Your questions answered: HVAC FAQs

Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc in Mobile can answer all your HVAC-related questions. Before you get on the phone, browse these to see if we already responded to your question online. If you don’t see your question listed or want more information on a topic, give us a call at 251-471-2674. Our techs can offer you the information you’re looking for in a jiffy.
Like any product you want to keep in good shape, HVAC equipment requires proper care in order to provide the greatest benefits. Trained professionals can service your heating and cooling products to ensure they're working at their top potential and help prevent more pricey repairs in the middle of the hottest or coldest months of the year.
The cost can fluctuate depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc at 251-471-2674 to obtain a quote.
With two-stage heating, furnaces may run on two different levels: high and low. Since you can heat your home on the low setting a majority of the time, a two-stage furnace can operate longer and more efficiently. Two-stage heating also operates more quietly than traditional furnaces and can offer more even heat distribution and fewer temperature swings.
Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc offers several different brands and models that have advanced technology to assist with heating and cooling your home more efficiently. Technology in the newer HVAC systems gives more precision when it comes to matching your home comfort needs. If you want more information, please reach out to our experts at 251-471-2674.

Modern furnaces are designed with a host of innovative features older furnaces don't have. Todays heating systems provide more even heating and are better at governing airflow. Although the air coming out of your vents may seem cooler than your old furnace, the airflow is much better and more efficient.

Another perk of modern furnaces is their ability to work with other HVAC products as part of a high-efficiency whole home comfort system. When combined with a high-efficiency air conditioner, furnace blowers can more easily accommodate add-on cooling. Other innovations, such as Precise Comfort technology and variable speed motors, will help your furnace work more efficiently and quieter than ever.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditions, and the standards vary by region. Contact Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc at 251-471-2674 to learn the requirements for the Mobile area.

There are many ways to reduce your energy costs and one of the best ways is to make sure you have an energy-efficient HVAC system. Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc carries many highly efficient products that will help lower the amount of energy you are using and save you money. In addition to looking for products that have the Energy Star® certification, high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, here are some other things to consider:

  • Remember to schedule routine maintenance and have an experienced contractor take a look at your system to confirm its running efficiently.
  • If you have clear areas of your home that you need to heat or cool, you might consider a zoning system. This allows you to target that area and gets rid of wasted energy on heating or cooling areas that aren't used.
  • Programmable or smart thermostats make it a breeze to maintain your home comfort while not consuming energy to heat or cool your space if you aren't home. It is an easy way to reduce energy costs and once you set it, you can walk away and understand its going to take care of your indoor comfort.
Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc has been assisting the Mobile community for many years and has been providing trustworthy and dependable service. Our service and the products we carry are of the highest quality and you will be satisfied with our solutions. Our well-trained team is here to help you get your ideal home comfort.

There are four things to review when improving your indoor air quality:

  • The indoor air quality in your house starts to suffer when the air begins filling up with air pollutants. The biggest concern is removing these pollutants. Some to-dos to include on your weekly checklist is vacuuming, washing your linens and confirming any cleaning products are stored properly.
  • Especially in newer homes, the insulation is installed so well that it might be challenging for these pollutants to leave the home. While it helps to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, its important to get some fresh air inside.
  • Make sure that you have good ventilation and perform routine maintenance on your system. And while that's helpful, you can also take your IAQ even further by using air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems to get rid of particles while eliminating chemical vapors.
  • Smart or programmable thermostats can assist in controlling humidity levels as well as the temperature. This can help avert germs and other particles from collecting while maintaining your home comfort.
No two homes are alike, which is why we recommend that you contact our team at Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc to find out which solution will be best for your space. Our experts will conduct a review of your current system and chat about what your ideal home comfort looks like. That will help us determine which products will be most effective.
It may come as a surprise that air conditioners don't technically make your home cooler; they actually remove the hot air and transfer it outside. This hot air blows across a refrigerant coil on the indoor unit and then is sent to the outdoor unit where it is released. Your air conditioner transfers as much hot air outside as is necessary to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat.
Minimum energy efficiency standards vary by region. Additionally, air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, have higher minimum efficiency levels than products manufactured prior to that date. The team at Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can help you determine the minimum requirements for Mobile, let you know if your current systems meets those requirements or help you find a replacement air conditioner that does.
Your systems service panel has a white label on it, with your systems model and serial numbers at the top. M/N stands for model number and S/N is the serial number.
Since equipment size needs vary by home, the best way to figure out the correct size equipment for your home is to have a technician from Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc come out to perform load calculation tests. The tests take factors such as square footage, insulation value and amount, and more into account to determine your homes individual HVAC equipment needs.
Yes debris can affect your systems ability to function effectively. Its normal for heat pumps to have frost or ice on them in the winter, but many include defrost controls so they can work efficiently regardless of the weather conditions.
When a cooling system uses two-stage cooling, it means that there are two levels of operation. This enables the system to work more efficiently since there is one level for milder weather and a second for harsher weather that demands the system work harder. Two-stage cooling also enables slight temperature changes so you don't experience extreme differences in temperature. Aside from better efficiency, other benefits of two-stage cooling include quieter operation and better humidity control.
Your system could be freezing up for a couple of reasons, but the most frequent are dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporator coil and/or a faulty blower motor. Changing a filter is something any homeowner take care of; however, you'll want to call the professionals at Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc at 251-471-2674 for other problems or if you have other questions or concerns.
Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc has a number of great thermostat options for your HVAC systems. The best thermostat for you will depend on variables such as whether you want one that's programmable or not. No matter what kind of thermostat you'd like or if you're looking for something that can fit with a home automation system call Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc to hear about which thermostats you can choose from. Our team will help you find one thats best for your system, your family's needs and your budget.
A heat pump takes care of both your homes heating and cooling needs, offering you one HVAC system that can be used in all four seasons. Throughout the warmer months, heat pumps act like an air conditioner, capturing the hot air from inside your home and transferring it outside; in the cooler months, this process is reversed. Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and may produce two to three times more heat than the energy it uses.
At Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc, we do recommend replacing both your indoor and outdoor units at the same time because:
  • Outdoor systems are now built to work with their matching indoor system for maximum efficiency. When you replace one system but not the other, you may not see the same savings on your energy bills as if you had replaced them together.
  • Thanks to technological improvements, newer systems mean better efficiency. This is true for HVAC products as well. While the advancements focus on greater heating and cooling efficiency, they also include benefits such as better air handling, filtering and noise reduction.
  • If your heating and cooling systems are over 10 years old, they need to be replaced. Older models have outdated technology that is likely adding to your energy costs due to poor efficiency. So by replacing your indoor system at the same time as your outdoor equipment, both your systems will provide better energy efficiency that helps you decrease your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable.
Your home energy system might have a communication module that sends performance stats to an online site or portal. You can visit this to check your system's status, the amount of energy being produced and the positive impact you are having on the environment. You can also take a look at your owner's manual for recommendations on monitoring performance.
Rain will clean the modules automatically in most areas; however, if you live in a dusty area, you might see improved performance after periodically spraying the modules with water. Please note that high-pressure hoses and detergents should never be used to clean solar modules, as they can harm the product.
Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc can help you find the right thermostat for you based on your home and current heating and cooling equipment. We carry a variety of programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats, which can help enhance the efficiency of your homes furnace and/or air conditioner. View our thermostats or give us a call at 251-471-2674 for more information.

A significant portion of your monthly utility bills can be attributed to your heating and cooling system. It makes sense, because our home comfort is an important aspect of our day-to-day lives. Thankfully, there are high-efficiency solutions from Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc that can keep you comfortable while also reducing energy costs. When it's time for you to search for a new HVAC system, there are a couple things to consider. You'll want to find air conditioners with high SEER ratings and furnaces with high AFUE ratings. These ratings measure efficiency, so the larger the number the better off you'll be when it comes to saving on energy costs. You can also think about these tips:

  • Keep your system operating to its best ability by arranging routine maintenance. It helps maintain efficiency and make sure everything is working properly.
  • Consider a zoning system if you only have certain rooms that need to be heated or cooled. There is no need to consume energy adjusting the temperature in a room that is never, or rarely used.
  • The U.S. Department of Energy indicates that programmable thermostats can save up to 35 percent on heating costs and 25 percent on cooling costs. There are a lot of programmable and smart thermostat options that are easy to use and vary in the number of features-so you can find an option that you are comfortable with.
A zoning system enables you to divide your home and heat or lower the temperature in each part differently. While these systems work well for homes that have parts that are rarely visited, they can also be great in situations where you and your family cant agree on the temperature in different areas of your home. There are a variety of additional pluses of zoning systems, like efficiency and comfort. Browse our selection of zoning systems or give Farnell Heating & Air Conditioning Inc a shout to see how a zoning system could fit in your home.