As you’re probably aware, ductwork is the (usually) hidden pathway within your walls and crawl spaces used by your home comfort system to route conditioned (cooled or heated) air throughout your home. It’s a bit like your body’s respiratory system, serving as the lungs of your house. It’s also like your circulatory system, with ducts acting as veins, delivering blood/air pumped from the heart (of your home comfort system) through the body and returning it back again for recirculation.

In the course of a year, Twin Cities area residents get to experience all four seasons and the complete range of weather events including snow, rain, sleet, tornadoes, thunderstorms, humidity, record-breaking heat and more. In summer, we rely on our air conditioning and humidity control equipment to keep our homes comfortable. If you’re wondering if your air conditioner will make it another year, consider the following signs. Prepare to face the summer with a new A/C if:

If you have decided to replace your air conditioner, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed by your options. In recent years, cooling equipment has become significantly more efficient and increasingly advanced features are being incorporated into these appliances. There’s also an important rating system you should be aware of as you begin the selection process.

Finding the right HVAC contractor to work on your home system is as easy as following 10 simple steps.

Central air conditioning systems have a maximum useful service life of about 15 years. That’s really the drop-dead time, when you must replace rather than repair. Before you reach that point, however, stuff happens: wear and tear, minor component failure, and out-of-spec adjustments. Most malfunctions are routine and, even better, some are preventable. Here are four problems that could put you out of air conditioning, just when you need it most:

You know that little breeze that sneaks in around the window in the dining room? And the draft you feel as you pass electrical outlets in the living room? Most homes have areas of air infiltration like these, where unwanted outdoor air gets in and conditioned air flows directly out, with energy wasted in each direction.

Chances are, if you’re like most residents here in the Minneapolis metro area, you end up running your air conditioner constantly during part of our humid summers. Every year, a certain number of unlucky homeowners end up with water or moisture damage in their homes, even to the point of a ceiling collapse. That’s because air conditioning systems produce more condensation than you’d think and can do quite a bit of damage before the often hidden mold and rotten wood are discovered.

With cooling being the largest energy expense in most homes during the summer, energy bills can take a major jump during the hottest parts of the year. If you’d like to start spending less on cooling your home, one way you can do this is by reducing your cooling load.

One simple way to enhance the air quality in your home is to choose HVAC filters with higher MERV ratings. Filters for cooling and heating appliances normally are assigned a MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The numbers range from 1 to 16 for residential systems, and the higher the number, the smaller the particles the filter will capture before your home’s air enters the A/C or furnace.

If you are planning repairs or upgrades to your HVAC system, do your research and hire the best possible contractor for the job. Here are some things to consider when hiring an HVAC contractor: