3 Tips for Choosing the Right AC Unit for Your Home
June 22nd, 2021There are many reasons to buy an air conditioner for your home. An air conditioner will keep you cool and comfortable during the tropical heat of the Hawaiian summer. An AC unit also allows you to keep your windows closed, shutting out a lot of the city noise as well as airborne dust and pollen.
If you’re planning on installing a new AC unit or replacing an old one, it’s important to select the right air conditioner for your home – one that keeps the place cool without costing a fortune.
Today, Ken Starr, Owner of Island Comfort Air Conditioning, a leading provider of HVAC products and services on the islands of Oahu and Kauai, offers three tips to help you choose the right AC unit for your house.
1. Decide What Kind of Air Conditioning You Need
There are many factors to consider when deciding what type of air conditioning you need, including:
- What type of house you have
- Your budget
- Energy costs
- How many rooms you want to cool
- The area and ceiling height of each room
- The number of occupants in your home
- Where your home is located
An experienced HVAC technician can help you select an AC unit that fits your air conditioning needs.
2. Select an Air Conditioner Unit that Best Fits Your Needs
Once you’ve determined what your air conditioning needs are, you’ll be able to select the AC unit that best fits your needs and budget. If you live in a small home away from the city, you may only need a window unit to keep your home cool. A larger home or city residence probably needs a central AC system.
It’s important to choose AC units that are the right size for your home. An undersized unit won’t be able to cool a space as well as a larger unit, while an oversized unit may provide a clammy feeling when humidity levels are too high.
It helps to consider the environment in which your home is located. A well-insulated, well-shaded home that’s empty during the day doesn’t need the same type of air conditioner as a home that’s located in direct sunlight and sees a lot of foot traffic.
3. Select an Air Conditioner that Works for Your Energy Budget
Comfort comes at a cost. Homeowners everywhere dread the higher energy bills during the months they run their air conditioner. Utility expenses are an even bigger concern here on the islands, where residents pay some of the highest electric rates in the United States. Working closely with an experienced HVAC technician can help you decide on an AC unit that delivers the cooling comfort you desire at a cost that fits your budget.
Island Comfort Air Conditioning Can Help You Choose the Right AC Unit for Your Home
A new air conditioner is a big investment for a homeowner. You’ll want a unit that suits your budget, is reliable, keeps your home cool, and doesn’t cost too much. Island Comfort Air Conditioning can help.
Contact Island Comfort online or call us at (808) 215-9087 (Kauai) or (808) 215-9091 (Oahu) to schedule an appointment. We’ll dispatch one of our licensed and experienced HVAC technicians to inspect your home, listen to your needs and provide helpful, professional advice on how to best cool your home.
Island Comfort provides expert HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair services to homeowners on the islands of Oahu and Kauai. We’ve installed air conditioning systems in new and older homes all over the two islands. You can depend on us to deliver an AC system that’s perfect for your needs and budget.
Top Causes Behind Bad Air Conditioner Smells in Hawaii
June 1st, 2021As a Hawaiian homeowner, it’s understandable to feel concerned when noticing strange odors coming from your air conditioning system. Depending on the source, these odors could have a serious effect on the health of the people living inside the home. Bad smells can also be a result of mechanical problems with your AC unit.
At Island Comfort, we receive calls all the time from people complaining about unpleasant air conditioner smells. Foul air conditioner odors can have many causes. Therefore, here are some of the most common smells that emerge from an AC duct and why they happen.
It’s Like Living in a Nail Salon
If the unpleasant smell is a chemical odor similar to acetone or nail polish remover, your AC unit may be experiencing a coolant leak. An AC refrigerant leak can be a serious problem. Not only can it affect the efficiency of your air conditioner unit, but it can also be hazardous to your health. Fortunately, it’s a problem that an experienced HVAC technician can easily fix.
Every Room’s a Locker Room
Is your air conditioner starting to make your house smell like dirty socks or a gym locker room? Moldy or mildewy smells are one of the most common bad air conditioner smells. This unpleasant odor is the result of bacteria growing in the stagnant water that often collects within an AC unit.
The Second-Hand Stink of Stale Cigarettes
If someone in your household smokes indoors, or the house’s previous occupants were smokers, the fumes from the smoke are pulled into your AC’s evaporator coil. Furthermore, these smells permeate the coil, causing the smell of stale cigarettes to fill the house. If the smell is really bad, you may need to install a new evaporator.
Dirty Air Filters and Ducts
One common source of foul AC odors is dirty air filters and AC ducts. A foul-smelling AC filter or AC duct could be spreading a lot more than bad smells throughout your house, including dust, mold, pet dander, and other allergens.
Simple maintenance and cleaning, such as changing the air filter along with cleaning and sanitizing the AC ducts, usually eliminate these types of odors. A new filter and clean AC duct can work wonders to improve the air quality within your home.
Unwelcome Guests
Rats, mice, and other pests can cause unpleasant air conditioner smells. If you’ve been experiencing the smell of urine and feces coming from your AC ducts, it could be because you have some uninvited guests using your air ducts as a restroom. If the cause of your problem is rodents living in your HVAC system, call a pest removal service immediately before having the air ducts cleaned.
Keep the Air Inside Your Home Cool, Fresh, and Clean with Island Comfort
Those awful smells coming from your AC unit could be a bigger problem than you think. If your air conditioner is stinking up the place, give Island Comfort a call. In addition to having a big impact on the air quality inside your home, bad air conditioner smells may indicate more serious issues, such as electrical problems or rodent infestation.
Contact Hawaii HVAC company Island Comfort for complete air conditioner installation, maintenance, and heating services as well as attic insulation. We have locations on the islands of Oahu and Kauai. You can reach our Oahu location (in Waipahu) at (808) 215-9091 and our Kauai (in Lihue) at (808) 215-9087.
Island Comfort’s team of highly experienced, licensed, and certified HVAC technicians provide reliable, affordable air conditioner service to homes and businesses. You can depend on Island Comfort to pinpoint the source of the unpleasant odor and take the necessary steps to eliminate the problem.