“Is there a clear choice between installing a heat pump or AC for my home?”
We’ll supply the answer we’d give for any choice between different types of comfort systems: “Yes—but you’ll need the help of professionals to find the clear choice for your circumstances.”
In other words, we can’t give you a definite answer on a blog post. Each home is different, and each homeowner has specific requirements. However, we can provide information about the AC/heat pump choice to help you understand the direction to head. When you’re ready, call our experts for heat pump or AC services in Clearwater, FL. We’ll put our knowledge to work locating the ideal installation.
You don’t need to be an expert on the science and mechanics of air conditioning to enjoy cooling from an air conditioner, the same way you don’t have to be an electrical engineer to benefit from the lights in your house. Trained professionals exist to help you in these areas.
If you are asking this question, it means you have reason to believe the current air conditioning system that cools your house is coming to the end of its service. People often begin to consider replacing their residential AC in the fall, right after another intense Florida summer. Maybe the air conditioner struggled to maintain proper comfort on the hottest day, the cost to run it has risen, it needed a pricy repair—or needs a pricy repair right now.
Children are heading back to school, and in a few months they’ll start bringing home report cards. But you can hand out a report card before school starts: a report card for your air conditioning system. How did it perform its job this summer? Did it sail through the season and keep those electrical bills steady? Or did it hit a few bumps along the way?
An air conditioning system is manufactured to use a specific amount of chemical refrigerant. This is known as an air conditioner’s charge. People often make the mistake of thinking refrigerant is an energy source for an air conditioner. It isn’t. The energy source of an air conditioner is electricity. Refrigerant is the heat transference medium that allows the air conditioner to move thermal energy outside of the house (cooling the indoor air) and exhausting it. The refrigerant evaporates and condenses in a cycle and never dissipates—so it will never get “used up.”
The best way to ensure a great AC installation is to work with licensed HVAC professionals. In fact, this is the only way to do it—unless you are an HVAC professional yourself. Trying to take on the installation job on your own or allowing an amateur to do it is a big “nope.”
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When it’s one of the hottest days of the summer in Tampa Bay, what’s the last appliance in your home you want to break down? We can’t imagine you’d answer anything other than “the air conditioning system.” We need our household air conditioners running at peak reliability through the season, and often long past it. This is why we always stress the importance of scheduling annual maintenance in spring for ACs; it’s the best “insurance policy” against a system suffering an abrupt shutdown during the heat.
The compressor is the literal heart of a central air conditioning system: it’s what causes refrigerant to move through the rest of the system and transfer heat from the inside to the outside. When a compressor fails, the AC fails. The fans may still run, but no cool air will come from the vents.