Servicing Your Air Conditioning Unit

The typical central air conditioning system is a split system, with an outdoor air conditioning, or “compressor bearing unit” and an indoor coil, which is usually installed on top of the furnace in the home. Using electricity as its power source, the compressor pumps refrigerant through the system to gather heat and moisture from indoors and remove it from the home. Heat and moisture are removed from the home when warm air from inside the home is blown over the cooled indoor coil. The heat in the air transfers to the coil, thereby “cooling” the air. The heat that has transferred to the coil is then “pumped” to the exterior of the home, while the cooled air is pumped back inside, helping to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. Central air conditioning can also be provided through a package unit or a heat pump. But overtime, your air conditioning unit has to be serviced for maintenance and preventing them from breaking down in the future.

Types of Central Air Conditioners

A central air conditioner is either a split-system unit or a packaged unit:

In a split-system central air conditioner, an outdoor metal cabinet contains the condenser and compressor, and an indoor cabinet contains the evaporator. In many split-system air conditioners, this indoor cabinet also contains a furnace or the indoor part of a heat pump. The air conditioner's evaporator coil is installed in the cabinet or main supply duct of this furnace or heat pump. If your home already has a furnace but no air conditioner, a split-system is the most economical central air conditioner to install.

In a packaged central air conditioner, the evaporator, condenser, and compressor are all located in one cabinet, which usually is placed on a roof or on a concrete slab next to the house's foundation. This type of air conditioner also is used in small commercial buildings. Air supply and return ducts come from indoors through the home's exterior wall or roof to connect with the packaged air conditioner, which is usually located outdoors. Packaged air conditioners often include electric heating coils or a natural gas furnace. This combination of air conditioner and central heater eliminates the need for a separate furnace indoors.

At least once a year before the season starts, call a professional air conditioning service North Las Vegas. But if you want it to do-it-yourself, you can turn off the unit and use a garden hose to clean the cooling fins to remove any dirt, grass clippings, leaves and other debris from the unit. Hot, dry summer days and windy, sand-blowing winds helped cake the fins of the condenser and lessen the cooling capacity. If you have called for an air conditioning service North Las Vegas, they need to change the filter on your furnace's return air duct often to ensure that good air flow is achieved. A dirty filter will cause low air flow and can cause the unit to freeze up, restricting airflow even more.

One last thing to consider is the furnace's fan that is responsible for blowing the cool air out into your home. It too needs a fair amount of maintenance. The fan needs to be oiled from time to time, just like the outdoor unit. air conditioning service North Las Vegas