Heating and Air Questions from South Fulton Homes

Check the thermostat is set to cool and is lower than the room temp. Is the air filter dirty? Has a circuit breaker tripped? Is the outdoor fan spinning? This is where you should stop. Capacitors, contactor and refrigerant levels can only be checked using meters and gauges by a technician. Just note any observations.

Most of the time it will be a humidity issue. South Fulton summers are humid. If you have an oversized system, it cools quickly and turns off before it removes the moisture. The EPA suggests keeping your indoor humidity below 60% ideally between 30-50%. An inexpensive hygrometer can tell you what the humidity level is.

Watch for weak or warm air, ice on the copper lines, a hiss near the fittings, oily spots on the lines, and a system that runs longer every week. Refrigerant travels in a sealed loop, so running low means a leak somewhere. Adding more without finding it only buys time.

It's on the cool side. The DOE says a ceiling fan lets you raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no loss in comfort, so a few degrees warmer with fans running usually costs less. In a humid South Fulton July, a system held at 70 runs most of the afternoon.

Set your thermostat to heat, 5 degrees higher than the room temperature. If your thermostat is blank, check its batteries and the furnace switch. If it clicks and calls for heat but nothing happens, suspect the furnace. Smart thermostats usually require a C-wire and a heat pump needs a thermostat set up for it.

Simple checks. Thermostat on heat. Air filter not dirty. Furnace switch next to furnace is on. Circuit breaker is on. Front panel is in place (many furnaces won't run without it). If you can smell gas, skip the checks above. Get out of the house and call 911 or the gas company from outside.

Start with the label inside the door, which gives its AFUE: the share of the gas that becomes heat. Gas furnaces made since November 19, 2015 must reach at least 80 percent. Many South Fulton homes still run mid-2000s originals, and dirty burners or a tired blower can keep one from delivering its rating.

ENERGY STAR lists the signs: the unit is more than 10 years old, repairs keep coming while bills climb, some rooms run too hot or too cold, the house feels humid, or the system has gotten noisy. One sign alone rarely decides it. Several together usually do.

Get two or three written quotes and compare the same things: size, efficiency, whether the indoor coil changes too, and whether the permit and haul-away are included. SEER and SEER2 ratings are not directly comparable, so put every quote on the same scale. The lowest number on a mismatched system is no deal.

Not through the federal credit. The IRS says that the 25C credit is not available for any property put into service after December 31, 2025. There is no federal replacement for 2026. If you are a Georgia Power customer, you can use their rebate program. Check the conditions.

A diagnostic visit runs about $89 to $149, typical in metro Atlanta. Your quote depends on what we find. Tell us on the phone what the system is doing and we'll explain what the visit covers.

Ask any contractor for their license number and class for Georgia conditioned air. Look this up with the Secretary of State. Class I includes AC/heat pump up to 60,000 BTU cooling and gas heating up to 175,000 BTU. Class II is unrestricted (except boilers). Ask for written quotes.