First Choice Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Replacement’

August AC Tips So You Have a Cool End of the Summer

Monday, August 16th, 2021

outdoor-acAugust brings two challenges for air conditioning systems:

  1. It is usually the hottest month.
  2. ACs have already put in several months of hard labor dealing with the heat.

The combination of these two mean air conditioners face a higher chance of malfunctions and breakdowns in August. It’s definitely one of the busiest times of the year for us! Our technicians tackle many emergency calls for air conditioning repair in Flushing, MI and throughout our service area. 

We’re always happy to help with AC repairs whenever you need them, but we also want to provide the service of prevention. If you already schedule preventive HVAC maintenance in spring, you got your AC off to a good start. The tips below can help your AC have a good end to the season, which means you’ll enjoy it more too!

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Will a High Efficiency Air Conditioning System Save Me Money?

Monday, May 10th, 2021

If you’re considering installing a new air conditioner for your house before the summer heat arrives, now is the ideal time. But what kind of AC installation in Brighton, MI are you going to get? 

This is a more complicated question than it may seem at first, because there are more options for central cooling than before. If you’ve had your current air conditioning system for more than ten years, energy-efficiency standards have shifted and even the lowest efficiency system you can purchase will be higher than what it was when you purchased your current system. And there are also many special high-efficiency models.

High-efficiency ACs are an attractive choice because they have the lure of reducing energy use. But is getting a high-efficiency system a guarantee of saving you money? The short answer is no. You can’t be guaranteed money savings, but you can increase the chance of saving money if you make the right choices.

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Grading Your AC at the End of the Season

Monday, October 12th, 2020

ac-coilsOctober usually means we a break from the heat (although there are always those sudden turns—you can’t take cooler weather for granted until it’s truly winter!). As you get ready for the change in seasons to settle in, it’s a good time to evaluate the performance of your air conditioning in Howell, MI during the previous summer. You can use this evaluation to help make choices about your HVAC system’s future. The big question is whether you think your AC is prepared to keep going next year. If it’s ready to be replaced, then taking care of it during the calmer conditions of fall is ideal.

No matter if you need your air conditioning system repaired or replaced, we’re the trustworthy team for the job. We have almost 20 years of history making homes happy!

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Why Your AC Just Isn’t Getting the Job Done

Monday, August 31st, 2020

woman-before-fanWhen the heat and humidity of late summer start their relentless assault on your home and your family’s comfort, you’ll be glad you have a powerful central air conditioning system to man the battlements and keep the invading heat hordes from storming the walls.

Or … not that. As the case may be. You may have an air conditioning system that isn’t getting its job done. It runs, you feel cool air coming from the vents, but the house is still too hot and humid and nobody is happy.

Why is your air conditioning system no longer a partner in keeping the household comfortable? We’ll take a look at some reasons for a faltering air conditioning in Howell, MI and what can be done about it.

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Watch Out for These Cheap Mistakes Amateurs Make with AC Installs

Monday, July 20th, 2020

outdoor-ac-condenser-unitWhen you need a central air conditioning system in your house, what’s the best way to have it done right?

  1. Do it yourself. There are probably some videos online that make it super-easy.
  2. Call a non-licensed amateur who can do it inexpensively. Why pay more for a professional?
  3. Call a Highland, MI, HVAC contractor with experience and certification.

The correct answer is “3.” We hope you didn’t even consider “1,” because an air conditioning installation is an enormous task and there’s no way you can do it yourself. Unfortunately, many people are tempted to pick “2” because they think there isn’t that much difference between an amateur and a professional contractor.

But there is! And when it comes to installation, amateur work means years of trouble from an air conditioning system that can’t be repaired except with a full system replacement. We’ve seen plenty of the cheap shortcuts that amateurs take whenever we’re called on to install a replacement system for one that failed. Below are a few of the common mistakes amateur make on AC installations:

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What to Do With a Noisy AC

Monday, July 6th, 2020

air-conditioner-units-near-grassAir conditioners runs using motors and fans, so they can never run silently. However, the construction of standard split system air conditioners removes a great deal of the noise from the house by placing the compressor and exhaust fan outside. Inside the house, most of the sound will come from the indoor blower fan, water dripping from the evaporator coil, and the movement of air through the ventilation ducts.

This is the basic “white noise” of summer—until it isn’t. A rise in sounds from the air conditioner, and this includes a noisier outdoor unit as well, is a problem. And not just because it can be annoying. Let’s look into what can be done about a noisy AC.

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Benefits of Installing a New AC for the Summer

Monday, May 25th, 2020

woman-relaxing-with-coffeeThere is plenty that a professional Brighton, MI, HVAC contractor can do for your house to make it more comfortable for summer. Our technicians can offer all that you need to ensure a cool home with the best indoor air quality. One of the most important services we offer—one that every homeowner will need eventually—is replacing old, outdated, energy-draining air conditioning systems for new ones.

This may be the summer you need a new AC for your home. We’ve written before about recognizing when you have an over-the-hill AC. Today we’re going to look at the positive side of needing to replace an air conditioner—all the benefits of a new air conditioner. Let’s look at what you can expect when you have our technicians outfit your personal palace with the best in an electric oasis system!

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My AC’s Compressor Died! Do I Need to Replace the Whole AC?

Monday, September 2nd, 2019

frightened-womanOkay, we know this is an urgent, even alarming problem. When an air conditioning system’s compressor burns out, its AC can’t provide any cooled air. The compressor is what allows the AC to circulate refrigerant and move heat from inside the house to cool down. (A few months ago we wrote a blog post detailing exactly what a compressor does.) Without a working compressor, the air conditioner will only circulate room temperature air around the ventilation system.

You may have heard that replacing a dead compressor is so expensive that you’re better off having a complete air conditioning replacement. This is true sometimes, but not always. Below we’ll look at the different replacement options and help you think about the right choice for your situation.

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The AC Compressor: Why You Don’t Want It to Fail!

Monday, July 22nd, 2019

compressor-in-ac-unitA short quiz. What is the most important component in your air conditioning system?

  1. The blower fan
  2. The condenser coils
  3. The evaporator coils
  4. The compressor
  5. The thermostat
  6. All of the above

If you answered “6,” you’re right! There isn’t such a thing as “the most important component” out of options 1-6, because if any of these fail, you won’t have cooling from your AC. No fan means no air sent into the ventilation system. Losing either set of coils means the AC can’t carry out heat exchange. No thermostat means cooling can’t be turned on. And no compressor means the entire air conditioning system is dead and probably needs to be replaced.

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How Do I Find Out How Old My AC Is?

Monday, September 3rd, 2018

old-air-conditionerWell, you could ask politely … not all air conditioners are sensitive about their age!

Seriously though, this is a question people often have about their cooling systems. There are usually two reasons for this interest, often overlapping:

  • The air conditioner was there when they moved in, and they have no idea when the previous owner installed it.
  • They suspect the air conditioner is old enough that it’s ready to be replaced with a new unit.

One of the big jobs we do handle air conditioning replacement in Fenton, MI homes and throughout the surrounding areas. We know plenty about how age affects an air conditioning system and to replace them. If you’re interested in finding out the age of your air conditioning system, we can help.

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