The summer heat is on its way, and with it the inevitable humidity. You might be wondering if your air conditioner can help you battle the moisture in the air. The answer is yes, but only to a certain degree. Douglas Cooling & Heating explains how do air conditioners dehumidify your air as well as what cooling system problems may be present if you notice high humidity in your home.

How Do Air Conditioners Dehumidify Air?

Your central air conditioner works by removing heat from the indoor air in order to lower the air’s temperature. As indoor air flows through the system and passes over the evaporator coils. The refrigerant inside the evaporator coils absorbs heat, resulting in lower air temperature.

The process of cooling air causes moisture to condense. As air temperature drops, it isn’t able to hold as much water vapor. This vapor condenses into liquid on the evaporator coils and the excess moisture falls out of suspension, draining out of your air conditioner. The air conditioner’s ability to dehumidify is a natural perk. But air conditioning units aren’t always able to provide all the dehumidification needed to effectively manage indoor relative humidity levels in the summer. 

Does High Humidity Indoors Indicate the Need for Air Conditioner Repairs?

Most people think of an air conditioning unit as a device that generates cooled air, but it plays an important role in managing humidity levels, too. An air conditioner’s ability to dehumidify is often adequate when outdoor humidity levels are low, but it may be necessary to add a whole-house dehumidifier in a frequently humid climate. 

If your home feels excessively humid even while you run your AC unit, this could also be a sign of a problem with your cooling system. If you suspect that your air conditioner is not dehumidifying properly, it may be necessary to have repairs performed so that the system can function more efficiently or you may need to replace the entire unit.

Here are some of the possible problems that may be present when you notice increasingly warm and humid air in your home:

Frozen Evaporator Coils

The air conditioner’s evaporator coils can freeze, which will restrict how well your air conditioner can dehumidify. These coils can freeze up for various reasons, including:

• Poor airflow through the unit. Often caused by a dirty air filter.
• Dirt and grime cover the surface of the evaporator coils, due to a lack of maintenance.
• Low refrigerant in the system. Commonly caused by a refrigerant leak.

If you suspect your evaporator coils have iced over, turn off the system and open the access panel on the indoor unit to inspect them. Leave the cooling system off and thaw the coils. Turn on the system fan to help speed up the process. While the coils thaw, check the air filter and install a new one if needed. If you skipped your air conditioner’s preventative maintenance tune-up this year, schedule one now so the coils can be cleaned.

Duct Leaks

If you’re having problems with humidity, your ducts may be at fault. Leaks in your air ducts can allow more humidity to enter your home’s air supply, overwhelming the AC’s ability to dehumidify. Have your ducts inspected and repaired to seal up any leaks in order to prevent excess humidity from entering your home’s HVAC system?

Air Conditioner Replacement

Unfortunately, if your air conditioner is more than 10 years old, it may not be providing you with the dehumidification power you need. This is because air conditioning units wear out over time and lose their ability to properly function.

Air conditioners that struggle to dehumidify are common when the unit is too big for the home. With an oversized air conditioner, the cooling cycles are too short to allow for proper dehumidification. Whether your unit is too old or too big, replacing the air conditioner can correct these humidity problems and help improve your comfort level indoors.

Air Conditioner Repairs in Birmingham, AL

How air conditioners dehumidify goes hand in hand with the cooling process. If you’re noticing high humidity levels in your home, it is time to call for air conditioner repairs. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule repairs, maintenance, or replacement for your home’s air conditioning system.

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If your air conditioner has been around for many summers, it’s common to question if the system will be able to make it through the upcoming cooling season. Think back to your ac unit’s performance last summer – and you might start wondering how long do air conditioners last? Douglas Cooling & Heating shares the average lifespan for different types of cooling systems and what you can do to help the air conditioner last longer.

How Long Do Air Conditioners Last?

There are no expiration dates for HVAC systems, so predicting just how long ac units typically last is not an exact science. However, we can get a good idea of what to expect in terms of air conditioner lifespan by looking at the average service life of this equipment.

• On average, a central air conditioner lasts 10-15 years.
• Heat pumps typically last 10-12 years.
• Window air conditioning units average about 10 years of service.
• A portable air conditioning unit generally runs for 5-10 years.

Many variables affect the life of an air conditioner. The climate conditions in Birmingham play a role, as do your usage habits and temperature preferences. The quality of the air conditioner can impact the number of years it will run, as does the level of maintenance it receives over those years.

Tips to Extend Air Conditioner Service Life

While 10 years might seem like a long time for an HVAC system to last, considering the amount of work they do each year, you can probably understand why they won’t last forever. While no air conditioner will run indefinitely, there are plenty of things you can do to minimize system problems and extend air conditioners’ life expectancy.

1. Practice Regular Maintenance

Your air conditioning system requires maintenance to help it run properly and avoid wear and tear. Establish a proper maintenance routine for your home’s ac unit which includes a combination of DIY and HVAC professional services.

• Central air conditioners require one maintenance tune up annually; heat pump systems should receive two tune ups each year due to their use as heating systems in the winter.
• Your air filter should be changed on a regular basis. Your air filter needs to be changed on a regular basis to help keep you extend the life span of your ac unit. The manufacturer will recommend how often the filter should be changed, but we recommend you check it once per month and assess its condition yourself. Pets, air conditioning use, indoor air quality, smoking indoors, and other factors can decrease the service life of your air filter. Replace your air filters when they are dirty or you notice issues with your ac system performance.
• Keep outdoor condensing units and heat pumps clear of debris. Clean up around the outdoor unit after doing outdoor chores like mowing the lawn to keep maintain proper airflow. Be sure to remove any matter stuck against the unit’s fins, and weed around the base so vegetation doesn’t grow up to block the fins, too. Don’t store things up against the unit – leave a minimum of 24 inches clear on all sides.

A good maintenance routine will help prevent wear and tear as well as system breakdowns. If your air conditioner is well maintained over the years, it’s possible you’ll enjoy more than a decade of service from the unit, well beyond the average age of an ac unit.

2. Limit System Usage

We’re not suggesting you suffer discomfort throughout the hot months to get more time from your cooling system, but adjusting your habits can alleviate the air conditioner’s burden without making sacrifices.

• Adjust your thermostat settings to as high as you can tolerate. This will reduce the amount of time your air conditioner runs. This will lower the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures so the unit has less work to do.
• When outdoor temperatures are mild, turn off the air conditioner and open the windows instead. Just be sure to close the windows before you start up the air conditioner again.
• Use fans to cool occupied rooms and reduce air conditioning usage. You can keep comfortable even when raising the thermostat temperature a few degrees. Turn fans off when people leave the area to avoid energy waste.

3. Make Prompt Repairs

If your existing system starts to struggle or your home doesn’t feel as comfortable, don’t ignore these signs as there could be something wrong with your air conditioner. Have a professional cooling repair technician inspect your entire system and call for HVAC repairs as soon as they happen instead of waiting for your air conditioner to reach the end of its life. This will resolve any issues quickly and limit the amount of damage that can be done to the system by the faulty part or malfunction. Prompt repairs can keep energy bills low, and your HVAC equipment running efficiently.

Air Conditioner Services in Birmingham

Douglas Cooling & Heating can help you get the most out of your cooling equipment! If you’re worried that your air conditioner will not last through the summer, talk to us about new air conditioner installation services. Contact us to schedule service for your air conditioner, and our team can let you know how much longer you can expect out of your air conditioner.

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As you complete home spring cleaning this season, don’t forget to show your cooling system some attention, too! Maintenance care for your air conditioner or heat pump will help the system operate reliably and with greater energy efficiency once hot weather arrives. Here are some important spring HVAC unit maintenance tips to help you out, straight from the heating and cooling pros of Douglas Cooling & Heating.

Schedule a Cooling System Tune Up

Out of all the spring HVAC unit maintenance tips we could share, the most important one is this: schedule a professional annual HVAC maintenance servicing for your air conditioning system or heat pump. Preventative maintenance service for your cooling equipment will prepare your system for reliable performance once hot weather arrives. A tune up in the spring also improves energy efficiency and helps your air conditioning unit or heat pump last longer, too!

During a spring preventative maintenance tune up for your HVAC unit, all aspects of the HVAC system are serviced and inspected to ensure proper operation. Your technician will perform the care your cooling unit needs going into the months of heavy use, so you can rest assured your household has access to cool air when you need it most.

Any flaws in the system can be identified by a professional HVAC technician and corrected right away. This helps you avoid the possibility of a breakdown and a lack of cool air on a hot day, as well as extensive system damage during the summer season. By correcting these defects while they are still minor, you can avoid serious damage to HVAC system components that can cut your cooling system’s service life short.

If you’re concerned that your air conditioning system or heat pump tune up will cost more than its worth – think again. HVAC system tune ups return your unit to peak efficiency which helps you save money on energy bills. Oftentimes, the money you save cooling your home with an efficient system is more than emergency repair bills and inefficient energy usage. Kepp your HVAC system running efficiently to save money in the long run.

Spring HVAC Maintenance Tips

Scheduling professional services aren’t the only spring HVAC maintenance tips homeowners need to address this time of year. Here are some additional HVAC system maintenance tips to practice:

• Replace the system’s air filters. After a long winter of regular heating system use, your HVAC equipment likely has an old dirty air filter that is full of contaminants. Remove the old filter and install a new replacement filter so it’s ready to go once it’s time to turn on the system again.
• If you covered your outdoor condensing ac unit over the winter months, be sure to remove the cover before you turn on the air conditioning. Operating the system with a cover over the outdoor unit can lead to serious damage.
• Clean up the outdoor unit. Clear away any yard debris that have collected along the unit’s fins. Remove any weeds growing up around the unit’s base. Trim bushes and limbs growing near the unit. Remove all items stored in the immediate area surrounding the unit, leaving at least two feet of clear space on all sides.
• Adjust your thermostat settings. Reprogram your programmable thermostat with your preferred temperatures for cooling season and adjust scheduled temperature adjustments according to the household’s current schedule. Be sure to use efficient temperature settings over long periods when the home is unoccupied to cut your energy bills in the Summer.
• Make sure all vents throughout the home are open and unobstructed. Check all supply vent covers and return air vents – set all louvered covers to the open position and remove any furniture, rugs, or other items that may be blocking airflow through the vent.

Schedule Cooling Maintenance Services Today

Practice the spring HVAC maintenance tips above and your cooling system will be well prepared to keep your family comfortable come summer. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule routine maintenance to prep your air conditioner or heat pump for the summer months ahead.

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