Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Why it’s good to Have Annual Maintenance on Your Heating System

October 15th, 2014

Most people tend to neglect the maintenance of their heating system until it begins to show signs of a problem. This is pretty easy to understand. When you only use something part of the year, you probably don’t think too much about it as long as it works properly. This kind of attitude can actually lead to a great many problems, however. Let’s take a look at how annual maintenance can actually save you lots of money and frustration.

Preventative Maintenance

Problems that arise in your heating system can almost always be prevented or at least mitigated by regular maintenance. An extremely serious problem, like a cracked heat exchanger, can be caused by something as simple as a dirty air filter. Regular maintenance checks can catch things like bad air filters before they have the chance to cause any serious damage, saving you a great deal of money in the process. It is far easier and cheaper to replace a disposable part than it is to replace something central to the operation of the heater.

Timing

Regular maintenance can ensure that your heating system is in the best condition it can be when you need it most. The best time to have your heating system checked is during the fall season, right before the winter season when the demand for heat is highest. By scheduling your annual maintenance to take place every fall, you are making sure that your heating system is up to the challenge of increased operation for the next several months. After all, the very last thing you want is for your heating system to break down in the middle of winter. Demand for HVAC repair tends to spike during this season, so you may even find yourself without heat for several days before your local technician can get to you.

If you haven’t scheduled your annual heating maintenance yet, contact Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning. We conduct heating maintenance throughout Colorado Springs.

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Signs of Poor Indoor Air Quality

October 8th, 2014

When it comes to living comfortably in your home, your mind may automatically go towards the temperature. However, this is only a part of the overall picture in terms of comfort. In order to live truly comfortably, you must not only maintain comfortable temperatures but great indoor air quality as well. To ensure that this is the case, you may need to work with a trained indoor air quality specialist, such as the ones on the Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning team. Of course, before doing so, you must first realize that there is a problem with your indoor air quality in Colorado Springs, CO to begin with. Here are a few warning signs to keep an eye out for which may suggest the need for our quality indoor air quality products and services.

First of all, any increase in or aggravation of allergy and asthma symptoms among residents in your home are is a major red flag that your indoor air quality may be subpar. There are a lot of different factors at play here, and homes with pets or those in proximity to major roadways will likely have higher concentrations of airborne pollutants. Regardless of your situation, a good air filtration system or electronic air purifier may be necessary in order to boost your air quality to appropriate levels.

If you find that your skin is very dry and itchy, or if you have frequent sore throats and bloody noses, you may be up against issues with low humidity levels. You must have the right amount of humidity in your home if you hope to live comfortably, or else your body will feel the effects of drying out. Additionally, low humidity levels can lead to splitting wooden fixtures, chipping paint, and other problems. A whole-house humidifier is a great way to add the right amount of humidity back to the air.

No matter if your air is too dry or if biological pollutants have infiltrated your home, you need to improve the quality of the air that you breathe.

We spend a lot of time indoors, so your comfort and your health depend upon great indoor air quality in Colorado Springs, CO. Call Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more. 

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Is a Heat Pump Right for You?

October 1st, 2014

Keeping your home comfortable throughout the year is a priority that you share with homeowners everywhere. The trouble that some homeowners encounter when it comes time to invest in new heating and air conditioning equipment is the simple fact that there are so many different options out there to choose from. If you want to ensure that your system is a perfect fit for your home and comfort preferences, call the pros at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ll ensure that you find the right HVAC system for your needs. You may just find that a heat pump in Colorado Springs, CO is just what you’ve been looking for.

There are a lot of great heating and cooling systems on the market, but a heat pump can offer certain benefits that others do not. For starters, heat pumps are able to both heat and cool your home, allowing for year round comfort in one convenient package. This is possible thanks to the unique design of the heat pump, which features a reversing valve. This allows the system to reverse its refrigerant cycle, providing cooling in the summer and heating during the winter season.

Another great benefit of the heat pump is the incredible energy efficiency with which these systems operate. During the cooling cycle, a heat pump acts just like a traditional split central air conditioner. This means that it will pull in air from throughout the house, remove the heat, and recirculate that cool air to the farthest reaches of your home. During the winter, though, the heat pump actually makes use of ambient heat in the air outside. By utilizing this existing heat, even when the temperature outside is cold, your heat pump can heat your home with exceptional efficiency levels. In some cases, extreme cold may inhibit the heating operation of a heat pump, though, so make sure that you discuss the pros and cons with a trained professional.

If you think that installing a heat pump in Colorado Springs, CO is the right move for you, give Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning a call today.

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Keep Your Heating System and Your Family Safe with a Pre-Season Maintenance Visit

September 24th, 2014

If your home uses a natural-gas powered furnace or boiler to provide warmth during the winter, it is very important to schedule regular maintenance service from professionals before you start using it for the season. Maintenance will not only help your furnace or boiler work at its most energy-efficient throughout the winter and avoid unnecessary repair calls, it will also catch any spots where the heater is developing malfunctions that could lead to unsafe conditions, such as leaking carbon monoxide.

At Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., we want your family to stay both warm and safe during the coming cold season in Colorado Springs, CO and the surrounding areas. We provide the maintenance services you need to make certain your natural gas-powered heater works without presenting danger to anyone in your household.

Why do I need maintenance to keep my furnace or boiler safe?

We don’t want to panic you: today’s manufacturers of gas-powered heating systems design them so they offer few safety hazards. As long as you keep up with annual pre-season maintenance for your heater, it should present no greater danger than an electrical heating system.

However, maintenance is essential to find where gas leaks could occur. The most important part of a furnace to have a technician check is the heat exchanger. This is a clamshell-shaped component that collects the high-temperature combustion gas from the burner and the transfers the heat from its metal walls to air from the blower moves past it. As the heat exchanger expands and contracts, it can start to crack—especially if the furnace is venting poorly and allowing corrosion to develop along the metal. A cracked heat exchanger will allow carbon monoxide exhaust to escape, and this will pose danger from both toxic fumes and combustion. Because carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, it is difficult to detect. Keep your furnace up to date with maintenance checks so that you will have few worries about escaping carbon monoxide. Technicians will replace cracked heat exchangers to maintain the furnace’s safe operation.

Your gas-powered boiler also requires maintenance checks to see that there are no leaks along the gas line or blockages that might also lead to the escape of carbon monoxide. Please keep in mind that you should never attempt to search for CO leaks on your own or attempt any DIY repairs. Only professionals should work on natural gas lines: if you suspect a gas leak or a faulty heating system, shut down the gas and call for trained technicians immediately.

When you contact us for maintenance on your furnace or boiler, we will send over a technician with the best training and experience to make sure that your heating system will keep you and your family safe and warm for another winter season in Colorado Springs.

Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. has taken care of gas-powered heaters since 1970. Call us today for an appointment.

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Choosing the Right Air Purifier

September 24th, 2014

You may think that pollution is only a problem when you are out and about the town. The fact is, though, that the air in your home may be just as, if not more, polluted than that in your backyard. Depending on a number of different factors, your indoor air quality may be far from what we’d consider ideal. The good news is that Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning has the air purification products that you need to breathe the clean, pure air that you deserve. The better news is that we also have the information you need to ensure that you use the right air purifier in Colorado Springs, CO for the job. Only with the right tools can you right the wrongs done to your air quality by different pollutants.

One of the simplest ways in which to clean up the air in your home is with an air filtration system. Mechanical air filters, such as the one in your HVAC system, trap pollutants in the air as it passes through a fibrous material. In many instances, though, such air filters are just not enough to truly improve the quality of the air that you breathe in your house. In such instances, more sophisticated air purifiers may be necessary.

An electronic air purifier, for instance, can pull air into an ionization chamber, where the pollutants in that air are given an electric charge. An oppositely charged collector plate will trap these pollutants on its surface, and the plate is removed for easy cleaning. While this is very effective for the removal of airborne pollutants in your home, it is not an appropriate method for dealing with biological pollutants.

Viruses, mold, bacteria, and other biological pollutants cannot simply be filtered out of the air. Even if they are trapped in a filter, they can continue to thrive and to reproduce. A UV air purifier, on the other hand, will render these pollutants unable to do so, using small amounts of UV radiation in order to destroy them.

To guarantee that you are using the right air purifier in Colorado Springs, CO, call the experts at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning today.

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Why is Air Conditioning Maintenance Necessary?

September 17th, 2014

Nobody wants to sweat out the heat of summer in discomfort, least of all in their own home. That is why a great air conditioning system is such a necessity. However, even the best air conditioning system will fail to impress if you do not also schedule routine air conditioning maintenance in Colorado Springs, CO. The benefits of AC maintenance are many, but it is vital that you schedule this service with a skilled, trained professional. That is why we suggest that you contact the experts at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning. We are happy to ensure that your air conditioning system is in the best working condition possible.

As your air conditioner works away in an effort to cool your home, it is going to incur some general wear and tear. During a routine maintenance service, your HVAC technician can thoroughly inspect and tune up your air conditioner to ensure that this wear and tear does not lead to costly, unnecessary problems down the road. If even minor issues with your system are ignored, the integrity of the system as a whole may be compromised. Routine maintenance is the best way to guarantee that each and every component in your HVAC system is in great working condition.

Not only does professional air conditioning maintenance protect the condition of your AC, but it can also protect the status of your cooling budget. The more energy that your air conditioner has to use in order to attain and maintain target temperatures throughout the house, the more that it is going to cost in order to do so. This means that, should even one part of your system not be pulling its weight, you may wind up paying more money than you should have to to cool your home, and oftentimes with subpar results. Eventually, you may wind up facing breakdowns due to problems that maintenance could have avoided.

We have everything that we need to help you get the best performance possible from your AC. Contact us today to get started.

To schedule your air conditioning maintenance in Colorado Springs, CO, just call upon the technicians on the Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning team.

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Why Use a Whole-House Humidifier?

September 10th, 2014

Living in this area, we don’t have to deal with the issues that an oversaturation of humidity can lead to. However, the fact is that there is a certain amount of humidity which must be present in the air in order for it to be comfortable. Having too little humidity is really no better than having too much, so many homeowners find themselves heading to the hardware store to purchase portable humidifiers. When it comes to adding the right amount of humidity to the air throughout your home, though, there is really no substitute for the effectiveness and efficiency of a whole-house humidifier.

If you think the air in your home is too dry, give the Colorado Springs, CO humidifier pros at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning a call.

Humid air holds heat more effectively than very dry air does. This means that trying to heat your home effectively during the winter when it is very dry therein can be difficult. Not only can this put unnecessary strain on your HVAC system, it can result in high energy costs. We believe that you deserve better than to pay more money for a lousy performance from your air conditioning system, so give us a call to schedule your whole-house humidifier installation today.

In addition to making it difficult to heat your home sufficiently, very dry air can have a direct impact on your comfort in other ways. If the air is very dry in your home, it only makes sense that your skin will start to dry out as well. This can make it itchy and flaky. You may also find that your throat is often sore or that you get frequent nosebleeds. With the installation of a whole—house humidifier, you can resolve such annoying problems.

A whole-house humidifier in Colorado Springs, CO is a great way in which to make your home a more comfortable place to live. Just remember that these devices are installed directly into HVAC systems. That means that you must schedule your whole-house humidifier installation, replacement, repair, and regular maintenance with a skilled, trained professional. In order to do so, just call upon the technicians at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning.

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Why Choose Ductless Air Conditioning?

September 3rd, 2014

As a homeowner, you are probably aware of the fact that there are a number of different air conditioning systems available for installation in your place of residence. In fact, there are so many options available to the modern homeowner that it can actually be a bit daunting just to choose which is the best fit for both your home and for your cooling habits. One system that is well worth your consideration is the ductless mini split. If you’d like to learn more about ductless air conditioning in Colorado Springs, CO, read on and remember that Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning is the company to call for quality ductless AC services throughout the area.

One of the great benefits that ductless air conditioners have to offer is, of course, the fact that no air ducts are needed in its unique operation. Rather than distributing cool air throughout your home via a system of air ducts, ductless mini splits utilize individual, wall-mounted blowers to cool your home. These blowers are connected to a single outdoor unit, generally, and are individually controlled. Because of this, you can cool different areas of your home to different temperatures. Not only does this ensure that everyone in the household is comfortable, but it also helps you to cool your home in a more efficient manner.

The fact that ductless air conditioners do not use air ducts also means that you don’t have to worry about damaged or leaky ductwork. This further ensures that you are cooling your home with minimal energy expenditure. It also helps to maintain high indoor air quality levels, as you won’t have to worry about airborne pollutants making their way into damaged air ducts.

Additionally, ductless mini splits can utilize heat pump technology in order to reverse their mode of operation. This allows you to heat your home during the winter and to cool it during the summer with one efficient, convenient system.

To further discuss the benefits of ductless air conditioning in Colorado Springs, CO, contact the air conditioning experts on the Robbins Heating & Air team.

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The History of Labor Day

September 1st, 2014

The official end of summer and the beginning of fall lands on September 23rd, which marks the Autumnal Equinox, when the plane of the Earth’s equator passes the center of the sun and the length of day and night are roughly equal. However, for most people in the U.S., the summer really concludes with Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Labor Day and Memorial Day (the last Monday of May) together serve as the bookends of the summer.

The Labor Day Holiday is a time that people in this country associate with a last summer blast: another reason for an outdoor picnic, a chance for a three-day vacation, family trips to amusement parks, and of course, taking advantage of numerous sales that retailers always offer. (Labor Day is often the second largest shopping day of the year after Black Friday in November.) It’s also the point when school traditionally goes back in session, although some schools start a week earlier and some a week later.

Labor Day’s origins lie in the 1880s. In 1882 Matthew Maguire, a machinist in New York City who was secretary of the Central Labor Union (CLU) at the time, and Peter J McGuire of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), first proposed a celebration of the hard working men and women of the United States. However, five years would pass before the first state made it an official holiday, Oregon. Other states quickly followed this example, although not all selected a date in September.

By 1894, thirty states had started Labor Day celebrations. President Grover Cleveland signed the law that made Labor Day a federal holiday only a week after Congress voted unanimously to approve the legislation. The date chosen for the holiday was the same one that Maguire and McGuire had originally proposed.

The U.S.A. is not the only country that celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September. Canada observes the holiday as well, although they spell it “Labour” Day. In fact, Canada celebrated the occasion earlier than the U.S., and was an early inspiration in this country for the development of the holiday.

All of us here at Robbins Heating and Air Conditioning hope you and your family—whether at work or at play—enjoy a relaxing and memorable Labor Day weekend and have a fantastic start to the fall.

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When to Consider an Air Conditioning Replacement

August 27th, 2014

There are a lot of ways in which you’d probably like to spend your hard earned money, and we’re guessing that a new air conditioning system may not be right at the top of that list. There will come a time, though, when your air conditioning system is simply unable to cool your home effectively, efficiently, and reliably any longer. When that time comes, call the Colorado Springs, CO air conditioning replacement experts at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ll make sure that you find the right replacement air conditioning system for your needs, and we guarantee that we will install it properly.

It is important that you have the necessary information to determine whether or not the time is right for replacing your air conditioning system. If your system breaks down entirely, of course, the need for a replacement system is pretty clear cut. However, there are many other instances in which an air conditioning replacement may be justified. Here are a few tips to help you decide if now is the time to replace your system.

First of all, how old is your air conditioner? It may be the case, if you have a very old system, that you are paying more than you ought to in order to cool your home. Even if your system is still in great working condition, it has a limited life expectancy. If your system was manufactured at a time when lower efficiency levels than current ones were the norm, it may make sense just to replace now rather than in a few years. The money you save in energy costs can help to offset the initial investment.

Also, keep in mind the fact that repairing your air conditioner may not always be worthwhile. We believe that you should always try to preserve your AC within reason. That being said, if your system consistently encounters problems, despite receiving routine maintenance, it is probably in your best interest to invest in a newer, more reliable system.

Contact Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning today to schedule your professional air conditioning replacement in Colorado Springs, CO.

 

 

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