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HVAC units are a very important part of your home. They help with keeping you warm and cool depending on the weather outside. Sometimes your system can run into a few problems to where you will have to call Cool Masters. But, in this post we will discuss a few ways you can care for your HVAC system on your own, to minimize the number of problems your system might run into as the years progress.

clean hvac units
The first way you can care for your system is to simply clean off your unit. You should be cleaning off the top of the unit, where the fan is. When the weather changes, a lot of things can be tossed in the air including leaves and pollen. To ensure your HVAC stays clean, you can go outside a few times a year or after every season and simply wash off the top of the unit. You can easily do this task using water from a hose and gently rinsing off the top. This will help the fans stay clean and keep them moving throughout the year to keep air going in and coming out of your home.

Another way to care for your HVAC which is also related to cleaning is to care for the land around the unit. Things like weeds, grass, and trees can get overgrown and can possibly interfere with the system by blocking the airflow. To keep this from happening, you should immediately get rid of anything that is about a foot away from the system to minimize the risk of interference.

air ducts before finished ceiling
The HVAC system connects to your inside air vents. To keep the air that is coming in nice and not contaminated, you should replace your air filters. Ideally, you should be replacing your air filters every 3 months. Doing this will keep your family safe during the worst times of pollen and pollution. The Nordic Pure is a great option to replace your air filter. You can learn more about air filters from our “CLEAN AIR: CHANGING AIR FILTERS & DUCT CLEANING” blog post.

All of these ways to care for your unit can be helpful but, sometimes there just aren’t enough to keep your system from breaking down or having other problems. If a problem occurs with your HVAC system, give Cool Masters a call immediately and we can come out and fix it. We are here to help you and your family.

So you’re looking to save money in heating and cooling costs while also using alternative fuel sources? Look no further than geothermal heating and cooling. Though it’s still in its infancy as far as conventional HVAC goes, geothermal is becoming a trend, and eventually will be the norm. The Earth’s core provides the energy needed to heat and cool your abode instead of oil, natural gas, or a heat pump. Although geothermal does have a few drawbacks, the benefits will likely outweigh the disadvantages for you and your family. It seems like a clear and easy choice, but let’s talk about what might discourage a homeowner from going green when it comes to HVAC.

how geothermal heating works

The Cons

If you’re easily shocked by sticker prices, this one might throw you a bit. The cost, especially on older homes that must be retrofitted, can be upwards of $30,000. So you’ll have to decide if what you spend for a geothermal system is worth what you’ll save in the long run. The reason older home installations cost more is because of the great deal of excavation required to install. However, a business that is larger than most homes would benefit from a geothermal install more easily because the cost might be tax-deductible based on the state, county, or municipality that it’s located in.

As of 2019, there are very few installers of geothermal systems and therefore not much competition. This also lends to the higher price versus standard HVAC systems, and the plethora of installers for those.

Underground ecosystems and their parts (i.e. roots) can be detrimental to the components of geothermal HVAC and can have huge out of pocket costs.

The Earth’s energy alone isn’t what powers this type of system. Geothermal only refers to the source of heating and cooling, not the energy to run it. That would almost certainly be electricity – and a lot of it. So there is a slight pitfall there. Aside from the power bill, the water required for underground wells that are used for these systems is immense.

Now that we’ve done the bad news first, here’s the good news.

The Pros

Compared to gas and oil furnaces, geothermal systems emit almost no pollution and are 300 to 500% efficient. Conventional systems average about 90% efficiency. As long as the planet stays intact, geothermal energy is 100% renewable. They also will not turn off because they run out of fuel.

Not only can two-bedroom homes benefit from these eco-friendly systems, but large commercial spaces can as well.

The savings for annual heating and cooling will drop drastically upon installation, typically between 40 and 60%. Gas and/or oil prices will have no bearing on what it costs to run a geothermal system. These systems make almost no noise as there isn’t a compressor to run or furnace to fire up.

The Whole Story

While geothermal energy may not be practical for all home or business owners, the future of this concept is quite bright. As more and more HVAC companies utilize geothermal energy systems and technology, prices will continue to fall, and they’ll become more readily available.

Having a window AC unit is extremely common for those living in the warm Suwanee climate. Our summers are often extremely hot, and without an AC unit, home life would be unbearable. Although when winter comes, the question of what to do with the AC unit arises. Many people are unfamiliar with the way to properly store their unit, and are unaware of the potential damage that can be caused if they incorrectly store it.

First Steps

The first step is to remove the AC unit from the window. To do this, first unplug the unit and remove anything acting as sealing to keep the unit placed in the window. When you remove the unit, water will likely drip out of it, especially if it has been recently used, so be prepared. After the unit is removed, be sure to close and seal the window.

Next, you will need to clean the unit. Storing a unit that’s dirty can cause damage. In order to clean it, start by wiping down the outside using a mixture of water and vinegar. Then, use a vacuum’s small brush to clean off the unit’s fins. Finally, clean out the inside using the same mixture of water and vinegar. Allow the unit to fully dry before storing it. It’s also recommended that, at this point, you replace the filter, since you have already removed the unit from the window.

Storage

When you have fully cleaned the unit, and are prepared to store it, it’s best to place it back in the original box. If you don’t have the original box, find one that is a similar size. Keeping the unit contained will help preserve its physical appearance. Before placing it in the box, wrap a plastic bag or garbage bag around the unit to further protect it.

The unit should be stored indoors, and ideally in an attic or basement. Don’t store a unit outside, as that further subjects it to the elements. It needs to be kept in a dry environment, and preferably a warm one as well.

Potential Damage

If an AC unit isn’t stored correctly, it can suffer irreparable damage. For example, if a unit is stored outside or in a cold environment, the coils can freeze, rendering the unit inoperable.

Furthermore, if a unit is left in the window, it can not only freeze during the winter, but it will actually let cold air into the home. The gaps between the unit and the window will let in a draft, which will lower the temperature of your home and likely cause you to have higher heating bills. For help with storing your AC unit, seek out ac repair in Suwanee, GA.

The warm Georgia climate makes a functioning air conditioner a necessity, especially given the fact that roughly six months of the year are relatively warm in Alpharetta. As such, regular central air conditioning maintenance is crucial for several reasons.

Comfortability

No one wants their air conditioner to go out during the middle of a hot spell. Homes can get unbearably warm, significantly reducing the quality of life. It can even be dangerous to your health or the health of pets. On top of that, being able to find an air conditioner repairman during the middle of the hot season isn’t going to be easy, meaning you could go weeks living in a warm house. By performing regular maintenance, you can ensure that the temperature of your home will be pleasant over the summer.

Preventing Issues

Not only will preventative maintenance keep you from an uncomfortable summer, it can prevent larger problems from arising. Catching issues before they start will not only keep your air conditioner from failing on you, it can prevent future costly issues. Air conditioners that are left unchecked for long periods of time are bound to experience some degree of breakdown.

Air conditioners themselves are not designed to last longer than about 10 years, and some of the individual parts won’t even last that long. Having a trained HVAC professional examine your air conditioner regularly will help you replace pieces before they fail, and ultimately extend the life of your system.

Energy Bills

If the temperature of the house feels pleasant, and you notice that the air conditioner is pumping out cool air, it’s easy to assume that everything is working fine. Although everything might seem normal, if certain aspects of your air conditioner aren’t functioning in the correct way, the entire machine is working very inefficiently. As a result, you’ll get slapped with an enormous electric bill. Regular maintenance can ensure that your air conditioner keeps functioning at the level it should, keeping you from getting stunned by an enormous energy bill.

Air Quality

When an air conditioner isn’t working appropriately, it can be introducing bad elements into the air in your home. Those who are particularly sensitive to air quality might be adversely affected. Although it won’t be particularly dangerous, it can still be unpleasant. Malfunctioning air conditioners can kick up dust, dirt, or other air pollutants and circulate them around your house. Preventative maintenance can also detect these issues early on, so you don’t have to first experience the unpleasant air quality to notice something is wrong with your AC unit.

Lower Repair Costs

As mentioned, preventative maintenance will keep you from having to replace an entire system unexpectedly. Keeping a close eye on the individual components of your system makes it easier to replace individual parts as needed, which is a much cheaper alternative to replacing an entire system. Not only is replacing an entire system expensive, it can be a major undertaking. You can end up without air conditioning for extended periods of time, whereas with regular maintenance you prevent issues by fixing individual pieces at a lower cost.

In order to avoid much larger issues, it’s wise to seek out air conditioning service repair in Alpharetta, Georgia, before ending up sweating indoors.

When it comes to air conditioning service maintenance, it’s best to be proactive. These days, most air conditioners in homes weren’t designed to last more than about 10 years. Some of the individual components can’t even last that long. As such, there are a number of good reasons to upgrade the entire system.

Longevity

Because many of the older air conditioners weren’t designed to last very long, it’s likely that your system is getting to a point where it needs significant repairs. If that hasn’t happened already, it might be just around the corner. Nowadays, air conditioners are made differently and have different components. Upgrading your system now means that you’ll be able to go a much longer period of time before having to do another overhaul. You can also likely count on an upgraded system to last for more years than the previous system.

Lower Electric Bills

Air conditioners are only becoming more and more efficient over time. It’s possible that your electric bills are currently much higher than they could be. New systems have advanced features which can minimize the amount of energy used while still maintaining a high level of comfort within the home. Although the cost of replacing an entire system isn’t necessarily low, you might end up saving a significant amount of money on electric bills over time, making it worth it.

Preventing Issues

By upgrading your air conditioner now, you’re avoiding future problems. If doing a full overhaul of the system isn’t in the budget, simple upgrades might be the right choice. Eventually, individual components of an HVAC system begin to shut down and need replacing. It’s possible that one of these parts shutting down could prevent the entire system from working correctly by pumping out warm air, kicking up dust and dirt, or simply not working at all.

Even if you replace one part, that’s no guarantee that another won’t break down shortly thereafter, causing you the same problems. Based on the age, make, and model of your air conditioner, it might be wise to do an extensive upgrade but not a full overhaul. This can extend the life of your current system by years, as well as preventing damage to the system or to your house.

Upgrading your system isn’t any easy task, unfortunately. It’s difficult for most people to do on their own, and more often than not professionals need to be called in to do the labor. Not only is it highly labor-intensive, but it’s a delicate process that, if done incorrectly, can cause damage to the system or bodily injury. Seeking out air conditioning service repair in Johns Creek, GA, is better done sooner rather than later.

There are plenty of projects that you can do on your own. Building shelves, changing the oil on your car, and sewing curtains are all great DIY projects. Repairing your air conditioner? Not so much. While you may find dozens of “repair-it-yourself” videos on the internet, this is one problem that shouldn’t be handled on your own. Whether your unit is whirring, whistling, or not cooling correctly, here are a few reasons to never attempt AC repair in Alpharetta yourself.

AC Repair Takes Time

If you’re looking to save time on your air conditioning repair, doing it yourself isn’t the answer. Each air conditioning unit is equipped with hundreds of moving parts and mechanisms. Troubleshooting these parts takes know-how and time. Even for professionals, it can take hours to determine what the problem is. Once the problem is discovered, fixing it is even more time consuming. Repairing your unit yourself could end up taking you an exorbitant amount of time, leaving your family without cool air for even longer than you expected.

DIY Repairs Are Expensive

You may think that you’ll save money by handling your AC repair on your own. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Chances are you’ll have to buy the tools needed to repair your unit as well as the parts. Then, if you make a mistake or misdiagnose your unit, you’ll pay even more money to repair the problems that created. In the end, you’ll probably end up spending more than you would have had you just called a professional in the first place.

AC Repair Is Complex

There’s a reason why air conditioning experts learn on old systems—they don’t want to risk damaging new ones. It takes months and months to understand the ins and outs of an AC unit. While it may look pretty self-explanatory, your HVAC system is extremely complex. Many of the parts and pieces can be easily damaged. One wrong adjustment could compromise your entire system. By twisting different knobs, you could cause your AC unit to overwork or become less efficient. Don’t trust a video or blog to tell you what you need to know about your system. Instead, allow a professional to perform all needed repairs.

Health and Safety

Choosing to repair your own AC unit puts the lives of you and your family at risk. Along with the chance of electrocution, you could cause a refrigerant leak. Refrigerant is used to cool the air before it’s pumped through your home. It’s odorless and tasteless, but can be deadly. If you accidentally puncture a tube, this gas could poison your lungs and cause death. DIY air conditioning repairs also lead to reduction in air quality, allowing contaminants and allergens to be spread throughout your house.

Your Warranty

Your air conditioner could still be covered by a warranty. Performing a repair on your own could nullify this warranty. This means that should any other costly repairs occur, you’ll be required to pay out of pocket instead of the problem being handled by the manufacturer. It’s always best to leave air conditioning issues to the professionals.

No matter what the problem is, don’t handle your AC repairs on your own. Instead, hire a reputable air conditioning repair service in Alpharetta to ensure that your system and your health remain intact.

If you have an air conditioner that always needs repairs or maybe even breaks down completely, it’s time to decide if paying for repairs is a better option than replacing the entire unit. While the replacement cost is much higher up front, it can pay off over time in saved energy costs. If you’re not sure whether an A/C replacement or air conditioning repair service in Johns Creek, GA, is right for you, ask yourself these questions.

How Old Is Your Air Conditioner?

If you’ve had issues with your air conditioner and it’s between 10-15 years old, it’s time to think about replacing it. Not only has it already outlasted its expected lifespan, but newer models are much more energy efficient than models from even 10 years ago. You’ll notice the savings right away in your monthly energy bills.

How Much Do You Pay Each Month to Keep Your A/C Running?

Look at the records from the past several years of your utility bills and see if you notice a recent significant increase. This increase in utility costs can indicate your air conditioner is not running efficiently and has to overwork itself to maintain the proper temperature in your home.

You should also consider how much you’ve had to pay for repairs in the last year. If your energy bills haven’t increased much and you’ve only needed a minor repair or two, a complete replacement may not be necessary right away. As long as you find a reputable company who does air conditioning repair service in Johns Creek, GA, when repair needs to arise, you’ll be able to milk a few more good years from your air conditioner.

If you’ve had to pay a significant amount in repair costs or have paid for small repairs many times, it won’t hurt to get a free estimate on a replacement unit. Many companies even offer financing options on replacements to fit any budget.

Do You Plan on Staying in Your Home Long-Term?

If you plan on selling your house soon and your A/C isn’t older than 10 years, pay for repairs instead of replacing. If your A/C is older than 10 years, however, replacing it can make your home much more marketable.

If you plan to stay in your home, follow the 5,000 rule. Multiply the age in years of your A/C by the cost of the repair. If it exceeds $5,000, replace the unit. If it’s under that, enlist a reputable company for AC repair in Johns Creek, GA.

If it seems like the Georgia summer can’t get any hotter, imagine what it would be like if your air conditioning system broke down. Having the perfect temperature inside your home, an oasis from the sticky humidity, is a luxury that is easy to take for granted. Your HVAC system should be properly maintained to remain efficient, but sometimes emergencies still happen. It’s best to have a great company that does air conditioning repair in Buford, GA lined up to avoid knowing what it was like in the days before indoor climate control. Follow these tips to find the best one.

Personal References

Start by asking friends and family who live around you who they have used in the past for HVAC services and what they liked and disliked about the company. This is better than anonymous reviews online because you can ask questions and get answers from someone you personally know and trust.

Licensing and Insurance Requirements

If you find a company you wish to consider, check to see what kind of licensing and insurance their contractors have and how it matches up to state requirements. Usually, you can find this information right on the company’s website, but if not, call or stop by. This will give you the chance to interact personally with employees and judge how knowledgeable they seem as well as how they treat you.

Accreditation and Reviews

Great companies have proven themselves overtime through online accreditation and grades or rankings. Be sure to check the Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List, and other similar sites to ensure the company you’re considering is legitimate and qualified.

While you should never take online reviews as gospel, they can be useful in your hunt for more information. Some reviews might mention specific issues you’re having with your air conditioner and how they were dealt with, and usually how the reviewer felt about the company overall.

Warranties and Satisfaction Guarantees

If you spend the money on a reputable, energy-efficient air conditioner or a minor to major repair, you deserve the peace of mind that your investment will pay off. Look for companies that offer satisfaction guarantees on their parts and service as well as a warranty. Look on their website for warranty information or call them to get all the specifics. If you need an a/c installation, a free estimate and free second opinion should come standard.

As you’re looking for a company offering air conditioning repair in Buford, GA, follow these tips to ensure you’ll be satisfied with their work.

One of the most important components in your home is your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, also known as HVAC. Most homeowners know that proper maintenance is key to a long service life. Unfortunately, all units need some type of repair along the way. Choosing the right HVAC and air conditioning service in Buford, GA is not only important to the health of your system, but to your wallet and peace of mind as well.

Established Locally

Look for an HVAC repair service that is established in the local area and has a proven customer service record for central air conditioning repair. Check the Atlanta area Better Business Bureau and customer review sites like Angie’s List to find out how long the company has been providing services in the area.

References

Check out the company online and read customer reviews. If the company has no website, that should send up a warning flag. Ask friends, co-workers and neighbors for HVAC companies they’ve hired and how satisfied they were with the services provided.

24/7 Availability

Not all repair situations occur between 8am and 6pm on a weekday. Some HVAC service companies offer repairs 24/7. Imagine losing your AC after hours on a hot summer night, and then imagine that it happened on a weekend. Shop around for an HVAC repair and maintenance specialist before you have a problem, and make sure the one you choose offers service calls anytime, day or night, for a reasonable fee.

Licensing and Professionalism

The state of Georgia requires all air conditioning service technicians to be licensed. If the company is reputable, they will offer guarantees on the work performed as well as warranties on equipment replaced or installed and provided in writing. Some companies also offer maintenance contracts. The services that are covered should be provided in written form, along with any additional fees that could be added in.

For more information and details about the services we offer, including our 24-hour AC repair service in Buford, GA, call today.

If your air conditioner goes out in the heat of the summer, it’s essential to find emergency AC repair in Lawrenceville, GA, but it can be difficult to know which of these repair services is reliable and worthy of your business. Fortunately, if you look for a few specific qualities in a company that provides 24-hour AC repair in Lawrenceville, GA, you’ll be sure to find one you can trust.

Upfront Pricing

A good HVAC repair company won’t beat around the bush when it comes to discussing services and their corresponding prices. While it’s true that it can be difficult to give an accurate estimate over the phone and a home visit may be necessary to give a good estimate, once they’ve gotten all the necessary information, they should be able to give you a written, detailed estimate of the work that needs to be done as well as a good time frame that the work will be done in.

Professional

The company you’re considering should also be professional in every way. This means that they’re properly licensed, certified, and insured. Even the way the technicians present themselves should be professional with clean, courteous technicians who treat your home with respect and listen to your concerns and honestly recommend what your HVAC system needs. The company should also have enough experience under their belts to ensure that the proper repairs are recommended to get your system running smoothly again.

Accessible

If a company claims to provide emergency, 24-hour services, that’s exactly what they should provide. It shouldn’t be difficult to contact the company and they should respond to your service requests within a reasonable time frame. Accessibility to the technicians should be part of their professionalism in how quickly they can provide the services and if they arrive prepared to repair your HVAC system when they say they will.

Satisfied Customers

Finally, referrals and reviews say a lot about how reliable an emergency AC repair company is. You can get referrals from family members, friends, and neighbors, but another good resource is the company’s website with reviews and testimonials. You should also check other consumer websites for reviews and ratings with the Better Business Bureau.