Air Conditioning
Homeowner Use and Maintenance Guidelines
Air conditioning can greatly enhance the comfort of your home, but if it is used improperly or inefficiently, wasted energy and frustration will result. These hints and suggestions are provided to help you maximize your air conditioning system.
Your air conditioning system is a whole-house system. The air conditioner unit is the mechanism that produces cooler air. The air conditioning system involves everything inside your home, including for example, drapes, blinds, and windows.
If you have a heat pump to heat some, or all, of your home, the same outside unit provides air conditioning. If your home is heated by gas, you have a compressor outside and an air conditioning coil over your furnace inside.
See also Heating System and Heat Pump.
Your home air conditioning is a closed system, which means that the interior air is continually recycled and cooled until the desired air temperature is reached. Warm outside air disrupts the system and makes cooling impossible. Therefore, you should keep all windows closed. The heat from the sun shining through windows with open drapes is intense enough to overcome the cooling effect of the air conditioning unit. For best results, close the drapes on these windows.
Time is very important in your expectations of an air conditioning system. Unlike a light bulb, which reacts instantly when you turn on a switch, the air conditioning unit only begins a process when you set the thermostat.
For example, if you come home at 6 p.m. when the temperature has reached 90 degrees F and set your thermostat to 75 degrees, the air conditioning unit will begin cooling, but will take much longer to reach the desired temperature. During the day, the sun has been heating not only the air in the house, but also the walls, the carpet, and the furniture. At 6 p.m. the air conditioning unit starts cooling the air, but the walls, carpet, and furniture release heat and nullify this cooling. By the time the air conditioning unit has cooled the walls, carpet, and furniture, you may well have lost patience.
If evening cooling is your primary goal, set the thermostat at a moderate temperature in the morning while the house is cooler, allowing the system to maintain the cooler temperature. The temperature setting may then be lowered slightly when you arrive home, with better results. Once the system is operating, setting the thermostat at 60 degrees will not cool the home any faster and can result in the unit freezing up and not performing at all. Extended use under these conditions can damage the unit. An automated setback thermostat will help you control the temperature in your home at different times during the day, automatically. If your home is equipped with one, you should familiarize yourself with its operation by reading the manufacturer's instructions.
Maximize airflow to occupied parts of your home by adjusting the vents. Likewise, when the seasons change, readjust them for comfortable heating.
If you have ceiling fans, remember that the blades are designed to move air differently in different seasons. Consult the information provided with your fan.
Your air conditioning system has a line that discharges condensation. Condensate lines eventually clog under normal use. You are responsible to maintain this line, and keep it clear.
Maintain the air conditioning compressor in a level position to prevent inefficient operation and damage to the equipment. Keep the unit free from obstructions, which may prevent the flow of air to and from the unit. Do not allow grass or leaves to collect around the unit.
See also Grading and Drainage.
Remember to change or clean the filter regularly. A clogged filter can slow the flow of air.
See also Heating System.
If a humidifier is installed on the furnace system, turn it off when you use the air conditioning; otherwise, the additional moisture can cause a freeze-up of the cooling system.
Manufacturer's Instructions
Since the air conditioning system is combined with the heating system, follow the maintenance instructions for your furnace. The manufacturer's manual specifies operating instructions, maintenance, and warranties, for the air conditioning system. Please review and follow these points carefully. We recommend that you have your heating and cooling system inspected and cleaned at least once a year by a professional serviceman.
Temperatures may vary from room to room by several degrees F. This is due to such variables as floor plan, orientation of the home on the lot, type and use of window coverings, and traffic through the home.
If your system should fail to operate, check the circuit breakers to be sure that they are set in the full "on" position. If necessary, re-set the breaker(s). If the breaker should trip a second time, call your serviceman at the number listed on the Service Numbers sheet you receive at orientation.
GOODIER BUILDERS Limited Warranty Guidelines
The air conditioning system should maintain a temperature of 78 degrees F or a differential of
15 degrees from the outside temperature, measured in the center of each room at a height of five feet above the floor. Lower temperature settings are often possible, but neither the manufacturer nor GOODIER BUILDERS guarantee this.
The air conditioning compressor must be in a level position to operate correctly. If it settles during the warranty period, GOODIER BUILDERS will correct this.
The outside temperature must be 70 degrees F or higher for the contractor to add coolant to the system. If your home was completed during winter months, this charging of the system is unlikely to be complete and will need to be performed in the spring. YOU WILL NEED TO CALL THE HEATING CONTRACTOR TO ARRANGE START UP OF YOUR UNITS.
Lack of air conditioning service is not an emergency. Heating and air conditioning contractors in our region respond to air conditioning service requests in the order received.
Please note that outside temperatures must be sufficiently high to start up and test your new air conditioning system for the first time. If you moved into your new home in the fall or winter months, you will need to contact your heating contractor in the spring to schedule a time for the HVAC company to start up and test your system.
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