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It’s called an air conditioner and not an air cooler because it wasn’t invented to keep people cool. According to Griffith Energy Services, “Willis Carrier patented the first A/C in 1906.” He created the system to remove humidity in order to improve print production quality. His system just happened to have a fantastic byproduct. Getting rid of humidity involved getting rid of the heat.

It cooled off the building.

The air conditioning unit works by removing or transferring existing heat, using an indoor and outdoor unit combination.

“The cold side of an air conditioner contains the evaporator and a fan that blows air over the chilled coils and into the room,” according to the online site How Stuff Works. “The hot side contains the compressor, condenser and another fan to vent hot air coming off the compressed refrigerant to the outdoors.”image.jpeg

{{tncms-inline content=”<p>Filters should be changed and the unit should be cleaned periodically for optimal performance. Air conditioning professionals suggest changing the air filters about every 90 days. It should be changed more often when pets are in the house or homeowners have allergies.</p> <p class="indent">Consider hiring a professional to give the outdoor unit a thorough cleaning each year. Only a professional can check coolant levels. Tackling the task of opening and cleaning the outside unit could make matters worse, according to Robert LaFosse, Trouth Air Conditioning and Nicole Simmons, Wings Cooling and Heating.</p> <p class="indent">For instance, do-it-yourselfers have bent coils and knocked loose copper fittings. Cutting off the electricity to the unit may not be a simple flip of the switch.</p> <p class="indent">The following tips are from the online site, This Old House:</p> <ul> <li class="indent">• A central AC system’s air compressor and condenser are usually located outside the house, close to your foundation. It works best when there’s about 24 inches of clear space in all directions, so get rid of nearby shrubs, tall grass, leaves, and hanging branches.</li> <li class="indent">• Install condensers or window units on the north or east side of your house, or build a screen to shield them from the sun. Putting them in direct sunlight reduces their efficiency by as much as 10 percent.</li> </ul>” id=”3ef52bba-2aff-4c3a-9a84-80f44ac2dae9″ style-type=”refer” title=”Keeping the AC clean” type=”relcontent”}}

Filters should be changed and the unit should be cleaned periodically for optimal performance. Air conditioning professionals suggest changing the air filters about every 90 days. It should be changed more often when pets are in the house or homeowners have allergies.

Consider hiring a professional to give the outdoor unit a thorough cleaning each year. Only a professional can check coolant levels. Tackling the task of opening and cleaning the outside unit could make matters worse, according to Robert LaFosse, Trouth Air Conditioning and Nicole Simmons, Wings Cooling and Heating.

For instance, do-it-yourselfers have bent coils and knocked loose copper fittings. Cutting off the electricity to the unit may not be a simple flip of the switch.

The following tips are from the online site, This Old House:

• • A central AC system’s air compressor and condenser are usually located outside the house, close to your foundation. It works best when there’s about 24 inches of clear space in all directions, so get rid of nearby shrubs, tall grass, leaves, and hanging branches.
• • Install condensers or window units on the north or east side of your house, or build a screen to shield them from the sun. Putting them in direct sunlight reduces their efficiency by as much as 10 percent.