Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog : Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

Will My AC Freeze If I Lower the Thermostat Too Far?

Monday, August 23rd, 2021

ice-on-an-acYou may have heard about an air conditioner’s indoor coil freezing over because someone lowered the thermostat too far. This may sound a bit fanciful: after all, the lowest setting on most thermostats is 60°F, which is definitely far above freezing. 

But there’s truth to this—an air conditioner can suffer from coil-freeze with the thermostat lowered too far. It’s more likely to occur at higher altitudes, such as more than 5,000 feet above sea level. Colorado Springs is 6,035 feet above sea level, so the danger of a frozen coil is extremely real for our ACs. 

Even if your AC doesn’t freeze up because of a low thermostat setting, you still shouldn’t lower the thermostat too far because it creates other problems for an AC leading to air conditioning repair in Monument, CO and high costs to run the system.

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Thinking of Getting a New AC? Some Questions to Ask Yourself

Monday, August 9th, 2021

question-markIf your air conditioner is getting old, breaks down frequently, or you have a case of rising energy bills in the summer, it may be time to get a new air conditioner.

Buying a new AC may look like a tough job, but it can be easy with help from a professional HVAC Company in Colorado Springs, CO. With that in mind, we are presenting a short guide on all the important factors you should consider in your search for a new AC.

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What a “Split System” Air Conditioner Is

Monday, July 26th, 2021

air-conditioner-condenser-3D-renderMany homeowners buy an HVAC system for central air conditioning in Colorado Springs. Although we have intense winter weather, we can also experience summers that get quite hot. If you’ve lived in the area for even one summer, you know it can be difficult to stay indoors without good air conditioning to cool off you and your family.

When you’re looking to get a new AC, you have three main options: a packaged all-in-one system, a split system, or a ductless mini split. All three have their own pros and cons.

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Ways a Clogged Filter Will Make Trouble for Your AC

Monday, July 12th, 2021

air-fliter-cuWe offer our customers plenty of advice for how they can get the most out of their air conditioning in Colorado Springs, CObetter performance, lower costs. The one piece of advice we share more than any other is “Change the AC’s air filter every one to three months.” It’s a basic job and it does so much to prevent numerous air conditioner troubles. 

Unfortunately, it’s the basic jobs that people are the most likely to forget. Although we’ll change out the air filter when we come for your annual spring maintenance, you’ll have to remember to do the filter changes through the rest of the summer on your own. One technique you can use to help you remember is to attach checking the filter with another monthly task, such as paying a utility bill. 

To help convince you to keep a regular filter change schedule, we’re going to take a look at the various problems a clogged filter can create for your air conditioner. 

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Your AC Has Limits—Here’s What You Need to Know

Monday, June 28th, 2021

advanced-thermostat-on-hot-dayAn air conditioner can often seem like a magical device. We understand how we get heat from furnaces and fireplaces—combustion gives off warmth. But an AC is a box or set of boxes that somehow creates cool air, the opposite of fire. Because an air conditioner can feel like a remarkable device, people might treat them as if they don’t have limits. They can cool a house down as much as necessary.

Of course, air conditioners aren’t magic, and they do have limits. An AC cools a house by moving heat from the indoor air and exhausting it outside, and there is a capacity to how much heat an air conditioner can draw from a house. We’re going to talk about the limits of your air conditioning system and how it affects the way you cool your home.

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Is Your AC Cooling, But Not Cooling Enough? Let’s Find Out Why

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021

flushed-man-before-fanWhen you have a small window air conditioner, you expect that it will only be able to cool a limited radius, at most a single room, and it still may not make the space evenly cool. When you have a central air conditioner for your house, you do expect that it will keep up with the heat and provide enough cooling for your whole house to stay comfortable. Yes, there will be some temperature fluctuations based on the house, but overall the house should feel close to the setting on the thermostat.

If you are currently not getting that from your AC, it’s possible you need to call us for air conditioning repair in Colorado Springs, CO. Below we’ll take a look at why you may be experiencing this problem. 

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How High-Efficiency ACs Achieve High Efficiency

Monday, May 17th, 2021

air-conditioner-on-leavesHigh efficiency is a phrase tossed around plenty in the world of home services. People are often laser-focused on getting appliances labeled as “high-efficiency.” Thankfully, there are government regulations about efficiency that make it easier to identify when a product meets the criteria for improved energy consumption. For electrical products, this is the ENERGY STAR label, which is determined by the US Department of Energy.

But when we talk about high-efficiency air conditioners, we’re referring to appliances that go beyond the ENERGY STAR requirement. For a central AC to receive the ENERGY STAR label, it must have SEER (the standard efficiency rating for air conditioners and heat pumps) of 15 or more. But there are central ACs with SEER up to 25. In general, if an air conditioner has SEER greater than 18, it’s considered “high efficiency.” A standard for many high-efficiency systems is 20–22 SEER.

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March Means It’s Time to Think About AC Maintenance

Monday, March 8th, 2021

AC-technician-maintenanceIf you’ve lived in Colorado Springs through at least one winter season, you know that the arrival of March is no guarantee that the weather will just keep getting warmer as we move into spring. Nonetheless, it is the right time to think about your air conditioning system. You may not need to run the AC for a while yet, but now is when you should start getting it prepared. 

How do you do that? By scheduling air conditioning maintenance in Colorado Springs, CO with our technicians.

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Start of Fall Is a Good Time to Evaluate Your AC’s Performance

Monday, September 21st, 2020

autumn-backgroundThis week is the official start of fall. Temperatures, of course, don’t strictly obey the calendar, and you may still need to rely on running your air conditioner for a few more weeks. But it’s a transition time, and this is an ideal point in the year to stop and consider how well your air conditioner performed over the summer. This can help you make a few important decisions about your HVAC system and home comfort—in particular, answer the big question: “Is my AC good for another year, or should I schedule a replacement?”

The question is more urgent if you have an air conditioner that’s in the 10 to 15-year range. This is the general service life expectancy for an AC, so you’ll want to give close consideration to the system’s performance so you’ll be able to get ahead of a final breakdown. If your air conditioner is older than 15 years, we recommend a replacement system as soon as you can arrange for it.

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Why It’s Important to Keep the Outdoor AC Cabinet Clean and Clear

Monday, September 7th, 2020

AC-Unit-Outside-SummerA piece of machinery that’s covered with a layer of grime and dirt won’t run as well as when it’s clean. That’s just a basic fact. When it comes to your air conditioning system, a layer of dirt and grime almost anywhere on it is bad news. For example, dust along the indoor evaporator coils can quickly cause the AC to lose energy efficiency and ice to develop along the coils.

But you may not have considered dirt and debris on or around the outdoor cabinet (the condenser) as a problem. The condenser is located in a place on your property where it doesn’t attract much attention, since it’s not the most attractive piece of machinery. Many condensers are placed behind fences or barriers for this reason. And because the condenser is outdoors, it’s easy to think that it’s impervious to elements, and if it gets dirty or leaves or branches grow close to it, it’s not that big a deal.

But a dirty or obstructed condenser cabinet is a problem. If you’ve noticed trouble with your AC at this late part of the season and don’t know why, check the condenser. If it’s covered in dirt or obstructed in some way, this may be why you’re having AC issues.

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