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HVAC Winter Maintenance Tips

November 28th, 2020

With the kids back in school and fall and winter holidays quickly approaching, now’s the perfect time to do some routine maintenance on your heating and cooling system.

Learn how to prepare your air conditioner for a long hibernation as well as tips for waking up your heating system without any problems. The last thing you want is to have your furnace break down in the middle of winter.
Heating and cooling accounts for around half (48%) of the total energy use in a typical home, easily making it the largest energy expense (U.S. DOE).
By putting a little effort into making sure your HVAC system is working properly, you will significantly reduce your HVAC system’s energy consumption. Make the switch from cooling to heating as smooth as possible. Below are some insightful tips on fall HVAC preventive maintenance.

Fall HVAC Preventive Maintenance Tips!

1) Consider Replacing Your HVAC System – You should consider the age of your heating system and your current energy bills before you do anything. Heating systems that are more than 10 years old are only 40-60 % efficient. If your HVAC system is on its last legs, seriously consider replacing the entire HVAC system. Today, gas furnaces available in the market boast of efficiency ratings that are as high as 97%. Learn why you should probably replace your cooling and heating systems at the same time.

2) Clean or Replace Air Filters – Dirty HVAC filters restrict airflow and reduce the entire efficiency of the HVAC system. If you have not cleaned or changed the air filters of your system for a while, now is the perfect time to do it. This should be done every 1-3 months.To be safe, inspect your air filter every 30 days to see if it is dirty and clogged. Check your owner’s manual for the best air filter to use in your system. Choose an air filter with a minimum MERV rating of 7. Make sure to have plenty of back-ups so you don’t have to run to the store every month or two.

3) Clean and Unblock All Vents and Registers– Go around your home and make sure all of your return and supply vents and registers are clean and clear. Double check that none of them are blocked by rugs, furniture, or closed off in any way. Learn why you should never close any of your vents and other common HVAC misconceptions. While you are checking to make sure nothing is blocking your vents, take some time to clean them of any dust that may have gathered around the area. Cleaning your vents helps prevent the dirt and dust from entering your HVAC system and circulating around your home.
4) Professional HVAC Inspection – Have you serviced your heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system for the Fall period? Whether you are a homeowner or a property manager, you will need to find a reliable HVAC professional to help you service your HVAC system. A well maintained and serviced HVAC system is highly efficient in both its functionality and energy consumption. A professional contractor should inspect your HVAC system at least twice a year, once in the fall for the heating system and once in the spring for the cooling system. The inspection is meant to detect any potential problems and ensure that the HVAC system is working as efficiently as possible. The HVAC inspection involves checking filters, inspecting electrical switches, belts, contacts, motors, safety switches, gas pressure, and refrigerant levels.

5) HVAC Maintenance Agreement – An HVAC maintenance agreement, such as our Maintenance Value Plan (MVP), is a great way to keep your system at peak performance. Having an HVAC maintenance agreement not only gives you the advantage of priority service in the event of system failure, but also ensures that your checkups are done on schedule. This agreement will help you save a lot of money in the long run.The demand for HVAC systems increases as winter approaches. Therefore, you should always have your system inspected by a licensed HVAC professional contractor! Let us know if we can be of assistance or answer any of your questions.

Gowland’s Heating & A/C values “Relationship over revenue!” Call us today to schedule your vital heating maintenance service in New Orleans and the surrounding area.

If You Haven’t Scheduled Heating Maintenance, Now’s the Time

November 23rd, 2020

We know that it’s easy to put off certain important tasks until later, and heating maintenance in Slidell, LA is one important task that too many people let slide until near the end of the year. We understand: the weather is warmer here and cold temperatures don’t start to set in until deeper into the fall and the early winter.

So if you haven’t yet arranged for your annual heating maintenance visit from one of our technicians, you haven’t yet missed out—but now is definitely the time to have it done. The sooner you have this annual job completed, the more you’ll benefit from it.

Does a Burnt-Out Compressor Mean I Need to Replace the Whole AC?

November 9th, 2020

There are no air conditioning malfunctions more destructive and potentially expensive to repair than a burnt-out compressor. The compressor’s motor is housed in its casing, and when the motor overheats and the wires fuse, not only is the motor beyond saving, so is the compressor.

Every component in an air conditioning system is important to its performance, but the compressor is the true heart of the AC. It’s where energy is applied to the refrigerant to change it into a high-pressure gas so it can carry out the heat exchange cycle that cools down the interior of a house. A burnt-out compressor means an air conditioning system is now nothing more than a large central fan.

You may have heard that when a compressor burns out, it means the AC is finished. Further AC repair in Covington, LA won’t help, and the cost to replace the compressor is so high that it’s always better to have a new air conditioning system installed. But this isn’t the whole story. When you have a dead compressor in your AC, you have four choices for what to have HVAC technicians do, listed here in rising order of expense:

Capacitors: An AC Part That Can Fail on You This Time of Year

October 26th, 2020

The final heat of the year can often bring the need for a major central air conditioning repair in Slidell, LA. Any home AC has already seen plenty of extreme heat this year, and if it’s managed this far without needing repairs, that’s great. (In fact, we’d wager the reason is that the system received professional maintenance in spring—no better way to prepare an AC for the “battle” with summer weather than with a pro tune-up before the season.)

As your AC comes to the finish line for the year, there are several malfunctions that may crop up because of the long strain. Even the best maintenance in the world can’t stop all malfunctions from a stressful summer. One common trouble air conditioners can encounter at this period is failed capacitors. This is an easy malfunction for our technicians to fix, so as long as you watch out for it and know the signs it’s occurring, you should have an easy end to hot weather.

What You Need to Know About AC Replacement

October 12th, 2020

October is the season known for many things: candy, trick-or-treating, costume parties, and marathon viewings of Universal Horror Films. But you probably haven’t thought of it as the season of air conditioning replacement. But it’s definitely one of the best months for making a significant upgrade to your AC system if the time has come to retire it. The air conditioner has just completed another hard summer keeping your house cool, and if it seems like it was its last summer, than the cooler period of October is a perfect time to schedule service with us to install a new one.

Below are a few considerations about AC replacement we want you to know before getting started.

No Matter the Season, Fast AC Repairs Are Vital!

September 28th, 2020

It may be fall now, but when it comes to air conditioning repair, when you need it you need it. This isn’t a time when you can delay getting a faulty air conditioning system fixed just because there’s a chance—and only a chance—you may not need it for a few months.

In general, leaving any sort of equipment with a malfunction is a poor idea. But neglecting AC repairs can put you in a trouble spot, either in the immediate future or further down the road. We’ll explain more about why fast AC repairs in Slidell, LA are important no matter the season and no matter the upcoming weather forecast.

Grade Your AC’s Summer Performance

September 14th, 2020

Your air conditioning system doesn’t go to school and come back with report cards. But we recommend you give your AC a report card at the end of every summer because it’s a good way for you to analyze the system’s performance. Fall is an ideal time to make upgrades or even a full replacement to your AC, and the grade you give the air conditioner will help you think about your future home cooling.

Use the classic grading system of “A” through “F” and answer this question: “How would I rate the overall performance of my air conditioning this summer?”

This Is the Time of Year to Be Watchful for AC Repair Problems

August 31st, 2020

With temperatures in the upper 80s and sometimes the 90s and relative humidity above 80%, this is a time of year when we need to rely heavily on our home air conditioning systems for comfort. (By the way, if your air conditioning system doesn’t have a dehumidifier built into it, we recommend calling us for whole-house dehumidifier installation. It can make an enormous difference in comfort and how much you run the AC.)

Because we depend so much on air conditioning systems at the close of the summer, and because air conditioners have already put in so much hard work in the first half of the season, this is a period when ACs are at the highest risk of malfunctions and even full breakdowns.

This post is our way to help remind you to keep a close watch for indications you need AC repairs in Slidell, LA. We are ready to help the moment you’ve got an AC dealing with late-summer woes!

Don’t Hesitate With an AC Replacement—Even in Late Summer!

August 17th, 2020

We can guess the story: you have an older AC, but it’s been running well the last few years and you don’t see any reason to purchase a new one yet. You head into the summer season, and all seems well. And then, kablooie—the air conditioner stops working, or it can no longer keep up with your cooling needs.

Can you get it fixed? Possibly. You can call our technicians to come take a look at the system and give you an idea of what they need to do. But if the AC is extremely old (over 15 years in service) or worn down and the repair would cost more than it’s worth (such as more than half the cost of the replacement), you may want to consider a new AC installation in Slidell, LA.

The Heat Pump Difference: Is It the Right AC Alternative for You?

August 3rd, 2020

Let’s talk about the heat pump. If you aren’t familiar with the heat pump as an HVAC option, here’s the lowdown:

A heat pump is similar to an air conditioner. It uses electricity to power a compressor that places refrigerant under pressure. The refrigerant circulates between two sets of coils, indoors and outdoors. Hot refrigerant moving from the compressor first releases heat by condensing in one set of coils, then the cold refrigerant absorbs heat by evaporating in the other set of coils. What’s different with a heat pump is that it can reverse the way it circulates refrigerant. An AC can only move refrigerant so it absorbs heat from the indoor coils and releases heat through the outdoor coils. A heat pump can switch this process, bringing heat from the outside indoors. This means it’s a heating and cooling system in one.