If you live in a climate where the temperature goes up frequently, then an AC can make the living conditions much more pleasant and comfortable. As is the case with many pieces of technology, an AC also loses if proper functioning after a period of use. It is essential that you keep on gauging the efficiency of your AC so that if issues arise, they can be rectified before it's too late.
Here are some tips on how to tell if your air conditioner is running efficiently.
Prepare your AC for testing
You should replace your furnace filter and then remove all vent coverings. This is necessary to ensure that airflow is smooth and not restricted. Just pull out the loose vents or use a tool to pull out any tight-fitted covers. Sometimes you might need help from an AC maintenance company if you need to remove the vents which are placed in an outdoor unit. They can do this job more efficiently and safely.
Determine the different ducts of the AC
You should know which are the supply and the return ducts in your AC. In order to determine this, place a tissue over each duct. If the tissue starts flying away from the duct, then that is your supply duct, whereas if the tissue paper is sucked in, then that is your return duct.
Check the Temperature of Both Ducts
You can do this in some very simple steps. Turn on your AC, and let it run for at least 15 minutes. Then take a thermometer and place it inside the supply duct. Check if the thermometer is below the current room temperature to ensure a correct reading. You can use any thermometer, even a refrigerator thermometer will work. Remember that the supply duct is that part of the AC that throws cool air into your room. Keep the thermometer over there for 10 minutes. Note down this temperature.
Now go to the second step and keep the same thermometer on the return vent, again for ten minutes. As said before, the return vent is that part of the AC which pulls in the room air and delivers it to the HVAC system. Note this reading too.
Now subtract both the readings to calculate your results.
Results Will Tell the Efficiency of Your AC
If there is a difference of 20 degrees between your supply and return ducts, then your AC is working fine. But if this temperature is less than 20 degrees, then this can tell you that your AC is not working efficiently. There can be many possibilities of this problem. One may be that there is a leak in the system, or another may be that you need to replace the HVAC filter.
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