Air-Con Basics
Air-conditioners are a must have in Australian summers, but what about winter? Getting to understand the basics of your air-conditioner will help answer this question.
A detailed account of air-conditioning can be found at this helpful link. If you are like me and fell asleep in the first paragraph of the explanation, I will break it down even more.
Basically, an air-con transfers heat from one area to another area (this is usually transferring heat from the inside of your house to the outside).
The transferring of heat is accomplished through some very handy chemical reactions and thermodynamics (let’s refer to this as ‘magic‘). Just imagine:
- Hot air goes in
- Magic happens
- Cold air comes out (and even hotter air is vented elsewhere).
Ok, the basics of the traditional air-con makes a bit more sense, but what about using an air-conditioner to make a room warm? This is the biggest misconception with air-conditioners, they can and should be used this winter to keep your house warm. The basics are the same, just think of it as the air-con trying to cool the world and therefore venting the warm air into your house.
Installation
The air-con that you grew up with and imagine propped up in your window is a thing of the past. Now-a-days you can expect either split or ducted air-conditioning.
Split air-conditioning
The split air-conditioner is the most common type of air-con in Australia. Basically you expect to see this nice and neat air-con on the wall:
This is the part of the system the takes the hot air in and blows the cold air out. The ‘magic‘ occurs outside where you don’t see or hear it.
Ducted air-conditioning
Ducted air-conditioning is similar to a split system, in that the ‘magic‘ part of the process occurs outside the house. The main difference is that the ‘conditioned air‘ is pumped through the entire house and vented into all of the rooms. Some more detailed explanation on ducted air-conditioners can be found here.
You have probably also heard of ‘reverse cycle‘ air-conditioning; this is basically the option to reverse the process to warm the house in winter.
Getting either system installed is definitely a job for the professionals. If you are a weekend-warrior, please stop here and find a professional air-conditioner installer! You need to ensure that you get a properly trained, licensed and insured air-conditioning installer.
You might be capable of installing your own air-conditioner but it is not actually legal for you to do it! You need a professional that is appropriately qualified, licensed and insured. But put the legal stuff aside, it is way easier for them to do it AND you will get a better product.
Maintenance and Repair
The main draw-back to relying solely on your reverse cycle air-conditioner in winter is the energy bills. There is no real way to get around this except for using your air-con sparingly and in collaboration with your more energy efficient heating devices.
The silver lining of your air-conditioner not being used as heavily in winter is the opportunity to clean it!
“Why would I clean my air-conditioner? It seems clean enough.”
The disgusting truth is, you need to clean your air-conditioner! Don’t believe me?
This level of mould and grime is not healthy for you or your family, so make sure you get it cleaned!
How to Find Good Help
Fair to say that you now understand (or have been shocked into submission) that you NEED to get your air-conditioner maintained today! The process of find a qualified, trusted, verified, licensed and insured air-conditioning technician is daunting. Thankfully CanYa – Australia’s best way to hire local service providers, makes it super easy for you to get the help you need.
For those in the CanYa Community that live in Darwin, you should check out our CanYa Provider of the Week; AE Solutions NT. Josh will be able to help you out with all of your air-conditioning needs (and much more). Check him out today!
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