Does outdoor heat affect your air conditioning unit? Yes, it does. As the temperature outside is heating up, your home’s temperature also rises, automatically turning on your air conditioning system. Factors like the SEER rating, component problems, and air conditioning cycle are some of the things to look into in order to figure out how high temperatures affect air conditioning systems. Keep reading to learn more!
SEER Rating
The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is the cooling output ratio of an AC system over a cooling season. Modern AC systems’ value range from an average of 13 or 14 SEER, which is the minimum based on your state’s requirements. The maximum range is based on many modern technology limitations, with a value of 21 or 25. In California, for instance, the minimum required rating is SEER 14.
Older air conditioners used to be rated at around SEER 8 or 9, while modern air conditioning systems are rated at 14 SEER, which is more efficient than the prior is.
Homeowners who want to know the cost of running their air conditioner throughout the hot season will check on the SEER rating of their unit. Knowing the electricity consumption of a unit and understanding the ways that the AC is cooling their home, homeowners understand the function of SEER and its importance.
Component Problems
Your air conditioning system will encounter several component problems along the way and over the course of its lifetime. When to call an AC professional for repairs is often the question when problems arise due to component issues. For one, parts such as the contractors and capacitors can be subject for repairs because much electricity is flowing through them. With that said, there is a huge potential that they will get very hot when the temperature outside rises, too. They also generate much heat, leading to failure.
Other components being affected by much heat also include the fan motor, compressor, and refrigerant. To prevent frequent repairs, you should choose the best air conditioning systems.
The Air-Conditioning Cycle
Know that AC systems run in a continuous cycle (compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation). It compresses the refrigerant, which in turn also increases the AC’s temperature outside your home. Outdoor air is blown by the fan across the coils, which also contain the high-pressure refrigerant.
If outdoor air is cooler than its fluid, heat will flow from it to the air outside. But when the gaseous refrigerant is giving up energy, it will return to its fluid form. Following, the fluid will go through an expander that will convert it to low pressure and low-temperature liquid as it enters your home. Then, a fan will blow the inside air across the AC coils, and then the warmer air will send heat into these coils. When this happens, the liquid will be converted to gas. To start the cycle again, the gaseous refrigerant will enter the compressor.
[Heat levels and its transfer rate will depend upon the difference between the refrigerant and outside air’s temperature. So if the outside air’s temperature is lower, the heat exchanger will be doing more cooling instead of it being done by the compressor. But when the outside air’s temperature is high, the AC will work harder in order to provide sufficient cooling to your home because its compressor will work more here.
Heating
When the heating system’s furnace is turned on, it will consume fuel, be it electricity, oil or gas. As it burns fuel, heat is generated and channeled to the home’s living areas through the pipes, wires, or ducts before it is blown out of the heating panels, radiators, and registers. It’s basically how the heating system works, summer or not. Basically, it also affects the performance of your unit during hot days. If you are interested in buying designer radiators to ensure the safety of your house, then visit this site.
Humidity
High humidity levels during hot days affect AC performance. As you may already know, air conditioners work by cooling homes and removing both moisture and heat from the air. However, it has to work harder during days when humidity levels are high. The bad news is that it may not be able to catch up with the heatwave – with excessive humidity – resulting in an uncomfortable home with high humidity levels, which can lead to severe health problems. in which case, mold remediation is necessary.
You Should Increase the Efficiency of Your Air Conditioner
Regularly maintain your air conditioning system to make it efficient. Otherwise, it will work harder to bring down the indoor air’s temperature when it is covered by debris, dust, and dirt. You should also make keep it clean in the winter by covering it. In addition, your AC unit must be ideally located in a place where there are bushes and trees to serve as shade and keep the temperature around it lower.
Finally, you should consider annual maintenance when AC professionals will clean the system and replace any faulty parts as needed, among other parts of their AC maintenance checklist to ensure your unit is working efficiently come the summer.
There you have, the basics of how the hot weather is affecting your air conditioning systems. To prevent any issues, make your unit more efficient, and help it beat the heat, you may want to consult the best air conditioning repair in your area for scheduled inspection and maintenance before the summer comes today!
