Air Conditioning, Evaporative Coolers & Cooling Systems

When remodeling and especially when expanding the square footage of your house, choose between air conditioning, evaporative cooling and/or other cooling systems like fans and natural drafts. In warm dry climates where the highs typically stay below 100 degrees an evaporative cooler may be ideal for cooling your home. An air conditioner works better in humid climates and those that may exceed 100 degrees, and it may serve as a heater in the cooler months. Supplemental cooling can be provided by a variety of fan options for home and residential cooling.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning units that both heat and cool are called heat pumps and are the heart of the air conditioning industry for today's modern systems. To cool air, heat must be removed. The process delivers heat one direction and cool the other. When you select "Heat" or "Cooling" you are simply drawing air off of the appropriate side of the system. Air conditioning units are often referred to as refrigeration units because they refrigerate the air.

Air conditioning units are rated in BTU's (British Thermal Units), a way of evaluating the heating or cooling capabilities of the unit. Houses and rooms vary by size but a rule of thumb is that you need 6,000 BTU's for the first room and 3,000 to 5,000 for each additional room. How well the house is insulated, how much of it is shaded and the size of the rooms should be taken into account when using this formula to select the proper size AC unit.

Another formula for determining the unit size requirement is square footage.
Up to 300 sq. ft. requires 6,000 BTU's. For each additional 200 sq. ft. add 2,500 BTU's. Again, how well the house is insulated, how much of it is shaded should be taken into account when selecting the size AC unit. In very hot climates favor the high side of the calculations. Portable air conditioner units and window mounted air conditioning units are typically designed for a single room or small area.

Before placing an order verify your BTU requirements with the air conditioner manufacturer and follow their recommendations.

Homeowner maintenance of the unit consists of changing filters (typically recommended monthly) and cleaning debris and dirt from the condenser coils.

Evaporative Coolers

Regions with low humidity can take advantage of evaporative cooling at considerable cost savings compared to air conditioning. The evaporative cooler, sometimes referred to as a swamp cooler, is typically mounted on the roof with ducts directing the cool air to the various rooms throughout the house. Evaporative coolers can also be mounted in windows, walls or on the ground. Window evaporative cooler units are typically used to cool a single room. However with appropriate air flow options can be used to cool more than one room.

The cooler is constantly flowing fresh air into the home so windows must be left open to exhaust the old air. The size of the openings can be adjusted to direct more or less air into a specific room. Rolling air coolers on wheels are often used to cool outside areas like patios and outdoor work areas.

Maintenance of the evaporative cooler involves cleaning the housing and water delivery system to remove chemical build up, and replacing the fibrous cooler pads when they get clogged or deteriorate.

Thermostats

Air temperatures are controlled by a thermostat which allows the operator to select the mode and desired temperature. Often, system failures are a result of a faulty thermostat. Check it first if the air conditioning stops working.

Air filters play a major role in the efficiency and life of an air conditioning unit. A rule of thumb is change the filters once a month. Clean the condensing unit regularly to keep it as efficient as possible. Spraying it with a hose generally does the trick.

Cooling Fans

Various types of fans can be used to move air and cool people. The fans don't actually drop the temperature of the air, they simple cool off the body and keep new displacing air. Ceiling fans, blower fans, and desk top fans can be used as a primary cooling source or to assist with air conditioning or evaporative cooling. Other than cleaning, fans take little maintenance.

MANUFACTURERS

Bryant Heating & Cooling
Carrier Heating & Cooling
Trane Heating & Cooling
Arctic Zone Cooler
Sanyo Air Conditioners
Carrier Air Conditioners
Friedrich Air Conditioners
Lennox Air Conditioners
Mitsubishi Air Conditioners
Frigidaire Air Conditioners
Coleman Air Conditioners
Rheem Air Conditioners
Comfortaire Air Conditioners
Amana Air Conditioners
Panasonic Air Conditioners
GE Air Conditionersr
American Standard Air Conditioners
Bryant Air Conditioners
Delonghi Air Conditioners
Fedders Air Conditioners
Whirlpool Air Conditioners
Samsung Air Conditioners
Delonghi Portable Air Conditioners
Payne Air Conditioners
Kenmore Air Conditioners
Haier Air Conditioners
LEC Air Conditioning
Carrier Air Conditioning
York Air Conditioning
Fujitsu Air Conditioning
Goodman Air Conditioning
Mitsubishi Air Conditioning
Lennox Air Conditioning

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