Air Conditioner Engineering

A device that many people will confuse with an air conditioner is a heat pump. Like an air conditioner a heat pump pulls in air, cools it off and circulates it throughout a home or building.

The big difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is that a heat pump uses a lot less energy than an air conditioner. Another difference is that a heat pump can be used to warm air and warm the home much like a furnace is. In some climates a heat pump can do the work of both a furnace and an air conditioner when it is attached to a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning system).

This means that a heat pump can save a home a lot of money if they can install one. For many home owners a heat pump will be a much better choice than an air conditioner.

How a Heat Pump Works

Unlike a traditional air conditioner which uses refrigerator coils to cool the air, a heat pump sits close to the ground. In colder weather the heat pump actually pulls warmth out of the ground and pumps it back into the air inside a home or building. In some places such as Florida and California a heat pump can actually be used in place of a furnace.

In warmer weather the heat pump actually works in reverse, it pulls hot air down into the ground. This produces cool air that can then be circulated to cool the home down.

Heat pumps won’t work in all climates because they don’t produce enough heat to warm a home in a really cold climate. If the temperature in your area frequently drops below freezing you won’t be able to use a heat pump for heating.

Even if it does get cold in your area you will be able to use a heat pump for cooling. Many people confuse heat pumps with air conditioners because they are often attached to a HVAC system much like an air conditioner is.

Getting a Heat Pump

A heat pump can be attached to your central forced air heating system much like an air conditioner would be. This can enable you to use the heat pump to cool off the entire home.

The way to find out if you can install a heat pump at your home will be probably be to contact a HVAC professional. Most HVAC firms will be able to install a heat pump at your home.

It could be possible to replace a traditional air conditioner with a heat pump. If you can do that you should be able to reduce your electric bill because heat pumps use a lot less electricity than regular air conditioners.

Heat pumps use less electricity because they don’t refrigerate the air in the way that traditional air conditioners do. Instead they tap into the earth itself for part of their energy.

If you have hot water heating or no heating system in your home you may have to have ductwork installed for a heat pump or air conditioner. That could add quite a bit of money to the heat pump installation.

The most recent advance in air conditioning is ductless or baseboard air conditioner. These are smaller air conditioners that take up less space and use electricity than traditional air conditioning units and systems.

The advantage to these air conditioners which can also be called mini split air conditioners is that they up a lot less space. A baseboard air conditioner looks like a radiator and sits on the floor at the base of a wall in much the same way. Other ductless air conditioners can be mounted on the wall or in the ceiling.

Ductless vs. Traditional Air Conditioners

The big difference between a ductless air conditioner and a traditional air conditioner is that a ductless air conditioner only uses the air in the room. A traditional air conditioner has to draw air from outside or from a ventilation system which adds to the cost.

Traditional wall and window mounted air conditioners for example need to be mounted on a window or a hole cut in an outside wall. This has to be done so the conditioner can pull air in from outside.

A traditional conditioning system uses an air conditioner often placed outside connected to the central heating system. This pulls in air, cools it and circulates it throughout the entire home.

Lack of Ventilation

A big drawback to ductless air conditioning is the lack of ventilation. This means that fresh air won’t be drawn into a room from outside or the ventilation system.

A potential problem from such a system is that germs or pollutants in the air will keep circulating in the air in a room. This can make people sick and be very bad for those with respiratory problems and weakened immune systems.

Another drawback is that such systems can’t be combined with a heating system. This may mean that a person will have to buy a separate heating system for a home.

Advantages to Ductless Air Conditioning

A big advantage to ductless air conditioners is that they can be used in a home without a forced air heating system. They can be used in a building with hot water heat or in a home with no heating system.

Since ductless air conditioners are less noticeable they’ll be less conspicuous. This makes such systems less likely to distract from the décor of a room.

Another advantage is that people won’t have to punch a hole in the wall for an air conditioner or cover up a window to put in an air conditioner. The ductless air conditioner can be hung on the wall.

An interesting advantage to the ductless air conditioner is that it can be placed in areas where people sit or work. This means that a person only has to put air conditioning in one spot in a room or home. That can obviously reduce the amount of money spent on air conditioning.

Many ductless air conditioners can also be programmed to provide maximum comfort or energy efficiency. This can reduce costs and make a home more comfortable.

The difference between an air conditioning system or central air conditioner and a window or wall mounted AC unit is the amount of air that can be cooled. A window or wall mounted air conditioner can only cool the air in one room. An air conditioner can cool the air in an entire home or building.

Air Conditioning Systems Could Save You Money

Contrary to popular belief, an air conditioner may actually be cheaper to operate than air conditioning units. The reason for this is that the air conditioning system requires only conditioner with a fan that blows cool air through the entire house. This will use electricity than several air conditioners and cost less money in the wrong one.

The installation of an air conditioner can be fairly cheap if you have forced air heating. In forced air heating the air is warmed in a furnace and blow through the home using a system of ducts and vents. The same ducts and vents that are used for heating can be used for air conditioning as well.

In many cases all that is needed to do to add air conditioning to your heating system is to add a central air conditioner. There are also modern systems called heat pumps that can combine the functions of an air conditioner and a furnace.

Installation of an Air Conditioning System

An air conditioner will usually have to be installed by a HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning technician). This is often the same person who installs your furnace.

The cost of the system will be fairly cheap if you have forced air heat. If you have heating vents in your home you have forced air heat. If you use radiators for heat, you have hot water heat which means you will have to have vents for air conditioning installed. You may also need to get vents for air conditioning installed if you live in a warm climate and don’t have a heating system.

If you need to get vents installed, it could be cheaper to install air conditioners in all the rooms of your home. There are modern air conditioners called baseboard or ductless air conditioners which can be smaller and cheaper than traditional wall mounted air conditioners.

Other Advantages to an Air Conditioning System

A big advantage to air conditioning system is that like a heating system it can be centrally controlled from a thermostat. This means that a person will be able to have more control over the temperature in a building or a home.

Something that people should be aware of is that in areas with high humidity, air conditioners don’t always work because the water in the air counteracts their effects. This means that a person may need to install a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier is a device that takes water of the air. Such a device can be easily attached to an air conditioning system.

If a person in the home has respiratory problems or a weakened immune system the family may need to install air filters on the HVAC. This are devices that clean the air and make it safer for a sick person to breathe.

An air conditioner is a device or system that uses refrigeration to cool the air in a home, building or vehicle. Even though an air conditioner cools the air not every air cooling system is an air conditioner.

Generally only devices that use refrigeration to cool the air are referred to as air conditioners. Similar devices such as swamp coolers which use moisture to cool the air maybe called “air conditioners” but they are not air conditioners. Systems that use fans for cool the air are not real conditioners either.

How Air Conditioners Work

The standard household or car air conditioner uses a fan to pull air over refrigeration coils. The coils cool the air which is then blown out again. Even though the system is very simple it will usually burn a lot of electricity.

There are several types of home air conditioner. The most common is the window unit, this is a box mounted on the window that pulls in air through the window. The air is pulled over coils that cool it.

A central air conditioning system is a bigger air conditioner that cools the air in an entire home or building. Some people will have an air conditioner attached to a forced air heating system. This blows cool through the house using the same ductwork as the heating system.

What Makes Air Conditioners Work

Most of the home air conditioners work on much the same principle as refrigerators. The system cools the air by running it over coils filled with refrigerant, a super cool liquid.

There are some large systems that pull cool water from a lake or other water source and use that instead of refrigerant. The reason air conditioners use so much electricity is that they need to use both a fan and a cooling system.

Historically, air conditioners are used in areas with high humanity because the humanity prevents the use of cheaper swamp coolers. In some cases, air conditioning systems will not work when the humidity is high.

HVAC

A term that is often used in conjunction with air conditioning is HVAC which stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This term refers to systems that use forced air to heat, ventilate and air condition a home or building.

Generally, HVAC is used when a furnace and an air conditioner are attached to a ventilation system. The furnace is used to warm the air and the air conditioner to cool it. A fan and a system of duct provide the ventilation on such a system.

The advantage to such systems is that other devices as air filters can be attached to them. The disadvantage to such systems is they are often not very effective at heating. Hot water heating systems are usually better at providing heat.

Window air conditioners can be very effective but they usually only provide cooling in just one room. An air conditioner or HVAC system will be needed to cool an entire home or building.  Many modern homes are now built with air conditioning installed.

We are officially in the dog days of summer. It is almost too hot to even go outside anymore! These higher temperatures mean your air conditioner is running longer and harder throughout the day. With all that extra work, your filter is going to get clogged faster than normal.

Proper filter maintenance is crucial to your unit! Filters are designed to pull particles out of the air while letting the air pass through easily. As the filter fills up, the space for air to pass through is reduced, making your air conditioner work harder to suck air through the filter. This extra work will reduce its lifecycle and it is much more wallet friendly to change an air filter once a month (more in summer and winter months when your unit runs almost constantly) than it is to replace your entire air conditioner!

Changing your filter regularly is also good for your health. The filter pulls dust, pet hair, smoke and other irritants out of the air. These pollutants can aggravate your allergies or asthma if you have them, and, according to The American Lung Association, they can even cause cancer! I know it seems like everything causes cancer these days, but if something as simple as changing your air conditioner filter can help prevent it, why not do it?

There are two basic types of filters: reusable and disposable. Disposable filters do cost less than reusable ones, but the cost difference isn’t too great, and you don’t have to replace a reusable filter every month. However, you do have to clean a reusable filter every month. Either way you choose to go, your air filter needs monthly maintenance.

Don’t know how to change or wash your filter? Here are step by step instructions!

Change your filter:

1. Turn off your system.

2. The filter will be located close to the intake-outtake blower (in most homes it’s close to your control box). There may be a door or panel that swings or lifts open; open it and remove the filter.

3. Before you install your new filter look around the edge to find an arrow. This arrow tells you the direction of the filter. Make sure the arrow points to the blower and is not installed backwards (check the direction of your old filter before you take it out or just as you remove it if you’re not sure which way it goes in)

4. Lastly, turn your system back on and make sure it’s functioning properly.

Clean your filter:

1. Again, turn off your system, locate and remove your filter.

2. You will want to clean your filter outside, if possible. Use a brush to remove caked on debris.

3. Vacuum the filter with your hose attachment.

4. Wash the filter with running water. Using a spray attachment on your water hose works best. Just remember to spray in the opposite direction as the air flows. In other words, spray from back to front (the debris is on the front of the filter, spraying from back to front will more efficiently clean your filter).

5. Let your filter air dry completely before replacing.

6. Turn your system on and make sure it’s functioning properly.

Your return vent (the vent that houses the filter) is usually located close to the thermostat. If your thermostat is on a staircase, the return vent is usually on the slanted ceiling above the stairs. Otherwise, the vent is usually located close to the floor under the thermostat or close to or on the ceiling above the thermostat. If you cannot find your return vent or just need help changing your filter, call your air conditioner contractor.