{"id":2616,"date":"2021-10-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/?p=2616"},"modified":"2025-06-16T11:15:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T15:15:04","slug":"getting-bigger-ac-probably-not-good-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/getting-bigger-ac-probably-not-good-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting a Bigger AC Is Probably Not a Good Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Two<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We\u2019re accustomed to thinking that getting an appliance that\u2019s \u201cmore powerful\u201d is always for the best. But this isn\u2019t the case\u2014and it\u2019s certainly not the best when it comes to a central air conditioning system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019re unhappy with your current air conditioning in Fresno, CA<\/a>. This recent summer was hot, and when you lowered the thermostat to your standard comfort level, you didn\u2019t feel as cool as you expected. The air conditioner just didn\u2019t seem like it could handle the heat. Getting a bigger AC might sound like a good solution; it seems sensible. But it rarely is. If the issue stems from heat strain on your existing unit<\/a>, it\u2019s better addressed through proper maintenance or sizing not more power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Air Conditioners Must Be Neither Too Small Nor Too Large<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the \u201cGoldilocks Rule\u201d of cooling systems: an air conditioner must be just right<\/em> for the house it\u2019s supposed to cool. Not too small, not too large, but just right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can understand why an AC that\u2019s too small will cause problems. It won\u2019t have the cooling capacity\u2014i.e. the ability to transport enough heat out of the house per hour\u2014to deliver comfort, and it will just keep running and running, wasting power as it tries to reach a setting on the thermostat it can\u2019t reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is an AC that\u2019s too large a problem? Wouldn\u2019t it be better to err on the side of an air conditioner that\u2019s too powerful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what goes wrong with an oversized air conditioner: it will shut off early. The AC will lower the temperature of the house so fast that the thermostat will register it\u2019s already finished its cooling cycle and prematurely turn it off. The air conditioner will come back on again a short time later, then shut off again, and repeat this process. This is called short-cycling<\/em> and it puts immense strain on the AC, often leading to an early replacement and too many repairs, and it wastes large amounts of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your AC Probably Needs Repairs or a Replacement With the Same Size AC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your air conditioner has only recently started to struggle with keeping the house cool, then it\u2019s probably the right size for the house but has a malfunction that\u2019s limiting its cooling capacity. For an AC younger than 10 years, it likely needs a targeted repair from professionals. An older air conditioner may require a replacement system, but not a bigger<\/em> one. Knowing when to repair or replace<\/a> can help you avoid overspending on a unit that doesn\u2019t solve the real issue. Our technicians will make sure whatever new system is installed is the right size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There Are Times When You Do<\/em> Need a Bigger Air Conditioner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A poor installation job, one done either DIY or by amateur technicians, can put in an AC that\u2019s too small for a house. In this case, putting in a larger AC (one that\u2019s accurately sized for the space it must cool), is the best solution. If your AC has never <\/em>delivered the level of comfort you need, then it may be an undersized system. Let our technicians examine the air conditioner and find out if you need a new installation of a cooling system that\u2019s the correct size for your household\u2019s comfort. Our team also specializes in adding central AC systems<\/a> that are custom-designed for your home\u2019s layout and ductwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call Purl\u2019s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning when you need a new air conditioning system installation.<\/a> “Quality Is the Cornerstone of Our Success” since 1952.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the \u201cGoldilocks Rule\u201d of cooling systems: an AC must be just right for the house it\u2019s supposed to cool. Not too small, not too large, but just right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[90,14,87],"vertical":[],"segment":[],"service":[],"class_list":["post-2616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-conditioning-service","tag-air-conditioning-installation","tag-air-conditioning-replacement","tag-fresno"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2616"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3099,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616\/revisions\/3099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"segment","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/segment?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"service","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purlsheetmetal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service?post=2616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}