Air Conditioning, Heating & Electrical Services Blog

3 Water Heater Problems to Watch for

May 15th, 2018

Water heaters are just as prone to developing issues over time as any other system in your home. Hopefully, you’re already scheduling consistent maintenance on an annual basis to keep your system as healthy as possible. Even if you are, though, the system could still develop problems between maintenance appointments.

It’s important that you keep an eye out for any possible signs that your system is malfunctioning, so that you can call for repairs as soon as possible. The following are some of the more common water heater issues you might run into, and their symptoms.

Tags: Jefferson County, Water Heater Repair
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Improve Indoor Air Quality This Summer With an Air Purifier

May 14th, 2018

As we get further into summer, it’s important to make sure that your home’s air quality is as high as possible. Poor indoor air quality will not only make it harder for you to remain comfortable, but can adversely affect your health as well. There are a number of different ways to make sure that your indoor air quality improves or stays high during the summer. One of the best ways, though, is to install an air purifier. Let’s take a look at why air purifiers are important, and how different types can benefit you this summer.

Tags: Air Purifier Installation, Birmingham
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Gift Mom Air Conditioning Service

May 8th, 2018

Show Her You Care About Her Comfort for Mother’s Day

For the woman who gave you life, deciding on the right gift for Mother’s Day can be difficult. She may say she doesn’t want anything, so Alabama’s own, Douglas Cooling & Heating, has a unique option compared to the typical lunch or flowers. We offer air conditioning service, including preventative maintenance plans, and tune-ups to ensure your mother is kept cool this summer without worries of unexpected breakdowns.

Give the Gift that Continues to Give

May marks the beginning of summer with rapidly increasing temperatures and high humidity levels in Birmingham and the surrounding communities. Scheduling air conditioning service for your mother’s AC unit has several benefits to keep her smiling throughout the season. Douglas Cooling & Heating knows exactly what to do when it comes to keeping cooling equipment in tip-top shape. Our NATE-certified technicians are experienced and skilled to handle any challenge they come across on the job.

We offer different preventative maintenance plans, which can keep your mother’s cooling and heating system running smoothly throughout the year. With a maintenance plan, your mother won’t have to deal with scheduling service at the last minute for her HVAC system. Our plans are hassle-free with various discounts on repairs and new systems. Call us today to find out more about our different preventative maintenance plans and choose the best fit for your mother.

Benefits of Air Conditioning Service

Air conditioning service performed by qualified HVAC professionals will not only keep the mother in your life cool and comfortable, it will also save her money in the long run. Benefits of air conditioning service at the start of the season include:

Regular maintenance will keep your mother’s air conditioning system operating reliably. Units serviced annually experience fewer breakdowns during the summer. Inspections during maintenance calls catch problems before they erupt into disaster, reducing repair costs along the way. Improved reliability will give your mother peace of mind when it comes to her air conditioner’s performance.
Your mother’s HVAC unit will last longer with continued maintenance. The average air conditioner lasts 10 years, and with proper maintenance, your mother can enjoy her cooling system for close to 15 years before she has to deal with upgrading to a new air conditioner.
Increased efficiency is another benefit from preventative maintenance performed by a qualified HVAC professional. A unit experiences wear and tear due to added strain on its components, but maintenance reduces signs of strain, restoring life to your mother’s air conditioning system. Less stress on her unit will increase its efficiency and reduce her monthly energy bill.
Scheduling maintenance at the start of the summer will keep HVAC repairs low, especially when the heat rises. Your mother will notice less frequent repairs and appreciate the money she will save in the end. A maintained system will keep your mother cooler without struggling to pay for unexpected breakdowns in the future.

Schedule Additional Air Conditioning Service

Besides purchasing a preventative maintenance plan, Douglas Cooling & Heating offers other air conditioning services to keep your mother cool this summer. If your mother already has a maintenance plan, consider scheduling an air conditioning tune-up or duct cleaning for your mother’s cooling system. A tune-up provides many of the same benefits throughout the summer.

A typical tune-up will inspect your mother’s unit, including thermostat settings, refrigerant levels, the outdoor unit, and proper airflow. Our technicians will replace or clean the filter, tighten all electrical connections, and lubricate all moving parts. Many maintenance tasks are performed during a tune-up. Douglas Cooling & Heating offers affordable rates for tune-ups and will ensure your mother’s unit is operating smoothly by the end of the air conditioning service call.

Professional duct cleaning services are an excellent option for your mother this year. NATE-certified technicians will inspect and clean your mother’s ducts and vents, finding any leaks in the process. A proper cleaning extends to ducts, air handler, grilles, registers, and other components in your mother’s HVAC system. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating to find out more about our air conditioning services and decide which option is best for your mother.

Give your mother a gift that continues to provide throughout the summer! Air conditioning services performed by a qualified and honest HVAC company will make your mother and her AC unit happy. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating to discuss our different preventative maintenance plans or to schedule a tune-up or other services for Mom’s special day.

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Keep Your Air Conditioner Hospitable For Spring Guests

May 3rd, 2018

No Alabamian Wants a Hot and Humid Party…

Late spring and early summer are busy times for celebrations, such as Mother’s Day, graduations, and bridal and baby showers. One thing all these parties have in common is a guest list, which means more people in your Alabama home than usual. Douglas Cooling & Heating knows the struggles you can experience when the temperature and humidity start to rise, especially when hosting a party in your home.

Prevent unexpected breakdowns with your air conditioner by scheduling service with qualified technicians who have seen it all! Our NATE-certified technicians will clean and inspect your air conditioner during service, including repairing or replacing damaged components found during the service call. Follow these tips to ensure your home stays cool during your celebrations and call Douglas Cooling & Heating for additional help with your cooling needs.

Change Your Air Conditioning Filter

Your air conditioner depends on an air filter to trap and remove pollutants in your home air on a daily basis. Common pollutants include dirt, dust, pollen and other debris. When the filter is too dirty, it can become clogged and stop working to trap contaminants before they circulate through your air ducts.

Particulates begin to build up in your ductwork, restricting airflow and forcing your air conditioner to work harder to deliver cool temperatures to every room in your house. Check your filter once a month, at a minimum, and replace it every few months to ensure it traps pollutants easily, allowing your cooling unit to operate efficiently without breakdowns.

Improve Airflow

Besides the air conditioner’s filter, your unit can experience air flow problems due to dirty evaporator coils or condenser coils. Dirty evaporator coils prevent air from moving across them, which influences how easily your home cools. The condenser coil is responsible for depositing heat from your home outside, if it is dirty, it can’t effectively move heat outdoors.

Check your outdoor unit for debris or vegetation crowding it and removing what you can without damaging components in the outdoor unit. If you suspect your evaporator coils or condenser coil are dirty and preventing proper airflow, contact Douglas Cooling & Heating. We will clean your coils and repair damaged parts of your outdoor unit.

Seal Air Leaks

Your HVAC unit accounts for over half of your energy usage in your home. When air leaks are present in your house, energy from your cooling system is lost through the leaks and gaps. Check windows and doors for possible air leaks. Apply caulking to windows and weatherstripping your doors to prevent energy from escaping.

Air leaks are also possible in your ductwork, especially if they aren’t regularly cleaned and inspected. Douglas Cooling & Heating offers ductwork cleaning services by our NATE-certified technicians. We will locate possible leaks, fix what we find, and replace damaged ductwork during the duct cleaning.

Use Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are underestimated and can be your best friend during your festivities. They circulate cool air throughout your home when you need it most and give your air conditioner time to relax during the hottest part of the day. By not operating as hard or as often, ceiling fans boost your air conditioner’s efficiency while keeping your home cool for your guests. Increased efficiency not only saves you money on your energy bill, it promotes a healthy air conditioner to last long past summer.

Schedule Air Conditioner Maintenance

Scheduling maintenance on your air conditioner will ensure your unit is clean and operating with a clean filter before your guests arrive. Douglas Cooling & Heating offers preventative maintenance plans at affordable pricing, which keeps your air conditioner, furnace, or heat pumps in tip-top shape year-round. Maintenance keeps your HVAC equipment in check and catches small problems before they escalate into expensive repairs in the future.

Keep your air conditioner healthy and avoid surprise breakdowns when guests arrive. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating now to schedule maintenance or service on your air conditioner. We want your guests to experience cool temperatures in a comfortable environment, regardless of the weather outside.

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Will My Heat Pump Last Through the Summer?

May 1st, 2018

Do You Use This Air Conditioner Alternative? Read on…

Heat pumps provide controlled temperatures year-round, which means they work without taking a break. Air conditioners take breaks between seasons, giving you plenty of time to service them before they are needed again.

Working year-round means your heat pump needs more attention than the average air conditioner to keep it operating smoothly and efficiently when the seasons change. Use these heat pump tips to keep you and your family cool this summer!

Tip #1: Schedule Heat Pump Maintenance

The best way to ensure your heat pump performs smoothly this summer is by scheduling maintenance with a licensed HVAC professional. Routine service keeps your unit clean, including the components and ductwork. Scheduling maintenance before the summer heat and humidity hit provides several benefits to you and your wallet.

Neglected heat pumps experience more wear and tear during the year, resulting in more malfunctions and breakdowns. You can save yourself a headache and money by catching problems early with preventative maintenance. HVAC repair costs are kept low when issues, especially damaged components, are diagnosed before summer arrives.

Saving energy is another benefit of heat pump maintenance. A serviced and clean unit will perform optimally and more efficiently, using less energy to cool your home. You will notice the effect on your energy bill every month when you regularly service your heat pump. Dust, dirt, grime and other debris are kept to a minimum in your heat pump, allowing cool air to circulate throughout your home unobstructed.

Tip #2: Inspect the Outdoor Unit

The outdoor unit for your heat pump can suffer from the sun beating down on it, especially during the peak hours of the day. Debris from storms such as leaves, limbs and twigs can clog your outdoor unit, forcing it to work harder to keep your home cool indoors. Overgrown vegetation and grass clippings also have the tendency to obstruct airflow, so keep these contained. Other problems with your outdoor unit can decrease your heat pump’s efficiency, leading to an inconvenient breakdown. The fan motor can fail or be damaged, causing the outdoor unit to overheat on a hot day. Refrigerant leaks or dirty coils can keep heat from properly transferring between the indoor and outdoor unit.

These are more serious issues so if you suspect damage, call Douglas Cooling & Heating for service on your heat pump now before it turns into an expensive breakdown during the Alabama heat waves.

Tip #3: Replace Your Heat Pump Filters

Dirty or clogged filters are a common cause of major and minor malfunctions in heat pumps. Heat pumps require a higher volume of airflow to effectively cool your home. When an air filter is dirty, the air volume flowing throughout the ducts is reduced and decreases a heat pump’s efficiency.

Check your heat pump filter monthly and replace it if you notice excess dirt, which compromises your heat pump’s performance and reduces your indoor air quality. If you schedule routine maintenance with Douglas Cooling & Heating, our NATE-certified technicians will inspect and change your filter during the call. We understand the importance of clean filters and healthy airflow in your home. After all, filters affect your cooling units efficiency and your family’s health.

Tip #4: Check Your Thermostat Settings

Your thermostat is the communication center for your heat pump and the desired temperature in your home. Older dial thermostats often give inaccurate readings, resulting in uneven temperatures from room-to-room. With new advanced programmable thermostats, you can preset temperature schedules when you are home, away and asleep, saving you money every month on your energy bill. Even while on vacation this summer you can keep your heat pump operating efficiently by adjusting the temperature higher and not requiring your heat pump to run as often.

Ensure your heat pump is operating efficiently this summer by giving it the care and attention it needs. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating to schedule maintenance now to prevent unexpected breakdowns in the middle of Birmingham’s hottest temperatures. We offer quality heat pump, air conditioner and ductless unit service backed by exceptional customer satisfaction for every job!

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How Often Do I Need to Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance?

April 30th, 2018

There are a number of steps that you should be taking to get your home ready for summer right about now. After all, it’s not as far off as you think. One of those steps is making sure that your air conditioner is ready for the massive amount of demand that you’re about to put on it. You may not think about it this way, but the level of wear and tear on an air conditioner increases drastically during the summer compared to other times of year. If you don’t want your air conditioner to break down under the stress, you should make absolutely sure that you schedule maintenance over the coming weeks.

Tags: Air Conditioning Maintenance, Birmingham
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Arbor Day – Get Your Green On With HVAC Efficiency

April 25th, 2018

While most people think about planting trees when Arbor Day comes around, there are other things you can do at home to promote a “greener” way of living. If you aren’t ready to plant trees, you can still examine your landscaping and home choices to see if any are doing more harm than good.

For example, your home’s heating and cooling system accounts for over half of your energy bill and impacts the quality of your indoor air. Calling Douglas Cooling & Heating to improve your HVAC system’s performance will help cut energy costs and promote healthier air around your home. Celebrate this Arbor Day by taking a look at your HVAC unit’s efficiency, your indoor air quality and your landscaping choices. You might be surprised by what you find!

Schedule HVAC Repair Service

Even with routine maintenance, your heating and cooling system needs to be inspected and cleaned to ensure there aren’t any issues. HVAC repair service will check your unit and its operation to determine if it’s performing at its highest efficiency. A heating and cooling system with damaged components or restricted airflow will operate harder than necessary to maintain an ideal temperature. By working harder, your system uses more energy, causing your energy bill to climb when the heat rises.

An obstruction in your air ducts or vents can cause your HVAC system to cycle on and off repeatedly throughout the day. Constant cycling can cause your cooling system to overheat, resulting in an expensive HVAC repair in the near future. Debris, dirt, and dust can build up on the components inside your unit, preventing normal operation.

By scheduling an HVAC repair with Douglas Cooling & Heating, our NATE-certified technicians will clean your system if any buildup is noticed and inspect your ductwork for any obstructions compromising the airflow in your home.

Improving Indoor Air Quality

Trees create fresh, clean air, and in your home, the air might not be so clean or fresh. Your indoor air quality is affected every day by what is pulled into your cooling system, both from outside and inside your home.

Scheduling HVAC repair service for your unit will help reduce the different particulates circulating throughout your home such as dust, dirt, pollen, and other allergens. If your air filter isn’t checked monthly, it can become clogged or too dirty to adequately filter these pollutants from the air in your home. The recommended schedule for replacing your system’s filter is once every three months, depending on the model. Remember, if you have pets inside or live in a high pollen area, change the filter more often.

Along with maintenance and HVAC repairs, consider other options to improve your indoor air quality. If you install a programmable or smart thermostat in your home it will send you reminders when your heating and cooling system needs maintenance, an HVAC repair or a filter replacement. Advanced thermostats can now be controlled via Wi-Fi, and they offer more accuracy for climate control, reducing energy use on a daily basis.

Choose Your Landscaping Wisely

Evaluate how a tree’s location can affect your HVAC system. Any type of vegetation near your outdoor unit needs to be planted a safe distance away, typically 1-3 feet. Leaves, twigs, branches, and other storm debris can accumulate and affect the airflow performance of your unit, so include a quick check in your weekly yard work.

Before you plant a new tree, consider if it has a disruptive root system, how close it will be to your outdoor unit and if it will provide any shading for the unit. When the heat rises, and the sun is high, your outdoor unit gets extremely hot, and without proper shading, it can overheat quickly. Overheating will result in malfunctions and breakdowns creating expensive HVAC repairs when you least expect them. Additional shade from a new tree or shrub will allow your outdoor unit to operate with ease while trying to keep you cool indoors.

Whether you celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree or not, make a conscious choice to improve your indoor air quality and lower your energy use. Determining the right choices for your home, yard, and HVAC system can be overwhelming, but relax, Douglas Cooling & Heating is here to help! Call Douglas Cooling & Heating today.

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Heating & Cooling Terminology Explained

April 18th, 2018

What Does SEER Mean?

Are you noticing higher energy bills from your air conditioning unit? Is your current system between 10 and 15 years old? If you answered yes to either of these questions, it’s time to invest in a new air conditioner.

Today’s energy-efficient units are labeled with a special Energy Guide sticker informing you how efficient it operates, known as the SEER rating. Douglas Cooling & Heating is a Bryant Factory-Authorized Dealer and we carry several Bryant air conditioners to fit any budget.

What a SEER Rating Means

The SEER rating, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, on your current or new air conditioner, indicates its cooling efficiency. SEER measures the unit’s cooling output to its power input. A new air conditioner with a high SEER rating indicates how efficient it is compared to other units. The higher the rating, the more efficient an air conditioner. Higher efficiency means your cooling system will use less energy to operate and save you more money on your energy bill.

In recent years, SEER ratings have increased, and older units are less efficient than new models. New air conditioners are required to have a SEER rating of 14 or higher as of January 2015. Douglas Cooling & Heating sells new air conditioners energy-efficient with high SEER ratings. Our NATE-certified technicians install new air conditioner units quickly after properly sizing your home for the capacity you need.

Know the SEER Rating of Your New Air Conditioner

It’s amazing! Current units trounce those manufactured as little as a decade ago. New air conditioners have an EnergyGuide label on them, so homeowners can determine their unit’s SEER rating. The label is easy to find and will indicate the new air conditioner unit’s efficiency compared to other units. You can investigate how much money you will save from a new air conditioner by visiting the Department of Energy online. There are several energy and cost saving calculator documents to help you determine which SEER rating will give you the best savings.

Purchasing a new air conditioner unit with Douglas Cooling & Heating means you won’t have to question the quality or efficiency of your new system. Our technicians will explain how your new system works and help you understand how best to use and maintain it. We want you to love your new air conditioner from the minute you switch it on, so don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Boost the SEER Rating

After installing your new air conditioner, consider investing in a preventative maintenance plan to protect your investment and preserve any manufacturer warranties. An air conditioner, just like any major home appliance, is an expensive purchase. Regularly scheduled maintenance keeps your unit performing its best at all times.

Maintenance ensures your equipment is clean by eliminating excess dust, dirt and other debris accumulated during the spring, summer, and early fall months. Dust and dirt sound minor, but they can negatively impact your new air-conditioning system, including restricting the airflow in your ductwork.

Regular maintenance cleans your unit and it catches problems early preventing expensive HVAC repairs. Taking care of your air conditioner will keep repair costs low, ensure your system performs as efficiently as it can, and prolong the lifespan of your new unit. Douglas Cooling & Heating offers several different preventative maintenance plans, so you can choose one in line with your budget.

Know what you are buying when it comes time to invest in a new air conditioner. Make sure your new system has a high SEER rating and purchase a preventative maintenance plan to keep it performing efficiently. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating for a great line of Bryant air conditioners with installation performed by our trusted NATE-certified technicians.

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Why is My Water Heater Not Providing Enough Hot Water?

April 17th, 2018

Your water heater is one of the hardest working home appliances you have. It provides you with hot water multiple times a day, every day, throughout the year. So, it can be very frustrating when the water heater suddenly stops providing hot water for whatever reasons. There are a number of possible factors that can prevent your water heater from heating the water inside it properly. Read on to find out more about these different factors, and what can be done about them.

Tags: Birmingham, Water Heater Maintenance, Water Heater Repair
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Different Air Purifiers, and the Advantages They Can Offer You

April 16th, 2018

If you’re at home right now, take a moment to breathe deeply and think about what’s in your air. Does it seem clear, or is it a little stuffy? Whether or not you think the air in your home is clear, you should know that the average home’s air quality is actually quite low. Microscopic airborne contaminants make quite a negative impact on the air quality of most homes, causing sickness and general discomfort throughout the year. The good news is that there is hope for your home’s air quality. Installing an indoor air purifier is a great way to improve your indoor air quality.

Tags: Air Purifiers, Pelham
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