What You Should Know About Air Conditioning
An air conditioning system can vary by the particular brand. That
being said, here are some of the common components you will run
into.
A true air conditioning system
performs three basic functions. The one that would first occur to
anyone entering an air conditioned room from the outside during the
summer is air cooling. The lowering of the temperature of the air is
one of the basic characteristics of an air conditioning system.
Cooling capacity is measured, strangely enough, in a heating
measurement, the BTU. A BTU is a British Thermal Unit which is the
amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of
water one degree of temperature measured in Fahrenheit.
The efficiency of an air conditioning unit can be measured by a
standard known as SEER rating. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Rating. The minimum SEER rating has been 10, but recently
was raised to 13 in January of 2006. The SEER is defined as the
total annual BTU output of the unit defined by its energy input. The
Federal Government and the Department of Energy have regulated the
required SEER of all new air conditioning units in an attempt to
reduce energy consumption.
High efficiency in cooling is more critical in climates where annual
temperatures are higher and the demand for air conditioning is
greater. It is actually worse to have a unit that is too large for
the size of the building being cooled. An oversized unit not only
costs more than it should, but runs efficiently. It will also not
run long enough to properly dehumidify the air.
The ability to remove moisture from the ambient air is another
characteristic of an air conditioner. Humidity is often as important
to comfort as air temperature. High humidity also can contribute to
health problems and contributes to mold growth in the duct work of
the system and in the home itself. A regular refrigerant type air
conditioner removes moisture from the air by condensation as the
moist air passes over the cooling coils. The process is similar to
what happens when you have a glass of cold liquid on a hot, humid
day. Just as water will condense out of the air on the outside of
the glass, it condenses on the tubing of the cooling coils. The
condensed moisture drips off the pipes and is removed by a drain in
the duct work.
Air filtering is the third characteristic of an air conditioner.
Filtering is done by passing the air intake flow through a filter
that removes dust and lint. Some filters can be used that remove
microscopic pollutants from the air. The filters need to be changed
on a frequent basis as a clogged filter greatly reduces the
efficiency of the unit. Cooling, dehumidifying, and filtering are
all characteristics of a good system, and produce air that is
comfortable, dry, and clean.
Quinton Williams is with
AirConditioningRepairCompanies.com - a directory of air
conditioning repair companies as the name suggests.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Quinton_Williams
If you are looking
for a Cabarrus County heating and air conditioning contractor please call
us today at 704-933-5262 or complete our
online request
form.
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