HVAC questions from Ajax homeowners
These are the questions we get asked most often on the phone, answered the way we would answer them on the phone. Metropolitan Heating and Air Conditioning has served Scarborough, Durham and the GTA since 1979, Ajax included, on all makes and models.
Call (416) 283-5698, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Why is my upstairs always warmer than the rest of the house?
Usually airflow, not capacity. Heat rises, upper floors are further along the duct run, and the branches serving them are often the longest and most restricted in the system. By the time air reaches them it has lost pressure to friction and to every branch that took a share ahead of it.
A larger air conditioner does not fix this, because the problem is distribution rather than output. The things that do are balancing the dampers, correcting undersized returns, sealing duct leakage, or — where a room simply cannot be reached properly — a ductless head serving that space directly.
How often does the system actually need servicing?
Once a year for each function: heating before the heating season, cooling before the cooling season. A heat pump does both jobs and therefore wants attention twice a year, because the components run in both modes and wear accordingly.
The value is in the measurements rather than the cleaning. Refrigerant pressures, static pressure, temperature rise, capacitor values and gas pressure all drift before anything fails outright, and a drifting reading is a part telling you it is on its way out while there is still time to plan around it. Our maintenance service is built around taking those readings.
What filter should I use, and how often do I change it?
A standard 1-inch pleated filter generally wants changing every one to three months, depending on the household. Check it monthly at first and you will learn your own interval rather than guessing.
On rating: a higher MERV number captures finer particles, but denser media resists airflow more. Putting a high-MERV 1-inch filter into a system whose ducts were not designed for it raises static pressure and cuts airflow, which can ice the cooling coil in summer and trip the furnace limit switch in winter. If you want finer filtration, the answer is more filter area — a deeper cabinet — rather than denser media in the existing slot. Filtration options are worth discussing before changing what you buy.
The air conditioner runs constantly but the house feels damp. Why?
Cooling removes moisture as a side effect: the indoor coil sits below the dew point, water condenses on it and drains away. That only happens while the system runs.
If the house is cool but damp, the usual cause is equipment that satisfies the thermostat too quickly — reaching the set temperature in short bursts and shutting off before much water has been removed. That is an oversizing symptom, and a bigger unit makes it worse. Where it cannot be solved by equipment selection, dedicated humidity control handles moisture independently of temperature.
Should I replace the furnace and air conditioner at the same time?
Not automatically, but the question has to be asked, because the two share hardware. The indoor cooling coil sits in the furnace's supply plenum and the air conditioner uses the furnace's blower. A new condenser paired with an old indoor coil will not deliver its rated performance, since the two are engineered as a matched set.
If both are of similar age and one has failed, doing them together usually costs less than two separate jobs and avoids a mismatch. If one is significantly newer or in good condition, replacing only what needs replacing is the right call. We price both ways rather than defaulting to the larger job. Financing is available through Vista.
Is a heat pump realistic in an Ontario winter?
A heat pump is an air conditioner with a reversing valve, so it moves heat into the house in winter instead of out of it. Its capacity falls as outdoor air gets colder, because there is less heat available to move — so every installation has a balance point, the outdoor temperature at which its output equals the house's heat loss. Below that, a backup heat source makes up the difference.
Whether one suits your house depends on its heat loss, the ductwork, and what backup arrangement makes sense. That is a calculation, not a yes-or-no answer, and it is what a heat pump assessment is for.
How do I book, and what should I have ready?
Call (416) 283-5698, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Have the make, model and rough age of the equipment, what the symptom is, when it started, and whether it is constant or intermittent. Any code flashing on the control board or thermostat is worth reading out.
We are licensed and insured and we work on all makes and models, including Carrier, Lennox, Napoleon, Trane, Bosch and Daikin. Ajax is one of the places we cover — see the full service area.