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3 Common Misunderstandings about Air Conditioning Systems


Air conditioning systems are common for most homes—and certainly in places that can get as warm during the summer as Raleigh, NC. But because ACs are everywhere, people usually take them for granted. This allows for many misunderstandings to crop up about how they work. We will take a closer look at three of the more frequent misconceptions people have about central air conditioning systems:

I. “Air conditioners create cool air”

An air conditioner is a type of heat pump, a device that “pumps” heat from one place to another. It doesn’t create cool air the way that, say, a furnace creates heat. Instead, it uses electricity to run components that remove heat from the indoors, cooling the air down, and then exhausting the heat to the outdoors. Basically, cold isn’t added—heat is removed.

II. “The lower you set the thermostat, the faster an AC cools your home”

It’s easy to see why people believe that turning down the thermostat causes the air conditioner to do its job faster: essentially, this is treating the thermostat as if it were a gas pedal. But a thermostat is actually a switch, not a throttle. If you set the thermostat at a low setting, it will keep the air conditioner running until it reaches that temperature setting. Your home won’t cool down faster; the AC will simply stay on longer.

III. “It’s normal for ice to appear on an AC”

Since ice and cold are inseparable ideas, people often make the mistake of thinking that ice appearing on an air conditioner is just a normal part of its operation. But it isn’t: it indicates a major malfunction, possibly a loss of refrigerant through a leak. A frozen evaporator coil means that there is a problem with heat absorption. Call for professional repairs right away, since this problem will continue to grow and may eventually lead to a broken compressor.

If you need air conditioning services in Wake County or the surrounding areas, call on the trusted name of Raleigh Heating & Air. We have more than 20 years of experience seeing to people’s comfort needs.

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