How much do you know about your air conditioning system?
This summer has been HOT! How has your air conditioner been tackling the heat? Did you know that air conditioners have only been a widespread household staple with the 1960’s / 1970’s? In the grand scheme of things, that is not a lot of time at all. There may be a lot the average homeowner doesn’t know about the “box that sits outside.”
Here are some interesting facts that you may not have known about your air conditioner.
Original “air conditioners” involved ice. Modern air conditioners use refrigerant. However, we still use some terms leftover from the “ice age.” For example, a “ton” of air conditioner isn’t a measure of a unit’s size. It is actually a measurement of the heating or cooling capacity of a heat pump or air conditioner. A one ton air conditioner can melt a one ton block of ice in one hour.
Did you know that the average lifespan of an air conditioner is 16 years? It is important to know this when it comes to either repairing or replacing your older unit. If your air conditioner is nearing the 10-15 year mark, it may be a good idea to replace the unit rather than continue to make repairs.
Although air conditioners and heat pumps may seem completely different if you just hear the names, they actually have a lot of similarities. Both heat pumps and air conditioners use the same process to cool a home, but a heat pump is able to reverse the process to provide heat for your home on colder days.
Air conditioning is important for the medical profession. The ability to control the environment has helped thinkers develop medicines, perform operations and more! That’s not to mention that air conditioned indoor environments can help prevent death from the heat during brutally hot summers.
It’s a wide misconception that school summer vacations were created mainly for the purpose to cater to farm life. While this may have had an impact, the main factor that led to summer vacation was the heat! Since school buildings didn’t have air conditioning, it was deemed too hot to learn. Lucky for school kids, and maybe unlucky for parents, the practice continued after the widespread use of air conditioning.
Want to learn more about your air conditioner? Get in touch with your local HVAC contractor.
This is part two of our air conditioning facts. You can find part one here.
