Air-conditioning (or aircon for short) systems have been around for many years now. In a humid place like Singapore, you will find them almost everywhere. They have become an integral part of offices, schools, bakeries, stores and most places in this hot and humid country.
You might even notice the two common types of aircon systems – ductless and central air conditioners. The latter is more common in offices, whereas the former is commonly used in homes.
However, with the rising popularity of the aircon, the misconceptions about them are also rising. Some of these myths are so common that an average aircon user actually believe them to be true.
The following are some of the common myths that we have come across during our years of aircon works, followed by the truth behind them.
Myth: You don’t need professional help for cleaning and servicing your aircon system. You can do it yourself.
Truth: You will find a lot of articles and videos on the internet that will give you tips about cleaning, but they won’t give you the skills. An aircon technician have to undergo intense training to learn about the precise work of aircon repairs.
Furthermore, professionals like us have been working with aircon for years and there is no way a video or an article can give you that sheer amount of experience.
Another issue that you many of you might face is the lack of specialised tools for aircon repairs. You will need some advanced tools that are expensive as well as the knowledge to use them. Therefore, it’s best if you leave the task of aircon servicing and troubleshooting to us.
Helpful read: How to DIY Clean Aircon?
Myth: You can run the aircon system without periodic cleaning if it’s working fine
Truth: Even if your aircon system seems to be working fine, and is not blowing hot air out, you have to get it cleaned. The effect and damages like the accumulation of dirt are not visible at the initial stage, but by the time they will appear.
We have seen cases when the aircon owner skips the regular cleaning just because their aircon were working fine. Such ignorance always ends with a non-functional or entirely burned aircon system.
Therefore, we suggest that you should never wait for your aircon system to shut and clean it regularly. Best is if you can engage a regular aircon maintenance for your entire home system.
Myth: There is no need to pay attention to slight coolant decrement issues
Truth: The refrigerant is one of the most crucial part of refrigeration systems. It is the part that is responsible for circulating heat between the indoor and the outdoor environment.
Even a slight decrement in it will mean that the compressor won’t provide the volume and temperature needed for heat exchangers and a drastic decrement in aircon system’s efficiency. Its depletion will also increase the running electricity of the aircon and burn it.
Therefore, let us know about the problem as soon as you see any symbol. Our team will immediately reach you and top up the aircon gas. We will also check the aircon system for other damages and treat them accordingly.
Myth: There is absolutely no need for aircon chemical wash unless your aircon starts to smell.
Truth: Most aircon users think that chemical cleaning is a process applicable for treating bacteria but it is actually more than that. We actually use it for deep cleansing the system and removing impurities from the parts that are hard to reach. We also prefer it because chemical overhauls can treat even stiff accumulations.
An aircon chemical cleaning by LKBrothers can also eliminate the risk of clogging, treat reduced airflow, ensure smooth working of aircon, and increase your aircon system’s life.
In tough situations, we will use aircon chemical overhauls to clear away those stubborn clogs and sediments trapped in your system.
Helpful read: Normal Servicing Vs Aircon Chemical Wash Vs Aircon Chemical Overhaul
Myth: The outdoor unit doesn’t need any cleaning or maintenance
Truth: If you don’t clean the outdoor unit for a long time, the dirt and pollutants reduce its airflow. As a result, the working of the condenser coil will decrease, and the coolant will never become cold. In no time you will see a drastic drop in the airflow and cooling of your aircon.
Clients often call us for problems like smelling aircon, water clogging, reduced airflow and a lot more. All of these issues are a result of a lack of cleanliness in the outdoor unit. Hence, we suggest that you never forget to clean the outdoor unit.
Myth: Newly bought aircon never needs a refrigerant top-up under any circumstance.
Truth: We don’t say that every aircon unit you install will need a professional aircon gas top-up, but there are some scenarios where you need one. For example, you have to refill the gas if your aircon unit’s placement is not right or it has low-quality tubes.
Myth: You don’t have to search for a professional company for gas top-ups and cleaning.
Truth: Local dealers in Singapore can provide you with standard services like cleaning or top up but for limited models only. They don’t have the knowledge to deal with the latest technologies. However, for some other aircon servicing firms in Singapore like LKBrothers, we can do most if not all of them.
We keep on learning to stay up to date with the technological trends and know the best ways to deal with all kinds of aircon system. We are dependable, reliable and have transparent policies for aircon servicing prices with warranty coverage.
Myth: Replacing your aircon filters is a waste of money and time.
Truth: One of the biggest misconceptions about aircon is that it can work fine without changing the filter. The filter of the aircon is responsible for preventing pollutant inside the system.
If it gets degraded, you will soon see deposits of dirt all inside the air conditioner, and if it gets blocked, there will be no airflow. A dirty filter will also increase electricity consumption, unbalance the heat exchanger, reduce aircon cooling and lead a lot of other harmful consequences.
We recommend our clients to replace the filter after every few months. Our team makes it a point to note the condition of the filter every time we service your aircon. If it is filthy, we use chemicals to clean it or replace it.
Myth: Using a fan while the aircon is off will help you to maintain the temperature.
Truth: Ceiling fans are an excellent way to distribute air, but they cannot help lower the surrounding temperature. We don’t recommend running a fan while your aircon is switched off. Running a fan when your aircon is switched off will only boost the movement of air, making your indoor hotter.
If you reside in a hot area, this fan can also absorb the heat from the ceiling and add heat into your indoors, i.e. it may even have the opposite effect instead of cooling the room down.
Helpful read: A Complete Guide For Buying, Using And Maintaining Your Aircon System
Myth: Using an aircon system increases the possibility of catching a cold.
Truth: We have often heard customers saying that aircon can cause a cold and subsequently getting sick. The aircon system generates strong blows of cold air which gives us a sensation that it can cause sicknesses. However, the reality cannot be further from the truth.
According to the AARP, cold is a result of viral infection, not the cold air. Instead, the aircon may reduce the risk of catching a cold. The aircon removes most impurities including the cold-causing virus from the airflow, making us less prone to sickness.
A regular aircon servicing and timely chemical wash can help increase the effectiveness of aircon filtering out these harmful bacteria.
Myth: The cold air from the aircon system may cause skin degradation
Truth: We have seen some cases of skin degradation, but they are due to sudden temperature changes, not due to the cold air blowing against your skin.
When you step into scorching heat after spending time in a cold environment, it stresses your skin. The excess exposure to the cold air can also cause dehydration of your skin. However, all these issues are avoidable.
You can prevent the issues by keeping our skin hydrated and nourished. You can also avoid it by regulating the aircon temperature and its usage period. Like if you want to step out of your place, run the aircon at a slightly higher temperature than usual or turn it off before you leave the site.
Moreover, get your aircon cleaned regularly. We get rid of all the dirt during this process, which in turn reduce the risk of skin-harming bacteria.
Myth: Leaving the aircon running while you’re not around provides better cooling.
Truth: Many of our clients believe that running an aircon continuously even when you are not present will provide better cooling, only that it doesn’t. It only increases the electricity bill and risk of aircon burning. The aircon will keep on generating cold air to balance environmental heat and for nothing.
We say it will be far better if you use a programmable or smart thermostat in this case. We can program your thermostat to stay shut when you are not present and turn on shortly before you return time or when you send command. This thermostat will give time for the motors and other parts to cool down which ensure better lifespan for them.
Myth: Aircon systems consume too much power
Truth: The initial models of the cooling system worked with non-efficient components require a lot of energy to work. However, the aircon systems that we provide have better mechanical parts and advanced circuitry which make it possible to reduce the aircon system’s power consumption. Our aircon systems are all star rated and very efficient.
Myth: With proper maintenance and cleaning your aircon can achieve the life that the manufacturer said.
Truth: Aircon cleaning and maintenance do play a part in deciding the lifespan of your aircon unit, but they aren’t the only factor. There are other factors like the environment, usage frequency, unbalanced forces it faces, damages and more which decide its operational effort.
We don’t think that anyone can tell you accurately the lifespan of your aircon system. It can last anywhere from 10 to 20 year depending on its working conditions.
Myth: Lowering the temperature setting of your air conditioner helps you to achieve better airflow.
Truth: Most of the aircon systems that you will find in the market will have only two fan settings, on and off. There is nothing related to control the fan speed, therefore it will not make a difference.
Myth: Buying an energy-efficient cooling system is a sure way to decrease the electricity bill
Truth: It true that an energy efficient aircon will need less electricity for smooth working but it doesn’t mean you’re electricity bill will be lower for sure. Things like the size of your aircon, its maintenance routines, dirt on filters, installations location, thermostat setting, and outdoor temperature can affect the efficiency of the aircon unit.
It will also depend on the gaps between the aircon cleaning and maintenance that you get. Hence it is important for you to choose an efficient unit during aircon installation.
Helpful read: A Complete Guide For Buying, Using And Maintaining Your Aircon System
Myth: Closing the air vents of unused rooms help to increase the efficiency of your aircon system
Truth: Closing the aircon vents of one or more room will not increase the cooling of your aircon. It will only make the situation worse. The thing is the vent will still receive air input and won’t have anywhere to dispense it.
Therefore, the air will bounce back creating a back drag effect on the airflow. The back drag will force your compressor to work more, hence reducing the life of your aircon.
We suggest that you should either remove the whole delivery duct of that room or divert it toward another place rather than blocking it.
Myth: If you want to save electricity you should turn off the cooling system once it has reached the required temperature.
Truth: The human body, external environment, home appliances and many other things keep adding heat to the surroundings. If you have turned off the aircon, there is nothing to compensate for any of them, and you will see a quick rise in the temperature.
As a result, when you turn on the aircon system, it will have to put in a considerable amount of effort to reduce the room temperature. In our years of aircon working, we have seen a lot of damages caused due to this extra stress.
Therefore, tuning the aircon after achieving the required temperature isn’t a good idea, so just let the temperature sensor of your thermostat handle this work.
Myth: Uneven cooling and non regulating temperature even after regular cleaning means you need to replace the aircon unit with a new one.
Truth: There are a lot of problems like leaking refrigerant, wrong placement of the aircon, high heat generation inside your home and a lot of other issues that can lead to poor temperature control.
We have to find the reason behind your aircon system’s misbehavior before coming to any conclusion. It is possible that a chemical cleaning or gas top-up job may fix the issues.
Paying a little attention to the landscaping and the location of the outdoor unit is also helpful. The condenser’s working gets affected by focused sunlight. Having a regular gas top up can be helpful to ensure your aircon system is running smoothly.
Conclusion
The working principle of the modern aircon systems is the pretty similar to the older model, but have since developed a lot, increasing features and eliminating the flaws in every previous versions. The aircon systems that we have now are a lot more convenient, reliable and flexible.