HVAC Company Blog

To repair or to replace your AC unit can be a very difficult decision. Both can end up costing a lot of money. Luckily, there are many factors and ideas that can help you weigh your options! Some of the things that you may want to consider will seriously influence your decision on what to do! It’s always a great idea to call a local professional to diagnose the problems and get a quote or estimate on the cost to repair or replace it! If you give Advantage Heating & Air Conditioning a call they can come out and give you a Free estimate!

Energy Efficiency

Over the last 10 years we have come a long way with making our lives more energy efficient. One thing that has definitely become more efficient is air conditioners. If your Air conditioner is more than 10 years old then there is a good chance that it is not very energy efficient. This is a good thing to keep in mind when you are deciding whether to repair or replace because it may end up saving you money in the long run if you were to change to a new energy star air conditioner. You can weigh your options by thinking how much the repair will cost vs how much you will save of your monthly bill by switching to energy efficient Air Conditioner. This is just one of things to keep in mind.

Age of the Unit

As we touched on in the last paragraph, age does matter when it comes to energy efficiency and just efficiency in general as far as AC units are concerned. Most Air conditioning units only last about 14 years. So if you have gotten it to that point your are doing good! There are of course many factors to take into account though. If your AC still uses R-22 refrigerant (freon) then you might want to consider replacing it. It is very expensive to refill R-22 refrigerant because it is scarce now. Just because your AC is older doesn’t necessarily mean that you should immediately jump to replace it, make sure to weigh your options and do your research.

How Much Will it Cost?

One huge factor to take into consideration is how much the price to repair the unit is going to be. Luckily, there are a couple of handy dandy rules that can help you decide. One rule of thumb is the $5000 Rule, this is  to Take the cost of repair and multiply it by the age of the Air Conditioning unit, if it exceeds 5000 then it is time to consider a new unit(ex. 11 years X $500=$5500). Another good rule good rule is the 50% rule, if the repair cost get close to half the price of your current system then it may be time to replace it. Some professionals advise that if the repairs cost more than $800 you might want to consider a new system. These are just a couple of helpful rules to help you decide on whether you should repair or replace your AC system.

So whatever your choice may be as far as what you want to do with your System it is always important to get a professional diagnoses and an estimate on repairing or replacing. If you are currently wondering what to do you can give us a call at Advantage Heating & Air Conditioning and we can come out and give you a free estimate!

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Winter is coming! There are so many things to do and to think about when you are preparing your home for Winter. When preparing for winterization it is important to brush up on what to do if certain appliances or pipes ice up. One thing that often goes unthought-of of is your heat pump and furnace. Surprisingly they can get iced up and freeze over. Heat pumps are supposed to be able to detect ice build up and reverse the flow of the refrigerant. This should move hot refrigerant through the outside coils effectively melting the ice on the outside of the heat pump. Although they are supposed to be able to reverse freezing themselves that doesn’t necessarily happen. Sometimes you must do some checks on it to try to find out why it isn’t working properly. Luckily there are some thing you can do if they aren’t working properly.

When your heating pump is malfunctioning there are a few things that you can do yourself to see if they help. One thing you can do is check the air filter, if the air filter is damaged or clogged you need to replace it and you should always replace dirty air filters regularly. Another thing that you can do that is simple is go throughout your home and make sure none of the registers are blocked in any way. One thing that is important to do is the make sure the outdoor coil is clear of debris of any kind such as leaves, dirt, grass, snow, plastic, really any material should not be around it. Something else to check is that water is not dripping onto the unit, sometimes with heavy rains our gutters might overflow. These are some simple troubleshooting techniques that may help!

What should I do if my heat pump is still not working right? What could make my heat pump not defrost properly?  The best choice is to call a professional such as Advantage Heating to come and inspect the problem. Many times when your heat pump isn’t defrosting properly it is an indicator that there may be a more serious problem, because of this calling a professional is advised. Your heating professional can tell you what is wrong and get it fixed it for you. Some of the more common issues with a heat pump are; a reverse valve sticking, the defrost thermostat or sensor is malfunctioning or broken, the controls aren’t working properly, the outdoor fan motor is having issues, or your pump could have low refrigerant levels. Unless you are a trained professional you should probably not mess with stuff, Advantage Heating can come out and do a free Estimate for you personal needs!

With winter coming soon there is always so much to think about and prepare for. Well with Advantage heating on your side you will be well taken care of. If you have any heating problems that are preexisting that you are already aware of, don’t hesitate to call and set up an appointment  for a free estimate with Advantage Heating!

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Things to Consider When Getting a New Furnace

Are you suddenly finding yourself in a situation where you need to buy a new furnace? Make sure that you delve deeply into research to find the furnace that is a right fit for your family and your home. It is always a good choice to call and discuss your needs and wants with a reputable heating company. They can help you decide on what you need and give you an estimate of the price range you are looking at. Remember to be aware of all of your options, there are many considerations to take into account.

What Fuel Source

The three main types that your will find readily available are gas, Electric, and propane. All are great options. Electric heaters plug right in to your current home with minimal extra amount of set up. Electric heating is easy to install and are generally more cost effective. Gas Heaters are generally cheaper to run than electric because it costs less to run than electricity. Gas heaters are extremely reliable. Another great thing about gas heat is that it is extremely environmentally friendly. Propane heaters are comparable to natural gas heaters as they are extremely similar however you would need a outside source of propane as most homes do not come with an in ground propane tank.

Blowers

Did you know that there are two types of blowers? One is a variable-speed blower and the other is called a fixed-speed blower. A variable-speed blower will change speed as it blows air throughout your home. A fixed-speed blower will stay blowing at the same speed. If it is very important to you that the air blowing throughout your home is a consistent temperature then you may want to consider a variable-speed blower. But research both to decide what is best for you!

Size Matters

Size matters when it comes to choosing the right furnace for your home. If you have a bigger home then you are going to need a bigger furnace unfortunately. A technician should take into account the square footage of your home as well as how many windows your home has, and the efficiency of those windows. It is important that the company come out to your home to give you an accurate estimate for the sizing of the unit. This is not an estimate that should be given over the phone.

Quality of Installation

When it comes to having a major appliance installed into your home you don’t want to skimp on installation. You want to use a licenced and bonded contractor that has a great reputation. Especially when installing any kind of appliance that runs on gas it is important that it is done properly to avoid any very dangerous mishaps.

Warranty

If you are someone that will be using your furnace quite a bit and plan to live in the same place for a while you definitely want to find out what warranties are included with which furnace. Keep in mind that most warranties are only valid if you get your furnace tuned-up regularly with a licensed technician. Warranties also don’t cover labor costs if something goes wrong with installation so it is important to ask the company that you go with if they offer any type of warranty with their work.

These are just some of the thoughts that you need to consider when looking at a new furnace. For your best bet on deciding what you need you should give a professional a call. Advantage Heating is willing to answer all of your questions so give us a call!

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“What is a Smart Thermostat and why would I want one?” is a thought that is on a lot of people’s minds lately. A common misconception is that a Smart Thermostat is just a hyped-up programmable Thermostat, why would we want one if most thermostats are programmable? In reality, there are actually many benefits to having a Smart Thermostat. It can make your life a little more simple and save you money of your power bill!

Controlled Remotely

One big difference between a conventional Thermostat vs a Smart Thermostat is that it can be controlled remotely! Smart Thermostats easily connect to our home Wifi. With our fast paced and technologically focused lifestyles being able to control your thermostat from your phone can have many benefits. Who knew that they made thermostats that connected to the internet!? Some just have a mobile app, whereas some you must go to a web page. One example in favor of a Smart Thermostat is if you are gone all day at work, you don’t need to keep your home cool or warm to the same degree you would if you were there. But  with a Smart Thermostat you can turn on your air/heat in time for your home to be at a comfortable temperature for you when you get home. How nice does that sound on a 100 degree day!

Energy Efficient

Another great thing about having a Smart Thermostat is that you can see real time energy consumption. You can look on your mobile device and see home much energy you are using at that time. This can help people learn when and where they need to be conserving! You can always see how much you are spending on your heating and cooling which will help you be able to tweak your usage! This will help you save money in the long run if you pay attention and learn your energy consumption patterns. Who wouldn’t want to learn  to save money in such a simple way?

Super Smart

One thing that many people see as a huge plus to having a Smart Thermostat is that it is indeed smart, they literally learn from your behaviors. Much like other Smart technology it will acclimate to the personal patterns of your household. It can also adjust to random factors that change the way your system will work such as, changes in humidity and the outside temperature. The Smart Thermostat will tell you how long it will take to cool or heat your home to the desired temperature.  This will put an end to people trying to turn the Thermostat way up or way down to quickly cool or warm your home! The Smart Thermostat keeps track of what the temperature is inside as well as outside. It also can tell you when it is time to have your filters changed. Some Smart Thermostats have motion detectors that can tell if there is anyone home or not and can adjust accordingly. Some have a wireless network that can tell if the homeowners are within range or not. Many of these features can make our already stressful life just a little bit more simple.

With new homes being built everyday with the newest Energy Star, money saving technology it might be a Smart Choice to switch your current Thermostat to a Smart Thermostat. It will definitely save money for your family in the long run, it is easy to control, it will help remind us to keep the filters clean, and make our complicated lives a little less complicated. The Smart Thermostat is one technology that we can all appreciate.

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