When outdoor temperatures soar, you may be wondering whether your air conditioning system is up to the task of keeping you cool during the hottest months of the year. If you have an older AC unit, you might be facing a difficult decision: should you repair or replace your air conditioner? In this blog, we'll take a closer look at the costs and benefits of both options to help you make an informed decision.

We all love the refreshing feeling that comes with switching on our air conditioning unit and enjoying a cool breeze in the scorching heat. That’s why nothing is more frustrating and unpleasant than noticing a bad smell coming out of your unit. This unwanted odor can ruin your mood, and if left unchecked, it can become a health hazard.

So why does your air conditioner smell? Below, let’s explore the potential reasons why your AC smells bad and what you can do about it.

Dirty Filter

The air filter is an integral part of your air conditioning system, and without it, your AC unit can’t perform efficiently. The filter protects your indoor air from harmful pollutants. However, it’s important to know that this filter needs to be swapped out on a routine basis — or else it will become clogged and dirty.

So, why does your air conditioner smell bad when the filter becomes dirty? Over time, the filter will become filled with dirt, dust, and various other types of unpleasant debris. When this happens, your AC system will emit an unwelcome odor.

Although this can be why your AC smells bad, there are many other reasons to replace your air conditioner’s filter regularly. Let’s take a look at why such a simple maintenance task is so important:

Replacing your AC filter is a DIY project that you can do yourself. However, it’s also worth mentioning that you can call an HVAC technician to handle the replacement.

Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew are known to flourish in moist areas, and if you have a blocked condensate line, the chances are that your air conditioning system will struggle to dehumidify the air in your home adequately. When the evaporator coil fails to absorb excess humidity, this creates the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. The presence of mold and mildew in your air conditioning unit smells a lot like dirty socks.

If you notice that your AC smells bad and you think mold is to blame, it's critical to get your air conditioning system checked by a technician. A professional will inspect your unit, clean it, and eliminate any mold or mildew growth, preventing health hazards from affecting your loved ones.

Dead Animal

A dead animal stuck in your air duct or indoor unit can emit an unpleasant smell that may fill your home. Ductwork and the indoor unit are favorite spots for birds, rats, squirrels, and mice to build nests and reproduce.

If your air conditioning unit gives off a smell that smells like something died inside, it's essential to contact an experienced technician right away. The professional will check for dead animals and remove them if necessary.

Refrigerant Leak

Refrigerant leaks can be frustrating to deal with for several reasons — including the smell it emits. So, why does your air conditioner smell when there’s leaking refrigerant? In this situation, the smell that comes from your air conditioning unit is usually similar to nail polish remover.

It’s also crucial to mention that a refrigerant leak can be extremely hazardous to your health and can affect the environment, so don’t hesitate to call a technician to inspect your AC unit. Fortunately, this is where Trio Heating and Air can help. Whether you need a quick repair or complete AC installation in The Greater San Francisco Bay Area, you can trust us to provide you with the perfect solution in a quick and safe manner.

Schedule Your AC Services With the Experts

Why does your air conditioner smell all of a sudden? As you can see, that question isn’t always easy to answer. There can be many reasons why your AC smells bad, from dirty components to major leaks. Unfortunately, ignoring these foul odors can often lead to bigger and costlier problems later on.

Don't wait to call the experts at Trio Heating and Air when you notice something out of the ordinary with your AC unit. Whether you need a comprehensive repair or an AC tune-up, we’re always here to help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment in The Greater San Francisco Bay Area, CA!

What Are Heating and Cooling Systems?

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ( HVAC) systems are designed to meet the environmental comfort of people in their homes, offices, industrial complexes, etc.

HVAC systems are widely used in different types of buildings, such as industrial, commercial, residential, and institutional buildings.

An efficient HVAC system aims to provide thermal control and indoor comfort based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.

Depending on the outside air, the outdoor air is sucked into the buildings and either heated or cooled before it is circulated to the occupied places. And then it is exhausted to the ambient air or reused in the heating and cooling system.

People who live in a hot or cold environment may require a single-stage system that aims to produce just heating or cooling. They seem to be inexpensive, but they are also rather inefficient and will typically work at capacity even when not required.

HVAC systems can also be designed to provide humidity control, and both humidifiers and dehumidifiers can be added as options for heating and cooling systems.

People who live in extremely dry or tropical environments find these additions to the system important. Therefore, some customers prefer the installation of a separate humidifier or dehumidifier systems so that they can manage the humidity of their environment.

On the other hand, zoned systems are built to heat or cool individual parts of your house. This is achieved by designing zone valves and valves within vents and ductwork that selectively obstruct the flow of air.

This is of immense significance for people with larger properties as it prevents the system from heating or cooling areas in the home that are not in use. Hence, it also saves us energy consumption and reduces billing costs.

Local heating and cooling systems are often located within or adjacent to living spaces and represent a single location. These consist of local heating systems, local air-conditioning systems, local ventilation systems, and separate systems.

The central systems have ducted systems built mainly for cooling the space and have the capability of providing multi-zone temperature control through the use of air-louver-control boxes.

This is good for spaces that are used occasionally and can be 'switched off' when no one uses space to save on costs.

Trio Heating and Air has a team of efficient electricians and engineers to carefully design the heating and cooling system, depending on the type of property.

We can help you decide which system is right for you and that too at extremely competitive market rates.

So you can rely on us for commercial, residential or industrial HVAC system installation and reparation and you won't be disappointed. All you need to do is give us a call and we will dispatch our team right away.

Most people have a strict maintenance schedule that they abide by in order to keep their home clean and keep their property maintained.

However, despite the utmost care, they may ignore to take care of one important thing. And that is the furnace.

If you have got a furnace, it should be part of your regular maintenance. Furnace cleaning is essential all year round, but it is particularly important before the winter.

Although your furnace works to heat your house, it ends up taking on a lot of troublesome particles.

An average furnace is a magnet for dust, dirt, and other microscopic particles and debris. If you don't keep your furnace clean, you can spread harmful debris around your home.

This can cause a number of health issues. You may find yourself more prone to colds and other viruses and germs.

Microscopic residues can easily cause inflammation of the lungs that are already sensitive to the environment. Moreover, dust, dirt, or debris can easily cause asthma or allergy attack.

Unclean furnace generally reduces indoor air quality, and poor indoor air quality can harm you even if you have no allergies or other health problems.

Apart from health problems, neglecting furnace cleaning may have an impact on its performance. If it's not cleaned properly, you can find that your furnace doesn't heat your home evenly or as effectively as it did in the past.

Now that you know it is important to clean the furnace, you are probably curious about the best times to clean the furnace.

Unlike other parts of your house, your furnace does not require weekly or monthly cleaning. The best time to clean your furnace is before and after the winter.

To keep your furnace in good working order, it's necessary to have it cleaned regularly.

What Is The Approximate Furnace Cleaning Cost?

National average furnace cleaning costs range from $60 to $80, although prices may vary greatly depending on where you live in the country and what your furnace maintenance includes.

Every HVAC company may have different rates for different levels of furnace maintenance.

However, note that residential furnace cleaning costs less than commercial. While you might pay $20 to $40 per vent for residential work, commercial projects come in at least 30% higher and at least $35 to $50 per hour.

Since businesses vary, you will need to get a quote to know exactly how much you will have to pay.

Commercial projects almost always have custom some ductwork. So they typically are much larger and harder to clean than residential ducts.

Therefore, they have much larger furnaces, blowers, and AC units that increases the furnace cleaning costs.

At Trio Heating and Air USA, we offer the best quality service at competitive furnace cleaning costs.

Just give us a call and we will dispatch an expert quality control team to verify that your system is running optimally. We will also explain you the thermostat settings, go over the warranty information with you, and answer any questions you may have.

Did you know that annually, a home collects almost 40lbs of dust, allergens, and dirt on average? Whenever you turn on the air conditioner in your room, all the sediments of dust particles start circulating across the home, leading to respiratory diseases such as asthma.

These particles of dust get stored in the ventilation system, which blocks the ductwork. Hence, such a build-up in the airways can cause restricted airflow causing the system to work harder and consume more energy.

The ductwork installed in your house is hidden because the air conditioners draw air in from outside to cool, which makes it easier for contaminants to make their way in.

Since the ductwork is not visible, you need to look for these signs to know if the air conditioning duct needs cleaning.

Hints That Indicate Your Air Conditioner System Requires Air Conditioning Duct Cleaning:

1. Mold in the air conditioner system:

Your air conditioning system needs a good air conditioning duct cleaning and service on a regular basis. In fact, most manufacturers and HVAC service experts advise the scheduling of at least two visits per year.

Both HVAC systems and furnaces can develop condensation. Therefore, mold growth is a possibility, especially if you live in a humid climate.

The mold found on the air conditioner system or furnace does not give guarantee that your ductwork has been affected, but it certainly increases the chances. An air duct cleaning technician will carefully clean your home's HVAC system and ductwork to eliminate the mold and prevent it from returning.

2. Your house had a renovation recently

Construction is a messy process, and it spreads a lot of dust and debris even if the constructors are careful about it and do a proper cleaning.

The surfaces might look tidy and clean, but the fine dirt particles always find their way to the air ducts and settle in.

Therefore, it is essential to get air conditioning duct cleaning.

3. You have a dusty home

If you live in a polluted area, your house will be dusty even if you clean often. If you see the surfaces of furniture in your house covered with dust just after you finished cleaning, then it means you need the ductwork cleaned as well.

4. You notice the increased heating or cooling bills

The heating and cooling costs are expected to be relatively predictable from year to year. However, if you get an electricity bill that is prominently high, or if you observe at your records and notice that your utility bills are much higher now than they were a year ago, the ductwork of your home might be the cause.

Therefore, get the air conditioning duct cleaning service from Trio Heating and Air USA. We provide the best quality service at affordable rates.

Our team consists of professional experts who clean the ducts and remove all the particles even microscopic. So you can rely on us.

A global pandemic has gripped the world, and it is during these times that it has become essential for everyone to practice the highest possible amount of hygiene. Finding helping staff has also become difficult during these times, and many businesses have shut down in light of the current situation.

Research has shown that the covid-19 virus is airborne and can be transmitted via air as well. Therefore it is essential to purify the air around you too by getting your air ducts cleaned. There are a lot of air duct cleaning service providers. Still, it is naturally difficult to find air duct service providers that follow the proper hygiene practices and take the necessary safety precautions.

How Does Air Duct Cleaning Work?

Air duct cleaning involves the use of heavy equipment and trained professionals. It is not something that anyone can do at home. Most air duct cleaners are licensed and insured, and ideally, when you're looking for an air duct cleaner, you should check whether or not he has the qualifications and the licensing for the job.

An ideal air duct cleaner would be one that lives near you and also one that has the relevant licenses and qualifications to be able to do the job. An unlicensed cleaner without insurance might be affordable, but there is a high chance that he will end up doing more harm than good. And there is always the risk that you might face a lawsuit if the cleaner gets injured on the job.

With insured duct cleaners, there are no risks of lawsuits because the insurance company bears the cost of damages.

For regularly scheduled duct cleaning duct cleaners will first visit your place and carry out an inspection after which they will give you a cost estimate. The cost estimate includes the breakdown of all the services required and will also cover repair costs; at this point, you can check and choose the work you want to get done on your air ducts.

Most cleaners use imaging devices and high powered vacuums to remove all the dust and dirt from your air ducts. Duct cleaners will cut off your air ducts from specific points throughout the house and attach vacuums to both ends; the spaces are high powered and will be able to take in most of the dirt and grime.

After this, the duct cleaners will use imaging devices to check whether or not the ducts have been cleaned properly. If there is still any existence of dirt, bacteria or mould, then the cleaners will try to clean it again by using chemicals or by using tools to dislodge the mould.

Once all of this is done then, the duct cleaners will reseal the area properly making sure that no dust can escape from the sides and move on to another region of the house.

Professional duct cleaners will also make provisions and take safety precautions to ensure that your furnishing is not damaged in the process. Unprofessional duct cleaners might end up not being able to reseal the ducts properly, and they might end up damaging your furnishings as well, which will end up doing more harm than good.

Air Duct Cleaning Near Me

If you're looking for the right air duct service provider near you, then you should try our services. We take all the necessary precautions to make sure that there are minimal chances for the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 on our account.

Our staff is adequately briefed on the safety precautions they need to take while working on site. For us, the safety of our clients and our crew is essential, and we provide our team with proper protective gear and sanitizing equipment to ensure that they can do their job without risking their lives to this virus.

We at pacific air USA aim to serve you in times of this global crisis and even have launched discounts to facilitate our clients. We try our level best to sanitize everything and take the necessary safety precautions to make sure that we do not transfer the virus or become a medium for its spread.