The Difference Between HVAC and AC

August 15, 2019

At , we realize that many people don’t understand the differences between HVAC and air conditioning systems. Knowing the unique features of each type of system is important for communicating your needs for a building. Different types of buildings may require various systems in order to stay comfortable throughout the year. What an HVAC System Does HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. These systems can include a furnace, air conditioner, ducts, and air quality controls. HVAC systems are designed to keep a building comfortable regardless of the temperature outside. They are often equipped with a variety of air filters to ensure that they are circulating clean air. All the air is circulated through a central system. Standalone Air Conditioners An air conditioner is designed to keep the air in your building cool whenever it gets hot outside. There are two types of systems that can be operated without having a central ducting system. Window units sit in the window frame and are designed to cool single rooms or small areas. They aren’t overly energy-efficient or designed to regulate the indoor air temperature. Ductless or mini-split systems are a great option for cooling a home without a central ducting...

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How to Care for Your AC System

August 5, 2019

Your AC system is an investment. It requires ongoing TLC, and an optimal approach to maintenance can help ensure the lowest total cost for operation. Initial Inspection has been serving homeowners in Burbank and the neighboring communities with a full range of AC services since 2001. When you purchase a residence with an AC system already in place, you never know how diligent the last owner was. That’s why we recommend scheduling a comprehensive professional inspection as soon as possible. Seasonal Inspection and Maintenance After installation or full inspection, you only need a seasonal inspection. Early spring is a good target since it lets you identify and correct any issues well before the hottest months arrive. Scheduling service is advisable whenever you notice anything that seems unusual. A Monthly Basic Inspection Our company also recommends that you perform a basic inspection each month. This is especially important if there has been a serious storm that may have damaged any equipment outside. Change Air Filters as Needed Air filters should be swapped out, or cleaned if you have reusables, after three months of use. However, we recommend examining them during the monthly inspection and replacing any that are visibly dirty. Check...

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Save Money on Your Cooling Bills This Summer

June 25, 2019

If your energy bill always feels like a bit of a shock at the end of the month, there are several ways you could address the situation. Here are some of the best strategies for keeping cooling costs low this summer while still staying out of the heat. Clean Your Air Filters Air conditioners can end up catching a lot of accumulated dust in the process of keeping your house cool. All of this extra gunk eventually starts to build up and can reduce the efficiency of the machine. In order to prevent this, we recommend cleaning your air filters at least once a month. Doing so can potentially reduce your cooling bill by up to 10% and will also help the temperature in your house stay cooler. Use Ceiling Fans If your roof is painted black or another dark color, then your house is absorbing a lot of heat. The roof might do better if it’s painted white or reflective color. Note that this will keep your home cool both in the summer and the winter, so if you tend to use your heater in winter, you might be better off trying a different strategy to reduce your energy...

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How to Maintain Superior Indoor Air Quality in Your Home

May 22, 2019

Creating and maintaining great indoor air quality does not require spending a small fortune. Much of it happens by making small changes throughout your home and choosing the right products to use on a daily basis. Below are a few ideas to get you started. Monitor the Additives to Your Air It seems that all types of cleaners and household products emit some sort of scent that could begin to bring down the quality of your indoor air. Additionally, smoking indoors and not having things like a gas furnace properly vented can add to a buildup of odors and pollutants in the air you breathe. To combat these issues, you can purchase and use as many products as you can that are free of scents and odors. You should also operate vent fans when in the bathroom or cooking in the kitchen. Keep the Home Well-Ventilated and Balanced in Humidity As air-tight as most new homes are, it’s essential to have a way to properly ventilate your living space. Open windows on nice days that are low in pollen. Use ceiling fans to help keep good airflow throughout the home. You can also add a dehumidifier system when the air...

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Areas in the Home that Need More Ventilation

May 12, 2019

Proper ventilation in a home makes it possible to avoid the growth and spread of mold or mildew. It can also prevent certain rooms or floors of a house from getting too hot or humid. Generally speaking, keeping excess moisture out of a home can prevent damage to walls or other components. Kitchens and Bathrooms Tend to Be Warm and Moist Extra ventilation can come in handy in bathrooms and kitchens because these are confined spaces where hot water is used on a regular basis. Without ceiling fans or other ways to circulate air, you could run the risk of mold growth or other problems. The professionals from in Burbank can perform an air quality analysis and take other steps to help with ventilation issues in your home. If necessary, we can install dehumidifiers and heat recovery ventilators. Attics Should Have Extra Ventilation It is not uncommon for air to enter a home through the attic and circulate through the rest of the house. If the air in the attic is too warm or too humid, it can create uncomfortable conditions throughout the rest of the structure. Excess heat and humidity may also cause damage to any items that are...

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Debunking Three Common Cooling Myths

May 2, 2019

Since cooling systems have been around for so long, a lot of misconceptions about them are present. There are all sorts of supposed facts people hear from others that seem reasonable but are actually false. Don’t fall victim to common cooling myths. Educating yourself about why these myths are incorrect will help you save money and improve your indoor air quality. 1. You Don’t Really Need to Pay Attention to Air Filters Air filters are more than just a way of keeping dust out of your home. They actually help to trap microscopic particles that could otherwise end up making it harder for your unit to run. People who change their filters regularly can save up to 10 percent in energy charges. 2. Any Size of AC Will Work Fine for Your Home Many people shrug off concerns about AC size by saying they’ll just run their system more or less to compensate for any differences in size. However, an incorrectly sized unit can cycle on and off more frequently or run longer than it needs to. It can actually be more inefficient for a large unit to cool a space than a small one. This tends to lead to...

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Reasons Why Your AC Won’t Turn Off

April 17, 2019

Ideally, your air conditioner will only run when there is a need to reduce the air temperature and moisture content in a given space. However, there are times where it may continue to operate even when a room is already cool and dry. What are some steps to take when your air conditioning unit won’t turn off? Check for Excess Dirt or Debris When the air condenser coil is dirty or clogged, it can be forced to work harder to keep the room at your preferred temperature. Therefore, it may not be able to shut itself off for tangible periods of time or at all. At in Burbank, we can perform air conditioner maintenance such as cleaning or replacing a dirty or worn-out coil. We can also install or replace a unit that’s old or inefficient. Check the Temperature Setting The air conditioner will not stop running until it has cooled the air to your preferred temperature. If that setting is too low, then the air conditioner may not be able to stop running in order to keep the room at your target temperature. It’s worth noting that your unit may have to work harder on especially hot and humid...

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Save Money With a Utility Rebate Appraisal

March 26, 2019

When it comes to installing a heating and/or cooling system or replacing an existing system, homeowners can benefit from lower energy costs, manufacturer incentives, and rebates. Taking advantage of an energy rebate can be the trickiest part of saving, but the utility rebate appraisals offered by are designed to ease and streamline that process. What’s a Utility Rebate? Energy rebates, which are also known as energy credits or incentives, are a way that private and public entities support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and so forth. Rebates have certain criteria, and if you meet that criteria when installing your HVAC equipment, then you receive the rebate, which helps to offset your initial investment. What’s a Utility Rebate Appraisal? Determining if you qualify for a rebate and whether or not a rebate makes sense for a particular home can be tricky. So, offers appraisals. This allows our company to help homeowners learn this information and make these decisions very early on in the process. Which Rebates are Available? It depends, which is why this process can be challenging to homeowners. Your local jurisdiction and utility company may matter as well as the types of technologies you’re considering. It’s also important to note...

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HVAC Systems: An Introduction

February 9, 2019

Although the majority of the developed world makes use of HVAC systems, the deeper workings of these machines are broadly unknown to the public. HVAC is short for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and almost every home makes use of one of the related systems. Heating and Air Conditioning Most heating systems are derived from the usage of a furnace. These days, they most often use combustion gases that feed into a heat exchanger. Meanwhile, the air that flows through your home naturally is directed over this heat exchanger before feeding into a system of ducts that distributes the warmed heat. This is known as “central heating” and supplies heat to millions of homes around the world. Central air conditioning uses the same systems to save space in your walls. The heat exchanger will instead cool before the same flow of air is dispersed through the home’s duct system. Some air conditioning systems use supercooled gases to ensure that the air is briskly cold before it flows through your vents. Problems with this part of your home’s utilities may result in a temperature that doesn’t stabilize or follow the direction of your thermostat. Working on these parts of your home...

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What’s the Difference Between HVAC and AC?

January 26, 2019

For many people, the terms HVAC and AC may seem as though they are interchangeable. Up to a point, they are, so those people aren’t entirely wrong. You just have to remember that one category is a subset of the other. Let’s take a look at what these acronyms actually mean. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This makes it an all-encompassing term for the different types of equipment intended to keep your home’s temperature at a comfortable level and the air in healthy circulation. It pertains to the system as a whole. AC, on the other hand, refers only to the air conditioning component of this system. Alternatively, an air conditioning unit may stand alone. A Broad Assortment of Air Conditioning Equipment There are many types of air conditioning systems available. The most common, especially in larger homes, is central air. This kind of built-in system will cool an entire house. The design requires planning since it is dependent on the size of the space. Ductless, mini-split systems are often used when a building or part of it is retrofitted. Much like central air systems, these have a compressor outdoors and handling units inside. Since you can...

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