Professional AC Repair: Questions Commonly Asked Regarding AC Systems And Repair | Fort Worth, TX
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There are many benefits of having a new air conditioning system installed in your home. For starters, a new air conditioner can guarantee you peace of mind since it’s less likely to require frequent repairs. Past that, newer AC models can be quite economical since they’re designed to offer maximum energy efficiency, meaning that your household’s energy consumption may reduce.
Additionally, a new AC unit can improve your home’s indoor air quality significantly. Recent AC models feature robust air filtration components that can prevent the entry of various air pollutants. With a new air conditioning system, you can get more flexible options since some models allow homeowners to create different thermal conditions in each room. Most modern AC units use wireless technology, allowing you to monitor and adjust your home’s indoor air conditions even when you’re away.
However, getting a new air conditioner may not always be a viable option for homeowners struggling to find practical solutions for their AC problems. Therefore, some may opt for regular AC repairs to ensure that their air conditioning systems remain functional for the foreseeable future. The US Department of Energy claims that heating and cooling account for up to 55 percent of the average American household’s energy expenditure. Despite that, most homeowners know little to nothing about their residential air conditioning systems.
Below are some of the common questions Fort Worth, TX, homeowners may ask about their AC units and AC repair to demystify the matter.
How Do Air Conditioners Work?
Ideally, as a part of your home’s central heating and cooling system, air conditioners draw heated air from your indoors and expel it outward, injecting cooler air back inside. By doing this, they can affect the general air quality as well as the indoor temperature and humidity. Specifically, though, your AC specialists claim that air conditioners rely on ductwork to keep your residence comfortable. The ducts are responsible for drawing the heated air and replacing it with treated air.
If your AC repair specialist mounted a split system in your residence, here’s how it works. Firstly, the condenser changes the refrigerant from gas to liquid and then distributes it throughout the outdoor unit. The liquid-form refrigerant then moves through the evaporator coil. While here, the fan located inside the indoor unit distributes the indoor air across the evaporator fins, which facilitate heat exchange. At this point, the refrigerant will then change from liquid to vapor, thereby getting rid of the heat in the surrounding air. Afterward, the air will be cooled and transported back into your indoors via the aforementioned ducts.
Once that part of the cooling process is completed, the outdoor unit, commonly known as the condenser, will then convert the refrigerant back into liquid form to remove any remaining heat. When the time comes for the refrigerant to leave the evaporator again, it’ll have changed into a cool, low-pressure gas and it’ll return to the condenser for the cycle to begin once again. Based on your home’s thermostat settings, this process will occur repeatedly until the desired temperature is achieved.
What Are the Different Types of Air Conditioning Systems?
Before requesting your repair specialist to install an air conditioner on your property, you should have a working knowledge of the various types available in the market. This will help you make an informed decision based on your budget and household needs.
Window Air Conditioners
They’re the most common types of air conditioners and can be found in a good number of American homes. As you walk through your neighborhood, you may observe plenty of them mounted on the windows.
As their name implies, window AC systems are often installed on the inside part of home windows. AC repair professionals install them to act as an exhaust system that pushes heated air outside via the back and side, with the compressor facing indoors. Window AC units can conveniently cool one room at a time, which means homeowners with fairly large houses may need to ask their AC repair professional to mount one in every room.
One of the advantages of having window air conditioning systems is that they’re often inexpensive, which is why they’re so popular in apartments and small- to medium-size homes. They can also be moved from one room to another depending on your household’s cooling needs or removed entirely during colder weather.
However, once installed, you may no longer be able to use the window it was mounted on to allow fresh air or natural light into your residence. Additionally, due to their proximity to your home windows, window air conditioners can be easily vandalized by burglars.
Central Air Conditioning Systems
You should probably consider asking your local AC repair professional to install a central air conditioner if you live in a large home that requires the air in all its rooms to be cooled simultaneously. Central AC units comprise a cooling compressor, which AC repair experts mount outside, along with a coil that’s filled with the refrigerant, which cools the air.
The compressor is the component responsible for conditioning your home’s indoor air. After the air has been cooled with the help of the refrigerant, it will be blown by your unit’s fan throughout the ductwork for distribution throughout the rooms of your residence.
Through the supply and return vents, the treated air will be circulated throughout the building while the warm air moves back into the system, where it will be pushed outside via the exhaust components.
Portable Air Conditioners
These types of air conditioning units are quite similar to the previously discussed window AC units. They’re both examples of unitary or self-contained air conditioners, which means that all the essential cooling components are confined within a single appliance. Your residence may benefit from this kind of AC installation if its design can’t support the installation of a window AC unit. That said, portable air conditioners rely on the condenser, which is mounted outside, to cool the indoor air, while depending on a large exhaust hose to expel untreated air outside.
The hose, which resembles a dryer vent, links the unit to an airtight window, thereby helping direct the untreated air outdoors. These window components often come with the unit, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing one from your local AC repair company during installation. However, since both the exhaust system and condenser are housed within one unit, portable air conditioners may be a bit noisier than other AC models.
The excessive noise is often the result of the evaporator fan, which is responsible for evaporating the condensation building up inside the air conditioning system. On the bright side, these systems feature wheels that make it easier to transport them from one room to another. That said, asking your AC repair contractor to mount one in your home may be a great idea if it measures less than 500 square feet or if your household has minimal cooling needs.
Ductless Split Air Conditioning Systems
Your local AC repair specialist can also install a ductless split air conditioning unit if you believe that it’s the best option for your home. As the name suggests, ductless split units comprise a two-part system and are ideal for premises that have an established and extensive duct network.
They’re referred to as split systems since they’re made up of the condenser unit, which AC repair experts mount outdoors, and evaporative units, which can be mounted on the walls of the various zones you’d want to be cooled.
Both units are interconnected via conduits, which essentially feature the power and refrigerant lines. Each compact unit features an individual thermostat, which allows these types of air conditioners to effectively maintain different thermal conditions in every room depending on your specifications.
Geothermal Heating and Cooling Units
These units feature a relatively new and energy-efficient technology, which is gradually gaining popularity among American homeowners. It relies on the ground’s natural insulation properties, which allow the earth to maintain consistent thermal conditions of approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Irrespective of the external thermal conditions, the conditions of four to six feet below the ground will remain consistent. Therefore, geothermal heating and cooling units can leverage the earth’s temperature to keep your home comfortable.
They have a piping system, which AC repair professionals call an earth loop or simply a loop, that facilitates the movement of water between your residence, the heat pump, and the earth. Your AC installation expert may install the pipes vertically or horizontally based on the topography of the land your home sits on. During the cold winter season, the water often moves through the loop, absorbing heat from the earth, which is later compressed to raise the temperature then released back indoors.
Conversely, during the summer, heat from your indoors goes into the heat pump, where it’s removed and distributed into the ground. The remaining cool air is then circulated back into your Fort Worth, TX, home.
While electricity may be used to power the heat pump, compressor, and fans, geothermal heating, and cooling systems don’t rely on the combustion of fossil fuels to create heat, but rather transfer heat to and from the ground. Their sustainability and energy efficiency are among the reasons why you should consider asking your local AC repair professional to install one in your residence.
Which Are the Typical AC Problems That an AC Repair Professional Can Fix?
There are many reasons why your home’s air conditioner may begin malfunctioning. However, AC repair experts believe that most issues arise from inadequate maintenance, poor installation, and substandard service procedures.
Regardless, given the importance of air conditioners to your indoor comfort, you should know some of the common AC problems to avoid unexpected breakdowns that can be costly to remedy. That said, below’s a detailed account of some of the regular AC issues you’re bound to encounter as a Fort Worth, TX, homeowner.
Refrigerant Leaks
When an air conditioner’s refrigerant level is low, it could be due to undercharging during installation or a leak within the unit. If the refrigerant level has decreased due to leaks, simply adding more refrigerant may not be a long-term solution.
Under such circumstances, you should consult your local AC repair specialist so that they can repair the leak, test the effectiveness of the fix, and charge the refrigerant to the required level. Your home’s air conditioner can only perform at its peak if the refrigerant level fits the manufacturer’s specifications. Refrigerant leaks should never remain unresolved for long since they can pose health and environmental risks.
Electric Control Failure
Although the condition of your unit’s fan and compressor controls depends on how well-maintained the system is, they can wear out after some time. This is especially true if the air conditioner in your Fort Worth, TX, home frequently goes on and off during operation, which also indicates that it may be oversized.
The corrosion of the AC’s wire and terminals is quite common. Therefore, you may need to create a regular AC maintenance plan with your local AC repair technician to avoid this problem.
Poor AC Maintenance
AC filters and coils can become filthy over time if you fail to regularly have them inspected and serviced. Consequently, your AC’s operational efficiency may reduce significantly, causing the fans and compressor to fail prematurely.
Sensor Issues
Residential air conditioners feature a thermostat sensor, which AC installation service providers install behind the control panel to help monitor the temperature of the air entering the evaporator coils.
The sensor may sometimes fall out of position, forcing the unit to cycle more frequently. Your nearest AC service provider can help readjust it to its original position.
How Can I Find a Reliable AC Repair Company in Fort Worth, TX?
Currently, you can start looking for a professional AC repair contractor through a simple Google search. However, you may find so many options that choosing the best service provider becomes unnecessarily complicated. That said, if you’re a Fort Worth, TX, resident, you don’t have to work extra hard to find a reliable technician near you. Simply contact the professionals at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth for timely and comprehensive HVAC solutions. Our crew has extensive experience assisting customers complete various AC projects, including air conditioner installation and maintenance.