How to Choose the Right Size AC for Your Home

April 1, 2026

If your St. Louis, MO, home needs a new AC system, you’ll have plenty of selection options. There are numerous quality manufacturers and an endless number of models with varying features. However, regardless of which model you ultimately choose, there’s one thing you can’t afford to get wrong: your AC’s size. Here’s what you need to know about AC sizing and how to choose the right size AC for your space. Why Does AC Size Matter? When most homeowners think about AC sizing, they worry about choosing a system with sufficient cooling capacity. After all, if an AC can’t keep you cool, what good is it? However, many homeowners don’t understand that an AC that’s too big for their home is just as problematic. An AC that’s too small will obviously struggle to cool your home. As a result, it will run continuously, wasting energy and having accelerated wear and tear. Meanwhile, an AC that’s too large will have the opposite problem. It will cool your home too quickly, leading to short cycling, which is an AC that turns on and off rapidly. Believe it or not, that’s almost more damaging to your AC than if it ran continuously. Plus,...

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Why Does My Air Conditioner Smell?

March 11, 2026

Air Conditioner Smells Air conditioning systems eliminate moisture from living space and filter air pollutants before they can get indoors. However, if you don’t schedule routine maintenance or clean your air conditioning unit frequently, it can cause your indoor air to become stinky. If your AC unit emits a foul odor, there could be several issues at play. Here are some reasons why your air conditioner smells and how to alleviate the problem in your home. 1. Frozen Evaporator Coils An air conditioning unit works by absorbing the warm air inside your house, removing moisture from it, and cooling it down before cycling it back into the house via the return vents. Good airflow is essential for the entire process, which means your unit should have clean air filters. Debris, dirt, and other pollutants usually block airflow through air filters, forcing the water drops from moist indoor air to accumulate on the coils. The water collecting on the unit’s evaporator coils will then freeze as the refrigerant cools down the air. That is where the significance of changing filters at home is realized. Replace or clean your filters more regularly to prevent the evaporator coils from freezing and emitting unpleasant...

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What Factors Affect AC Replacement Costs in St. Louis

March 1, 2026

Replacing your home air conditioning system is a major investment for your family. It can be helpful to understand the driving factors behind the exact price of replacing your unit. This will allow you to make smarter purchasing decisions that fit well within your budget. Type of System One of the biggest driving factors behind the price of a new air conditioning system for your home is the type of system that you get. You have three main options to choose from, which are central ACs, heat pumps, and ductless mini-split systems. If you have existing ductwork in your home, putting in a central air conditioner or a heat pump is typically the most cost-effective option. However, if you don’t have existing ductwork in your home, a ductless mini-split system can be more cost-effective to install. It’s important to note that both ductless mini-split systems and heat pumps are more expensive than central air conditioning systems. This simply comes down to the fact that they provide both heating and cooling in one unit compared to just cooling with the central AC unit. Cooling Capacity Another significant impact on pricing is a system’s cooling capacity. The higher a system’s cooling capacity,...

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Inverter Technology 101: What Homeowners Need to Know About Modern AC Units

May 19, 2025

If your old AC feels either all on or completely off, that’s not your imagination; it’s probably so. Traditional systems cycle hard, blast cool air, and then shut down until the space warms up again. Inverter technology flips that script by adjusting power gradually, keeping your home cooler and more consistent without all the highs and lows. It’s like cruise control for your air conditioner. What Inverter Technology Actually Does At the heart of it, the inverter refers to how the air conditioner compressor runs. Instead of running at one fixed speed, like a traditional system, the inverter lets the compressor adjust how fast or slow it runs based on what the home needs. It gradually speeds up or slows down to keep things even. This method keeps the temperature more stable and reduces the sudden spikes in power that traditional systems create. Why It Sounds So Much Quieter If you’ve ever had an AC unit that rattled to life like a small engine and then thumped off with a shudder, you know how distracting it can be. One of the biggest perks of an inverter system is how smooth it sounds during operation. Because the compressor doesn’t turn on...

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A Homeowner’s Guide to Modern AC Inverter Technology

January 3, 2025

There’s no doubt that the HVAC industry is a constantly evolving one. From enhancing energy efficiency to developing better refrigerants, there are many innovations made each year. One that homeowners should understand is inverter technology with respect to new residential air conditioning systems. The Problem With Traditional AC Units Traditional air conditioning units have two operation levels: full blast and off. Whenever the ambient temperature rises above your thermostat setting, your AC unit will kick on full blast and run until your indoor temperature gets back down to the setting on your thermostat. Running at 100% operating capability can be a bit noisy and also will create more uncomfortable interior temperature fluctuations. For example, you may feel overly hot at one moment and overly cold 10 minutes later. The Solution Is Inverter Technology Inverter technology essentially allows your air conditioning system to operate at varying capacities, depending on your specific needs at the time. Instead of running at full blast, shutting off, and repeating the process all day long, inverter technology works much differently. An air conditioning system that uses inverter technology will run continuously, varying its operating capacity as needed. This will allow it to better maintain your indoor...

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What Is a MERV Filter?

August 21, 2024

MERV filters are HVAC filters, also called furnace and air conditioner filters. They serve several purposes. MERV filters keep an HVAC filter free of dust and other debris without restricting airflow too much. They also help improve indoor air quality by removing particulates from the air. Let’s explore HVAC filters and the MERV rating system in further detail. History of MERV The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is a U.S.-based but global professional association for the HVAC industry. ASHRAE developed the minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) scale in 1987. It was not the first rating system for air filters, but the existing systems didn’t fully meet industry needs. ASHRAE wanted to provide an indicator of minimum filter performance to HVAC professionals and customers at a glance. It was so effective that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited the system. The Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both recognize it as the standard and use it as a criterion in their studies. MERV Rating System ASHRAE limited the MERV scale to a range of filtration relevant to the HVAC industry. This is important because denser filter materials can cause a pressure drop. That...

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Why You Should Upgrade Your AC Before Summer

March 2, 2024

The Benefits of Upgrading Your AC Before Summertime When the time comes to replace your AC, the experts recommend a proactive approach. While you can certainly install an AC in summer, it usually isn’t the best time. Installing it in spring or even fall will save you money and inconvenience. With that in mind, let’s explore the many reasons HVAC experts advise not waiting until the warmer months. Peace of Mind Having your new HVAC system in place before summer arrives gives you peace of mind. You can now invite family and friends over and know they’ll be comfortable. You won’t have to worry about something going wrong while they’re here. You’ll also have a new warranty to protect you. A new warranty ensures your AC is free of defects for many years to come. More Time to Research Time to make a decision is an oft-overlooked advantage of a proactive approach. Many homeowners who replace their ACs in summer experience a time crunch. Either you need to replace a failed AC now or your scheduling options are pressuring you. This means that you have to decide on a big investment in a very short period. When you decide in...

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How to Choose Between Central AC and Mini-Split AC

January 18, 2024

How to Choose Between Central AC and Mini-Split AC Systems If you’re considering installing an air conditioning system in your St. Louis, MO, home, your choice will likely come down to one of two types of systems. One is a central air conditioning system, and the other is a mini-split AC system. Each comes with specific advantages as well as specific drawbacks. That often makes choosing between them quite difficult. To help, here is everything you need to know about central AC and mini-split AC systems and how to choose the right option for your home. The Advantages of Central AC Here in St. Louis, just like in the rest of the US, central AC systems are the most common type of air conditioning equipment in homes. At last count, approximately two-thirds of American homes had a central AC or central heat pump installed. That isn’t an accident. It began in the post-World War II period, as builders began preinstalling ductwork in new homes to support central HVAC equipment. Central AC’s popularity in the US happened because it offered an efficient way to cool an entire home that was compatible with a central heating system like a gas-fired furnace. In...

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A Guide to Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

November 20, 2023

Updated September, 2025 Most homes are built with a ducted heating and cooling system. This type of system pushes hot or cold air throughout your home via ducts in the walls or floor from a central heating or cooling unit. If you have an old home that you want to upgrade or if you plan to add another room to your home, then installing a ductless mini split is a far wiser option. Renovation to add a duct to a new addition or to add ducting to an older home is costly and impractical. But how do ductless systems work? How does this type of system heat and cool your home? And how are they installed? Designing the Right Ductless Layout Single-zone mini splits are great for additions and problem rooms. Multi-zone systems let you tailor comfort across floors or living areas. Use room-by-room setpoints with zoning and smart controls for consistent comfort. Keep performance high with coil cleaning and inspections through our Maintenance Agreement. Explore payment options for multi-head systems on our Financing page. We’ll map indoor head placement for quiet operation, proper condensate routing, and efficient line lengths. Heating With a Ductless Mini Split A ductless system is...

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How Often Should You Replace Your Air Filters?

September 22, 2023

Updated September, 2025 Have you ever paused to think about the air you breathe inside your home? Many homeowners often take their home’s air for granted because they assume it is always clean and pure for breathing. In reality, indoor air may be up to five times more polluted than outside air. The air inside your home could have particulates that can significantly impact your health and well-being. That is where air filters come into play. They act like small, silent guardians working tirelessly to ensure that the air you breathe is void of allergens and harmful pollutants. Like any other filter, they have a limited lifespan and need regular replacement to ensure optimal function. They collect dust and other particles, which accumulate and impede their ability to trap more particulates. How often you should change these filters depends on their quality and usage. Experts recommend that the filters be replaced at least once every 90 days. Nevertheless, if you own pets or multiple people live in your home, it would be a good practice to swap them once every 60 days. The following are the real benefits of changing your air filters regularly. Match Filter Type and Change Interval...

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