Plano, McKinney Air Conditioning Basics

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Air Conditioning Basics

Benchmark Air Conditioning & Heating is proud to provide air conditioning and heating services to our fellow citizens of the North Dallas and Collin County area, including the cities of Addison, Allen, Carrollton, Celina, Frisco, Highland Park, Lewisville, McKinney, Little Elm, Plano, Prosper and The Colony.

Are you considering buying a new air conditioner? Or, are you dissatisfied with the operation of your current air conditioner? Are you unsure whether to fix or replace it? Are you concerned about high summer utility bills? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this information can help. Here you can learn about various types of air conditioning systems and how to maintain your air conditioner. Hire Benchmark Air Conditioning & Heating, your professional air conditioning contractor who will assist you to select a new air conditioner, and ensure that your new air conditioner is properly installed.

Understanding Air Conditioners:
Many people buy or use air conditioners without understanding their designs, components, and operating principles. Proper sizing, selection, installation, maintenance, and correct use are keys to cost-effective operation and lowering your overall costs.

Click Here For How an Air Conditioning System Works.

Types of Air Conditioners:
The basic types of air conditioners are room air conditioners, split-system central air conditioners, and packaged central air conditioners.

Room Air Conditioners:
Room air conditioners cool rooms rather than the entire home. If they provide cooling only where they're needed, room air conditioners are less expensive to operate than central units, even though their efficiency is generally lower than that of central air conditioners.

Central Air Conditioners:
Central air conditioners circulate cool air through a system of supply and return ducts. Supply ducts and registers (i.e., openings in the walls, floors, or ceilings covered by grills) carry cooled air from the air conditioner to the home. This cooled air becomes warmer as it circulates through the home; then it flows back to the central air conditioner through return ducts and registers. A central air conditioner is either a split-system unit or a packaged unit.

In a split-system central air conditioner, an outdoor metal cabinet contains the condenser and compressor, and an indoor cabinet contains the evaporator. In many split-system air conditioners, this indoor cabinet also contains a furnace or the indoor part of a heat pump. The air conditioners evaporator coil is installed in the cabinet or main supply duct of this furnace or heat pump. If your home already has a furnace but no air conditioner, a split-system is the most economical central air conditioner to install.

In a packaged central air conditioner, the evaporator, condenser, and compressor are all located in one cabinet, which usually is placed on a roof or on a concrete slab next to the houses’ foundation. This type of air conditioner is also used in small commercial buildings. Air supply and return ducts come from indoors through the homes exterior wall or roof to connect with the packaged air conditioner, which is usually located outdoors. Packaged air conditioners often include electric heating coils or a natural gas furnace. This combination of air conditioner and central heater eliminates the need for a separate furnace indoors.

Maintaining Existing Air Conditioners:
Older air conditioners may still be able to offer years of relatively efficient use. However, making your older air conditioner last requires you to perform proper operation and maintenance.

Air Conditioning Problems:
One of the most common air conditioning problems is improper operation. If your air conditioner is on, be sure to close your homes windows and outside doors.

Other common problems with existing air conditioners result from faulty installation, poor service procedures, and inadequate maintenance. At Benchmark Air Conditioning & Heating our air conditioning specialists will promptly and professionally diagnose your heating and cooling problem and restore your home's comfort.

Improper installation of your air conditioner can also result in leaky ducts and low air flow. Many times, the refrigerant charge does not match the manufacturers' specifications. If proper refrigerant charging is not performed during installation, the performance and efficiency of the unit is impaired. Service technicians often fail to find refrigerant charging problems or even worsen existing problems by adding refrigerant to a system that is already full. Air conditioner manufacturers generally make rugged, high quality products. If your air conditioner fails, it is usually for one of the common reasons listed below:

Refrigerant leaks.
Inadequate maintenance - If you allow filters and air conditioning coils to become dirty, the air conditioner will not work properly, and the compressor or fans are likely to fail prematurely.
Electric control failure - The compressor and fan controls can wear out, especially when the air conditioner turns on and off frequently, as is common when a system is oversized. Because corrosion of wire and terminals is also a problem in many systems, electrical connections and contacts should be checked during a professional service call.

Regular Maintenance:
An air conditioner's filters, coils, and fins require regular maintenance for the unit to function effectively and efficiently throughout its years of service. Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases.

Air Conditioner Filters:
The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your air conditioner is to routinely replace or clean its filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal air flow and reduce a system's efficiency significantly. With normal air flow obstructed, air that bypasses the filter may carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil and impair the coil's heat-absorbing capacity. Filters are located somewhere along the return duct's length. Common filter locations are in walls, ceilings, furnaces, or in the air conditioner itself.

Air Conditioner Coils:
The air conditioner's evaporator coil and condenser coil collect dirt over their months and years of service. A clean filter prevents the evaporator coil from soiling quickly. In time, however, the evaporator coil will still collect dirt. This dirt reduces air flow and insulates the coil, which reduces its ability to absorb heat. Therefore, your evaporator coil should be checked every year and cleaned as necessary.

Sealing and Insulating Air Ducts:
An enormous waste of energy occurs when cooled air escapes from supply ducts or when hot attic air leaks into return ducts. Recent studies indicate that 10% to 30% of the conditioned air in an average central air conditioning system escapes from the ducts.

Obstructions can impair the efficiency of a duct system almost as much as leaks. You should be careful not to obstruct the flow of air from supply or return registers with furniture, drapes, or tightly fitted interior doors. Dirty filters and clogged evaporator coils can also be major obstructions to air flow.

Paying attention to your air conditioning system saves you money and reduces environmental pollution. Notice whether your existing system is running properly, and maintain it regularly. Or, if you need to purchase a new air conditioner, be sure it is sized and installed correctly and has a good EER or SEER rating.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with one of our comfort experts, please feel free to contact Benchmark Air Conditioning & Heating at 972-377-9724 or you may also request services from this site.

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Thank you for your interest in Benchmark Air Conditioning & Heating, we look forward to serving you soon!

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