Does The Outside Temperature Affect My AC?

When the temperatures rise, it can be so nice to cool off indoors. Having an air conditioner can make such a difference in terms of not only comfort but your overall health and well-being. Since the AC is such a useful appliance in the summer, you may be wondering how your air conditioner is affected when the temperatures really soar. Below, we’ll explain how your air conditioner works and why it has to work harder when it’s hot outside.

The Inner Workings of Your AC

Your air conditioner cycles air from the inside to the outside of your home. In your outside AC unit, you have a compressor. As its name suggests, it compresses a refrigerant, thereby increasing its temperature. A fan then blows outside air across the coils that hold the refrigerant. This transfers heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. Next, the refrigerant travels to the inside of your house. At this point, another fan blows inside air across another set of coils, transferring the heat inside your home into the refrigerant. The refrigerant then goes outside to the compressor once again, where heat is released.

How Heat Affects the Process

Why does the exterior temperature matter? Since outside air is used to cool down the refrigerant, the AC can do its work more easily when it’s cooler outside. When the temperatures are sky-high, the compressor has to do much more work to create the necessary temperature differential.

What Can Be Done

Having a skilled technician, like one from McFarland Indoor Comfort Services in Granite City, IL, service your unit can be a smart move. This can keep things working as efficiently as possible, helping to lower your overall costs.

The team at McFarland Indoor Comfort Services is always ready to help. We regularly assist residential and commercial clients by performing installations, tune-ups, and repairs of heating and cooling systems. We’re fully licensed, insured, and bonded, and we’re proud to be a locally owned business that has strong ties to the community. Call us with any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Tags: , ,