air conditioning Mortdale

What Are Common Problems With Air Conditioners?

Owning an AC is a very common practice. While most people tend to forget about their ACs during winter, come summer and the demand for AC rises. They make the summer heat bearable and during this time if the Ac breaks down and the air conditioner repair technician has to be called, it gives rise to anger and frustration. To avoid this, it is best to ensure regular check-up of the AC.

To handle some technical problems, the AC technician has to be called. However, certain common problems can be easily solved at home. They are:

  • Water leakage: This can take place inside and outside the house yet the reasons for the two are different. However, care should be taken to ensure that the AC is not switched on in times of heavy water leakage.
    • When AC starts leaking water inside the house, it is a sign that the AC has not been maintained; it has been neglected. Sometimes the pipe clogs up with algae etc and prevents water from going outside, which is then released inside the house as leakage. The breakdown of the condenser pump is also a possibility.
    • Some plausible reasons for water leakage outside the house near the outdoor unit are dry air filter, bad AC seal, broken condensate pipe, improper installation etc. These problems can only be solved by the air conditioner repairs person.
  • Leak in refrigerant: Freon or the AC refrigerant is tasked with cooling the hot air within the AC. Such leaks are harmful to the environment and reduce machine efficiency. In case the leak is minor, DIY solutions will prevent this but if it is a major leak, then the repairperson has to be called.
  • Dirty filters: With use dust and dirt tends to accumulate in the air filters of the AC. This tends to decrease its efficiency and the room takes longer to cool down. The dry filters need to be taken out from the AC after switching it off. Then the filters are cleaned and re-installed in their correct positions.
  • Evaporator coil freezes: In this situation, the AC does not get enough air to function and might stop working completely. If left unchecked, ice sheets accumulate on the coil thereby preventing the absorption of latent heat by the refrigerant. If this problem arises, the AC should be immediately stopped and an air conditioner repair technician should be immediately called to rectify the problem.
  • Electrical control failure: The AC functions smoothly only when the compressor, the condenser and blower motors work smoothly. However, there are times when there is a disruption in the connection either due to the wearing out of the wires or separation in the connection. Since this is an electrical problem, the AC repair person should be called and the problem officially solved.
  • Failure of the AC fan: The AC fan helps keep the compressor temperature down. This fan is located in the outdoor unit and if it stops functioning, the compressor might overheat and trip the electrical system. This problem needs the intervention of a professional air conditioner repairs technician and he should thus be called.

The above problems are easy to diagnose and deal with. While some require professional intervention, others can be done using DIY ideas. These problems are commonly found in homes with ACs and hence should not be a cause of tensions and frustrations.

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Air Conditioning size

Air Conditioning Size, How To Choose The Right One For Your Room?

Most people think that the size of the air conditioner refers to its physical dimensions. However, this is not true. The AC size is its cooling capacity that is measured in British Thermal Units or BTUs. Irrespective of which AC one selects, an optimum sized AC that is based on the room size will:

  • Ensure its best efficiency performance and
  • Lower its operational costs.

Thus, even before looking into the nitty-grities of AC buying, it is important to calculate the space it will have to cool.

Cooling area calculation

This is very simple and can be obtained by multiplying the length and breadth of the cooling area. This area when multiplied again by 25BTUs gives the cooling capacity required from the AC to be purchased.

While the above formula works for a rectangular space, for triangular spaces, the formula for calculating the room size is (length x breadth)/2. For an odd-shaped room, the room needs to be broken down into squares, rectangles, triangles and then measurements taken accordingly to calculate the area.

Purchasing a smaller AC will affect the air conditioner service. Such inverters will only run thereby increasing the energy bills without much cooling the room.

Large-sized ACs will have a higher cooling capacity. Thus, they will cool the room very quickly thereby:

  • Making people catch a cold from the extreme difference in temperature and
  • Extracting all moisture from the room.

Such large-sized ACs will switch on and switch off with alarming frequency that might harm the compressor of the new machine. Additionally, the user would also have to buy a humidifier thereby adding to the AC costs.

Thus understanding the cooling area and opting for an optimum sized AC based on it will ensure the correct buy.

It is also very important to note here that a higher BTU indicates that the AC will cool the room faster and is hence the better AC. However, in reality, there are very few ACs that match up to the mentioned AC BTU. Thus, the BTU should not be the sole criterion on which to purchase the air conditioner.

Factors affecting BTU calculation

However, certain other factors also affect the BTU or AC cooling capacity. They are:

  • Ceiling height: For rooms with ceiling height more than the standard 8ft, ACs with higher BTU should be chosen to factor in the room height. Rooms that have a ceiling height of fewer than 8ft should opt for an AC with lower BTU.
  • Sunlight: The amount of sunlight entering the room has a strong impact on the cooling capacity of the AC. For sunny rooms, the BTU required should be increased by 10% for optimal air conditioner service. For rooms that are shaded, the BTU should be decreased by 10%
  • Occupants: More the number of occupants using the room, the higher should be the cooling capacity of the AC.
  • Kitchen: When installing AC in the kitchen, the BTU calculated should be increased by 4000 units.

Buying an undersized or oversized AC is one of the most common mistakes people make when buying an AC. Thus, the size of the room should be taken into consideration and the purchase based on it.

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green air conditioning

Green Air Conditioning: What You Need To Know

A reduction in carbon footprint is always a better option but HVAC systems are positioned high on the list of environment polluting gadgets. However, with the introduction of green air conditioning, it is possible to enjoy all AC comforts without increasing the carbon footprint.

The world is becoming environmentally aware and coming up with new laws and regulations to reduce pollution consciously. Under these laws, AC manufacturers are also replacing ozone-depleting refrigerants with eco-friendly ones. Certain technical innovations and improvements too have been added to make the AC more eco-friendly.

The initial cost of installing a green AC is relatively high but eventually, it facilitates a 20 to 50% saving in the utility bills. Thus, in the long run, this AC pays for itself and even earns more. However, going green is so much more than just saving money. Eventually, a green AC initiative will result in:

  • A healthier home environment,
  • Reduction in consumption of fossil fuels and
  • Reduced creation of greenhouse gases.

Tips on how best to use a green AC

The efficiency of the green AC depends on the factors enumerated below.

  • Increasing attic insulation:  This investment will reap rich rewards in the future.
  • Installing radiant heat barriers: This thin barrier metal insulation, when installed, will reduced heat transfer by almost 95%.
  • Installing ceiling fans: On cooler days switching on ceiling fans can help eliminate the need for air conditioning Sydney. It also helps to distribute the cold air thereby enabling the user to set a higher temperature on the thermostat. During winter, ceiling fans will help distribute the warmth evenly throughout the room.
  • Ductwork sealing: This is extremely important as poor ductwork sealing will reduce the efficiency of the AC. The ductwork that runs through non-insulated spaces will also harm the AC efficiency.
  • Preferring programmable thermostats: Installing these thermostats will automatically scale up and scale down the temperature based on the prevalent room temperature. Thus, the user will not have to take on the responsibility of manually doing the same.

It is a fact that the higher the AC temperature selected, the more will be the reduction in home cooling costs.

Tips to buy a Green AC

Certain important factors need to be kept in mind when buying a green air conditioning system. They are:

  • Purchasing an AC unit with higher efficiency will reduce energy usage by about 20% to 50%,
  • Optimum sized AC should be purchased since undersized ACs will increase utility bills without cooling the room and over-utilised ones would result in an increase in utility bills.
  • Ductless ACs or Split ACs should always be preferred as they allow individual regulation of room temperature.
  • Installing whole-house fans cools the house by throwing out warn room air and drawing in cooler outside air thereby:
    • Eliminating the need for using ACs in milder climates and
    • Supplementing the AC during hot climates.

Any step taken towards going green is a smart move. It helps to reduce the high utility bills usually associated with normal air conditioning Sydney.

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