Serving Bountiful, Ogden, Layton, Park City, and Salt Lake City
The high desert of Utah means that summer temperatures can get quite hot. It’s important to have the help of a reliable air conditioning repair and service company to keep you cool throughout the summer months. At Custom Comfort, we specialize in air conditioner repair and replacement for customers in Centerville, UT, and other northern Utah cities.
If the air conditioner in your home or business needs work, you can rely on our experienced technicians to get the job done. We work with a wide variety of air conditioner systems, including well-known brands like Armstrong, Atlas, Bard, Climate Master, Coleman, and Convair, among others.
Call us today at 801-294-5300 to learn more about our air conditioner replacement and repair options.
Air Conditioning Tips
If your air conditioning system is not cooling you down, take a look at these quick recommendations. They may save you a lot of time and money. Follow-up by having a competent licensed air conditioner contractor inspect and evaluate the system if necessary.
Testing Your Central Air System
To test the air conditioning, the outside temperature should be above 60° for 48 hours (some manufacturers recommend 65°). If you turn the air conditioning system on when the temperature is below 60°, you may damage the compressor.Turn the fan switch to “auto” and set the thermostat below the room temperature (76° to 78° is recommended). The fan and condensing unit should come on, unless there is a time delay, which may slow its start.Let the system run for eight to ten minutes to balance the temperature in the ductwork. Check the temperature at the supply and return registers. The temperature at the supply register should be 14° to 20° Fahrenheit cooler than at the return ducts or current room temperature.If the temperature differential is more than 20°, it indicates restricted air. This points to three possible problems: 1) a dirty filter, 2) improper ductwork, or 3) a fan that is sized wrong, not working properly, or moving too slowly.If it is less than 14° differential, the possible causes are 1) refrigerant loss, 2) a dirty coil, 3) a laboring compressor, 4) an oversized fan, or 5) a deficient return air system.
There are two copper lines going from the condensing unit on the exterior to the air handler on the interior. The smaller line is the liquid or high-pressure line and will be warm, not hot, to the touch when it is operating properly. The larger line covered with insulation is the suction or low pressure line and will be cold to the touch. The suction line should be “sweating” or condensing, the way a glass of iced tea “sweats.” It should not be forming “ice.”
Two Common Central Air Conditioning Problems
The refrigerant in the system may be low from a possible leak. The leak should be located, repaired, and recharged.Compressor failure is a problem, which usually requires replacement of the unit. Usually when a compressor is replaced, the entire condensing unit on the exterior is replaced. The typical life expectancy of a compressor in a central air conditioning system is 8 to15 years, depending on geographic location.
Air Conditioning Unit Efficiencies
When discussing air conditioning system efficiencies, the SEER number is the typical guideline, and the higher the SEER number, the more efficient the unit (E.g., a 12 SEER unit is 20% more efficient than a 10 SEER unit). This information can be a considerable help when evaluating the cost versus the value of a new system.
Air Conditioning Tools
BTU Calculator
It is important to choose a properly sized air conditioner for your room. A bigger air conditioner is not necessarily better because an AC unit much bigger than required will cycle on and off too frequently, reducing efficiency and the ability to control humidity inside the home.To figure out which size unit is best for your cooling needs, use the following calculator: BTU Calculator
SEER Calculator
Another common question is how many SEER should your air conditioning system be. Use the following calculator to figure out your desired SEER rating: SEER Savings Calculator
How Air Conditioning Works
You might think that your air conditioner simply pumps cool air from outside to the inside in order to keep your home cool—but how does that work when it’s already 90 degrees outside?
An air conditioning system doesn’t actually move air from outside to inside. Instead, an air conditioner uses a refrigerant, such as Freon, to cool the air that circulates inside your home. The Freon gets pumped from inside your house to the outside compressor unit, where it releases the heat it picked up inside.
The process starts when your air conditioner pulls warm air from inside the home into the return vent where it is cooled by the Freon.
When Freon (usually a gas) is in a liquid state, it absorbs the heat from the air inside your home. Then, the warmed Freon and all that extra heat are moved to the outdoor unit of the air conditioner system, where the heat is released into the air outside.
The air inside your home is cooler now because it gave up its heat to the Freon. The air conditioner system pushes this cooled air back into your home through the vents, and the whole process starts over again.
Because the air inside your home is constantly cycling through the air conditioner, it does more than simply cool down your home. Inside the air conditioner is a filter designed to catch dust, germs, and other particles. When the air in your home cycles past this filter, particles and dust are trapped and clean air is pushed back out the vents.
Because this cycle is continually in motion when your air conditioner is on, dust and particles are continually getting trapped in the filter instead of getting spread around your home. This is beneficial for all members of the household and especially those with asthma or allergies.
To learn more about how your air conditioning systems works or for help addressing problems, contact us at 801-294-5300.