As the weather starts to turn chilly, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to stay warm this winter. If your heating system isn’t up to snuff anymore, what are you going to replace it with? Heat pumps and furnaces each have their own benefits. Which is right for you? Take the time to consider some details so you can decide for yourself.
It’s that wonderful time of year again! Holidays, festivities, family gatherings—there’s so much to look forward to. But all these extra people and all their needs will create a lot of pressure. No, we’re not talking about family arguments or people getting stressed out. We’re talking about your water heater.
If you’re not 100% confident that your water heater can handle the coming holiday season, take action now, whether you need maintenance, repair, or replacement.
Ductless mini splits are becoming more popular in homes and buildings across the country. They offer a cost-effective and efficient heating and cooling system option without the need for ductwork. However, there is a growing concern among homeowners and business owners about mold growth in their ductless mini split systems. As a leading provider of HVAC services in the area, we feel it’s important to address this concern head-on and clear up any misconceptions about mini splits growing mold.
The short answer is yes, mini splits can grow mold just like any other HVAC system. Mold growth usually occurs in areas where there is moisture and humidity, such as in air conditioning ductwork, air handlers, and evaporators. Even though mini split systems do not have ductwork, they are not immune to mold growth.
Ductless mini split equipment can be prone to mold growth, which can have negative effects on your health, indoor air quality, and the functionality of your system. Mold in your mini splits can be caused by a few reasons, including:
One of the most common reasons why ductless air conditioners and ductless heat pump systems can develop mold is due to improper installation. When a mini split is installed incorrectly, it can lead to moisture buildup in the system. When moisture stays in the ductless mini split, water vapor can then become a breeding ground that allows a mold infestation to grow and spread throughout the inside of the air handler unit.
Another reason why ductless mini splits can develop mold is due to inadequate maintenance. When filters are not changed regularly or coils are left dirty, it can create a breeding ground for mold to grow. Mold spores thrive in these conditions, and they can quickly spread throughout the system.
Mini splits located in humid environments with excess moisture in the air may also be at risk for mold growth. If there are high humidity levels in your house, it can create a moist environment that is ideal for mold spores to grow and spread. This is especially true if the mini split is used for extended periods of time without proper ventilation.
Another common reason why ductless mini splits can develop mold is due to a clogged condensate drain line. When the drain line becomes clogged, standing water can back up into the system, creating a moist environment that is ideal for mold growth.
Below are some of the common signs that your ductless mini split is growing mold. Being aware of these signs can help you take appropriate action and prevent mold from spreading in your house.
The good news is, most of the warning signs of mold growth are easy to detect and can be reported to a professional HVAC contractor to help solve the mold problem. Don’t wait until mold becomes a serious issue; take action at the first sign of trouble.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to avoid mold growth in your mini split system. Regular maintenance is vital to ensuring that your mini split system operates efficiently and remains mold-free. Here are some essential maintenance tasks that will help keep your mini split system in good condition:
Regular preventative maintenance tune ups from a licensed HVAC professional can significantly prevent mold growth in ductless mini splits. The preventive maintenance procedures performed by HVAC professionals include mini split cleaning, checking for leaks, deep cleaning of the evaporator coil, and ensuring that the air handlers and heat pumps are running correctly. During an HVAC professional’s maintenance, they also check for any potential causes of moisture buildup, such as clogged drains.
Dirty mini split air filters can cause mold and other contaminants to accumulate in ductless systems. Make sure to change your ductless system air filters every one to three months, depending on use and the environment.
The drain line in your mini split system can become clogged with dirt and debris, leading to standing and mold growth. Inspect the drain line regularly, and clean it out with a brush or air compressor if necessary.
Ductless mini split units can grow mold just like other systems, such as an air conditioner or heat pump. However, timely maintenance and preventative measures can help ensure that your mini split system remains mold-free. If you suspect mold growth in your mini split system, call Douglas Cooling & Heating to inspect the system and perform professional cleaning for your ductless air conditioner units. Contact us today to schedule a service appointment or to learn more about our services.
What a summer we had! Wildfires in more places than ever, burning out of control for long stretches of time, caused smoke to spread all across the country. Weather forecasts included air quality warnings, and people were told to stay inside to avoid breathing the smoke.
But things have gotten better now, right? Well, yes, but all that smoke still had an impact that could be sticking around. Particles that settle out of wildfire smoke can build up inside your air ducts and continue to circulate in your home. What can you do? Get your ducts cleaned!
These days, there are a lot of options for cooling your home. There are central air conditioners if you have ductwork, and if you don’t, you might have a window unit. There are even heat pumps to consider. But what if you’re tired of window units, and your home doesn’t have ductwork? Ductless AC systems, also called mini splits, are an option. But are they a good choice for our climate in Alabama? Yes! Here’s why.
Drains are an important plumbing component of your Birmingham, Alabama, home that you may not realize you use every day. That is until a problem arises. From cooking to cleaning, drain issues can cause complications in your daily routines, and some can be downright gross. If you notice black sludge coming from your bathtub, shower, or kitchen or bathroom sink drain, you may be wondering what this is and how can you get rid of it, fast!
At Douglas Cooling & Heating, our licensed plumbers are ready to help you address every issue facing your home’s drains. In this blog, our experts will break down what it means when black stuff comes out of your drains and how to address it.
Contact our friendly team for expert drain cleaning service if you notice any unusual substances coming from your drinks or if it’s not draining properly.
Both your kitchen and bathroom drains experience a lot of use. Each time you cook, wash dishes, clean your hands, or brush your teeth, you’re sending biological materials such as hair, phlegm, skin cells, nails, and oil, and other materials like food scraps, soap, and lotion down the drain.
Over time, these materials attach to the side of your drainpipe and build up a thin layer of film which becomes an ideal spot for bacteria to grow. As bacteria and mold grow, the combination of waste turns into a nasty black substance. When this substance comes loose or grows out of control, it can end up coming back out of your drains.
While the black stuff originates in your drainpipe, there are times when it can make its way back up and out of your drain where you will see it in your sink or tub. There can be several causes, such as the bacteria growth becoming large enough to grow back out of your sink or shower drain. Other times, black sludge in your drain can be a sign of a more serious problem, including:
Want to avoid gross, potentially harmful, buildups in your drains? The best way to ensure black stuff doesn’t appear in your plumbing lines and out of your drains is to regularly clean and maintain your plumbing systems with the help of a professional team like the one at Douglas Cooling & Heating.
When you clean your drains, you’re removing the buildup of skin cells, soap scum, and other biological material so that bacteria doesn’t have a surface to grow on in the first place. The following types of drains can benefit from routine cleaning and emergency declogging by a professional plumber at Douglas Cooling & Heating:
While cleaning your drains may seem simple enough, you have to be careful not to use too many harsh chemicals or a possibly ineffective homemade drain cleaner. Follow these tips from our experts about how to keep the drains in your Birmingham, AL, home as clean as possible to avoid clogs and other buildups.
When you notice your drains are in need of a cleaning or black sludge and other substances are coming from your drains, it’s always best to get a professional opinion and service from friendly, highly-trained technicians at Douglas Cooling & Heating. Call us today to schedule your drain cleaning appointment.
At Douglas Cooling & Heating, we have years of experience in clogged and backed-up drains and plumbing fixtures in homes across Birmingham. We’re proud to offer our customers the most innovative technology in the industry to address all of your plumbing needs from drain clogs to black slime production, and so much more. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today for drain cleaning services you can trust.
Similar to your business where your employees, managers, and administration each have to function individually in order to have a successful team, your commercial HVAC system must be made up of clean, operational equipment. Unfortunately, without regularly scheduled and proper care, your commercial HVAC equipment requires more frequent repairs. Ultimately, poor maintenance causes total breakdowns, which leads to a costly replacement. And no one wants that.
Douglas Cooling & Heating offers premium commercial HVAC maintenance to business owners across Birmingham, AL, and surrounding areas so your commercial HVAC units operate at the same high-quality level as your business. Our routine commercial HVAC service helps you maintain a productive workplace with healthy and happy employees all year round.
Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating for your commercial HVAC needs in Birmingham, AL today.
As with your business’ vehicles, IT equipment, and other components, your HVAC system needs regular attention to operate at peak efficiency.
Although each HVAC system—consisting of air conditioners, air filter, and heat pumps—has its own unique requirements, you should generally schedule professional maintenance from our experts twice a year. The best time for maintenance appointments is the spring and fall before the extremes of each season come to Birmingham, AL in full swing.
A newer system that only runs for a single season, such as a furnace, may only require an annual maintenance appointment. But an older piece of equipment or a system that runs year-round, like a heat pump, needs twice-a-year tune-ups to ensure everything is in working order.
Our skilled technicians at Douglas Cooling & Heating can perform regular maintenance at any interval to ensure your commercial equipment always provides reliable heating, cooling, and indoor air quality to your business.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
As a busy business owner, you may have an “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality when it comes to commercial HVAC service. But investing in preventative maintenance can actually save you time and money in the long run. When your HVAC systems are cleaned, inspected, and repaired on a routine basis, they’re more energy efficient and less likely to experience major issues and breakdowns in the peak of cooling or heating season.
When you choose Douglas Cooling & Heating for your commercial HVAC maintenance, you’ll experience an array of benefits, including:
Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating to experience the benefits of our periodic inspections and maintenance tune ups today.
At Douglas Cooling & Heating, our commercial maintenance appointments are more than a quick visual inspection of your HVAC system or a change of your air filters. We dive deeper into your system, from mechanical equipment to electrical connections, to ensure every single component is operating safely and efficiently.
Our HVAC maintenance appointments often include:
To make accessing quality commercial HVAC maintenance easier than ever for Birmingham business owners, Douglas Cooling & Heating offers our 24/7 Club Membership. While this gives you uninhibited repair and replacement support, our membership also acts as a custom maintenance contract or agreement so you can have peace of mind your equipment will be serviced right every time.
Our club membership includes three different levels of service to choose from, so your unique business needs are always met. Typically, each tier includes one spring maintenance visit, one fall tune-up, and one plumbing visit per year. You’ll also experience the following benefits:
Call Douglas Cooling & Heating to learn more about our superior maintenance club membership and 24/7 emergency services today.
At Douglas Cooling & Heating, we believe every business owner in our service area of Birmingham, AL, deserves HVAC systems that work as hard as they do. This commitment to your safety and comfort is why we’re the top HVAC company in the area for commercial maintenance. From air conditioning to your heating system, we can help you save money and extend the life of every piece of HVAC equipment your company relies on. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating to schedule your next commercial HVAC maintenance appointment today.
Air conditioners have limited avenues of communication. They can’t speak to you with words, and there’s no digital read-out that gives details of everything an air conditioner might be struggling with. Often, the first sign of an AC issue is a strange sound. Here’s what to listen for, so you can get it fixed before a small problem becomes a huge one.
The best thing about a heat pump is its versatility. It’s not just an air conditioner. It can also keep your home cozy all winter! But if it gets stuck in a single mode, that versatility is lost.
And most of the year, in Alabama, a heat pump stuck in heating mode is a huge problem. If your heat pump keeps trying to heat your home and can’t switch to cooling, we can tell you exactly why and what can be done about it.
During summer months, Alabama homeowners turn to their HVAC systems for cool relief. However, many homeowners also use ceiling fans to help keep them cool in the summer, but do ceiling fans help AC systems work better? When used correctly, your ceiling fans keep air moving and help your HVAC system keep your home feel cooler and use less energy. The team at Douglas Cooling & Heating explains the many benefits of using your ceiling fan in tandem with your HVAC system throughout the year.
Ceiling fans do not create cool air but can help with the movement of air. Think about it this way: a hot summer day always feels worse when there is no breeze. The same is true for your home. Stagnant air can make you feel hotter than you actually are. Ceiling fans help with the circulation of air in your home and depending on which way the fans are spinning, can be used to help with the comfort of the air in your home in different seasons.
In the summer months, ceiling fans help your air conditioning system by reducing the cooling load in your home. As the blades of the fan rotate counterclockwise, they move air downward toward the spaces where we sit, sleep, and live.
This creates a wind chill effect and moves air across your skin. The breeze evaporates moisture from your skin which makes you feel warmer. When a ceiling fan is used, you can raise the thermostat setting by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit without any reduction in comfort. Therefore, your AC unit gets a break and lessens the odds of requiring air conditioning repair service. This is a great way to help save on energy bills in your Birmingham area home.
Adding to this, ceiling fans also improve the overall circulation of air within a room. By doing so, they ensure a more uniform distribution of cool air, reducing hot spots and cold zones. This means your central air conditioning system doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the space.
It’s also worth noting that ceiling fans are incredibly energy-efficient in their own right. They use significantly less electricity compared to an air conditioner, making them a cost-effective way to stay cool in the summer.
Lastly, by reducing the workload on your air conditioning system, a ceiling fan can extend the lifespan of the unit. Less strain on the AC means fewer breakdowns and repairs, saving you money and hassle in the long run.
So, not only do ceiling fans help the AC system, but they also contribute to energy conservation, cost savings, and the longevity of your HVAC equipment.
In the winter, you can use a ceiling fan in combination with your heating system to keep your home more comfortable. Ceiling fans work to evenly distribute the air in the room. In the fall, grab a ladder and look for a switch on the base of the motor on your ceiling fan. Flip the switch to make the blades of your ceiling fan rotate in the opposite direction. When your fan spins clockwise, the fan’s blades draw warm air up toward your ceiling, and the rotating motion pushes this air out toward the edges of the room before circulating back to the ground. With air warmer pooling naturally at the top of a room, this air distribution helps the whole space feel warmer by pushing it back down to reach your body.
You benefit from more of the warmth produced by your heating system. This can reduce the amount of heat needed by helping you benefit from the warm air already produced by your heating system and can reduce the stress on your system. A less stressed system means a lower chance of needing heating system repairs.
Adjust the ceiling fan blade direction for each season to create the desired warming or cooling effect. Fans have a switch, typically located on the base, to adjust the direction of blade rotation. It is important you select the correct direction for each season to achieve the desired effect. Changing the rotation of your ceiling fan blades is simple, as most models are equipped with a switch on the unit to switch the direction.
In the summer, your ceiling fan blades are set to rotate counterclockwise; in the winter, the blades should be set to rotate clockwise. Ceiling fans shouldn’t be used in the same direction in the winter as they work in the summer. Otherwise, you’ll get the undesirable windchill effect indoors when you’re trying to stay warm.
Whenever a room is unoccupied, you should turn the ceiling fan off. The warming benefits the ceiling fan produces are realized by those in the room. When there’s no one in the room, there’s no need to waste electricity operating the fan. Ceiling fans don’t save energy if they operate in unoccupied rooms.
One exception to this rule exists a ceiling fan located at the top of a two-story stairwell or foyer. As heat rises to the second floor, the ceiling fan moves the stairwell’s heat down to the first floor to add warmth. If you have a two-story foyer or great room which feels cool while upstairs feels warm or stuffy, try a fan. An existing lighting fixture can easily be swapped out with a fan or a fan with lighting.
Using ceiling fans wisely throughout the summer can be a great complement to your HVAC system. Ceiling fans can help you feel cooler indoors and allow your HVAC system to operate less for great energy savings. Be sure your ceiling fan blades are rotating counterclockwise in the summer and you turn off your ceiling fans when a room is unoccupied!
These ceiling fan best practices give your HVAC system a needed break this winter and help it operate more efficiently. For more energy-saving tips, schedule service from Douglas Cooling & Heating today.
8752 Helena Rd.,
Pelham,
AL
35124
Payments / Mailing Address
P.O. Box 362163
Birmingham, AL 35236
HVAC License AL#17181
Refrigeration License AL#51758
