest assessment of its future, then provide the relevant work you need for an easy winter of home heating.

Heating Maintenance: Now Is the Time to Schedule It

November 16th, 2020

The serious cold weather is about to arrive, and you know that it’ll be here to stay for a few months. If you haven’t yet arranged for Phoenixville, PA, HVAC service to inspect and tune-up your heating system, now is when we recommend you schedule it. Delaying this service only reduces its benefits and puts your household at a higher risk of having a heating system that doesn’t work, doesn’t work as well as it should, or wastes large amounts of money.

Final Reminder: Don’t Shut Down Your AC If It Has Repair Needs!

November 2nd, 2020

air-conditioning-manometer-pressure-refrigerant

Cooler weather will soon settle in and you’ll stop using the air conditioning system for a few months. It’s a nice relief, especially since we don’t have stern winter weather in New Orleans. In fact, you may be tempted to simply forget about the AC and leave it be until you need it again next year. And this is fine … as long as the air conditioner doesn’t have anything wrong with it. For example, maybe there was some malfunction you noticed that you think you can tolerate until you need the AC back up in full form next year.

If this is the case, if there’s something amiss with your AC, such as odd noises, short-cycling, a drop in cooling power, or strange smells, please don’t let the system go into shutdown mode yet. You have one more job to do: calling us for AC repair in Wayne, PA.

You Think You Need a New AC—What Kind Should You Get?

October 19th, 2020

In our last post, we talked about whether the time has come for you to replace your air conditioning system. If you’ve made the choice (possibly with the assistance of our technicians) to install a new AC system, you now must face another question:

What type of AC will you get?

It’s okay to feel confused at the question. You’re probably accustomed to thinking that air all conditioning systems are basically the same, the only difference is how powerful they are. You’re partially correct. Except for evaporative coolers (a.k.a. swamp coolers), which are ineffective in our climate, all air conditioning systems operate by circulating refrigerant from a compressor to move heat from a building and release it outside.

Is It Time to Consider Replacing Your AC?

October 5th, 2020

A central air conditioning system is a major investment for a home, one of the vital appliances for day-to-day living during the middle of the year. You want the air conditioning system that keeps your family comfortable every summer to last for as long as possible. Eventually, no matter how well you care for and maintain your air conditioning in West Chester, PA, it will wear down to a point where it is no longer effective and efficient enough to be worth keeping.

Now that it’s fall and you are looking forward to a period of cooler weather, ask yourself if your air conditioning system has reached the finish line and is ready to retire. The fall is a good season to schedule a new installation, so if you believe your AC just had its last summer, arrange for a replacement with our team.

5 Reasons Your AC Is Unevenly Cooling the House

September 21st, 2020

When you turn on your air conditioner, you expect it to send cooled air to all the rooms in the house attached to the ventilation system. After all, that’s why you have a central air conditioner: to provide cooling all around your house.

But what if you notice the AC isn’t giving your house the even cooling treatment it’s supposed to? You can expect some temperature fluctuations in the house based on room placement, insulation, and window exposure. However, if you find rooms are much hotter than they should be while others are fine (or even too cold), you have a problem with the HVAC system.

Please Don’t Delay With AC Repairs, No Matter the Time of Year!

September 7th, 2020

Fall doesn’t immediately arrive when it’s September, and even the official start of fall at the end of the month isn’t a guarantee that temperatures will continue to cool down—if they’ve even been cooling down to begin with. But people have a fall mindset that kicks in with September, and unfortunately, that often means neglecting necessary air conditioning repair in Wayne, PA. “Well, I soon won’t need the AC at all, so why should I rush out to have it repaired?” they think.

There are plenty of reasons to make AC repairs a priority as soon as you believe your air conditioner needs them.

The AC vs. The Heat Pump: Is One Clearly Better?

August 24th, 2020

When choosing between any two different HVAC systems for a home, no single type starts out as automatically the better choice. If this were true, there wouldn’t be a need for a choice in the first place: every home would have that device!

This is true for the distinction between whether you choose to install an air conditioning system or a heat pump in your house. If one were clearly better, you wouldn’t have to choose. But since there are both homes with central air conditioners and with heat pumps, the question of which is better comes down to the situation. If you are considering either an AC or heat pump installation in the next few months, the right choice for you depends on several factors. We’ll look at the pros and cons of these systems to help you get a better sense of what will work best for you.