Air conditioning is the conditioning of air within a defined space, usually a residence or a place of business. Conditioning usually involves heating or cooling, humidifying or dehumidifying, and filtering or cleaning air. If you have a central air conditioner, your system cools and dehumidifies the defined space. Heating is accomplished by an add-on to the system (such as an electric heat strip) or by a separate unit, such as a furnace.

The compressor in your outdoor unit changes the refrigerant (or "Freon") into a high temperature, high pressure gas. As that gas flows through the outdoor coil, it loses heat and condenses into a high temperature, high pressure liquid. This liquid refrigerant travels through copper tubing into the evaporator coil. There the refrigerant expands. Its sudden expansion turns the refrigerant into a low temperature, low pressure gas. This gas then absorbs heat from the air circulating in the duct work. The cooled air is then distributed back through your house or place of business. Meanwhile, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant is carried back outside through copper tubing and released into the outside air.

Central air conditioners are split systems: an outdoor unit (the condensing unit) and an indoor unit (air handler). The function of an air conditioner is to transport heat from one station to another. The vehicle your system uses to carry the heat is called a refrigerant, commonly referred to as Freon.

Dirty coils and improper refrigerant levels can cause your system to cool less efficiently than it should. An inefficient system means higher energy bills. It also forces your compressor to work harder than is necessary and can actually shorten the life span of your unit. An annual air conditioning inspection by an experienced technician includes an inspection of the coils and the checking of your refrigerant charge, to insure that your system is running efficiently.

How Your Air Conditioner Dehumidifies the Air?

As the warm air circulating through your ducts passes over the evaporator coil, it is quickly cooled and can no longer hold as much moisture as it did at a higher temperature. The excess moisture condenses on the outside of the coils and is carried away through a drain. The process is similar to what happens when moisture condenses on the outside of a glass of ice water on a hot, humid day.

Occasionally, the drain lines may become clogged and your system will not drain properly. This can result in a drain pan overflow, leading to water leaks in your ceiling or walls. An annual air conditioning inspection by an experienced technician includes an inspection of your draining system. During the inspection, the technician will treat your draining system with an algaecide to retard the growth of algae, which can clog your system.

The Importance of a Matched System?

Your cooling system consists of an outdoor unit (the condensing unit) and an indoor unit (air handler). These two components are designed to work together as a coordinated team to provide top performance, maximum efficiency, and comfort. Whenever you install a new outdoor unit, you should install a new, equally efficient "matched" indoor unit at the same time. While replacing the outdoor unit only may initially offer you the lowest price, it may prove more expensive over time. When your air conditioning components don't match, your system may still work, but it won't perform at the promised energy efficiency. In fact, your system could be up to 15% less efficient than stated. You may be sacrificing comfort, as well, as a mismatched system may have difficulty keeping up on the hottest days. Finally, if your cooling system's components aren't matched, it could create undue stress on your cooling system, resulting in unnecessary, premature failure.

Heat Pumps

A heat pump cools your home or place of business by extracting heat from indoor air and forcing (pumping) the heat outdoors.

If your home or business uses a heat pump, make sure that your heating and air conditioning technician is certified to work on heat pumps before he services your unit. Heat pumps operate on different principals than traditional furnaces and air conditioners and so are engineered differently. Not all state licensed heating and air conditioning contractors and their employees are qualified to service heat pumps. To receive heat pump certification, a technician must receive formal training in heat pump design and repair and must pass a test administered by the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES).

The Importance of an Annual Preventive Maintenance Cooling Inspection

Would you drive a car year after year without ever changing the oil or taking it to a mechanic for a tune-up? Probably not. Like your car, your cooling and heating systems must be maintained in order to run efficiently and dependably. An annual cooling check-up allows a technician to identify minor problems before they become major ones.

Perform annual preventive maintenance cooling system inspections on both residential and commercial structures.