It’s summertime again, and it’s only natural to check your air-conditioning unit now and then. But what if you suddenly notice that there’s an ice buildup? Is it even possible for an AC to freeze in summer? The answer is yes! Here are some reasons why an AC unit can be prone to freezing.

Refrigerant Leak

AC units have an essential component called a refrigerant. This liquid absorbs warm air in your home, turns it into a gas, and disperses it outdoors. This results in having a much cooler temperature indoors. With time and heavy use, a leak in the lines may occur which causes the refrigerant to seep through.

Refrigerant leakage decreases the pressure in the tubing and coils inside your AC unit. Condensation eventually forms outside of these parts of the system, which freezes over even during summer. Liquid damage may occur as well with refrigerant leaks. Be sure to have your unit inspected and repaired right away.

Obstruction in Airflow

Air filters filled with dust and debris can obstruct the airflow in your ACsystem. This causes the unit to work harder over time because without much warm indoor air, condensation will  start forming outside its tubing system. This causes ice to accumulate on the tubes and the whole unit to freeze up if neglected. Regularly scheduled AC maintenance can help prevent this from happening. 

Dirty Evaporator Coil

Condensate lines take any excess condensation from within the AC unit and drain it away from the machine. If these lines are blocked by dirt, the evaporator coils can get soaked in water. Any moisture surrounding the coils ends up freezing over, and eventually, the entire unit could be frozen. 

Call Home Comfort Experts Today!

It can be very frustrating to deal with a frozen AC. But when you schedule preventive maintenance, it can surely help prevent your air conditioner from freezing up. If you’re looking for high-quality HVAC services, you won’t go wrong with Home Comfort Experts! You can trust our team to assist you with all of your HVAC concerns. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Summer is near, and this is the time to think about the importance of AC maintenance. Having a well-maintained air conditioner can help prevent discomfort during the hot season. Here are some other reasons why you should schedule an AC inspection.

Prolongs the Life of Your Unit

Having your air conditioner regularly serviced can help increase its efficiency and extend its life span. Regular maintenance can also help prevent a major breakdown, which can lead to costly repairs and replacements. This is because HVAC technicians will be able to address any minor issues immediately. This ensures that your unit stays in top-notch condition and will run optimally over time.

Lowers Energy Costs

Failing to maintain an HVAC unit properly will cause the equipment to work harder. Clogged and dirty air ducts, air filters, fans, and other components can affect the performance of the AC unit. That’s why when your air conditioning unit is well-maintained, it will work better. It can also help lower energy costs, which saves you more money on monthly electric bills.

Provides Cleaner Air

Improved indoor air quality is another reason why you should have your cooling unit properly maintained. This can prove beneficial in case you or a family member has allergies. Regular maintenance includes coolant replacement, duct cleaning, thermostat check, and more. This ensures a cleaner unit and air filters, preventing dirt, dust, and other allergens from circulating in your home.

Offers Comfort

If you and your family can’t handle high temperatures, scheduling preventive air conditioning maintenance can help. You’ll be able to prevent dealing with sudden repairs or replacements during sunny days. Additionally, you’ll be able to control the temperature better and make it more comfortable when your AC unit is tuned up.

Hire the Professionals of Home Comfort Experts!

Keeping your HVAC unit well-maintained ensures your family’s comfort this summer. At Home Comfort Experts, we offer quality HVAC services for all your comfort needs. We also provide emergency services in case you need assistance at any time. Get in touch with our professional technicians today to learn more about the importance of AC maintenance.

With increased usage, your AC unit is likely to suffer breakdowns and malfunctions during the warmer season. No need to worry. As a homeowner, you can do your part to ensure that your cooling system is in great working condition. Here are some ways to keep your air conditioner functioning properly:

Schedule Tune-Ups As Early as Spring

It is best to be prepared before the hotter weather comes around. A strategic way to do this is by getting an annual tune-up before the end of spring. A certified technician can clean your unit and check for malfunctions. This way, your air conditioner is ready for use when summer rolls around the corner.

Change the Air Filter Regularly

The air filter serves as a catch basin for allergens and dust that could potentially damage your cooling system. When this clogs up, it can obstruct your air conditioner’s air flow and prompt the compressor to exert more power than it needs to. You can prevent this from happening by regularly changing your unit’s filter.

Check if the Return Air Ducts Are Clean

Much like the air filters, your AC’s duct cover is also prone to clogging due to dirt and dust that pass through it. These can also cause the compressor to work double time and make it more vulnerable to breakdowns. Avoid this scenario by inspecting and cleaning your unit’s ducts regularly.

Inspect Your AC’s Wiring System

Check your air conditioner for frayed, exposed or loose wires from time to time as this may result in fire hazards as well as cause serious damage to your unit. Be sure to unplug your AC first before doing this. If you think the damage is too complicated, don’t hesitate to ask help from a certified HVAC company.

Don’t Overuse Your AC Unit

A cooling system is a household necessity especially during the summer. But keep in mind that your AC needs a break too. Overworking your unit may lead to breakdowns as it quickly loses its efficiency. To avoid this, you can search for other ways to keep yourself cool during the summer like using a fan or installing blinds and curtains on your windows.

Schedule Regular Inspections

Apart from the ways of a practical homeowner, it is also important to schedule regular visits with a certified HVAC technician. They can check your cooling system for any damage and come up with ways to address it in its early stages. This way, you wouldn’t have to deal with costly repairs or replacements in the future.

Get Air Conditioning Maintenance from a Trusted HVAC Company

The last thing you’d want during the warmer season is a broken air conditioning system. At Home Comfort Experts, we will ensure that your unit is properly taken care ofwhen conducting maintenance work. Our certified technicians are committed to bringing you comfort and 100% satisfaction.

Apart from performing AC repairs and maintenance, we also offer servicing for plumbing and heating systems for Indiana residents. If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to connect with our team or fill out the form on our website today.

The last thing you need in the middle of a scorching hot summer’s day is to have your air conditioner break down. When it does, you might have to replace your entire system or pay for costly repairs just to feel cool and comfortable again. With regular air conditioner maintenance, you could avoid an HVAC system breakdown and never skip a beat. Here are some reasons why air conditioner maintenance is necessary.

Save Money

Perhaps the most important reason to consider regular AC maintenance is the fact that it can save you thousands of dollars in unforeseen costs. When your HVAC system breaks down, it often does so without warning. With preventative maintenance, your HVAC professional will catch major problems before they happen and provide you with affordable and reasonable solutions to fix the problem. Not having regular maintenance performed on your AC unit will shorten its lifespan, meaning you’ll need to replace the system far sooner than you would have to if you had regular air conditioner maintenance.

Save Energy

When you have an HVAC system that is broken, it can cause your energy costs to spike as it requires more energy than a fully-working HVAC system. Having a regularly scheduled tune-up for your AC unit can decrease your air conditioner’s operating efficiency, which means that your air conditioner will effectively use less energy as time goes on. This enables your air conditioning system to provide cooler air for less money and energy and can effectively double the lifespan of your system.

What Does Regular Maintenance Do?

If you have regular maintenance performed on your AC unit, your heating and cooling professional will inspect, repair, and replace any broken parts to ensure your AC is running smoothly. They will inspect each of the following parts to make sure your air conditioner does not have any potential problems:

Filters

The most important reason to have regular maintenance performed on your air conditioning system is to routinely replace or clean filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and significantly reduce your system’s efficiency. Simply replacing a dirty filter can result in far lower energy consumption and lower energy costs.

While newer filters are often reusable, if you have an older air conditioner you may have to completely replace your filters. If your filters are reusable, consider regular maintenance to have them cleaned

Coils

Air conditioning systems have two types of coils: evaporator coil and condenser coil. Over time, these will both collect dirt and grime, especially if your filter goes unmaintained. Dirt in your evaporator coil or condenser coil reduces the system’s ability to absorb heat, meaning more hot air gets trapped inside your house and the system has to work even harder to produce cold air.

Coil Fins

The aluminum fins on evaporator and condenser coils are easily bent and can block airflow through the coil. Air conditioning wholesalers sell a tool called a "fin comb" that will comb these fins back into nearly original condition. A trusted HVAC expert will be able to properly “comb” your systems coil fins.

Condensate Drains

Clogged drain channels prevent a unit from reducing humidity, and the resulting excess moisture may discolor walls or carpet. Unclogging drains ensure no humidity or moisture damage occurs while keeping your home cool.

Check Refrigerant

Using a leak detector, your air conditioner service will test for refrigerant leaks and capture any refrigerant that must be evacuated from the system. Allowing refrigerant to be released into the atmosphere is illegal, so be sure to have a trusted professional perform any refrigerant leaks.

What You Should Do

It is important to call a trusted professional to perform regular, routine maintenance on your HVAC system. Home Comfort Experts are here to perform AC maintenance that will start saving you money in energy costs. Our experts have a reliable 20-Point Air Conditioning Maintenance & Safety Inspection plan that ensures your air conditioner is running smoothly, efficiently, and effectively. Ask about joining the Comfort Club, Home Comfort Expert’s exclusive membership that guarantees appointments and provides valuable free services and discounts on repairs.

 

Contact the heating and cooling professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to learn about the ways we can help you. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to learn about our full complement of heating, cooling and plumbing services.

How To Save Money On Your Air Conditioner This Year - Home Comfort Experts

 

As we approach the more humid months of the year, you may be thinking of ways to keep your cooling bill down. Luckily, there are easy ways to keep your home cool without having to break the bank.

Check out these 4 easy tips to get the most out of your AC unit without spending a fortune on your utility bills:

Having Your AC Unit Run more Economically

While it may be more comfortable to set your air conditioning unit to 65 degrees and have it running all day, keeping it at the highest temperature you’re able to tolerate can save you a significant amount of money over the course of the summer months. If your AC unit has the functionality to do so, you should also have your air conditioning turn off when you’re not home, or at least to a higher temperature when the warmer weather kicks in.

Keeping Your Curtains And Windows Closed

An often overlooked tactic, keeping your curtains closed will impede your home from internally heating up. Similarly, making sure your windows are closed and making sure that everyone in your home is conscious of keeping your windows closed is a simple yet effective way to keep the cool air in your home.

Using A Fan

Having a fan in the home helps the cold air your air conditioning unit produces circulate throughout the house, helping to keep your entire house cool. This means that you don’t need as much air conditioning pumped into the home - a very efficient way to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

Maintaining Your AC Unit

Sometimes, all you need is to have your air conditioning unit serviced to have it running smoothly and efficiently again. Performing regular AC maintenance increases the lifespan of the unit, which can save you a significant amount of money.

Contact our cooling professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to see what maintenance should be down to keep your cooling bill low. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to find out how we can help you!

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH, IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — Like most people after a long Midwestern winter, you may find yourself daydreaming about sunny summer days. Keeping your home comfortably cool can be a crucial factor for summertime enjoyment. Ensure the home you return to at the end of a long hot day has a cool indoor temperature. So, before you switch your HVAC system on for the summer, have it serviced this spring.
Regular equipment service can save you thousands of dollars over the long haul in repairs and energy costs — as much as 30 percent a year.

5 Reasons Why an AC Tuneup is Important

Protecting your home’s infrastructure is an investment in your biggest material asset and can lengthen the lifespan of major systems and save money on your utility bills. Spring service to your HVAC system should be a priority to:

  1. Prevent inconvenient and costly breakdowns from happening.
  2. Get back to factory condition before HVAC companies are slammed with service and repairs during the first very hot weeks of summer.
  3. Keep your cooling system running at peak capacity and efficiency to save money and materials’ wear and tear.
  4. Keep the integrity of product warranties active.
  5. Routine maintenance on your air conditioner and furnace systems keeps them operating at the highest possible efficiency ratings.

5 Nuts and Bolts of HVAC Service

The main features of a spring maintenance focus on 5 primary areas:

  1. Inspection and cleaning of indoor coil.
  2. Checking all electrical connections.
  3. Monitoring operation of the compressor and outdoor fan motor.
  4. Checking the system’s refrigerant level and, if low, inspect for possible leaks.
  5. Replacing the filter.

RELATED READ: AC MAINTENANCE TO PREPARE FOR WARM WEATHER

Homeowners should continue to monitor filters throughout the season and change when needed. A dusty home is often an indication that the filters need to be changed. Also, checking for any leaks around the unit and being aware of any unusual noises will help trouble shoot potential problems before they become expensive.
Your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) is a complicated mass of machinery that is constantly working, keeping your home safe and comfortable for your family.
Most of the time, the heart of your house does its job invisibly. But this requires proper installation, attention and yes, regular maintenance.
Contact Home Comfort Experts today. We work to ensure your home is comfortable at all times. Tell us the challenges you are facing and we will design a solution that resolves your issues while fitting into your budget. Be sure to ask about our other specials and learn more about our financing options.

Spring is here, which means warmer weather, which means turning back on your air conditioning. You might not know you need ac maintenance until you turn it on for the first time since October, but we have some tips on how to keep your air conditioner running smoothly from now until the end of the summer months.

With around 87% of American homes having air conditioning, it’s important to keep up with your ac maintenance. As a homeowner, you don’t want the first 75-degree day to be the day that you realize your ac unit is out.

One of the first things you should do to prepare for warmer weather is to change your air filter. Your furnace might have been working overtime this winter to keep up with the frigid temps, so switching out the old, dusty filter for a brand new one will drastically help keep up with your ac maintenance.

By giving your thermostat a set base temperature, your air conditioner unit won’t be working overtime in the hotter months. Finding a comfortable temp and keeping it there will reduce the wear of your air conditioner unit. It’ll also save you money in the long run: you could potentially save up to $180 a year just by adjusting your thermostat to a base temp while you are away from your home or asleep at night.

If you’re looking to save money this spring and summer, our heating and cooling company can help with high-efficiency air conditioning installation. High-efficiency air conditioners can end up reducing energy use by anywhere from 20 to 50%.

If you need ac maintenance, don’t wait until it’s too late, contact Home Comfort Experts now to check out your ac unit and see if it can handle this year’s Midwest summer. The current temperatures may seem far off from using your air conditioner, but we can make sure you’re ready for when that day comes!

Contact our heating professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to learn about our services. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to learn about our full complement of heating, cooling, and plumbing services.

 

With spring approaching, many homeowners will be preparing for the annual spring cleaning. It is a tradition that has been ingrained in the minds of Indiana and Michigan homeowners. Yet, while most homeowners will focus on cleaning gutters, or raking the lawn, they will completely neglect the HVAC system.

The changing of the season also means changing your energy usage. The heaters will be turned off and in a few short months, the air conditioners will be turned on. In the interim, it is important to do some HVAC maintenance to keep your system running efficiently all year long.

Spring HVAC MaintenanceClean/Change Filters

While it is one of the easiest maintenance tips, it is also one of the most important. Having a clean filter can reduce energy usage by as much as 15 percent according to the Alliance to Save Energy. This can result in serious savings on your monthly energy bill.

For HVAC systems that have temporary filters, they should be replaced every month. For permanent filters, they should be cleaned once a month. There is no better time to start doing this than the present.

Wash The Bathroom Fans

Much like the HVAC system itself, bathroom fans go largely unnoticed all year. Spring is the perfect time to remove the covers and wash them with soap and water. You can also use an old toothbrush to clean the fan blades while the covers are off. Be sure to turn the power off before doing this though.

Check The AC Unit

The air conditioning unit is the one element of the HVAC system that is vulnerable to the elements. For this reason, spring is the perfect time to get outside and check your unit. You should make sure the grass and weeds are not growing within a few feet of the unit to ensure it can pull in the air it needs. You can pull the weeds or cut the grass to make sure the unit has the space it needs.

Schedule An HVAC Maintenance Check-Up

While the tips above will go a long way, it is always important to have your system checked out by a professional. A professional HVAC company will be able to take a more in-depth look at your system. Spring is a great time to do this and can save you from costly air conditioning repairs in a few months.

Contact our heating professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to learn about our services. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to learn about our full complement of heating, cooling, and plumbing services.

It’s no secret that home energy bills can be a major expense for homeowners. Heating costs in the winter months and the price of air conditioning for cooling in the warmer months can run very high. When it comes to your budget, you may want to consider replacing your heating and air conditioning systems at the same time. Why? Here are four good reasons to consider doing that in your home.

One: It’s More Economical

You’ll probably get better pricing if your furnace and air conditioning systems are done together. A residential company will most likely be able to get a package price for you on a furnace and air conditioning system combination purchase. And the industry is always progressing and finding ways to save residential customers money. For instance, air conditioning energy use could be lowered by 20-50% in American homes if the units were switched to high-efficiency air conditioners.

Two: It’s More Environmentally Friendly

When replacing your residential systems, you probably want to get a matched set of equipment from the heating company. If the furnace and the air conditioning unit are a matched set, then they will probably have a better EER (Energy Efficient Ratio) rating. This is because compatible systems in matched sets will work together. And the bottom line (after saving you money) is that they are energy-savers that will also be more environmentally friendly. Plus, they are quite durable, too.

Three: It’s More Labor Saving for Repairs

A furnace and air conditioning system that is purchased and installed together from a cooling and heating company will probably last longer than two individual units. Also, scheduling maintenance and check-ups will be more convenient because the technician will be able to look at both pieces of equipment in one service call trip. This will also probably be less expensive than individual trips. If a repair needs to be done, the service department will be familiar with all your equipment and your maintenance history, which will enable them to get to the source of the problem quicker.

Four: It Adds More Residential Resale Value

Calling a cooling and heating company to have a new furnace and air conditioning system installed in your home has another advantage, too, in addition to the ones mentioned above. Home buyers know that newer systems function more efficiently. And that translates into lower energy bills. If your furnace and air conditioning systems are about the same age, this is a great plus to prospective buyers. They will most likely view this as winning twice: saving on the heating and saving on the cooling. Another factor to consider is that most households in the United States, about 87%, have an air conditioning system already installed. Gone are the days when air conditioning was a luxury! Now, for health, comfort and resale value reasons, among others, it is practically a necessity. So a cooling system is probably something that buyers would expect to find in your home.

Most energy companies and residential heating and cooling contractors would be willing to prepare a quote for the energy needs of your home. An efficient, well-maintained heating and cooling system has many benefits for a residential location. One of the most important benefits, however, is that it improves the quality of life for those living in the home. Making the HVAC systems more affordable, more energy efficient, and healthier is a great benefit for everyone.

Contact our heating professionals at Home Comfort Experts today to learn about our services. We serve Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan from our 12 locations. Give us a call at (574) 255-4600 to learn about our full complement of heating, cooling, and plumbing services.

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