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

The Sounds of an AC in Good Shape

Monday, July 4th, 2022

woman-listeningIn previous blogs, we’ve listed several ways you can detect if your air conditioner is in trouble and needs rapid repair service from our professionals. Odds sounds coming from the AC are one the most common warning signs of trouble. 

But this brings up a good question: what sounds should you hear coming from your air conditioner when it’s running well? You probably don’t think about it that much because an air conditioner working as it’s supposed to will often fade into the background of your mind. To help you better understand when your AC needs repairs, we’ll look at what your AC sounds like when it doesn’t need repairs.

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How a Malfunctioning Furnace Can Affect Your Home’s Air Quality

Monday, January 3rd, 2022

woman-with-allergiesWhen you run your HVAC system, it circulates air throughout the house, first drawing it in through return air ducts and then sending it back out it the rooms through the supply ducts. During the winter, you’ll run the furnace to heat up this air, and that means the effects of the furnace are felt all around the house. So it makes sense that if the furnace isn’t working right, it can have an effect on your home’s indoor air quality … aside from making it less hot, of course.

Below we’ll look at several ways a malfunctioning furnace can have a negative effect on the air quality in your house.

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The “Wheezing” House—You May Need Duct Cleaning

Monday, November 23rd, 2020

duct-cleaning-with-vacuumWhenever we talk about duct cleaning in Fenton, MI, people start to wonder if this service is necessary. Unfortunately, there are plenty of disreputable “services” that offer duct cleaning at extremely low prices, then deliver almost nothing except a quick vacuum of the inside of some vent openings. That isn’t the type duct cleaning we do: we provide a thorough service that pressurizes the entire duct system to agitate dust and dirt from it, and then we use spot cleaning with rotary brushes to ensure we did a complete job.

And we can assure you that real duct cleaning is important for a house. The best way to describe this is for you to picture the ductwork as like the nostrils of your nose. When the passages are unobstructed, you breathe easy and don’t even have to think about it. When they’re congested, you’ll start wheezing and expend more energy. It’s not pleasant at all, and this is what happens when your ductwork is filled with dust and other debris—it starts to “wheeze” and consume more energy to work. 

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“Test Drive” Your AC This Spring

Monday, March 16th, 2020

heating-cooling-ventBefore the warm weather settles in to stay for the middle of the year, you want to eliminate any worries you may have about your air conditioning system. The best way to do that is to call to arrange for air conditioning maintenance in Fenton, MI through our maintenance plan. Make this a step you take every spring, and you’ll have a much healthier and cost-effective AC system.

You can also do some checks on your own with a test-drive during cooler weather. This isn’t a replacement for maintenance, but a supplement. In fact, you can do the test-drive after you schedule maintenance before the actual appointment. This way, you can tell your maintenance technician about anything you’ve noticed that may be wrong, and they can focus their efforts.

To get started, simply turn on the AC during a day when you wouldn’t otherwise require it (you may need to set the temperature lower than you normally would), and look for the following:

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The Winter Home Stretch and Your Furnace

Monday, March 4th, 2019

winter-sceneYep, it’s still winter. It’s plenty cold. But we’re now in March, and this means the first official day of spring is a few weeks away. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll instantly start to enjoy warmer weather—but it does mean we are in the home stretch.

This is an important time for the furnace in your home. This heater has already put in months of hard work to protect your family’s comfort. During this final stretch of winter is when it’s most likely to suffer from a malfunction or possibly even a full breakdown. Please don’t take for granted the furnace will sail through until the day when you can shut it off for the season! Here are a few things about your furnace in Fenton, MI to consider at this time of year.

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Your Water Heater Does More Work in Winter

Monday, January 21st, 2019

water-heater-tankThe Water Heater in Winter. Not exactly a dramatic or thrilling name for a story, but it’s a story we want to tell anyway, because it’s important for our customers and potential customers to know about issues they may face during the winter with their water heaters in Fenton, MI.

You can always count on our dedicated team of technicians if you need water heater assistance this winter (or any other season). If you’re interested in new water heater installation, we can provide you with a free estimate: simply call our offices to arrange for an appointment. We aim to make your home happy!

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This Old Furnace: When It’s Time to Replace It

Monday, December 10th, 2018

ancient-furnace

We can’t imagine you harbor any nostalgic feelings about the furnace warming your home during the winter. Furnaces are not romanticized pieces of machinery; they’re kept out of sight and are entirely functional in appearance. You don’t decorate your furnace for the holiday season. (It might be dangerous anyway; the furnace needs to be clear on all sides.)

Where are we going with this? There’s no reason to keep around an old furnace just because. No attachment. Most of the time, the only thing holding people back from scheduling a replacement for an old furnace in Fenton, MI is the costs involved. But in most cases, it’s less expensive to have a new furnace put in, and often the safer choice.

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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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Is Geothermal Really Good for Air Conditioning a Home?

Monday, August 20th, 2018

geothermal-heat-pump-diagramThe word geothermal contains the suffix ­­-thermal. If you remember your Ancient Greek root words, or you’ve encountered thermal underwear at some point or know about “thermal detonators” from Star Wars, then you know thermal means heat. Geothermal power has something to do with heat—heat from the earth. (Putting those Greek roots to work again!) So when we tell you about options for geothermal air conditioning for your house, you might wonder if we’ve gone a touch batty. How can a geothermal system work to cool down a home?

The answer: extremely well! Geothermal heat pumps are effective ways to provide comfort to a household all through the Michigan year. Like a standard heat pump, a geothermal heat pump brings heat into a building during cold weather and removes heat during warm weather. And it does these jobs at higher efficiency than a standard heat pump.

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Why Does Humidity Make It Feel Hotter?

Monday, July 9th, 2018

fan-on-heat-waveA warm summer day is a pleasant experience in Michigan. A warm, humid, summer day is much less pleasant. And a hot, humid day—that’s when people stay indoors and crank up their ACs.

Why does humidity make it feel like it’s much hotter than it is? We all know the feeling of a damp and muggy day, but is the humidity actually making it hotter outside?

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