Air conditioning equipment comes in various shapes and sizes depending on how big of job it will be asked to do. As experts in this area, we can help you determine which air conditioning equipment is the right choice for your home.

   

One question that we are commonly asked is “How does air conditioning equipment work?” It’s a good question. Most people know that the actual system is located outside the house where the air is the warmest. So where does the cool air come from to create the comfortable living environment inside the home?

Here’s how it works.

The largest component of the air conditioning equipment is located outside – this is the box-shaped item that you know as the air conditioner. It consists primarily of two things: a refrigerant compressor and a condensing coils unit. The air conditioning equipment outside is also connected (by copper tubing) to something called an evaporator coil which is inside the house (usually mounted in the furnace). This type of system is called a “split system” because the ductwork installed throughout your home handles both the cooled air from the air conditioner and the heated air from the furnace. This is efficient because one set of ductwork is required.

The actual process begins when the AC unit uses a compressor cycle to remove heat from the air. This is similar to the way your refrigerator works. There is a special fluid called refrigerant. When the refrigerant changes from a liquid to a gas it absorbs heat. As a gas the compressor reduces the volume of the gas by compressing it, which at the same time raises its temperature and turns it into a vapor. That vapor is pushed to the outdoor coil and the heat is just transferred to the outdoor air.

At that point the outdoor air temperature causes the refrigerant itself to condense back into a liquid form and the process starts all over again. A big advantage of this process is that it actually removes the humidity from the air inside the home and makes the indoor environment quite comfortable.

As the homeowner you really don’t have a lot of work to do in order to maintain the air conditioning equipment in your home. It should just run on its own and do the job it was designed to do. The one thing that you have to take care of is replacing the filters on the indoor air returns. They do get clogged over time and if too dirty the AC system cannot operate efficiently. We recommend that you change these monthly.

                                

You should also have your air conditioning equipment inspected by a qualified service technician annually (usually in the spring before the warm summer months have arrived). Our service technicians are highly trained professionals and inspections include:

• Inspecting the outdoor unit for the proper levels of refrigerant
• Remove any leaves or other debris
• Inspect all wiring and connections
• Check for any damage and repair as necessary

The technician will also inspect the air conditioning equipment located indoors to ensure that everything throughout the system is operating correctly and efficiently. If a component is not working 100% the way it should your home may not be properly cooled. More importantly, an inefficient system can use much more energy than necessary, meaning higher utility bills. Regular preventive maintenance can literally pay for itself when a few problems areas are located and corrected ahead of time. Be sure to use only service technicians that have been trained and certified with the proper credentials for installing and servicing your air conditioning equipment. All of our employees meet the standard and are happy to provide you with the best service possible.

     
We our authorized dealers of all major brands: Trane, Carrier, American Standard, Lennox, Amana, Goodman, Payne, Bryant, York, Rheem, Rudd and many more.