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Whirlwind -Air Cooler with Heater and Humidifier, FH-778 Air Conditioner

Will constantly running a central AC system on a... (by 3 users)


By Riddle - usenet poster


Will constantly running a central AC system on a very cold setting, such as 65-F, damage the system?
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Comment by Guest, posted on Jun 25, 2008

what is F6?

Comment by spoat, posted on Jun 16, 2008

Have central heating/air conditioning and the unit will not shut off automatic when using the air conditioning during summer time. It will constantly run and have to manually shut it off. Have no problem with it shutting off during the winter time when using the heating unit. What might be causing this problem?

Best Solution

posted on Jun 23, 2008
FixYa! (100)

penguinorama

Rank:Master Master
Rating: 89%, 29 votes
Nothing will be ruined, but you are wearing out the AC at a much higher rate than necessary. You may want to get it serviced once a year, to maintain proper efficiencies. Average lifespan of an AC unit is 12 -15 years, although no one uses them that long.

Central air conditioners is made up of an outdoor unit (the condensing unit) and an indoor unit, the air handler. The function of an air conditioner is to transport heat from one station to another. The vehicle your system uses to carry the heat is called a refrigerant, or Freon.
The compressor in your outdoor unit changes the Freon into a high temperature, high pressure gas. As that gas flows through the outdoor coil, it loses heat and condenses into a high temperature, high pressure liquid. This liquid refrigerant travels through copper tubing into the evaporator coil. There the refrigerant expands. Its sudden expansion turns the refrigerant into a low temperature, low pressure gas. This gas then absorbs heat from the air circulating in the duct work. The cooled air is then distributed back through your house or place of business. Meanwhile, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant is carried back outside through copper tubing and released into the outside air.
Dirty coils and improper refrigerant levels can cause your system to cool less efficiently than it should. An inefficient system means higher energy bills. It also forces your compressor to work harder than is necessary and can actually shorten the life span of your unit. An annual air conditioning inspection by an experienced technician includes an inspection of the coils and the checking of your refrigerant charge, to insure that your system is running efficiently.
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Solution #2

posted on Jun 15, 2008
FixYa! (100)

Tactup

Rank:Guru Guru
Rating: 85%, 82 votes
There is a good chance that if you run the system below 70 degrees it will begin to freeze up. If it freezes up you could cause damage to your furnace/airhandler as the water melts all over it. This can also cause premature failure of the indoor fan as the fan can not blow through a frozen coil.
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Solution #3

posted on Aug 08, 2005
Helpful (85)

Powe33

Rank:Apprentice Apprentice
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
The only thing running your AC like this will do is make it run a lot longer and maybe cycle more depending on the air temp outside and how bad your house loses thermal energy. Normal AC systems I've seen have a 100% duty cycle which means they can continue to run without shutting off without overheating any internal electrical devices. Usually they have thermal overload protection built in and is foolproof to the user so that you dont have to mess with it. So to answer your question; yes and no. Yes, the more you run your AC system it damages it through wear-and-tear, but they can be run a lot without any serious faults. No, it won't damage your system any more than setting your thermostat warmer and running it for a longer time. Eventually something will fail through the end of its service life - which is just a part of how it is made. Unfortunately there are too many variables to determine when something will 'break' but your best bet is that the better something is made the longer it will last. If you are in doubt, set your thermostat higher and it will not run so much.
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Solution #4

posted on Aug 12, 2007
Helpful (85)

CanDo

Rank:Wiz Wiz
Rating: 77%, 118 votes
Well running anything on a constant setting where your appliance doesn't shut down to cool will damage your unit in time. The bearings in the blower motor will wear out sooner because of excessive heat from not cooling. Your blower motor will heat up and not last as long when you do not allow it to cool at a proper setting. Your electrical system may be come to hot an short out. Your compressor motor will go out sooner. And then again if you have a heavy duty system made for years of service you may luck out for many years. Then some people will argue with you that it is better to leave it running instead of kicking on and off causing you to use more electricity. So it really boils down to the quality unit you own.
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Solution #5

posted on May 06, 2008
Inappropriate (40)

Guest

Rank:Apprentice Apprentice
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
hello
mi name is charlie and live in florida
bie
+
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Solution #6

posted on Jul 03, 2008
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CountyTech

Rank:Wiz Wiz
Rating: 84%, 15 votes
You probably have your t.stat set too low. The unit will try to reach the temp. you have the t.statset to. More than 20 degrees above outside and your unit will not shut off. Raise the t.stat to about 74. If it is 80-90 outside then the unit should cycle normally....
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Solution #7

posted on May 30, 2008
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WesR68

Rank:Wiz Wiz
Rating: 83%, 28 votes
The biggest job and stress on an A/C when you turn it on is first condensing (squeezing) all the moisture out of the air and then cooling the air. So after you remove the moisture maintaining that level of humidity at that particular temperature is easier than letting the humidity build up again and then having to remove it again.
Second the most mechanically stressful time for any electromechanical device is when it first starts and has to overcome the inertia of its load, stressful on bearings, bolts, blades, belts and motor windings; the whole thing. Take two identical systems and run them side by side and the one that has to start fewer times will last longer.

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Solution #8

posted on May 30, 2008
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WesR68

Rank:Wiz Wiz
Rating: 83%, 28 votes
No it will not, it is no more stressful on your system to maintain a low temperature than to cool a space down from a higher temperature.
As a matter of fact the manufactures prefer that you size a system to run longer and cycle less.

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Solution #9

posted on Oct 31, 2007
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Guest

Rank:Apprentice Apprentice
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
It may damage the compressor, if retruning air is too cold, refrigerant suction line and evap coil will start to ice over. Do not set thermostat temp. below 70 deg F.
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Solution #10

posted on Sep 08, 2007
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Guest

Rank:Apprentice Apprentice
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
Running it that low can freeze up your system. When this happens, turn it on fan "on" for approx 3 hrs to melt the ice, then try it again.
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Solution #11

posted on Aug 08, 2007
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CanDo

Rank:Wiz Wiz
Rating: 77%, 118 votes
It just makes them run more consistantly without shutting down. So it could shorten the life of it some. It will raise your electrical bill considerably also. I run mine about 80 to 82 degrees and right now where we live it is 100 degrees. We are very comfortable and happy.
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