As an electro-mechanical system, your air conditioner needs and uses electricity to function. As such, some of the repairs you may face during the ownership of your system can be electrical in nature. Any air conditioning repair should always be handled by a trained expert, and this is especially true for electrical repairs. The trained air conditioning specialists at DuAll Heating & Cooling can handle all of your AC repairs, and will repair them correctly the first time around. If you are experiencing problems with your air conditioner in Bolingbrook, IL, call us today and schedule an appointment.
DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog : Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category
What Kinds of Electrical Problems Can Develop with My Air Conditioner?
Monday, June 15th, 2015Is It Time to Replace Your Poorly-Performing AC? Now Is the Perfect Time!
Monday, June 1st, 2015We’ve unofficially entered the summer season, and the temperatures are climbing – is your current air conditioner up to the task of cooling your entire home this season? While it’s not hard to tell that it’s time to replace an air conditioner that isn’t working, it can be difficult to know when your AC is telling you it’s time to retire when it is still running. To help you discern the possible signs of your air conditioner’s retirement, the AC specialists at DuAll Heating & Cooling have put together some tips regarding what to look out for.
Is Zone Control Air Conditioning Right for My Home?
Monday, April 27th, 2015Zone control air conditioning systems offer a number of advantages over non-zoned centralized systems. Here in Bolingbrook, IL, summer is on its way, and now is the perfect time to consider an upgrade or replacement to a zone control system. “But is zone control air conditioning right for my home?” we hear you ask. That depends, and you should always consult an expert before pulling the trigger. But here are a few things to think about while considering a zone control system.
Is a Ductless Air Conditioner Right for My Home?
Monday, April 6th, 2015Choosing the right air conditioner in Bolingbrook, IL is a much more important and complex decision to make than you may realize. There are a lot of different makes and models of ACs available today. The last thing that you want to do is to spend your hard-earned money on an air conditioner that is simply not compatible with your usage habits or cooling demands. That is why DuAll Heating & Cooling suggests that you take the time to weigh your options and to choose to your system with care. Don’t be afraid to explore options that you are not immediately familiar with. One great type of system well worth your consideration is the ductless air conditioner. Here is some information to help you decide if a ductless air conditioner is right for your home.
To fully understand why it is that ductless air conditioners are so worth your attention, you must first understand how they work. Ductless mini splits do not require, as you’ve probably come to realize, the use of air ducts in order to cool a home. Instead, wall-mounted blowers are used to cool rooms directly. They connect to an outdoor unit via a simple conduit containing power, refrigerant, and any necessary drainage lines. By using heat pump technology, ductless air conditioning systems are actually able to reverse their operation; in this case, they are more aptly called ductless heating and cooling systems. This type of design has more benefits than the great convenience of heating and cooling one’s home with the use of just one system, though.
By eliminating ductwork from the equation, ductless air conditioners can help the homeowner avoid the problems that sometimes stem from the use of ductwork. Leaky ductwork is, after all, one of the primary causes of energy loss when cooling a home with a ducted system. This can lead to great inefficiency if not resolved, and can also allow for airborne pollutants to enter the system. Once therein, those pollutants may be distributed throughout the entire household via the ductwork itself. This can cause a serious decline in one’s indoor air quality. Also, thanks to the individual blowers which are operated independently of one another, you can maintain different temperatures in different areas of your home.
If the benefits of using a ductless air conditioner sound intriguing, feel free to call DuAll Heating & Cooling with any further questions that you may have. Should you decide that a ductless air conditioner is the right option for your home, we will ensure that an appropriately sized system is expertly installed in your home. That way, you can cool your house with the efficiency and reliability that you need to make it through the summer season comfortably.
How Can Air Conditioning Replacement Save Me Money Over Time?
Wednesday, August 27th, 2014If your air conditioner seems to need a lot of repairs recently, you may be unsure whether air conditioning replacement is right for you. An older air conditioner is at risk for sudden breakdowns, but the cost of replacement seems unnecessary if a simple fix can solve the problem. If money is the only consideration keeping you from choosing air conditioning replacement, read on to find out how a new AC can actually save you money over time.
Fewer Repair Needs
Sometimes, you only need a repair or two to keep your AC running smoothly for a few more years. However, if your air conditioner has lived a long life, you may run into repair needs again and again. If you replace or repair all of the major parts of your air conditioner one by one, you will most likely spend more money than if you purchase an entirely new system. And a newer system won’t run into frequent problems, saving you money for years to come.
Energy-Efficient Systems
When you purchase a new air conditioner, you can also look into systems with high efficiency ratings so that you can save money every month. When you purchased your older AC, you may have found the most efficient, top-of-the-line system available. But changes in regulations of efficiency standards as well as advancements in technology mean that you may be able to find a system with a higher SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) than your older unit. Besides, while regular maintenance can keep your air conditioner efficient for years, standard wear and tear will eventually cause your air conditioner to require more energy to run. You may see savings right away with a new system.
Proper Installation
Finally, calling a professional for air conditioning replacement can help you make sure your new AC is installed correctly and is the proper size. If your older AC ran into problems early on, it may have been sized improperly upon installation.
DuAll Heating & Cooling will make sure your new system is sized appropriately and installed correctly. Call us today!
Late Season Repairs for Air Conditioning in Plainfield
Wednesday, August 13th, 2014Odds are, you’ve been running your air conditioner in Plainfield full-time for the last 2-3 months. That’s a lot of work for your air conditioner, and you may see some problems develop as a result of use. It’s normal for air conditioning problems to crop up during peak usage periods, and any signs of developing issues shouldn’t be ignored. Calling for a technician sooner rather than later is always advisable, and DuAll Heating & Cooling is here 24/7 to help you with your air conditioning in Plainfield.
Common Late Season Problems
As with any mechanical device, multiple things can go wrong with your air conditioner, but toward the end of summer, we see certain repairs more frequently than others:
Refrigerant leaks
Refrigerant is a chemical in your air conditioning system that helps with the transfer of heat. It circulates constantly, changing from liquid to gas and back again, releasing heat as it goes. Refrigerant is not consumed by your system, so low refrigerant usually means there is a leak. Your AC is built to function with a specific level of refrigerant, so if that level is altered in any way, it affects how your air conditioner operates. Refrigerant leaks can develop for a number of reasons, but the bottom line is that they need to be repaired, and repaired by a professional.
Worn Components
Normal wear-and-tear can wear out small components like fan belts and wiring, and loosen bolts to motor mounts and fan blades. These small issues can be easily resolved with a repair appointment, but, if left unchecked, they can cause bigger, more expensive problems.
Dirty Coils
There are two sets of coils in your air conditioner: the condenser coils and the evaporator coils. During normal use, these coils can become coated with dust and dirt; if allowed to build, this coating can become a layer that acts as insulation which inhibits the heat release process of the coils. Eventually, this imbalance will affect how your system operates. Cleaning dirty coils before they become an issue can help stave off repairs that could develop in the future from excessive dirt and dust.
Don’t Wait to Make Summer-End Repairs
Repairs do not get better with time, and in fact, may very well become worse, especially if they sit through a cold winter. Get ahead of your summer-end repairs today by contacting DuAll Heating & Cooling. Give us a call today to schedule your next AC repair.
Reasons to Replace Your Current Zone Control System
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014If you have a zone control system in your home that can regulate the temperature in separate rooms, you probably wonder how you ever got along without it before. Thanks to zone control, you can heat and cool a home exactly as you like it, and don’t need to expend excess energy for rooms that no one is using. The individual zone controls permit people in the house to adjust local temperatures to fit their personal needs, and rooms can have temperatures set to suit their purpose.
A zone control system can age and wear down like any other electro-mechanical system, or it might become obsolete and no longer match your requirement. Here are some reasons you may need to call DuAll Heating & Cooling and speak to our installers about new zone systems in Naperville, IL and how you can benefit.
Why you might want to replace the zone control system in your home
- To upgrade the thermostats: Zone controls work through a network of thermostats that control the individual zone dampers and then hook into a central control panel. If you have older, non-programmable digital thermostats, you should consider upgrading them. This won’t involve tearing out the dampers in the ductwork, so the job is not an intrusive or difficult one for specialists. They will create a new zone network that will give you superior control and energy savings.
- Uneven temperatures: A zone control system that has aged too much will begin to lose its ability to regulate air in the ductwork. Old dampers will become stuck in open or closed positon, or they will lose their sealing. This will lead to rooms that shouldn’t be receiving heating or cooling to start to receive it anyway, and other rooms may have problems shutting down the unwanted temperatures reaching them. Although targeted repairs can fix individual dampers, you should have a new system put in if the problem becomes chronic and occurs throughout the house.
- A new HVAC system: If you are making an upgrade to a new, high-efficiency heater or air conditioner, your current zone control system may not be up to the challenge, and could interfere with the efficiency of the system. Check with your HVAC installers to find out how best to keep your zone control current and if a replacement of the dampers and the thermostats to take advantage of new technology is the optimal choice.
Contact DuAll Heating & Cooling for all your needs for zone systems in Naperville, IL. We install, replace, and repair zone controls, as well as offer a wide range of air conditioners and heaters to take care of your comfort needs.
When Are Air Cleaners Right for My Home?
Wednesday, July 9th, 2014Deciding to install a whole-home air cleaner is a decision each homeowner has to make for him/herself. The best way to determine if an air cleaner is right for your home is to review the benefits of what an air cleaner can do for you and your property. DuAll Heating & Cooling has installed many air cleaners for Plainfield customers to great satisfaction; to see if a whole-home air cleaner is right for you, we’ll outline some information below to help you assess this.
What Is an Air Cleaner?
The term “air cleaner” is a generalized term for both air filters and air purifiers. Both clean your air, but each do it a little differently, and there are different types. The important item to note is that either one cleans your air far better than the filter that comes with your air conditioner. Why? The standard filter of your AC is there to filter the large particles of dust and dirt from your air conditioning system, not improve your air quality. Due to the wide weave of the standard filter’s fiberglass, this filter simply isn’t made to capture the small particulates of pollen, bacteria, viruses, etc., that a whole-home air cleaner is made to do. If cleaning your indoor air of these smaller kinds of particulates is what you need, it may be time to consider installing a whole-home air cleaner.
Types of Air Cleaners
There are several types of air cleaners available for whole-home use:
Mechanical Air Filters
Air filters have tight weaves of fiber acting as fine sieves that filter out particles as your air circulates. This filter uses the fan from your system to draw the air through the filter in order to purify it. The impurities remain on the filter, leaving pure air to continue on through your air conditioner. The finer the sieve is, the smaller the particles it can trap in the filter. These kinds of air cleaners can filter out such particulates as pollen, dust mites, mold, mildew and pet dander, just to name a few. The types of air filters available are:
- Pleated – can remove up to 35-40% of particles
- HEPA – can remove up to 99.97% of particles
Air Purifiers
There are 3 commonly-used types of air purifiers used:
- Electrostatic – filters up to 90% of particles
- Electronic – filters up to 95% of particles
- UV lights – kills over 99% of particles
Both electrostatic and electronic air filters (also known as precipitators) use ionization to capture particles. Both of these purifiers electronically charge the pollutants in the air, such as allergens, but an electronic purifier will capture these particles on oppositely-charged plates. An electrostatic filter will also charge particles, but does not have a collection plate; rather, the charged particles will attach to other oppositely-charged particles, and collect on surfaces in your home.
UV germicidal lights destroy biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses by emitting UV-C light. This light destroys the DNA of the biological particle, disabling it from reproducing.
Is An Air Cleaner Right for You? Ask a Professional
An air cleaner in your air conditioning in Plainfield can help any allergy sufferers in your home, those with respiratory issues such as asthma and COPD, and help with overall indoor comfort.
To find out if a whole-home air cleaner is a good fit for your property, call DuAll Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our professionals.
3 Reasons to Replace Your Thermostat
Friday, June 20th, 2014Here’s a fact that many people don’t know about their heating and cooling systems: a good thermostat can make or break them. That small control unit on the wall is a lot more important than you realize. If you have a thermostat that doesn’t allow you to take full advantage of your HVAC system’s capabilities, or if it is malfunctioning, then you should look into having a replacement put in.
At DuAll Heating & Cooling, we handle many types of repairs for thermostats. But many times we recommend that customers leave the repairs behind and instead choose thermostat replacement in Plainsfield, IL. We offer a wide range of thermostat types from which to choose, so make us your first choice when it’s time to get rid of your old thermostat.
Here are 3 reasons to replace your current thermostat:
1. It is an old manual model
Does your thermostat have sliders and dials on it that came with your house? Then you are missing out on saving energy and achieving a higher level of comfort. Although manual thermostats can adequately perform their job of turning an air conditioner or heater on and off and raising and lowering the temperature settings, they cannot do so very precisely, averaging a 2–5°F margin of error, and that’s enough to make a significant difference in how much power the system uses and how comfortable you’ll feel. With a digital programmable model, you’ll have an enormous improvement in control and new ways to save energy.
2. You want wireless capability
Thermostats that connect wirelessly to the HVAC system are a new development that allows for a thermostat to be more freely positioned in a house. You won’t need to run new wires to fit it, and if you use a zone control system, it’s much easier to connect the multiple thermostats to each other. Many wireless thermostats come with remote control capabilities that give you a new level of convenience: adjust the temperature from across the room without getting up from the couch.
3. The thermostat was installed in the wrong place
One of the dangers of amateur installation of an HVAC system is the incorrect placement of the thermostat. If a thermostat is put in a location where it will pick up false readings (“ghost readings”) because of direct sunlight or drafts, or if it was positioned too far from the center of the house and therefore likely to read outlier temperatures, it will cause the heating and cooling system to behave erratically and wastefully. Have the thermostat replaced—and let a professional put the new unit in the right location.
A thermostat that is malfunctioning should always be replaced, but even one that is working fine needs an upgrade if it meets the above criteria. Never underestimate the power of a thermostat, or the benefits you can receive from a technologically advanced one.
DuAll Heating & Cooling is happy to assist you with your thermostat replacement in Plainsfield, IL so that the new unit goes in correctly and works as it should. Only trust this work to experienced professionals.
Repair or Replace: What’s the Best Step for My Air Conditioner?
Friday, May 16th, 2014In the world of home heating and cooling, one of the perennial questions that customers ask is, “Repair or replace?” When an air conditioning system appears to be approaching the end of its service life, you must decide whether you should continue repairs or schedule a replacement installation. Which one is the best choice, both for your comfort and your budget?
There’s no simple answer we can provide you here, because we don’t yet know about the situation with your air conditioner. Perhaps a targeted repair from a skilled technician will give you a few more years of energy-efficient performance. Perhaps your AC is only a few weeks away from a complete breakdown and you need to act now before the hot weather arrives.
However, if you call us at DuAll Heating & Cooling, we can make the process much easier for you. One of our AC specialists will inspect your air conditioner to see if there are repairs that will help. If it turns out that new installation is the better choice, our experts will help you with excellent air conditioning replacement in Bolingbrook, IL.
What factors will decide between “repair or replace”?
- System age: Central air conditioners will last, on average, between 10 and 15 years, depending on the model. Your air conditioner will have a manufacturer’s estimated lifespan on its cabinet. An air conditioner that is still a few years away from this estimate—and which has received diligent regular maintenance during its life—will usually respond favorably to quality repair work. On the other hand, an air conditioner that is older than its estimate should be replaced even if it is still outwardly capable of cooling a house down.
- Energy efficiency: An air conditioner can still seem to work well, with effective cooling power, but if its components are wearing down to the point where the system will not recover, it will start to cost more to run. When determining if an AC should be retired or not, check if your cooling bills have changed over the last two years. Continually rising bills are a major red flag that repairs will not do any good.
- Repair frequency: Since air conditioners need the majority of their repairs done during the last two years of their service life, an increase in the amount of repair jobs indicates a system is probably ready for replacement. Once it costs more than $500 a year to keep an AC scraping by, you should retire it.
The NATE-certified technicians at DuAll Heating & Cooling will help you find out the right path to take when it comes to your air conditioner.
We can perform skilled repairs and air conditioning replacement in Bolingbrook, IL—whatever you need. Call us today to beat out the summer heat.
