Modern air conditioner is very durable equipment, which, with proper installation, regular maintenance, and proper use, will work for years. However, despite the availability of the manual, users often ignore the manufacturer’s recommendations, which are based on the principles of the unit’s operation. Because of this, errors in the operation of the air conditioner are possible.
- Setting the air conditioner to the maximum cold
Often, in order to cool a room as quickly as possible, users turn on the air conditioner to the minimum. Do you know? You come to an office in summer. The windows were closed all night, the sun is shining brightly through the blinds and it’s stuffy in your office. In order to cool down the air quickly, a person switches on the air conditioner at +16 degrees Celsius – usually, this is the minimum temperature. It seems logical: the colder it blows, the faster it cools down. As a result, a room really cools down, but a stream of strongly cold air causes discomfort, a blow to the lungs, and colds.
The fact is that the temperature of the air that comes out of a working air conditioner is always constant, regardless of the selected settings. And +16°C, set with the help of remote control, is the temperature up to which conditioner will cool air in a premise. By selecting the minimum threshold, the user will not accelerate cooling: the room will cool down at the same rate but to a lower and more discomforting temperature.
It is correct to set the temperature that is most comfortable for humans. This is usually 20-22 °C.
- Regulate the temperature, not the airflow rate
Many people think this way: when it’s cool, you need a higher temperature, when it’s hot, you need a lower temperature. And they are constantly running it up and down. But the human comfort temperature is constant, so there is no sense to change it back and forth. It is enough to set the temperature correctly once and to regulate the feeling of “hot/cold” by the fan speed.
When the fan starts to run faster, the cold air flow is accelerated and the room feels cooler. When the fan slows down, the flow of cold air is reduced and the room becomes warmer.
- changing modes frequently during the day
One more widespread mistake in the use of the air conditioner is a permanent change of operation modes. In fact, there is no need to take an active part in the operation of climate equipment. It is enough to choose comfort settings once, and a smart modern split-system will switch itself to heating when it is necessary and will start to cool when it is hot.
Ideally, a properly selected conditioner should work so that you will not notice it. The best you can do is to activate “a sleeping mode” at night.
Active change of settings will not influence a condition of a split system – it is simply not necessary. But frequent switching on/off is able to do harm, especially in the winter period. It is difficult for conditioners to start up in winter when the temperature outside is low. To conserve the resource, it needs to run slowly without shutting down completely.
- Incorrect setting of air-conditioner for heat
Many users switch on the air-conditioner on heating when the outside temperature is lower than is permitted in the operation manual. This mistake is especially common where an air conditioner is the main source of heating in a house.
Let us suppose that the boundary minus temperature must not exceed -10°C, and the start-up is made at more severe frost. Such infringement is fraught with the failure of the air conditioner’s compressor, and it is almost half of the cost of the whole device. There is no need to take the risk, it is better to use an electric heater.
- Active ventilation when the air conditioner is running
Ventilation with the use of a split-system is necessary as the device itself by virtue of its construction does not provide this function, but only cools air present in a premise (except for models with air influx). A half-opened window in one of the rooms will not affect operation of the conditioner and will not cause any harm. But one should not open wide all doors and windows while a conditioner is switched on: it will not be able to heat the street, but it will work with increased consumption of electricity.
We have listed the main mistakes which arise while exploiting conditioner, but others are also possible. In order to prevent them, you must familiarise the user with the basic rules for using the appliance. If your air conditioner has broken down due to improper use, the best solution is to call SDAC Heating & Air Conditioning
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