Reasons You May Need A New Air Conditioner

Even if you take perfect care of your air conditioning unit, it won't last forever.  If you have high energy bills or your air conditioner isn't working as well as it used to, you might need to replace your unit.

Because replacing an air conditioning unit is a big investment, you want to make the right decision. If you are thinking about replacing your unit, we’ve detailed some points for you to think about.
First, you may be asking yourself "how long can I expect my air conditioner unit to last?" Generally, air conditioner units are expected to last around 10-15 years. That timeframe will depend on many factors, including how well the air conditioner unit was maintained and how hard it worked during its lifetime.

Because the ideal replacement time will be different for every homeowner, there is no perfect time to replace your unit. That said, below are reasons why you might need to replace the unit.

• Your air conditioner breaks down frequently: At some point, it's going to cost more money to keep repairing an old air conditioner than to replace it.
• Significant home renovations: If you are expanding the livable space in your house, you may need a more powerful air conditioner to cool your house down.
• You have high energy bills: One cause of high energy bills is an older air conditioning unit. New air conditioner models are built to be more efficient than older units.  In addition, wear and tear will reduce the efficiency of an older model. You may be able to dramatically reduce your energy bills with a new air conditioner unit.
• Your home isn't comfortable, even after running your air conditioner: If it's difficult to cool down your house or takes longer than it used to, you might need a new unit.

If you think you might need to replace your air conditioner unit, contact us here at Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. We can discuss the best options for your home and install a new unit in no time! 

How Will You Know if Your Thermostat is Bad?

If you have been experiencing issues with your HVAC system, you may be wondering if perhaps your thermostat could be to blame. Of course, you would prefer the problem to be with your thermostat, as it is much cheaper to replace than your heater or air conditioner; but how can you know for sure which one is the problem? Here are just a few of the signs that can indicate problems with your home's thermostat.

First Things First, Your Thermostat Won't Work

One of the clearest signs that something is wrong with your thermostat is if you cannot get it to work properly. If it takes several tries to adjust your settings, then your thermostat may be beginning to fail. However, if your thermostat is completely unresponsive, or the screen is blank, then it has likely stopped working altogether.

Your Heater or Air Conditioner Won't Turn Off

A symptom that often baffles homeowners is when their heater or air conditioner runs constantly and refuses to turn off no matter what they do. This is generally a sign that your thermostat needs to be repaired or replaced, as either the wiring is broken, or the thermostat is miscalibrated, and your HVAC system isn’t receiving the signal to shut off.

Room Temperature and Setting Don't Match

A more subtle sign of problems with your thermostat is if the displayed room temperature, and the temperature you have set, do not match. For instance, if you have your thermostat set to turn your AC on at 78 degrees, but you hear your system turn on when it is only displaying 75 degrees inside your home, then something is clearly wrong with your thermostat. You will want to have this problem addressed as soon as possible, as it can become costly if your system runs more than it should.

Contact us to learn more about the signs which can indicate problems with your home's thermostat. Our team of professionals is here to help!

My Air Conditioner Is Leaking Water!

Life is good when your air conditioner is working perfectly and keeping the temperatures in your home favorable. But when you notice leaking around your air conditioner, this could send you into a frenzy. Questions running through your mind might be… Is my air conditioner broken? Can I fix it myself? Do I need a professional to check it out? Will air conditioning repair costs cause a dent in my pocket?

Well, don’t panic; a leaking air conditioner is a very common problem! Here are some of the reasons why your air conditioner may be leaking.

Filthy Air Filters

Constant airflow is a necessity for a proper air conditioning unit. Filthy air filters prevent easy airflow over the air conditioner's evaporator coil, thus causing it to freeze. When the evaporator coil eventually melts there will be excess water being released, meaning capacity may be beyond what the drain pan can accommodate. Thus, the result is a leaking air conditioning unit! To avoid this problem, be sure to clean your air filters or replace them regularly depending on the season.

Clogged Drainpipe

The air conditioning process results in the production of water. This water is directed out of your house through a drainpipe and onto a drain pan. If the drainpipe is clogged by dirt, mold, debris or sludge, it will cause water to back up into the air conditioner and eventually leak. Having an HVAC professional clear the blockage should fix your leaking air conditioner.

Damaged Drain Pan

Over time the air conditioner drain pan will develop cracks, holes, and/or rust. These damages can cause the water that has collected to leak from the air conditioning unit. Replacing the pan should address the problem.

Broken Condensate Pump

In instances where water from the air conditioning system must flow uphill out of the home, a condensate pump is used to get the task done. When this condensate pump breaks down, it will fail to pump out the water allowing it to collect and eventually leak from your air conditioner. In such cases, the condensate pump should either be repaired or replaced.

Low Refrigerant Levels

Low refrigerant levels will cause the evaporator coil to freeze due to the low pressure in the air conditioning system. Eventually, the humid air that has frozen will melt, and when it does, it will overflow in the drain pan. If your air conditioner cools with difficulty or produces a bubbling noise, this is a further indication of refrigerant issues.  Have an AC professional examine your air conditioning unit as soon as possible.

Improper Installation

If your new air conditioning unit has just been recently installed and it is already leaking water, then the most probable cause is that it was not installed correctly. Consult an AC installation and repair expert to have the unit installed appropriately.

We hope that you’ve found the information within this blog post to be helpful. If you feel that your problem requires professional attention to resolve, or you simply have a question that you need answered, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at Kent Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. for fast and reliable air conditioning repair services.

Being Uncomfortable Is a Matter of Degrees

Thermostat settings on your air conditioning system are most times directed by personal preference as well as energy savings preference.

For example, the Energy Star program recommends a setting of 78 degrees for conserving energy and staying comfortable while you’re in the home – plus, programming your thermostat for higher temperatures when you’re away during the day.

Others might be more comfortable at 75 degrees, or lower. Again, it’s a balance between your personal comfort and your desire to save on energy usage.

Then there are those other very unfortunate times when the temperatures in your house are not at all what you want them to be. And with growing discomfort, you watch those temperatures inside your house rise to 80, 85, 88… Not good. Not good at all.

However, there’s one solution we recommend as your best option to avoid this scenario. Please take a moment and look at this report, Why Your Air Conditioning System Needs Prep Work for Summer’s Long, Hot Run.

If AC Repairmen Made Predictions

We’re used to the weather folks giving us a heads-up about what’s going to happen during the day – you know, something along the lines of, “Most parts of Northwest Indiana will see a few showers this morning, but sunshine returns in the afternoon as highs head toward the 90s.”

But if you’re holding your breath that your air conditioning system will hold out for another summer, you’d probably do well with a report along these lines: “The morning will start off calm but strange noises coming from your air conditioning system will indicate that you’re going to have some real problems staying cool in the afternoon as highs head toward the 90s.”

Obviously, our service technicians don’t make predictions like that, but even so, we do know a lot about how air conditioning systems work and how the effects of time impact their performance and leave them vulnerable to poorly timed repairs.

If you’d like to know how well your air conditioning system is going to perform this summer, we’ve got some guidance that could be very helpful. Take a look at this report, How to Predict Your Next Air Conditioning Breakdown.

Extreme Weather Patterns and Your Home Comfort

Have you ever noticed that sometimes life feels like you’re going from one extreme to another? Like, low, high. Cold, hot. We’ve certainly seen those extremes in weather this year – and will be seeing even more.

You’d think that serious cold would be followed by a milder summertime. But that’s not what the weather people see happening. Instead, after a really cold winter pretty much across the country, we’re moving right into another extreme: a really hot summer.

So those really low temperatures are headed really high, and those uncomfortably cold days are about to become uncomfortably hot.

But here’s the good news. This fact of weather life does not mean that you have to be uncomfortable, especially in your own home. In fact, there’s an important step you can take right now to ensure that your home comfort stays steady whatever ups and downs the thermometer shows.

This info tells you lots more. Please take a look.

What’s Your Comfort System Telling You?

Do you sense that your heating and air conditioning system is holding a piece of information you really need to know? Well, it won’t take much detective work to figure that out – because what your system is telling you about the summer heat isn’t a secret.
You can pretty much guarantee that if you’ve got a well-maintained, fairly new energy-efficient home comfort system, it’s saying, “No problem. I’ve got this.” But if your heating and air conditioning system has been chugging through summer heats for a while, the message could be a bit different.
For example, if you can tell that your home comfort system is undergoing strain trying to keep up with rising temperatures, it could be giving clear signs that you need to make another plan for your home comfort this summer. Some of the signs you’ll see will be inconsistent comfort, more repairs than ordinary, higher energy bills – and just an overall sense of uncertainty about whether it’s time to make a change.
Well, we’ve got some news that can help you through that uncertainty – and be very comfortable with whatever decision you make. This info explains what I’m talking about. Please take a look.

You can’t beat this weather! It feels too good outside to not be anything but happy and thankful for such a pleasant Summer.

It did get me thinking, though. How can we take advantage of these cool temps? What can we do to save money on our energy bills?

A good place to start is to get rid of any “energy vampires” you may have in your home. These are TVs, lamps, appliances and whatever else you leave plugged in all the time, but rarely use. They are using energy and costing you money even though you are not actively using them.

So, put your TVs on a power strip and turn them off when you are not at home and while you are sleeping. Also, unplug lamps and kitchen appliances that you don’t use on a regular basis.

While this is valuable information that everyone should take advantage of, you should also find out how to save energy and money on your home’s biggest energy burner – your air conditioner. There are “high-efficiency” air conditioners that can save you between 24-40% on your usual utilities.

That is definitely worth investigating!

For more information on lowering your energy consumption and putting more money in your wallet, take a look at this info, The Definition of Insanity.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

We have become somewhat accustomed to the notion that “Bigger is Better.” Whether we are at a drive-thru where you can “super size” for a better “value” than a regular meal or driving the bigger truck or SUV so you can see over the other cars, we like things BIG.

A big fish is better than a small fish. A big boat is better than a small boat. And so on… you get the idea.

Surprisingly though, bigger isn’t always better when talking about a new “high efficiency” cooling system. If you bought a new air conditioner today, it will probably be smaller than the one you bought 10 to 15 years ago.

Just replacing your old A/C with a new one the same size could cause you trouble down the road because it will be too big to meet your needs. This is, of course, assuming you have the appropriately sized air conditioner for your home now.

A cooling system too big for your home will cause frequent on-and-off cycling which will affect the humidity control in your home. Poor humidity control can lead to moisture in the air which, in turn, will lead to mold and mildew, not to mention, humid air that is just plain uncomfortable.

It is hard to imagine there is a service industry these days that is saying, “Not so fast… a bigger cooling system may NOT be what your home needs. You may need just a smaller, more efficient system to have your home feeling cool and save you money on energy costs.”