Busting Air Conditioner Myths | Heating and AC Repair in Azle, TX
Because air conditioners have become such a ubiquitous part of our lives, they have spawned their fair share of myths which we hear all the time on internet chat forums and social media pages. These rumors and myths lead to these appliances earning a bad reputation, leading to several negative connotations being associated with this robust piece of technology. The end result negatively affects a person’s purchasing decisions and they decide to stave off air conditioners entirely, based on false rumors. Here are the top seven air conditioning myths.
Air conditioners are only used for cooling
Many people believe that air conditioners have a singular purpose: to reduce the temperature to desirable values set by the homeowner. To be fair, even the air conditioning industry endlessly perpetuates the myth that their unit is designed exclusively for cooling purposes. But air conditioners can also regulate room temperature as well. In hotter states and sun baked countries around the world, the term ‘heating’ is seldom used with air conditioners. But the technology deployed by air conditioners allows them to maintain and decrease temperatures, although the vast majority of homeowners depend on them for the latter.
Air conditioners are really bad for the environment
A tool is only as good as the person using it. Air conditioners are no different. If they are well-maintained, air conditioners can be a source of comfort and relief. If you’re not careful with them, the Freon gas inside could leak into the atmosphere and negatively impact our ozone layer, making it less effective against harmful rays from the sun and man-made pollutants which try to poke a hole in it on a constant basis. It is true that the use of air conditioners results in the release of millions of tons of carbon dioxide – a powerful greenhouse gas – into the air but we can always minimize the amount by intelligently using this technology.
Air filters don’t have much of an impact
The filter inside your air conditioner is what stands between clean, healthy air and one which constantly gives off dust particles on to the faces of unsuspecting occupants. The importance of air filters cannot be emphasized enough and plays a direct role in your unit’s performance. They are your unit’s first line of defense against dirt and dust. If they get clogged up, it will just be a matter of time before the grime starts invading the unit. This will decrease your unit’s efficiency and drive up energy bills. And that’s bad news not only for your wallet but also the climate. Most air filters can be easily removed by homeowners and cleaned using a dry towel. Alternatively, you can get heating and ac repair in Azle, TX.
Routine maintenance is too expensive
Paying for routine maintenance may seem like being forced to shell out a little bit of capital to ensure that your system is running smoothly. But do keep in mind that a small inconvenient issue can graduate into a bigger problem, which will force you to splurge out large sums of money. All of this can be avoided by timely maintenance. Once the system breaks down, any repair work will be expensive. Researchers have further discovered that your air conditioner unit loses about 5 percent of efficiency every year that it goes without maintenance. This will obviously result in higher energy costs and more greenhouse gases being released to damage the ozone layer. It is easier to remember that regular maintenance always saves you a lot of money in the long run.
Ceiling fans are enough for your cooling needs
Ceiling fans do not ‘cool’ the air. They simply do not have the technology to do so. Air conditioners on the other hand are able to achieve this by circulating a coolant gas around the room. This ‘refrigerant’ absorbs heat from the room and discharges it to the outside world. In contrast, fans only have 3 to 4 blades attached to a primary head which swirls the air around in vortex patterns. When this charged-up air brushes against your skin, it creates an apparent cooling effect because of how humidity works. All that a cooling fan does is increase the chances of sweat evaporating off your skin, creating the desired cooling effect. This wouldn’t be possible if the air in the room gets humid; in that case, you won’t be able to dry off the sweat on your body even when standing directly under or in front of the fan.
Fans aren’t completely obsolete. If your home has air circulation issues then you can place fans at strategic locations around the room to give you more control over the distribution of heat. But the myth that fans are a suitable replacement of air conditioners is just that – a myth.
The thermostat’s location doesn’t affect heating and cooling
The thermostat is the most important part of your air conditioner. It directly controls the signals that are sent to the unit. A programmable thermostat determines the temperature of the room and sends suitable signals to the air conditioner to regulate the temperature. If the thermostat is directly placed in front of a heater, it concludes that your unit isn’t cooling enough and will try to offset this by decreasing the temperature. If it is placed directly in front of the unit, the device will assume that the desired room temperature has been achieved and would proceed to shut it down prematurely!
The energy efficient unit is all you need to make energy savings
Even the most technologically advanced unit will not be able to achieve its desirable efficiency if the room leaks air. A poorly insulated window will create a high influx of energy in and out of the room, forcing the air conditioner to work harder to regulate the temperatures. This will only increase the energy bill. Experts recommend installing double-pane windows to restrict the flow of energy and relieve some of the strain from your unit.
Routine maintenance through heating and ac repair in Azle, TX can be the difference between a highly-optimized unit and one that consumes too much electricity. At One Call Heating and Air, we specialize in making sure that your air conditioner operates at peak efficiency. Call us today for a free audit!