Expected AC operation during normal running cycles across modes?

 After turning on my system or changing modes, what is supposed to happen? In Air Conditioning, that's kind of a tricky question. These systems sometimes do things that might seem weird or even wrong to us as the user.

First thing's first: When you turn on your air conditioning system, with a short press on the Power button, you're really asking it to check if it's ready to work. Regardless of the mode, the indoor evaporator/blower fan will start spinning in 0-15 seconds. Make sure these vents are open.

Next, the system needs a "Call for cooling". This call only comes if the system is                     A) in a cooling mode (sleep, eco, cooling, or Turbo) and B) Ambient temperatures are high enough , the indoor ambient temperature must be about 6-10 degrees warmer than what is set on the display or remote and the outdoor ambient temperature must be above 67 degrees Fahrenheit or (19.5 Celcius).If these conditions are met, the unit should start the compressor in 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Start up can take longer due to first start up or being in "freeze protection" due to low temp or coil freezing. This wait period can restart every time the compressor mode is changed!

Immediately before the compressor turns on, the outdoor condensor fan kicks on and starts blowing air up and away from the unit. The compressor starts with a shake and occasionally a whine or gurgling may be heard. If you have a way to measure power, you should see the system drawing above 200W after the compressor starts.

Switching modes can make the system breifly behave counter-intuitively. Often, the ait conditioning system will turn off the compressor and condenser fan and then begin it's start up countdown again. But if it's been running for a little while (10 minutes plus) it might also stay running during the mode change. Regardless, the indoor fan should continue to blow air while switching the mode.

Sleep (Moon and Stars), Eco (Eco), Cooling (Snowflake), Turbo (Bodybuilder) modes all control the speed of the compressor. This allows the system to work harder during higher temperature. So Turbo mode will cool more quickly, but it will use more electrcity and make more noise. Sleep mode will be more quiet and cheaper to run, but it might not be able to keep up with higher temperatures.

If none of the icons are lit up, you're in fan only mode and will Not get cooling.Changing Fan speeds only changes how fast the air will be circulated in your space. Fast moving air can make us feel more cool and it helps blow the colder air around mroe quickly. However, increasing fan speed won't always be enough to handle increasing loads and you should change the mode if the system isn't meeting your needs in a lower power mode. When you speed up the fan, you'll notice a slow increase in speed as the system ramps up to the new target, and same in reverse when slowing it down.

If you put the fan in Auto, thefanspeedwill be cobtrolled by the system in order to better balance fan and compressor speeds for system efficiencyand performance.

Part of regular Air conditioning system operation is cycling. When the system runs for more than an hour, but after turns off for even short intervals occasionally, this is considered normal operation. When the "call for cooling" is satisfied and the indoor ambient temperature is within 2 degrees above or below the set temperature, the system will turn off until the temperature rises into the proper range again. This helps prevent icing on the coil, as well as excessive wear and tear of components. However, if a system is consistently running for less than 30 minutes at a time, or only runs in very short intervals, that is called short cycling, and is a sign of other problems developing.

Although air conditioning is complicated, the added complexity gives you better control over your comfort and the health of your air conditioning system. Learning how to make your system work for you is an important step towards comfort!