Heat pumps have become increasingly popular as an alternative to traditional heating and air conditioning systems here in the Ocean City, MD area. They use the same principles as air conditioning – circulating refrigerant through a closed loop of valves and coils – to both heat and cool your home, helping you save money on monthly bills while combining all temperature controls into a single unit. This is the time of year when heat pump owners shift from heating to cooling mode, and as such you may run into a few common problems that we see a lot of this time of year. We’ve provided a short list of them below.
Atlantic Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category
Common Spring Problems for your Heat Pump
Monday, March 28th, 2016Low Refrigerant Is a Problem for your Air Conditioner
Monday, March 14th, 2016With spring slowly pushing away the cold winter temperatures, residents of Smyrna, DE are going to be dusting off their air conditioners for another summer of keeping their homes cool. But sitting for those winter months can leave your air conditioner vulnerable to some common problems, especially leaking refrigerant. Refrigerant isn’t consumed by your system; it needs to appear in certain set amounts, and if a leak springs up during the off-season, it could go for months without being detected. Why is that a problem? It helps to understand how refrigerant functions in your air conditioner.
3 Upgrades for Your Air Conditioner This Fall
Monday, September 21st, 2015Fall is officially here and that means your air conditioner will soon be taking a break for a few months while your heater takes over the duties of keeping your warm. That makes it the ideal time to consider changes and upgrades to your system to help it perform more effectively. Here in Dover, DE, there are a number of upgrades for your air conditioner you can consider this fall. They will help your system last longer and perform more efficiently, saving you money on monthly bills in the process. Here are three of them to consider.
3 Ways to Reduce Your Cooling Bills this Summer
Monday, August 24th, 2015We’ve hit the hottest part of the summer here in Dover, DE, and that means your air conditioner is going to be pushed to its limit keeping temperatures down every day. You’re probably used to paying higher monthly cooling bills in the summer, and to a certain extent, those bills are always going to be high. But with the aid of a trained technician, you can make some additions and improvements to your home to cut into those costs, while helping your air conditioner last longer before needing repairs. Here are 3 ways to reduce your cooling bills this summer.
What Happens During an Air Conditioning Service Call?
Monday, August 17th, 2015Most people assume that an air conditioning technician serves one of two purposes: to install or replace an existing air conditioning system, or perform repairs on it. There’s a third service we perform, however, that can actually help alleviate the first two. Air conditioning service session should be scheduled at least once or twice a year, not to fix any specific problem, but to help prevent any problems from cropping up., In Dover, DE, we need our systems to fight the heat and humidity of summer, but if you haven’t had your system serviced in a while, you might want to think about doing it soon, and you should certainly do it once the summer finally ends and the cool temperatures of fall have set in. Here’s a quick breakdown of what happens during an air conditioning service call.
What is a SEER Rating and How Does It Affect my Air Conditioner?
Monday, August 10th, 2015If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, you may have heard the term “SEER rating” to describe the unit’s efficiency. The term stands for Season Energy Efficiency Ratio, and it’s a convenient way to measure how much an air conditioner is going to cost you to run when you have it installed. That’s a significant consideration, especially considering Dover, DE’s hot and muggy summers. Understanding the SEER rating is important to making an informed choice for a new air conditioner. A trained professional can help you with the specifics, but a brief overview of what the rating means makes a good place to start.
Unique Qualities of Commercial Air Conditioning
Monday, August 3rd, 2015Air conditioning in the home is one thing, but commercial air conditioning in an office or retail space is an entirely different matter. Though the core engineering is similar, commercial air conditioning systems operate according to a very different set of principles, which means you need a technician trained in commercial air conditioning repair when you run into trouble. Dover, DE has a reputation as a business-friendly city in a business-friendly state. Running a commercial space here means understanding the unique qualities of commercial air conditioning.
3 Signs Your Zone Control System Needs Repair
Monday, July 27th, 2015Dover, DE residents need their air conditioning to function during the hot summer months, and that goes for additions and upgrades as well as the core systems. For example, you may have a zone control system installed in your air ducts: a series of seals and valves that allow you to adjust the temperature individually for each section of your home, and even turn the air off in some rooms while leaving it on in others. It’s a great system, allowing you to save money by only cooling the parts of the home you need, and letting individual family members adjust the temperature in different rooms to fit their comfort levels. But like any system, it can run into trouble from time to time, and when it does, you need to get it repaired. Here are 3 signs that your zone control system could use a visit from a local technician.
How Does Refrigerant Cool the Air?
Monday, June 29th, 2015Modern air conditioning begins and ends with refrigerant, a catch-all term used to describe various types of chemical compounds that constantly circulate through your system. Refrigerant is marked by a fairly low boiling point temperature-wise and an ability to pull heat from the surrounding air as it shifts from liquid to gaseous form. The air conditioning system simply takes advantage of that fact. Here in Dover, De, our hot summers mean that you need your air conditioner need to be functioning at its peak at all times. Understanding how refrigerant cools the air can go a long way towards understanding what kinds of problems may arise with your system.
How Does Duct Testing Work?
Monday, June 22nd, 2015Here in Dover, DE, you need every aspect of your air conditioning system to work when the summer heat starts to rise. That usually means the air conditioner itself, but in some cases, it can involve the ductwork that carries the conditioned air to the different rooms of your home. Ducts can develop clogs or breaches that can create serious problems for your system, but they’re often located in crawlspaces and other hidden locales that can be tough to reach. Duct testing is an effective ways of analyzing your ducts to determine if there are any problems and pinpoint their location. How does duct testing work? Here’s a quick breakdown.