Control Home Moisture

Most air conditioning units have a condensation-like drip that can cause a moisture buildup in your home. While many people associate this with the grueling, hot summer months, the truth is that this problem can occur year round. With outdoor temperatures consistent with high humidity and even a moderate Fahrenheit measurement, humidity issues can certainly arise indoors.

High humidity is uncomfortable. It can make you feel one of two ways: hot and sticky, or cold and clammy. Not to mention the distinct humid odor. Aside from these un-pleasantries, the humid conditions can actually cause damage to your home, and also to your body. Eye irritations, allergies, headaches and respiratory problems such as asthma. If you've been dealing with some of these humidity problems within your home, you should get in touch with air conditioning repair specialists at Edd Helms. We can help you to map out a dehumidification strategy and strip the moisture from your home, thereby enhancing the quality of your home air.

Renters & Air Conditioning

When you are renting a home or apartment, major utility problems such as a water leak or a broken air conditioning system are the responsibility of your landlord. But do you know valuable information such as a timeline your landlord intends to handle these situations? Here in Florida, living without air conditioning is barely living at all--at least it will feel that way once the unit breaks down.

While your lease should outline basic guidelines for landlord responsibility, sometimes these are not always followed. If you have a tough time getting your landlord to provide the monetary funds to complete repairs for your living space, you should contact a tenant attorney who specializes in tenant rights. Even if your landlord is located out of town or out of the country, they have a responsibility to provide a pleasant and healthy living space to you. You can even suggest to your landlord that they contact South Florida air conditioning specialists Edd Helms to get you up & running on the same day.

The History of the Air Conditioner

Nowadays, we can't imagine battling the summer heat without the reassuring arctic chill of an air conditioning unit. But like most modern developments, people did in fact survive before it was invented. As air conditioning repair experts, we thought we should share some of the beloved air conditioner's history. And as you probably guessed, the original prototype was invented in Florida.

Dr. John Gorrie utilized an ice machine that blew air over a bucket of ice to bring temperatures down in sweltering Apalachicola, Florida hospital rooms with patients suffering from yellow fever. This advance was made in the 1840s! Gorrie was well ahead of his time, predicting that cooler climates would ease illness and soothe patients. His theories fell upon deaf ears, and air conditioning methods were shelved for about fifty years, when Willis Carrier of New York developed an air conditioning system. His invention was intended to cool printers that overheated due to mass printing jobs. The coolant he used was safer than previous models attempted by other inventors, therefore leading to popularity among stores and factories that needed to cool work spaces and machinery.

Today, the air conditioner continues to evolve, as it has since its inception, with concerns now leaning in topics such as energy efficiency and air quality improvements.

Treat Your A/C Well During the Hot Summer Months

Like most major electronics, your air conditioner requires maintenance to run at its best and to avoid outages. Just like your car needs oil changes and rotations, your air conditioning units needs a little attention to perform at its best.

While most of us are familiar with regularly changing the air conditioning filter, there are certainly additional steps you can take to extend the life and temperament of your air conditioning unit. You should also consider blocking your air conditioner from direct sunlight, which will keep the unit from overworking.

The outdoor unit is susceptible to a lot of exterior obstacles, such as weather, plants, and animals. Dirt and debris can blow in and clog passageways, and lizards and bugs can crawl in and block air as well. Debris and grass should be sprayed off the coils, and the water could potentially damage electronics. Ants are also a culprit of damaged air conditioning units.

You should absolutely hire a professional air conditioning repair company to clean out the unit rather than risk potential injury.

Lightning May Cause Air Conditioning Outages

Living in Florida, we are no stranger to rain and thunderstorms. Also, we’re no stranger to cranking the air conditioning to beat the Florida heat. But this year, there’s been an uptick in air conditioning capacitor outages due to the frequent lightning storms, and yours could easily be next.

What is the capacitor? It’s basically the cylinders that get the A/C started up. Typically the capacitor lasts about ten years, but here in Florida, that time frame can get significantly shortened. The common occurrence of lighting, sometimes 5-7 days per week, increases the chances of lighting surging out the capacitors. Unfortunately, as a homeowner or a renter, there isn’t anything you can do to prevent it. You should never try to repair it yourself either, as the air conditioning units typically contain about 22 volts of energy, which could cause significant problems if mishandled.

While you should get your air conditioner checked annually, the capacitor is a separate case in the sense that it can be fine one hour and zapped the next. Talk with your air conditioning repair company to find out the local rates and process for repairing the part.

And before you get too irate with the weather’s impact on your wallet, remember that lightning isn’t the only contributor to a burnt out capacitor—bugs and lizards can also get in the outdoor air conditioning unit and cause a short circuiting.