Believe it or not, you don’t pick air conditioners based on their physical size! Instead, you should consider the cooling capacity required by your home, which is measured by BTUs (British Thermal Units).
When it comes to keeping your home comfortable throughout the warm Manteca summer, it’s always better to get it right the first time rather than having to always replace your AC down the road. Here at Star Mechanical, we make sure to get the best service professionals on your side.
It’s important for you to get the right measurements for your home in order for your AC to run efficiently. Luckily, our team is just a call away!
Dangers Of A Missized AC Unit
There are many factors that determine the best size air conditioning unit for your home. Every home is different, and that’s why having a professional complete a cooling load estimate on your home is essential. Below, we discuss some of the symptoms your home may experience if your AC is not the correct size.
Fast Cycling
You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by getting an AC that’s bigger than it should be for your home. In all honesty, bigger isn’t always better.
Since the unit is bigger than it should be, it will finish the cooling cycle too quickly. This will cause the system to turn off and on more times than it should, wasting energy for your home. This act alone is also enough for your AC to get worn out faster, requiring more frequent repairs.
Not Enough Time To Dehumidify
Air conditioners not only cool your home, but they also dehumidify it after before they shut off. If you get your AC too big, it will turn on and off pretty quickly.
This leaves no room for it to be able to dehumidify. Your home may be cool, but the moisture in the air will leave you clammy and uncomfortable.
Long Cooling Cycles
Similarly to a unit that’s too big, you do not want your air conditioner to be too small either. The system will constantly run to try and meet your home’s cooling demands. This will cause your energy bill to be higher due to the amount of time you have to run the system.
It may cool your home, but only to a certain extent. If it does, only a small part of it may be colder than the rest of your home.
Calculating Your Cooling Load At Home
You can calculate your required cooling load with a simple equation. First, multiply the width and the length of the rooms you want to cool. If you have access to the total square footage of your home, that’s even better!
After you get your square footage, multiply it by 25 BTU. This is the average BTUs required per square foot that will allow the space to be cool through most seasons.
Once you have the total number of BTUs, divide it by 12,000 to get the tonnage estimate for your new AC! Although you can get this rough estimate yourself, a specialist from Star Mechanical will be able to take far more factors into consideration to make sure your new AC is an exact match.
Schedule An Appointment With Star!
There’s no one better in Manteca for your AC installation needs than Star Mechanical. We’ll make sure your AC installation is completed correctly AND that your new unit serves your home faithfully for many years to come. One call is all it takes to achieve ultimate comfort!
