Air Conditioners and Energy Conservation | Tips from Your Mansfield, TX Air Conditioning Repair Provider
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Energy-efficient heating and cooling is a concern for many home owner’s in Mansfield, TX. The size of an air conditioning unit is one of the most important considerations. Bigger is not always better. An excessively large air conditioning unit is more expensive than necessary as an initial purchase and leads to increased energy costs.
Air conditioning repair professionals can help determine the appropriate size for air conditioning units for any home. Professionals take all heat sources and future cooling needs into consideration. Passive solar heating refers to heat from sunlight hitting homes and buildings. Many people fail to consider passive solar heating, but sunlight actually adds a significant amount of heat to homes.
Zone Control Systems
Zone control systems let home owners in Mansfield, TX, control centralized heating and cooling systems. HVAC units have mechanized dampers, thermostats, and sensors to regulate airflow for customizing temperatures in each room in the house.
These systems maintain comfortable indoor temperatures and conserve energy, but complexity increases in direct proportion to the number of individually controlled rooms. Contact Minuteman Heating and Air the air conditioning repair professionals to set up zone control systems and locate problems. Early detection can avoid costly repairs later if problems are unaddressed.
The control panel of a zone control system can malfunction for many reasons. Common problems are power fluctuations, extreme temperatures, physical damage, and faulty wiring. Thermostat malfunction is the most commonly reported problem with zone control systems. Home owners can try restarting the unit, cleaning the thermostat, and replacing batteries. Call an air conditioning repair technician if problems continue after trying all three home repair solutions.
Energy Conservation
Home owners may not think of every relevant factor before taking action to conserve energy. Closing vents in unused rooms seems like an obvious strategy to conserve energy, but the changes in air pressure can throw equipment out of balance.
The mistaken belief that leaving thermostats at the same temperature continuously instead of adjusting them throughout the day actually increases energy bills. Programmable thermostats give HVAC systems a break from working continuously. This leads to less wear and tear on equipment and decreased energy use.
Wi-Fi thermostat control also contribute to savings on utility bills. Remote access through mobile devices lets home owners monitor rooms and adjust thermostats instantly. Air conditioning repair technicians install interior and exterior temperature sensors and integrate the Wi-Fi controls into existing HVAC systems. Wi-Fi control systems include features such as automatic temperature adjustments, motion sensors, and various programming options.
Another common misconception is that insulation is only important for heating. In reality, insulation is a barrier against outdoor temperatures all year long. Air conditioning repair professionals can provide guidance to choose the best type of insulation for home owners in Mansfield, TX, to meet their cooling and heating needs.
Schedule regular inspections from air conditioning repair professionals to catch any issues before they become problems. Regular maintenance and services also maximize energy efficiency because trained and certified professionals can identify sources of energy loss and equipment malfunction that home owners might miss.
Common Problems with Air Conditioners
Many other aspects of maintaining an air conditioner contribute to low energy costs and a comfortable home in Mansfield, TX. Air conditioners work through temperature, airflow, and pressure. The main component of an air conditioner is a coil full of cold refrigerant. The coil needs warm air to flow over it so the AC does not freeze or lock up. An indoor coil absorbs heat from inside the home and pushes it to the outdoor coil to dissipate.
A lack of airflow is a common cause of air conditioner malfunction. Coils freeze without warm air flowing over them. Air conditioners are more likely to freeze when humidity is high. The humidity causes ice formation on the coils. Ice can spread throughout the interior and even spread to copper piping in the outdoor portion of a unit. Collapsed or blocked ducts are frequently to blame. Air conditioning repair technicians can diagnose airflow problems and find the blocked or collapsed duct.
A defective blower motor is another common problem. The spinning motor or the motor’s capacitor can malfunction and prevent air from moving over coils. Rattling sounds sometimes mean a problem with the blower motor is imminent. An under-powered blower motor causes the same problems as a malfunction. Contact air conditioning repair services to inspect the unit and complete repairs.
The air intake filter is another important component. The filter keeps dust and debris from getting into the air conditioning unit. Excessive dirt on an air filter creates a clog that blocks airflow. Air conditioners can run without a filter, but that often leads to more problems. The refrigerant coils are constantly damp because moist air turns into condensation on the coils’ surface. Dust becomes trapped in the condensation and traps cold against the coils instead of pushing cool air through the home. Replacing an air filter is generally a simple fix, but home owners may need to call an air conditioning repair professional if changing a filter does not solve the problem.
The amount of refrigerant in air conditioner coils influences how air conditioning units handle air pressure. The outside portion of the unit compresses refrigerant after heat is released into the air. Warm air quickly turns the refrigerant into a gas that absorbs heat and experiences decreased pressure. The compressor turns the gas back into a liquid before pumping it back to the indoor coil. Insufficient refrigerant levels cause the refrigerant to turn into gas at the wrong time. This leads to condensation on the coils that quickly turns to ice.
Call Minuteman Heating and Air repair service when you see ice on the pipes coming out of the outside portion of the unit. Technicians determine proper levels of refrigerants and search for blockages that prevent airflow. It is important to call the professionals quickly because ice on the coils and inside the unit can permanently damage air conditioners.