Getting a new air conditioning system, or even hiring someone for AC repair in Brandon, can be tricky for homeowners because people that fix and install such systems have developed a language of their own. Though it may sound like it at times, the intent is not to confuse those not in the business. It’s to provide a common base for training, comparing, buying, selling, and repairing such systems. As complicated as it sounds, all homeowners need to do is compile a list of such terms, and then use it to decipher quotes, literature, etc. while looking at air conditioning systems.
Also, it helps if you work with a contractor such as All Temp AC and Refrigeration who understands that customers aren’t necessarily interested in becoming HVAC experts, and who explain things in plain terms. For those who want to learn, however, here is a list of common terms and their meanings:
- Checking the Charge – Testing to see where the level is on the amount of refrigerant in the storage tank in your AC unit is like checking to see how much gas is in a car. It’s done to see if more is needed because sometimes the coolant can leak. If the level is low, homeowners have the option of simply having it refilled or having the leak fixed and then refilling the tank.
- Compressor – One of the main parts of your system, the condensing unit is a mechanical device that raises the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant. It typically resides on an outside part of an air conditioner. When systems get old, it’s quite often it’s the compressor that goes first.
- EER – This rating is established by the industry to offer owners, buyers, and others a way to determine the efficiency of a given window type AC unit. To figure out what rating you need, measure your room before shopping, and then consult an EER chart.
- Grille – A metal mesh is placed in a wall to allow fresh air to be pulled into the AC unit from within the house.
- Heat Pump – This pump is what most people have when they have central air conditioning. It pulls heat out of the house in the summer and out of the outdoors in the winter.
- HVAC – Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning.
- Load Calculation – This is when someone, typically a professional, figures out how much air conditioning a house or business needs. It’s important that people considering a new central air system have this calculation done so they don’t buy a system that is too much or too little for the space to be cooled.
- Media Air Cleaner – Another fancy name for the air filters used in a HVAC system.
- MERV – This number describes how efficient the filters are that are used in HVAC systems.
- Refrigerant – A fluid used in cooling systems, the refrigerant pulls heat out of the air, leaving it cooler.
- Register – This is a cover for the vent that goes through the floor that allows cooled or heated air into a room.
- SEER – This rating is established by AC industry experts to describe how efficient a central air conditioning system is over a given period of time.
- Tons of Air Conditioning – A measure of the cooling air capacity of a cooling system, typically used after doing the load calculation when figuring out which system is needed to cool a given space.
If you need a new air conditioning system or AC repair in Brandon, call the professionals at All Temp AC and Refrigeration at (813) 630-9400. We’ll get you what you need with as little fuss as possible.
