Check Your Air Conditioning Knowledge

Central Air Is More Common Than Ever Before

Growing up I remember sitting in front of our noisy box fan trying to cool down. We would have several in the house that included a few wedged into our windows to try and get the cooler outdoor air to circulate into the house. Today air conditioning is quite common in our homes, whether it is a window unit or central air.

How Much Do You Know About Air Conditioning?

Here are some quick frequently asked questions we hear relating to air conditioning and cooling your home.

• Should I use ceiling fans along with my air conditioner to cool my home?
  • Using ceiling fans in the rooms that you occupy can help you reduce energy consumption significantly. Air that circulates will feel fresh and cooler, allowing you to set the thermostat a bit higher which results in overall savings as you use the air conditioner less.
• Why is my air conditioner blowing warm air?
  • Freon does not loose its ability to cool. This means that there is not enough freon for the size of the system, which indicates a leak. It may also mean that the pump is wearing out and it can no longer provide sufficient compression of the gas to work properly.
• If I turn off the air conditioner when leaving home, is it more costly to re-cool my home when I return than leaving the air running when I am gone?
  • An air conditioner will turn off and on frequently to maintain a set temperature. Bringing your home back to a comfortable temperature when you return will use less electricity than cycling to maintain a constant temperature. If your home takes too long to cool down, you might consider using a programable thermostat and set it to start cooling an hour before your expected return.
• Should I turn off my air conditioner when it cools off at night or for a couple of days?
  • This really depends on the amount of moisture in the air. An air conditioner's first job is to remove miosture from the air. This process can take several days, but the benefit is great. Your air conditioner will be able to keep your home comfortable much easier once the excess humidity is removed. If you open your windows when the relative humidity is higher outside than it is inside, you will be re-introducing humidity into your home making your air conditioner work harder when you turn it back on. If the relative humidity is lower or the same outside, it is a good idea to open your windows and give your air conditioner a break.
• How long will my new airconditioner last?
  
  • This depends on the quality of the sytem you purchased, how often you use your air conditioner, how well you maintain the unit and the climat you live in. That's a lot of variables, but on average a well maintained unit will last 20 years.
• How does air conditioning work?
  • The lowdown is that air conditioning removes heat from an area where it is not wanted and transfers it to a less objectionable place (outside). Read on if you want to know more about how this is accomplished.
    
    With central air conditioners there are two units one inside your home and one outside. The job of the inside unit is to draw heat from the air, the unit outside releases the heat.
    
    The air in your home is blown accross the evaporator coil inside your furnace. Cool refrigerant is pumped from the compressor (outside unit) into the coil. Warm air runs across the coil allowing the heat to transfer into the refrigerant. The warm refrigerant is pumped outside where it is cooled and re-compressed and made ready to be pumped back into the inside unit. The cooled air is circulated throught your house and returned to the inside unit through the return air ducts of your home were it is cooled again as it once again passes over the evaporator coils.

   

If you have any other questions about your home's central air conditioning, need to have your system serviced or have a system that needs repair . . .  call the experts at AEM Mechanical Services, Inc.  Our Phone number is 320-587-0991.