Frequently Asked Questions

There are many factors that determine the size or capacity of the system your home requires. These include square footage, climate, humidity, number of windows, insulation factors, which direction your home faces, heat producing appliances, and even the number of people living there. Shatto Heating & Air does an energy analysis on your home to determine what your exact needs are for your lifestyle.

Regular maintenance by a dependable contractor like Shatto Heating & Air is a key factor in preparing your system to perform at its best during North Central Florida’s changing weather conditions. Annual service is vital if you want to avoid unnecessary equipment failure and repair costs. It’s a good idea to have a Shatto technician check and service yours every spring and fall.

For North Central Florida’s climate, we recommend changing your disposable filter on a monthly basis during the hot weather months. You can drop back to every other month during the winter. If you have washable filters, you should clean them once a month. A filter that’s become clogged with dust, pet dander, mold, pollen, or any number of pollutants and particles puts a strain on your cooling system and degrades the air your family breathes.

If your air conditioning system is getting noisy or needs more frequent repair service, it could be time to consider a replacement. Any system over 10 years old is in the late stages of its lifecycle. Factors that affect life expectancy include the type of system, climate and the regularity of routine maintenance. When the day to purchase a new unit comes, you will experience notable gains in operating efficiency and energy savings. Ask a Shatto Heating & Air professional for input on equipment that would work best for you.

No – that’s actually normal. When the weather gets below 45 degrees or so, a heat pump running in HEAT mode may develop ice or frost on the coils. This can even sometimes happen with temperatures in the 50s. When the heat pump is in the defrost mode, it will blow cool air into your home. Typically, the auxiliary heat will come on and the outside condenser can blow out a steam or fog while making a loud noise.  During this time the fan may not appear to be working. This is what your system is designed to do. A defrost cycle can last anywhere from less than a minute to ten minutes or more depending on several factors including outdoor temperature or how much ice/frost has built up on the outdoor coils.

The same rules apply here as for any contractor. Ask people you know who have had an air conditioning system installed if they would recommend the company that performed the work. Have the company come out to give you an estimate and see how they treat their customers. Ask for references… and check them.