FAQs

Most commonly asked questions about our services

Frequently Asked Air Conditioning Questions

We asked our HVAC technicians for some of the most common questions homeowners ask -- oh yeah, we asked them to answer them too. Click on the questions below to reveal their answers.

In the owner's manual for your air conditioner it says, "...in addition to the maintenance you perform, your system should be inspected regularly by a properly trained technician..." In the industry, "regularly" means once a year. Most HVAC companies offer this annual dealer maintenance, Any Hour Services offers a air conditioner tune-up.

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Each home is a little different. You only need to change the filter when it's too dirty to let air through. Pets, dirt, and dust can cause you to need to replace your filter more often. If you are unsure how often to replace your filter, take it out and hold it up to the light. If you are not seeing light through it, you are not getting enough air through it.

At a minimum replace your filter at the beginning of a new season, during the spring and fall. When you replace it, if it is very dirty, try replacing it every 3 months.

The purpose of the filter is to keep dirt and debris from damaging the internal components of your cooling system while still allowing enough air to move through the system. A dirty filter causes more strain on the electrical components causing them to fail sooner and your energy bill to be higher than it needs to be.

Want to know more about the maintenance you should be doing to keep your air conditioner running? Learn more about 8 DIY Maintenance Tips.

Inspect your unit's distribution channels. Make sure that the fan on your unit is carrying air into the rooms or into your duct system.

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If your unit turns on but doesn't cool, check your thermostat to be sure that it is set at the correct temperature. You should then check the condenser and evaporator for dirt and clogging. If too much dirt builds up, your unit may not turn on at all.

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When your outdoor unit doesn't turn on, check to see if the circuit breaker has been tripped. When this happens, you can easily reset it after locating the circuit breaker panel.

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There are a couple of different levels of troubleshooting. Basic troubleshooting that anyone can do if they know what to check, and advanced troubleshooting that most people are not trained to do. Be careful how much you attempt on your own, it is easy to get in over your head and do more damage than good.

We made this video to show you some easy air conditioner troubleshooting steps you can try before paying a technician to come to your home. These are the most common, preventable things our HVAC service technicians come across.

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The 4 most common are lack of airflow, communication issues, failed components, and refrigerant levels.

Airflow and communication issues are the easiest for homeowners to troubleshoot themselves. We made this video to show you the 7 most common things homeowners do to cause their own air conditioner problems. If you've tried these and you still need help, we're happy to send one of our HVAC service techs to your home to diagnose and troubleshoot your air conditioner.

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Ask yourself these 4 questions and then, based on your answers, make a decision.


1. How broken is it? This can range from "ok" to "it won't turn on". After you have an HVAC technician look at it they should be able to tell you if it is minor or major.

2. How old is your air conditioner?15 is the magic number, that is what they say the life expectancy is for air conditioners, give or take a few years. The closer you get to that age, take that into consideration.

3. How often is it breaking down?Frequency matters. If you have a 10 year old air conditioner that is breaking down every year, it is probably only going to get worse. But, on the other hand, if you have a 17 year old system that broke down for the first time, you probably still have more years to go.

4. How much do the repairs cost?This is where personal preference comes into play. You have to weigh the costs of repairs and how often you're having to make those repairs vs what it would cost to replace your air conditioner.

At Any Hour Services, our HVAC install department can complete an air conditioner install in a day. We stage the equipment the night before so it can be picked up early the next morning. The size of your air conditioner install will determine the size of the installation crew we send to install your system. Our goal is to complete your air conditioner install in 1 day.

According to energy.gov, 6% of the electricity we generate goes to cooling our homes, costing consumers $29 billion a year. So the best way to reduce your cooling bill is to use your AC less, here are a few suggestions.

1. Adjust your thermostat up a few degrees. Most of us use our air conditioners to beat the heat but it would cost a little less if, maybe, we used them to take the edge off. The feeling of hot and cold is all relative. So in the hottest parts of the summer when it's 100 outside, maybe you don't need to cool the house to 68 to feel comfortable, maybe 75 or 80 would feel a lot cooler than 100 but cost less.

2. During the hottest parts of the day, cover the windows that the sun is shining into. Sometimes our windows can act as a magnifying glass and superheat those rooms. Draw the shades or find something to block those rays.

3. Turn on ceiling fans. Turning your ceiling fans on can create a breeze that evaporates the moisture from our skin and gives you a cool feeling. It doesn't really change the temperature in the room but it feels like it does.

4. Don't add a lot of humidity into the room. Humid air retains heat more than dry air. If you have a whole home humidifier, turn it off for the summer. If you have a room humidifier or defuser, use it less.

5. Upgrade to a high-efficiency air conditioner. Once it's time to replace your air conditioner, ask the technician that meets with you show you more energy efficient models. They cost a little more upfront but same you more on your electric bill. You may even qualify for rebates and incentives from the manufacturer or the utility company.

Depends on whether you are trying to save money or get comfortable. If you are trying to save money, the higher you set it the less your air conditioner will run, therefore saving you more money. If you are trying to be comfortable, personal preference applies. If you're looking for a happy medium, find what is comfortable and then adjust it up a couple of degrees.

If you have the fan setting on your thermostat set to "on" or "run", causing it to run all the time, it may just be that the compressor has cycled off and there is nothing wrong. You can try adjusting the thermostat down and see if the air conditioner kicks on.

The other option is that something is not broken and it needs to be diagnosed to figure out what is causing the problem. It could be a lot of different things; frozen coils, refrigerant, bad compressor, a capacitor that has gone out, etc.

Before you pay a company to come to look at it, try these simple troubleshooting steps. You might be causing your own problem and not even realize it.

Still need help?

It depends. It is possible your problem is a lack of insulation in the attic or uninsulated windows. It is also possible that your air conditioner is undersized or the ductwork in your home is undersized. You could also need more return air vents.

If you suspect the issue is with your air conditioner, the first step would be to have a technician come to your home and make sure everything is sized properly, the air conditioner and the ductwork. They will also check things like the refrigerant levels to make sure they are not too low or too high.

If the problem is with the ductwork, it can be fixed. Many times it is messy and requires a lot of drywall patching and repainting. It may be that the best solution is a new ductless technology called a mini-split system. One of our HVAC supervisors can show you what options are available and the price of each option. This visit is free and there is no obligation to buy.

Schedule a Visit

It only cost $59 to get a certified HVAC technician to your home to diagnose and troubleshoot your air conditioner. The will find out why your air conditioner is not working and then give you options to repair it. Below you'll find an internet special for $30 OFF.

They will arrive in a truck stocked with all the parts and tools to start your repair while still at your home, unless the situation is unusual. Once you approve the work, your HVAC technician will begin. Most of the time your air conditioner repair is completed the same day we arrive.

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Schedule Appointment

The magic of how your air conditioner works are the refrigerant and the coils inside and outside of the home that remove heat and moisture from the air. Airflow is key in the whole process. We made this video to explain the basics of how an air conditioner works. Our hope is that with a little information and understanding you will be able to make better-informed decisions when it comes to repairing and replacing your air conditioner when the time arrives.

Yes. There are a few things you can and should be doing to make sure your air conditioner is ready to do its job. We made this video that shows you 8 simple air conditioner maintenance tips.

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or see above for questions others have already asked.

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Doug's Story

"I'm retired Army. The house was built in 1950 and a lot of improvements have needed to be done. I have never met a group of finer young people that were super qualified in every area -- whether it was heating, plumbing, electrical or whatever -- they would be the type of team that I would want to put together myself if I were running a company, and I have nothing but praise. I know I can trust their work."

"...I have nothing but praise. I know I can trust their work."

More Testimonials

This crew was amazing from beginning to end! Always kept us in the loop about the work being done and never left a mess at the end of the day. They had the upmost respect for our house and property inside and out! I can't say enough about their professionalism!
— Raymond Opheikens
Posted March 4th 2023
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Hydro jetted our main line and now it is working great!
— Ryan Harvey
Posted March 4th 2023
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They all were totally awesome!!!!
— Terry Nelson
Posted March 3rd 2023
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I had never used Any Hour Service before and am very pleased with my first experience. I was able to get same-day service and had work completed for several electrical projects. Chadd P. was very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. I will definitely call again!
— Chantelle Turner
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Robin W was very friendly, respectful l and helpful. He explained everything we needed to know about our system, repaired what was needed and helped get our thermostat settings onto our phone. Excellent service all around
— Christie Beebe
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Danny was very professional. Explained everything clearly and gave me multiple options. Highly recommend. We also had Dane come out and do a lot of plumbing work. He was great! Efficient and explained everything clearly. Very impressed!
— Doccrew Fam
Posted February 23rd 2023
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Great efficient services!
— Ben's World
Posted March 20th 2021
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As always best in town! Affordable and taught me how to unclog the drain for the future.
— Timothy Morgan
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Victor is an excellent technician
— Diane Herman
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Great service! We had to reschedule a couple of time because of some conflicts that we had and they still honored our initial deal. They are so great to call before every appointment to make sure it still work for us and I LOVED that. Lyle was our technician doing a furnace tune up and he was so attentive, professional, and quick. He answered our questions and made sure to help us with any questions we had, even if they weren't furnace related. I'll be using their services again. We just had another appointment in a new home since our last appointment and once again these guys are amazing! Our tech was Shay this time. She was thorough, respectful and so kind to my kids who of course were very curious about what she was doing.
— Sarah Jensen
Posted February 21st 2019
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Tim was very professional and kind. He made sure to let me know what would be beneficial to our system.
— Celeste Fox
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Used these guys to fix my toilet as it wasn't flushing - $29 later and after a bunch of troubleshooting they got it sorted. Was just impressed with the quality of service for $29!
— David McKillen
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Mike B, Octavio, Izzy, and Nelson those guys are golden!! They did a great job in my house. Definitely they went beyond my expectations, thank you very much.
— Samuel Vergara
Posted March 3rd 2023
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Jayden K. from Any Hour came by to perform a maintenance service on my HVAC. He was professional, courteous, patient and spent the time to go through the parts and teach me about the unit in my home. I HIGHLY recommend him and Any Hour. BEST HVAC service experience. Thank you Jayden!!!!
— alli stone
Posted March 3rd 2023
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They were quick to respond after we called about water under our furnace.
— Ronald Nobbs
Posted March 2nd 2023
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I have used Any Hour for 3 years now and will continue to use them. If I was to critique them I would suggest be more transparent and straightforward and clear with invoices and itemized list including costs and charges. Scott Olstead, Jordan Healy, Davin, Chris, and Tanner were fantastic and got my new system installed fast after the 23 year old original furnace died. Thanks!
— Ryan Buck
Posted March 2nd 2023
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Our shower was plugging up and we called Any Hour Plumbing. Danny cleaned out our drain and did a great job
— Marianne Nash
Posted March 2nd 2023
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Braden was thorough, answered all our questions and did a great job in explaining things in an easy to understand way.
— Emily Stallings
Posted March 2nd 2023
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Riley showed up on time, ready to check out my garbage disposal. He was very knowledgeable about my disposal and efficient with his work. He was also pleasant to talk with. Thank you Any Hour and thank you Riley!
— Cindi Klug
Posted February 22nd 2021
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John service both of my furnaces and checked several different components of each one to make sure that things were working properly. He offered me a fairly inexpensive suggestion for our problem I've been dealing with for a few years and completed that while he was here also. I like that they make time for unscheduled repairs without having to necessarily reschedule and come back. He did such a great job, I signed up for their VIP program. Service could not have been any better.
— R. Scott Smith
Posted March 2nd 2023
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