Servicing schedules, cleaning routines, troubleshooting tips and common repair issues to keep your air conditioner running efficiently year round. Not sure what a term means? Check our AC Glossary and FAQ hub.
Your AC most often leaks water because the condensate drain line is clogged, and where the water shows up tells you how urgent it is. A thin drip from the outdoor drain pipe is normal. Water inside your home, from…
If your HVAC contractor mentioned a new refrigerant this year, they were almost certainly talking about R32 or R454B. These are the two low-GWP refrigerants that have taken over new air conditioner and heat pump manufacturing in the United States…
An evaporative cooler cools a room well only when the air is hot and dry, while a portable air conditioner cools in any weather. The reason is the wet-bulb temperature, the lowest temperature evaporation can reach. In desert air, that…
Evaporative cooling vs reverse cycle comes down to humidity and heating: evaporative coolers cost far less to run in hot, dry climates, while reverse cycle systems work in any climate and also heat your home. If your hottest summer afternoons…
Evaporative cooling costs 75–90% less to run than refrigerant-based air conditioning, but it works well only in dry climates, and the line between “works great” and “makes your house worse” comes down to one number: your local dew point. If…
A homemade indoor AC coil cleaner works safely only when it accounts for one detail most recipes skip: the indoor evaporator coil can’t be rinsed with a hose the way an outdoor condenser coil can. That single difference changes which…
If your AC blows warm on a hot drive, low refrigerant is the most likely cause, and you can check and refill it yourself with the right gauge and a can of the correct refrigerant. The catch is that “gauge”…
A central AC tune-up covers about a dozen tasks, and you can legally do most of them yourself: swapping the filter, rinsing the condenser coil, straightening bent fins, clearing the condensate drain, and checking the thermostat. What you can’t do,…