Purl's Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Replacement’

What Exactly Is “Puron” and How Is It Different From Other Refrigerants?

Monday, January 22nd, 2024
air-conditioning-refrigerant-check

If you don’t have deep knowledge of the refrigerants used for air conditioning systems and heat pumps, that’s fine. This is a technical field and you want to leave any work with refrigerants to certified HVAC professionals. For example, you might think that the refrigerant in your current AC is called “freon.” But freon isn’t a general term. It’s a brand name for a specific type of refrigerant. And it probably isn’t what your AC uses. Your AC or heat pump probably uses Puron

What’s the difference and why is it important? This is useful information to have, so we’ll go over the basics below.

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5 Tips for Extending the Lifespan of Your Air Conditioning System

Monday, July 24th, 2023
clipboard-CU

Each time your air conditioning system comes on, do you wonder how much longer it’s going to last? Probably not. But you know that eventually there’ll be a time when it won’t work anymore. No hard-working mechanical system like an AC can last forever. Hopefully, you’ll get ahead of a failed air conditioning in Oakhurst, CA and have time to arrange for our experts at Purl’s to replace it with a new one. 

But we’re not here to talk about your next air conditioning system. We’re here to talk about how you can get your current one to run for as long as possible. We have five tips that will help maximize the lifetime of your home’s AC.

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Why You AC Won’t Keep Up With the Heat

Monday, May 15th, 2023
thermometer-going-red

It can be awful to have an air conditioner working away during the day, running almost constantly, and still have a house that’s too stuffy and hot. If you’re currently having this trouble, you may need the assistance of a licensed HVAC contractor. Our repair professionals will see that your cooling system receives the assistance necessary to work its best with our skilled air conditioning repairs in Fresno, CA.

Below are some possibilities for why your AC may not be keeping up with the summer heat.

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Getting a Bigger AC Is Probably Not a Good Idea

Monday, October 4th, 2021
air-conditioner-cabinets

We’re accustomed to thinking that getting an appliance that’s “more powerful” is always for the best. But this isn’t the case—and it’s certainly not the best when it comes to a central air conditioning system.

Maybe you’re unhappy with your current air conditioning in Fresno, CA. This recent summer was hot, and when you lowered the thermostat to your standard comfort level, you didn’t feel as cool as you expected. The air conditioner just didn’t seem like it could handle the heat. Getting a bigger AC might sound like a good solution; it seems sensible. But it rarely is. We’ll talk more about air conditioner size below and how to get the right cooling.

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How Has Your AC Held Up This Summer?

Monday, September 6th, 2021
air-conditioner-with-dirty-coils

Did you remember to have AC maintenance in Fresno, CA in the spring? If you did, then you gave your air conditioning system the best beginning to the summer. (If you didn’t … it’s not too late to schedule it!) But as wonderful as maintenance is, it can’t prevent all air conditioning problems or stop an AC from eventually wearing down.

As we move toward the fall, we recommend you think about your air conditioner’s performance over this last summer, especially if the system is more than 10 years old. If your air conditioning system is showing signs it needs repairs or it’s ready for retirement, have the service done as soon as possible. (Fall is a good time to replace older air conditioners because HVAC technicians have more open schedules.)

Let’s go through a few basic air conditioning considerations to see how well your cooling system held up.

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5 Reasons an AC May Start Short-Cycling

Monday, August 9th, 2021
air-conditioning-system-grill-top-down

An air conditioning system runs in cycles where the compressor turns on to provide cooling for the house, then shuts down until the thermostat registers it needs to turn back on. These cooling cycles should last at least fifteen minutes.

If you notice your AC shuts down after only a short time, then turns on again soon after, it’s short-cycling. This malfunction makes it hard for the air conditioner to fully cool a house. It also wastes energy (compressor start-up draws on large amounts of electricity) and wears down the AC components rapidly. Below we’ve listed five frequent causes of this problem.

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Why Does an Air Conditioner Short-Cycle?

Monday, June 15th, 2020

compressor-in-ac-unitOne of the most common signs of something wrong with a central air conditioning system is short-cycling. This is when an air conditioner fails to complete a full cooling cycle and instead shuts down early, only to turn back on again a short time later. Short-cycling is bad news for a few reasons:

  • It wastes power, resulting in higher utility bills
  • It puts extra strain on the AC, leading to an early replacement
  • It doesn’t give the system enough time to spread cool air evenly around the house

Under normal circumstances, you can expect your home’s air conditioning system to run for 15 minutes or more before it cycles down. If you notice that it’s running for shorter times than this and you hear it turn on multiple times in an hour, you should look into it. Sometimes short-cycling is a simple issue to correct. But in many cases, you’ll need to call technicians to diagnose what’s happening and then handle the necessary air conditioning repair in Fresno, CA.

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Adding Central AC to a Home: What You Should Know

Wednesday, May 15th, 2019

inside-air-duct

Residential central air conditioning has a long history going back to the 1920s. But many decades would pass before central AC systems became common and affordable for homeowners. Today, 90% of new houses are constructed with central air conditioning systems, which is a significant change from only twenty years ago.

The central air conditioning system has replaced the old window units that were once the main way for homes to enjoy cooling. Window units have a limited use, conditioning only small areas. They’re also unattractive-looking, block light, and make a home less secure. All around, central air conditioning is the superior choice for a home, and it also allows for indoor air quality improvement additions.

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Should You Replace the Heater and AC at the Same Time?

Friday, March 29th, 2019

furnace-oldWhen you move into a new home, usually the AC and the furnace were installed at the same time—and usually they’ll need to be replaced at the same time as well. In other cases, either the AC or furnace will run down before the other (air conditioning systems in general don’t last as long as either gas or electric furnaces), and you’ll arrange to have the older unit replaced.

However, there’s a third possibility. What if one of the two comfort systems needs a replacement, and you decide to replace both, even though the other system is still in good working order?

This isn’t an outlandish idea. Homeowners often make this choice on the advice of professional HVAC installers and enjoy benefits from it. It isn’t automatically the right choice, but it’s something to consider.

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Your AC in a Heat Wave: A Few Things to Know

Monday, September 17th, 2018

sunshine-imageThe heat here in the Central Valley these last few weeks has been … well, there’s been a lot of it. Recording breaking heat. In July, Fresno broke the record of consecutive days with triple digit heat—22 days, starting on July 6, according to the Fresno Bee. The newspaper also predicted the heat might subside in late August. But the heat waves sweeps on and on. We’re still experiencing days peaking in the triple-digits, with other days hovering in the 90s.

We hope you haven’t had to deal with any serious heat-related emergencies (we did a post on recognizing these emergencies) and that your air conditioner is still managing to keep your home cool. In fact, let’s talk about your AC and the heat. There are a few important things to know about running your air conditioner during these extremes.

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