“How do I know if my air conditioner is the right size?” is the question that’s probably on your mind after reading the title of this blog post.
And the answer is a little tricky.
If you have your air conditioner installed by a team of qualified professionals who help you choose that air conditioner, and come to your home before doing so, then you don’t need to worry about it–your air conditioner will be properly sized.
Appropriate AC size is determined by a process called a cooling load calculation. This is one of the most important parts of AC installation and if not done correctly can lead to a number of problems, including premature replacement. Read on to learn more!
How Does a Cooling Load Calculation Work?
When our professionals properly size an air conditioner for a home, we look at a number of factors, including the volume of air. This doesn’t just mean the square footage of your home. We look at where conditioned air could be escaping by examining how many doors and windows your home has, how high the ceilings are, and what type and amount of insulation you have.
We use very precise measurements, with high-tech equipment, to determine the true size needed.
What Happens When an Air Conditioners Isn’t Properly Sized?
Consider the engine of your vehicle. If it were too small, it wouldn’t be able to power your car to make it over a hill let alone down the street. If it’s too late, your car can overheat.
Your air conditioner is similar. It needs to be able to properly cool the air in your home, but without it actually damaging the system. Read on to learn what happens when an air conditioner is too big, vs. too small.
Too Big
Have you ever heard of short-cycling? This is a name given to a process where an HVAC system turns on for a brief few minutes, then off. It’s extremely damaging to the system and can cause a need for early replacement if you let it go on for too long.
Essentially, the system is too big and creates cold air too fast, causing stress to certain components of the system while leaving other components untouched. This can be an expensive problem to run into, and we really encourage you to invest in professional installation in order to avoid this.
Too Small
If an air conditioner is too little, it just will not be able to cool it to the level you need. You might even be able to tell this is the cause because your air conditioner is on for such a long period of time, yet doesn’t seem to be cooling down your home. Or maybe your system is constantly overheating or tripping circuits because of how much energy it drains.
We hope for your sake, that you are reading this blog post before getting a new system installed, in order to have the time to call in the pros for help!
For professional and reliable Smyrna, TN air conditioning installation, contact Covenant Heating and Cooling today!