Residential & Commercial HVAC and Refrigeration Tips Blog | Atlantic Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Inc.

Can My Gas Furnace Become Dangerous?

January 6th, 2020

More than 66 million homes across the country use natural gas in some way. It’s the preferred power source for kitchens and the most reliable way to provide warmth while also saving money. Yet people still have concerns about the safety of using natural gas. It’s easy to become worried when you hear about accidents with natural gas resulting in fires, explosions, or carbon monoxide poisoning.

It’s true that natural gas can become hazardous, and the gas furnace in your home does have the potential to create safety issues. However, natural gas would not be used in 66 million homes (and five million businesses) if it was a regular safety problem. Gas furnaces are constructed to operate as safely as possible. As long as you have the furnace serviced regularly—annual professional maintenance tune-ups and prompt repairs as necessary—you and your family can enjoy years of worry-free heating.

However, we recommend you read below to find out how the furnace might turn dangerous. Arming yourself with this knowledge can help you know when to call us for professional furnace service in Georgetown, DE.

Is Duct Testing Useful?

December 23rd, 2019

What is the condition of the ductwork in your home? Your answer is probably that you don’t know. This makes sense, because it’s difficult to see these air channels that are set within the walls and the attic of the house. Even if you could see stretches of the ductwork, you might not recognize spots where air was leaking unless you have a trained eye.

Basically, it takes a Dover, DE, HVAC contractor to determine the condition of your ducts through the process of duct testing. We offer duct testing as part of our service to care for home ventilation systems (the “V” in HVAC). This might sound like an unimportant job, but duct testing is useful. In fact, it can mean the difference in an efficient and comfortable home, and an inefficient, unevenly heated and cooled, and unhealthy home.

Why December Isn’t Too Late for a Heater Inspection and Tune-Up

December 9th, 2019

Any HVAC contractor who cares about their customers’ safety and comfort recommends annual fall maintenance for household heating systems. No matter if you use a gas furnace, electric furnace, boiler, in-floor heating system, heat pump, or ductless system, it needs to have a fall tune-up and inspection from our professionals. We are the Georgetown, DE, HVAC contractor with the ideal maintenance plan to see to not only your heating needs, but your cooling needs as well.

A Few Important Facts About Boilers (Including Yours)

November 25th, 2019

Although furnaces are the most common type of heating system in the country, boilers are close behind them. Particularly in our area, with many homes built without a central ventilation system. Boilers provide powerful and clean heating (no dust blown around from vents) and they often outlast other types of systems.

Not all HVAC contractors in the area provide boiler services, but we do. We’d like to share a few facts with you about boilers that may help you understand yours better—and that will help you know when to call our technicians for assistance.

Understanding Efficiency Ratings for Electric and Gas Furnaces

November 11th, 2019

Efficiency is an important word when it comes to HVAC systems. People want to make sure they have heating and air conditioning units that waste as little energy as possible. This not only keeps utility bills lower, it’s better for the environment because it puts less strain on power plants and natural resources. The US Department of Energy has a program called ENERGY STAR to help consumers identify products with superior energy efficiency and quality features. When you’re hunting for a new heating system or other HVAC product, look for the ENERGY STAR label.

But you’ll also want to look at the actual efficiency rating of the appliance, and this can become a bit confusing because different appliances have different criteria. Sometimes, efficiency ratings can be misleading without some extra information—and this is the case with the two most common types of furnaces, gas and electric.

Should You Replace Your HVAC System With a Heat Pump?

October 28th, 2019

You’re reading this because it’s fall and you have plans to make a big change to your HVAC system before the winter weather arrives. You’re debating about a new choice for comfort: a heat pump. Heat pumps are similar to air conditioners—they move heat from one place to another using the circulation of refrigerant. The difference is heat pumps can switch the direction they operate so they function as both air conditioners and heaters.

This sounds like a dream choice, doesn’t it? Your year-round comfort needs taken care of with a single system that can switch jobs with an adjustment of the thermostat. Of course, it can’t be that simple. And it isn’t.

It’s Time for a Planned Inspection of Your Home’s Heater

October 14th, 2019

October is the best time of the year to plan for a maintenance inspection and tune-up for the heater in your home, no matter if you use a furnace, a boiler, a heat pump, or a ductless mini split system. These annual inspections are essential for a heater to work in top shape, avoid unnecessary repair work, and stay within manufacturer’s safety limits. It’s not something you can skip a year here or there.

Fortunately, arranging for this service is straightforward: call a professional Delaware HVAC contractor who offers a maintenance program. Signing up for one of these programs not only provides you with heating maintenance each year, it usually includes air conditioning maintenance in the spring and a raft of other benefits.

We offer a complete HVAC maintenance program for our customers. If you aren’t signed up, give us a call today so we can get you on the schedule as soon as possible to inspect and care for your heater before the winter weather arrives.

Dealing With an Upper Floor That’s Too Hot

September 30th, 2019

One problem that our experts in air conditioning services in Seaford, DE often handle for our customers is fixing uneven cooling in a home. It’s something of a marvel that modern air conditioning can provide even cooling in the first place when you consider the size of many homes, the difficulties of air circulation, and the many ways heat can enter different parts of a house. However, the technology of modern central air conditioners allows for a proper level of cooling and air balancing that can deliver the even spread of comfort homeowners want.

The uneven cooling problem we run into the most is the upper floor that’s warmer than the first floor. Heat rises, and this makes it easy for the second floor to become stuffy. Heat also enters through the sun on the roof, adding to the problem. There are other potential obstacles to a comfortably cooled-off second floor. We’ll take a look at what can be done to fix this problem.

Your AC Has Limits! Know What It Can Do

September 16th, 2019

Hot weather continues through September and into October, and air conditioning systems that have put in work since the start of summer are now at a higher danger of a breakdown. Enough stress can accumulate on even the best-maintained AC to lead to a malfunction.

We want to help you avoid a late-season air conditioning repair in Delaware. Our technicians are ready to help you with 24/7 repairs whenever your AC begins to fail. (Never hesitate to call. Delaying air conditioning repairs because fall weather is coming soon is a poor plan that can lead to worse problems.) To help you take the pressure off your cooling system, we’re going to talk about the limitations of what your air conditioner can do. Pushing your AC over these limits is a fast way to have a broken AC.

You May Still Need AC Help at the End of Summer

September 2nd, 2019

When the weather starts to cool down as summer comes to a close, the AC in your house will run less often. There will still be some hot days during September when the cooling system will need to put in extra work, but this is the air conditioning season homestretch.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you can ignore AC issues or that you won’t need to schedule air conditioning services in Dover, DE before the fall. Procrastination on repairs can lead to serious trouble, and there are other services you may want to schedule at this time of year. There’s never a wrong time to repair or make upgrades to your AC—moving earlier is always better than too late.