FAQs

In the middle of summer, the last thing you should find on your air conditioner is ice. If you see a frozen unit, coils, or pipes, the refrigerant in your air conditioner is low. Furthermore, your unit is not receiving ample airflow. If you see ice around your AC unit, contact a repair technician immediately.

Air conditioners have two primary functions: removing heat and removing moisture. The less humidity, the more comfortable your home’s interior. To do this, your air conditioner draws in the hot air through the filter, and then passes that air over a cooling coil, removing heat and moisture along the way. The result is cold air blown back into your home.

Air conditioners are not cheap to run, especially throughout the extended period of a hot summer. To save money, consider increasing the thermostat temperature by a few degrees. Also, upgrade your existing air conditioner to an Energy Star or high-efficiency option. For empty rooms, close the vents. Otherwise, you are paying to cool rooms that do not need cooling.

Preventing restricted airflow is the most critical maintenance to perform. Having an HVAC technician from Comfort Solutions HVAC come out for a tune-up and inspection each year will prevent air flow issues. Furthermore, our maintenance appointments include:

• Cleaning out all dust and dirt from the entire unit – including intricate components.
• Changing your filter for cleaner indoor air.
• Inspecting refrigerant levels and looking for signs of leaks.
• Tuning up the system to operate more efficiently.

In addition to routine, professional maintenance, you must maintain your unit outdoors. This includes trimming all trees and bushes away from the air conditioner. Also, remove any weeds that might try to grow under the concrete foundation. Keep pets away, because urine can lead to costly damage too.

Replacing a filter depends on the unit and type of filter you are utilizing. Disposable, basic filters should be replaced monthly. Washable filters must be cleaned out once a month too. If you have a high-capacity filter, you might go three to six months without replacement. However, regular inspections to ensure the filter is not too filthy are important.

Many factors affect the specification and sizing of your system, including insulation, square footage, window configuration and surface, location and orientation of your home, duct arrangement and sizing, and many others. Comfort Solutions HVAC will perform an on-site heat load analysis to determine the best equipment combinations that will perfectly suit your family and your home’s needs.

Most HVAC products are covered against manufacturers’ defects for 5 years on parts without registration. Comfort Solutions HVAC will register your new system for you extending the manufacturer’s warranty to ten years on parts. Comfort Solutions HVAC will cover the labor to replace defective parts for a minimum of one year up to ten years. Maintenance-related failures are not covered by the manufacturer or Comfort Solutions HVAC.

Each split system cooling unit has a nominal SEER rating. This rating can be increased with the upgrade of the indoor unit. The SEER rating of a system is derived based on the combination of equipment installed in the home. The outdoor equipment (heat pump or air conditioner), as well as the indoor equipment (evaporator coil and furnace, or air handler), play a vital role in the rating. Please call Comfort Solutions HVAC for more information.

Unfortunately, there is no set time limit or expiration date on furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners. Most builder-grade equipment (the type that comes with a new house) is designed to be cost-competitive and not known for its quality. I would give it a range of 10-15 years at most. Many other factors play a role in how long a system lasts.

• Was the system sized correctly?
• Was it well maintained?
• Was it installed correctly?

If you have doubts about your system why not schedule a tune-up we’ll do a full system evaluation so you know where you stand and you’ll be ready for any extreme temperatures we may have.