Know Your Air Conditioner Inside & Out

Providing Helpful Information about Your Cooling System

Your air conditioner is one of the most important parts of your home in the summer if you live in the Lowell, Valparaiso, and Porter County areas. But do you know enough about how your air conditioner works and what might make it malfunction? This easy guide from Meyer’s will help you get to know what’s in your air conditioner.

How It Works

The primary function of an air conditioner begins with a coil of metal that is filled with Freon or some other liquid refrigerant chemical. The air conditioner uses a fan to pull air from the outside, and then it blows the air over the evaporator to cool it. The cold air is blown into your home while the liquid inside of the evaporator coil absorbs the heat. It becomes gaseous while absorbing the heat, and it’s pumped outside to release the heat and turn back into a cold liquid. The energy that circulates the refrigerant is used by the motor to run the air conditioner’s compressor, without which the air conditioner would not be able to function.

Air Conditioning Options

Air conditioning can be found in areas of the country where temperatures are likely to rise above 85 degrees. If you live in an area where heat reaching this degree is unlikely, you may not need a central air conditioning system. For mild cooling purposes, a heat pump might fit your needs. However, individuals with asthma or allergies may wish to have central air installed in their home because of its filtering and “conditioning” qualities.

Meyer’s sells Bryant air conditioners. Bryant heating and cooling appliances are some of the highest quality appliances in the country. Our appliances have all been Energy Star certified, which means that they meet rigorous standards set by the EPA for energy efficiency and production.

Some of our air conditioners in Griffith include:

• Split Systems – Split air conditioner systems use a condenser coil and cooling unit outside and send the cool air through your central air system via an air circulation device. Split systems are ideal for houses or apartments with enough room for two units.
• Packaged Units – Packaged units are usually installed on rooftops for commercial buildings or very large homes. They combine the evaporator coil, condensing coil, blower, and compressor in a single unit. Packaged units are ideal for places where you may only have room for a single unit.
• Heat Pumps – These are available as both a split system and a packaged unit. Heat pumps provide both cooling and heating from a single unit, by using a reversing valve that changes the direction of the refrigerant flow from inside to outside.

What Makes a System Fail?

Air conditioning systems are complex and have many parts. Each component work to cool a certain building size by passing a certain amount of air through the cooler coils.

Here are some things that can make your AC system fail:

• A sudden rise in the indoor temperature, either when there are more people inside or when you may be running heat-producing appliances such as an oven or computer server.
• A refrigerant charge leaking out of the coils means that the capacity of the system will be lowered.
• Reduced airflow across the exterior condenser coil will reduce the ability of the condenser to eject the heat outdoors, so you’ll get less cold airflow from your air conditioner inside.
• Reduced airflow may even lead to the coil freezing, which means that the flow of refrigerant will cease, and the coil may burst or leak.

How to Keep Your AC Healthy?

If you want to keep your air conditioning system healthy, make sure to change the filter regularly and at the intervals recommended by your user’s manual. A filter is an important part of an air conditioning system. The filter screens out particles from the air that is streaming into the air conditioner, ensuring that the air coming into your home is clean. It also keeps the air conditioner clean and ensures that no part of it becomes clogged with particles and then fail. When the filter becomes clogged with particles of grime or dust, it may be more efficient at filtering out the air coming into your home, but it will also reduce airflow and increase the air resistance coming through the air conditioner. When you need to change your air conditioning filter, remember to purchase one that has a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Rating Value) of six or higher.

Other things that you can do to keep your AC in good condition include:

• Brush away dirt and obstructions from the coil at the beginning of the warm season or call a professional to clean it.
• Make sure that dirt, leaves, or other debris are not clogging the outdoor condenser.
• Schedule regular maintenance, preferably during late spring or early summer. Doing this annually improves the efficiency of your AC, lowers your energy bills, reduces the occurrence of emergency repairs, and extends the life of your equipment.

Choose Your AC Contractor Today

Are you ready to choose a new cooling system for your household? Or schedule maintenance? Meyer’s is your premier HVAC contractor in the Griffith area, offering a complete suite of premium air conditioning products and services.

Contact us today at (219) 240-0610 to set up an appointment.