If you’re purchasing a new air conditioner, you need to know how powerful it should be to adequately cool your home. Undersized air conditioners simple won’t do the job, while oversized ones will short cycle – turning on and off too rapidly – which wastes power and adds undue strain on the system. (Air conditioners use most of their power starting up and shutting down, which is why you want yours to run for at least 15 minutes every time it turns on.) Both of those situations can cost you a great deal of money in monthly bills and add to the risk of a breakdown, which is a serious concern here in Hammond, LA, where our summers are blisteringly hot. A good technician can perform proper calculations on your home to determine the properly sized air conditioner for you. But what factors go into air conditioner sizing? Here’s a quick rundown.
Professional Heating & Air Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category
What Factors Go Into Air Conditioning Sizing?
Monday, August 31st, 20153 Ways to Cut Your Air Conditioning Costs
Monday, August 24th, 2015August is here and with it comes the highest cooling bills of the year. Hammond, LA is rife with humidity on top of the high temperatures, and while a reliable air conditioner will see you through it, you’re likely going to have to pay for the privilege. Just make sure you aren’t paying more than you should. You can take a few simple steps to cut down on your bill: steps you’re already likely familiar with such as wearing lightweight clothes in the house and setting your thermostat a few degrees higher than you might otherwise. But with a little help from a trained technician, you can do even more. Here are 3 ways to cut your air conditioning costs.
Why Is Low Air Flow in Your AC a Problem?
Monday, August 10th, 2015If you’ve noticed that your air conditioner is generating plenty of cool air, but that the air flow doesn’t seem to be moving as swiftly as it once did, you might have a serious problem on your hands. We tend to think of air conditioning issues as something solely centered around cooling capacity, but in truth low air flow can be just as troublesome as a lack of cool air. Here in Hammond, LA our summers are too hot and sultry to just leave an issue like that alone. But what causes low air flow? And more importantly, why is low air flow in your AC a problem?
Does My Air Conditioner Need to Be Replaced?
Monday, July 6th, 2015Replacing your air conditioner is a big step, involving considerable expense and requiring the services of a trained technician to install properly. It’s often the last thing a homeowner wants to think about, especially in the height of our Hammond, LA summers. But replacing an air conditioner can be a good thing, provided that the conditions are right for such a move. “Does my air conditioner need to be replaced?” you ask. Here’s a quick guide to help you make that decision.
The Purpose of Refrigerant in Your AC System
Monday, June 29th, 2015Many homeowners know that air conditioners run on refrigerant: chemicals that facilitate a heat exchange between the air inside your home and the air outside your home. The specific refrigerant depends on the exact model of air conditioner, and you need precise amounts in order to facilitate the process of cooling the air. Here in Hammond, LA, that makes your refrigerant vital to keeping your home cool and comfortable during our sultry Southern summers. It helps a great deal to fully understand the purpose of refrigerant in your AC system, and how that can be affected when it starts to run low.
Recirculated, Not Consumed
Unlike the gas in your car, refrigerant is not consumed by the air conditioner. In fact, it theoretically exists within a closed system, and will never leak at all. It first passes through a condenser array, where heat is pulled from it and a great deal of pressure applied. That shifts the refrigerant to a pressurized liquid state, where it enters the evaporator coils in a set amount. There, it shifts back into a gas, pulling heat from the air around the coils as a result. The cool air is blown into your home and the refrigerant returns to the condenser array.
Trouble Comes from Leaks
As we said, theoretically, the system is never supposed to leak. But leaks can occur for a number of different reasons, and when they do, the balance of the system is thrown off. The refrigerant can’t cool the air as effectively and your system has to work much harder to do its job: increasing the risk of more serious breakdowns in the future.
Luckily, the experts at A Professional Heating & Air Conditioning Services can seal any leak and recharge your refrigerant levels to their optimum state. Pick up the phone and call us today!
Common Signs of Air Conditioning Trouble
Monday, June 8th, 2015When your air conditioner breaks down in Hammond, LA, you can feel it immediately. Our summers are too hot and humid to let such incidents pass, and unless you get a trained technician in there quickly, your household will be at the mercy of our stifling temperatures. Only a skilled professional should address an air conditioning repair issue – amateurs might make the problem worse and the presence of potentially toxic refrigerants may pose a safety risk as well – but you can help out by spotting the signs of air conditioning trouble as early as possible. Doing so may help you stop a big problem while it’s still small and save you a great deal of money as well as a day without an air conditioner. Generally speaking, anything out of the ordinary should be reported, but more specifically, look for these signs:
Why Should I Worry About Short Cycling With My Air Conditioning?
Monday, May 25th, 2015If you’ve had to deal with air conditioning repair, you may have heard the term “short cycling” before. It’s a condition whereby your unit turns off and on again very quickly, sometimes without adequately cooling the house and often with far more frequency than is proper. This is of especial concern as we gear up for summer here in Hammond, LA, because you’re going to need your air conditioning when the temperatures hit triple digits. Short cycling can be caused by anything from low refrigerant levels to a system that’s too powerful for the space it’s supposed to cool. But why should you worry about short cycling with your air conditioning?
Zone Control Systems or Centralized Systems?
Monday, May 18th, 2015Our summers come full of heat and humidity in Hammond, LA, and you need a reliable air conditioner if you want to survive the high temperatures in comfort and style. While most people think of air conditioners as centralized units blowing air throughout the home via a series of ducts, there are other options available. Zone control systems, which divide your home into separate sections via a series of vales and coils, make an attractive addition to a standard air conditioning system, and offer a number of benefits for those who choose to install them. It does, however, represent a significant up-front cost, and before you invest you need to know that such a system is right for you. Zone control systems or centralized systems? Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision.
How Does My Air Conditioning System Work?
Monday, May 11th, 2015Air conditioners are one of the unsung heroes of your household, delivering cool comfortable air for a very reasonable price. Summers in Hammond, LA, would be insufferable without them, and yet we rarely pay attention to them until they suffer a breakdown. Anytime there’s trouble with your AC, you should call in a trained professional immediately, but it may help to understand how the system functions on the most basic level. That can help you spot signs of trouble more readily and respond to trouble sooner rather than later. “How does my air conditioning system work?” you ask. We’ve provided a quick outline below.
What’s the Difference between a Heat Pump and a Standard Air Conditioner?
Monday, May 4th, 2015Summers don’t come any hotter than they do in Hammond, LA, where the Deep South brings both high temperatures and stifling humidity. Good air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity in such an environment, but you also need to ensure that your energy costs don’t run away with you in the process. Many local residents prefer to use a heat pump instead of a traditional air conditioner, since it is a strong money-saving alternative to home HVAC systems. But how does a heat pump work? More importantly, what’s the difference between a heat pump and a standard air conditioner? We’ve included a quick primer below.