Late August Still Isn’t Too Late for an AC Tune-Up

August 23rd, 2021
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It’s hot outside in August, and it’ll be hot in September as well. Summer isn’t finished, and your home’s air conditioning system has hard work ahead of it.

And that’s one of the reasons it’s not too late to have your annual AC tune-up and inspection. We recommend our customers have this maintenance service done in spring because it gets the air conditioning system ready before the first of the big heat waves arrive, and it takes the most advantage of maintenance’s benefits. But, and this is the key point to remember, AC maintenance does not have an expiration date. It only needs to be done each year.

So, although we recommend having your future AC tune-ups done in spring if possible, it’s not too late to have the work done now. It’s far better than skipping it for a year.

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5 Reasons an AC May Start Short-Cycling

August 9th, 2021
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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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What Causes Ice to Form on an AC’s Evaporator Coil?

July 26th, 2021
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A mistake that homeowners often make about the way their air conditioning systems work is to assume that ice appearing along the indoor evaporator coil is normal, just a sign the AC is working extremely well at cooling down the air.

The truth is that ice should never appear on any part of an air conditioner. When ice appears along the evaporator coil, it means something is interfering with the standard way the air conditioner operates. The ice creates a major problem on its own, but the source of the ice forming may be an even worse problem.

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Why Your AC Is Running Continuously

July 13th, 2021
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An air conditioning system that won’t turn on is obviously a major problem. But an air conditioning system that continues to run and run without cycling down is almost as big a problem. A nonstop air conditioner will waste massive amounts of energy, make parts of the house too cold, and wear down the unit rapidly so it needs multiple repairs and an early replacement.

What has turned your AC system into a runaway train? We’ll examine several potential causes below. You shouldn’t attempt to diagnose the problem on your own, however. You’ll need an expert HVAC contractor in Fresno, CA to figure out what’s wrong and how best to fix it.

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Is Your Water Heater Beyond Repair? Let’s Help You Find Out?

June 25th, 2021
water-heater-tank

A water heater is a major purchase to make for a home, and nobody wants to replace their current water heater until they need to. The tricky part is understanding when that “need to” time arrives. We don’t recommend you continue to run and run an older water heater until it fails completely and breaks down. For one, that will leave you unexpectedly trapped without hot water and a longer period to wait until a new one is installed. For another, the dying water heater will waste tremendous amounts of energy as it declines and probably deliver less hot water than it used to.

It’s best to get in front of a water heater replacement by understanding when to have a new system installed rather than continue with water heater repair in Fresno, CA. We can provide you with some important info about when a water heater has gone beyond repair, but please don’t make a decision until you’ve worked with our team—we can help you find out when it’s time for a new water heater.

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There’s No “Expiration Date” for AC Maintenance: It’s Not Too Late to Schedule!

June 1st, 2021
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Although spring doesn’t officially end until June 20, people tend to think of summer as starting when the calendar flips over to June. Since we recommend people have professional maintenance done for their air conditioning systems in spring, it may sound like the time is almost up to get it done. This isn’t the case at all!

Regular maintenance is one of the most important services you can have done for your AC, and it doesn’t have an expiration date. It has a “recommended” date, but the only requirement is that professionals do it once a year. 

We Still Recommend Spring or Early Summer for Maintenance

We do want to be clear about the ideal time to have air conditioning system maintenance, which is fall or early summer. You’ll receive the most benefit from maintenance when you have it done before the major heat waves arrive and you use the air conditioner on a regular basis. And because it’s not even officially summer yet, you’re right on time if you schedule maintenance now.

Why Maintenance Needs to Be Done Annually

The big takeaway from this blog post is that maintenance done later is still far better than skipping it for a year. We don’t want our customers to decide that they might as well abandon maintenance for a year if they haven’t gotten it done by mid-July. Maintenance is both a long-term and short-term investment, and those long-term benefits are among the most important.

Here are reasons maintenance should be kept up with each year, even if it’s done later a few of those years:

  • It keeps the warranty valid: Equipment warranty for your air conditioner is an essential consumer protection. A small percentage of AC units leave the factory with faults, but the warranty will cover parts repair and replacement in case something goes wrong. Lack of maintenance may void the warranty and leave you paying for parts that would otherwise have been covered.
  • It helps the air conditioner last for as long as possible: The average service life of central air conditioners is 10 to 15 years, but only if the ACs receive annual professional maintenance. Skipping maintenance gives wear and tear a chance to take hold and cause the system to age faster. Your AC will need to be replaced years earlier without routine maintenance.
  • It catches repair issues before they can become serious: Maintenance gives our technicians the opportunity to examine an air conditioner closely and find where there are potential problems. It’s similar to your annual visit to the doctor. Early detection for ACs means fewer and less expensive repairs.
  • It stops a decline in AC efficiency: When an AC misses maintenance, the wear on the unit will cause it to lose energy efficiency and cost more to run.

Right now is a great time for this air conditioning service in Fresno, CA. Reach out to our team to get on the schedule for your AC’s annual inspection and tune-up.

Call Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning to schedule AC maintenance today. “Quality Is the Cornerstone of Our Success” since 1952.

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My AC Isn’t Cooling the House Enough—What’s Wrong?

May 17th, 2021
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Now that we’re experiencing major heat in the Central Valley, home air conditioning systems are putting in steady work. You almost certainly run your AC on most days. But something isn’t right—you’re handling your AC the same as you normally would, but the house won’t cool down enough. You’re worried: what’s causing the air conditioning system to fall behind?

Below are some reasons you may have a struggling AC during our early wave of hot weather.

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What Is “Puron” and Is It Different From Freon?

May 3rd, 2021
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When you’re looking for a new air conditioning system installation in Fresno, CA, you’ll have many questions about cooling power, energy efficiency, and cost. There’s plenty to consider when planning for a new cooling system, and you want to make sure you get the right air conditioner. We recommend you work with our professionals from the start so we can answer your questions and ensure you have a properly sized new AC.

The question of what “Puron” is and how it’s different from Freon we can answer here. The word “Freon” tends to get tossed around interchangeably, leading to confusion about refrigerants. We’re happy to clear things up.

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Don’t Try to Install a Thermostat on Your Own! Here’s Why

April 21st, 2021

advanced-thermostat-on-hot-dayYou can probably go online and find instructions on how to do a DIY installation for just about anything. That doesn’t mean you should attempt all of them. It’s one thing to follow instructions on how to wire up your home’s new sound system. It’s quite another when it comes to installing a new thermostat.

We know what you’re thinking: “How complicated could putting in a thermostat be? Don’t I just have to wire it into the wall?” It’s more complicated than that, but there are other reasons why we don’t recommend going it alone on this. If you buy your own thermostat and then attempt to replace your old one with it, plenty can go wrong. Expensively wrong.

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Should I Have Custom-Made Ductwork for My New Home Construction?

March 15th, 2021

inside-air-duct

When you decide to build your own home, you’ll face many important decisions. Choosing the correct ductwork design for the ventilation system from an experienced HVAC contractor will be extremely important to your home.

You may not think of ductwork as anything that needs to look “special” because it’s hidden out of sight. But this overlooks the significant benefits of having a ventilation system designed with customized ductwork. We think that when you consider the advantages of a higher rated R-value duct (Flex Duct) you’ll see that it’s the best way to go.

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