< 1 2 3 > 2 posts, read 4,403 times 4,764 posts, read 6,908,908 times 1 posts, read 3,911 times 5,244 posts, read 5,915,476 times 4 posts, read 7,935 times 48,527 posts, read 66,181,890 times 438 posts, read 236,753 times Recently I listened to a podcast from an Air Conditioning expert, which I didn't even know existed . It got my brain going about how to stay cool without using an air conditioner. I have been trying some of his tips, plus some of my own ideas, and thought I'd share them here. The results have been very successful, and at my house we now run our air conditioner for only brief periods of time throughout the day while the other tenants in our unit blast theirs almost nonstop. The most interesting thing I discovered is just how arbitrary the standard 72 degrees F is. I am convinced that this temperature is based on wearing a business suit, which people almost never wear in their own homes in the summer.

The truth is that there is no ideal temperature. These ways to stay cool fit into three categories: Lowering the temperature of your house, lowering your body temperature, and changing your perception so that the heat doesn't bother you so much. Not all of these steps are practical for everyone, but if you can find one or two that you can turn into habit, it can make a difference in comfort and/or in energy consumption.new hvac unit tax credit In addition, I have listed some bonus "green" benefits on each step where they apply.air conditioning unit dimensionsStep 1: Get naked!dimensions of air conditioning unitsShow All Items« PreviousNext »View All Steps DownloadIf your repair problem isn't listed, to email or chat with a repair expert.

Check to see if there is power getting to the air conditioner. If it is a 110-volt unit, plug a lamp or other device into the same outlet the air conditioner is plugged into. If there's no power, check the fuses or circuit breakers. If there's still no power, you will need to contact a qualified electrician to restore power to the outlet. If there is power to the appliance but it is still completely dead there may be a problem in one or more of the following areas: Work on these areas of an appliance may require help from an appliance repair person or other qualified technician. Is the air conditioner completely dead? Is the thermostat knob turned to the proper setting? Is the compressor motor running? The compressor is a football-sized case with no apparent moving parts. It is located inside the air conditioner at the center. Is it humming or making any kind of continuous noise or causing the lights to dim? If it is making a continuous noise, and your air conditioner is still not cooling at all, there may be a serious problem with one or more of these areas:

These items are not user serviceable. You will need to contact a qualified appliance repair technician to repair these components. If the compressor is not running but you do have power to the air conditioner there may be a problem in one or more of these areas: If the air doesn't seem cool enough it is necessary to use a thermometer to check the difference in temperature between the air going into the unit and the air being blown into the room. Ideally, the temperature difference should be more than 15 degrees. For example, if the temperature going into the air conditioner is 80 degrees, the temperature coming out of the unit should be at least 65 degrees or less. If the difference is 15 degrees or more there is probably no cause for concern. If the temperature difference is less than 15 degrees you should check the following: Check to make sure the air damper is closed. If it's open, it will bring in outside air and reduce the efficiency of the unit. During the winter season many people cover their air conditioners to protect the unit from the weather.

In the spring or summer they will sometimes forget to remove the cover. If your unit has a cover on the outside portion of the air conditioner remove the cover first. The condensing coils will always be on the "warm" side of the air conditioner. That is, on the side that faces outside of the room to be cooled. Air is drawn into the back of the air conditioner on the sides through vent slots and is blown directly out through the condenser coils. If the coils get clogged with lint, dust and dirt the cooling system cannot provide the cooling necessary. To clean the coils it will be necessary to remove the entire cover of the air conditioner or pull it out of the wall to gain access to the coils. They can be cleaned by blowing compressed air at them or by using a soft bristle brush to wipe the dirt off. It is important to also clean any dirt or lint build-up in the bottom of the air conditioner so the condense water will be picked up by the condensing fan slinger properly. This is normal on some models when fan is set to run constantly.

If the unit is supposed to turn off and it doesn't, it will be necessary to check several things. AREA TO BE COOLED / CAPACITY (BTU/HR) If the room is heavily shaded, reduce needed capacity by 10% If the room receives a lot of direct sun, increase needed capacity by 10% Add 600 Btu/Hr for each person in the room if there are more than two people If the unit is for a kitchen, increase the capacity by 4,000-6,000 Btu/Hr. If the room size is too big for the air conditioner you have two possible choices. Either decrease the room size by shutting some doors or partitioning off an area of the room. Or, increase the BTU of the air conditioner for that room by installing a different air conditioner with a higher BTU rating. All window air conditioners will remove moisture from the air if there is any. Most window air conditioners collect this moisture in the bottom pan of the air conditioner and attempt to evaporate the moisture. The evaporation process works as follows: First, the water drips down off of the cold evaporator coils on the front of the unit.

Then the water collects in the bottom of the air conditioner base, the "pan." If the air conditioner is installed properly it will be tilted slightly back. The water then collects near the back of the unit. On some units, the fan blade used to cool the rear condensing coils will have a rim on the outside of the fins of the blade. This rim, or "slinger," will come close to touching the inside of the air conditioner pan when the fan is spinning. As the water collects in the pan and reaches the depth necessary for the fan ring to touch it, the ring will lift some of the water up and the fan will blow it at the condensing coils. Because the coils are warm, they will evaporate the moisture to the outside. While this is happening it is normal to hear water splashing and sloshing around. As long as there is no water leaking inside the room that is being cooled there is no cause for concern. Never drill into the bottom of and air conditioning unit to "let the water out." Every air conditioner has a motor called a compressor.

The compressor provides the cooling capacity for the air conditioner. If the compressor or its electrical controls are defective the compressor may try to start, fail, and create an electrical overload. If the unit does create an overload, every compressor circuit is also equipped with an overload safety switch. The safety switch is designed to protect the compressor from burning out. The safety switch will cut the power to the compressor for a certain length of time and then reset itself. When it resets it will allow the electricity to flow to the compressor once again. If the compressor then starts, the unit should function normally. If the compressor doesn't start when the overload resets, the overload will again cut the electricity to the compressor. This cycle will continue indefinitely. (Always allow three to five minutes before restarting the compressor.) If this situation is occurring, unplug the air conditioner and get help from a qualified repair technician. This problem is often fatal to the air conditioner because the cost of repair often exceeds the price of a new air conditioner.

Every air conditioner is equipped with at least two motors, the compressor and the fan motor. It is possible for the fan motor to be defective and the compressor to be running. If this is the case the unit will appear to be running and may even sound "normal" but no air is blowing out the front or back of the unit. If, after removing the cover of the unit you discover the fan blade is very stiff and difficult to rotate, the fan motor should be replaced. If the fan blade turns freely the circuit powering the fan motor will require electrical troubleshooting. It will be necessary to have a qualified technician locate the cause of the problem, which may be either a problem with the capacitor, the selector switch or the motor itself. The compressor in all window air conditioners is a powerful motor. When it starts up - and especially when it shuts off - the whole air conditioner can shake, sometimes loudly. Usually there is nothing that can be done to correct this problem. However, it is possible that the compressor mounting pads and brackets are worn out or missing.

If that is the case the pads and brackets can sometimes be ordered and replaced. Be sure that the air conditioner is securely mounted in the window frame if the unit shakes at all. It is possible for the unit to shake free of the frame if not installed properly. It is normal for water to collect in the lower base of an air conditioner. See the section entitled: "There is water sloshing around inside." If water leaks out the front it is usually because the unit is tilted forward in the window frame. All air conditioners should be installed so they tilt slightly back to allow for proper removal of the condensation collected. Air conditioners remove moisture from the air. The water collects in the base of the unit. Under normal conditions this water will be evaporated out of the unit. However, it is possible for some water to sit stagnant in the base of the air conditioner for extended periods of time. There is no easy way to prevent this problem. The problem will be reduced if you carefully clean the base of the inside of the air conditioner at least once a year.