Why You Can’t Ignore Late Summer Air Conditioner Problems

Summer is winding down. Within another week or two, the kids will be back at school. Autumn is right around the corner. This means we have just a few more weeks of heat before temperatures begin to cool and the leaves change colors. It also means that some of you, whether you admit to it or not, are ignoring some type of problem with your home’s air conditioning system. There’s a strange noise coming from the unit. Some rooms aren’t cooling as well as others. Something just isn’t right and you know it.

You also know you’re putting it off. You’re justifying it for one reason or another. Perhaps money is tight. Or you might just be thinking to yourself, “Why schedule an AC repair now when I’m just 2 to 3 months away from possibly having to turn the furnace on?”

Well, there are a few reasons you shouldn’t shrug off an air conditioner problem this time of year – here are several.

The Hot Weather Isn’t Over Yet

Pittsburgh weather isn’t predictable. A stretch of July or August-like hot temperatures in September or October isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Needless to say, if your air conditioner isn’t optimally performing, there’s a very good chance it’ll fail you when you need it the most. Why take that chance? At the very least, if you suspect a problem, rather than cover up the unit for the winter; subsequently kicking that can down the road until May or June, why not get your yearly AC tuneup in September instead of next year? This way, it’s ready for that surprise stretch of hot weather around Halloween and primed for the Spring.

Small AC Problems Get Worse the Longer They’re Ignored

You really shouldn’t run an air conditioner if you sense any type of problem whatsoever. Any type of fault or malfunction will get progressively worse if you ignore it and continue to run the AC. There’s often a chain reaction effect when one component of a cooling system wears down. You may think you’re saving money by putting off a late summer AC repair, but you’re likely making that inevitable repair a far more expensive one by the time you call.

Higher Utility Bills if You Continue Running Your AC

If you run an air conditioner while it has a mechanical or electrical problem, the extra strain placed on the system drains more power. This results in a higher utility bill. Nobody wants to go into winter’s high gas bills with unnecessarily high electric bills in the late summer or fall.

Why not head into the fall knowing your air conditioner is ready for action whenever it’s needed again – even if that’s not until Spring? If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and you detect even the slightest potential issue with your Ac right now, get a top-notch tuneup from one of the best air conditioning contractors in town!

Project Spotlight: New High-End Luxury Home on Grandview Avenue in Mount Washington

Bill Reilly and the crew at Top Notch Heating & Air were pleased to be chosen by Senko Construction for HVAC installation at a newly-constructed luxury townhome on Grandview Avenue in Mount Washington.

This high-end single-family home, one of several Senko Construction is building along Grandview Avenue, is ideal for anyone wanting to live in one of Pittsburgh’s most visited neighborhoods.

Grandview Avenue runs the length of Mount Washington and provides many unique views of Pittsburgh’s breathtaking skyline. While there was interest in building apartment buildings, duplexes, condos, and even a boutique hotel along this street, it was decided single-family homes are what’s best for the neighborhood right now. Especially luxury homes like this one, which will include a scenic rooftop deck, small swimming pool, and jacuzzi tub.

In this video posted to YouTube, Bill Reilly takes us on a walkthrough of the property. Of course, Bill spotlights the ductwork and HVAC equipment installed – in this case, Trane heating and cooling systems – which the space was fit for. Air filtration and humidifiers were also part of the install. Being that this is a high-end home, nothing from an HVAC perspective was off the table.

Senko Construction – specializing in both residential and commercial construction – has built more than 50 townhomes in Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as the North Side, Lawrenceville, and Oakland. Their typical time to complete a build is eight to ten months. They are the owners, developers, and contractors on eight high-end single-family homes planned for the corner of Grandview Ave. and Merrimac St. – right at the top of P.J. McArdle Roadway.

Please check out the video. If you’re shopping for a luxury home in the Pittsburgh area, you absolutely must inquire about these high-end single-family homes designed by Hart Architectural Services and being built by Senko Construction. In addition to living along one of Pittsburgh’s premier tourist destinations, and having a view all of your guests will envy, you’re also just a short walk from the neighborhood’s business district on Shiloh Street – host to a number of restaurants and stops for ice cream, baked goods, or an ice-cold beer or refreshing cocktail at the end of a workday.

Here are more images from the project! And, don’t forget, if you are a homeowner, business owner, or a residential or commercial builder, choose Top Notch for the best HVAC in Pittsburgh!

7 Most Common Reasons for Air Conditioning Repairs

Is there anything more miserable than a hot and muggy August day under a gray Pittsburgh sky? How about coming home from work that day to a broken air conditioner?

Why chance your comfort this summer? As much as we at Top Notch love all yinz, so many of the emergency AC repair calls we get are preventable. People just aren’t familiar with the most common causes of air conditioner problems and how to be proactive with maintenance to prevent them.

So, we thought it would be helpful to talk about seven of the most common causes of air conditioner problems. You’ll see that many of these problems are preventable with routine maintenance.

Dirty Condenser Coils

Warm air inside your house is caught and released outside your house by your AC’s condenser coils. Condenser coils don’t work as well when they’re covered in dirt and grime. This impedes heat transfer. The unit has to work much harder to sufficiently cool your home. This increases wear and tear on parts, raises your utility bill, and ultimately leads to a complete system failure. While Pittsburgh is no longer the “smokey city” it once was, soot and pollution still fill the air. Dirty condenser coils are a very common cause for air conditioner repair in Pittsburgh.

Frozen Evaporator Coils

Refrigerant fills your AC’s evaporator coil. An air conditioner’s evaporator coil sucks up heat from the air – similar to how a sponge absorbs water. While it may sound weird, these coils only work properly if warm air circulates around them. If anything restricts airflow, ice may build up on the outer part of the coil. When this occurs, you might notice warm air – or no air at all – coming from registers.

Low Refrigerant

Your air conditioner relies on refrigerant to remove heat and humidity from the air inside your home. Sometimes leaks in the refrigerant lines will result in low refrigerant. When this happens, your AC loses its ability to effectively cool the air. Unfortunately, this AC repair is more complex than just replenishing the lost refrigerant. The source of the leak must first be detected. Any holes in lines must then be repaired. Sometimes there can even be multiple leaks. This makes for a time-consuming and often expensive air conditioner repair.

Fan Problems

To cool the air inside your home, a fan inside your air conditioner blows indoor air over the unit’s evaporator coil. At the same time, another fan expels heat from inside to the outside of the house through the outdoor unit’s condenser.

Several problems can keep either of these fans from working properly. Anything from a lack of lubrication to a faulty motor, worn belts, and a build up of dirt and debris. Anytime airflow is affected, as in the case of fan problems, many air conditioner problems can arise. Overlooking or neglecting these issues can result in a complete compressor failure, which is often fatal to an air conditioner unit.

Thermostat Problems

Believe it or not, there are still plenty of old Pittsburgh homes with dial-type thermostats. Sometimes these aren’t calibrated correctly. This means the control system doesn’t send the right instructions to the air conditioner. The fix can either be to replace or re-calibrate the thermostat.

The newer programmable thermostats aren’t without their hiccups either. Programming these thermostats can be tricky and result in them being set incorrectly.

While we certainly don’t mind visiting you, before calling us, check your thermostat’s manual to confirm the settings are correct. It’s a quick painless trip for us, but it can be a little embarrassing for the homeowner. However, it’s very common. Many air conditioner repair calls we get end up being nothing more than a thermostat’s settings. That said, many times the thermostat itself needs to be repaired or replaced.

Leaking Ducts

The cool air coming from your AC is carried throughout your house by the duct work running through your walls. Any break or hole in these ducts can trap all this coolness inside your walls. That does no one any good. It also makes your air conditioner work harder to cool your house to the thermostat’s setting. This spikes your energy consumption and utility bill.

Clogged Drains

Ever wonder what your AC does with all of that moisture it removes from the air? Well, ideally, it’s emitted into a pan and down the drain through a drain line. But problems arise when the drain or line gets clogged or the pan fills and a water backup damages the cooling system. Leaks can also cause significant property damage – potentially damaging your ceilings, walls, furniture, etc.


BE PROACTIVE. PREEMPT COSTLY AIR CONDITIONER REPAIRS

Don’t wait until your AC completely breaks down to get an HVAC tech to your house. A yearly AC tuneup should get your home’s central air in shape for the demands of summer.

  • Dirty air filters can be replaced too prevent frozen evaporator coils.
  • The condition of your ductwork can be assessed.
  • A modern programmable thermostat can be installed and controlled remotely with a tablet or smartphone. Bill or one of our Top Notch techs can even give you a brief tutorial so you’ll know how to use it.
  • A springtime air conditioner tune up lets us clear brush and debris from around the unit so the unit can more effectively expel heat.

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area, and you’d like an AC inspection and tune up each spring, it’s a relatively inexpensive maintenance call with short and long term monetary benefits.

Call 412-381-0598 or contact us online to schedule a spring time Pittsburgh air conditioner inspection and tuneup.

A Yearly Air Conditioner Check Up Pays Big Dividends

A yearly air conditioner check up is highly recommended to any homeowner. Is it absolutely necessary? No. Your AC might work just fine throughout the summer if you skip a preseason maintenance check. Your car may also run just fine if you drive it beyond 3,000 miles without an oil change. That doesn’t mean you should though. Annual AC tuneups maximize your investment and make financial sense for a number of reasons.

“Look at it this way. Think about how hard your air conditioner worked last summer. It has also sat all winter long, possibly exposed to the elements if it wasn’t properly covered. Air conditioner tuneups pay for themselves in a variety of direct and indirect savings,” says Bill Reilly, owner of Top Notch Heating & Cooling – a Pittsburgh AC contractor.

Here are several reasons you shouldn’t skip out on that annual air conditioner maintenance service!

A Spring Air Conditioner Tuneup Gives the Unit a Head Start

You’ve gone some time now without running your air conditioner. Can you really expect it to run at peak efficiency now that you’ll again be depending on it every day?

Would you just start up a car that’s been sitting in the driveway for six months and embark on a cross-country drive without first taking it to a mechanic?

Naturally, you’d consider getting an oil change, tuneup, and having the tired checked or rotated. You’d want to make sure the car was good to go before you hit the highway.

Scheduling spring time AC maintenance gets your system primed to keep you cool all summer long. Not only that, it helps ensure it runs efficiently, which helps keep your utility bills low.

Air Conditioner Maintenance Services Are Usually Less Expensive than Emergency Repairs

Sure, there’s no guarantee your air conditioner still won’t malfunction or conk out even after a tuneup. But, if a problem does arise this summer, we’d be willing to bet the repair will be less expensive than it would be had you skipped the tuneup.

From our experience, roughly half of the emergency AC repair calls we get could’ve been prevented with an annual checkup.

When we perform a yearly air conditioner maintenance service, small problems are often detected before there’s even a warning sign they exist. This keeps them from becoming bigger more expensive problems. This saves homeowners the higher cost – and bigger hassle – of calling for an emergency air conditioner repair when it’s 90 degrees in July.

Neglecting Regular AC Maintenance Could Void Your Warranty

Most new air conditioner installations come with a limited warranty from the manufacturer. One of the requirements from this warranty could be the upkeep of regular AC maintenance.

Many of these manufacturer warranties won’t cover the cost of replacement parts without routine maintenance checks from a HVAC professional.

Be sure to check your air conditioner’s warranty – specifically any section titled “Exclusions” or “Eligibility Requirements.”

You’ll Get More Years from a Well-Maintained Air Conditioner

Routine air conditioner maintenance results in fewer repairs over time. This also prolongs the lifespan of your AC unit. In contrast, by neglecting regular air conditioning maintenance, you’ll be reducing its lifespan.

Back to the car analogy, how long do you think a car would run if its owner never changed its oil and neglected all recommended maintenance? Meanwhile, someone who takes good care of his or her automobile will likely get miles and years from it.

A well-maintained air conditioner maximizes your investment. It also increases its operating efficiency, which can translate into lowering energy costs by as much as 15%.


NEED AN AIR CONDITIONER CHECK UP IN PITTSBURGH?

Top Notch Heating & Cooling provide yearly air conditioner maintenance services to homeowners throughout the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding suburbs. Call 412-381-0598 or contact us online to schedule your annual Pittsburgh air conditioner check up or if you need an AC repair or AC installation.

Spring Forward With An Air Conditioning Tuneup

Springtime is the right time for an air conditioning tuneup. Many people wonder if they can perform an AC tuneup on their own. While most of us admittedly have a little bit of a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) attitude, it’s always good to pick your battles.

With in-home comfort and perhaps your manufacturer’s warranty at risk, fine-tuning your home’s AC for optimal summertime performance might be best left to the professionals.

Doing it yourself may result in more problems and necessitate more costly repairs in the end.

Annual air conditioner maintenance is important. For starters, the likelihood of your AC unit going on the fritz on a sweltering hot afternoon significantly decreases. Secondly, we all like extending the lifespan of any significant investment we make.

A yearly Pittsburgh air conditioner tuneup not only increases its seasonal dependability but also it’s durability as well.

Here are three reasons annual AC maintenance is a smart investment this spring

It Might Lower Your Utility Bill

Most people don’t notice their AC is no longer working until it completely shuts down. Then, when they look back, they realize there had been gradual warning signs for days, sometimes weeks, or even months.

The first thing a sick air conditioner will do is lose its ability to cool as effectively and efficiently as it needs to. You’ll notice you’re still hot after coming in from the outdoors. You’ll notice certain rooms in your house don’t feel as cool as they should. Perhaps it may even feel like your AC is blowing hot air.

If you’re like most people, your response to this lost cooling will be to lower the thermostat a few degrees. You’ll convince yourself this will power up the cooling. For a while, this approach may actually work. However, soon enough, it won’t help at all.

A common culprit of inadequate cooling is a dirty evaporator. If your air conditioner isn’t cooling at all, a dirty, blocked, or faulty condenser or inadequate refrigerant are the most likely sources.

A yearly inspection of the unit by a seasoned HVAC tech can identify the aforementioned issues before they even present problems. Saving you time, money, and securing your summer-long comfort indoors.

It May Benefit You & Your Family’s Health

The longer an AC goes without maintenance, the dirtier it gets. This dirt is distributed throughout your house anytime the AC runs. This can compromise you and your family’s health. Allergy sufferers will have problems. Chronic Rhinitis becomes unbearable. Even asthma attacks can be triggered by allergens like dust, dust mites, or pet dander spread throughout the house via the AC and ductwork.

Your AC May Already Be Crying for Help

While chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) like Freon are no longer used in air conditioners, the elimination of that environmental pollutant has made way for another type of pollutant. Noise pollution. New energy efficient air conditioner units can make quite a bit of noise. Sometimes this noise is nothing to worry about. What you’re hearing is a machine doing its job.

But every now and then some noises can be telltale signs that something potentially more serious is going on. Sounds like buzzing, clicking, or rattling could actually be warning signs. A squeal or screaming sound is another major signal of distress that’s often related to the refrigerant. These are again scenarios that are completely preventable with yearly air conditioner maintenance in Pittsburgh.


GET A PITTSBURGH AIR CONDITIONING TUNEUP IN PITTSBURGH

Baseball season is approaching. Soon it will be time to Regatta and we’ll all be complaining about how miserably hot (and gray since it’s Pittsburgh) it is outside. Why not make sure your air conditioner is ready to handle the workload with a yearly AC tuneup from Top Notch Heating & Cooling. Call us at 412-381-0598 or reach out to us online to schedule your air conditioner inspection and cleaning.