Always Look for These Problems and Issues Before Purchasing a New Home

Have you ever looked at the pictures of a house online only to view it in person and wonder if it’s the same house at all? Pictures can be deceiving, and they can certainly make a house look cleaner, newer, and more appealing than it is.

Similarly, a house can look great during a viewing to an untrained eye, but if you know what to look for, you might find that the house has problems and issues beyond what you're willing to tackle. Here are some of the major problems you might encounter during your search for a new home, and issues to look out for that could break a deal.

Find Hidden Problems with a Home Inspection

The home inspection is always like the big reveal that you expect to see at the end of a makeover show because it can expose a house in a whole new light. For example, that house you at first thought was your dream home may end up being a money pit that you run from like a haunted nightmare house.

In an ideal situation, the home inspection won’t turn up any worrisome details about the house, but regardless of the outcome, you'll get valuable information regarding the state of the:

1. Roof

2. Appliances

3. Plumbing

4. Electrical

5. Foundation

6. Structure

7. Garage

8. Fire safety

Inspection advice: Being present for the home inspection is beneficial to you in a number of ways. For one, the inspector can explain findings, answer questions, and give you a better understanding of the types of repairs and maintenance you should expect to do when you live in the house.

A Lack of Insulation

Did you know that a poorly insulated house can let almost 50 percent of the heat pass through the walls and attic?

And can you imagine paying twice as much on your energy bills to cool and heat a home that wasn’t properly insulated?

Most homeowners agree that energy costs are too high as it is without having to pay to compensate for poor insulation, so make sure you check the insulation style and levels throughout the house. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation, and the more insulation there is throughout the house, the quieter and more comfortable it’ll be.

Check Switches to Discover Problems with Lights and Cooling

You all know how hot the summers can get down here in Debary, FL, so you also know how important it is to have a working air conditioner during these months.

In order to be certain that a prospective home has a working Air Conditioner that’s in good shape, flip the switch, turn it on, and make sure it efficiently and quickly cools the home to a temperature that'll be comfortable during the hottest time of the year.

Similarly, flip light and fan switches to make sure there aren't any burnt out bulbs, electrical problems, or broken ceiling fans. Otherwise, you might not notice these details until it’s too late.

The home inspection will give you a better understanding of the state of the lighting and fans in the house, but a preliminary test during the showing is a good place to start. Being aware of the common issues people face when buying a home can prevent you from getting stuck with a fixer-upper when what you wanted was a turnkey operation.

Most importantly, check the insulation levels, make sure the lights, fans, and HVAC system work, and if the house passes muster, don’t forget to hire a home inspector to do a thorough review of the entire house.

Dos and Don'ts for This Year’s Fall Checklist

It’s not always easy to make sense of your home maintenance requirements. Technology continues to evolve and along with it the complexity of the components used in your home's HVAC system.

And so to help guide you as to which tasks can have a DIY approach and which should be left to the professionals, our team at Mid Florida AC in Debary, FL is highlighting the dos and don’ts of this year’s fall checklist.

Don’t Start Maintenance Without Expert Guidance

One of the most common mistakes homeowners make when attempting to resolve HVAC and cooling systems issues is trying to resolve issues inside and outside their home without guidance. For example, if the fan outside of your home is not working effectively.

You can’t simply open up the area and begin to try to resolve the issue alone. If you make a mistake during this process, not only could you do significant damage to your home HVAC structure, but also you could injure yourself or others. Only take on home maintenance work after speaking with a professional and when you’re assured of the process involved.

Do Get Recommendations from Friends and Family

If you’re having problems with your home HVAC systems, make sure you get recommendations from friends and family about companies in the area that can help resolve the issue. They can give their guidance on companies that have worked in their home and can ensure you don’t spend money on a service that offers limited value.

After getting recommendations from friends and family, review the company online. Look at their reviews on common consumer websites to determine the quality of their services. And take a look at their website to ensure they have the experience and the service required for the work.

Don’t Wait if You Notice a Maintenance Problem

Sometimes homeowners will wait to resolve a problem with their home HVAC system. They might notice that a pipe is leaking or that there’s water on the floor in the basement space.

It’s important that these types of problems are immediately addressed as part of your fall checklist. Call a specialist at the earliest convenience if you notice these types of problems in the home. The issue will be far less expensive to fix if taken on immediately.

Take the guidance from our Debary, FL team into consideration before taking on your home fall maintenance needs this season. You’ll save money and make great strides in terms of protecting your home.

Dirty Air Ducts? Here are the Consequences

Do you recall the last professional cleaning of your air ducts? If you’re having trouble remembering when your last cleaning was, it may be due time to contact an HVAC expert and schedule a complete cleaning of your air ducts.

Signs That Your Air Ducts are Dirty

If you notice any of the following symptoms, your home or business may be dealing with excess dirt and build-up in your air ducts:

• There is excess pet hair or dust mites blowing from the vents
• A musty smell occurs when your HVAC is turned on
• Your vents are noisy or are whistling loudly
• You or your loved ones are experiencing an increase in allergy symptoms or respiratory issues

Health Concerns

On top of the above issues, dirty air ducts can pose some serious health concerns and risks if there is long-term exposure to airborne irritants:

• Respiratory infections: Over time, mold spores, pollen, dust mites, and other particles can build up within air ducts. As air blows from these ducts through your vents, these airborne irritants can trigger negative reactions in a human’s respiratory system. Symptoms of an irritated or infected respiratory system include sneezing, a runny nose, coughing, or a congested chest.
• Asthma: If you or one of your loved ones has struggled with asthma previously, their symptoms can be aggravated or increased by exposure to airborne pollutants being blown through a home by dirty air ducts.

When your AC or heating system is activated at the start of a season, the air that blows through spreads these irritants which can trigger asthma attacks or symptoms in some.

If someone in your home struggles with controlling their asthma within the home, consider scheduling a professional and thorough air duct cleaning as soon as possible.

• Sinus Infection: Just like respiratory infections, sinus infections happen when mold, dust, pollen, or other airborne irritants are blown throughout a home from air ducts that have accumulated these particles.

Symptoms of a sinus infection or irritation include excessive sinus pressure behind the eyes or cheeks, headaches, a stuffy nose, and general fatigue.

If you or someone in your home experiences any of these symptoms or infections, the first step should be to seek medical attention. Afterward, make sure that you schedule a complete air duct cleaning by your local air duct or HVAC professionals.

Is Hot Air Coming From Your AC? Discover the Reasons

Summer in Florida can be an ordeal if you’re not prepared for it. It can be insufferable at night if you’re just trying to get some sleep.

Fortunately, modern central air conditioning usually takes care of this problem and cools us down. So when you turn on your AC and find hot air blowing through your vents, you know you’ve got a big problem.

What causes it? These three questions just might have the answers for you.

Did You Have A Power Surge?

The most common central AC configuration is a condenser unit outside the home that pumps cold air into the home, where the fan in the furnace distributes it throughout the home’s ventilation.

If you’re still feeling movement coming from your vents, that means the furnace fan is working but it’s not getting the cool air it needs from your condenser.

If you’ve had a power outage recently, check your condenser now to see if the fan is working. If it’s not, this means it’s not even getting electrical power to operate.

Inspect your circuit breakers to see if the switch for your AC needs to be reset.

If the switch is in the off position, just flip it back to the on position and your problem should be fixed.

But if your AC uses its own fuses, you may need to have them replaced.

Do You Have Enough Refrigerant?

Refrigerant is stored in the condenser, and it is the substance that makes air conditioning possible. It’s a class of chemicals that has a very unique property.

When changes from liquid into gas it absorbs all heat, leaving cold air in its wake. AC units use this behavior in a never-ending cycle.

This doesn’t mean, however, that refrigerant is a fuel like gasoline that gets used up. Under normal circumstances, your refrigerant should last the life of your AC.

But if you have a break or defect where the refrigerant is stored, and it starts leaking, your AC won't function.

Is Your Condenser Covered In Ice?

Another problem you may have is that your condenser is iced up just like it’s the middle of winter in Alaska.

This is a bit more common than you think, and it doesn’t mean your AC is twice as powerful as the others on your street.

What it does mean is that the cold air is being produced, but it’s not actually getting pumped into your home to be ventilated throughout.

This might mean your condenser has an airflow problem that is blocking proper distribution, or you may have a mechanical issue.

On March 20th Spring is Finally Here!

The chill is out of the air and that means that spring is here! We couldn’t be more excited for the warmer temperatures, but we also know that millions of you out there associate spring with allergy season, which means it won’t be long before you're sneezing non-stop and trying to scratch your eyes out.

And if you are one of the many seasonal allergy sufferers out there, don’t worry—there are things you can do to keep allergens out of your house, to keep your home a safe zone, and to minimize your symptoms this allergy season.

What Are Allergies?

Allergic reactions happen when your body is exposed to a substance, such as pollen, and mistakes that substance for a danger. To eliminate the danger, your body creates antibodies, which in turn release a flood of histamines (that’s why you take antihistamines to fight allergy symptoms).

These histamines are what cause your eyes to water, your nose to run, and the coughing and the sneezing, because the histamines are trying to expel the danger that your immune system detected. So basically, allergic reactions are your body reacting to a perceived threat.

Why Spring Always Brings Allergens

Many plants and creatures go into a state of dormancy during the winter, so spring marks the time to come back to life for another year. For many creatures and plants, spring is also a time to reproduce. Some plants reproduce by sending pollen and spores out into the world, including:

• Weeds
• Trees
• Grasses
• Molds

When it comes to seasonal allergies in spring, summer, and fall, it’s the pollen and spores from these plants and flora that are most often responsible for the itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing that are associated with seasonal allergies.

Fighting Allergens in the House

Wind-borne allergens: Allergens like pollen are quite small, so they have no trouble getting around by catching a ride on the wind. In fact, pollen and spores can travel for miles, so even if you don’t have an allergy source in your neighborhood, you may still feel the effects. That means that allergens often get into your house through open windows, doors, and vents. And that’s why it’s so important to keep your windows and doors closed during allergy season, and why you should install HEPA filters on all the air intakes coming into your house, such as your air conditioner.

Animal-borne allergens: Wind isn't your only enemy as an allergy sufferer, and allergens can also come into your house on you and your pets. Pollen, spores, and pet allergens love sticking to things like fur, hair, and clothes, so it’s important to wash your clothes, body, and hair after being outside, and to wash and brush your pets regularly.

Expert tip: You can help control allergy symptoms by dusting and vacuuming twice a week, getting rid of carpeting in your house, staying inside on high-pollen days, and keeping your bedroom clean and pet-free.

Filters and air purifiers are some of the best ways to keep your house an allergy-free zone and we’re well aware that your house may be the only safe haven you find all season.

Mid Florida A/C has been helping allergy sufferers in the Debary, FL area to allergy-proof their homes for years, and we can help you do the same. Give us a call at 386-668-8752 to discuss your options, or to book an appointment.