First Choice Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Brighton’

Basic Questions to Ask About Your Home’s Heating Performance This Winter

Monday, March 14th, 2022

heating-iconAs winter wraps up and people start looking forward to using their air conditioning systems, we recommend homeowners take time to consider their heating. True, you soon won’t need to have your heating system running, but spring offers an opportunity to make upgrades, repairs, and even full system replacements to a heater. 

So in this post, we want to help you consider how well your heater performed through the winter it just went through. This can help you decide if you need to call us for critical HVAC service in Brighton, MI during spring, when you can take advantage of the slower schedule for HVAC technicians and the milder weather.

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What Separates How a Boiler Heats From How a Furnace Heats

Monday, January 17th, 2022

red-thermometerThe two most common types of heating systems found in local homes are furnaces and boilers. Each has advantages and disadvantages, but we want to use this post to explain the basic differences in how these two systems generate heat and distribute it. You can use the information to help you understand how your heating system works as well as decide on what type of heater you want if you’re planning on a new installation.

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How to Manage If Your Furnace Fails This Winter

Monday, December 20th, 2021

cold-sweater-manThe average low temperature during our winters is 15°F. Some other parts of the Midwest get even colder, but 15°F is still extremely cold and nothing you want to face in your house unless you have a powerful and reliable furnace to warm you.

The good news is that if you have the right furnace and you’ve already scheduled its pre-season maintenance from HVAC professionals, the heater likely will make it through the season without an emergency breakdown. But there’s always a chance you might have a failed furnace at some point in the season, probably on one of the coldest days because that’s when the furnace has to put in the most work. 

In the event your furnace fails, run through a series of troubleshooting steps, such as this one we posted two years ago. If those don’t work, shut off the furnace completely at the furnace switch (this will help keep you safe) and call our experts for furnace repair in Brighton, MI. We’ll be there as soon as we can, but you’ll need to find ways to manage the cold temperatures until then. We have some tips about that:

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If Your Heating Bills Seemed Too High Last Winter…

Monday, November 8th, 2021

Frustrated-man-looking-at-laptopIf you looked at your heating bills during the previous winter and wondered why they seemed higher than normal, this post can help. We know you probably spent more time in your home last winter than usual (pretty much everyone did), so that will account for some of the increase in how much you paid for heat. But if you factor out that, as well as any rise in energy costs, and the price still seems too steep, then there are several steps you can take.

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When Your Heater Isn’t Working, Don’t Try to Rely on Space Heaters Rather Than Repairs!

Monday, October 11th, 2021

space-heater-electricWhen the winter arrives in Michigan, central heaters in homes across the state come on to keep people warm. You can’t afford to go without some kind of heating system for your home if you want to make it through the winter. Unfortunately, we can tell you plenty of stories about people who tried to patch together a “cheap” solution to home heating when their furnace or other central heater went out. 

The most common “fix” for heat when a central heating system fails is to use space heaters. These can work as a temporary solution … and by temporary we mean “until our HVAC technicians arrive.” When you need heating repair in Brighton, MI, please don’t delay with calling for the service. Trying to get by with space heaters for a stretch can end up disastrous.

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Schedule Heating Maintenance Now and Beat the Rush

Monday, September 27th, 2021

service-reminderFall started officially on the 22nd of September, but most people think of the season starting after Labor Day, or when the calendar leaf flips over to September. Now it’s almost October and the reality of fall (and a certain even colder season that follows it) will strike homeowners. They’ll start making cold weather preparations. One of the most important preparations is arranging for professional HVAC technicians to do a maintenance inspection and tune-up on their heating system.

We can’t overestimate the importance of annual fall heating maintenance. It helps home heating systems work at high energy efficiency with little chance of repairs cropping up. The peace of mind that comes along with heating maintenance is worth the cost alone. 

Although you can have heating maintenance done anytime in the fall, or even during early winter, we urge you to have it scheduled as soon as possible. Or just “now.” Why?

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The Sinking AC Condenser: How This Can Be Bad News

Monday, September 13th, 2021

ac-on-slabGo outside your house and look at the condenser cabinet for the central air conditioner. You’ll notice that it’s placed onto a concrete slab, rather than just set on the ground. This is because the condenser is a heavy object and it would start to sink right down into the ground if it wasn’t put on a solid foundation. Laying down a concrete pad is a critical part of putting in the first AC for a new house.

That doesn’t mean the concrete slab won’t start to sink at some point! If you noticed during your trip to look at the condenser (and how often have you really looked at this critical part of your home comfort system?) that the unit appeared a bit uneven, then you may have a sinking condenser. 

No, the condenser isn’t going to vanish into the ground. But an uneven condenser because of a sinking slab is still a problem that calls for air conditioning repair in Brighton, MI. Read on to learn more!

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Reasons to Consider a Geothermal System for Your Home

Monday, July 19th, 2021

geothermal-loopsGeothermal heat pumps (a.k.a. a “ground-source” heat pumps) are becoming more common for residential homes. People who once thought that installing geothermal heating and cooling was out of their reach are finding that these installations are more flexible and affordable than ever before. If a home already has a standard AC or heat pump, most of the indoor work for installation is already done—a geothermal heat pump will use the same ductwork the current AC or heat pump uses. Putting in the ground loops isn’t as difficult as it may seem either.

If you’re thinking about changing over to geothermal heating and geothermal cooling in Brighton, MI, you should know about some of the major benefits of this switch. It’s true that a geothermal installation is a larger investment than other HVAC systems, but the system can pay you back in many ways:

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Why Is My AC Leaking Water?

Monday, July 5th, 2021

water-dropletsAs the hot months of summer in Brighton keep getting hotter, your air conditioner is most likely going to be working overtime to keep your home cool and comfortable. If you have had your air conditioner for a long time, you must have faced several issues over the years that require repairs. One fairly common issue that people face with their cooling systems is an inexplicable water leak from their ACs.

If your air conditioner is leaking water, you might be confused about why that’s happening and if you need to do anything about it. We will discuss why your air conditioner might be leaking water inside your house and why you should consider hiring expert Brighton, MI geothermal heating and air conditioner services to address the problem before it gets worse.

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The Hot, Stuffy Home—You May Need Air Duct Sealing!

Monday, June 21st, 2021

duct-sealingYour summer season inside your home has gotten off to a rough start. Even though you have a central air conditioning system that you’ve relied on before, something isn’t working right. It’s not just that the house isn’t cooling down enough, even though the air conditioner is sending out cooled air. It’s also that the house feels stuffy and humid, and your electric bills are higher than ever before. What’s going on?

There are several possibilities, but all of these problems are signs of a particular problem the house may have: leaking air ducts. When you’ve got leaky ductwork, it will create a host of problems like the ones we’ve already listed. If you’d like to have comfort restored in your house and an HVAC system that does what it’s supposed to do, call us for air duct sealing in Brighton, MI.

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