Cooling Questions
- I need to
replace my air conditioner, but my brother-in-law tells me I should get one with as high a SEER rating as possible.
First off, what is a SEER rating, and why does a high one matter?
A SEER rating is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, which in plain language is, “how much electricity does an air conditioner use to cool a house”. It’s sort of like gas mileage, so an air conditioner with a higher rating uses less electricity to provide the same amount of cooling compared to one with a lower SEER rating. However, there is one critical difference, unlike cars, which get physically smaller with higher mileage, an air conditioner gets physically larger with increased efficiency. So while your brother-in- law is right about a higher SEER rating is better, one of our estimators should come to your home or business and measure to make sure there is room for the new air conditioner. Recently, the government mandated all new equipment have a minimum energy efficiency rating of 13 SEER. While the greater efficiency is better, it also means that you can no longer just replace your outdoor condensing unit; the inside cooling evaporator coil has to be replaced, as well. Keep this in mind when you are considering replacing your air conditioner and beware if someone tells you that they can replace the outdoor unit for less. Unless they have some old equipment lying around, it probably won’t work. We have already helped customers who have been misled this way. A good explanation of efficiency ratings can be found here: Efficiency Ratings - Do
you really need to do anything to an air conditioner? I have had mine for a few years now and it still works fine, but your
serviceman said I should get it checked, just like my furnace.
Despite being relatively trouble free, an air conditioner does require some maintenance. The condenser coil requires a thorough cleaning at the start of every season, sometime more often depending on conditions. For example, if you live in close proximity of cottonwood trees, this can clog up a condenser coil very quickly in the Spring. This cleaning can be achieved by spraying the coils with a chemical cleaner and rinsing them thoroughly. Naturally, we recommend that one of our technicians perform this service for you. Your air conditioner will run fine without being cleaned on a regular basis, but it will be much less efficient and its service life will be shortened considerably. You wouldn’t dream of driving your car around with a blocked radiator; the same principle applies to your air conditioner. It relies on a clean coil to cool your house and its compressor likes a clean coil, too! There is also a device called a contactor which is a remote switch that turns the unit on and off that earwigs and other bugs like to climb in and foul up, prompting a service call. Our technicians know what to look for, and also know how to work safely around the 220 volts that power the unit. The refrigerant level should be checked, as well. An undercharged or overcharged unit can cause inefficient cooling and shorter compressor life. This service can only be performed by properly trained technicians with the proper pressure/temperature checking tools.