Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning Replacement’

An AC That Isn’t Cooling Enough? Here’s What Might Be Happening

Tuesday, June 1st, 2021
woman-before-fan-in-house

The temperatures are warming up, summer is almost here … and your air conditioning system is already disappointing you. 

You don’t want to go through the summer with an air conditioner that is struggling to keep up with the heat. If you’ve noticed that it’s taking too long for the AC to deliver the comfort you want, or the AC isn’t getting the house to its regular level of cooling, you may need to look into air conditioning repair in Irvine, CA from our pros. 

There may be a simple explanation, so we’re going to climb a ladder of possibilities, from the simplest to the most complex, to see what’s causing the AC’s capacity problem.

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Give Your Air Conditioning System a Summer Report Card

Tuesday, September 8th, 2020
calendar-scheduling-book

Report cards already? Summer hasn’t even officially ended!

Don’t worry: you’re the one giving the report card, and you’re reporting on the performance of a piece of machinery that doesn’t have feelings you can hurt. If your AC deserves and “F,” give it that “F”—you’ll be the one who benefits.

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Your AC’s Fan Isn’t Working—Here’s Why

Monday, June 1st, 2020
spinning-ac-fan

You can probably figure out why a working fan in an air conditioning system is important. If there’s no fan, how will the cool air move through the vents to the rooms?

But there’s even more to it than that. There are two vital fans in an air conditioning system. The indoor fan is the one that distributes cool air through the house, and it also sends the air across the evaporator coil to cool it down in the first place. The outdoor fan is responsible for moving air over the condenser coil to release heat and then exhaust it outside. If either one isn’t working right, you won’t get cooling in your house.

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Tips for Planning an Air Conditioning Replacement

Monday, April 20th, 2020
air-conditioner-on-leaves

Orange County can always depend on hot summer days. Our spring weather has shifted back and forth and brought a few storms along with it, but right now is the time to start thinking about your air conditioning plans in your house for the approaching season. You may wish to have air conditioning service in Tustin, CA in the early summer to replace your old AC. If you are, we’re the contractor with experience in the area to call—we’ve been helping homeowners with comfort for almost forty years now.

We’d like to offer some helpful tips for how to plan for an AC replacement.

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Air Conditioner Hard Starting? Get It Fixed!

Monday, September 9th, 2019

compressor-in-ac-unitYou’re probably familiar with hard starting in vehicle engines. You turn on the ignition in an old car, and the motor grunts, grumbles, and struggles before it starts. This happens more often in colder climates than ours, but everyone knows what a hard-starting engine sounds like.

An air conditioning system can also hard start, although it makes different noises. Buzzing and humming sounds from the outdoor condenser cabinet indicate the compressor in the AC is fighting to get started. An air conditioner making a general racket when it turns on is probably hard starting.

And if your home’s AC is hard starting, don’t let it continue!

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Reasons Your AC Keeps Tripping Its Circuit Breaker

Monday, July 29th, 2019

installer-stripping-wireOne of the first things we recommend people check when their air conditioning system suddenly stops working (fans, compressor, all of it) is to check the electrical panel. The circuit breaker to the air conditioning system may have tripped and cut off the electricity. Resetting the tripped breaker will restore the AC to normal working order.

But what if this keeps happening? If you’re often walking to the electrical panel because the AC once again shut itself off, there’s something wrong. It might be with the electrical panel itself—if it’s an old panel, ask an electrician to look at it and determine it’s time for an upgrade. But it’s more likely you’re due for some good ol’ air conditioning repair in Irvine, CA from our skilled HVAC technicians.

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When Is It Time to Replace My Air Conditioner?

Monday, May 4th, 2015

No matter how well you take care of your air conditioner, there will come a time when you have to replace it with a new one. You can invest in the best possible system, schedule maintenance once a year, and have any apparent problems repaired as soon as they appear—but there’s nothing you can do to stop a system from simply wearing out after a while. So how can you tell when it’s time to get rid of your old system and invest in a new one?

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How to Determine the ROI of HVAC Replacement

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Whether you’re a home or business owner in Trabuco Canyon, it’s important to consider the ROI, or return on investment when upgrading your HVAC system. ROI basically refers to what you get back for your initial investment and it’s the best way to make sure you’re getting the most out of what you pay for.  The higher the ROI, the less the system costs you in the end.

One of the most important things to weigh is which brand to buy.  When you purchase a new heating or air conditioning system from a prominent manufacturer, you are usually getting two things – lasting performance and a good warranty.  Going with a cheaper, lesser known manufacturer isn’t advisable as they may not have a track record, or the system may not be easily repaired or it may even be difficult to find parts.

It’s important to also check the system’s efficiency rating.  Run through some simple numbers to come up with how much you might save if you purchase one of the energy efficient systems.  These typically cost more initially, but many pay off in the long run.  If it saves you considerable money over time, this just increases your ROI.

Airflow is a something else to look at.  There are some systems that come with a variable speed air handler that can improve the comfort of your home.  In addition to providing the right airflow, these systems prevent the stagnant air so many of the older ones contribute to.  These newer systems can also run at different speeds, depending on the weather and your needs.  These aid the ROI by saving energy while keeping your home or office the same temperature throughout all the rooms.

For more information about air conditioning replacement in Trabuco Canyon and the surrounding area, give Saddleback Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning a call!

 

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Why Matching Coils are Important to Air Conditioning Systems

Monday, August 6th, 2012

Within our air conditioning systems the evaporator coil and condenser coil work together to cool our indoor air.  Because whole building AC systems tend to use split systems with an outdoor condenser unit and an indoor evaporator unit it is important that these two systems work properly together.  The Orange County AC professionals at Saddleback Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning understand how to properly size AC systems while also matching condenser coils and evaporator coils.

The Importance of Matching Evaporator and Condenser Coils

Air conditioning manufacturers tend to lab-test and rate their air conditioning systems together.  Thus having the same brand evaporator coil as condenser coil means that they have already been tested while working together and you will possibly get the most efficient usage out of each.

Proper sizing of an evaporator coil to a condenser coil is of vital importance.  If they are sized differently they will not work together as designed.  The evaporator coil can be up to a ton larger than the condenser coil, but it is not recommended to go much beyond a one ton difference.  A bigger condenser should never be used with a smaller evaporator.

When the entire air conditioning system is properly sized for the internal space which it is cooling as well as properly sized to its own separate parts you get the most energy-efficiency.  This means that not only the evaporator and condenser are properly sized, but the refrigerant tubing, circuit breaker, fuses, and electrical system all function as intended.

When matching evaporators and condensers to one another, there are a few main items that must be considered by your air conditioning technician that is performing the job.  These can include air flow and fin spacing, in addition to performing a manual load calculation for proper AC sizing, ensuring proper ductwork sizing, and that the blower is properly sized for both coils.

It is normally recommended that when the compressor goes out, both the compressor and evaporator are both replaced at the same time.

Contact Saddleback Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning and get assistance with your Orange County AC system and all its vital parts including the condenser coil and the evaporator coil, while ensuring that all your questions are answered along the way.

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Question From Coto de Caza: Why is Ice in Central Air Conditioning a Problem?

Friday, August 12th, 2011

If your Coto de Caza air conditioner does not seem to be working as well as it should,  your natural first reaction is to go out and take a look at the compressor to see if there is anything you can do quickly to correct the problem. Of course, you cannot assess the situation unless you know what you are looking for. For instance, if you see ice forming on the condenser coil or anywhere else on the air conditioning system, you will know you found the likely source of the problem.

Ice can form in your air conditioner for a number of reasons. The most common one is that your refrigerant levels are low. Since this refrigerant is contained in a closed system, a deficiency in refrigerant means that there must be a leak somewhere in that system. Only a certified professional can refill your refrigerant and determine where the leaks are in the system to make the necessary repairs.

Another reason that ice can develop in your air conditioner is because the air is not flowing fast enough through the system and across the coils. This can happen because of a problem with the fan or because there is an actual physical impediment to the air flow. Regardless of the reason, the ice will form because without adequate air flow the condenser coils will get too cold.

These coils are typically kept just above freezing by the constant flow of air across them. When the air passes by them at this temperature, the moisture from the air condenses on the surface of the coil. But because the coil is not quite freezing, the water then runs down into a collection pan. When the coil is too cold, however, the moisture from the air will freeze on the coil before it can run off.

This ice actually manages to insulate the coil and keeps it from properly cooling the air or removing any additional moisture. If left unattended, the ice in your central air conditioning system can cause real damage to the unit. Plus, it is not allowing the air conditioner to do its job and cool your house down. So if you notice any amount of ice at all beginning to form on any part of your air conditioner, be sure to call for professional service right away.

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