If you’re planning on buying a home soon, you probably already know how important a whole-home inspection is before you make a purchase. While many home buyers know the importance of a whole-home inspection, they sometimes overlook a separate comprehensive home HVAC inspection. Just like you’d need to inspect a home’s plumbing system before you buy, you need to check the HVAC system too. To ensure a new home is in the best shape possible, learn more about why an HVAC inspection is essential to the buying process.
A home-buying HVAC inspection refers to a comprehensive review of a home’s HVAC system by a certified HVAC technician. During this inspection, the technician will check the system’s age and cleanliness, its expected remaining lifespan, and any signs of wear and tear. If the technician finds that the system will need repairs, they should be able to let you know how long those repairs would take and how much they would cost.
Since standard whole-home inspections are usually performed by an inspector who isn’t an HVAC expert, they can often overlook problems an HVAC technician would catch. Sometimes, these inspectors only turn on your HVAC system to see if it works, meaning they won’t know if it’s developing any potentially expensive problems. In contrast, a home HVAC inspection from a licensed technician can ensure you won’t have to pay for an expensive repair or replace the entire system shortly after buying the home.
A home-buying HVAC inspection will include a thorough review of all your HVAC system’s parts. As you look for the right HVAC inspector, make sure they’ll review the following components of your system:
If you’re still deciding if a home HVAC inspection is worth the investment, learn more about the top three advantages of these inspections below:
If you need a home-buying HVAC inspection in Concord or the surrounding areas, turn to Big Air. Our certified HVAC technicians are happy to inspect the HVAC of a home you’re planning to buy to ensure you’re fully informed. Alongside providing HVAC inspections, we can perform AC repair, replacement, and maintenance services whenever you need them. Due to our partnership with Bonney, we also provide financing options and several coupons to make it easy for our clients to stay within budget.
Learn more about our air conditioning services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us online or call us at 925.687.7942 .
Your air conditioner’s refrigerant is essential to your HVAC system’s performance as it helps your system absorb heat and transfer it outdoors. Since AC refrigerant has to stay at exact levels to work properly, low air conditioner refrigerant levels can reduce your AC’s efficiency and cooling abilities. If you want to ensure your AC is always working at peak efficiency, learn more about why you shouldn’t usually need to refill your AC’s refrigerant and the top signs that your AC is low on refrigerant.
When your air conditioner is working correctly, you should never need to refill your AC refrigerant. While you might lose a marginal amount of refrigerant throughout the life of your AC, it’s usually not enough to require any refills.
Since refrigerant should never need to be refilled, low AC refrigerant is usually the result of a leak or some other damage to your AC. Knowing the main signs of low refrigerant can help you catch issues with your AC early and ensure your HVAC system is working at its best. Learn more about the top 5 signs of low air conditioning refrigerant below:
One of the telltale signs of low refrigerant levels is if you can see ice building up on your outside unit’s refrigerant levels or the inside unit’s evaporator coil. This ice formation is usually due to leaking refrigerant, as reduced refrigerant levels will cause your refrigerant’s temperature to drop and ice to build up on your refrigerant lines and evaporator coil. An HVAC inspection can reveal if this ice is due to low refrigerant levels or another issue, such as closed vents or a dirty air filter.
If your HVAC system takes forever to cool your home to your desired temperature, you may have a refrigerant leak. Since refrigerant is responsible for absorbing heat, low levels of it will cause your system to have to work longer and harder to remove heat from your home and replace it with cool air. When you notice it’s taking hours to change the temperature in your home, you should immediately contact an HVAC technician to inspect your system and see if your AC’s refrigerant is at fault.
Alongside causing your AC to take longer to cool your home, low AC refrigerant can cause your system to blow warm air out of your vents. If your refrigerant levels are low, your AC won’t be able to absorb heat, resulting in warmer air. Any time the air blowing from your vents feels consistently warmer than it should, you’ll need a full inspection from an HVAC technician.
Since low refrigerant levels can cause your AC to perform inefficiently and use more energy to cool your home, reduced refrigerant can cause your energy bills to spike. Without enough heat transfer from your refrigerant, your AC will need to work harder and stay on longer to lower the temperature. While higher energy bills can be due to other issues, such as an aging AC system, a dirty air filter, or an improperly sized unit, an HVAC technician can find the source of the problem and help you reduce your energy bills.
When you can hear a bubbling or a hissing noise coming from your HVAC system’s condenser, you probably have a refrigerant leak. Bubbling noises are a clear sign the refrigerant is leaking in a liquid form, and hissing noises indicate your refrigerant is leaving your unit in a gas form. To prevent additional damage or reduced performance from a leak, it’s important to contact an HVAC technician as soon as you hear either of these noises.
If you think you might have low AC refrigerant and are looking for AC repair near you in Concord or the surrounding areas, Big Air has you covered. When you notice any of the signs above, our team can inspect your system and find out if low AC refrigerant is to blame. Next, we’ll provide any needed repairs and refill your refrigerant to get your system back up and running. Our partnership with Bonney also means we can provide several coupons and financing options to ensure our services fit your budget.
Learn more about our AC repair services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us online or call us at 925.687.7942 .
If you’ve noticed that your energy bills rise over the winter, your heating system is probably to blame. While Concord and the areas surrounding it have more mild winters compared to much of the country, heating bills still can put a strain on your budget.
As you try to be more energy efficient and keep your utility bills down in the winter, learn more about how heating and air conditioning costs compare, why it costs more to heat your home, and what action you can take to reduce your bills.
In the United States, homeowners use more than four times as much energy to heat their homes in comparison to cooling them. This large difference in energy translates to costs being nearly double to heat a home versus cool it. Since Sacramento has a Mediterranean-like climate, heating costs aren’t as high as they’d be in colder climates. However, even in the Sacramento area, winter energy costs tend to be higher than summer energy costs.
If you’re interested in lowering your heating bills over the winter, the first step is understanding why cooling your home tends to cost less than heating it. Find out more about the two main factors that affect heating and cooling costs below:
One of the biggest reasons ACs tend to use less energy and cost less to run is due to the difference in temperature it takes to cool a home versus heat it. When the outdoor temperature is much higher or lower than the temperature you want your home to be, your HVAC system will have to work harder to adjust your home’s temperature. Since the winter tends to produce larger temperature differences than the summer, your HVAC system will usually have to use more energy during the winter.
For example, in Sacramento, the warmest day typically reaches a high of around 100℉ while the coldest day will be around 39℉. If you keep your home’s temperature around 72℉ in the winter, your heater will need to change the temperature by 33℉. In contrast, your AC will only need to change the temperature by 28℉ in the summer to reach your preferred temperature. As a result, your HVAC system will have to change the temperature by an additional five degrees when heating, resulting in higher heating costs.
When your heating system runs on energy or gas, it has to convert its energy source into heat unless you use a heat pump. In contrast, a cooling system only has to remove heat from the air in your home, transfer it to your exterior unit, and then release that heat into the air. Since converting energy into heat is harder than transferring heat outside, your heating system will have to use more energy compared to your AC. The greater difficulty in heating a home translates to higher energy costs.
On cold winter days, you shouldn’t have to go without heat to keep your costs low. Though winter heating costs are almost always going to be more expensive than summer AC costs, you can take a few actions to lower your bills. Review some of our top tips for lowering your heating bills below:
If you’re looking for HVAC services near you in Concord or Sacramento, California, turn to Big Air. Our certified HVAC professionals can install a new heating or cooling system, make repairs to your furnace or HVAC system, and provide annual maintenance. Due to our wide variety of services, we’re well-equipped to help you lower your energy bills in the winter and summer. Through our partnership with Bonney, we also offer several financing options and coupons to ensure any HVAC service you need fits your budget.
Learn more about our heating and cooling services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please schedule an appointment online or call us at 925.687.7942 .
