Central heating and air conditioning units have become extremely popular, almost to the point that people may take it for granted. 80% of new homes built in the United States are fitted with these systems.
With some simple maintenance, you can enjoy your HVAC system for many years, and can avoid costly repair costs in the future. Among the most important of these preventative steps you can do is to routinely change the air filter.
The air filter in your home’s A/C system is located at the intake points of the ventilation. There are many different types, the most common being disposable and pleated. These filters serve two main purposes. The first is to remove contaminates from the home’s air, and the second is to keep the system working smoothly.
Air Quality
As the air circulates throughout your home, the air filter will remove harmful contaminates, dust particles, pet dander, etc. from the air. In one study, air inside a home was shown to be up to 5 times more deleterious to one’s health than the air outside, when not properly filtered. This is because modern homes are built so airtight that these harmful irritants cannot escape the building.
Air filters are rated on their ability to remove these contaminants by their assigned MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value). The higher the value, the better the filter is at removing dust particles and contaminants from the air.
System Performance
The second function your air filter serves is to keep you’re A/C running smoothly. A clean air filter is vital to have your air conditioner working efficiently as possible. By trapping and removing the dust particles from the airflow, it prevents these particles from schmutzing up the other elements of the A/C system.
Dirty air filters may cause problems in several areas of the system. Ice may build up on the evaporator coils if there is not sufficient airflow. This will cause decreased performance, and may damage the coils.
Clogged air filters can also cause problems with the compressor, which is very expensive to repair. Clogged airflow causes the compressor to have to work harder, causing it to fail sooner. Also, decreased airflow due to unclean filters can cause energy costs to rise as much as 20%.
Replacement
It is recommended to inspect your home’s air filter every month. If the filter is dirty, then it should be discarded and replaced immediately. Replaceable filters are available that only need to be cleaned when they get dirty. In any case, filters should not be left more than three months without replacement or cleaning.
By: Budda Oliver
When the summer heat came in the past, first people suffered, then used hand fans and then mechanical fans. Finally some dear soul invented the air conditioner to keep us all nice and cool in the warmest weather. The first air conditioners were pretty bulky and expensive. You got the model the local store had and were happy to get it. Now there have been many advances in the air conditioning industry. You have a lot more choice in the method and type of air conditioners available. You have more places to purchase your air conditioners and much more information available to you.
Before you set foot out your door to purchase an air conditioner, do some home work on the computer. If you look under air conditioning on the net, you can find a wealth of information to help you get the unit that will best serve your needs. You can investigate all the different options in air conditioners and the companies that manufacture them. You can see how the different companies and models are rated by people who have used them. Some of the manufactures to choose from are Frigidaire, De’Longhi, Goodman, Mitsubishi, Trane, Amana, fujitsu and LG.
You have the choice of portable units, central air, split air, ductless, windowless and window units and wall mounted units. Air conitioners come in many different BTU’s ranging from 5,000 to 24,000. Btu’s are the international unit measuring energy and in air conditioners they are the heat an AC unit can remove from a room. The higher the number the bigger the unit and the more heat it can remove from a room, or bigger room it can cool. It is really important to measure your room and windows before you go to the retailer to purchase your unit. A good retailer will have the Energy Star chart showing how to match room sizes to unit sizes.
When you are shopping for your air conditioning unit, make sure you have the electrical service to run the unit. You need the correct outlet for the AC Unit plug. Small units work with a 115 volt out let, but larger units may need a dedicated circuit. The largest units need 230/208 volt circuits. Look for energy star rated units as they are environmentally friendly and energy saving. Do not be shy about asking the sales associate to help you get the right size unit for your home.
By: Cynthia Olga
So, your air conditioner has finally quit. A technician found that the condenser (aka outdoor unit), needs to be replaced. The other main part – the evaporator – is still OK, so you’re tempted to just replace the condenser. Don’t do it.
Let me explain. There are two main parts in an air conditioner, the evaporator and the condenser. You’ve never seen the evaporator. It quietly sits inside the ductwork and absorbs heat from inside air into the refrigerant. The condenser sits outside of the house and looks like it’s doing all the work. Actually, it’s only doing half the job. The condenser squeezes heat out of the refrigerant into the outside air.
Parts of existing central air systems aren’t good at all at adjusting to each other’s needs. If the evaporator absorbs too much heat from the house, the condenser will overheat. If the evaporator doesn’t absorb enough heat, it will freeze. The only way make sure an air conditioner will work properly is to match its two main components – the evaporator and the condenser.
It’s fairly easy to match components when you install a new air conditioner, as you can see in this article:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Buying-An-Air-Conditioner?-The-ARI-Reference-Number-Is-Your-Best-Friend&id=620937 However, it’s much more difficult to match the components of aging systems. Virtually all the systems that may require condenser replacement today were designed to work in 6, 8, or 10 SEER air conditioners. All the air conditioners on the market today are 13 SEER and up. Good luck matching 10 SEER (or even 8 or 6 SEER) evaporator with 13 SEER condenser.
This is why; if you have to replace your old air conditioner, replace everything.
By: Boris Sherman