How To Lengthen The Life Of An AC System

Posted on: 16 August 2023

Air conditioning protects a home against humidity and provides comfort to the occupants. Folks planning AC installations will want to get as many years as possible out of their homes' setups. These four recommendations will improve the odds that your AC will perform for its expected lifespan and possibly longer.

Right Size

Measure the square footage of your house. The square footage of your home will determine how much cooling power you need. Do not worry if the room has tall ceilings. These typically help to trap heat above you.

Make sure your AC setup has slightly more capacity than is needed for cooling the space. This will ensure that you'll have some overhead capacity. However, avoid buying a system that massively exceeds your requirements. The extra spending isn't worth it.

Insulation

Strain is the enemy of your air conditioning system. The more it has to work, the shorter its life will be. Use cost-effect solutions to minimize strain. The simplest is to insulate the house well.

Have an inspector perform a thermal survey to verify where there are problem areas in the house. Improve the insulation and weather stripping wherever there are issues. Reducing air exchange through windows, doors, and walls will significantly lengthen the life of your AC unit.

Thermostat

Air conditioning installations should situate the thermostat close to where cooling is most needed. If you have a single thermostat, place it near the living room. This will ensure that you're only running the AC enough to cool you during a normal day.

You may want to explore advanced solutions, too. Many homeowners now install zone-based thermostats that allow them to target specific conditions in particular rooms. If you have a guest bedroom that's seldom in use, you should keep it just cool and dry enough to prevent mold. People are also increasingly installing smart thermostats so the system doesn't kick into heavy use until close to the time they're home.

Unit Location

Finally, air conditioning services firms encourage customers to place the outdoor sections of their units in shaded spots that aren't close to trees. The north side of the house gets less sun in many locations, so it's a good target. However, you also want to avoid locations under trees because the fall leaves could clog the unit's outdoor components.

Reach out to a company like Paris Heating and Cooling if you would like to learn more. 

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Summer is Upon Us – Is Your AC Working?

Hi. My name is Laurie Waters. The HVAC contractor was just out at our house last week and did I ever get a lesson from him. You see, we had a warm spell hit and I went to turn our air conditioning on for the first time since last summer. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t working. All I got was a blast of warm air. The fan was bringing the outdoor heat inside. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything major. My unit needed Freon. While he was here, the contractor taught me how to do some routine maintenance around my unit, vents, and filters. I’m going to share this information with you. I hope you find it to be useful.

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