Category: Service & Maintenance

The Importance of Regular Commercial Electrical Inspections

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical | Leave a Commenton The Importance of Regular Commercial Electrical Inspections
Electrician using a multimeter to inspect electrical wiring in a wall, emphasizing the importance of regular electrical system inspections for safety in residential and commercial properties.

As a business owner, you obviously have a huge number of responsibilities to your business as well as your employees and customers. One of your biggest responsibilities is ensuring that your building and your entire property is safe. The electrical system is always the most dangerous component of any building, which makes it essential that you have your electrical system inspected regularly to ensure it is safe. Today, we’re going to discuss how commercial electrical inspections can help to prevent injuries and severe damage so you can better understand why having your electrical system inspected regularly is so important for your business.

Keeping Your Employees and Customers Safe

Regular electrical inspections are essential for keeping your employees and customers safe and protecting them from electrocution or harm due to fire or smoke inhalation. Similarly, if you’re a landlord, regular inspections will also help ensure the safety of your tenants and their guests. Many electrical issues are difficult to spot and will often remain undetected until someone gets shocked or a fire starts.

Electrical fires can be especially hazardous since they often occur behind walls and can smolder for a long time before finally being detected. Once the fire does take off, it can quickly get out of control and lead to serious injuries before the fire department can arrive to put the fire out. Even if you’re lucky enough that no one gets burned, you still have to worry about the possibility of potentially fatal smoke inhalation.

As a commercial business owner, you can be held legally liable should any injuries occur due to electrocution or fires. As such, it is vital that you have your electrical system inspected regularly to ensure it is safe and greatly lessen the chances of any electrical issues or injuries.

Protecting Your Investment

Running a business is a major investment that takes lots of time, money, and effort, and regular electrical inspections are one of the best ways to protect your investment. Should anyone get injured on your property due to any unsafe electrical issues, you could be forced to pay a huge settlement that could ruin your business. Even if you can afford the settlement, the damage that it could do to your business’s reputation may be unrepairable.

A major electrical fire could also cause serious damage and force you to shut down for weeks or months and lose out on a huge amount of profit. If your business is forced to close for a long period, all of your employees may find jobs elsewhere and you could lose most of your customers as well. Once you’ve finally repaired all of the damage and rebuilt, you may basically have to start over from scratch.

Regular electrical inspections are also important for protecting any machinery and equipment as well as all of your computers and electronics. Issues like overloads and short circuits can potentially ruin all of these things by frying the control boards and melting the internal wiring and other components. This can also end up costing you a lot of money due to a loss in productivity as well as the need to repair or replace anything that was damaged. As such, it is important that you make sure all of your outlets and equipment are properly inspected and well maintained.

Electrical inspections and regular maintenance can also help you save money by lessening the need for future repairs or major overhauls. An electrical system that is properly maintained and inspected regularly is far less likely to experience major issues or require expensive repairs.

Ensuring Code Compliance

All commercial electrical systems must conform to the standards set out by the National Electric Code (NEC). Code compliance is essential for protecting your business against potential liability issues and also ensuring that your electrical system is safe and up to date. If your electrical system doesn’t meet NEC standards, you could also end up facing steep fines and other penalties.

If you own a property that you rent out to another business, you are also required to provide your tenant with an electrical safety certificate upon request to ensure that the building conforms to all relevant code requirements. This is yet another reason why you should always have an electrical safety inspection performed every year or so to ensure that you have this important document on hand.

How Often Should a Commercial Electrical Inspection Be Performed?

The recommendation from the National Fire Protection Association is that all commercial buildings should have their electrical system fully inspected and maintained every three to five years. However, this is really the bare minimum and most experts instead recommend you have a commercial electrical inspection performed every year just to be safe. It is also recommended that you have a licensed commercial electrician inspect your building any time you’re doing any major electrical upgrades or if the occupancy of the building increases.

What Does a Commercial Electrical Inspection Involve?

A commercial electrical inspection is a quite complicated process that involves visually inspecting the entire electrical system and all of its components and then testing to make sure everything works properly and there are no issues that need to be repaired. The electrician will always inspect and test all electrical connections and power outlets, and they will also make sure that all of the circuit breakers in the building’s electrical panels still work as they should. Testing the circuit breakers regularly is important as this ensures that they will trip if the circuit ever gets overloaded. If the circuit breaker didn’t trip, the high voltage flowing through the circuit can create a major fire hazard and also cause serious damage to anything hardwired or plugged into the circuit.

When performing a commercial electrical inspection, the electrician will also check all of the building’s appliances to make sure they are free of any electrical issues. This includes things like your water heater, heating system and air conditioning. Inspecting the HVAC system for electrical issues is especially important since commercial HVAC systems tend to be extremely powerful and can suffer major damage when any electrical problems are present. Any electromechanical machines will also need to be fully inspected and tested to ensure safe functioning.

During the inspection, a commercial electrician will also make sure that everything conforms to NEC standards. This includes things like making sure you have GFCI outlets in all areas where the outlet is within a certain distance of a water source or could otherwise be exposed to water. This is important as GFCI outlets help to prevent electrocution, which can easily occur if the outlet or anything plugged into it is ever exposed to water. When water does get into an outlet, it can cause a ground fault that results in the current flowing out of the outlet and into anything nearby including a person.

At [company_name], we have been providing expert commercial electrical services to customers in the Charlotte area for more than 50 years. We specialize in electrical safety inspections and maintenance, and we can also handle all of your commercial electrical installation and repair needs. We also have a team of certified HVAC technicians that specialize in all types of commercial heating and air conditioning services. For more information on the importance of commercial electrical inspections or to schedule an appointment to have your business’s electrical system inspected, contact us today.

What to Do When Your Furnace Is Not Working

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Technician troubleshooting HVAC system with multimeter and wiring, emphasizing furnace maintenance and repair services in Charlotte, NC.

If your furnace is giving you trouble and you’re unable to keep warm, it’s essential to have someone you can trust to resolve the problem promptly — someone like the team at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical. Of course, getting help with your furnace or other HVAC or electrical equipment means understanding that there’s a problem in the first place, so you know it’s time to make a call.

Today, we’ll look at the symptoms of a troubled furnace and what it might mean for your system.

If you’re looking for help in the Charlotte, NC, area, don’t hesitate to contact Acosta online by calling 704.665.5998 now! We’ll be glad to figure everything out for you.

Signs That Your Furnace Isn’t Working

While some furnace issues are rather obvious—if no air is blowing at all or that air is ice cold—others can be more subtle. Be sure you don’t leave any of these issues to linger until it becomes a bigger problem—or leaves you cold on a freezing night.

  • The system no longer keeps you at the temperature on your thermostat
  • Strange noises or smells from your system or ducts
  • Constantly needing to relight a pilot light or flip an electrical breaker
  • Short-cycling, where the system turns on and off and on and off without hitting temperatures
  • Changes in humidity or indoor air quality

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Troubleshooting Your Furnace

Check if your thermostat is turned off or try resetting your digital thermostat.

Often if your furnace starts acting poorly or not acting at all, the issue can be tied back to your thermostat rather than the furnace itself. Make sure your thermostat settings are correct, and if you have a digital thermostat, try a full reset according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Check your electrical and gas lines by testing other appliances that use them.

Problems with your furnace can also track back to the energy it uses—electricity and possibly gas. If a breaker is flipped or other electrical appliances on the circuit aren’t working, you have your culprit. Similarly, if you have a gas furnace and other gas appliances aren’t working right, you know what’s wrong.

Change the filter.

If you haven’t changed the filter in a while, it’s straightforward for it to be blocked entirely up to the point that air can’t flow through your system. Of course, even without that blockage, if it’s been that long, go ahead and change your filter—it’s good for your system and indoor air quality!

Check the exhaust and intake vents to make sure they’re not blocked.

Physical obstruction of the airflow of your furnace isn’t just a matter of filters. Intakes and vents can be blocked by duct and debris—or maybe someone just moved something in front of the intake and stopped the whole system.

Dirty furnace filter being cleaned with a vacuum, highlighting the importance of regular maintenance for HVAC systems and indoor air quality.

Choose Acosta for Emergency Repair

If your problem extends beyond simple thermostat resets and clogged filters, reach out to the experts at Acosta and get help as soon as possible. Quick action can save you a lot of discomfort and money in the future by getting ahead of breakdowns and severe damage resulting from a system in disrepair continuing in that state.

Contact us online or call us at 704.665.5998 to request help in Charlotte, South Charlotte, Waxhaw, and the surrounding areas!

That Leak Could Mean You Need Air Conditioning Repair

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

There could be more to your leaking air conditioner than just a pool of water. Not only could you end up with mold or water damage, but you could also be running an inefficient cooling system that is costing you money in the long run. There are a couple of common reasons that your air conditioner is leaking, however, and our professionals at Acosta Heating and Cooling can provide the solutions you need.

When we arrive for air conditioning repair services at your home or business in Charlotte, North Carolina, we’ll check for these two common repair items and provide the necessary fixes:

Condensate Problems – Not only does your air conditioner cool the air inside your home or business, but it also removes humidity. Typically, any condensation is removed from your system without issue, but if not, an air conditioning repair could be in order. Repair solutions for this problem include:

  • Checking your condensate drain pain for damage and replacing it
  • Clearing blockages in your condensate drain and replacing the water line, if needed
  • Repairing or replacing a broken condensate pump to keep water moving properly

Frozen Evaporator Coils – If ice forms on your evaporator coils, this could lead to melting and overflow from your drain pan. Our air conditioning repair solutions for this problem include:

  • Cleaning or replacing your filter so there is better airflow through your coils.
  • Adding refrigerant so that you have enough pressure for your coils to properly remove heat from the air. We’ll also check for refrigerant leaks in your AC unit.
  • Checking your fan for low airflow through the coil and providing the necessary repair.

At Acosta Heating and Cooling, we know how much you rely on your air conditioner from day-to-day in Charlotte, so make sure to give us a call if you need air conditioning repair at your home or business in Charlotte.

Leaks and Air Conditioning Repair in Charlotte, NC

Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical is a full service heating, cooling, and electrical company dedicated to providing the highest level of customer satisfaction in the greater Charlotte area. Since 1972, we’ve provided professional AC repairs, maintenance, and installations for Charlotte residents. If you need professional AC repairs in Charlotte, call Acosta today!

You Can’t Go Wrong With These Central Air Conditioning Maintenance Tips

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Air Conditioning Maintenance Tips for Your Charlotte, NC Home

Your central air conditioning system keeps your home cool all summer long — or at least that’s what you want it to do. If you want to avoid a situation where your central air conditioning system stops working like it should or stops working altogether, we highly recommend following these maintenance guidelines:

  • The most important thing you can do for your central air conditioning system is to replace its filters on a regular basis. Clogged, dirty filters prevent clean, cool air from flowing through your home effectively, and they compromise your system’s efficiency. Your air conditioning filters are likely located somewhere in a wall or ceiling, so locate them and commit to changing them out on a frequent basis.
  • Over months and years of service, your AC system’s evaporator coils and condenser coil are going to collect dirt and debris, which can cut back on your system’s effectiveness. Prevent these essential coils from becoming too dusty or dirty by cleaning the area around these coils, removing debris from this area and trimming back any foliage that may have gotten in the way.

Instead of worrying about whether something’s going to go wrong with your central air conditioning system, be proactive about repairs by investing in preventative maintenance. Here at Acosta Heating and Cooling, we provide preventative maintenance programs, and a technician from our team can come to your home and inspect your system. They will also let you know if there are repairs you should watch out for or if you should have them done right away, so your system maintains its functionality and efficiency.

“Prevention Is Better Than Cure” Certainly Holds True for Air Conditioning Repair

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Indeed it’s true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This holds true if you want to prevent identity or auto theft, and it’s also true if you want to reduce the amount of air conditioning repair that your unit needs. By regularly cleaning your air conditioner, you will minimize the need for future repairs.

Here are some cleaning tips to avoid air conditioning repair:

  • Before cleaning it, turn the unit off: This is critical to prevent a shocking experience – literally. Switch off the circuit breaker that powers the air conditioning unit.
  • The coils: With an ordinary garden hose, wet the coils. Then spray with a commercial air conditioner product. Leave the cleaner on the coils for the time indicated on the instructions. Next, rinse off the cleaner. If you have a wall air conditioning unit, you can use the soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to clean the coil fins. Keeping the coils clean is an essential step in preventing air conditioning repair.
  • Replace the filter: In the height of summer when the air conditioner is being used often, the filter should be replaced once a month, or at least every other month, depending on how high usage is. Although the filter is the most basic part of an air conditioning unit, it’s the first line of defense in preventing a buildup of dirt and, ultimately, reducing unnecessary air conditioning repair.IMPORTANT: You can take these simple steps to keep your air conditioner clean, but it is equally important to have a trained professional perform preventative maintenance once or twice a year.

Air Conditioning Repair and Maintenance: Have You Heard About Our MSA Program?

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Our MSA (Money Saving Agreement) is a preventative maintenance initiative for heating and cooling systems. Our highly skilled technicians will inspect, clean and tune up your system to ensure it’s in good working condition for the upcoming season. You’ll find that the MSA will pay for itself many times in the reduction of heating and air conditioning repair costs, while extending the life of your system.

The cost depends on the type of equipment you have. If you have both heating and air conditioning, we suggest two annual service calls. If you have a heating system only, one annual service call will suffice.

As a member, you will receive preferential scheduling plus a 15 percent discount on heating or air conditioning repair work that goes beyond regular maintenance. You also accumulate $50 a year of consecutive coverage which goes toward equipment replacement.

Some Benefits of our MSA Program

  • You can save as much as 20 percent on heating and cooling bills.
  • As a member, you’ll be making a positive impact on the environment by conserving energy because routine maintenance ensures the highest level of energy efficiency.
  • Minor heating and air conditioning repair work and adjustments can prevent catastrophic failures and major repairs that could result in premature replacement of your system.
  • For warranty protection and better equipment management, we keep accurate service records. In order for a manufacturer’s warranty to remain valid, most of the major brands require a licensed contractor to perform annual maintenance.

Visit our Money Saving Agreement page to read more about our MSA program.

Common Culprits That Call for Furnace Repair

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Of course there are any number of things that necessitate furnace repair, certain problems occur much more commonly than others, as well as range from minor to potentially dangerous. Knowing what to look for can be helpful both in deciding how to proceed with the furnace repair process and also to help you communicate more effectively with your furnace repair technician.

One of the first things to check when your furnace fails to start is the thermostat. A faulty thermostat will not allow the furnace to recognize the need to start heating. The good news is a broken thermostat is also one of the more simple problems to have repaired.

If the furnace turns on, but one or two of the rooms of the house are not receiving air, the problem is likely to be in the air ducts themselves. Perhaps one or more of them are broken or have become blocked. This problem can become more difficult when the air ducts are in places difficult to reach.

If your furnace is lit, but none of the rooms are receiving air at, the problem could be the blower or the circulating fan. This problem will definitely call for a furnace repair. The blower takes the air from the cold rooms, runs them through the heat exchanger, warming the air, and then sends the warm air back into the house. A disruption in the flow of air can also cause overheating in the furnace itself.

Clogged, dirty, or blocked air filters can also cause problems and lead to furnace repair. It is essential to have clean and clear filters through which the air may move freely. Restricting the flow of air can cause unnecessary strain on the system and increase energy consumption. However, this problem is more an issue of maintenance. Make sure to clean your filters at a very minimum of once every three months during the use of the furnace; more often would be even better. Caring for and getting routine maintenance for your heating system will help prevent the need for furnace repair in the first place.

Is Air Conditioning Repair Really Something to Get So “Heated Up” Over?

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Anyone who has experienced a problem requiring air conditioning repair, residential or commercial, during the more brutal months of the summer knows how frustrating and uncomfortable it can be. Whether or not you have had this awful experience, everyone dreads the day when either the vents stop blowing cool air or stop blowing air at all. But is the situation really so terrible as to warrant such feelings? The answer is: sometimes but not always! Here is a list of some of the more common problems associated with air conditioning repair, and it turns out not all of them are indeed so dire. Problems do, however, usually require the attention of a qualified technician.

A large portion of problems requiring air conditioning repair start at the initial installation of the air conditioner. The air conditioner is a complex machine combining several mechanical and chemical processes to function correctly, and therefore, it is no surprise that errors are possible during installation. Faulty wiring is one of the more common mistakes and can be dangerous as well as inconvenient. If your air conditioner stops turning on, the fault could lie in the wiring. For this reason, it is important to make sure to have a competent and qualified air conditioning repair technician service your system.

Bad wiring is undoubtedly bad, but another reason your air conditioner may have stopped turning on could be due to a problem with the compressor; and these problems can quickly become much more expensive. The compressor is one of the main components of your air conditioning system. You can help prevent restriction problems with the compressor by regularly cleaning the air filter, which, if clogged, can put a huge strain on the whole air conditioning system.

If your vents are blowing air, but the air is either not cooled sufficiently or not at all, the culprit is very possibly the coolant. Freon (prior to 2010) is the chemical usually used to cool the air going into a structure; if you are low on Freon, the air will not be cooled as you wish. However, a low level of coolant means you have a leak, which, while usually not the most serious of problems requiring a repair, must certainly be attended to by a qualified air conditioning technician.

Why You Should Call Us for Air Conditioning Repair and All Other HVAC Needs

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

We have been the leading cooling and heating company in the Carolinas for over 40 years. Our installers and technicians are factory-trained and certified to carry out all HVAC procedures.

But, that’s not all. We also ensure that your equipment operates safely, so that you have peace of mind. We’ll also tell you how you can save money on your energy costs. And, more importantly, we can improve the quality of the air that you breathe to prevent you and your family being exposed to airborne allergens.

We guarantee:

  • Outstanding Customer Service: Whether you’re reviewing payment options, scheduling an appointment or following up on a service already provided.
  • Highly Trained Technicians: We provide continuing training and certification for our technicians. They are all NATE-certified and qualified to work on all brands of HVAC equipment. And, before we hire anyone, we check that they have a drug-free background.
  • Professionalism and Punctuality: From air conditioning repair to routine service and maintenance calls, we arrive on time and get the job done in an efficient and timely manner.
  • Cleanliness, Security and Safety: Our highest priority is the security and safety of your family and your possessions. Our installers and technicians carry vacuums and shoe covers to ensure your home stays clean.
  • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: All services and installations come with a written 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Heating and Cooling Filters Never Get a Break – Change Them Every 3 Months

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

The performance of your heating and cooling system is greatly affected by the condition of the air filters. As air flows in and out of your system, the filter traps particles like pet dander, pollen, dust mites and dirt, and removes them from the air. Over time, dirt builds up on the filter like this:

Dirty, clogged filters block normal air flow and affect overall performance, but they also increase energy consumption. If you keep the filter in your heating and cooling system clean, you can reduce its energy consumption by 5-15 percent.

Dirty filters also:

  • Compromise the quality of your air.
  • Reduce the amount of air flowing into the system. This forces the fan motor to work harder and consume more energy, and you pay more money to stay comfortable.
  • Shorten the life of the motor because it works too hard. Once again, you pay money to have it prematurely replaced.
  • Cause the temperature of your furnace to rise as a result of reduced air flow. This places stress on the heat exchanger which may cause it to crack or allow lethal carbon monoxide to leak into your home.Filters should be checked every month. If they are dirty, replace them. At a minimum, air filters should be changed every 3 months.Many types of air filters are available. For your heating and cooling system to provide optimal performance, it’s important to use the correct type and size of filter. Often, the most efficient filters are not suitable for all systems. See which type of filter your owner’s manual recommends.