Articles from The NYC Air Conditioning Experts
April 23, 2009
Air
Conditioning In New York City
As the biggest city in the United States, New York City is known for its large crowds and the surprising number of people who live within its boundaries. When one thinks of New York City, images of swarms of people bustling down city sidewalks comes to mind. Another iconic image of New York City and its burroughs is that of a group of children playing in the water of a fire hydrant on a hot summer's day. Indeed, during the hottest months of the year the citizens of New York City have long searched for ways to beat the heat.
While New York City does not, geographically, sit in an area of the United States that is known for its high temperatures, the very nature of being a large, heavily developed city tends to increase the heat in this area. With such a large number of people living in such close quarters, its easy to see why air conditioning in NYC is such a hot commodity. When you add in the high traffic density - millions of cars, trucks, buses and taxis clogging every street and highway across the area - then it really is no surprise that air conditioning New York City is a much talked about topic for people who lie there.
Due to the nature of life in the big city, the majority of the residents in NYC live in apartment buildings. These are usually high rise affairs, and many people can live in a single block. As anyone who has ever taken a rudimentary science class likely knows, heat rises. Therefore, people living on the upper floors of these huge buildings are likely to be uncomfortably warm much of the time.
And in the past, this was something that people just had to put up with. In the early part of the 20th century, owning an air conditioner in NYC was unheard of. Some office buildings had air conditioning, but even those were few and far between. The people who lived in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century had to find other ways to keep themselves cool; it wasn't always easy.
The average temperature in New York City in July is approximately 83 degrees; it can be even hotter during the month of August. These are the two months when air conditioning Manhattan seems to be absolutely necessary. The heat of these months mixes with humidity to create an absolutely dismal and miserable atmosphere; people become lethargic and sluggish, trying what they can do to keep as cool as possible. Indeed, if there is a time for air conditioning in NYC, then July and August is it.
Fall and spring in New York City can have their own surprises, though. While these two seasons are generally quite pleasant and temperate, it is not unheard of for there to be a heat wave in either one of these times of year. While this can often take the citizens of the city by surprise, all that many of them have to do is flip on their air conditioning units and the problem is solved.
Air conditioning in NYC has become far more widespread in recent years for many reasons. The biggest reason is advances in HVAC technology that have made this technology far cheaper and affordable to many more types of people. As old buildings are retrofitted in places like New York City, they are routinely set up with central air conditioning in order to compete with buildings that already have it. Offices and schools have also increasingly begun to include air conditioning on their premises.
Owning an air conditioner in NYC is quite common now. Whether its central air conditioning or a window unit, more people than ever before are using this technology to keep themselves and their families cool. Since this trend has steadily increased, it is safe to assume that air conditioning in New York City will only continue to rise; this is especially true if average temperatures keep rising, and the population keeps increasing in the city. The future of air conditioning in Manhattan and all of New York City is sure to include more and more air conditioning units and less people suffering from the heat.
March 31, 2009
Common Air Conditioning Problems and How to Save
Money Avoiding Them
Many people do not understand how air conditioners work and as a result their units either breakdown or are inefficient which costs them significant dollars every month.
Here are some of the basic problems which are entirely avoidable:
- 1) Refrigerant Leaks: your AC unit may be low on refrigerant. It could have possibly been undercharged at installation, or, it might have a leak. If it leaks, a trained technician should be able to fix the leak, then test the repair, and most importantly charge the system with the amount of refrigerant that your manufacturer specified for the unit.
- 2) Negligent Maintenance: One of the most important things to help your unit last for years and run efficiently is to do the proper maintenance. This means cleaning or replacing new filters, and cleaning the compressor and fans so that dust, dirt, and grime don't add up. The likelihood of your AC unit breaking down prematurely is very high if you do not do the proper maintenance.
- 3) Electric Controls Worn Down: The wire and terminals can become corroded over time, especially if the AC unit is located outside. The electric controls control your compressor and fan, and these will eventually get worn down due to turning your unit on and off frequently. We don't expect you to check the electric controls, however, you should specify to your maintenance contractor that he should check the electric controls to prevent any problems in the future.
The above mentioned are just a few of the problems one will encounter without the appropriate maintenance. Other problems such as worn out filters, coils, fans, insulation etc will also wear out your unit.
As a unit wears down the energy consumption increases while the output decreases. Since units are expensive, proper maintenance and prevention will save you money in the long run. The costs of replacing a AC unit are far more expensive than regularly maintaining your unit.
We have been in business for over 20 years doing Commercial & Residential Air Conditioning, HVAC, Heating, Ventilation, Boilers, Furnaces, and Refrigeration. We do installation and maintenance. We service all of the New York area including Manhatten, Downtown, Midtown, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island.
