Air Conditioner - Answers To Common Questions

Not everyone can live in a temperate climate where the temperature stays constant year round. Some live in areas where the temperature can climb well over a hundred degrees mid-day. That is just too hot! Have you given your air conditioner much thought? What would it be like to be without an air conditioner and suffering in the summer heat and humidity? Those little wonders can save frazzled nerves and make you feel refreshed again. This article will cover the basics of air conditioners and hopefully have you feeling cool again in no time.

How does an air conditioner work?

Air conditioners work by taking warm or hot air from the outside and pumping it over cooling coils located on the inside of the air conditioner. In the past Freon was used as the cooling liquid that would cool the air before pumping it inside. Today Freon is known to be a detrimental gas to the ozone layer. In response to this CFC refrigerants were developed but even these have been replaced by more environmentally friendly coolants such as R-22.

What is a 'Persian Cooler?'

The Persian Cooler is actually called an evaporative cooler. It is used heavily in hotter climates such as in Iran where the largest concentration of these units are made and used. The Persian Cooler works by drawing in the hot air from the outside and running it through water soaked pad. The actual temperature of the air is not changed but the quality and humidity of the air is changed to more of a "dry" heat. This type of cooler gave Dr. John Gorrie the inspiration of using ice instead of the wet pad for his Apalachicola patients in 1842.

Who do I call when something goes wrong with my air conditioner?

The best advice is to call a heating and cooling technician that is familiar with your type of unit. If you have a Ruud then you will want to call someone who is familiar with that brand of air conditioning unit. Some people will want to try to fix the problem themselves and there is nothing wrong with that if that person is knowledgeable about basic air conditioning systems. There are plenty of do it yourself websites that can help you fix your air conditioner yourself. It is always advisable to seek out knowledgeable help before you begin though just in case you run into a problem that is out of your realm of knowledge.

What does it mean when my lines in my air conditioner are coated in ice?

There can be many reasons why your air conditioner lines are icing up. One of the most prevalent reasons is a loss of pressure or the unit being low in coolant. The only way to know for sure is to let the lines defrost and then attempt to run the unit again. If it ices up again then you know that something is definitely wrong. Sometimes a humid environment where the outside is cooler than the inside will cause the unit's lines to freeze up. It is best to locate a air conditioning specialist to help determine the root cause of the problem though.

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