Archive for: #heaterrepair

What to do if your heater isn’t working?

What to do if your heater isn’t working?

Well, our weather has certainly changed drastically over the past week. It has gone from being close to the 80’s to being in the 40’s and 50’s.  The rain that we had yesterday seemed to make it worse. The wonton soup that I ate last night certainly hit the spot!

I want to give everyone a few tips on “what to do if your heater isn’t working?” These tips and more can be found on our website. Some of these seem very elementary, however, it doesn’t hurt to double check.

Thermostat example

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1.Since you are most likely trying to get some heat, check the setting on the thermostat. Be sure that it is in “heat” mode.

2. Check the temperature setting. In order for the heat to come on, the thermostat must be set higher than the indoor air temperature that is displayed. This is the “communications” hub for your system. The thermostat tells the heating system that you need some heat.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

3. Check to see if there is power going to the furnace or air handler. Do this by setting the fan switch to the “on” position (on the thermostat).

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Click to enlarge

4. Check the circuit breakers at the electrical panel of your home. Be sure that they are in the “on” position, and have not tripped.

ssu switch5. If you have a furnace, check the SSU switch. This switch looks like a light switch on a gray box. Again, be sure that it is in the “on” position.

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6. Check your air filters. Clogged, dirty filters do not allow for air to flow freely to your furnace or air handler. If you have a furnace, check the furnace filters (if applicable). Check these filters on a monthly basis.

 

If you have checked all of these items, and you are still cold, please contact us. We always have a live person answering the phone 24/7, and service technicians that are available.

In addition, we have some winter specials on our website at www.arcticairinc.com/specials.

843-821-0937

 

 

 

Need a Winter Tune-Up on Your Heater?… Schedule it today!

Just a quick note to remind everyone that it is time to schedule your winter tune-up (aka, start-up, preventive maintenance).

It has been forecast in the news that Charleston SC is going to experience a big drop in the temperature. They are saying that the low on Saturday is going to be around 37°F.

winter tune-up reminderIf you have a preventive maintenance agreement in place with us, you should have already received a reminder postcard and possibly a phone call. We are trying to get as many tune-ups done as possible! We don’t want your families to be cold nor uncomfortable when the weather changes.

For those of you who do not have a preventive maintenance agreement with us, please feel free to call us.  You can take advantage of the benefits from our Discount Club today. Just call 843-821-0937 for more details.

Finally, if you have any problems with your heat over the weekend, remember that we do have an answering service and technicians on standby for you. Don’t hesitate to call.

“Preventive Maintenance” … What’s in it for me? Part 3

Happy Friday EVERYONE! …. It is definitely 5 o’clock somewhere!

Severely clogged coils!

Severely clogged coils!

As we continue through this series, I hope that you will begin to see how important it is to properly maintain your air conditioning and heating system.  When I am out helping customers with replacing their old, broken ac equipment, I am often asked, “How often should I have my system serviced?”.  Each situation is different depending on levels of dust, pet dander, and other factors.  But, generally speaking, we recommend having your system tuned up every 6 months. A good rule of thumb is before summer and before winter.

Another great question about preventive maintenance is, “What is done?” I am not going to lay out in detail each item, but I will give you a general overview.  This way, you will know what to expect.

 

 

• Inspect the condenser coil

• Test and adjust operating pressures

• Test starting capabilities

• Inspect the blower assembly

• Test and check safety controls

• Clean the condensate drain

• Test the voltage of the motors

• Test the amp draws on the motors

• Lubricate necessary moving parts

• Check thermostat for proper operation

• Check for proper air flow

• Measure the temperature difference at the return vs. the supply

• Check the expansion valve

• Inspect and spray evaporator with cleaner (when accessible)

• Test in a/c and/or heat mode

• Check all electrical connections

• Check all capacitors

• Clean the air handler coil

• Check mechanical components for vibration or rubbing

• Winter – check heat exchangers or electric heat strips and amps – (depending on equipment)

In addition to these items, our service technicians may recommend additional services to keep your unit running at its maximum efficiency. This can include cleaning the blower wheel, cleaning the condenser coil with a chemical, and adding condensate treatments to reduce algae growth.

hvac burnt wires

Loose connections were the cause of this electrical fire.

All of these items are important to the overall care of your air conditioning and heating system.  Two of these items really stands out to me.  The reason is because it is a matter of life and death.  The first one is “Check all electrical connections.” If the electrical connections are not tight, it is possible for an electrical fire to occur.  The second one is if you have a furnace, “Check heat exchangers (for those with furnances).  If you have any holes or cracks in the heat exchanger, your family could be in serious danger from carbon monoxide poisoning.

On a side note, carbon monoxide detectors are relatively inexpensive.  In doing a Google search, I found that these can be purchased from $15.49 – $49.99.  If you have one already, be sure that your batteries have not died.

So, what does a “PM” (aka, preventive maintenance, tune-up, winter start-up, summer start-up) cost? Right now, if you want to have us to a winter start-up, it costs $89.00 per unit (residential customers only). If you would like to join our “Discount Club”, you get a winter start-up, and a summer start-up for $159 for the first unit and $129 for each additional unit.  (SPOILER ALERT …. lock in your price now, because there is a rumor going around that this is going to have to be increased next year.)

It looks like we are going to have some great weather this weekend. If you get a chance, go out and enjoy Charleston SC.  We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful area that has so much to do.

TGIF!!

 

Heater not working? Water lines broke? We can help…Call Now!

Heater not working? Water lines broke? We can help…Call Now!

If you are having trouble with your heating, we are here to help!  We have technicians standing by.  We should be able to get to you today.  Give us a call at 843-821-0937 or submit a service request online!

 

Call Arctic Air Inc Today! Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration

Air Conditioning, Heating, Commercial Refrigeration, Charleston SC, Twitter, @ArcticAirInc

@ArcticAirInc

 

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!! Be Prepared.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!! Be Prepared.

Hello Everyone,

I can remember when Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston.  I remember all of the “hoop-la” about getting ready and being prepared.  I thought that this was all media hype.  Looking back, I was just not wise (I would venture to say, dumb!)

freezing waterWell, here we are.  We have a winter storm (supposedly) coming that is going to make the roadways icy.  The report that we just got was that they may have between a quarter to a half an inch of ice.  Tonight the low is going to be around 37°F tonight, and tomorrow the high is supposed to be 37°F.  Tomorrow night there is a prediction of freezing weather (sleet and possibly snow).

Doctor’s offices, our payroll office and others have already said that they are closing early tomorrow and closing on Wednesday because of the weather.

snowmanOf course, I am saying to myself…”this is crazy… it is not going to be that bad”.  What is all this “hoop-la” about.  Well, look back to the first paragraph.  I didn’t think Hugo was going to be a big deal either.

All of that to say this… over the past few weeks, we have had a few days that have been very cold, freezing cold.  I have a friend that has a Water Damage and Restoration business, and he has ALL of his equipment out right now.  He is working on 6 water damage jobs, and turning others away.

About a year and a half ago, my wife and I had two water damage claims within one month.  The first was a ac drain pipe that was not secured properly (our AC was NOT put in by Arctic Air, which is another blog post that I will do).  Anyway, this was not a big deal, but it disrupted our lives.  We had to have an upstairs and downstairs wall dried out.  It was miserable.  Our house was extremely hot due to this process in the middle of summer.  We were miserable.

We have had a few customers that have had water damage issues due to frozen pipes. These water damage problems have to be properly dried or else it is possible to get mold growing inside your walls.  This causes a lot of health issues, and costs a lot of money.

snowPlease prepare for this cold weather.  Insulate your pipes.  Let water drip so that it doesn’t freeze.  Here is a post that I did a few weeks ago.  It is definitely worth reviewing.

http://www.arcticairIncsc.com/2014/01/15/coldnightahead/

When I was a little boy, I was in Boy Scouts. Our motto was “Be Prepared”.   The old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies here.

Also, if you have any heating issues right now, please call us.  We want to make sure that you have heat during these cold times that we have coming.

We have 4 service technicians ready to serve you! Emergency Service is available 24/7.  Call us at 843-821-0937 or submit an online service request!

Ahhhh, the weekend is here!

Hello Everyone,

time fliesIt seems like the older I get, the faster time flies by!  It has almost been a week since I posted anything to Facebook or Twitter.  If you didn’t hear, Arctic Air is now on Twitter! You can follow us @ArcticAirInc.

This week, I had a customer call us to have a new set of gas logs installed in his rental property.  The old logs just died and the tenants like to use them to help heat their home.  When he called, he asked how soon we could get them in.  Since it was late in the afternoon, I told him that we could schedule for the next morning at 8am.  He was thrilled because the cold weather was moving in on Charleston.

ThermometerHe and I talked a little longer, then I told him that it was going to get in the 20’s overnight. He kind of chuckled and said “It is NEGATIVE 20 here now.”  Well, I must say that I have never seen, nor felt, what -20F feels like… and I am OK with that.

[stextbox id=”warning”]Here in Charleston, we do have some more cold weather to get through.  If your heater is giving you trouble, don’t hesitate to call.  We have staff on duty during normal business hours, AND throughout the weekend and evenings for emergency service. [/stextbox]

Finally, we could use some help with reviews online.  There are several sites that allow users to leave free comments on companies that they have used.  Google+ (Go to google.com and search for Arctic Air Inc, Summerville SC.  Then click the link there), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/arcticairsummerville)  and Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/arctic-air-inc-summerville) are a few that come to mind.

Now, with that being said, if you cannot truly leave us 5 star positive reviews, please call Michael Lopez or Staci Lopez at 843-821-0937.  We want to try and resolve any issues that you may have had.  We strive for 100% customer satisfaction, however, we are not perfect and we don’t mind trying to resolve your issue(s).

tea partyStaci and I are heading to Marleyna’s Birthday Party.  She is having a tea party with all of her friends.  I have been asked to be the photographer.  I wish I had a red carpet to throw down.  I think they would have gotten a kick out of that.

The entire staff of Arctic Air wishes you a great weekend!

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Residential Heating and Air Conditioning Special

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