Posts Tagged ‘Germantown’

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How to Minimize Air Conditioning Repair in North Potomac, MD

Monday, May 13th, 2013

If your air conditioning system seems to need repair or professional service often, then you may be looking for ways to minimize repair needs as we enter the cooling season. The more you use your AC, the more subject it is to general wear and tear, and any festering issues may come to light when you need your AC most. In this post, we’d like to run through some ways you can minimize air conditioning repair in North Potomac, MD. Call Tucker’s Air Conditioning & Heating today for comprehensive services.

  • Homeowner maintenance: Your AC is a complex machine with overlapping electrical, and mechanical systems, as well as various components that need to be kept clean. One of the primary ways your system stays clean is the air filter. The air filter is designed to prevent the accumulation of dust and debris on sensitive mechanical components as well as the coils. But when it becomes dirty or clogged, it can actually begin to disrupt the refrigerant cycle by causing the evaporator coil to freeze over and other related airflow issues. 
  • Professional maintenance: The majority of maintenance tasks should be handled by an AC professional. When you schedule routine maintenance, you allow your system to be inspected, cleaned, and tuned-up by trained technicians who can spot problems that are developing, and prevent the need for repairs with thorough cleaning and adjustments. It will also help to upkeep your energy efficiency and cooling performance.
  • Too many repairs? Consider replacement if you seem to need repairs almost constantly to keep your AC running. This is especially important if your AC is old. After all, you don’t want to keep propping an obsolete system when you could save money on repairs and invest in the future of your comfort with a new one.

Call Tucker’s Air Conditioning & Heating today for comprehensive air conditioning repair services in North Potomac, MD.

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Gaithersburg, MD Air Conditioning Repair: Causes of Strange Sounds

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Modern air conditioning systems have come a long way in recent years. With a new, high-quality air conditioning system, paired with a professional installation, you can expect a very dependable and efficient cooling performance. Of course, no mechanical system is perfect, and even the best air conditioners on the market are susceptible to occasional problems. The sooner any issues with your air conditioner are resolved, the less severe any damages are likely to be.

One indicator that you may need the services of a air conditioning repair technician is the development of strange sounds during operation of your system. Not all strange sounds will necessarily be the result of a serious problem, but any irregularities with your air conditioner should be inspected by a qualified professional. Here are some possible causes of strange air conditioning sounds from the experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating.

A chirping noise coming from your air conditioner during operation may be the result of dry bearings or a worn out belt. These are very minor problems, but ignoring even the smallest issues with your air conditioning system will only allow problems to worsen. If this chirping noise continues throughout operation, contact you local Gaithersburg air conditioning repair technician to have the problem resolved.

If you hear a rattling noise coming from your AC, it is very possible that some component of the system has come loose. A panel on the system may not be secured properly, or a belt or fan within the system may have loosened up during operation. This rattling may also be the result of a bent fan blade. Again, the longer you force these components to operate in a compromised condition, the more likely it becomes that they will be seriously damaged.

If you hear a knocking coming from your air conditioner you may have a more immediate problem, such as a sticking valve or a worn out compressor. Contact your AC repair technician immediately.

For more information about air conditioning noises, call the Gaithersburg air conditioning repair technicians at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating. We have the answers to all your questions.

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Gaithersburg, MD Air Conditioning Tip: Why You Shouldn’t Put Off AC Repair

Monday, March 25th, 2013

It’s starting to get hot in Gaithersburg, MD and that means homeowners throughout the area are beginning to inspect, clean and turn on their air conditioners. After all, it’s important to sort out any issues now before they become major repairs. Prevention is always the best medicine, but occasionally your AC will need repair, no matter how diligent you are about keeping it clean. Spring is a great time to take care of any such AC repairs, and doing so now may help prevent a breakdown in August. For AC repair in Gaithersburg, MD, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today!

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of AC repair:

  • System preservation. Repairing even small faults now can go a long way towards maintaining the life of your cooling system. Whether your system is 3 or 13 years old, it will eventually develop issues. While preventive maintenance can help you avoid some of the most common problems, your AC is a mechanical system, like any other. Make sure it lasts.
  • Energy-efficiency. Unless the problem completely shuts your AC down, some homeowners are content to let a few small issues handle themselves. The logic is that so long as your AC runs, what’s the problem? Unfortunately, sometimes that means you may be paying for more energy than you’re actually using. If there is an airflow, mechanical fault, or leak, then you may be paying too much to run your AC. During the peak heat of the summer, when our energy expenditures are also at their peak, that repair may have paid for itself.
  • Comfort. Maybe this is the most convincing reason for AC repair. With the sun high in the sky during late July, the last thing you want your AC to do is quit. But if you delay that lurking AC repair another few months, then you may be facing a major breakdown when you need cool air the most.

Making sure your AC is performing efficiently and effectively improves system life, cuts down on energy costs and secures your home comfort. For comprehensive AC repair in Gaithersburg, MD, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating today!

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How Do Ductless Mini Split Systems Work? A Bethesda, MD Heating Question

Monday, February 11th, 2013

Ductless mini split systems are a great option for homeowners comfortable and efficient heating for their home. While some homeowners have already started to take advantage of them, some people may not know how they provide heating. At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, we offer complete ductless mini split system repairs and maintenance in Bethesda, MD. We wanted to clarify exactly how these amazing systems provide heating for your home.

Traditional Heating Systems

Furnaces and boilers are two of the most common heating systems in the country. They offer comfortable heat for homeowners and are also fairly cheap to repair. However, they produce heat by burning fuel. Burning fuel in your home can be dangerous: not only is there risk of fire but there is also the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ductless Mini Split Systems

Unlike other traditional heating systems, ductless mini split systems don’t burn fuel to create heat. Instead, they just move heat from one place to another. Ductless mini split systems have individual units mounted on the wall in each room. These units circulate the air in the rooms and heat or cool it. It does this by pulling air into the unit and passing it over a series of evaporator coils that are filled with refrigerant.

The “split” part of their name comes from them being connected to an outdoor condensing unit. This condensing unit is responsible for collecting the heat that will go into your home. In heating mode, heat from the outside air is absorbed by a series of coils in the outside unit. The newly heated refrigerant circles back into your home where the evaporator coils in the room units allow the heat to be distributed into your home.

If you’re interested learning more about ductless mini split systems in Bethesda, MD, call Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating. We provide complete ductless mini split installation and repairs throughout the Bethesda, MD area.

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Why Consider Geothermal Heating?

Monday, January 7th, 2013

As energy costs continue to rise and the green movement continues to pick up momentum, many homeowners are looking for more efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly home heating options. Before you make any decisions about a new heating system for your home, call Tucker’s Air Conditioning & Heating. We have some information about geothermal heating and cooling systems that you may want to consider. There are a lot of benefits that come with this type of heating system, and we can help you decide if a geothermal heating system installation is right for your home and personal heating habits.

A geothermal system, like other heat pumps, does not consume energy in order to heat your home. Rather, it will use just a small amount of electricity in order to transfer existing heat, allowing it to heat your home in a sustainable way as well as cooling it with a simple reversal of the operation. The elimination of the need for fuel consumption greatly reduces the amount of energy your system will use, in turn greatly reducing the amount of money it takes to keep your home comfortable throughout the heating season.

Geothermal heating systems are also very durable and boast long, efficient lifespans. A geothermal loop system is buried beneath the ground surrounding your home or submerged under water on your property. It is from here that heat is gathered as an antifreeze solution or, in some cases, water itself circulates throughout the loop system. The underground loop system will last you decades, and the heat pump itself has fewer moving parts than many other heaters, cutting down on wear and tear.

The fact that geothermal heating and cooling systems rely on heat beneath the ground or under water also makes them more predictable and dependable than other heat pumps, such as those drawing heat from the air. This is because the temperature beneath the ground or water is much less susceptible to fluctuations than the air is. This makes the geothermal heating option more versatile and reliable in harsher climates.

For more information about why you may want to consider a geothermal heating system on your property, contact Tucker’s Air Conditioning & Heating today at 301-670-0034. We have all the information you need. Call us to discover if a geothermal heating system is right for your home.

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What to Consider Before Scheduling a Heater Installation

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Having a good heating system here in Gaithersburg is absolutely critical during the winters. We all love to go outside and play in the snow, but eventually we all want to go back inside to a warm home. When you decide to get a new heating system installed, there are a lot of things to consider before you move forward. At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, we’ve been helping our customers in the Gaithersburg area with their heating installations for many years. We thought it would be helpful if we put together some of the most important things to consider before having your new system installed.

Size of the System

No matter what kind of heating system you’re getting installed, picking the right sized unit is crucial to the success of your system. We get calls for service all the time to homes where the furnace too big for the home. Here are some of the problems that can result from a heating system being the wrong size for the house.

  • Short cycling – This happens when your heating system turns on, quickly heats up your home and then shuts off. A short time later when your house has cooled down, the system turns back on and then off again. Not only does this greatly reduce the efficiency of your system, it also causes more wear and tear on it.
  • Uneven heating – When you have a heating system that is too big or too small, it can cause certain parts of your home to be too warm while other parts of the house are still cold.
  • Reduced efficiency – While short cycling can cause reduced efficiency, the size of the ducts in your home also play a part in reducing the efficiency. If your home’s ducts don’t match the size of the system, your heater will have to work harder to push the air through them.

Efficiency Rating

This can be a confusing part of the process for many homeowners. There are a lot of different efficiency ratings and it can be hard to figure out what they mean. Here are a couple of the most common ones:

  • Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) – The AFUE rating measures how much of the fuel consumed is converted into useable heat. Many old furnaces have an AFUE rating of 60% which means that they waste about 40% of the fuel. New furnaces can have an AFUE rating of up to 95% and higher.
  • Heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) – This is typically used to measure the efficiency of heat pumps in heating mode. It measures the total heat output over a heating season divided by how much energy it used.

If you need professional heating installation services in Gaithersburg, contact Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating. We have experience working with all types and brands of heating systems. A good installation is one of the best ways to make sure that your heating system works well for many years to come. Call us today!

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5 Benefits of Heating Maintenance That You’re Missing Out On

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Think about how your car would run if you didn’t get the oil changed regularly. Now imagine how the heating system in your home will run without maintenance. Regular tune-ups and maintenance are a great way to positively impact the heating system in your home. To show just how beneficial regular maintenance can be, we’ve put together 5 benefits that you might be missing out on without it.

Reduced Repair Costs

One of the main benefits of regular maintenance is that it can potentially reduce the amount of repairs that are needed for your heating system. When you have a professional heating technician looking over your equipment on a regular basis, they can find small problems before they turn into larger, more expensive repairs.

Improved Efficiency

Over time, the efficiency of your heating system will start to deteriorate. This is just a natural part of life. Moving parts start to wear down and they cause the system to have to work harder to accomplish tasks. Regular heating maintenance is a good option for slowing that process down. During their maintenance visits, the technician will lubricate moving parts, replace worn belts and generally perform upkeep on the system. This may be able to improve the efficiency of the system.

Extended Life

Another benefit of regular maintenance is the potential to extend the life of your heating equipment. Your professional heating technician will be able to catch small problems before they can destroy your system completely. This reduces the chances that catastrophic issues will develop.

Safety

In some cases, regular maintenance might be able to improve the safety in your home. Some problems that develop with your heating system, particularly those systems that burn fuel, can be threatening to your health and your home. For example, if you have a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger, it might be leaking carbon monoxide into your home. This problem is very difficult to detect. But with regular maintenance, your professional technician will most likely be able to identify the symptoms and propose a solution.

Greater Comfort

With regular maintenance your heating system will probably work better. This will most likely result in a greater level of comfort in your home due to the proper operation of your heating system.

If you have any questions about the heating system in your home in Bethesda or the surrounding areas, contact the experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating. We’ve been providing comprehensive heating installation, repair and maintenance services in the Bethesda area for many years. Call us today!

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Can Geothermal Systems Reduce Humidity? A Question from Gaithersburg

Monday, November 5th, 2012

Geothermal heating systems are a great way to heat and cool your home dependably in a very ecofriendly way. In addition to transferring ambient heat from the ground or water on your property for use in your house, geothermal systems are also effective at reducing humidity levels in your home. At Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating we know that great temperature control is only part of the recipe to keep your home as comfortable as possible. The quality of the air in your home is just as important, and high levels of humidity create uncomfortable living conditions and reduce indoor air quality. If you are thinking about the installation of a new heating and cooling system and are also concerned about humidity levels in your home call the experts at Tuckers. We’ll help you decide if a geothermal heating and cooling system is right for you.

Problems Caused by High Humidity Levels

A little extra moisture in the air inside your home may not sound like that big a deal, but in fact excess humidity can cause some problems. In addition to uncomfortable, clammy air, high humidity levels can promote the growth of bacteria that thrive in damp environments. Too much moisture in the air can damage moldings and any wooden furniture or floors. You may also notice that the paint or wallpaper in your home is peeling away from the walls. Too much moisture can cause affect the adhesion of the paint and wallpaper to the walls, causing the separation. Even conditions that seem like minor annoyances, such as condensation on your windows, can cause damage as the water pools at the bottom of the window.

How Geothermal Heat Pump Systems Help

Geothermal systems keep humidity levels in the comfortable zone between 30-50%. High levels of moisture are removed from the air in your home, and it is condensed into a liquid and drained by the geothermal heat pump. This lowers the relative humidity level inside and helps prevents the problems that humidity can lead to discussed above. In fact, geothermal heat pumps generally do a better job at lowering indoor humidity levels than traditional air conditioning systems. They accomplish this by providing your home with very constant air conditioning performance and maintaining more level temperatures throughout the day.

If you have any other questions about the installation or operation of geothermal heating and cooling systems call the experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating at 301-670-0034. We’d be happy to answer any questions that you may have. We serve Gaithersburg, Germantown, and the surrounding areas.

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Geothermal Installation Steps

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Geothermal heating and air conditioning systems are starting to gain traction here in Gaithersburg. In addition to energy savings and environmental benefits, geothermal systems are also know for their durability.  But what are the actual steps to installing one of these systems? Conceptually, a geothermal system is not much different than a traditional central air conditioning system: it uses a pump to move refrigerant through a series of coils. But while most central AC systems use the outdoor air, a geothermal system uses the energy stored in the ground to provide both heating and cooling. Below we outline the installation steps that allow a geothermal system to do that.

Do you have the space?

With a geothermal system, a series of pipes need to be buried in the ground. When you contact your local geothermal specialist, this will most likely be their first order of business. The size of your house and your heating and cooling needs will determine how much piping will be necessary.

Vertical vs. Horizontal

You have the ground space required for a geothermal system, then you’ll need to start drilling and digging. The series of pipes can be laid out horizontally in the ground or they can be dug deeper into the ground and installed horizontally. The type of soil on your property and your space constrictions will determine which method your contractor uses.

The Heat Pump

At the heart of your geothermal system is a heat pump that will be extracting the heat from the refrigerant being pumped through the coils. The heat pump will blow air over a heat exchanger and then your ducts will carry the air through your home. Heat pumps are normally pretty compact and will most likely be placed in your basement or storage area. Your contractor will be able to recommend which brand or model of heat pump you should choose for your specific application.

Supplemental Equipment

A geothermal system works because of the temperature difference between the air in your home and the temperature of the ground. While the temperature in the ground remains relatively constant (around 55° F all year long) the temperature in your home can vary. If you live in an area with extreme cold or hot temperatures, your geothermal system might need some help to heat or cool your home. If this is the case for you, your contractor may recommend the installation of additional heating or cooling equipment to supplement the work of the geothermal loop.

If you’re curious about geothermal systems and would like more information about our geothermal services in Gaithersburg, then contact Tuckers Air Conditioning Geothermal heating and air conditioning systems are starting to gain traction here in Gaithersburg. In addition to energy savings and environmental benefits, geothermal systems are also know for their durability.& Heating today!

 

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Common Geothermal Heat Pump Repairs in Gaithersburg

Monday, October 8th, 2012

With a professional installation and routine maintenance geothermal heat pump systems are a great, efficient way to heat and cool your home. Like any other home comfort system, though, maintenance does not eliminate the need for the occasional repair. While maintenance can help to keep the need for repair service infrequent, minimally invasive and affordable, the fact of the matter is that your geothermal system will probably require some level of repair service during its lifespan. If you operate a geothermal heat pump system in Gaithersburg, it’s best to understand some of the more common repairs that geothermal heat pumps need.

  • Poor Installation – It is important that your heat pump is installed by qualified, professional technicians. If you have a new heat pump that is underperforming and cannot provide adequate heat the problem is not necessarily with the pump itself. The buried loop system may have been poorly designed and/or installed, causing the heat pump to function less effectively and efficiently than it should. A slinky installation, for instance, where the pipes are coiled to save space, can potentially absorb too much heat from too small an area. This makes it hard for the ground temperature to recover and forces your heating system to rely more heavily on an electrical backup, reducing efficiency. Make sure your installation is done right the first time.
  • Poor Air Flow – Like any forced air system, a geothermal heat pump using ductwork can suffer from poor air flow or distribution. There are a few potential causes for this problem ranging in seriousness. If you notice decreased airflow from your geothermal system check your air filters before taking any further action. If dirt and debris has collected on the filter to the point that air is encountering too much resistance to pass through simply replacing the filters may be all that is necessary to resolve the problem. If your filters are fine or if the problem remains after replacing the filters, call a professional technician. You may have faulty or damaged ductwork. Air leaks are a big problem with ductwork, and a professional duct repair technician can fix the issue and improve the efficiency and airflow of your system.
  • Breaker Trips During Operation – Tripping a circuit breaker here and there does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your heat pump or electrical system, but if it happens with any regularity you should consult a professional technician. There are a number of possible causes for this problem, from bad wiring to faulty connectors or even a compromised capacitor. Whatever the issue it is important that any maintenance and repairs on the geothermal system itself or your home electrical system are handled by professionals.

These are just a few examples of potential problems you may experience with your geothermal heat pump system. If you have a problem that we have not addressed or have any further questions about the geothermal system in your Gaithersburg home feel free to contact the professionals at Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating at 301-670-0034. We’re always happy to help.

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