The extreme heat in North India is causing many air conditioners to fail. If you feel your AC is not cooling properly, here’s what you need to know.
Current Heatwave in North India
Due to the extreme heat of summer in June, there have been incidents of ACs burning and bursting. Moreover, many ACs are not cooling homes as effectively as before. Recently, on Wednesday night, an AC compressor in a doctor’s house on the sixth floor of Merlin Society in Vasundhara Sector-13 burst due to overheating, causing a fire. Similar incidents have been reported in cities including Delhi and Ghaziabad. With temperatures rising higher than usual, ACs are facing various problems. If your AC isn’t cooling like before, we’ll explain why and how to fix it.
High Temperatures Affecting AC Performance
In Delhi-NCR and nearby cities, temperatures have stayed between 40 to 49 degrees Celsius for over a month, with minimum temperatures not dropping below 32 degrees. This extreme heat is making it difficult for ACs to cool rooms effectively.
Expert Insights
According to a report in NBT, Dr. Jayant Basu, Professor of Electrical Engineering at a Deemed University, explains that most air conditioners can only lower the inside temperature by 10 to 20 degrees compared to the outside temperature. The main components of an AC are the heat exchanger, compressor, and PCB. The heat exchanger expels hot air, the compressor contains nitrogen gas, and the PCB controls the power supply.
However, the heat exchangers in standard ACs are often not of high quality, preventing them from expelling hot air efficiently. Imported heat exchangers and compressors have limited capacity, and when the temperature exceeds 38 to 40 degrees, ACs start to lose their cooling efficiency. Dr. Basu notes that if the outside temperature is 45 degrees, the room temperature with the AC on will remain between 30 to 35 degrees, and in some cases, around 25 degrees.
AC Performance Limitations
A BSES official adds that when the outside temperature exceeds the AC’s capacity, the AC struggles to cool the room, putting a strain on the system, which can cause it to break down quickly. Excessive heat around the AC unit further hampers its performance. The official states that at 44 to 45 degrees outside, no regular AC can bring the room temperature down to 22 to 25 degrees. A report on home appliances also mentions that in extremely hot conditions, even if the AC is set to 20 degrees, the room temperature may stay around 35 degrees.
Solutions for Extreme Heat
In places like Dubai, where daytime temperatures reach 50 to 55 degrees, better heat exchangers and compressors are used to cool rooms to 22 to 24 degrees effectively. Adopting similar technologies in regions with extreme heat can help improve AC performance.
Stay cool and ensure your AC is functioning efficiently by understanding these factors and seeking better components if necessary.