While there are a few ways to cool the air, only one of them can really handle the demands of an entire house: air conditioning. Though some companies have tried to improve on traditional units, they still stand above heat pumps and other such alternatives. Therefore, when someone speaks of air conditioning in Palatine, they are almost always referring to this type of system.
An air conditioner has three main parts. Outside, you’ll find the compressor. This unit is typically housed in a metal box that has a grille on top and metal flanges, known as fins, on the sides. Inside, a fan blows over hot coils to release hot air to the outside. The fins add surface area that makes this process much more efficient. If they are blocked or damaged, the unit will have a harder time cooling because it’ll have nowhere to put the heat.
Inside, you’ll find the cool side of the system. Here, coils full of cold coolant go through a heat exchanger. A fan blows house air over the exchanger, where it is chilled by the cold coils before being sent back through the home.
The third component is the duct work. If you already have a furnace or air conditioning in Palatine, the existing ducts will likely be all that are needed. Houses that haven’t had any kind of system before will need new ducts installed along with the machinery. Usually, this is only needed for new construction, but that’s not always the case. Houses that are undergoing full renovations, for instance to upgrade them from being cottages to year-round homes, often have never had a full-house heating or air conditioning before. They will also need to have a duct system put in. If they do have ducts already present, those ducts may have collected plenty of dust from the years that their systems were only used part time. Then, getting duct cleaning can be a good idea.
While all Palatine air conditioning are similar in terms of the basics, it’s important to make sure to get a good brand for your new system. Just like with cars, quality varies widely between the options. Look for a reputable dealer like Blue Frost Heating & Cooling to make sure you’ll get a unit that will last.
