Blog | ServiceMax

Differences Between AFCI and GFCI Outlets (And Where They Go)

September 23rd, 2019

Our electricians in Chicago, IL provide many different services to help homes upgrade to modern electrical demands and the highest safety standards. One of the ways our electricians can improve household safety is with the installation of AFCI and GFCI outlets.

We’ve written before about these outlets, which you can easily recognize because they have buttons between the socket pairs marked TEST and RESET. In this post, we want to address what makes the two different and where we recommend having them installed in a house.

Why the Compressor in Your AC Is Crucial

September 9th, 2019

All the components in your home’s AC are important. If one or more isn’t working correctly, it affects system performance.

A miscalibrated thermostat causes improper cooling.
A frozen evaporator coil reduces how much heat the AC can absorb.
A broken fan motor stops air circulation.

The compressor, however, has special importance. Think of it as the engine for the entire air conditioner. It consumes the most power, and if it doesn’t work, the air conditioner cannot do its job. Period. Plus, the compressor costs more to replace than other components, so a failed compressor is a Very Big Deal.

How Long Should My AC Stay Running?

August 26th, 2019

One of the most common reasons customers call our HVAC technicians for air conditioning repair in Chicago, IL is when they have an AC that’s turning on and off almost constantly over a short time. This is known as short-cycling, and there are many different potential causes:

A clogged air filter
Undercharge of refrigerant due to leaks
Leaks in the ventilation system
AC is too powerful for the space
Dirty or iced-up refrigerant coils

Short-cycling is both a symptom of a problem and a problem on its own since it significantly increases the workload on the air conditioner. Parts wear down faster, cooling bills rise, and the system will end up needing an early replacement.

But how long should an air conditioner’s cooling cycle last? Understanding this is important so you can know when you’ve got an AC that’s short-cycling.

When the Upper Floor of Your House Gets Too Hot

August 12th, 2019

A few weeks ago, we looked at a common problem homes have with central air conditioning: uneven cooling, with some rooms much warmer than others when the AC is running.

Today, we’re going to look at the most common cause of uneven cooling for homes. In two-story homes, often the upper floor is hotter than the lower floor. This is normal when there’s no central cooling or heating system running because heat naturally rises. However, a well-designed and installed HVAC system can overcome this. If you’ve discovered during this summer that the upper floor of your house isn’t getting the same level of comfort as the lower, there are some potential solutions.

The Midsummer Stress on Your AC Can Mean Trouble

July 29th, 2019

The peak heat of the summer season means some pretty tough days when you’re outside. When you’re in your house with your dependable air conditioning system, it’s much different. The AC sends around cool air to the rooms and maintains a pleasantly cool and comfortable environment.

But your air conditioning system has to do a large amount of work to keep your house at a comfortable temperature when the heat outside is so intense. More heat outdoors means heat moves faster inside your house, and the AC must run for longer periods to keep the temperature at the setting you want. This is why we recommend keeping the thermostat setting as high as you find comfortable, since the smaller the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the slower heat moves indoors.

But no matter how you set your thermostat, your central AC is under a great deal of work stress at this time of year—and this may lead to problems requiring air conditioning service in Chicago, IL.

How Uneven Cooling Can Happen in Your Home

July 15th, 2019

You can have a working air conditioning system sending out cooled air to your house, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have a house that’s cooled evenly throughout. You can expect rooms with more sunlight exposure to feel warmer, for example. However, a well-installed and designed HVAC system should be able to give you a distribution of conditioned air around the house that will maintain comfort levels, no matter how hot it gets outside

If you’ve already enjoyed a few years of quality performance from your home’s AC, what does it mean when you start to notice hot spots around the house? Uneven cooling can come from simple problems, but it can also indicate a need for air conditioning repair in Chicago, IL or even that it’s time to arrange to have a new AC put in place.

What Is a “Hard-Starting AC” and What Can I Do About It?

July 1st, 2019

You’ve probably experienced a car that has trouble getting started on a chilly winter day. The engine grinds, but it takes a few times before it turns over. This is an example of “hard starting.” It can happen to any type of machinery that uses motors, no matter if it’s powered by natural gas, petroleum, or electricity.

Hard starting is a problem you might encounter with your air conditioning system. Although a hard-starting AC can continue to work at providing cool air to a house, it’s not good for the system, it drains excess power, and it can eventually deal a fatal blow to the air conditioner. A hard-starting AC will make noises at startup and have trouble at how fast it can cool down the house.

Go Ductless and Get Rid of Those Window AC Units

June 17th, 2019

Do you live in a house that uses a boiler for heat and doesn’t have any ductwork to allow for a central air conditioning system? If so, you probably have window AC units around the house to help cool down during the summers.

You probably also don’t like using window units.

AC Problems You Want Fixed Before It Gets Hotter

June 3rd, 2019

If you’ve lived in Chicago for even a year, you know the summers can be tough to beat unless you have a solid AC system in your home.

So now is the time to ask yourself if your AC system is solid. Is it showing indications that it’s wearing down or has a malfunction? Right now, in the last stretch of milder weather before summer gets underway, is the right time to arrange for repairs for your air conditioning in Oak Park, IL. Below we’ve put together a list of a few AC issues to have fixed in these last days of spring.

How an Energy Recovery Ventilator Can Make a Big Difference in Your HVAC System

May 20th, 2019

Spring is the best time to focus on preparing your air conditioning system for the hotter weather in the middle of the year. This is why we recommend scheduling AC maintenance through our MAX Comfort Plan in spring. It gets your air conditioning system into the best possible shape to sail through the hot weather.

But we’re also concerned about the complete HVAC system in your house. We recommend making updates that can increase proper home ventilation so you enjoy fresher air and reduce the amount of energy you need to put into the AC. Installing an energy recovery ventilator into your HVAC system is a way to make big improvements in your comfort and savings during the summer—and throughout the rest of the year as well.