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

Were the Recent Rains Too Much for Your Rain Gutters?

Monday, January 9th, 2023

Northern and Central California are seeing a large amount of rain at the end of December and the start of January. That’s good news in some ways, since it helps to ease drought conditions. But it can be rough in other ways—such as on your house.

Protecting your home from rainfall is one of the jobs of rain gutters. Like any part of a home, rain gutters will wear down over time and eventually need to be replaced. With all the rain coming down in the Central Valley, it’s a good time to check to see if you need to replace your rain gutters in Fresno, CA.

Tags: Fresno, rain gutters
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Why You Aren’t Getting Enough Hot Water From Your Water Heater

Monday, December 12th, 2022

Nobody wants to get up in the morning and discover that the hot shower that gets them prepared for the day quickly changes into a lukewarm shower … or even a cold one. It’s especially a trial during the winter days!

If you’ve run into a problem where your water heater is delivering hot water, but not as much as it used to, then you’ll certainly want to have something done about it. Below are five common causes of this problem that we can solve for you.

Tags: Fresno, Water Heater Repair
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What Does a Furnace Limit Switch Do?

Monday, November 28th, 2022

Gas furnaces work on a basic principle: lit gas flames heat air that is blown through the furnace and into the rooms through ductwork. But gas furnaces are complex devices that have several safety features and mechanisms that allow them to work correctly and without creating hazards.

One of the key components for the operation of a furnace is the furnace limit switch. You don’t need to know all the details about this part, but understanding the basics will help you know more about how your furnace works—and why it sometimes doesn’t work.

Tags: Fresno, Gas Furnaces, Heating System Maintenance
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Benefits of Having a Heat Pump Combined With Solar Energy

Monday, November 14th, 2022

A heat pump is a type of HVAC system that uses the same refrigerant-based operation as a central air conditioner, except it can reverse the direction it operates so that it can work to heat a home as well as cool it. Using a heat pump can help a home save money on its heating costs, since it consumes less energy to move heat rather than generate it the way a furnace does.

No other type of air-source heat pump provides as many benefits as one combined with solar power. With a solar-powered heat pump installed in your home, you’ll have your year-round comfort needs taken care of with one system that runs primarily from the free and renewable energy of the sun.

If you’re interested in installing a heat pump in Fresno, CA, here are some of the excellent benefits of using a solar-powered one:

Tags: Fresno, Heat Pump Installation, Solar
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Why Won’t My Gas Furnace Turn On?

Monday, October 17th, 2022

This isn’t a situation you want to run into when the outdoor temperatures drop. A gas furnace not heating can happen for multiple reasons, some simple and easy to correct with troubleshooting, others that require calling professionals like ours to handle repairs.

We’re going to look at some of the common causes for a furnace that won’t turn on and provide heat to a home. Although we’ll point out situations where you can remedy the issue on your own, we want to stress that any actual repair must have a licensed expert. Tinkering with a gas furnace on your own can be extremely hazardous. When you have any doubts about your gas furnace, please reach out to us rather than attempt to solve it yourself.

Tags: Fresno, Gas Furnaces, Heating System Repair
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When Should I Schedule Duct Cleaning?

Monday, August 8th, 2022

We’re glad you’re asking this question, because far too many homeowners forget that duct cleaning is an important routine service. Air ducts are hidden from sight in a house, making it easy for people to forget them or realize that they may need occasional service like duct testing and duct cleaning.

We offer duct cleaning in Fresno, CA and have many years of experience handling this service. We can help you determine when it’s best to call us to schedule this job, whether as a routine maintenance service or because you’ve got extremely dirty ductwork.

Tags: Dryer Vent Cleaning, Duct Cleaning, Fresno
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The Benefits of Ductless Mini Split Systems

Monday, July 11th, 2022

Ductless mini split systems are a type of comfort system for homes that work through a series of wall-mounted air handlers. Think of one of these systems as similar to a standard split system air conditioner, except the condenser doesn’t connect to a single indoor blower and evaporator hooked to ductwork. Instead, it connects to a series of separate mini-air handlers/evaporators placed throughout the rooms.

We offer installation of ductless heating and ductless air conditioning Fresno, CA. These systems aren’t ideal for all homes, but their benefits make them attractive options if you’re planning on making upgrades or changes to your HVAC system or if you live in an older home lacking ductwork.

Here are a few of the best benefits of ductless mini splits…

Tags: Air Conditioning Installation, Ductless Mini Split, Fresno
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Why Does My AC Smell Strange?

Monday, April 18th, 2022

An air conditioning system is not supposed to have any noticeable odor as it runs. The air from the vents should have the neutral smell of the rest of the house. If you start to detect any smell from the air vents you’ve never noticed before, such as a dirty laundry stink, rotten eggs, or an acrid burning, it’s something to pay attention to.

You may need to call our technicians for air conditioning system repair in Fresno, CA after you notice any of these odors. A few may have simple causes, but in many situations, these odors warn of a bigger problem with an AC. We’ll look into these strange air conditioning system smells and what they may mean.

Tags: Air Conditioning System Repair, Fresno
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Time to Prep for the Heat With AC Maintenance

Monday, March 21st, 2022

We’re experiencing extremely hot days in the Central Valley—days with true summer heat, and spring has only just started. You may have had to turn on your AC for the first time in several months to battle the heat. But your air conditioning system is going to need extra help to handle the continuing heat we’ll face through the middle of the year: professional air conditioning maintenance.

We always stress with our customers the importance of having their air conditioning systems professionally inspected and tuned up annually, preferably in spring to beat out the hot weather. The weather is already turning hot, so the time to call us to schedule your regular air conditioning maintenance in Fresno, CA is now.

Tags: Air Conditioning Maintenance, Fresno
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Understanding SEER, AFUE, and Other Efficiency Ratings for HVAC Systems

Monday, March 7th, 2022

Spring is approaching, and this is a time of year when many homeowners start to consider what upgrades or replacements they might need for their heating and air conditioning systems. You may have just gone through a winter with a furnace that was underperforming because of its age. Or you might know that your current air conditioning system isn’t up to handling another summer in the Central Valley.

You’ve come to the right people when it comes to great AC and heating in Fresno, CA. Our team can guide you through the process of replacing an older system if that’s the best choice for your house. One tricky part of getting a new HVAC system for homeowners is understanding the different efficiency ratings and what they mean. We’ll run down the three major ones you’ll need to know for heating and air conditioning.

AFUE

This is a rating used for furnaces. It stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency, and it’s expressed as a percentage. The percentage tells you how well a furnace converts its energy supply into heat. A gas furnace with 90% AFUE will turn 90% of the natural gas it burns into heat for the home, and the remaining 10% will escape the furnace as exhaust.

As of 2013, the minimum requirement for a furnace to receive the ENERGY STAR label from the Department of Energy is 80% AFUE. Many furnaces will score higher than this. High-efficiency condensing furnaces can have AFUE ratings in the high 90s, but they cost more to install. All electric furnaces have AFUE of 100%, but that’s because they don’t lose heat to exhaust. Electric furnaces will still cost more to run on average than gas furnaces because electricity is a more expensive energy source.

SEER

SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating) is used for air conditioning systems and heat pumps when in cooling mode. It’s the ratio of the amount of heat a unit removes from the air in BTUs to the amount of electricity consumed in watt-hours, as measured over a full season of cooling. (There’s another rating, EER, which is done with only a single test.) The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit. The current ENERGY STAR requirement for air conditioners and heat pumps is SEER of 14.5 or higher. High-efficiency units, such as variable flow refrigerant air conditioners, can have SEER in the 20s.

HSPF

This is a rating specific to heat pumps. Heat pumps work in two modes, heating and cooling, and have different ratings for those modes: SEER for cooling and HSPF for heating. HSPF stands for heating seasonal performance factor and is the ratio of the amount of heat brought into a house in BTUs to the amount of electricity consumed in watt-hours, measured over a full season of heating. HSPF is always lower than SEER for a unit, as heat pumps are less efficient in heating mode. The ENERGY STAR minimum for HSPF is 8.5.

The efficiency of any new system you have installed is important, but it isn’t the only factor. You’ll want the help of our professionals to find the ideal unit to provide comfort to your house as well as energy savings.

Call Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning when you’re interested in a new HVAC system installation. Uncompromised Quality & Customer Service Since 1952.

Tags: Air Conditioning Installation, Fresno, Heating System Installation
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