Air Conditioning Service: Factors That Might Affect The Service Life Of Your Air Conditioner | Frisco, TX
For various reasons, your Frisco, TX air conditioner may not always function appropriately or as you would like. If the air conditioner isn’t effective, it means that the comfort of your home takes a toll. In addition, Texas can at times become scorching hot, and the air conditioner is the appliance that helps regulate and control indoor temperatures. Hence, a malfunctioning air conditioner isn’t something you want at your home.
Fortunately, ensuring regular maintenance and repair to the unit by seeking the help of an air conditioning service can help ensure that the air conditioner components are working at optimal conditioners. If you do not have the air conditioner isn’t regularly maintained and serviced, its efficiency will take a toll with every passing day.
Hence, the air conditioner might soon become irreparable. This means the air conditioner will not reach the minimum service life, prompting you to replace it. Moreover, air conditioners aren’t cheap and will cost you a fortune. Fortunately, you could avoid all this by enlisting an air conditioning professional for regular inspections.
Factors Affecting the Durability of Your HVAC System
The Size Of The Air Conditioner
You may be wondering, does the air conditioner’s size matter? It does. The air conditioner at your commercial or residential property must meet your indoor space’s cooling and heating needs. If the air conditioner is too small, it will not be able to cool your home efficiently during the summers. This results in uneven cooling, lower energy efficiency, and frequent air conditioner breakdowns. This is because it is being overused, and it is thus straining to keep up with your cooling demands.
If the unit is too large, it might start showing or experiencing short cycling. This arises because the air conditioner doesn’t have to stay on for long to cool your home. Although any homeowner can like this because it appears to achieve the goal quickly, there is a drawback. Short cycling might result in the air conditioner restarting and shutting off repeatedly throughout the entire day. Additionally, this might harm your energy bills.
If you are not sure if you’ve installed the right-sized air conditioner, consult your AC service provider to determine if you should upgrade it to a larger unit or downgrade it to a smaller one. You can also ask the air conditioning service professional which service can benefit your home by reducing energy bills at the end of the month. While at it, why not ask the technician about the operations that might reduce the number or frequency of the potential repairs. For example, an air conditioner that works hard may have a reduced service life because its components quickly burn out and need a replacement.
Your Chosen Brand Of The Air Conditioner
The brand of choice for your air conditioner might also impact its durability. This is because the lifespan of an air conditioner varies from brand to brand. While some might last for 10-15 years before needing a replacement, others may reach up to 25 or 30 years. This depends on the quality of the materials used to make the unit and the technology.
More costly air conditioners have parts or components of high quality. This means that they last longer and have a better performance. This is because they are resistant to the wear and tear that rocks the inferior ones. But regardless of the price of an air conditioner or its quality, it will still need routine air conditioning services in Frisco, TX.
The Installation Of The Air Conditioner
One factor that may affect your air conditioner is its installation. Was the air conditioner installed in the right place? Is the AC installed correctly? If the air conditioner components are snugly installed incorrectly, you cannot realize or save the energy you might desire. This has a serious impact on your HVAC unit’s durability.
Ensure that the outdoor components of an air conditioner are installed in a shaded, cool place to prevent the air conditioner from overheating. If the condenser is fitted indoors, its functionality and effectiveness will be significantly reduced in your attic or garage. Consequently, this places some limitations on your air conditioning system. This also reduces the air conditioner’s effectiveness and increases the need for frequent repairs.
A licensed and reputable air conditioner repair professional in Frisco, TX, can install a new unit at a suitable place to ensure that it is effective. If you are wondering whether you should move the air conditioner to another place to enhance its service life, consult your air conditioning service provider.
The Size And Type Of Air Filters
Although they can be replaced, the air filter is a part that might impact the durability of your home’s air conditioner. Most air conditioners require thick filters of up to one inch, though some need filters of a specific size. The air conditioner starts to strain to force the air through the filters if they are too thick. Hence, your unit is overworked. The air filters should be perfectly sized to keep the debris, dirt, dust, and other pollutants and contaminants from affecting the efficiency.
If the air conditioner has disposable filters that are not the correct size, you can enlist an air conditioning service to replace them with compatible ones. Further, the technician can swap out the washable or reusable filters to prolong the air conditioner’s service life. There are various types of air filters that your air conditioner might use. Hence, you should purchase compatible filters. But what are the main types of air filters?
Types Of AC Air Filters
Air filters have limitations and benefits that you must consider before purchasing one for your home. Understanding the pros and cons is the only sure way to make an informed choice for cooling, ventilation, and heating. A reputable air conditioning service provider can take you through the different types of filters and allows you to select a type that is within your budget. You can invest in either of the following air filters to enhance the service life of your air conditioner and indoor air quality.
UV Filters
The air conditioning service provider might install UV filters to kill or eliminate the microorganisms such as fungal spores and molds. These units use UV light to kill the bacteria and destroy the viruses that might come into your home through the air conditioner’s air ducts. The ultraviolet filters feature UV lamps having germicidal radiation that disinfects the microorganisms. This allows clean air to circulate in your home.
However, they may pose a threat if they allow oxygen to change into Ozone. NASA explains that Ozone is a harmful pollutant that might harm plants and human beings. In addition, it exposes people to asthmatic issues and skin cancer. The other disadvantage of UV air filters is the inefficiency in eliminating fumes, gasses, and smoke. Despite its limitations, the air conditioning service might recommend you install these air filters for their ability to enhance the indoor quality of air.
Washable Filters
You could also choose a durable investment in washable filters. These filters don’t require a replacement. These reusable air filters are eco-friendly and require regular cleaning by a professional air conditioner service company to ensure optimal performance. Unfortunately, this unit has a low MERV rating, meaning that they are inefficient at filtering out most pollutants that enter your indoor space through the ducts.
A reputable air conditioning service professional in Frisco, TX, can re-install the washables only when they are totally dry. This prevents moisture from accumulating in your air conditioner, allowing mildew and mold to grow. One of the main benefits of these reusable filtration units is that you only purchase them once and continually use them for many years. However, you must ensure that an air conditioning service technician comes to your home for routine maintenance. However, these filtration units are expensive, although this will not be an issue because they will serve your home long.
High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA)
Do you need exceptionally good indoor air quality? Then go for HEPA air filters. High-efficiency particulate has an efficiency of up to 99.9 in removing contaminants from your indoor air, including dust, bacteria, pollen, and other allergens. In addition, these filters have a diameter specification of about 0.3 microns, making them efficient at filtering out large and tiny particles. This leaves the air at your home clean and healthy for your benefit and your family.
Enlisting an air conditioning service company can help you choose the correctly sized HEPA filters and install them in your home. HEPA filtration systems are also cost-effective, meaning you can get them immediately if you want to change your air filters to those having high efficiency. However, just like the UV air filters, HEPA filters cannot eliminate the fumes, odors, smoke, and gases from the circulating air.
Electrostatic Air Filters
The other air filter option you can consider is the electrostatic filter made from cotton and plastic fibers that create the static, which attracts the airborne contaminants. Again, an experienced and skilled air conditioning service professional can help you select between disposable and reusable magnetic air filters based on your preference.
Magnetism within the air filters effectively stops the contaminants from entering your indoor space. The electrostatic filters are highly cost-effective though they might not protect your family or other home inhabitants from allergies. This is because they cannot remove the larger particles like dust and mold spores.
Pleated Filters
Your air conditioning service company might also recommend installing pleated filters because of the high efficiency of MERV ratings ranging between five and thirteen. These filters are made from cotton and polyester fabrics to remove the airborne contaminants like mold spores, dust particles, and pet dander.
The folds in your air filtration system unit enhance its efficiency in removing contaminants from the air compared to the non-pleated air filters with a low surface area. In addition, these air filters can be disposable or washable. However, they might wear down or become damaged faster than other filters.
Aspects to Consider When Purchasing Air Filters
As you can see, there are several filters in the Air conditioning market. This makes choosing the best filter a challenging task. But with advice from your air conditioning service, you can choose one that can fit your air conditioner to ensure you have clean air blowing from your air unit. Below are some factors to consider when purchasing an air filtration unit:
- The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of the air filter. This measures the performance or efficiency of catching particles
- The materials which make the air filters, such as fiberglass or fabric
- The price of the air filter or cost-effectiveness
- The service life of the air filters. This determines how frequently the air conditioning service provider in Frisco, TX, will have to replace or clean them
Your Frisco, TX Home’s Indoor Air Quality
Dirt and dust might reduce the air quality in your indoor spaces when they accumulate within the HVAC system. This will make your health and bank account suffer a blow. In addition, the air pollutants raise the probability of you or your family members experiencing some respiratory complications such as allergies and inflammations. It also affects the energy efficiency of your AC unit. Therefore, besides the regular conditioning service, you may want to invest in a duct cleaning service and indoor air quality assessment, among other air conditioning services.
Air Conditioning Unit Maintenance
One of the greatest factors affecting the lifespan of your air conditioner is your maintenance efforts. Whether the air conditioner is inspected on a weekly, monthly, bi-annually, quarterly or yearly, or even never, this plays a critical role in determining when you may have to replace the air conditioner. You may often avert possible breakdowns, unexpected repairs, and unnecessary degradation of components through regular maintenance by an air conditioning service provider. The technician also inspects the other components, such as the air ducts, thermostats, and air filters.
Your Reliable Air Conditioning Services in Frisco, TX
Your HVAC system is a unit designed for durability. However, as explained above, several factors might impact its service life. Enlisting an air conditioning service company to be doing regular inspections and maintenance is the best way of staying ahead of any issue that might arise while also extending the lifespan of your air conditioner. Call us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas if you need any air conditioning service.