Just as you rely on your air conditioner to keep your home cool in the summer, the system depends on you to function properly. This is where air conditioner maintenance comes in; the temperature achieved in your house depends on it. You may need to replace certain parts, clear vents or install a thermostat as part of this maintenance.
Everyone in the heating and cooling business stresses the importance of regular maintenance and how it can improve a system’s efficiency and save money. However, unless you understand exactly how your air conditioning system works and why it needs attention now and then, chances are you will continue to neglect the unit’s maintenance. There are a number of ways you can maintain your system, ensuring clean, fresh air while reaping savings on your energy bills.
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The air filter is vital to the proper functioning of your air conditioner. In addition, it’s one part that will need to be changed regularly to replace the old one. To understand its importance, you need to understand the basics of air conditioning and how the system works. It not only reduces particulates in the air but also allows the entire system to operate at an optimal temperature. That is where the following information should come in handy.
How Air Conditioners Work
The goal of an air conditioner is to:
- Maintain adequate air humidity
- Provide adequate ventilation continuously
- Free the air from dust, soot, microorganisms, and any foreign particles
- Provide cool indoor air during the hot seasons
The air conditioner blows cool air inside your home. To get outdoor heat inside, it pulls the heat out of it and blows it over the evaporator coil, which is, in fact, a set of cold pipes. The process is similar to that of water evaporation on your skin.
The Evaporator Coil – The pipes of the evaporator coil are filled with refrigerant, a liquid that turns into gas while absorbing air heat. It is pumped to the outside unit of the air conditioning, to a second coil, where it releases heat and returns to its liquid form. This second coil, placed outdoors, is referred to as the condenser because it condenses the refrigerant, just like moisture condensates on cold surfaces.
Refrigerant – The refrigerant is moved between the evaporator and condenser coil with the help of a pump, also known as a compressor. The compressor also adjusts refrigerant pressure, ensuring that the evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant takes place in the dedicated coils.
The Air Conditioner Motor – The motor running the compressor uses the energy required for all these processes. Because of this, the air conditioning system typically gives about three times more cooling power than what the compressor uses. It happens because the refrigerant evaporation and condensation allow the system to move more energy than what the compressor can use.
Now that you have a basic understanding of how air conditioners work and their main components, let’s look at the air filters.
How Air Filters Work
Almost all air conditioners have an air filter located upstream of the evaporator coil. The filter is usually located in the duct system’s slots or the return grill and resembles a folded sheet of paper, looking quite fuzzy.
The purpose of the filter is to remove any particles in the air stream and thus keep both the system and the air indoors clean. As the air conditioner works, more and more particles load the filter. The capacity increases the efficiency of the filter, but reduces airflow and takes its toll on the air conditioner.
Air filters are designed to keep dust and dirt from circulating through the air inside your home. The filters remove a huge number of particulates such as dust, pollen, pet hair, and other particles from indoor air, ensuring a fresh home environment.
Do you understand the operating principles of an air filter? Air filters are composed of two layers that trap airborne pollutants. The first is a porous outer layer that contains a fine-grained material called filtration medium. Ensuring clean vents and replacing filters promptly will lead to improved efficiency and savings on your air conditioning expenses.The second is a backing material made of paper, plastic, or metal mesh. Both layers constitute the crucial ingredient in creating an air filter replete with millions of minute pores per square inch. Links between these layers enable air to pass through the filter, whilst larger particles are trapped, ensuring they don’t circulate within homes. This provides the fundamental benefits of a clean, uncontaminated living environment.
Upon contemplating the air-moving components in heating and cooling systems, one recognises the important role they play. As the system’s mechanisms create suction on the side opposite to the filter, a region of low pressure materializes inside the ducts. Such factors draw air into the filter through its porous outer layer. Following this, the suction pulls debris through the inner layer, depositing it into the filtering medium. At this stage, minute particles nestle between fibers until things such as regular maintenance remove them. Airflow exiting the system carries larger particles away. Rating the status of these particles becomes critical. If one neglects them, allowing dust and debris to build up for extended periods, it can trigger system malfunctions or an inflated energy bill. Hence, to maintain the optimal functioning of your air conditioning unit, scheduling regular AC maintenance becomes imperative.
Why Air Conditioner Maintenance And Filter Changing Is Important
The importance of timely replacement of air filters cannot be overstated. The frequency of the replacement hinges primarily on two variables – the filter’s dimensions and the quality or cleanliness of the air it intends to filter. Without prompt filter changes, factors such as reduced airflow and the consequent reduction in the system’s performance, become inevitable.
Air conditioners serve as pivotal elements in homes, providing unmatched comfort. However, along with the comfort, they tag along with potential costs. The energy expenditure and the regular service needs contribute to these costs. Moreover, if one disregards the task of changing your air conditioning filter regularly, harmful particles may invade your breathing space.
Many people overlook the necessity of maintaining their air conditioning systems, dismissing it as an unnecessary cost. However, this negligence could result in higher costs in the long run. Therefore, understanding what proper maintenance entails and incorporating it into your routine is essential.
How Dirty Filters Affect AC Performance
Filters, just like the human heart, need to be cared for to function effectively. Though replacing dirty filters may seem like a mundane chore, failing to do so can sabotage your air conditioner’s cooling capacity.
The primary objective of an air conditioning filter is to ensnare and eliminate airborne contaminants from the indoor air. These pollutants range from dust, molds, pollen, bacteria, to viruses- all detrimental factors, if present, to the sanctity of your indoor air quality and, by extension, your family’s health.
Adopting the practice of changing the air conditioner filter monthly promises a healthier living space and a more efficient air conditioning unit. Not many realize that a neglected filter maintenance step can increase your power bill by as much as 30% or more. Over time, dirty filters obstruct the airflow, compelling the unit to work harder to cool your home, impacting both its performance and your energy bill.
This increased exertion causes the device to consume an additional amount of energy, reflecting in a boosted energy bill. The system’s integrity stands threatened if corrective measures like regular AC maintenance aren’t adopted promptly. Dirty filters could even transform into sources of pollution over time.
Having No Filter Can Lead To Expensive Repairs
Air filters are indispensable components of any HVAC system. They not only purify the air, ridding it of possible irritants but avert potentially expensive damage to the HVAC unit. HVAC filters are hence, worth their weight in gold.
If you’ve ever found your air filter missing or visibly dirty, you might have wondered about the implications if the status quo persists. Given the factors discussed above, repercussions of neglecting an air filter during summer could be grave. They include escalated energy costs, allergy outbreaks due to substandard indoor air quality, and potential damage to HVAC systems.It’s a little-known fact that most home air conditioning systems don’t come with filters installed. Thus, much like buying household products, you have to buy these filters yourself. If you don’t, your AC will work overtime, much like a non-stop office, to circulate air throughout your house and, in the process, pull in dirt, pet hair, and other allergens from outside. This condition could pose a particular risk for individuals with respiratory conditions like asthma.
While removing the air filter may seem like a solution for reduced airflow, specialists have a few questions about this approach. They warn that it would cause even more damage. The dirt and particles, various types akin to detritus you clean off your phone screen, that would have been eliminated by the filter will accumulate on the evaporator coil and cause its failure, leading to much higher costs than a simple filter replacement.
In the grand scheme of home life, here are some problems you can encounter if you leave your air conditioner without a filter:
Thus, regular air filter changes are an excellent way to save money on electricity and reduce air conditioner repair costs, also ensuring cooler and cleaner air in your home. This regular maintenance can be likened to the role of a diligent contractor, consistently overseeing the project that is your home’s air quality.
- More dust inside your home
- Damaged compressor
- Higher energy bills
- Reduced air quality
- Problems with your ductwork
- Problems with condensation drain
Over time, your air conditioning system will become clogged with debris from the air if you don’t change out your filters. Having the air conditioner filter changed regularly can save you both time and money in the long run. An air conditioner filter is a simple yet effective way to improve the air quality inside your home. Plus, you can benefit from saving on your energy costs.
Regular Maintenance Check-Ups Can Save You From Costly Future Repairs
Another benefit of changing your air conditioner filter regularly is that it helps protect your heating and cooling system from dust and other particles that can collect in the unit. If these particles are not removed from your air conditioner, they could cause more severe problems down the road.
You need to ensure that your air quality remains high to help keep your heating and cooling system running efficiently. One type of maintenance way to do this is to change the filter in your unit once every month during regular use. In the hustle and bustle of life, you shouldn’t be going for several months without changing or having it cleaned. However, if that should happen, then it’s time to ring the phone and call in an expert technician to do the job for you.
The air conditioning unit is akin to a crucial office in the grand scheme of your household; it is one of the most expensive components in your heating and cooling system. So, just like an office manager’s thorough overseeing, you need to be on top of this at all times to make sure your system is helping and not hurting you…
That is where routine air conditioner maintenance comes in, and homeowners have two options: replacing the filters themselves or turning to professional services. This job could be compared to hiring a contractor. The replacement should be left to professionals because they can easily find matching filters at affordable prices and ensure faultless installation. While they’re changing the filter, they can also check and maintain the entire air system.
Another maintenance routine that should be scheduled periodically involves brushing off dirt and obstructions affecting the drains and the coils when the cooling season begins. Both methods are included in our regular maintenance packages and provided by most HVAC companies. So it is all a matter of finding the right service provider.
At The Cooling Company, we have affordable air conditioner maintenance packages and a 24/7 emergency service in place. So you’ll receive not only efficient and affordable service but also peace of mind, similar to how a trusty household product brings comfort to daily life.
Call us now at (702) 567-0707 or schedule an inspection of your air conditioner and your worries related to its proper functioning or air filters performance will be history!
Call us now at (702) 567-0707 or schedule an inspection of your air conditioner and your worries related to its proper functioning or air filters performance will be history!
