HVAC in Fairfax is an essential equipment due to weather conditions. Summer in Fairfax gets really hot and dry specifically in July and only a good cooling and air conditioning system can keep you cool and healthy while providing clean and fresh air.  Heating in cold and stormy winters of Fairfax is absolutely necessary to keep you warm and comfortable while preventing diseases and providing fresh air.  According to the “State of the Air” annual report of The American Lung Association, Fairfax has a fair share of ozone and particle pollutions which make the air unhealthy. A modern HVAC has latest technologies for filtration and purification so the indoor air quality remains highly controlled all year round.  In this article, we will introduce you to the world of HVAC in Fairfax so you can make an informed and intelligence decision while saving energy and money.  What type of HVAC do you need in Fairfax?  HVAC stands for Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning which is a complete system of air management. It has different types, sizes and brands in the market which makes your choice more complicated.  It can be a ductless system or a package but the function is almost the same and you will have the same benefits of cooling, heating and humidifying the air in your property.  The ductless system has 2 separate units to hold the compressor and condenser coil outside in your backyard and the furnace/heat pump and evaporator coil inside in your basement or garage. If you already have a furnace, this system is the best option for you, so you don’t have to pay for a full package.  The packaged system is a single unit containing all components of compressing, condensing, evaporating and furnace/heat pump in one place located either in your backyard or rooftop.  They both work with electricity or gas but there are hybrid options as well which uses both fuel sources. The hybrids have the advantage of having backup fuel source in case of electricity outage.  Commercial buildings mostly have rooftop package but houses usually use ductless system.  The modern HVAC in Fairfax has programmable thermostat which is an energy saver for big properties that usually have empty rooms. You can set up zoning system by installing several thermostats in different areas to avoid unnecessary cooling or heating.  All modern heating and cooling systems have ENERGY STAR rating which indicates the greenhouse emitting and cost-saving energy efficiency of the equipment to protect the climate and environment and save you money. The rating system is a joint program between Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. According to their report, an average home emits twice the greenhouse gas of an average car while half of its energy bill is due to heating and cooling system! According to their report in 2018, their rating system helped American families save $35 billion in energy bills!  The ENERGY STAR includes EER, SEER and HSPF rating. EER stands for energy efficiency ratio which measures the efficiency of a cooling system when the temperature outside is 95 degree Fahrenheit. SEER on the other hand stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio and measures the cooling power of the equipment in an entire cooling season. HSPF stands for heat seasonal performance factor and is an indicator of heating power of HVAC in an entire heating season.  The higher these ratings, the more efficient the HVAC is, the more protection is provided for environment and the more saving is made for you. Modern models have at least EER of 12, SEER of 14 and HSPF of 8.2 while the older models operate with the lower ratios.  Regular maintenance is the best solution to cut energy consumption but for HVACs older than 10 years, you might need to install a brand new model. Before the purchase though, consult a trusted contractor of HVAC in Fairfax to inspect and correct insulations and air leaks in your property. They are often the cause of energy and temperature loss.  What size of HVAC do you need?  Both ductless and package systems come in different sizes and capacities in order to be chosen in proportion to the size of your building and the square footage of the space you are trying to heat and cool.  HVAC units are measured in Tons and BTUs for cooling and heating respectively. BTU stands for British thermal unit which is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1 Fahrenheit degree. Ton on the other hand is the amount of heat required to melt a ton of ice in 24 hour. One ton equals 12000 BTUs per hour.  To know the exact amount of required Tons and BTUs, you should have exact measurement of your property in terms of square footage along with ductworks and windows. Assessment of heat generating appliances, sunlight position in your space, quality of insulation and the number of people living or working in the space is also important.  A professional technician of HVAC in Fairfax can help you with the measurements but generally, for 100 square meter of space you need 5000 BTUs while a 2000 square meter space needs 34000 BTUs. Of course choosing a little more BTUs is accepted for unexpected high temperatures but do not go too high as it will increase your energy bill while causing uneven temperature. The reason is the high power that will change the temperature too quickly leading to constant turn off and on of the system. Generally 15% over the required BTU is accepted.  Residential units of HVAC in Fairfax are usually between 1 to 5 tons while commercials can go up to 162 tons.  Who can help you have the best HVAC in Fairfax?  We at Fairfax Mechanical are always ready to help you choose the best HVAC system, repair it in emergency cases and maintain it on regular bases.  We are your trusted Licensed and Insured HVAC service provider. Installing top brands, repairing the old ones and scheduled maintenance is our expertise. We have years of experience and vast amount of knowledge to provide you with the most honest and fair service because we are determined to earn your trust and long lasting relationship.  Our NATE Certified staff (North American Technician Excellence) are constantly trained and updated in order to have real-world working knowledge of HVAC systems and make sure every service is according to the latest regulations and standards. They always arrive on time and according to schedule for your convenience and leave behind no dirt but happy memories.  We offer Residential and Commercial services in Northern Virginia and around. We have been working with top brands for a long time including Goodman, York, Carrier and Trane which are time-tested and trusted by all.  We do our best to save you some money on the purchase price, services and energy bill while maintaining your health and comfort and protecting the environment. We make sure your property’s envelope is properly insulated to prevent any energy loss. The envelope of a property is the entire exterior including walls, windows, ceiling and floor. Insulation is achieved by sealing the air leaks around windows, in the ductwork and attic. By our professional evaluation, you can save 20% on your energy bill and help environment as well.  We offer Free Quote for installation of new systems. We are promptly ready for emergency repairs but if the system is working yet you feel cold or hot spots, unpleasant odor and loud noises or see a big energy bill, it is time to call us for repairing service.  Our maintenance program provides you with the peace of mind that your equipment is inspected and cleansed twice a year by our professional technicians to make sure the filters are free of dirt and the fans are blowing clean air. It also helps you enjoy the benefits of the manufacturer warranty.  We also have a Referral Program to help you get some cash back and reduce your service cost. Every time a customer uses your referral code to order a service, you will receive $200 Cash which can be used for your next service. All you need to do to get your own individual referral code is to register in our website.  HVAC in Fairfax is our specialty and we proud ourselves for the quality of the service we provide for our customers and get satisfaction from the health, comfort and saving they receive along with environmental and climate protection.

July is here and the temperature has increased to the highest level in Fairfax and the air pollution is worse than ever. Without air conditioning to cool and clean the air in your property, it becomes unbearable, making you sick and heat-shocked but you don’t have to buy brand new equipment when you can have Air Conditioning Repair in Fairfax.  The good news is that replacing a small part doesn’t cost you fortunes and with a professional repair service provider you can be certain that your investment continues to work for a very long time. The life span of an air conditioning is more than 20 years if it is maintained and repaired with a highly skilled technician.  In this article, we will discuss Air Conditioning Repair in Fairfax so you become knowledgeable about your equipment investment and the best option to repair it.  What can go wrong in an air conditioning?  Air conditioning is just a machine; therefore, it is susceptible to fault and breaking. It has many large and small parts that together make the machine working. If any of these parts breaks or becomes misplaced, the whole machine will not work. Even if it works, it will not perform its job of cooling optimally causing energy loss and a big energy bill.  Seasonal tune-up is a necessity for air conditioning repair in Fairfax that is why it is recommended to schedule a pre-summer maintenance so you don’t have to call for emergency repair in the middle of summer heat and be faced with a big repair or replacement cost. Any small issue can be fixed before it becomes big and expensive.  Air conditioning has 2 main types:  Mini split  Central HVAC  Mini split  Mini split needs no ductwork instead it utilizes individual fan and evaporator for the room it is installed in. It has one outdoor unit holding compressor and condenser. Mini split has different types including dual-zone and tri-zone models. They have one compressor with up to 8 indoor units. They are set by multiple programmable thermostats or remote controllers to create independent temperatures for each room or zone. The number of zones depends on the size of your property. Mini split provides better control over temperature for each room which results in lower energy bill. It has less noise and more efficiency. The modern mini splits can connect to your smart phone for remote controlling.  Central HVAC  Central HVAC is the complete package of cooling and heating solution. It has 2 main types including ductless system and package. The ductless system is often installed in residential buildings with 2 separate cabinets, one in the backyard and one in the basement. The package system has only one cabinet holding all components on the rooftop. Commercial buildings usually install rooftop units (RTU). The both types work with gas or electricity but hybrid options are available as well.  An air conditioner works like a refrigerator because it evaporates a chemical refrigerant to cool the air. It just doesn’t have the insulated box. The cool refrigerant is compressed by compressor turning its temperature to hot and its state to high-pressure gas. A set of coils in the condenser force the gas to release heat and turn to a cool liquid. The expansion valve evaporates the cool liquid and turns it to cold, low-pressure gas. The cold gas moves through evaporator coils to be forced by heat and release its coldness to the passing air and turning it to cold air. This cold air then moves through the entire ductworks in all your rooms. To begin again, the refrigerant is pumped back to the compressor.  Due to this complex process and all the parts that are involved, many things can go wrong with your air conditioning:  It might not turn on or off or might not respond to remote controller which is often resulted from electrical issue but a small valve may need replacement.  Its cooling power might reduce that can be due to refrigerant being leaked. Without refrigerant the air-con will turn to a simple fan. Compressor issues can reduce the cooling output as well.  Cold spots can be resulted from overworking and constant automatic on and off which is related to thermostat. If you have zoning setup for independent temperatures in each room, all programmable thermostats must be regulated to get the desired results.  Ice deposit might accumulate on the cooling coil which is resulted from lack of air flow related to filters, thermostats, fans and coils. Over time the ice formation becomes bigger and can break the coil leading to expensive coil replacement.  There might be water pool created in the cabinet that can be related to evaporator coil problems which over time leads to the whole system failure and danger of electric shock.  Unpleasant odor might be due to mold formation in the filter or ducts which is a serious health concern and must be taken care of immediately.  Air pollution which is a big concern in Fairfax must be filtered by your air-con. If the air inside is heavy and not fresh, the filters must be cleansed and replaced immediately.  Unusual noises are always related to bearings that are broken. It is really important for the motor function and can lead to much bigger costs.  High energy bill might be an indicator of air filters being clogged or short cycling. It should be fixed immediately to prevent more cost.  All above problems in the long term can turn to a bigger and more expansive air conditioning repair in Fairfax, not to mention the energy loss which leads to higher energy bill for you and more damage for environment and climate.  Who can help you with Air Conditioning Repair in Fairfax?  We at Fairfax Mechanical can help you repair your old air conditioning in order to avoid high price of replacement.  We are available 24/7 for emergency calls to save you from Fairfax high heat but we strongly recommend scheduling a tune-up before emergencies. We offer residential and commercial air conditioning repair in Fairfax and North Virginia.  We are licensed, bonded and insured for your peace of mind meaning: we as a contractor regularly pass the licensing test required by the state for our technical competency. We have purchased bond protection for you so in case something goes wrong with the job, your cost will be compensated. The bond is a kind of secured money under control of the state for consumer compensation. We have insurance for any accidents that might happen on the job to our technicians or your property so you are not responsible for the compensation.  Our technicians are all NATE certified meaning they have passed the North American Technician Excellence tests in order t prove they have the real-world working knowledge of HVAC systems and their professional competency of service has been validated by the largest nonprofit certification organization in the US for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR).  Our motive is to help you stay healthy and cool in hot summer and enjoy a fresh and clean air inside your property.  Our goal is customer satisfaction and we do our best to achieve this goal by being professional, fair and honest. We arrive on time, provide you with the most honest assessment of the situation, provide only high quality parts, clean after ourselves and charge the most fair service fee. When we leave, we are confident that we did a great job and created the most value so you can trust us again and recommend us to others.  We understand the harsh economic situation and that is why we have referral program to help you get some of your repair service cost back. By registering in our site you receive a unique referral code which you can distribute to family and friends. Whenever they use your referral code to register in our website or order a service, you will receive $200 cash to use for your next service.  Air Conditioning Repair in Fairfax has never been easier and more affordable when Fairfax Mechanical does the job for you. It is our expertise and we do it with care and responsibility to keep you cool and comfortable this summer and all coming summers.