❄️ Does The Outside Temperature Affect Air Conditioners?
We all know the weather can have some serious impacts on your health. Hot weather was linked to more than 70,000 excess deaths in Europe in just one heatwave in 2003, and cold weather has been responsible for more than 19,000 deaths in the US since 1979.
But can the outside temperature affect your air conditioner? Without a doubt, yes.
The performance of your air conditioner is directly related to the outside temperature. When it's warmer, your air conditioner works harder, as it needs to produce more cool air to regulate your indoor temperature.
High outdoor temperature can also lower your system's efficiency and cause your system to break down. Read on to discover why this happens and what you can do to ensure your air conditioning systems health and avoid expensive repairs.
How Does Your Air Conditioner Work?
Warm outside air temperature affects the air conditioning process in two major ways.
It makes it harder to cool the refrigerant
To keep the refrigerant cool and the system running, your system must be able to release excess heat energy.
However, this is a lot more difficult when the outside temperature is high. This is because heat dissipates more quickly when there is a greater temperature difference.
Nevertheless, no matter the outside temperature, the refrigerant must be cooled to the same temperature to be used again.
As a result, when the outside temperature is high, it's harder for the coils to release enough heat energy to cool the refrigerant. So instead, your gas compressor has to cool the refrigerant.
While the coils rely on basic thermodynamics, the compressor works by using energy. This forces your system to work harder just to get the same air temperature.
It can cause damage to your system
Increased outdoor temperatures can also affect the health of your AC unit.
Specifically, hot temperatures can cause your AC unit to become overly humid, as it takes in the excess humidity in the indoor air. This can strain AC units as they try to remove heat and can cause moisture damage.
Though your outdoor unit is directly protected from the outside air by its casing, it can still face similar problems on hot days.
Signs Your Air Conditioner is Struggling With Outside Temperatures
It's fairly easy to see when most air conditioners can't take much more extreme heat. If your air conditioner shows the following signs, it's most likely struggling with outside temperatures:
AC is making much more noise
If you've been finding that your air conditioning unit seems to be much louder than normal, then it's probably not just you. An increase in outdoor temperatures can cause your machine to be louder.
This is because your machinery has to work harder to produce cold air. The harder your machine has to work, the louder it gets. If you find your AC unit is particularly loud in the afternoon, then this is a sure sign the temperature is affecting your unit.
Higher utility bills
Here's a sign that will worry most homeowners. Remember how we explained that high temperatures affect energy efficiency? Well, when your system has to work harder to keep your home cool, this causes more energy to be used.
And whenever more energy is used, higher utility bills will always follow. So if you're afraid of your already high utility bills becoming even higher, make sure you check your system's energy efficiency.
- How can I know my air conditioners' energy efficiency?
All air conditioners in the United States and Canada are evaluated for their energy efficiency by the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).
The efficiency of any given system is given by its SEER rating. It is calculated as the cooling output of a unit divided by its energy expenditure. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the unit.
New AC units built nowadays must have a SEER of 14 or higher, so if your unit is above that, you shouldn't be having any problems with efficiency.
You can check your system's rating by looking for a yellow and black sticker on the side of your machine. Most AC units should still have this sticker intact.
How to Reduce the Impact of Outdoor Temperature on Your Air Conditioner
Fortunately, there are some methods you can employ to save your air conditioner from summer temperatures and maintain its efficiency.
Regularly clean air filters
Proper maintenance will always be the number one solution when it comes to ensuring your AC unit functions to its maximum potential.
Your air conditioner has a very important component known as the air filter. Air filters are vital to your home's health, as they stop dust and dirt from being released into your home's air and air conditioner.
Though air filters work very effectively, they need to be regularly cleaned. Otherwise, too much dirt and dust can collect on them and eventually make their way into your air conditioner.
This will make your system much less efficient, creating a perfect storm with increasing outside temperatures to really run down your system.
Cleaning or replacing your air filters once a month if used daily or once every three months if used less often can stop your air conditioner from losing its efficiency in the hot summer months.
Increase thermostat temperature
This may not be the most popular option, but one of the best ways to stop heating temperatures from damaging your system is to decrease the cold air coming out of your system.
Air conditioners struggle with high heat because of the big temperature difference between outdoor and indoor temperatures. The more your air conditioning temperature falls inside, the harder your compressor works to cool your home.
So if you increase the thermostat, your air conditioning unit has to work less to maintain the set temperature. Unfortunately, this also means more hot air, so it's up to you to decide how much heat you're willing to keep in your home.
Shading your outdoor unit
Providing some shade on your outdoor unit can protect it from radiant heat from the sun and the warm air surrounding it and can increase its cooling capacity.
This can be accomplished by positioning the unit in a shady spot around your home or installing a cover over your unit. If any sort of cover is installed, you must have enough room to ensure it can shed heat efficiently.
Save Your AC from the Summer Heat with Air & Energy of NWFL
If you're worried about your air conditioning losing power or breaking down when you need it the most this summer, consider contacting Air & Energy of NWFL.
Air and Energy of NWFL are experts at all things heating and cooling and can provide you with the best solutions for your home.
