Modern ACs are a truly wonderful invention. They’re extremely reliable, provide unparalleled comfort during spring, summer, and even winter, and cost far less than equivalent models used to cost 20 or 30 years ago.

However, no machine lasts forever, and air conditioners are no exception. Eventually, normal wear and dirt buildup will cause your AC to malfunction in some way, or become inefficient to the point where keeping it is no longer financially viable. 

But how can you tell when it’s time to replace your air conditioner? What are some telltale signs of an AC at the end of its life? How much does AC replacement cost in Chandler, Arizona? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions. 

What are the signs of a failing air conditioner?

According to the US Department of Energy, the average life expectancy for a central air conditioning system is between 10 and 15 years, assuming they receive annual servicing and are properly prepared for the current season. 

If your AC is 15 years old or older, it may be a good idea to replace it even if it isn’t obviously faulty, simply because newer models offer superior features and increased energy efficiently even during the winter months. 

Here are 5 signs you should replace your AC:

1. Your current AC uses R-22 Freon

The federal government has phased out the production of Freon at the start of 2020. While this popular refrigerant can still be added to your air conditioning system if necessary, it’s simply not worth the high price tag. For this reason, it’s more cost-effective to simply switch to a different cooling system.

2. Your air conditioner is constantly breaking down

Old ACs are similar to old cars in that they tend to malfunction frequently and require frequent repairs. If your AC has gotten to this stage, it’s probably better for your wallet to replace it rather than to keep wasting time and money on repairs. 

3. It’s not doing its job

If you’re not getting cold or warm air when you turn on the cooling or heating mode on your AC, or the cooling just isn’t as effective as it used to be, you may be dealing with faulty wiring or even refrigerant leaks. Call a licensed HVAC technician to check the unit and advise you whether you should repair or replace it.

4. There’s moisture around your AC

Seeing some condensation around your indoor AC unit is normal. However, if you spot water stains on the walls or puddles under the air conditioner, your condensate line may be faulty. This can usually be repaired by an experienced technician, but not always. If it’s the latter, you’ll have to get a new AC.

5. Bad or otherwise unusual odors

An indoor AC unit should never give off unpleasant odors. If this is the case with your air conditioner, you’re probably dealing with severe underlying issues and potentially very expensive repairs, to the point where it’s better to just purchase a new unit.

Where can I get a first-rate AC replacement at an affordable cost?

Picture the following scenario: you’ve just enjoyed a hot summer afternoon at the Hamilton Aquatic Center with your loved ones. You arrive home, eager to cool down after spending hours in the heat, only to discover that your AC has suddenly died or is unable to cool your home properly. 

A frustrating situation, right? Here at Hughes Air, we’d like to make sure you never experience anything like it by providing you with the very finest HVAC repair, maintenance, and installation services in Chandler, Arizona. Contact us today.

With the sizzling summer months almost upon us, it’s almost time to keep the air conditioner running all day and all night. But have you ever wondered whether it is safe to sleep with your AC on during the night?

While air conditioning clearly brings many perks, like purifying the air in your home, spending time in well air-conditioned rooms every day and every night doesn’t seem healthy. Well, is it safe?

No matter what kind of AC-related doubts you may have, don’t hesitate to rely on the best Scottsdale air conditioning repair to give you all the answers and make sure your AC is always in pristine condition for your maximum enjoyment. Keep reading to find out whether you should sleep with your AC on!

Is it bad to sleep with AC on?

In short, scientists and experts seem to agree that leaving your AC on during the night is pretty safe. What’s more, some actually recommend it since the optimal temperature for sleeping seems to be on the cooler end of the spectrum.

However, there’s a number of things you should keep in mind if you want to ensure a good night’s sleep with your AC running. In order to help yourself sleep well without compromising your health, make sure you do the following:

• Choose the right temperature: the optimal temperature for sleeping according to the National Sleep Foundation is anywhere between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Clean the filters regularly: to ensure your AC unit doesn’t return dust and microbes into your room, make sure your filters are not dirty.
• Direct the airflow upwards: it’s not a good idea to sleep with cold air blowing directly on you unless you want to risk getting a cold or waking up all sore.
• Use a timer: before you go to sleep, set your desired temperature and program the AC to switch off during the night since at that point your body will have already cooled down enough for you to sleep well.

Does air conditioning make you sleepy?

The reason why experts recommend sleeping in cooler temperatures is that lowering the thermostat setting can make you drowsy and help you sleep better. But why does this happen?

As you’ve probably noticed, falling asleep in high temperatures is near impossible. This is because your body temperature needs to drop a couple of degrees In order for you to fall asleep. Going to sleep in a cooler room enables your body to cool down faster and makes it easier for you to drift off.

Can I leave my air conditioner on all night?

While we’ve established that falling asleep with the AC on can help you sleep well, leaving it on all night might actually be harmful to your health and sleeping cycle. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Your body temperature can drop too low: while lower temperatures will make it easier to drift off to sleep, setting the thermostat too low for too long can negatively affect your immune system.
• It can reduce hormone production: sleeping in temperatures that are too cold can hinder your body’s ability to produce some important hormones necessary for good health.
• The noise might disrupt your sleep: if your AC is old or not properly maintained, it can produce loud sounds while working which might keep you awake or lower the quality of your sleep without you realizing.
• It can leave you dehydrated: sleeping with the AC on for too long can dry out your skin, mouth, throat and other parts of your body since it not only cools down the air but dehumidifies it as well.

Depend on the leading Scottsdale air conditioning repair

When you live in the Greater Phoenix Area, it can be extremely difficult to resist the temptation to keep your air conditioner on all night. Why would you risk tossing and turning in sweat when you can just switch on your trusted AC and sleep like a baby?

The only way to make sure your air conditioner is nothing but beneficial for your health is to keep your unit’s performance optimal with proper maintenance. That’s why Hughes Air Heating & Cooling is here to take care of any AC problems you might be dealing with and tell you all about how the AC works in your home.

How did the air conditioner get its name? How can you know whether your AC needs repair? Why won’t my AC turn on? Reach out to us and get all the answers today!

Finding a household in Arizona which doesn’t have an air conditioning system to cool it down during the sweltering summers is almost an impossible mission. However, despite AC units being so common, many people still aren’t sure how air conditioners actually work.

Luckily, the leading Scottsdale air conditioning service will gladly help its neighbors with any AC issues and questions they might have. Is it bad to sleep with the AC on? How was air conditioning invented? Should you leave the AC running all day? No matter what you want to know, we’re always here to give you any AC-related information you might need. Read on!

Does AC take air from outside?

Should you use your air conditioner if the air outside is polluted or is high in pollen? Does your AC even pull air from outside the house? A short answer to these common questions is: no. Most air conditioners don’t take air from outside in order to cool your house. So, how does an AC unit work then?

A typical air conditioner has an indoor and outdoor unit which are connected by refrigerant lines. These lines don’t bring in the air from outside but allow a cooling substance, i.e. the refrigerant to pass through them and transfer the heat from inside your home to the outside by converting from gas to liquid and back again.

But where does the air coming into your house come from? Well, your indoor unit has a conditioner air intake grille equipped with a filter which lets through air but keeps dirt, dust and debris out. The air from the inside of your house passes through the filter and over the cooling coils before being blown out the front. This means that your AC unit actually recycles and cools the air that is already in your home without bringing in the air from outside.

Is air conditioning just cold air?

Does this mean that the air coming from your AC is just cold air? Actually, as you probably know, the definition of cold is simply the absence or lack of heat. Thus, your air conditioner can’t actually create cool air but removes the heat from the warm air inside your home.

In order to effectively cool your home, your AC unit relies on its three most important components:

• The inside evaporator coil
• The compressor
• The outside condenser

The inside unit of your AC takes in the air from inside your home, passes it over the evaporator coil which removes the heat from the air by using the refrigerant. The cooling substance then flows through the condenser and into the compressor which compresses it and heats it to a higher temperature than the outside air.

This enables the refrigerant to cool down while it passes through the outdoor unit and flow back to the indoor unit to keep absorbing heat. This process repeats itself until the AC manages to reach your desired temperature inside your home.

Does my air conditioner purify air?

While we’ve established that your AC unit doesn’t bring in polluted air from outside, you might be surprised to find out that it can actually clean the air in your home. When the air flows through the filter, your unit keeps dust from returning into the inside space. That’s why cleaning or changing the filter regularly is essential if you want to enhance the efficiency of your unit and keep the air clean.  

Not only that but your air conditioner can also help remove excess moisture. When hot air is blown over the evaporator coil, humidity from the air is captured on the coils and taken away through the drain lines leading out of your unit.

Hire the foremost Scottsdale air conditioning service

Now that you know how air conditioning works inside your home, you can sit back and enjoy your cool house with no worries. What’s more, understanding the way your AC functions enables you to prevent many common issues and avoid unnecessary repair costs.   

In case you’re dealing with more serious AC-related problems or need someone to install your new AC unit, rely on the seasoned experts at Hughes Air to take care of it with utmost professionalism and expertise. Sit back and relax or go and explore Camelback Mountain while our experienced technicians do their magic. Reach out to us today!

It’s easy to get carried away with your thermostat settings during the hot Arizona summers. While it’s great to lounge in a perfectly cool home, your utility bills can easily shoot up if you are not careful. For this reason, many people are wondering what the ideal temperature setting for their AC is.  

Whether you need answers to your AC questions or someone reliable to install your air conditioning, you can count on the finest air conditioning service in Scottsdale, AZ to help you with any AC-related issues and questions you might have. Keep reading to learn about the best thermostat settings for your unit!

What is the best temperature to set your air conditioner on?

So what’s the perfect thermostat setting for your AC unit? Well, it depends. If you want to keep cool, but don’t care about your utility bills being too high, then set your AC temperature exactly the way you like it. However, if you want to keep your bills in check, especially in the extreme Arizona temperatures, here are some guidelines to consider:

• If you want to save money, it’s recommended that you keep your temperature setting at 78°F while you’re in the house. This setting allows you to stay comfortable and avoid high utility bills.
• While you’re away, try increasing your thermostat settings to around 85° while you’re at work and you’ll save as much as 10% on your energy consumption. Raising your thermostat settings during the summer helps you save energy by slowing down the flow of heat into your home.  
• Getting a programmable thermostat allows you to adjust your temperature settings to your schedule. You can preset your desired temperatures for weekends or holidays and forget about your AC settings while you’re away.   

What is the best ac temperature for sleeping

We all know how unpleasant it is to be either too hot or too cold while sleeping, especially in Arizona. If your nights are filled with incessant tossing and turning, you must be wondering what the ideal temperature for sleeping is.

Of course, the temperature which is ideal for you would not necessarily be comfortable for everybody else. However, there are some general considerations to be made if you want to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Here are some recommendations:  

• Experts claim that cooler temperatures are actually better for sleeping since they match the natural decrease of our body’s temperature dictated by our circadian rhythms. That is why they recommend sleeping in temperatures ranging from 60 to 67 degrees.
• For this same reason, your bedroom should be kept cooler than the rest of your home if you want to ensure a comfortable sleeping atmosphere.
• If you’re sleeping with your partner and you don’t find the same temperatures comfortable, try to find a neutral temperature setting that would be acceptable to both of you.
• The best sleep temperature for babies and toddlers should be a bit higher since they lose body heat faster. Keep it between 65 and 70 degrees to ensure they sleep well.

How do I put the AC in sleep mode?

The best idea for ensuring a night of restful sleep is to make use of your AC unit’s sleep mode. Using the sleep mode function will help you maintain a comfortable temperature during the whole night. Here’s how it works:

• When you set your desired temperature in sleep mode, your unit’s inverter will work hard to attain the set temperature value.
• Once the temperature is right, the inverter decreases its use of energy, but still maintain your desired ambient temperature.
• When you fall asleep, your unit will then raise the temperature by half a degree and keep it that way for four hours, ensuring you wake up in a comfortable temperature early in the morning.

Utilizing your unit’s sleep mode allows you to sleep comfortably at all times and cut down on your energy costs while you’re at it. So, use this great tool if you want to ensure you never have to worry about waking up too hot or too cold.

Hire foremost air conditioning service pros in Scottsdale AZ

Finding the ideal temperature setting for your home can be tricky if you want to be comfortable and energy efficient at the same time. However, if you follow the advice we’ve provided, there won’t be any need for you to cool off at Big Surf during sizzling Arizona summers.  

Whether you want to learn about some early symptoms of AC compressor failure or why your AC unit makes strange noises, count on Hughes Air to give you all the answers. If you also need someone to install or repair your AC, our seasoned technicians will do it swiftly and efficiently. Reach out to us today!