HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. It encompasses a system designed to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. This system is responsible for regulating temperature, humidity, and air circulation in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
In its most basic description, the air conditioning process involves two actions that occur simultaneously, one inside the home and one outside the home.
1. Inside the home (sometimes referred to as the “cold side” of the system), warm indoor air is cooled as it blows across a cold cooling coil full of refrigerant. Heat from indoor air is absorbed into the refrigerant as the refrigerant turns from liquid to gas. The cooled air is distributed back to the house.
2. Outside the home (sometimes referred to as the “hot side” of the system), the refrigerant gas is compressed before entering a large coil in the outdoor unit. Heat is released outside as the refrigerant turns back to a liquid and a large fan pulls outdoor air through the outdoor coil rejecting the heat absorbed from the house.
The result is a continuous cycle of heat and humidity being removed from indoor air, cool air returning to the home, and heat and humidity exiting the home.
The average lifespan of an HVAC system is around 15-20 years, but factors such as maintenance, usage, type of system, and the quality of the equipment may decrease or increase the lifespan. Regular maintenance can significantly extend the system’s lifespan.
There’s no easy answer for this one. A lot of factors will go into what size heating and cooling unit you’ll need. The type of house you own, its walls, insulation, attic space, and more can go into determining what size unit is required. A system that is too large could result in a home that’s too humid, causing problems with moisture and mold. A system that is too small will run constantly, running up your energy bill. Only a qualified heating and cooling technician can determine what size unit is best for your home.
R-22 refrigerant and equipment are being phased out as Montreal Protocol regulations intended to reduce the impact on ozone take hold. As time passes, replacement parts and refrigerants for old R-22 units will become harder to find and more expensive, so replacing your unit now can save you some headaches in the future.
There are a lot of reasons why your air conditioning system might freeze up, and all of them require help from a professional technician to resolve, as only they have the training and correct tools to fix the problem.
Ironically, low refrigerant can cause your system to freeze up. Over time, wear and tear to your system can result in leaks that cause the system to lose refrigerant. When your unit loses refrigerant, it causes the system to freeze up because of low pressure inside the system.
When freon levels are low, the refrigerant still is forced to expand to the same amount. The more that expansion occurs, the cooler the temperature is produced. The colder temperature will cause moisture in the air around your unit’s evaporator coil to freeze, eventually icing up the coil and impeding its function.
Dirty evaporator coils can cause units to lose airflow and, eventually, cause the system to freeze up. Defective blower motors can also cause freezing.
Heating and cooling units need to have scheduled check-ups to make sure everything is operating properly. HVAC experts recommend an annual inspection and service call by your heating and cooling company. Technicians should inspect your system, lubricate components, and repair or replace any malfunctioning components.
Heating and cooling units are a big investment, so it’s understandable that you’d want them to last as long as possible. Reducing usage is always helpful, so turn the thermostat up or down, as needed, to reduce use when you’re not at home. Changing air filters will prevent clogs. Regular check-ups can also help you ward off any potential trouble spots.
Programmable and smart thermostats have a lot of advantages. Most importantly, they allow you to set temperatures in your home for the week, to save you money even while you’re away.
To answer this, you must be aware of the fact that one function of an air conditioning unit is to extract humidity from the air. Hence, a little bit of condensation ought to happen. But it should be a little bit only and not a lot. If there are heavy leaks, they indicate that there’s a problem with the condensate draining which needs immediate technical assistance. Some of the common causes of the issue can be a clogged condensate line, a rusty condensate pan, a dirty or frozen evaporator coil, a low refrigerant level or a dirty air filter.
