Summer is in full swing and I hope the market is as hot for everyone as the summer’s been!! The time is here again for staying cool and I think the following quick tip may help you when it comes to air conditioning operations.
As you will see from the diagram below, the exterior air comes in through the air intake and blows the outdoor air across the hot condenser coil to cool the hot gases inside the coil. When this happens the gases inside the coils cool and the air passing over the coil heats up to dump the house heat into the outdoor air via the fan exit air noted in the diagram. Although I use different equipment to identify Interior discharge temperatures, I often use the following procedure to initially determine if the air conditioning system unit is working:
TIP:
So…. here is a quick procedure to determine if the air conditioning system is functioning:
-Since the exterior air is used to cool the condensing coils and then released into the exterior air, then that air being discharged from the air conditioning compressor via the fan exit air ( See Diagram ) is warmer than the outside air Right!!
So, if you put your hand over the fan it should be warm.. If it is not warmer than the outside air then this could indicate that servicing is needed.
-Always keep your filter clean to increase the efficiency of the air conditioning system. Also, if you do not use a filter, then dust will build-up on the capillary coils and also reduce efficiency.
Quick Snapshot of a Heat Pump
I thought some of you may be interested in just how a heat pump works… But without getting to technical, the air conditioning function within a heat pump system operates the same as conventional air conditioning systems. However, in a heat pump system we can use the same system for heat by reversing the flow of refrigerant. Please take a close look at the reversing valve at the exterior condensing unit .(See Diagram) This valve reverses in the winter to change the direction of the refrigerant flow and is controlled by the thermostat. Although I do not want to get into the coefficient of performance, when it gets to cold outside it’s best to use the auxiliary heat setting on real frigid days. For example, the cost benefit of using the heat pump with an exterior temperature of ” 0 ” Degrees Fahrenheit may not be worth the heat benefit.
I hope these tips help and as always, if you or your clients need our services please do not hesitate to call or go to our website for more information.
We wish you all the best and hope we can assist you on your next real estate transaction.