cooling Archives - Ross Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.

New Air Conditioning Options for Older Homes

May 15, 2020 by Ross

In Nevada, a home doesn’t have to be very old to not have central air. Because of our super dry, high desert weather, swamp coolers were the popular way to cool a house for decades. However, the summers are getting a little hotter every year. If you have an older home, whether it never had central air conditioning or it has an older system, these are your best options if you want a new AC:

Central Air Conditioners

Central air is the most popular form of whole-house air conditioning. Why? It uses a system of air ducts to circulate cool air throughout your entire house, whether it’s one floor or multiple floors.

In order to install central AC, a technician will first perform what’s called a load calculation. This will help determine the proper AC size your home needs in order to fully and properly cool.

Next, your technician will assess whether you currently have air ducts, and if so, what condition they’re in. A general rule of thumb is that ductwork installed prior to 1960 will need to be replaced.

Ductless Air Conditioners

Ductless air conditioners, or mini-split air conditioners, are a good alternative to central air systems. If you don’t want to alter the structure of a historical home, or you don’t want to invest in upgrading your ductwork, ductless air conditioning may be your ticket.

Ductless air conditioners are pretty easy to install compared to central air. You will still need to create holes in the wall in each room you want it installed in, but only to hook up the conduits to the compressor unit. These are not as big as the holes needed to install new ductwork.

Choosing the Right Air Conditioner for Your Home

There are pros and cons to each type of air conditioner. Consider the following when making your choice:

1. Customization. While central air offers a complete cooling system for your home, the temperatures you’ll find in each room aren’t always the same. A ductless system allows you to customize the temperature in each room — that means no more fighting over the thermostat.

2. Smart control. Unlike ductless, a central air system is fully wired to a thermostat. Older thermostats are manual, but newer ones are programmable or even smart, meaning they can be operated remotely from a smart device. In other words, you can set your home to cool down to the perfect temperature on your way home from the office — or vacation.

3. Add-ons. Unlike ductless, central air allows you to install various HVAC add-ons to your system. These include air purifiers, whole-home humidifiers, and energy-recovery ventilators. Air purifiers are especially helpful right now, when we’re so worried about viruses spreading through our home.

4. Energy. Ductless air conditioners tend to be more energy efficient, since they don’t require ducts (where a lot of air and energy leakage can occur). You can also choose which rooms of your house you want to keep cool, since they all work independently of one another.

5. Maintenance. Ductless systems require regular maintenance — more than central air systems. With central air, you might wash or replace your single air filter monthly. With ductless, on the other hand, you have to wash each unit’s filter monthly. Skipping this maintenance will inevitably cost you money.

6. Appearance. Ductless systems tend to be very obvious, since they’re mounted from the wall or ceiling. Some homeowners don’t like the aesthetics of this option.

7. Location. If your home already has functional ductwork, replacing your central air unit makes more sense than installing a new type of system. However, if there isn’t pre-existing ductwork, ductless may be a better choice. It’s also worth considering if you’re adding a new addition to your home, or you want to limit which rooms you cool.

Need help weighing your options or ready to start talking about a new air conditioner? Give us a call! We’re more than happy to talk you through your options to ensure you get the system that best suits your home and your needs. We’re serving our fellow community members and business owners with the utmost precautions for cleanliness and safety. As your neighbors, we want to help and we’re here to provide you with the best service possible.

Last-Minute Summer AC Prep

April 28, 2020 by Ross

When it’s 80+ degrees outside isn’t exactly when you want to start servicing your air conditioner, let alone find out if your AC works or not. But we’ve all been there. If you’re just diving into your AC prep and maintenance for summer, don’t panic. Call us today for seasonal air conditioning maintenance, and we’ll help you get your AC up and running at full strength — and efficiency — in no time.

Summer Air Conditioner Maintenance

Here are the important items that should be checked by your HVAC pro each year:

Clean ductwork — dirt and dust build up in your ducts and can be pulled into your air conditioner, gunking it up
Check refrigerant levels and test for refrigerant leaks, repairing any if found
Inspect the compressor & motor
Replace worn belts & other parts
Inspect & tighten electrical connections
Test the thermostat
Inspect & straighten the condenser fins
Clean the evaporator coil
Lubricate all moving parts
Make sure the condenser unit is level

If you’re flying solo, here are some activities you can do yourself:

Replace your air filter — if it’s clogged with dust, it will hike up your energy bill and shorten the lifespan of your equipment
Clean vent covers and air return covers
Inspect and clean the outdoor condenser unit

Broken Air Conditioner?

Did your AC bite the dust this year? Don’t worry. If it’s fixable, we’ll get it back up and running as soon as possible. If it’s beyond repair, we can help you find a new AC that’s the right size for your home, and we’ll even make sure it fits your budget with our flexible payment options.

Prep your AC for summer now — before you begin running it around the clock — to prevent mid-summer breakdowns. Especially now that most of us are staying home and sheltering-in-place, no one needs to be stuck inside without air conditioning. Good air conditioning. With a little preventative maintenance, we can do our best to make sure your unit is running in top shape all summer long.

Remember that Ross Heating and Air Conditioning is open and ready to help. We’re following all possible safety and sanitation measures including providing gloves, booties and masks for our technicians to wear when they enter your home. Call us today to get your air conditioning in ship-shape. We’ll make sure you stay as comfortable as possible all summer long.

Preparing Your Air Conditioner for Summer

May 21, 2019 by Ross

In about 3 weeks, when the winter turns into a deep heat, a lot of Northern Nevada residents are going to switch on their air conditioning for the first time in 8 months. When an air conditioner unit sits idle outside for months, collecting leaves and debris, a bit of maintenance is often needed to get it running properly. Make sure you’re preparing your air conditioner for summer — it isn’t hard, and you’ll be a lot more comfortable once the temperatures start rising! Dirt, debris, dirty filters and sometimes just a shut-off breaker can lead to down time for your AC when you need it most.

This past winter (that keeps going and going) was really windy and wet. This effects both the indoor (evaporator and fan unit) and outdoor (condenser) portions of your air conditioning system.

The outside system gets full of dirt, leaves, cotton and pollen. From a purely mechanical side any little particles that can get into the electrical connections or the fan can cause issues or efficiency concerns.

The indoor system can get dirty from all of the dirt and leaves that come inside, along with other Northern Nevada common issues like pollen, dust and even dog hair.

Outdoors

One of the most likely maintenance items is to clean out a coil that is full of debris. When we service the outside condenser we take care to clean out the coil so the unit runs efficient and doesn’t run too hot. We then clean out the electrical areas and fan area so that no dirt gets in the way. A condenser pulls in air from outside the unit, through the coils and then blows it up through the top. This action cools the refrigerant inside the tubes. When this coil is full of leaves and dirt this can block the air flow which causes cooling issues and can harm the equipment. If you see any dirt or debris it is worth it to have a trained professional service the unit.

Indoors

Next the technician moves inside and inspects the evaporator unit and fan system. Here we are looking to make sure everything is operating correctly and is clean. During this time we also replace the air filter. Dirty filters can plug up an air system, and besides just being unhealthy, can cause the system to freeze up due to lack of airflow.

System Check

Finally, we do operational tests of the equipment. We make sure the thermostat is programmed and working correctly. We will check the airflow coming into the house as well as check refrigerant pressures to make sure your system is properly charged.

Visual Inspection

Another valuable portion of the preventative maintenance service is the visual inspection of the unit. By looking at the unit components, wire connections, etc. We can oftentimes identify little issues before they turn into large problems. Sometimes it is just a loose wire and other times it may be a small refrigerant leak. It is great piece of mind to enter the summer season with the confidence that your system is ready to keep your home or office cool!

Ready to start preparing your air conditioner for summer? Our technicians are trained to make sure that this maintenance helps your equipment work to the best of its ability and to work more efficiently, too. Our team also works off of a very well thought out and proven maintenance checklist. They will share this with you and answer any questions you may have.

Call us today to set your appointment (775) 425-2525 or contact us here.

Make sure you ask about discounts available if you plan out your Spring and Fall maintenance in advance!

Damian Ross and the Ross Heating Team

Summer 2019

Allergies Got You Down? Cleaning Your Air Conditioning System Can Help!

May 6, 2019 by Ross

From itchy eyes to runny noses, endless sneezing to sore throats and plugged ears, most of us don’t need a calendar to know that summer is coming. In Northern Nevada, allergy season is a long season. It begins in February and lasts all the way through November. It starts with the trees, like juniper, pine, oak, willow, aspen, and all of the flowering varieties. Then the grasses begin releasing their pollen, and tumbleweed, sagebrush, and other weeds begin pollinating after that. Right now is the worst of tree pollen season, and the grass pollen is ramping up, too. If you or anyone in your household suffer from allergies or allergy-induced asthma, take charge! You can keep a lot of the pollen where it belongs — outside — with these tips for cleaning your air conditioning system.

Change Your Air Filter

Your air filter is what pulls pollen, other allergens, dust and debris out of circulation in your home. What most people don’t realize is that, during peak allergy season, you should change your air filter every month. Not only will it help keep your air clean, it will help your ventilation system push air more efficiently, using less energy and increasing the lifespan of your equipment.

With summer coming, your air conditioner needs to be in ship-shape. If it’s using an old air filter, it has to work a lot harder to cool your house. As a result, your house won’t cool as quickly and your energy bill will be higher. Don’t wait until your filter is clogged and filthy to swap it out — that means your air is probably clogged and filthy, too.

Clean Your Air Ducts

Your home’s air ducts need a deep cleaning every few years. A professional can use specialized equipment to remove any dirt, dust or pet dander that has collected inside of them, as well as inspect them for any leaks. Leaky air ducts reduce the effectiveness of your air filtration and increase your energy costs, so it’s worthwhile to make sure they are properly sealed.

Service Your Air Conditioner

Your air conditioning system itself needs some annual attention. Dirt and allergens can collect in the evaporator coils and drain pan of your air conditioning unit, eventually clogging them. Having these cleaned out each year will help keep your home’s air fresh.

At the same time, you can have your system checked for future complications. That way any necessary maintenance can be done early in the season, and you can avoid waiting on a broken air conditioning repair in the middle of summer.

Keep your home’s air clean this allergy season by taking proper care of your ventilation and air conditioning system. Need help? At Ross Heating and Air Conditioning, we understand how important it is for your home to be comfortable, so we ensure timely service for our customers, and our trained technicians use low-cost diagnostics to identify and repair any issues. Schedule an appointment with us for cleaning your air conditioning system today.