The refrigerant levels in your air conditioning system shouldn’t go down. They’re supposed to exist in a closed loop, and your air conditioner needs a specific type and amount — determined by make and model — in order to cool your air effectively. But we live in an imperfect world, and leaks tend to spring up from time to time. When your refrigerant runs low, your air conditioner loses a lot of its cooling power, running for longer periods of time to do the job and raising your bills accordingly.
Signs that Your Refrigerant is Running Low
May 30th, 2016Protect Your Home Against Allergens
May 16th, 2016Allergens are as common a problem in Beaverton, OR as high temperatures, and if you or a member of your family suffers from allergies, you know how miserable it can be. Your home should be a haven against pollen, pet dander and other types of allergens, but the simple act of opening the door can let more in and there’s only so many hours in the day you can devote to cleaning. What’s to be done?
Don’t Fall for These Air Conditioning Misconceptions
May 9th, 2016Portland, OR gets hot in the summer, and that means you’ll be running your air conditioner pretty much every day to keep cool. That process can be hindered by numerous misconceptions about how air conditioning works, which can end up costing you a great deal in wasted energy if you’re not careful. Clearing up those misconceptions is an ideal way to save money on your air conditioning bills this summer, as well as reducing the overall wear and tear on the system. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the more common fallacies out there and what you can do to combat them.
How and When to Get Your Heat Pump Ready for Summer
May 2nd, 2016We’re quickly careening into summer here in Oregon City, and with the influx of sunshine and water vapor in the air, things will start to get a bit sticky. If you own a heat pump, is it ready to take on the summer heat? Should you wait to tune it up for summer, or is now the ideal time? We often field such questions from homeowners in our service area, and we can do the same for you. Here is some info to get you started, but give us a call here at The Clean Air Act when you’re ready for your heat pump maintenance.
Consider the Advantages of a Ductless Air Conditioner
April 25th, 2016High temperatures hit Tigard, OR quite hard, and as such you need a quality air conditioner ready to cool your entire house. Unfortunately, not every home can support the centralized format that most people think of when they think about air conditioning, and even those that do may encounter problems with theirs. The solution is a ductless air conditioning system, which gets rid of the centralized model in favor of a series of individual units, each charged with cooling one room or section of your house. They can cost more to install then centralized systems, but provide a number of benefits that you would do well to consider.
Look into a Dehumidifier This Spring
April 18th, 2016Beaverton, OR can get plenty hot in the summer, which is why you need your air conditioner to run at top condition before the temperatures get too high. But Oregon is also a very humid part of the world, and excessive moisture can be just as much of a factor in your household comfort level as high temperatures can. If you don’t already own one, look into a whole-house dehumidifier this spring. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference it will make.
Troubleshooting Air Conditioning Problems
April 11th, 2016With temperatures warming up here in Wilsonville, OR, you’re likely using your air conditioner more and more often. If a problem arises, you want to take care of it quickly before the heat of summer sets in. But those circumstances, however, it pays to slow down and do a little checking first. An air conditioner that won’t turn on or one that seems to be malfunctioning may actually have a very easy solution to the problem. It pays to troubleshoot first, before you call in a repair technician. That way, you can at least be assured that the problem is worth paying a professional to look at.
Own a Mobile Home? Consider a Heat Pump!
April 4th, 2016Spring has arrived here in Tualatin, OR, and summer will be here before you know it. That makes this an ideal time to install a new air conditioning system in your home. Mobile home owners usually content themselves with box-mounted air conditioning units and space heaters, but those are incomplete systems at best. A better option can be found with a heat pump, which uses the principles of air conditioning to both heat and cool your home. They make a good fit for our Oregon climate, with its cool-but-not-too-cold winters, and for mobile home owners interested in heating and cooling options would be well-advised to give it a look. Recent benefits have made the process of doing so even easier.
Does Your Air Conditioner Need to Be Replaced?
March 28th, 2016Spring is here, and summer will be along before you know it. Here in Milwaukie, OR, that means you should give your air conditioner a thorough look and determine whether it needs any help before temperatures get too high. If you have an older air conditioner that’s having problems, you may be wondering if you should replace it with a new one, or simply fix it up as best you can and power through another summer or two with it. A good technician can provide advice, but only you can determine when your air conditioner is ready to be put out to pasture. We used three general guidelines to help homeowners make that determination.
Getting a New Air Conditioner? Size Your Home First
March 21st, 2016This is the right time of year to replace an older air conditioning system with a new one. The winter cold is fleeing here in Oregon City, OR and other nearby towns, but temperatures are still pretty cool and chances are you won’t need your air conditioner on a regular basis for a couple of months. That gives you lots of time to properly plan for a new air conditioning installation, including selecting a model and evaluating its features. Among the most important considerations during this process is sizing the new air conditioner’s power levels to make sure it fits your home. A trained technician can help you with the ins and outs.