No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Polar Air & Mechanical in Myrtle Beach have answers. Whether you have questions about picking new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we can help. Our online FAQs answers give you a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 843-484-3783.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for normal tune-ups, such as oil changes or looking at potential problems, your home comfort system should receive the same kind of attention. Regular maintenance by a skilled technician provides numerous benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can range depending on the equipment size and different features, so we recommend contacting Polar Air & Mechanical at 843-484-3783 to get a quote.
Two-stage heating allows the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Approximately 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is set on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to operate for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also offer more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, better air filtration and energy efficiency.
Polar Air & Mechanical has an assortment of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. You can reach us at 843-484-3783 to learn more about the technology we offer.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a host of differences. Furnaces today are designed to offer more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are created to integrate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers provide your heating system an extra lift so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help lessen noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units created after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Polar Air & Mechanical for the efficiency standards for Myrtle Beach.
Polar Air & Mechanical offers a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help lower the amount of energy they require to run. Aside from choosing products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you should consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives regular maintenance by a trained professional can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only specific areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you aren’t using.
  • Using a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you want when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on utility costs.
Polar Air & Mechanical is well-known in the Myrtle Beach area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the best solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home filled with air pollutants floating around. So, to increase IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least once a week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is great for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it harder for airborne pollutants to escape. We have products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and routine cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and eliminating particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help avoid particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We advise that you meet with one of the professionals at Polar Air & Mechanical and have them evaluate your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you determine which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Lots of homeowners believe that air conditioners make the air in your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from your home, sending the hot air outside. That hot air moves across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the hot air outside. This procedure continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the high amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) hiked up the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined by region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Polar Air & Mechanical will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re searching for a replacement system.
These numbers can be found on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker will be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located around the top of the sticker. M/N signifies model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a handful of ways to determine what size system is the best fit for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local Polar Air & Mechanical technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a number of other factors.
The short answer is Yes, because dirt and other debris can hinder your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is common to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also are built with defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in that type of weather.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is in its hottest weeks, the high setting starts up, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting. Typically, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting starts up, you may not realize it because it can generate such even temperatures for your comfort. This can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and enhanced humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a couple of reasons why it could be doing so. The most common reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can take care of as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Polar Air & Mechanical. Contact them at 843-484-3783 with any further questions you may have.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think about. Thats why its nice to have such a great variety of choices from Polar Air & Mechanical. Whether you’re looking for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are a variety of thermostats that you have to choose from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the team at Polar Air & Mechanical will be able to help determine what options are best for your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs all year. When its hot outside it operates like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets switched around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and may produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we advise you to also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are created to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other piece as a complete system, efficiency may be diminished.
      • As with a lot of products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These advances most importantly include greater heating and cooling efficiency, but also involve improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old usually need to be replaced. Not only do they have outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than more recent models. Adding a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with better comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system might send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You can visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shows carbon offsets as it happens.
In most regions, rain will clean the solar modules off automatically. If you are located in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water can help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to wash solar modules.
The proper thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Polar Air & Mechanical has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help enhance the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Check out our available products or contact us at 843-484-3783 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a big amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Polar Air & Mechanical can help reduce these costs. If you’re looking for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the larger the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, think about these additional factors:

      1. Is your system typically maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will run more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Do you need a zoning system? If there are spaces in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
      3. Are you taking advantage of a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may decrease your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning equipment gives you the ability to section off areas of your residence and control the temperature differently in each area. Zoning tends to be ideal for when you have spaces of your house that are infrequently used or when you and your family are always in disagreement of what the temperature in each area of your home should be. Zoning systems are nearly silent and efficient, allowing you more control over the comfort of your family home. Learn more about the zoning equipment available from Polar Air & Mechanical.