A Look At Air Conditioning

These days, air conditioning is essential with the effects of global warming just seeming to produce hotter summers. The good news however, is that the latest air conditioners are much more efficient than former models. Though, buying the wrong size air conditioner will often see you using a lot more power than you have too and over a year this can prove to be an expensive mistake!

Air conditioners are used a great deal each day within the U.S. Some people choose to go with either a gas air conditioning unit or evaporative coolers because they are more economical to operate. Others like a little luxury and choose a premium air conditioning unit because these have a hushed operation. In choosing a quality air conditioner, you’ll be buying yourself a unit that will function more than competently and will help save you fair amount of money in energy bills over the year.

Not only are air conditioners essential in helping keep us cool within our homes; but they also add to the long term sturdiness of your home. Modern air conditioners can also add warmth, moisture and humidity to our homes.

In many areas of the U.S. air conditioning is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity! We just wouldn’t be able to survive without it. You’ll find that air conditioning can be costly to run, especially if you choose an incorrectly sized air conditioning unit. One of the most costly to operate are portable air conditioners, these will always use a fair amount of electricity but will never get rid of the humidity satisfactorily.

When comparing air conditioners always be sure to check the seer ratings. This basically tells you just how efficient the air conditioner is. The higher the seer rating, the more efficient the air conditioner is. Just a few points difference in the rating can save you a lot of money in electric bills over a year

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Basic Air Conditioning Repairs

Most electrical items will develop faults and breakdown at some point, and unfortunately, air conditioners aren’t any different! However, some air conditioning repairs can be fairly straightforward. A regular fault that can afflict many air conditioners is when they appear to be working ok, but they just aren’t cooling us anymore. If you find yourself in this situation, then the good news is that it most likely only needs cleaning. It is pretty straightforward to clean the air conditioner yourself, but as with any electrical item, care must be taken. You’d be well advised to thoroughly examine the owner’s manual before you start.

Before you begin any maintenance on your air conditioner, make sure the power is switched off! The shut off panels are normally located on the air conditioner, but if you are having trouble finding then just shut off the power to your home. Also be sure that there’s no debris near the condenser.

Now you’re ready to see what the problem is with the air conditioner. Firstly, take the grill cover off the condenser. Then gently clean the fins with either a brush or a cloth. The fins can be easily damaged, so you will have to be careful. After you’ve finished brushing them then it’s time to vacuum away any lingering dust. Now you need to unscrew the cover and lift it carefully off the grill. Now we’re done with the cleaning, we have to hose the fins; however you’ll need to protect the motor with a waterproof covering. This is also an opportune time to see if the motor might need greasing. Alright, you’ve finished cleaning you’re air conditioner. Good job!

When you’ve reassembled the unit, you can turn the air conditioner on and see if your maintenance as helped. When you’ve turned it on, let it run for a couple of minutes and then put your hands on the pipes that run to the condenser, one pipe should feel hotter than the other. If the air conditioner still doesn’t work, then there’s a good chance the refrigerant needs recharging and a technician will need to be called in.

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