Both heat pumps and air conditioners use condensers as part of their cooling cycle. An HVAC air conditioner is basically a giant refrigerator for your house. The idea is that the unit absorbs heat from the air, leaving hot air outside and pumping cool air in. The evaporator coil is on one end of the refrigeration cycle. It absorbs heat from inside, while the condenser on the outside releases the heat into the atmosphere. Energy is used to circulate refrigerant through the system, which conducts heat well. As it is forced to expand and contract every time it goes through the compressor. 

Every time you turn off the air handler on your central air unit, the compressor stops and the pressure of the coolant equalizes. However, if you turn the AC unit on within 5 minutes, that pressure will not have subsided yet, and the condenser has to start working much harder against this pressure. This can lead to early air conditioner compressor failure and frequent visits from your Denver HVAC contractor. The air conditioner condensing unit needs a delay timer to stop the system from cycling on and off and damaging the compressor.

 Common Denver HVAC problems caused by cycling Air Conditioners.

If the compressor is repeatedly started at high pressure, it could lock up. As the system strains to start it, common problems include blown fuses, melted capacitors, or general electrical damage to the compressor. A capacitor or fuse is easy to install. Most Denver air conditioning services companies.have spare capacitors and fuses in the truck. In this case, the HVAC tech can fix your machine in under an hour. If the compressor has a mechanical problems, the tech might be able to fix it, but if not you will need an air conditioner compressor replacement. Major damage might require the replacement of the condenser unit as well.

Air Conditioning vs Heat Pump Repairs

Both heat pumps and air conditioners should come with delay timers. Depending on the unit, it may be easier to replace, add, or just be more careful with the use of home cooling. One new technology to aid in energy efficiency and the life of the unit are two stage compressors that work as throttles for the system. Think of it like a car motor. If your car only worked with the pedal to the metal or off, this would not be very efficient right? Older condensers were just made to work at their maximum capacity at all times. The two stage models work at reduced power until more cooling is needed. 

Right now the more advanced variable speed compressors are only available to the Denver commercial HVAC market because of their cost. However computer controls can make these much more efficient at cooling, reducing the need for cycling to almost zero. These advanced devices require an HVAC professional that knows how to work with the computer algorithms used in these control units.