Category: Air Conditioning

Air conditioning systems are very expensive to replace, and it’s tempting to try to save costs wherever possible. When one unit of your air conditioning system fails, replacing one unit while keeping the older, still-functioning unit sounds like a practical cost-saving measure. However, mismatched air conditioning components can have a negative effect on the efficiency, reliability and life-span of your system. The indoor and outdoor units of a residential air conditioning system function together despite the fact that they are split into two units. As a result, the system suffers stress when the two units have dissimilar components that were designed to work at different levels of efficiency. You Can’t Teach Old Coils New Tricks When mismatched air conditioning components are forced to work together, it can put stress on the older unit and seriously compromise the function of the new unit. Newer condenser coils are more efficient, have a larger, grooved surface area, and employ other enhanced features that improve their performance. Older coils do not have these features, and are often incompatible with new condenser coils. New air conditioning units use thermal expansion valves with a hard shut-off to control their use of refrigerant. However, older units were not

When your air conditioner is running but your home is gradually getting warmer, you have a problem. Hold your hand over the supply registers. Do you feel little to no airflow coming from them? Your air conditioner is frozen. Whether you see any ice or not, your air conditioning unit is clearly letting you know there is ice in it. There are steps you immediately need to take to prevent damage to your unit’s compressor and further waste of money. Handling Air Conditioner Freezes Turn your A/C unit off immediately to prevent any (or further) damage to your compressor. While waiting for the accumulated ice to melt, find the drain for the condensation pan and be sure it is not blocked. If it is, unblock it. If you can, turn on the air conditioner’s fan without running the compressor. This will accelerate the melting of the ice. Once all the ice is melted and unblocked drains are clear, turn your unit back on. It should begin to cool your home again right away. What Causes My A/C to Freeze? Several maintenance-related issues are usually the culprits of air conditioner freezes. One of the main ones is low airflow due to

Most people’s first instinct when they feel too warm or too cool in their home is to head for the thermostat on their central heating or air conditioning system. Inventors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), however, have produced a new device which could help people maintain a comfortable body temperature without having to leave their seat. The idea of a personal cooling device would probably sound like science fiction to most people. The MIT team, though, have managed to produce a wristband device which can cool or warm someone according to their own personal preference. The new device also impressed judges in the MITs Making and Designing Materials Engineering Competition (MADMEC), where the device was considered worth a $10,000 prize. Known as Wristify, the appliance could soon be heading onto the mass market. Before that point, though, there is still much work to be done. The four MIT alumni and students who designed the device were largely motivated by what they saw as the mounting financial and social costs of energy consumption in the United States. A great deal of the energy used today, perhaps as much as 16.5 percent of the USA’s total energy usage, is devoted

Air conditioners and refrigerators have many similarities. In fact, the only difference between the two is that refrigerators only cool a small enclosed space while an AC cools a large open space. So, how do air conditioners work? Read on to find out. Components of an AC Like refrigerators, air conditioners have a compressor, refrigerant liquid, refrigerant piping, fans and a thermostat. Each of these components is used for a different purpose. For instance, the thermostat is responsible for switching the system on and off depending on the difference between the actual room temperature and the reference temperature. Refrigerator piping connects the two ends of the compressor and carries the refrigerant throughout the cooling system. The fans are responsible for driving air into the indoor wall-mounted unit for cooling as well as through the outdoor unit to cool the refrigerant and take away the heat. The compressor is responsible for compressing the refrigerant into a liquid and keeping it under pressure. Lastly, the refrigerant is the working fluid. It absorbs heat from the surroundings and takes it to the compressor coils for cooling. How Air Conditioners Work Air conditioners are able to cool a room because of a physical law,

The time has come for your new air conditioner install! Get ready: improved comfort, performance, and efficiency are coming your way in short order. But for many homeowners, their AC Install Day holds less excitement and more anxiety because they have never overseen an AC replacement. Fear not! This blog will cover everything you need to know about how to prepare for your air conditioner installation and what to expect from our team.  Preparing for Your San Fernando Valley AC Install  For the smoothest possible air conditioner installation, it can help to plan ahead. With a little extra prep ahead of time, our expert install teams can work even faster and more efficiently. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure an easy-breezy AC install day:  Arrange to Be Present During the AC Install Day – An adult over 18 years of age must be onsite while our team is present. If you have a job that allows you to work remotely, we suggest trying to limit longer meetings and phone calls as the noise from installation may interrupt them.  Make a Plan For Your Pets – Most humans think our installations are pretty tame, but pets disagree.