One of the most common questions new homeowners ask is, do air conditioners take in air from outside? The short answer is no. To understand why the units don’t take air from outside, AC repair experts recommend you first understand how the air conditioner works.
How the AC works
The air conditioner has two components: the inside and outside component. These components are connected by copper lines that are filled with refrigerant that is either gas or liquid.
The outdoor unit uses a fan to draw air in and takes the existing heat back out of the refrigerant, allowing it to cool down before being recycled. The air passes through the outdoor unit and doesn’t stick around.
The heat is drawn out and allowed to go its way.
The indoor part has an AC return air intake that is sometimes located on the wall or ceiling. The return air intake has some type of a filter that keeps dust and debris out while allowing air to pass through.
As the air blows through it, it passes over the supercooled coils inside to cool down. This process transfers heat out of the air and into the supercooled coils.
Other air conditioner facts
Other than the fact air conditioners don’t get fresh air from outside, there are plenty of other facts about the appliances you should know. These facts include:
The HVAC system can be too big
When many homeowners are buying air conditioners, they have the impression they should buy the largest unit as it gives the best results, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. When you buy a unit that is too big for your house, you not only increase the amount of energy your appliance consumes, but a large unit also doesn’t remove all the humidity it’s supposed to.
As the air conditioning system can be too big for your home, it can also be too small. A small unit tends to work too hard to cool the house. It also tends to keep on breaking down which increases the amount of money you spend on repairs.
To avoid buying an air conditioner of the wrong size, you should do your research about the right size of unit you should get. For easy time, ask a well-trained HVAC contractor to guide you through.
The air conditioner MERV rating can be too high
To keep the air conditioner in good shape, you should clean or replace the air filters at least once every few months. As you are shopping for replacement air filters, one of the important factors you should consider is the air filter MERV rating which indicates the filtering power of the air conditioner.
The higher the number, the more particulates the filter can trap. Due to this fact, many homeowners aim for air filters with the highest ratings, but this isn’t right.
As you are scouting for the filter, you should note that a MERV rating over 16 isn’t ideal for home use. Such a filter is designed for large residential buildings that require air to move through super-tiny pores.
For your home, go for an HVAC system with a MERV rating of 13. This way you will have properly cleaned air and you won’t be wasting money on an air filter that isn’t right for your home.
You should note that the higher the MERV rating, the more you will pay for the air filter. Of course, regardless of the rating, remember that an air conditioner filter is an important part of your air conditioner and comes in handy at not only ensuring your air conditioner functions optimally, but also ensures that the unit lasts for a long time.
Annual inspections are vital
At least once a year, you should hire air conditioner repair services Plainview providers to go through your unit, identify any issues the unit might be having and fix it. When hiring the contractor, ensure they are experienced enough. They also should be certified to work in your local area.
Plenty of things can go wrong as the repair professional is fixing the unit. The contractor can fall, the air conditioner can get damaged, among many other things. To avoid carrying the expense, ensure the air conditioner technician is insured.