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Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning - AC Repair & Replacement St. Louis

Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning - AC Repair & Replacement St. Louis

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Archives for April 2018

HVAC System Not Working? When It’s Time to Call a Professional

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If you find that your HVAC system isn’t working properly, there are times when it becomes necessary to call a professional to fix your problem.

hvac tech checking air conditioner

It is often painful and expensive to make an emergency call to an HVAC technician in the middle of the night. The best way to prevent having to do so is by hiring a professional to perform regular maintenance to ensure that things are running smoothly. However, as any homeowner knows, things don’t always go as planned. If you find that your HVAC system isn’t working properly, there are times when it becomes necessary to call a professional to fix your problem. Before making that call, there are a few things you can check.

Your Filters Need to Be Changed

If it has been a while since you have cleaned the filters in your home, they might be limiting air flow, which can disguise itself as an HVAC issue. If you start to notice that your thermostat can’t keep up or that your HVAC is constantly coming on, then the first place to troubleshoot is to check your air filters.

The Thermostat Isn’t Working

If you are messing with the thermostat constantly and you can’t ever get the room to the temperature that you want, then you might want to consider that it isn’t an HVAC system issue at all. It might just be that your thermostat isn’t working properly – or at all. Try replacing the batteries first to make sure that it has full power. Next, check to make sure that there isn’t an excessive amount of dirt and debris on or around it. If you can’t get it to work, then have it replaced by an HVAC specialist.

The Pilot Has Gone Out

If you can’t get your heat to work, then the first place to research is to ensure that the pilot light hasn’t gone out. The pilot light should have an electronic ignition that you can see under the panel. If you don’t see a small flame lit, then it is likely that your pilot light has gone out and simply needs to be lit. If you light it and it goes out again, however, then it is time to call a technician to figure out what the problem is. Since it is highly flammable, make sure you know what you are doing to ensure that you don’t end up getting hurt. Never take chances with gas lines – it is better just to call and have someone take a look than to risk injury.

Your System Just Isn’t Working

If you try turning on your HVAC system and it just doesn’t work at all, you can spend all day looking for the source, or you can have an HVAC professional come in and fix the problem. It’s likely that even if you can locate the source, you will have to call someone to fix it anyway.

No one wants to make an expensive repair call if they don’t have to. However, if you troubleshoot the minor issues and find that it’s something not so minor, or you can’t find anything at all, then it is best to call in someone who can fix your problem quickly and correctly. Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating has over 30 years of experience replacing, repairing, and maintaining St. Louis HVAC systems. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 471-7625!

How to Save Money on Air Conditioning This Summer

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If you want to cut down your cooling costs and increase your air conditioning unit’s longevity and efficiency, be proactive about having your system regularly maintained.

Most Americans are finally beginning to feel the relief of their heating costs going down as temperatures around the nation warm up. But as any homeowner knows, you can’t get too comfortable with lowered energy costs. The sad reality is that it is just a matter of time before the heating costs turn to cooling costs for the spring and summer.

If you want to try to lower your energy costs for the long hot summer ahead, there are some simple things you can do to conserve both the energy in your home and save money on air conditioning.

family putting money in a piggy bank

Have an HVAC Technician Perform Regular Maintenance

If you haven’t had your air conditioner looked at and it will be time to start it up soon, it is best to have a professional HVAC technician perform a maintenance check. This will ensure that you aren’t sitting in the heat because the air conditioner doesn’t work when you start it up on the first hot day; it will also decrease the risk that your air conditioner isn’t running as efficiently as it should be.

Regular maintenance will cut down on the debris and dirt that might be stopping your unit from working efficiently, which will affect your monthly cooling costs. It will also make sure that you aren’t working your HVAC overtime and limiting its overall longevity.

Change Your Filters

If you haven’t changed your air filters in a while, now is the time. If the filters are clogged or dirty, then you are decreasing the air conditioning unit’s ability to work the way that it should. That means that your system is working harder than it needs to and the air isn’t flowing properly.

If you want to cut down your cooling costs and increase your air conditioning unit’s longevity and efficiency, be proactive about having your system regularly maintained. Give Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating LLC a call 24/7 at (314) 471-7625!

Filed Under: Blog

Updated: May 30, 2018

What Is an HVAC Zoning System and Is It Right for You?

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A Zoned HVAC system gives homeowners more control over the temperature in different parts of the home, leading to energy savings.

happy couple looking at energy savings

Regardless of the size of your home, there are inevitably going to be rooms that you use more frequently than others. If you want to cut down on your energy costs both in the summer and in the winter, then you might want to consider upgrading your HVAC system to what’s called a “zoned” HVAC system.

If you find that the air in your home is drafty or there are huge fluctuations in temperature from one area to the next, it might be that your current system simply can’t keep up with the demands of allover heating. Zoned heating and cooling zones were created to more efficiently and effectively heat specific areas of your home when you want them to. If you primarily live in the kitchen and your bedroom, then why spend the money heating and cooling places that no one is occupying regularly?

What Is Zoned Heating and Cooling?

Zoned heating and cooling systems allow you to have multiple systems that control different areas of your home. They are ideal for when you have more than one floor or when you have rooms and living areas that you hardly ever use. Multiple zoned cooling and heating systems work differently than just having one system to run your entire HVAC system from a furnace, air conditioner, or even a heat pump.

Is It Possible to Convert Your Existing System?

Zoned HVAC systems don’t work that much differently from what you have already. The biggest difference is that they have multiple zones with dampers that are set within the ductwork to direct heating and cooling to the parts of the home that you dictate. They also consist of varying panels in multiple rooms so that each room is controlled independently. The control panel operates the thermostat and directs the dampers so that you get to control where the heating and cooling goes.

It may be possible to convert your existing system to a “zoned” one. All that needs to be added are the thermostat sensors, control panels, and the dampers. The cost of doing so could be well outweighed by the benefits that you get from a more manageable system.

Is a Zoned HVAC System Right for You?

If you have multiple floors or rooms in your home that are rarely used, why would you want to waste the cost of heating and cooling them for no one? A zoned system gives you the advantage of manually making the places of your home more comfortable only when you want to and leaving the other ones the way they are. It is a much better system to control the heat and cooling in your home and is also way better on your monthly costs. The minimal cost upfront is well worth it – not only to have your home temperature just the way that you want it, but also to save money.

Call Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning and Heating today at (314) 471-7625 to learn more about zoned HVAC systems.