You might find yourself in a situation where you need an air conditioning replacement in New Braunfels, TX as the summer starts. This can be rough, but when your current AC is simply too old to do the job you need from it, or it isn’t working at all, then it’s the right choice to make.
But don’t get so hasty that you call on an amateur who makes big promises to install that AC! There are many reasons you need to have skilled professionals, like the HVAC technicians on the Thayer team, to do the installation. We’re going to talk about one of those reasons in this post: accurately sizing the AC.
What Does “Sizing” an AC Mean?
When we talk about an air conditioner’s size, we don’t mean its physical footprint or how much space it takes up in general. (Although obviously we can’t put in an AC unit that’s physically too large.)
It instead means how powerful the air conditioner is, the amount of cooling it puts out. This power is referred to as “tons,” a measurement of the amount of heat an air conditioner draws from a house and at what rate.
Why Not Just Get the Biggest AC I Can Afford?
Here’s where the problem with sizing starts. It’s easy for people who aren’t in the HVAC industry to assume that the worst problem with sizing is getting an air conditioner that’s not powerful enough to cool down a space. This is a problem, of course. But going too powerful is just as bad. You can’t just “lower it” if it gets too cold. An AC runs at the same power level until it meets the thermostat setting. An oversized AC blasts out cold air so rapidly that it will cause the thermostat to register too early that it’s finished and shut it off. This traps the AC in short-cycling: turning on and off rapidly, raising utility bills, and wearing the system down so it fails years early.
Proper AC Sizing From Professionals
How can you tell how many tons of cooling you need from an air conditioner? The easiest way, and the best way, is to work with experienced HVAC professionals.
The process of replacing and installing air conditioners involves finding the right unit. This is a big part of the job we do: we won’t just put any air conditioner into your home. We take the time to size the unit by analyzing your house to find out its cooling needs. We use a special load calculation that takes into account the insulation of the house, the number of windows and their facing, how many people are usually at home, the amount of heat given off by appliances and lights, and other factors.
When we’re finished, we’ll have the exact tons of cooling necessary for comfort and high performance. The ideal not-too-small, not-too-large, but just right air conditioner for your home.
At Thayer Air Conditioning, your comfort is our #1 priority! Schedule an air conditioning system replacement with us and we’ll get the job done right.
