Blog | ServiceMax

Iced-Up AC? Here’s Why

July 8th, 2024

Many issues your air conditioner might encounter can cause it to make strange noises. Occasionally, an AC problem will cause strange smells. Much of the time, a problem with your air conditioner will make it less effective, leaving your home either not cool enough overall or uneven in temperature, with some cool spots and some hot ones. But another thing a struggling air conditioner can create is ice!

Ice might not seem like a bad thing. After all, your air conditioner is supposed to make things cold, right? Well, if you’ve got ice building up on your AC evaporator coil, it’s not good. In fact, it will only get worse. Here’s why.

AC Odors? Your Air Conditioner Needs Repair

June 24th, 2024

This is a very simple truth: your air conditioner should not smell like anything. AC odors are not normal, and if you ever detect any type of odor from your AC, that is a sign of a problem which most likely requires repair.

Why would an air conditioner start to smell? What might it smell like? What could be wrong? We’ve got some answers for you.

Noises You Don’t Want to Hear from Your AC

June 10th, 2024

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Is that your air conditioner making that noise? Oh, dear. What are you going to do about it? Ignore it, you say? Hope it goes away? Don’t do that! Your air conditioner doesn’t have many ways to let you know that something is wrong. When it does make a strange noise, you really need to listen.

Getting AC repairs done as promptly as possible will prevent a minor issue from turning into a major one or even causing your air conditioner to break down completely. The noise you’re hearing is the first warning sign, so heed it!

What could it mean when your air conditioner makes a strange noise? What kind of repairs might you need? We’ve got some information for you.

How UV Air Purifiers Work

May 27th, 2024

The air you breathe has a huge impact on your health and well-being. And if you’re like the vast majority of Americans, you spend almost all of your time indoors, breathing indoor air. Unfortunately, indoor air is almost always much more heavily saturated with contaminants than outdoor air.

Whether you’re concerned about allergens like pollen and dander or pathogens like viruses and bacteria, there’s an answer to your air quality problem: a UV air purifier. What does a UV air purifier do? How does it improve your indoor air quality? It’s really quite simple, but also impressive. We’ll tell you all about it.

Keep Your Ductless Mini Split in Tip-Top Condition

May 13th, 2024

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Your ductless mini split is absolutely amazing! The efficiency is extraordinary. It provides both cooling all summer and heating when the weather gets cold. It was probably one of the best investments you’ve ever made.

But once you’ve made an investment like that, you want to make sure you get as much out of it as you can. You want that efficiency to stay that high. You want the system to last as long as possible. How can you keep your ductless mini split in tip-top condition, performing perfectly at peak efficiency for many years? Follow these tips.

Prompt AC Repair Will Save You Money

April 15th, 2024

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When your air conditioner is behaving oddly or causing you concern, how urgent is it to get it repaired right away? In some cases, you have a genuine emergency on your hands, particularly if your AC won’t work at all—or you have to turn it off to stop something terrible like water damage—in the middle of a heat wave.

But when the situation isn’t quite that bad, how do you decide whether to get repairs right away or wait and see? Is it ever safe to postpone AC repair? Our recommendation is that all air conditioner concerns deserve prompt attention. It can save you a lot of time and money! Here’s how.

Signs You Need Electrical Panel Replacement

April 1st, 2024

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As the seasons rush by, we often focus on the most urgent needs of our home. We need our heating system to work well for the winter. We need our air conditioner to work well for the summer. And if there’s an emergency—say, something going dramatically wrong with the plumbing—we take care of that. But in the meantime, things can go wrong more quietly and subtly.

It’s easier to ignore minor problems. But then we can end up getting used to them, and not realizing that they’re gradually getting worse and worse. In order to avoid catastrophe, we need to keep paying attention to small problems, especially problems with our home electrical systems. Eventually, electrical panels need replacement. Failing to do that in time is a major fire hazard. How can you tell it’s time to replace your electrical panel?

Your Air Conditioner’s Expansion Valve Might Need Repair

March 18th, 2024

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Some of the components of your AC system are obvious and easy to understand. If we tell you that there’s a blower fan, and a motor which powers it, you will have already assumed as much. You also know that there’s refrigerant, which flows through coils throughout the system. But some air conditioner components are a little more mysterious.

The more you know about your AC system, the more empowered you will be to take good care of it and keep it running as well as possible for as long as possible. For this reason, we love to provide HVAC education to our customers.

Today, we’d like to tell you about your air conditioner’s thermal expansion valve, and how to know if it might require repair.

Troubleshooting an Electric Furnace

March 4th, 2024

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We’d like to make it very clear that an untrained homeowner should never attempt DIY repairs on an electric furnace. There’s immediate risk, like electrocution, that can be fatal. And there’s delayed risk, like leaving the furnace with a wiring problem that creates a fire hazard. Every time actual repairs are required, your electric furnace needs the help of a qualified professional.

Does that mean there’s nothing you can do when you’ve got a heating system issue? No! There are definitely things you can do. The problem might not be one that requires actual repair. A bit of electric furnace troubleshooting could get your issue resolved in just a few minutes.

How Long Can I Expect My Electrical Panel to Last?

February 19th, 2024

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Your electrical panel, or circuit breaker panel, is like a traffic cop ensuring that all the electrical traffic in your home is flowing correctly. It also performs the critical job of shutting down certain circuits or sections of your home’s electrical wiring when a problem occurs. This prevents major hazards like electrical fires.

An electrical panel can last quite a long time, but it won’t keep working properly forever, and when it stops doing that critical job, serious risks can result. How long do electrical panels last? What if you don’t know how old yours is? How can you tell if you need to replace it? Here’s what you need to know.