Things Consumers Should Know About Their Air Condition Systems

I am sure that almost everyone has an air conditioning system in their house today. This is because most homes situated in warm climates need a natural cooling mode. 

Though the idea of having an air conditioner in a home may be a luxury for some people, it turns out to be a necessity for another group of people. 

When you look at the equipment, expense, and power needed to operate an air conditioner system, it is only right that you should get to know all that you can about it before you go in for one. 

Or, if you already own one, you would then learn more about your air condition system. 

You get to know more about the air conditioning system. You will become more aware of what to expect and what you will be dealing with or what you are dealing with. 

In this article, I will show you some things that you should know about your air-conditioning system to help you get the maximum performance out of it. 

These points will also help you take better care of your air condition system so that the number of calls you place to the repairman will be less, thereby saving you more money. Before proceeding with the article, let us first look at an air conditioner. 

What Is An Air Conditioner?

Most people do not even know that the air condition system they have in their homes has a definition of its own. The first definition of air conditioning was created by a man known as G.B. Wilson in 1908. 

This was the definition that the man known as the father of air conditioning subscribed to, and they are:

1. To maintain suitable humidity in all parts of the building
2. Free the air from excessive humidity during certain seasons
3. Supply a constant and adequate supply of ventilation

What Does Air Condition Filters Do

Every air conditioning system that you see has a filter in it. This filter can be located upstream of the elevator coil, and it can also be in the return grill or inside the special slots in the duct system. 

They can be fuzzy-looking, or they can be a paper filter. The air condition filter is responsible for removing the particles from the air stream to keep the air condition system clean and remove the particles from the air going into the air condition. 

The more the filter works, the more it gets filled with the dirty particles it takes out of the air. Although this can make the filter more efficient, it also ends up causing more resistance and reducing the airflow in the air conditioning system. 

When you notice that this has happened, then you should know that it is time to change the filter inside your air condition system. The time intervals that you will need to change the filter will depend on how clean or dirty the air in the area has become. 

Failure to change the filter will cause the airflow from the air conditioner to reduce, and the air conditioning system will not perform as it should.

This can also cause air pollution due to the filter in the air conditioner being dirty. 

Taking the filter out may solve the common air problem, but this will not last long since the particles in the air that the filter keeps from entering will now build upon the evaporator coil and then later cause the evaporator coil to stop working. 

So the only tangible solution for this problem will be to replace the old filter with a new one. There is no cause for alarm since a filter is not very expensive. 

If you can afford the air conditioning system in the first place, a filter is the least of your worries.

You should get one with a minimum efficiency rating or higher when it is time for you to replace the filter in your air conditioner.

Maintaining The System

Regular maintenance of your air conditioning system is a must. However, some maintenance cannot be handled by owners. 

This maintenance needs to be taken care of by the AC professionals alone. Brushing the coils and drains’ dirt and obstructions is one good idea. 

You can do this at the start of each cooling session. However, depending on the air conditioning system, you are using and your level of knowledge about the air conditioning system, you may or may not need to call a professional to take care of this.

When you notice that your air condition system is not producing enough cold air, this could be due to the refrigerant charge or airflow problems. 

When this happens, it may signal that your air condition system requires servicing right away, so you have to call the professionals to come and take a look at it. 

The Ducts Matter A Lot

 Another reason your air condition system may not be producing enough cold air may be due to a problem with the ducts. 

This happens when there is duct leakage. The duct tape can suck about 40% of the energy produced by a well-operating air condition system, and that is if the ducts are passing outside the cooled space. 

For this reason, the ducts outside the air conditioning system need to be well insulated. There are several products made for insulating the ducts that you can purchase. 

A homeowner can even install these products who knows his way around his air condition system. 

However, if you do not know your way around the system, you could call a professional to take care of that for you. 

You could even end up getting a half-ton of air conditioning capacity free of charge if you make sure that the ducts that have been leaking have been sealed. 

You can seal the ducts with mastic, a sticky white paint. If not, then it is advisable to call a professional to get the whole thing sorted out for you, so you do not end up creating any more problems for your air condition system.

Increasing Energy Efficiency

When you seal the leaky ducts, it helps increase the efficiency of your air condition system by a much higher percentage. However, several other issues like the ones mentioned above can contribute to an increase in energy efficiency. Some of the things that help to increase the efficiency of the air condition system are 

1. Replacing the filters
2. Keeping the refrigerant in the right charge
3. Cleaning the coils

Ensure that the outside condenser is not hidden from sight so that its airflow is not blocked. Also, make sure that leaves and other materials do not clog it. 

If you are replacing your air conditioning system, make sure that the replacement air conditioning system is high-efficiency. 

The minimum efficiency rate is SEER 13, so you should buy something that has a SEER 13 efficiency rating or higher. The higher-efficiency ones may be quite expensive, so you should buy something in line with your budget. 

And also, depending on the climate in your city of residence, you should also consider efficiency numbers. Someone who lives in a dry, hot climate should look at an air condition system with an Energy Efficiency Rating (EER). Such a person can also get himself dehumidified. 

Reduce The Load Of Your Air Condition

You can get your air conditioning system to work much better when reducing its load. 

This can be possible by improving your house or reducing the heat generated inside the house. You can reduce the leakage of the air conditioner. 

It can be done much more simpler when you decide to reduce the loads generated inside the house.

Shutting off appliances that are not needed, shutting off the lights when not required, and putting off equipment are some ways you can do these. 

You can also shift the use of some appliances to the time of the day when it is cool, and you can also use local exhaust fans to get rid of heat and humidity from your bathrooms and kitchens.

Ventilation

The points above all seemed to be focused on cooling. So now, we will be looking at the ventilation side.

The air conditioning system lets us know that an ideal air conditioner should heat, cool, ventilate, clean, dehumidify, and humidify when needed to provide comfort and improve health. 

The second most important thing that an air conditioning system should do is provide ventilation. Without proper ventilation, contaminants generated inside the house can lead to serious health and comfort problems. 

It would be best if you had enough ventilation to exchange the air inside the room every four hours, which will depend on the design of the house. 

Old homes have more leaky walls and ducts than new homes, and they normally get sufficient ventilation through these leakages. However, this may not be the most energy-efficient approach to the issue of ventilation. 

Since most new homes are normally tight, they require mechanical forms of ventilation to help them meet the minimum ventilation requirements.

If you need to replace your air condition system, make sure that you call the experts in the field to take care of that.

Conclusion

So these are some of the things that an air conditioner owner should always beware of. Always make sure that the air condition system is working well. And that nothing is blocking its airflow both inside and outside.

Keeping these in mind will help your air condition system last longer and always perform efficiently without any problems.