Air conditioners are complex machines that cool the air in our homes. They’re not magic boxes that cool air with the flick of a wrist. To understand the inner workings of an air conditioner requires some scientific background knowledge.
So today we’re going to talk about the science behind air conditioning so we can dispel a few myths about the process and what these systems can or cannot do. There’s no point in pretending that your air conditioner can do certain tasks when there’s no research or data that supports that conclusion. You wouldn’t believe the number of calls we get for AC repair in Rockledge, FL where homeowners have been duped into believing a common misconception about air conditioning that has lead to an expensive repair or replacement.
Avoid making mistakes by doing the research. Keep reading and we’ll discuss just what we mean by that.
Myth #1: Bigger is Better
Many homeowners get duped into believing that having the largest air conditioner possible for their home is the best solution. That couldn’t be further from the truth!
Air conditioners have to be sized correctly for the volume of air they will be conditioning. If you’ve got a larger home, you’ll need a larger air conditioner to provide cooling. However, having a larger air conditioner doesn’t mean that you’ll have more cooling power in your home. In fact, having an air conditioner that’s too large for your home will lower the lifespan of the system since it will start short-cycling. An air conditioner that is oversized will be unable to run a full cycle and will put unnecessary strain on certain components of the system.
This is a problem that we see all the time when amateurs install an air conditioner system. If you take one thing away from this blog post, remember that bigger doesn’t always mean better.
Myth #2: Lower the Thermostat If Your Home Isn’t Cool Enough
If your thermostat is set to 68° and it feels more like 80° in your home, lowering the thermostat any further is not going to help.
This is because an air conditioner that can’t reach the desired temperature specified on a thermostat won’t work harder if the temperature gets lowered. If anything, lowering the thermostat won’t change anything or will make the problem worse, since you’re actually dealing with an air conditioner that can’t do its job. If the temperature is over 100° outside, then you might not ever feel temperatures more than 20° below that, but if your AC is struggling to cool your home a little bit—call a professional today.
Myth #3: AC Maintenance Isn’t Worth It
This is the craziest myth of all. We understand that AC maintenance is presented as an option, and it’s obviously your choice to schedule it. However, an air conditioner that doesn’t have routine maintenance performed by a professional every year will deal with more problems, do a worse job cooling the home, and will overall not last as long. Do your system a favor and sign up for routine maintenance today.
Don’t fall for amateur advice. Call the professionals at Complete Air & Heat, Inc. today for any of your questions. Making families happy on the Space Coast since 1975.