Month: June 2019

4 Creative Ways to Light Your Home

creative ways to light your home

If you’re looking for an artistic project this summer, consider spicing up the lighting in your home. Adding different types of creative lighting in your home will showcase your personality and will make you feel more comfortable.

But finding the right lighting isn’t always easy. Luckily, the professionals at Weeks Service Company know a thing or two about lighting and can show you some creative ways to light your home!

3 Types of Lighting

Take a minute to read a little bit about the three basic types of lighting you can have in your home:

  • Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting is usually created using overhead fixtures such as chandeliers and lamps. This lighting provides a complete glow to your home so you can see and work comfortably in that space.

  • Task lighting

This type of lighting is more focused than ambient lighting. It’s meant to provide lighting to help you accomplish tasks (hence the name task lighting) like reading, writing and cooking. Task lighting can be created using track lights as well as adjustable desk lamps.

  • Accent lighting

Accent lighting is used to draw attention to a specific part of your home or décor. Accent lighting is usually created using picture lights or sconces.

 

4 Creative Ways to Light Your Home

1. Bolden Up Your Living Room

The living room is the first thing you and your guests see upon entering your home. It’s important that your creative lighting in the living room is comfortable, well-functioning, and in this case, daring. Make a strong impression by using a bold center fixture for your living room. Not only does a bold fixture make a statement about you, it is also a better option than adding several smaller lights in your ceiling resulting in an overly lit room. To achieve this look, you can use a contemporary chandelier or a sturdy suspension lamp.

2. Create a Night Sky Effect for Your Children’s Bedroom

If you have a child, chances are they probably want a cool bedroom. You can achieve this simply by changing up the lighting in their room. String up some star-shaped fairy lights and light them up at night. For the safety of your children, make sure the lights you get are LED lights and made of plastic.

If string lights are not an option, consider a moon and star shaped ceiling fixture. This fixture will provide warm ambient lighting adding to the comfort and creativity of your child’s bedroom.

3. Consider Under Cabinet Lighting for Your Kitchen

If the rest of your home is well-lit and your kitchen still resembles a dim dungeon where you can’t see what you cook, consider some under cabinet lighting. Under cabinet lighting provides accent lighting for food preparation as well as some soft background lighting with a modern feel.

Here are some different types of under cabinet lights you can consider:

  • LED fixtures are more expensive, but they are the most energy-efficient option and are dimmable.
  • Xenon fixtures are dimmable and inexpensive, but they consume a lot of energy and emit a lot of heat.
  • Fluorescent fixtures don’t emit as much as heat as Xenon fixtures. However, their pricing is around the same as LED fixtures.

4. Add Softer Lighting for Your Bathroom

Replace the harsh lighting in your bathroom with softer lighting emitted by candle sconces. Candle sconces will give your bathroom calmer lighting which is nice to have when you’re taking a relaxing bath. In addition to that, these sconces will also be ideal for mirror lighting. If you want to use these candle sconces on a regular basis, go for battery-operated candles!

For ceiling lighting, choose lights that radiate diffused lighting that isn’t pointing directly down on your head.

 

We hope your creative lighting project is fun and safe. The team at Weeks Service Company is here to cater to your electrical needs and provides a wide range of services such as fixture installation, electrical maintenance and plug and switch replacement. Call us at 281-738-1362 or schedule a service on our website!

 

What is Wrong with My Outdoor Condenser?

The outdoor condenser, or outdoor condensing unit, is a vital part of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in your home. You might think of your AC system as a couple of vents blowing cool air into your living room, but it’s a little more complex than that.

Simply put, your air conditioning system works by absorbing warm air from your home and releasing it outside. The outdoor condenser does the latter and without it, the heat in your house would have nowhere to go.

If your outdoor condensing unit begins to malfunction, it’s important to take care of the problem immediately. However, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint what the problem even is. To lessen your frustration, the experts at Weeks Service Company have prepared a quick guide to provide an answer to the nagging question: What is wrong with my outdoor condenser?

The Role of the Outdoor Condenser

Before you take any action, read a little bit about how the outdoor condenser works and the role it plays in your home’s HVAC system.

There are three components to your entire air conditioning unit. The evaporator, the compressor and the condenser. The evaporator is in the air handling unit which can be found in your basement. The compressor and condenser are usually in the outdoor condensing unit. A liquid called refrigerant loops through these components, frequently changing from liquid to gas.

As warm air from your house moves to the evaporator or evaporator coil, the refrigerant in the coil absorbs the heat from the air and vaporizes. The indoor air, now having had the heat removed from it, is cooler and a fan blows it back out into your home. Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant moves into the compressor in the outdoor condensing unit. The compressor pressurizes the vaporized refrigerant, creating a higher temperature and pressure. This forces the gas to move to the condenser. There, the gas condenses into cool liquid and heat is radiated from the process and dissipated with the help of fans.

How to Tell If Your Outdoor Condenser Is Malfunctioning

Now that you have some idea of how your outdoor condenser works, here are some signs that could indicate a problem with it.

Warm Air Through Vents

If warm air is blowing through your vents or there isn’t significant cooling happening, there might be something wrong with your condenser. This could be due to low refrigerant levels or the condenser component malfunctioning.

To check for any problems with refrigerant levels, reach behind your outdoor condenser and feel the refrigerant lines. If they are cold, that means they’re working fine. Check to see if there are any leaks near the condenser. Refrigerant leaks can force your cooling system to work overtime to be even remotely effective.

Make sure to remove any large debris, like leaves and branches, from your unit. Debris can create obstructions in your condenser and bend its coil fins. Bent or clogged coil fins can cause a restriction in air flow, decreasing your AC’s efficiency. Also, remove any dust that has accumulated on the condenser coil. Keeping your outdoor condenser well-maintained can prolong its life and reduce the chances of repairs.

Noisy Fan

If your outdoor condenser is making an unusual noise, that means there could be a problem with its fan. If it is making a hissing or a high-pitched noise, it is likely there has been some damage to the refrigerant lines and there is a refrigerant leak. Shut the air conditioner off and  immediately call a professional to take care of this problem as it could be hazardous.

If you hear clanging, check to see if any debris is in the fan. If you hear rattling, there are probably some lose parts and screws in your outdoor unit that need to be tightened up. Ignored, these lose parts can damage other components of your outdoor condenser.

You might want to check your AC capacitor as well, especially if you hear an odd humming. The capacitor is a small cylindrical object that stores energy and sends a jolt to start a motor or continually sends jolts to keep a motor running. To test if a capacitor is working, use a long object like a stick and slide it through the fan grate. Use the stick to give the fan blade a push. If the fan starts off on its own, you probably have a bad capacitor. You can try changing it by yourself but if you have any doubts, call a technician.

High Electricity Bill

Keep an eye on your electricity bill. If it is much higher than usual, try out simple solutions first. Try cleaning out your air filter and making sure your windows are sealed tight.  However, if you have tried everything you can, there might be problems in the condenser. Common problems include a faulty capacitor or a worn-out compressor. If your compressor is not putting the right pressure on the refrigerant, it is decreasing the efficiency of your home’s AC.

If you think the air conditioning in your home has any problems, the best solution is to call to a professional for maintenance, repairs and tune-ups. The experts at Weeks Service Company will catch any issues your AC is giving you and provide effective strategies and solutions to make sure there are no costly difficulties in the long run! Give us a call at 281-738-1362 for more information.

 

What is Wrong with My Outdoor Condenser?