Home Air Conditioning Filters, How Important Are They?

Once your air conditioning unit has been installed, the next step is to make sure you keep up with the maintanence. A major part of maintanence, which is often overlooked, involves the cleaning and/or replacing the air conditioning filters. The air conditioning filters are an important part of the system because they keep the heat exchanges and the coils in the air conditioner clean. They also regulate the quality of air which is circulated in your home, so it becomes very important when choosing and changing the air filters.

The condition of your system dictates the air quality in your home. The dirtier the coils, the harder the system has to work. The increase in energy/electricity needed to exchange the air which is inside and that which is outside can greatly shorten the life span of your unit.

The more frequently the filters are cleaned/changed the better it is for your family’s health. This is more so for people with breathing problems, dusty homes and pets.

At the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy is conducting research to help design a more practicable and energy efficient heat exchange unit in air conditioning systems for buildings.
With the assisstance of Ed Vineyard, who heads the laboratory’s Engineering Science and Technology Division, the Ridge National Laboratory is designing a natural gas-powered 10-ton micro channel heat exchange unit that can correct uneven refrigerant flow. The team’s goal is to produce a heat exchange unit that will have a reduced profile on top of a building and operate more efficiently than conventional systems. This project has been funded by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

For exhibitors at the AHR Expo, product costs are the top concern but they are optimistic about growth in 2008. The AHR Expo is to be held in New York from January 22-24.

The ASHRAE journal polled 1,300 exhibiters at the 2008 Expo. This poll indicated that 74% were most concerned about product costs, while 64% said energy efficiency, 60% said maintainability and 52% said sustainability.

The event is sponsored by ASHRAE and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and is being held in conjunction with ASHRAE’s 2008 winter meeting.

There will be more than 1,800 exhibiting firms, with the majority coming from the US and roughly 385 exhibitors representing 39 other countries.

For complete information on the AHR Expo visit www.ahrexpo.com

For complete information regarding the ASHRAE meeting visit www.ashrae.org/newyork

Bandar Seri Begawan - AEC Air-Conditioning Engineering Sdn Bhd launched the new model of Panasonic air-conditioners yesterday - the Envio 12 Inverter who’s technology is capable of saving energy and Envio P2 with an air-purifying system. The event was held at Sheraton Utama Hotel and present were AEC managing director, Galvin Lai; AEC engineer, Jamie Martinez; and Panasonic Malaysia assistant general manager, Shimpei Ishikawa. The new air-conditioner models will help reduce power usage by half for cost-savings and use the R410A gas to help reduce ozone depletion.

The two models cool rooms 1.5 times faster, with models ranging from Hip to 2.5hp. Their cooling mechanism adjusts cooling power according to the changes in room temperature.

The new Envio 12 and P2 air-conditioners come with an improved version of their advanced e-ion air-purifying system, with built-in intelligent patrol sensor that changes colour, indicating the pollutant levels in the air.

Do you suffer from allergies that cause your eyes to itch, your nose to run and your throat to be sore? If so, an air-conditioner will improve your health considerably. Air conditioners filter the air as it comes into the room, so all that pollen, dust and smoke gets filtered out.

Window openings, pets coming inside, or even the type of carpet on the floor help to facilitate allergens entering the home. If your air conditioner is the type that re-cycles the same air, then it will filter the air that is in the room, removing dust and other allergens. Air-conditioning goes a long way towards keeping the air inside the home clean and pure so that even asthmatics will notice an improvement in their breathing.

Some people are allergic to sudden temperature changes, humidity or mold. An air-conditioner maintains an even temperature and reduces humidity; less humidity means that mold will not be a problem, since it needs humidity to thrive.

Air conditioners help to keep the temperature at a comfortable level no matter what the weather. This is extremely beneficial to the elderly as they are more prone to suffer from heat-stress.

Due to their specialized nature, using air conditioning tools can make even simple jobs costly. Equipment that is designed specifically for air conditioning systems also adds to the cost of any repair work. Some tools that are used in air conditioning work may also be used for other types of jobs.

When working on air conditioning systems it is important accurately diagnose any problem accurately. Otherwise, adjustments may be made which didn’t have to be done, adding to the overall cost of the repairs.

Using the right air conditioning tool helps to ensure that these types of mistakes rarely happen. A technician is able to more accurately diagnose what the problem is with a particular unit when using the appropriate air conditioning tools. In this way only the correct parts or repairs are put into place. These specialized tools are not cheap with many models ranging up to $2000, but because they ensure that the job is done right and professionally, the price is worth it.

Air conditioning uses pressure generated by a compressor inside the unit to move the cooling Freon gas through a series of cooling coils. Gauges are used to find out if the unit is working properly and help to show where any pressure may be leaking from the system. This tool is capable of showing where problems may develop within the compressor, the evaporator assembly or the condenser and is able to show any leakages in the unit’s tubing. 

At the heart of the air conditioning system is a compressor with two ports. The first is an input port that pulls warm air in over the Freon-filled coils, creating cold air, which is pushed through the evaporator and condenser and then into your home or vehicle.

Gauges are used to monitor the suction and output pressures and are used to show when a problem is causing the unit not to work. The best air conditioning tools utilize both input and output gauges in the same unit.

Some tools are made to specifically locate Freon leakages within the system piping. Some even use ultraviolet lighting to find the leaks, which trained professionals find to be the fastest and best tools for the job.

A simple thermometer can be an important tool in finding the source of leakage in any air conditioning system, as the Freon leak will always be much colder than the ambient air around the unit. Any excess temperature within the unit may also mean that the unit may be having overheating problems and is not functioning as efficiently as it should be.