About Your A/C

Central Air Conditioning

Central air conditioning helps keep your home cool and reduces humidity levels. By transferring heat from air located inside your home to the outside, conditioned and cooled air is left to be re-circulated. Using electricity as its power source, the compressor inside an air conditioning unit pumps coolant, or refrigerant, back and forth to gather heat and moisture from indoors. Warm air from inside is blown over the cooling coil, which is connected to the compressor, and then pumped back into your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I troubleshoot before calling a dealer?

The answer is, "Yes." Here are some simple procedures you can perform before going to the expense of a service call:

• Check disconnect switches. (indoor and outdoor if you have a split system). Make sure that circuit breakers are ON or that fuses have not blown.
• Check for sufficient airflow. Make sure air filters are clean and that supply-air and return-air grilles are open and unobstructed.
• Check the settings on your thermostat. If you want cooling, make sure the temperature control selector is set below room temperature and the SYSTEM switch is on the COOL or AUTO position. If you want heat, make sure the temperature control selector is set above room temperature and the SYSTEM switch is at HEAT or AUTO. The FAN switch should be set at ON for continuous blower operation or AUTO if you want the blower to function only while the unit is operating.

Make sure your circuit breakers are in the ON position.
Make sure your filters are clean.

How long will my system last?

Maintenance and service play a key role in the lifecycle of an air conditioning system. If all recommended maintenance and service actions are taken, it is believed that an air conditioner should last about 10 years.

What is Freon R-22?

R-22 is the common name for hydro-chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC). R-22 has been used as a refrigerant by HVAC manufacturers for over 40 years, but studies in the past decade have shown that HCFCs contain chlorine, an ozone-depleting agent. For this reason, the United States Clean Air Act has set a target date for January 1, 2010, on which HVAC manufacturers must cease the production of products that use R-22.

What is R-410A?

R-410A is the common name for an emerging hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) that is being used as a refrigerant in the HVAC industry. R-410A is more environmentally friendly than R-22 and is being seen as the most likely replacement for R-22 by HVAC manufacturers. At the beginning of 2010, the use of alternate refrigerant will be required in HVAC manufacturing.

Is there any advantage to setting my thermostat fan to "ON" so the fan runs constantly?

Yes, there are a couple. The first is that you get constant filtering of the air in your home. The second is that because the air is moving, you have a more even temperature throughout.

What is a S.E.E.R. (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating and what does it mean to you?

S.E.E.R. stands for Seasonal Energy ,Efficiency Ratio, the standard measurement of air conditioning efficiency established by the U.S. Department of Energy. What does this mean to you? Higher S.E.E.R. ratings translate into greater energy efficiency which means lower electricity bills. The most important thing to remember is the higher the S.E.E.R. rating, the more money you save.

Why a higher efficiency rating (SEER) saves energy: If your current air conditioner is more than 10 years old, it could be operating at lower than 8.00 S.E.E.R. If the annual cooling bill of an 8.00 S.E.E.R. system in a particular area is $1,000, it would cost only $615 for a 13.00 S.E.E.R. system to operate at the same capacity in the same area. This is an annual savings of 38%.

How often should I recharge my air conditioner with new freon?

A properly functioning air conditioner does not consume refrigerant (freon), so under ideal conditions it would never need changing or filling. A low freon level indicates a leak which should be repaired before adding more.