Professional Heating & Air Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Signs Your Heat Pump May Need Repair

Friday, October 17th, 2014

Your heat pump is an efficient heating and cooling system that works year round to keep you comfortable. But because the unit runs throughout the year, there may come a day that it stops working, leaving you without any cooling or heating and a costly repair bill. You cannot assume your heat pump will last forever, but you can fix the problem quickly if you call a professional as soon as you notice any of these problems.

When you run into problems with your heating system, call the experts at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We offer 24-hour emergency service in Covington, LA, for any heating repair needs.

Common Heat Pump Problems

Trouble Switching from Cooling to Heating Mode: The reversing valve is the component that allows your heat pump to switch into heating mode when needed. If you don’t feel any heat from the vents this winter, it could be due to the thermostat, or it may mean that the reversing valve needs replacement.
Unusual Noises: Strange noises from your heat pump could indicate a variety of problems. A rattling noise, for example, could point toward a loose screw or it may mean there is trouble with the compressor, particularly if the heat pump is old and may soon need replacement.
High Heating and Cooling Bills: Heat pumps are extremely efficient heaters and air conditioners, but they still account for a large portion of your energy bills. If you notice higher-than-average energy bills this season, there is a good chance that a component of your system has worn down and your unit is working hard to compensate, ultimately driving up your energy bills.

Schedule Service Early

Because your heat pump runs throughout the year, you should do everything you can to keep it in top shape and prevent any problems from occurring. This includes scheduling regular maintenance with a technician so that your system can be thoroughly cleaned, adjusted, and inspected for problems early on.

You should also call a technician at the first sign of trouble so that problems do not worsen over time. As it moves into the heating season, you need a reliable system that won’t fail when you need it most. Call the experts at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for professional heating repair service in Covington, LA.

Tags: Covington, Heat Pump Repair
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3 Signs You Need to Schedule Heating Repairs

Friday, October 10th, 2014

In Mandeville, LA, there are only a few months out of the year that you get a lot of use out of your heating system. Because of this, it may be difficult to recognize the signs that your heating system is damaged. Of course, you know to call a professional when your heating system breaks down entirely. But what if there is only a small problem? Can you wait to call for heating repairs?

In general, any problem with your system requires immediate heating repairs. An issue with your heating system may only be a nuisance to you, but the extra wear and tear on your system that goes along with a damaged heater may cause your unit to fail eventually.

Here are some of the signs to look out for.

Reduced Heating: If you’ve had your unit for a while, you likely know how long it takes to heat your home. If it suddenly takes hours to get your home to the proper temperature, or if there never seems to be enough heat coming from the vents, it may be time to call for repairs. This could be a problem with the blower motor, dirty filters, a clogged burner in a gas furnace, or low refrigerant in a heat pump. No matter what the problem, be sure to get it fixed quickly so that other parts don’t suffer as a result.
Strange Sounds: Sometimes, unusual noises don’t seem like a particularly pressing issue, especially if you do not use your heater very often. However, noises can indicate that a fan or the motor is not working properly, and without the proper amount of airflow, components of your system may begin to malfunction. With a heat pump, strange noises could indicate compressor damage among other major complications.
High Bills: High utility bills may also indicate damages. If something inside of your unit has failed, other components may be working overtime to keep up, using a large amount of energy to do so.

When you need heating repairs in Mandeville, LA, you want dependable experts with years of experience in the field. For exceptional service, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning at the first sign of problems.

Tags: Heating Repair, Mandeville
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What to Check Before You Call for Heating Repair

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

Waking up in a freezing cold house is not the way anyone wants to start their morning. Your first impulse may be to call your technician for help, but there are a few things you’ll want to check before making that call. Why? There are some situations that may not require the help of a technician, and you want to rule out these options first. This does not mean that you should take on a repair yourself; any repairs to your heating system in Hammond, LA should always be handled by an expert. However, there is a small checklist of items to go over before calling for your A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning experts.

Checklist Before Calling for Repair

Following are some basic things to check for before scheduling a heating repair appointment:

Check the Thermostat

A thermostat can cause your heating system to turn off for a few reasons:

Batteries have died (for those that use them)
System has been switched to “off”
Program has been changed (for those thermostats that are programmable)

Check the Air Filter

When was the last time you changed your air filter? A dirty air filter can wreak havoc on a system, sometimes leading to breakdown. It’s recommended that you change your air filter every 3 months to ensure it works properly.

Check the Circuit Breaker and Switches

Sometimes weather events or other minor issues can cause the circuit breakers in your electrical box to trip. If you see that the breaker has turned off, you can turn it back on – however, if you encounter resistance, don’t force the breaker. Switches, like your furnace switch, can be accidentally turned off, so check all switches that are part of your heating system to make sure they are on.

Blocked Vents

Furniture, clothes, drapes or anything else directly in front of a vent can block it, creating issues with your system’s air flow. Make sure all vents and registers are open and clear of objects.

Make Sure There’s Fuel

Systems that use propane or oil will have separate holding tanks – make sure there is fuel in the tanks before calling for help.

Following this simple checklist can help you rule out some repair possibilities. If you find that you need to schedule heating repair service in Hammond, LA, call the people you can trust: A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning.

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How to Prepare Your Heater for Summer

Monday, March 24th, 2014

We haven’t reached the full bloom of warm weather yet in Kenner, but we’ll arrive there soon. Air conditioners will switch on, and heaters switch off, and we can expect the situation to stay the same until the fall. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore your heater entirely as the cooler season winds down. You have a prime opportunity now to prepare your heater for its summer vacation so it will roar back to life when you need it in the fall and winter.

Here are some tips for what you can do during this time of the year to prep your heating system for summer. Our technicians at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning can assist you with your heating in Kenner, LA whenever you need us… we’re on call with 24-hour emergency service.

Some heating preparations for summer

Catch up on maintenance: Did you have regular maintenance done on your heater last fall before the winter weather started? Don’t fret if you forgot or put it off; at least your heater made it through the winter. But you can’t trust it to keep going without a check-up, so schedule maintenance now if you haven’t done it in over a year. It’s never too late for an inspection and tune-up.
Get to any repair issues now: It’s a big mistake to let a repair need in a heater slide because the weather is about to get warmer. That current small malfunction, like a clicking from the furnace cabinet or low airflow from the vents, might have turned into a huge malfunction—or even a breakdown—when you switch the heater back on in late fall. Have repairs taken care of now, while HVAC technicians still have easy appointment openings.
Schedule duct cleaning: If your forced-air heating system chugged away all winter, it has probably drawn a large amount of dust into its ductwork. Because your air conditioner will use these same vents, you don’t want to give it any difficulty. Schedule duct cleaning to make sure your heater and air conditioner are ready to handle the airflow, and so you’ll receive superior indoor air quality.

Keep in mind that you might need to turn your heater on at some point during the summer, such as on rainy nights. It’s always a good idea to have your heating system ready to help you. Keep it in the best shape possible with spring preparations. Call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning for further help with your Kenner, LA heating system service needs.

Tags: Heating, Kenner
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How Practical Are Heat Pumps for Heating in Metairie?

Thursday, March 13th, 2014

For the warm summers and mild winters of Metairie, LA, a heat pump offers a number of attractive features. Heat pumps combine the power of an air conditioner and heater in one unit, which makes them automatically beneficial as two-in-one systems. However, heat pumps are not always the best choice for a particular region (unless installed as a hybrid with a back-up heater), and even in regions where they are practical, they aren’t always the best choice for an individual home.

We’ll take a more detailed look at heat pump operation to see how practical they are for Metairie, LA heating and if your home specifically will benefit from their advantages. For more information, as well as to schedule an appointment to discuss heat pump installation, contact A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning today.

Heat pumps: How they work, what they can do for you

A heat pump uses the same operating principle as an air conditioner: refrigerant circulates through the unit, going through a cycle of evaporation and condensation to move heat from one location and puts it in another. The heat pump adds the ability to switch the direction the refrigerant flows, using a reversing valve. This means that the heat pump can both remove heat from the indoors and put it outdoors (air conditioning) and remove heat from the outdoors and put it indoors (heating).

If you’re immediate thought is, “How does a heat pump extract heat from the cold outdoors to warm up a home during the winter?”, then you’ve latched onto one of the potential drawbacks of a heat pump. In general, a heat pump works less effectively in heating mode than in cooling mode. However, heat pumps only experience difficulties with efficiency when the outdoor temperature drops below freezing. Otherwise, there is a sufficient amount of heat even in cool weather to provide enough warmth for the indoors. In a place like Metairie, which rarely experiences extreme cold, the warmth from a heat pump is enough to keep most homes warm.

Heat pumps will save you money on heating compared to a furnace. Heat pumps only use a small amount of electricity to run their mechanical components to move heat from outdoors to indoors. Furnaces, on the other hand, must expend a large amount of fuel to create heat. Switching from a furnace to a heat pump in an area without extreme colds can result in savings of up to 30% off heating bills each year.

Is a heat pump right for your home?

You will need to have heat pump installers to help you answer this question. The insulation of your home, its size, access to power, and other factors will determine how efficiently a heat pump will work for your cooling and heating in Metairie, LA. Call up A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning to get started: we’ll help you decide if you’ll benefit from a heat pump, and provide you a quality installation.

Tags: Heat Pumps, Metairie
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Signs That You Need to Replace Your Furnace This Off-Season

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

Question: When is the optimal time to replace a furnace?

Answer: Whenever you least need to use your furnace.

If you want to plan ahead for installing a new furnace (instead of waiting for your current one to break down—never a beneficial strategy), then the best time to take care of it during the coming spring and summer, when heating in Hammond, LA is not a priority. However, proper planning also requires knowing that you need to plan. Here are some of the warning signs you may encounter during the closing days of winter that you should schedule pre-emptive furnace replacement.

Turn to A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning when you want to set up installation for your new furnace. We can help you pick and size the new unit, and bring the professional skill necessary to install it right.

Signs the time has arrived to retire your furnace

Steady rise in heating bills: As a furnace wears down with age, it will drain more power to perform its regular work load. If you have noticed a steady rise in your heating bills that you can’t trace to a specific malfunction, then you may have a furnace too old to do its job efficiently. Check on the manufacturer’s expected lifespan: if you furnace is approaching it, or even gone over it, than you should schedule a replacement.
Constant loud operation: Strange noises from a furnace cabinet usually signal repair needs. But if these noises become the rule rather than the exception, the furnace has deteriorated too far for any targeted repairs to restore it to its former working condition. Take special caution with gas furnaces, since this noisy operation could indicate problems that can lead to carbon monoxide leaks.
Large repair bills: If you have regular annual maintenance for your furnace (and you should) you can expect minimal repair needs. However, an old furnace will begin encountering operating problems no matter how well it has been maintained. Furnaces have the most repair needs during the last two years of their lives, and if you find yourself spend around $500 a year on repairs to keep the furnace running, then it’s no longer worth it.
Comfort just isn’t what it used to be: A more subjective sign, but combined with the others it can make all the difference. If you simply no longer feel warm and comfortable in a home with an older furnace, then it’s time for the furnace to go.

Make sure you hire experienced professionals for installing your new heating system in Hammond, LA. Call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning and schedule an appointment with our technicians today to get started.

Tags: Furnaces, Hammond
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Consider a Dehumidifier with Your Heating Installation

Monday, February 24th, 2014

We don’t need to tell you that Louisiana can have extremely humid spring and summer weather, and that the higher the humidity rises, the hotter the temperature will feel. (The reason for this is that as the moisture in the air condenses on your skin, it releases additional heat.) But humidity can cause problems during colder weather as well, especially if it gets inside your home. When you have new heating system installation in Hammond, LA, you should consider the addition of a dehumidifier to combat these problems.

There are some good reasons that a dehumidifier will benefit your heating. We’ll look over why you should put a dehumidifier on your list for home improvements when you have your new heating system installed. Call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning to schedule both jobs.

Benefits of a dehumidifier

Increased comfort: Although high humidity will make the heat in your house feel even warmer during the winter, this isn’t the sort of comfortable warmth you want. Humidity will make a house feel stuffy, muggy, and closed in; a drier heat (although not too dry) will make your house a more pleasant place to live.
Reduction in mold and mildew: The water moisture of humidity will encourage the growth of microbacteria such as mold, mildew, and viruses throughout your home, especially in hidden places like your vents. Aside from looking unpleasant, these growths can contribute to poor health, leading to flu- and cold-like symptoms and breathing difficulty. This is especially hazardous if you have people with allergies living in your home.
Wood rot and other damage: High humidity is bad for your home’s furnishings and construction. It leads to peeling wallpaper, warped boards, destructive wood rot, and the ruin of the finishing across furniture.

What a dehumidifier does

A dehumidifier added onto your heating system works in a simple way. A fan draws in the humid air from the ventilation system and moves it through a refrigerated evaporator. This cools the air below the dew point, which causes the water moisture in the air to condense along the surface of the evaporator. The water condensation from this process is removed through a drain line.

Installation of a dehumidifier is easy

You can have a dehumidifier installed in your heating system at any time, but the easiest time is to schedule it for when your new heating system is installed. Call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning today to talk about what we can do to decrease your home’s humidity and make it safer, cleaner, and more comfortable with professional heating installation in Hammond, LA.

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What Problems Can Fireplace Maintenance Address?

Monday, February 17th, 2014

Few enhancements to your home are more inviting than a fireplace near the middle of your living space. A fireplace isn’t only a cozy addition to your lifestyle; it can also serve as an effective secondary heat source to help your main heating system.

Fireplaces are no more dangerous than a furnace or boiler—provided they receive routine maintenance once a year from experts in fireplace repair. You may have heard that fireplaces only need maintenance every five years, but this is false. Problems can start developing in a fireplace after only a year without a check-up, so make sure to schedule maintenance annually. Contact the fireplace experts at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning to get started, or call for any heating repair service in Kenner, LA you need.

Here are a few issues you can avoid with your fireplace through regular maintenance:

Smoke or exhaust entering your home: The most immediate danger a fireplace in need of maintenance can pose is from poor ventilation, leading to smoke flowing out into your house. There are different causes for bad ventilation (broken damper, animal nests), but a maintenance check can catch almost all of them.
Fire hazards: It’s the worst-case-scenario for a fireplace… the fire getting out of the hearth and into places where it shouldn’t be. Cracks inside the chimney liner can permit heat to escape through to other areas of your home, making it possible for fires to break out on upper floors or on your roof. Cracks in the firebox are also potential hazards. Maintenance will look for all possible places where a fire might get out of the fireplace.
Creosote build-up: The No. 1 problem that can afflict a wood-burning fireplace is the development of creosote. Creosote is a shiny black substance that starts to appear on the fireplace bricks and in the chimney. It is unburned wood energy, often resulting from poor insulation, and is highly combustible, making it a major danger. Checking for creosote is an important part of maintenance, and technicians will be able to tell you if you need chimney sweeping to eliminate a possibly hazardous build-up.

Because fireplaces are seen as durable, almost invincible, homeowners often put off necessary maintenance. Don’t make this mistake: treat your fireplace as you would any heating system for your home and schedule an annual maintenance visit. A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning offers trained fireplace technicians to make sure you receive the important heating repair services in Kenner, LA you need to keep enjoying the pleasures of a warm hearth.

Tags: Fireplace Maintenance, Kenner
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Reasons to Move Your Thermostat

Sunday, February 2nd, 2014

The small size and basic operation of a thermostat often deceives homeowners into thinking they are less important to their heating than they actually are. The thermostat is not only a control center that gives you access to how your heater and air conditioner operate, it also measures the heat in your home (usually through a device called a thermistor, although older models use mercury sensors) to gauge when to turn the HVAC systems and theirs fans on and off.

You need to take care of your thermostat so you have the best climate control possible in your home. For heating repair service in Matairie, LA, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning any time of the day or night.

Because the thermostat senses temperature, it’s placement in your home is crucial for it to record accurate readings and provide precision control over the HVAC system. If you are experiencing uneven behavior from your heater or AC that doesn’t seem to stem from a mechanical failure, you should check on the position of the thermostat and ask yourself these questions:

Is the thermostat often in direct sunlight?

The radiant heat from direct sunlight can raise the temperature of an object many degrees above room temperature. If your thermostat is in a position where sunlight from a window falls across it for long stretches, it will record temperatures higher than it should (“phantom readings”), which will lead to it either shutting off the heater prematurely or running the AC for too long.

Is the thermostat near drafts?

A thermostat that is adjacent to windows that are often open, or near to a door that opens to the outside, drafts of colder air will affect its readings and lead to inaccurate temperatures from the HVAC system.

Is the thermostat too far from the center of the house?

With a central heater and AC, it’s important for the thermostat to sense the average temperature of a home to provide accurate information to the HVAC system. The farther from the center of the house the thermostat is located, the more anomalous temperatures it will record. This will turn into a vicious cycle, since the heater and AC will run inaccurately, leading to the thermostat recording further erroneous readings.

If you answer “yes” to any of the above, you should call professionals to move the thermostat to a better position. The wall outside the master bedroom is often one of the ideal spots.

A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning can handle the heating repair in Metairie, LA that will take care of any thermostat problems you have, as well as any malfunctions in your HVAC system. We aim for complete customer satisfaction in all our work.

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The Best Heating Systems for You

Monday, January 27th, 2014

There are so many different heating systems available on the market today that even thinking about new installation for your home can make your head swim. However, we’re here to help: we’ve outlined the top heating systems for Hammond, LA homes. To help you further narrow down your choices, call our heating experts at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning.

Furnaces

Furnaces are the old warhorses of the heating world, existing in some form since humans first moved into cities. Modern furnaces come in numerous styles that use a variety of heat sources, so there’s almost always a furnace that’s right for your home. Natural gas-powered furnaces are particularly energy-efficienct and effective at providing whatever level of heat you need.

Heat Pumps

The climate in Hammond is well-suited for a heat pump, an electrically-powered system that is essentially and air conditioner that can reverse the direction it moves heat so it brings heat inside your home. The major advantage of a heat pump is that it works as both an AC and a heater, so you’re covered for a whole year with a single unit. Heat pumps also have high energy-efficiency in heating mode because they use electricity to power the mechanics that move heat, not to directly generate heat as in an electric furnace.

Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

This system uses the same method of providing heat as a heat pump: the difference is its delivery system. As the name implies, ductless mini split heat pumps do not require ductwork. Instead, they use multiple blower units mounted on walls throughout a home to push the conditioned air directly into the rooms. This saves money on duct cleaning and repairs, and also gives you control over which rooms receive heating/cooling.

Fireplaces

Wait… what? A fireplace is only cosmetic, right? No, not necessarily. Although we don’t advise that you have a fireplace as your sole heating system, an efficient gas log or electric insert, or a pellet stove, can provide large levels of heat to a specific place in the home that can take some of the stress off your other systems. And, of course, they come with the benefit of coziness.

All of these heating systems require professional installation, so make the wise move and have the installers involved from the start of choosing a heater. An HVAC expert can determine your home’s particular needs for proper heating, and then match you with the right system to give you the best comfort possible. After that, the installation experts will put in your new system and you’ll be enjoying quality heat in no time at all.

Make your call about which of these heating systems in Hammond, LA will work for you to A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We combine the service of a large company with the personal touch of a small one.

Tags: Hammond, Heating
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