What if your air conditioner is too large?

When it comes to air conditioners, it’s easy to think that bigger is better. After all, a larger central air system helps your home stay cooler, right? Find out why an air conditioner should be properly sized for your home, and discover five ways to know that your cooling system is too large for your Lufkin, Texas, house.

Your Load Calculation Isn’t Accurate

For professional HVAC technicians, sizing an air conditioner isn’t a guessing game. At McWilliams & Son Heating and Air Conditioning, we use an industry standard known as a Manual J calculation to size your air conditioner properly. Designed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, the Manual J calculation takes into account a number of measurements and factors to determine the amount of cooling power that your home needs.

If this sounds incredibly specific, that’s because it is. A Manual J calculation includes your home’s overall square footage, the size of its individual rooms, the direction your home faces, the amount of shading your home has, how well insulated it is, and the climate in your local area. Together, all of these details accurately calculate the cooling load for your home.

Though some aspects of your home may never change, many do evolve over time. If you’ve substantially improved your home’s insulation or built an addition onto your home, for example, your air conditioner may no longer be sized properly. Give the team at McWilliams & Son a call to learn more about our Manual J process and calculate the cooling load necessary for your home.

Your Air Conditioner Doesn’t Run for Very Long

At the height of summer, you can expect your air conditioner to turn on more often in order to keep your home cool and comfortable. That doesn’t mean that it should be on constantly or that it should run for a few minutes several times an hour, though.

If your Infinity 21 Central Air Conditioner is sized correctly, it should run for about 20 minutes each time, even when summer temperatures reach their peak. An air conditioner that runs for 10 minutes or less has what’s known as short cycles. Not only are these less effective at cooling your home, but they can also overwork your air conditioner and cause it to require frequent HVAC maintenance.

Your Utility Bills Are Too High

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that larger air conditioners require more energy, which translates to higher utility bills. A larger system demands more energy each time it starts up and takes longer to reach an efficient level of operation. Have our experienced HVAC technicians assess your air conditioner, and you’ll give your wallet and the environment a break.

Your Cooling System Has Aged Quickly

When your air conditioner starts and stops frequently and struggles to operate efficiently, it has a higher chance of aging quickly. Even with regular maintenance, your system’s lifespan could fall significantly short of the 10-year average for air conditioners. Not only does an overly large system require a greater investment up front, but frequent system replacements will also cost you. Start saving with an accurately sized Performance 17 air conditioner, and enjoy your investment for years to come.

Your Home Always Feels Overly Humid

You know that your air conditioner is responsible for keeping your home’s temperature cool throughout the summer, but you might not realize that it’s also in charge of moderating the humidity level. When your air conditioner is properly sized for your home, temperature and humidity controls go hand in hand. During each cycle, the air conditioner cools your home while simultaneously pulling extra moisture from the air, resulting in serious comfort.

When your air conditioner is too large, however, temperature and humidity get out of balance. An oversized system will typically complete its cooling cycle before it’s had the chance to address the humidity level adequately. Since excess moisture can lead to indoor air quality issues like dust mites and mold, high humidity is nothing to sneeze at.

Whether your home needs a new air conditioning system or you want advice on keeping your current system efficient, we’re here to help. Call the experts at McWilliams & Son Heating and Air Conditioning today: 877-936-1974.

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