WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PERIODIC MAINTENANCE OF THE AIR CONDITIONER?
Any refrigeration equipment, even the highest quality and most expensive, needs periodic service maintenance. Timely diagnostics can sometimes save you from incredible financial expenses. Many people do not know, but the cost of a compressor is almost equal to the cost of a new air conditioner. Check cost of replacing air conditioning system and you will see that maintenance can save you a lot of money. That is why it is worth to be very attentive and to pay attention to how well the cold is emitted, if the ice is not formed on the system components and if any unusual sound, whistling or rattle is not heard.
The above range of phenomena, in most cases, is the first call that there is most likely something wrong with your refrigeration equipment. It is possible to find out the exact cause of the malfunction only after a professional diagnostic procedure in the service center. You should not delay with this case. Otherwise, you may encounter a situation when the repair work to restore the working activity of the air conditioner will not be enough. And, as we have already mentioned, compressor replacement is a very expensive and, in most cases, absolutely irrational business. As a rule, when there is a question about the necessity of buying a new compressor, a customer prefers to buy a new air conditioner.
Today you can also face a situation, when in order to promote and develop marketing system, the producers convince in a necessity to buy their conditioner exactly, because there is not such a great need in the service maintenance. In their turn the masters of installation "impose" the service and say with one voice that it is a obligatory procedure, which allows making sure that everything is properly functioning. The truth in such a situation must be sought somewhere in the middle. It is definitely not necessary to ignore the necessity of regular servicing, but it is not necessary to apply to the service center too often.
HOW DOES COOLING EQUIPMENT WORK?
Split-system in its construction has an outer and inner block. The first contains a heat exchanger with a fan that is responsible for removal of excessive heat into the atmosphere. Also here is situated the main unit, the so called "heart" of the whole conditioner - a compressor. It is intended to create pressure, which value should be enough for the refrigerant to condense. At the outlet of the heat exchanger, freon should totally transform into a liquid state and already flow through the pipe. The intensity of its movement depends just on the pressure, which is created by the compressor. Also important is the rate of heat exchange produced with the environment.
After the liquid passes through a flow switch or thermostatic expansion valve, which significantly reduces the pressure in the pipe. As a result, the refrigerant begins to boil vigorously and the system intensely absorbs the heat released by it.
The air, that is blown through the heat exchanger gives its heat to the boiling freon and then already cooled comes out of the conditioner. The freon, that by this moment has already completely turned into a gaseous state, goes out again through a connecting pipe to the outside block. There, it enters the compressor, it is compressed and goes to the heat exchanger, where the whole circle repeats again. Such cyclicity, made by Best Heating Cooling & Air, guarantees normal operation of the air conditioner.
REGULAR MAINTENANCE - IT'S IMPORTANT
Now, when the principle of air conditioner's work is clear, it is possible to make some sensible conclusions, that inside and outside blocks are blown through by a big amount of air, which leaves different dirt on their surfaces. During the time such impurities are accumulating and it is considerably hampering the air-conditioner's work, and sometimes it can even become the reason of its failure.
The outdoor unit is confronted with the atmospheric air, with its soot, dust, sulfur, soot from the car exhaust, insects and other "joys" of the environment. The indoor unit faces odors, bacteria, grease vapors that cannot be avoided when cooking. Gradually the units accumulate in themselves all the listed contaminants, from which they need timely cleaning.
When cooling in the indoor unit, a lot of moisture condenses on the heat exchanger from the air. As a result, the tiny particles, some of which are of biological origin, adhere to the fan impeller and the wet heat exchanger. When conditioner is switched off, the indoor unit creates perfect environment for development of fungus, mold spores and bacterial colonies. On top of that, the fan and heat exchanger with their tray become a source of unpleasant odor, musty.
At the moment, manufacturers offer to buy models with antibacterial coating of fan impeller and heat exchanger of the indoor unit. But in practice this coating becomes the source of unpleasant odors.
A part of the dust passes through the heat exchanger and filters, and then enters the special drainage tray, where all the dust lumps are eventually washed down the drain. Often the dust settles in the section of such a drain, dries there and gradually clogs the tube's cross-section. At some point this will lead to condensate leakage or an unpleasant odor from the drain.
On the thin fins of the heat exchanger in the outdoor unit, a film of soot, dust and soot gradually appears, which significantly reduces the efficiency of heat exchange. This affects the load on the compressor and the rest of the refrigeration system components. The units will not be able to operate as efficiently as they originally did.
Today, many are also faced with another problem of outdoor units - poplar down. If the unit is covered with a thick coat of the pressed poplar down, such conditioner is not long to live.
Timely air conditioner maintenance will help to detect dirt and other troubles and by fixing them it will only prolong the service life of the whole refrigeration unit.