Cold Front Hits Gainesville: How Our HVAC Company Can Help
With freeze warnings in effect, winter is in full swing in Gainesville, Florida. On Saturday, Alachua County residents went outside to see snow flurries falling from the sky, and witnessed temperatures as low as 20 degrees. To make matters worse, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Monday, signaling six more weeks of winter. Showing no sign of letting up, the winter remains frigid.
With lows in the 30s and 40s as February begins, heating problems are especially prevalent, and can become dangerous if not addressed properly, leaving your family and pets at risk. The colder it gets, the harder your heating components work, leading to increased strain on your home’s HVAC systems.
To ensure your safety this winter, LIBERTYAIR Air Conditioning & Heating is here to help. Serving Gainesville, FL, and its surrounding areas, we’ll have your heating emergencies taken care of in a jiffy!
Typical Heating Failures In Gainesville, FL, This Winter
Heat Pump Issues
Heating pumps act like an air conditioner, but in reverse. Heat pumps extract heat energy from the cold outside air to heat the inside of your home. In the winter, heating pumps work overtime, consistently repeating the process to continually heat your space. Oddly enough, heat pumps sometimes malfunction because they aren’t used enough, especially in Florida where use is sporadic.
Because these systems are pushed to the back burner for most of the year, leaks occur, but go unnoticed until you turn on your heat in the midst of winter. When the “heat” mode is used on your thermostat, the indoor and outdoor coils reverse rolls, making low refrigerant a serious hurdle. Because the outdoor coil has less heat to work with from the cold outside air, there is less energy to work with, leading to unproductive or weak heating.
Air Not Heating
It has happened to all of us. We set our temperature to heat, and cold air blows out of our vents. During winter this is especially annoying, as your home quickly turns into an ice box when you need heat the most. Reverse values get stuck, causing issues when trying to switch modes from cooling to heat or vice versa. A common issue in winter, cool air is pushed through the vents, likely caused by a broken/loose fan belt, broken gas igniter, or a pilot light malfunction.
Regardless of if your heating system is natural gas or electric, our professional technicians are trained to assist North Central Florida residents.
Frozen Or Backed Up Filters/Coils
When maintenance is neglected in the offseason, filters become clogged and backed up, leading to poor heating. Coils responsible for heating your home become frozen, leading to blocked airflow and reduced efficiency.
Frozen outside HVAC elements are easily noticeable, but occur within the unit itself, prompting deeper dilemmas. For Florida residents, HVAC units see all sorts of buildup: pollen in the spring, bugs in the summer, leaves in the fall. Without proper attention and maintenance, these elements build up inside your unit, only to be further complicated when ice and swinging temperatures are factored in.
Defrosting Complications
To eliminate any frozen or backed up coils, defrosting is necessary to keep your heating systems in check. Excessive frost accumulation blocks the system from defrosting correctly, throwing off timers in the system that cause the defrost setting to enact when it shouldn’t. This leads to inadequate heating, as the system is putting energy into a process that is unnecessary.
A typical defrost cycle lasts 5-15 minutes. If you notice your unit is defrosting more, less, or not at all, it signals a further heating headache.
Have A Heating Emergency? Contact LIBERTYAIR Air Conditioning & Heating Today!
Dealing with a frozen coil, heat pump problems, defrosting difficulties or other heating issues? Don’t fret! Our Gainesville, FL, heating repair experts are here to ensure your family stays warm and comfortable this winter. With a team of technicians available Monday-Saturday 7AM-10PM to take care of all your HVAC needs, contact us today to schedule emergency heating repair services.