Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Repair’

How AC Refrigerant Coils Work—And How They Can Go Wrong

Monday, June 27th, 2022
air-conditioner-evaporator-coil

An air conditioning system has many different parts that combine together to provide cool comfort for a house. The part of an AC that does the direct cooling of the air is the evaporator coil, which works in conjunction with a second coil, the condenser coil, to allow for the heat exchange process that’s at the core of how an air conditioning system works.

Today, we’re going to look closer at how these coils work, as well as how they may end up requiring professional AC repair in Lake City, FL.

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Amateur AC Repair Errors We Often See

Monday, January 10th, 2022
hand-holding-wrench

Please don’t attempt to make repairs to your air conditioning system on your own if you’re not a trained HVAC technician. And don’t let amateurs take on AC repairs either. It’s that simple: the modern central air conditioner is a complex piece of refrigeration technology that requires years of training and special tools to repair. 

If you have a malfunctioning cooling system in your home, the best way to deal with it is to call us to schedule AC repair in Alachua, FL. We’re responsive professionals with more than two decades of history fixing all types of air conditioning problems.

We can use our experience repairing ACs to explain why amateur tampering can go so wrong. We’ve often inspected air conditioners and discovered mistakes made from some non-professional attempts to fix them. If your current AC was already in your house when you moved in, you may not even realize your cooling system has these “amateur patches,” and they can lead to trouble later. Here are a few of the more common botched repair errors we see.

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Can My Air Conditioner Rust?

Monday, November 15th, 2021
old-ac-unit

Anything made of ferrous metal can potentially rust, and that includes your air conditioning system. Is this a common occurrence that you should worry about? And how would rust start to develop on an AC in the first place? We’ll get into that below, as well as help you know when you should call our team for AC repair in Lake City, FL.

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Failed Capacitors in Your AC: What’s Wrong, How to Fix It

Monday, November 1st, 2021
Air-conditioner-repairman

After a long summer and fall of hard work keeping your home cool, your air conditioning system may start to run into trouble due to wear and tear. This is one of the hazards of living in a place with such a warm climate where ACs don’t get a long break during the winter. We have to be extra vigilant of how our air conditioning systems operate to catch potential trouble they may have between their regular maintenance visits in the spring. 

One common trouble that ACs encounter after working through hot weather is with capacitors. Failed capacitors will bring an air conditioner to a halt. Below we’re going to talk more about capacitors, how to tell if they are failing/have failed, and what to do about it.

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If the AC’s Compressor Fails, Do I Need to Get a New AC?

Monday, October 18th, 2021
compressor-in-ac-unit

You may have heard that a failed compressor in a central air conditioning system means the whole system needs to be replaced. Compressors are critical for an AC’s operation—they’re responsible for circulating refrigerant and putting it under pressure so it can move heat out of the home and cool the air. Compressors are also large and powerful components that are expensive to replace. Since compressors often fail in older AC’s, it makes sense to replace the AC rather than pay just to replace the compressor.

However, a failed compressor doesn’t automatically mean a central air conditioner must be replaced. Not in all situations. Below we’ll look at four different outcomes for a failed compressor. This can help you make the choice about whether to have an AC replacement or an air conditioning repair in Lake City, FL, but please consult with our HVAC professionals to help you make the final decision.

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What Are the Most Debilitating AC Malfunctions?

Monday, October 4th, 2021
air-conditioner-with-dirty-coils

A busted AC is no fun in Florida heat. In fact, it can be dangerous if you have household members susceptible to heatstroke. This is why we take air conditioning repair in Alachua, FL seriously. When an air conditioning system isn’t working, people need expert help right away—and we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to get cooling systems back to work. 

We have more than two decades of history working on air conditioning systems, so it’s fair to say that we’ve seen it all. In this post, we’ll look at the AC malfunctions that cause the worst problems, i.e. ones that cause an AC to stop working entirely. We recommend calling us when your air conditioner is struggling, because we can help head off an even larger problem. But when you’ve got an AC that won’t work at all because of one of these problems, you’ll know you need to call us!

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6 Common Causes of an AC Become Inefficient

Monday, September 20th, 2021
air-conditioner-money-saver

A great air conditioning system does more than keep your house cool. It keeps your house cool without wasting energy. In other words, it runs efficiently

But the same way that an AC can start to decline and provide less cool air, it can also start to become inefficient and waste energy. The two don’t even have to go together: you might still enjoy ideal comfort from your air conditioner yet see a tremendous rise in utility bills. If you have a problem with an inefficient air conditioner, you may need AC repair in Macclenny, FL—or possibly a new air conditioner!

We’ll look at six ways an AC can become inefficient. 

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Closing Room Vents Isn’t Helpful: Here’s How It’s Hurtful!

Monday, September 6th, 2021
vent-cover-in-ceiling

“How can I pay less to cool and heat my house?” You’ve probably asked yourself this before, and you can find many options to lower how much you need to depend on running your heating and air conditioning system over the year.

One method you might try is to close vent covers in unoccupied rooms. This seems to make sense: blocking the flow of conditioned air to empty rooms means less energy used. 

Except … this is completely false! Closing room vents (or blocking them) won’t save money on heating and cooling. It does the opposite: it costs money in energy efficiency, repairs, and failed equipment! We’ll take a look at why closing rooms vents is a destructive move for your HVAC system.

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Ways to Tell Your AC Is on the Way Out…

Monday, August 9th, 2021
old-ac-unit

We’re now in the second half of the summer, and your home’s AC has put in an enormous amount of work already cooling down the house. It still has a ways to go too, since the Florida summer heat can last long into fall. You shouldn’t have too much to worry about when it comes to your AC, provided you arranged for routine maintenance at the start of the year. ACs are designed to last for many years against extremely hot conditions.

Of course, no AC is designed to last forever. At this point in the summer season, you may detect signs that your air conditioning system is beginning to fail—headed for a last breakdown that will require you to schedule an AC replacement in Lake City, FL. The best way to avoid getting trapped with a failed AC is to pay attention to the warnings the system is on the way out. Below we’ve listed a few major signs.

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Why You Hear Water Dripping in Your AC

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

waterOne of the caution signs we tell homeowners about that will help them determine when they need repairs for their air conditioning in High Springs, FL is strange sounds. When you hear your AC making noises like hissing, bubbling, grinding, screeching, or clanging, it usually means something is wrong that requires the assistance of our HVAC professionals. 

One sound you’ll hear from an AC that might be a bit odd but which is normal is dripping water. You’ve probably heard this many times before while your air conditioner was cooling down the house, and maybe you wondered at some point why it makes that sound. After all, an air conditioner doesn’t use water to cool the air. So why is there water dripping in your AC? 

We’re going to answer that question here, not just because it’s an interesting bit of information, but because knowing the facts can help you recognize potential future problems.

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