Common Commercial AC Issues
Is your air conditioner giving you problems? No one should have to put up with that in the middle of a New Mexico summer.
AC problems are even worse in commercial settings, where the productivity of your employees and the comfort of your customers is at stake. If your AC stopped working, make sure to call for HVAC services in Santa Fe, NM. Otherwise, take a look below to consider if you’re experiencing any of these common AC issues.
Poor Air Quality
We’d never tell you that poor air quality is a good thing, but we understand that poor air quality in a residential setting is sometimes seen as “optional.” It really depends on how much the homeowner is willing to put up with it.
In a commercial setting, however, poor air quality is not something you should ignore. Not only does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require a standard of good air quality, it’s a factor standing between the health of you and your employees.
Since your employees will be occupied in the same space for 8 hours a day, it’s important that they aren’t breathing in the same, dirty air. Poor indoor air quality can foster contaminants and lead to symptoms like headaches and fatigue. In some cases, it can get serious and lead to fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. All of these things can be prevented with good indoor air quality products like:
- UV germicide lights, capable of killing off bacteria in the air.
- Humidifiers and dehumidifiers, for maintaining humidity levels.
- Energy recovery ventilators, for introducing fresh air into your building.
Badly Sized Unit
Another common problem encountered is the air conditioning unit that shouldn’t have been installed. To maintain a comfortable atmosphere, and for the AC to operate at the highest efficiency, it needs to be sized properly.
Based on the size of your building and environmental factors, your HVAC technician should calculate the load required for your facility. Square footage of the building is one factor, but they should also be considering other things like the environment and climate.
Improperly sized units can create issues like short-cycling, which forces your unit to turn on and off much more than necessary. This is most often caused by a unit that’s too big. The air conditioner will blast cool air into the facility too quickly, causing it to shut off—only for it to turn back on again when it gets warm again.
A properly sized unit running at optimum efficiency will spend more time gradually cooling the area before turning off again.
Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant runs through your air conditioner like blood, pumping through the system all day long. The flow of refrigerant is essential to cooling functions. Imagine how devastating it would be, then, if refrigerant started leaking.
Leaks happen because the air conditioner coils have begun forming tiny, pinhole leaks. As these leaks get bigger and more refrigerant is lost, your AC will suffer as it works harder to perform. This will increase your energy bill and spell the eventual end of your AC.
Before that happens, you can check for a few signs:
- It’s taking longer to cool the facility.
- The registers aren’t blowing cool air.
- You hear a hissing sound coming from the unit.
- The evaporator coils—located inside the unit—are frozen.
Why Wait for Service When You Can Get It Express? Contact Santa Fe Express today for help with all of your commercial air conditioning needs!