Why Is My New Air Conditioner Disappointing Me?

7 Reasons New ACs Do Not Perform

Buying a new air conditioner can be daunting, knowing these key items can help you prevent disappointment.

1. Ensure the duct system is designed and installed correctly.  Ultimately, in a home, the purpose of an AC is to make us comfortable.  If the duct system is not sized or balanced correctly, the right air will not get to the right place at the right time.  This can lead to discomfort in the home, biological growth in the system, high electric bills, premature system failure and more.  Make sure the duct system is done right.
2. Make sure the AC system is sized properly. The size of your AC system depends on many factors: window size, construction, and location; home size; insulation; occupants; internal heat load; wall construction type and more.  This all needs to be take into consideration when sizing an A/C.
3. Outdoor unit location. Make sure the outside unit is not located outside a bedroom window or somewhere it can be easily damaged.
4. Air balancing dampers. You should never have to adjust air flow for a room at the air supply grille.  This leads to excessive noise and comfort problems.  Balancing dampers should be installed in the duct system at junction boxes and adjusted by a qualified technician room by room.
5. Air Filter Placement. Filters should be located where they can be easily changed. Standard 1″ filters can be changed as often as monthly so they should be placed where the homeowner can get to it without difficulty.
6. Return Air. There must a way for the unconditioned air to get out of a space back to the return grille.  If a door in a room is closed and there is no easy path for the air that enters that room, there will be comfort problems. Each room should have a supply vent and way for air to get back to the return.
7. Efficiency. The minimum efficiency for air conditioning systems is 14-SEER, this went into effect Jan 1 2015. The higher the SEER, the lower the energy use.

If you feel you are not getting the proper performance from your new or existing AC, we can help.  Contact The Comfort Authority today at [company-phone-number].