FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY FILTERS?
AIR CONDITIONING FILTERS SHOULD BE CHANGED IN NORMAL
CIRCUMSTANCES EVERY 30 DAYS WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONER IS IN USE; BUT IF YOU HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF DOGS OR CATS IN THE
HOME OR ARE DOING CONSTRUCTION WORK SUCH AS SANDING THEN
MORE OFTEN.
2. WHAT IS A SEER RATING?
THE SEER (SEASONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCTY RATIO) RATING IS THE
STANDARD MEASUREMENT OF AIR CONDITIONING EFFICIENCY
ESTABLISHED BY THE U.S DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
THE HIGHER THE SEER RATING MEANS THE LOWER YOUR ELECTRIC
BILLS.
3. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I RECHARGE MY AIR CONDITIONER WITH NEW FREON?A PROPERLY FUNCTIONING AIR CONDITIONER DOES NOT CONSUME FREON; UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS; IT WOULD NEVER NEED CHANGING OR FILLING.
A LEVEL OF FREON INDICATES A LEAK WHICH SHOULD BE REPAIRED
BEFORE ADDING MORE.
4. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE MY AIR CONDITIONER LOOKED AT BY A PROFESSIONAL?UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES ….. ONCE A YEAR; AS LONG AS YOU
ARE CHANGING THE FILTER EVERY 30 DAYS. (THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR AIR CONDITIONER) IS TO KEEP THE
FILTER CLEAN).
5. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN R-22 FREON AND R-410A FREON?R-22 IS THE COMMON NAME FOR HYDRO-CHLOROFLUOROCARBON (HCFC)
R-22 HAS BEEN USED AS A REFRIGERANT BY HVAC MANUFACTURERS FOR
OVER 40 YEARS, BUT STUDIES IN THE PAST DECADE HAVE SHOWN THAT
HCFC”S CONTAIN CHLORINE, AN OZONE DEPLETING AGENT. FOR THIS
REASON THE UNITED STATES CLEAN AIR ACT HAS SET A TARGET DATE
OF JANUARY 1, 2010 ON WHICH HVAC MANUFACTURERS MUST CEASE THE
PRODUCTION OF PRODUCTS THAT USE R-22
R-410A IS THE COMMON NAME FOR AN HYDRO-FLUROCARBON (HFC) THAT
IS BEING USED AS A REFRIGERANT IN THE HVAC INDUSTRY. R-410A IS A
MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAN R-22
6. IS THERE ANY ADVANTAGE TO SETTING MY THERMOSTAT FAN TO “ON” SO FAN RUNS CONSTANTLY?YES, THERE ARE COUPLE
1. YOU GET CONSTANT FILTERING OF THE AIR IN YOUR HOME
2. BECAUSE THE AIR IS MOVING, YOU HAVE A MORE EVEN
TEMPERATURE THROUGHT YOUR HOME.
7. SHOULD I HAVE MY DUCT WORK PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED?
THIS DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF DUCTWORK YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOME.
IF YOUR HOME HAS METAL DUCTWORK (WHICH IN MOST CASES HAS NOT
BEEN USED IN AT LEAST THE LAST 15 YEARS) THEN YOU CAN HAVE
YOUR DUCTWORK PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED.
BUT; IF YOU HAVE FIBERBOARD OR FIBERGLASS DUCTWORK; THEN YOU
SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER NEVER HAVING THIS PROCEEDURE DONE.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY RUN THAT LARGE BRUSH THRU YOUR DUCTWORK;
THEY ARE DISTURBING THE FINISH ON THE FIBERGLASS AND YOU COULD
HAVE FIBERGLASS PARTICLES BLOWING THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME. OR
YOU COULD HAVE TO END UP REPLACING YOUR DUCTWORK (ESPENSIVE)
IF YOU KEEP YOUR FILTERS CLEAN YOUR SHOULD NEVER HAVE ANY
PROBLEM WITH DIRTY DUCTWORK.
8. HOW LONG SHOULD MY AIR CONDITIONER LAST?MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE LIFECYCLE ON ANAIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. IF ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE AND
SERVICE ACTIONS ARE TAKEN, IT IS BELIEVED THAT UNDER NORMAL
CIRCUMSTANCES AN AIR CONDITIONER SHOULD LAST APPX 10 YEARS.
BUT; IF YOU LIVE NEAR THE OCEAN; THE SALT IN THE AIR WILL
DECREASE THE LIFE OF YOUR A/C UNIT