As the temperature rises and the days begin to grow longer, it’s probably safe to say that most of us are happy that summer is right around the corner. The only people that may dread this time of year are folks who don’t have air conditioning in their homes. It can be nearly impossible to get comfortable in your own home if you don’t have central air.
We know that air conditioning units aren’t perfect; they break down from time to time, and waiting for a repairman to make it out to your home to fix this issue can take a while. If you find yourself in that predicament, here are a few things you can do to keep cool inside while you wait for an air conditioner service in St. Louis, MO to repair your unit:
Close your blinds: Having big, beautiful windows in your home is wonderful. They look great and add a ton of value to your home. Unfortunately, they’re also the source of up to 30 percent of unwanted heat in your home. Closing your blinds during the day can help to lower the indoor temperatures by a significant amount. If you don’t want to close them all, just close the windows on the west and south sides of your home—those are the ones that are liable to let in the most heat.
Utilize fans: Although they usually don’t have anywhere the same kind of cooling power as an air conditioning unit, a couple of fans can do wonders to cool down a room. You can maximize a box fan’s effectiveness by placing a bowl of ice or cold water in front of it and letting it blow that cool air towards you! Bathroom fans and the exhaust fan in your kitchen work to effectively pull hot air out of those rooms, so be sure to keep those on while you’re at home. The best part is that fans don’t use up much energy, so you’ll save some money on your electricity bill while you’re waiting for a repairman to fix your AC unit.
Crack your windows: The hardest time to live without air conditioning may be late at night while you’re trying to fall asleep. Sweating while you’re lying in bed is no way to live. Utilize the cool night air by cracking your windows before you go to sleep. Just remember to close the windows before you head out to work or school in the morning.
Enjoy the outdoors: As long as you have enough bug spray, summer is the best time of the year to spend outside. We recommend utilizing your backyard to its fullest by grilling out each night instead of cooking in your kitchen. The last thing you want is to crank on a 400-degree oven inside of a home that’s already too hot.
Be sure to give Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling a call right away if your AC unit goes kaput anytime this summer. We’ll be at your home as quickly as possible to perform the best air conditioner service in St. Louis, MO you could ask for.
Very rarely does anything quit working without any notice at all. Both cars and home appliances normally have some sort of warning signs that they’re about to break down. Air conditioners are no different in that they usually give homeowners at least one warning sign that indicate they’re about to bite the dust. Keep a look out for some of the following signs that could indicate the necessity of air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO:
No cold air: The first (and worst) sign that your AC is about to kick the bucket is if you turn on the air but your house doesn’t get any cooler. What’s the purpose of having an air conditioner if it’s not going to give you any cold air? An air conditioning unit that’s not putting out any cold air can have a variety of issues. Only a professional repairman can point out the source of the problem and quickly fix it.
Strange smells: It’s great if your AC is pumping out cold air, but it’s not so great if that air smells bad. You likely have a mold issue if there’s a musty smell coming through your ducts. Take care of that before it turns into a serious health issue!
Moisture in the ducts: Any moisture in your air ducts is an indication that humidity is getting into your home somehow. There are a couple of possible causes for the moisture, and they both indicate that it’s time to give us a call. You either have a broken part in your air conditioner, or leaky ductwork. Our professionals can figure out which scenario is the source of the moisture and get it repaired ASAP.
The unit is noisy: All AC units make noise when they’re running. However, if you’re sitting inside and hear a loud banging or rattling, there’s some sort of issue.
Abnormally high energy bill: Nobody wants to open their monthly electric bill and see a shockingly high balance. Your first thought may be that the energy company made a mistake. Hopefully that’s the case, but you need to give us a call ASAP to come check out your unit and determine whether it’s in need of some adjustments. If your bill is high month after month, it may be time to consider replacing your unit. Energy-efficient units can save you hundreds of dollars throughout the year on your electric bill.
The unit is old: AC units aren’t meant to last forever. They’re bound to break down after years upon years of use. If your unit is getting old, give us a call! We may be able to diagnose and repair a potential problem before air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO is necessary.
If you’ve noticed any of the above problems, give Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling a call for air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO. Our friendly professionals will be at your house ASAP to repair the issue. Have no fear if your air conditioner is beyond repair—we carry a vast selection of new units to fit any sized home and budget. Get in touch today!
Spring has officially arrived, and with it comes the start of warmer weather. As the days roll by, the temperatures will increase and people will turn off their heat and turn on their air conditioners in an effort to cool down. Switching on the AC is a great way to keep cool, but your unit will only last through the spring and effectively cool your home if it is in good working order.
If you want your AC to make it through spring, getting AC service in St. Louis, MO can actually help with this in several ways:
Confirms whether or not a repair is necessary: There are a lot of different parts to your AC. At any moment, any one of these parts could stop working and affect your unit’s ability to keep you cool. When you get AC service, the professional who comes in can confirm whether or not a repair is necessary if you suspect that something is going on. If you’re lucky, nothing will be wrong with your unit and you can rest easy knowing you’ll be able to avoid the heat.
Addresses issues in a timely manner: Does your AC currently need a repair? If your unit is in need of a repair, getting AC service will allow you to address any and all issues in a timely manner. Because waiting too long to get the repair can lead to further repairs being needed—thereby lengthening the wait before you’ll be comfortable again—it is best to get things taken care of sooner rather than later.
Ensure preventative maintenance is performed: Maintenance is a great way to avoid needing repairs and keep your AC running properly during the spring. Doing things like changing filters, checking for leaks and examining coils should all be a part of your normal maintenance routine. Since spring has started, you will want to ensure maintenance is performed and that your unit is ready to keep you cool on those hot days, so you aren’t suffering while waiting for someone to come and fix your AC.
Confirms whether or not replacement is necessary: Sometimes when an AC is not functioning properly, you will get a repair done. Ideally, this repair will get your unit back up and running, but many people have gotten repairs done only to have to deal with another problem a short time later. By getting AC service, a professional will be able to tell you if it is time for a new unit or if repair is actually the best option.
Many people appreciate the warm weather, but there will also come a time when they want to escape the heat and cool off. The easiest way to avoid the heat is by turning on the AC, so it is important to have a unit that functions properly. Since your AC is the one thing keeping you cool and happy, it wouldn’t hurt to get service to ensure it will make it through spring.
Do you need AC service in St. Louis, MO to ensure your AC will keep you cool during the upcoming warm seasons? The pros at Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling have got you covered. Call today to schedule a visit!
With temperatures dipping down into the low teens, it seems like we may never need to turn on our air conditioners ever again. Fortunately, that’s not true! This spring and summer will be here soon enough, and that means we’ll need to kick on our ACs to keep our homes cool. As vigilant homeowners know, yearly air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO is a must if you want a well-functioning system throughout the sweltering summer months. Here are some benefits of securing this service:
Prevent repairs: AC unit repairs can be very expensive. New parts can cost a pretty penny, especially if they have to be custom ordered by the shop. On top of that, labor fees can be high if the repair takes a while to complete. The best way to save money on those repairs is to ensure they don’t need to be made in the first place! A yearly checkup from one of our professionals is inexpensive compared to the cost of hiring a repairman.
Increase lifespan: Did you know that if you properly maintain your AC system, you can expect the unit to last 15 to 20 years? Without proper maintenance, that lifespan can be cut in half. It’s just like a car: the better you take care of it, the better (and longer) it will run. Replacing a new AC unit can be pretty costly, so save yourself the trouble and expense of buying a new unit by maintaining the one you already have.
Save money on your electric bill: An air conditioning unit that hasn’t been maintained properly will eventually start to lose efficiency. Slowly but surely, your unit will have to work a little bit harder and longer to put out the same amount of cool, refreshing air. The longer your unit is running, the more electricity it’s going to use, steadily increasing your electric bill each month. A technician performing annual air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO will lubricate and clean all of the necessary parts of your unit to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible all summer long!
While you probably aren’t thinking too much about your air conditioner right now, there are actually some good reasons to get your AC checked out well in advance of needing to turn it on again:
Get speedy service: Since the temperature doesn’t even seem close to feeling like spring or summer, most people haven’t scheduled AC service yet. Because of this, our technicians have more time to fit in an AC service call right now than they will in the spring. As the summer gets closer and closer, we get more and more calls for scheduled maintenance and repairs. We’re able to service air conditioners all year long, so we recommend calling us during the cooler months before our schedule starts to fill up.
Know who you’re working with: There are plenty of quality AC repairmen, but there are also a handful of less reputable companies out there who are willing to take your money but not properly service your unit. If you schedule yearly air conditioning service in St. Louis, MO, you’ll be working with the same quality company year in and year out.
Don’t get caught in the heat next summer—call Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling today to schedule air conditioning service!
It seems like every summer, there comes a point where you’re trapped inside for days at a time, waiting for a heat wave to pass with nothing but your home’s air conditioning system to keep you comfortable. It’s during these scorching periods that you can ill afford a breakdown from your AC, but unfortunately, it’s during stretches of heavy use where you’re more likely than ever to experience failure.
Keeping your AC unit functioning in top shape during peak periods of use isn’t just about maintaining it to its fullest before the season starts—it’s also about ensuring your home is supporting its function in every possible capacity. Take a look at a few ways you can help minimize the potential for breakdowns and air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO this summer and why these things go a long way towards supporting your unit’s overall efficiency:
Take stock of your home’s windows and make sure there are no gaps between the frame and the wall and no misalignments in the tracks. These small problem areas can allow warm air to intrude into your home, forcing your AC unit to work harder than it needs to when it comes to controlling the interior temperature.
If you have sun shades, blinds or curtains, consider using them on particularly sunny days. Ambient heat can stream into your home through UV rays, causing your interior temperature to rise, thus making your AC unit work double time to keep up. Closing the curtains, shades or blinds will mitigate UV light, thus mitigating climbing temperatures.
Control the traffic in and out of your home as much as possible. Each time you open the door, you’re letting out far more cool air than you thin and letting in a substantial amount of warm air. Again, your AC unit is going to have to keep up.
Keep foliage and growth away from your AC unit! All it takes is a small tree branch to hang into the fan and you’ve got yourself a costly air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO and a unit that’s not going to function at a high level until the repair is made. Keeping foliage off of the unit will also extend its overall lifespan.
Switch your fans! This is something many homeowners forget to do when the seasons change, however remembering means assisting your AC unit in keeping your home’s temperature cooler. The blades of your fan should rotate counterclockwise during the summer months, to force air downwards in a cooling fashion.
You’d be surprised at how all of the above things, when used in conjunction with one another, can alleviate a major burden on your AC unit and keep it functioning at a normal capacity during the summer months. In working with your unit, rather than against it, you can help stave off breakdowns and air conditioner repair in St. Louis, MO that might leave you in an unfortunate situation when triple digit temperatures are on the horizon.
