Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

3 Factors to Consider When Purchasing a New Air Conditioner

Monday, May 18th, 2015

There is certainly no shortage of options when it comes to the ways in which modern homeowners may choose to cool their homes. This is great for consumers, of course, as different homeowners will want to cool their homes in different manners. However, the sheer number of available systems alone can make determining which is the best fit for your home rather difficult.

The good news is that the Washington, DC air conditioning installation experts at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. are here to help. While it is ultimately up to you to weigh the pros and cons of different systems prior to choosing one for installation in your home, we have some tips to help you get started. Keep them in mind, and contact us if you are ready to schedule your air conditioning installation with a skilled professional that you can trust.

Tags: Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Installation, Washington DC
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Here’s What You Can Expect During Air Conditioning Maintenance

Monday, April 13th, 2015

Have you scheduled spring maintenance for your home’s air conditioning system yet? Right now is one of the best times: the weather still hasn’t reached summer heights and HVAC technicians have more open schedules that make it easier to arrange for a convenient appointment. Call a local professional HVAC company and ask about their maintenance programs.

Tags: Air Conditioning Efficiency, Air Conditioning Maintenance, Washington DC
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3 Things to Check When You Give Your AC a Spring Test-Run

Monday, April 6th, 2015

Spring has arrived, and with warmer weather ahead—and summer weather right behind it—you will turn your air conditioning system back on, if you haven’t already. Now is an excellent time to analyze your AC’s performance and check if anything seems wrong with it. You want to schedule any necessary repairs for the system during the spring season, before the serious change in the weather occurs and it becomes more difficult to arrange for a convenient time to have the system repaired.

If you need speedy and effective air conditioning repairs in Washington, DC, call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. We have a history of quality service keeping homes comfortable no matter the season.

It’s a good idea to give your AC a test-run during the early spring and pay attention to indications of malfunctions. Turn on the air conditioner for a half-hour during a day when you otherwise don’t need it. Here are 3 things you should check on during this test run:

Proper airflow: Go to all the vents into the rooms. Make sure none of them are blocked by furniture that was moved during the last few months. Check on the airflow coming from the vents. If it seems sluggish or weak, something may be wrong with the AC.
Sounds from the AC cabinet: Go to both the indoor and outdoor cabinets of the air conditioner and listen to the sounds from the system as it goes through a standard cooling cycle. Do you hear any unusual noises? These can include hissing, banging, screeching, grinding, and clicking. Anything that sounds unfamiliar should have a professional investigate it.
Even distribution of cooling: Are all the rooms receiving the level of cooling they should? Although some rooms will probably be naturally warmer than others (such as an upstairs bedroom with widows that receive direct sunlight), you shouldn’t come across any “hot spots.” Such spots are a sign of something wrong with the AC or the ventilation system.

This short DIY diagnostic will help identify serious troubles. But it’s no substitute for arranging for a professional maintenance session. Make sure you call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. and schedule an inspection and tune-up during the spring to find any malfunctions that you may have missed, as well as to adjust and clean the system so that it works its best all summer. Give us a call to find out more about our Preventative Maintenance Agreement.

Tags: Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Maintenance, Washington DC
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When Is It Time to Call for Air Conditioning Services in Alexandria?

Friday, March 27th, 2015

We are inching toward warmer weather, and as such, it’s good for homeowners to know when it’s time to call for AC services in Alexandria. Nothing is more frustrating than turning on your AC the first hot day of the season only to find that it isn’t working, or that it’s working poorly. It may seem sometimes as if problems come out of the blue, but if you are aware of the signs, you’ll know when it’s time to call for help, and better yet, you’ll know who to call that you can count on: Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.

When Is It Time to Call?

Here are some signs that it’s time to call for air conditioning services for your Alexandria home:

When there is low or no cooling – there can be many reasons for this, so it’s best let an expert find the problem and repair it
When lots of dust and dirt are blowing through your vents – this is usually indicative of dirty ductwork, and it can also indicate faulty ductwork
When you smell strange odors coming through your vents – your AC shouldn’t have any kind of odor, so it’s time to call for an expert when you smell something
When you hear strange sounds while your air conditioner cycles – there are some basic, operational sounds that your AC should make; if there are more sounds than that, it’s time to call for a specialist
When it’s time for replacement – replacing an air conditioner is great opportunity to increase your energy efficiency and comfort, but only when you work with an expert
When you need repair – all AC repairs should always be handled by trained professionals
When it’s time for maintenance – it’s strongly recommended that you schedule your AC for maintenance every 12 months
When you need new air conditioner installation – new AC installation takes knowledge and experience, otherwise you could be stuck with an air conditioner that is too large or too small for your home or problems from poor installation

Expert Help Is the Key

That’s quite a list above, but when you call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc., you can rest assured that you are calling a company that has the trained and certified staff to handle all of it and more.

Need air conditioning services in Alexandria? Look no further than the experts at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.

Tags: AC Services, Alexandria
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Is Your AC Ready for Summer?

Friday, March 13th, 2015

It may be hard to think about summer after the snowy, cold winter we’ve had, but spring is just around the corner and summer isn’t far behind. There is nothing more frustrating than turning on your air conditioner on the first hot day of the year only to find that it isn’t working, or is working poorly. But, the experts at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc., have a great solution for that: spring maintenance for your air conditioning system in Arlington, VA. And now is a great time to schedule it!

What Happens During a Maintenance Visit?

Maintenance isn’t a simple check of your air conditioning system; it is a full tune-up, complete with a thorough inspection and testing. Here is a general overview of what happens during a routine maintenance appointment:

Inspection and cleaning of evaporator and condenser coils – dusty, dirty coils can reduce a system’s ability to properly operate, so your technician will inspect them and clean them if needed.
Check of the thermostat – your thermostat is the control center for your air conditioning system, so it’s important to make sure it is in good working order.
Lubrication of moving parts – ball joints and other moving parts need to be properly lubricated in order to work correctly because friction can cause resistance in motors, which can lead to an increase of energy usage and poor operation.
Inspection the condensate array – faulty condensate trays can leak water, and clogged condensate drains can cause overflows and water damage. These items will be inspected during your maintenance appointment to ensure that all is working as it should.
Check of the system’s cycling – multiple checks to ensure that the system cycles properly.
Checking and adjusting the refrigerant level of your central air conditioner – too much or too little refrigerant can adversely affect the heat release/cooling process in your AC, so it’s important to make sure your AC’s refrigerant levels are exactly as they should be.
Check all fans – the condenser and evaporator fans are key components in the heat release/cooling process, and as such, need to be reviewed.
Check of electrical connections – loose connections are tightened, and voltages and currents on motors are measured. Poorly maintained electrical connections can reduce the life of your components.

As you can see, maintenance involves a number of tasks, all designed to make your AC more energy efficient and work optimally.

Get ready for summer this year by calling Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc., and scheduling spring air conditioning system maintenance in Arlington, VA!

Tags: Arlington VA, Spring Air Conditioning System Maintenance
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How Dirty Coils Lead to Air Conditioning Repair

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

Many people are surprised to learn that an air conditioner does not actually create cool air. Rather, it moves the heat from the air in your home back to the outdoors. Your air conditioning system contains two coils that help this to happen—the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. As refrigerant moves to these components, it undergoes phase conversions that allow heat to absorb or dissipate. But these coils, and the rest of your AC system, require cleaning and maintenance to prevent the need for air conditioning repair later on.

Dirty coils are problematic because these parts are so important to the refrigeration cycle. Refrigerant changes from a liquid to a gas at the indoor evaporator coil, absorbing heat as a fan blows the warm air from your home over the coil. The fan then distributes cool air through the ducts. Refrigerant becomes highly pressurized and heated at the compressor outdoors and then moves to the condenser coil, where it condenses into a liquid, giving off heat into the outside air. Refrigerant continues to cycle through both parts of the system, repeating the process over again.

The coils are especially susceptible to dust because fans suck in air to blow over both the indoor and outdoor coils. If a coil is dirty, it means the refrigeration process cannot occur as efficiently as it should. Dirty coils impair their ability to participate in heat exchange, which means that other parts will have to work harder to make up for the deficiency. And as other parts run for longer periods of time, they may begin to wear out, so you’ll have to call for air conditioning repair sooner than is usually necessary. You’ll probably notice reduced cooling capacity when you have dirty coils, or you may even feel warm air from the vents.

Maintenance technicians clean the coils during any maintenance visit as well as other pertinent tasks that help to restore efficiency and keep problems at bay.

Schedule maintenance to prevent the need for air conditioning repair in Washington, D.C. Call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. for maintenance or repairs today!

Tags: Air Conditioning Repair, Washington D.C.
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Why Schedule Commercial Air Conditioning Replacement with a Specialist

Monday, September 8th, 2014

You’ve decided to replace your commercial HVAC unit. This is a great opportunity to save some money every month with a more efficient system and to avoid complaints about a failing, insufficient system from the people in your building. But if you don’t schedule commercial air conditioning replacement with a commercial specialist, your system may run into problems quickly, leaving you with repairs or another costly replacement far too soon.

When you contact an air conditioning technician for commercial repairs, it’s important to ensure that this person is trained specifically on commercial units. If you hire a residential technician who is inexperienced with commercial repairs, you cannot be certain that your unit is sized and installed properly, or that the job will be completed in a timely manner.

For one, you want a specialist who knows how to size your system properly for air conditioning replacement. Commercial air conditioners differ from residential units in that they are modular, meaning you can add or take away modules to adjust the cooling capacity of the unit as needed. Additionally, commercial properties are often much larger than the average home, but an inexperienced technician may be unable to gauge the proper cooling capacity in the first place, leaving you with a system that is too small to cool your business or so large that it runs into problems.

Besides, a commercial specialist will get the job done more quickly than an inexperienced technician. Because commercial technicians are familiar installing modular rooftop units, they’ll come equipped with the proper tools to get the job completed as soon as possible so that your business can return to normal operation as soon as possible. Most commercial units are also “packaged,” meaning all the parts are combined into a single cabinet. Traditional split-system air conditioners are installed in two parts, so an inexperienced technician may not know all of the ins and outs of your commercial system.

Don’t leave your AC replacement up to just any technician.

If you need commercial air conditioning replacement in Alexandria, trust the experts at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. Give us a call!

Tags: Alexandria, Commercial Air Conditioning Replacement
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How Technicians Size a New Air Conditioner for Installation

Monday, August 18th, 2014

Although it may seem logical, the answer isn’t “As large as can fit.” A more powerful an air conditioner doesn’t mean necessarily mean a better air conditioner. Professionals must size a new AC to accommodate a home so that it 1) provides sufficient cooling load for comfort, and 2) works efficiently without energy waste. An air conditioner that is too small will not deliver enough cooling, and one that is too large will start to “short-cycle,” turning on and off rapidly and draining energy.

The process of sizing an air conditioner is a complicated one that requires the professionals to perform a heat load calculation. We’ll explain this process to show you the importance of having AC installation experts on the job.

Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. has more than a dozen years of experience sizing ACs. You can trust us with your air conditioning installation in Washington, DC.

The heat load calculation

A heat load calculation combines information about how a home traps and keeps out heat to determine the cooling load necessary to keep it comfortable. Numerous criteria go into the calculation; here are some of the most important ones:

House volume: Square footage of a home isn’t helpful for determining its cooling needs; it’s the volume of space inside that matters.
Insulation: How well-insulated is the house to keep excess heat from entering? How well-insulated is the attic?
Number of windows and their facing: Windows allow in radiant heat from the sun, so the number of windows in a home and the direction they face is important for understanding how hot the house can get.
Appliances and lights: The calculation takes into account the amount of heat-producing appliances and how much heat they add to a home.
Number of residents: The human body creates a significant amount of heat, so the calculation must include the number of people regularly reside in the house.

Once all this data is collected, the technicians plug them into the calculation and determine how much cooling in tons an air conditioner must supply to overcome the warmth in a house without overworking. This way, they will know the ideal AC to install.

The consequences of putting in an AC that’s the wrong size are extreme, and usually the only solution to the problem is to replace completely the improperly-sized unit.

Make sure this error doesn’t occur with your new air conditioning installation in Washington, DC:

Call on the professionals at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. and let us handle the work, starting with correctly sizing your new AC unit.

Tags: Air Conditioning Installation, Washington DC
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Air Conditioning Repair Question: Is My Compressor Damaged?

Monday, August 4th, 2014

The compressor is one of the most important components of your air conditioning system, but it’s also one of the parts that is most likely to fail when your air conditioner runs into problems. If you believe your compressor is faulty, you may hesitate to call an AC technician for fear of costly repairs. However, it is better to get the problem fixed with professional air conditioning repair soon than to risk irreparable damage.

The compressor is responsible for compressing, or adding pressure to, the refrigerant in its gaseous state. Refrigerant must continuously change from a gas to a liquid and back again in order to absorb and release heat from your home, so the compressor allows this process to begin before it changes to a liquid at the condenser.

Compressor problems may be caused by a number of different issues. In general, the best way to keep your compressor free of damage is by calling a maintenance technician at least once a year to inspect your system. But there are many reasons the compressor fails, and the effects may be sudden.

One of the reasons a compressor may become damaged is if there is a refrigerant leak. The components of your system are designed and sized to hold only a certain level of refrigerant. The compressor in particular suffers when refrigerant levels drop due to leaks or incorrect installation, and it may fail if not enough refrigerant can pass through.

Overheating is another common cause of compressor damage. Overheating may result from electrical damage. In general, however, if any component of your AC is damaged, your compressor has to run longer and work harder to compensate, which could cause it to wear out. Of course, a compressor will also become damaged over time, and may simply fail because it is too old to function.

So how can you tell if the air conditioning problem you’re having is compressor damage or not? This is something you should leave up to the experts. While banging noises, hard starting, and a system that won’t turn on are all good indicators of damage, these can point to other problems as well, and you may only need a small repair.

For air conditioning repair in Arlington, trust the trained and certified technicians at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. Give us a call today!

Tags: Air Conditioning Repair, Arlington
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How to Tell You Need Ductwork Repair

Monday, July 21st, 2014

Ductwork can be easily forgotten because it isn’t very visible, but problems do develop with it. Common ductwork problems can include leaks, holes, cracks, broken seals, pests, debris, and dust and dirt build-up. Clearly, a lot can happen with your air ducts, but just as other parts of your air conditioner will give an indication of developing problems, so, too, does your ductwork in Washington, DC. Here are some of the more common signs our Polar Bear technicians see when it comes to ductwork repair needs:

Issues with airflow – decreased air flow can mean a few things, but if all other possibilities are ruled out (such as low refrigerant or fan problems), it may be time to take a look at your ductwork and see what’s happening. Cracks, holes, broken seals, disconnections and obstructions can all constrict the air flow in your system and ultimately affect your indoor air quality.

Abnormal sounds – rattling, whistling and humming can all indicate that there are loose components or other issues with your ductwork; scratching and scampering sounds can be indicative of pests. All should be inspected to find the root cause.

Higher utility bills – have you noticed a sharp increase in your monthly energy bill but haven’t changed how you’ve been operating your AC? Faulty ductwork can account for up to 30% of air loss, which is a large amount of air to compensate for.

Hot and cold spots – inconsistent temperature can be an indication that air is not delivering evenly throughout your home because of issues with the ductwork.

Increased humidity – cracks, holes and disconnections can allow humidity and moisture into the ductwork, which then gets delivered into your home.

Increased dust – are you seeing more dust in your home than usual? It could be coming directly from the vent work.

Don’t Do Ductwork Repairs Yourself

Ductwork repair is complex and requires the use of certain tools you may not have or may not be familiar with. Instead of trying to repair the ductwork in your Washington DC home yourself, call an expert: Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. We’ve been fabricating, installing and repairing ductwork in the Washington DC area for almost 15 years.

Don’t let your ductwork compromise the operation of your air conditioning system – call Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc., today.

Tags: Ductwork, Washington DC
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