Air Conditioners Useless If Temperatures Exceed '45 Degrees'? The Truth

As extreme heatwaves continue with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in some regions recently, claims have spread online that a situation where turning on air conditioners is practically useless is not far off.

The claim suggests that because domestic air conditioners are manufactured to suit temperate climates, their performance will drop significantly if temperatures continue to rise.

Recent heatwaves have fueled these claims, with consecutive personal accounts stating that "turning on the air conditioner does not make it cool."

Posts circulating on social networking services (SNS) claim that even for air conditioners manufactured by domestic companies, cooling capacity differs depending on the climate zone of the country where they are sold.

Some posts claim that models for domestic use are designed for temperate climates, so if outside temperatures exceed 45 degrees, cooling efficiency plummets, rendering air conditioners practically ineffective even when operated.

Therefore, the gist of these claims is that as temperatures rise every year, existing air conditioners will eventually become practically useless.

Depending on the post, the threshold for dropping efficiency is sometimes cited as 43 degrees.

SNS posts have also surfaced claiming that air conditioners are divided into T1 (temperate climate), T2 (cold climate), and T3 (tropical and desert climate) types according to international standard climate classifications, and that domestic air conditioners corresponding to T1 only operate normally up to about 43 degrees.

There are also claims that because high outdoor temperatures put a strain on air conditioner operation, safety devices kick in and shut down the air conditioner once it reaches 43 degrees.

Regarding these claims, major air conditioner manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics stated that it is true domestic air conditioners are built to suit temperate climates.

Air conditioner performance is based on the Korean Industrial Standards (KS) KS C9306, which is further divided into T1, T2, and T3 depending on climate conditions.

Among these, T1 corresponds to temperate climate countries including South Korea. According to Industrial Standards Council data, T1 air conditioners use outdoor temperatures of 24 to 35 degrees as a baseline when testing rated cooling capacity.

Some may interpret this as meaning that outdoor temperatures of 35 degrees or higher were not subject to testing, and therefore lack performance certification.

However, manufacturers explain that "testing at 24 to 35 degrees" does not mean they "only function properly at 24 to 35 degrees."

Both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics stated that they conduct internal testing assuming temperatures much higher than the T1 standard, and that cooling capacity has no major problems up to nearly 50 degrees.

An official from Samsung Electronics introduced, "All of our products undergo reliability testing even for cases where external temperatures rise up to 49 degrees."

An official from LG Electronics also said, "We conduct rated performance tests even under conditions of 48 degrees outdoor temperature, which far exceeds the standard threshold, and we consider there to be no loss in operating efficiency up to this temperature."

Cooling efficiency may drop slightly when external temperatures rise.

Because air conditioners play the role of releasing indoor heat outdoors, the hotter the outside air, the harder it is to release heat, thereby reducing cooling efficiency.

An industry official said, "It is technically unavoidable for efficiency to deteriorate as external temperatures rise. However, because performance tests are conducted taking even these situations [of rising external temperatures] into consideration, there is no problem."

On SNS, questions have been raised as to why manufacturers do not produce domestic models to match T3 conditions, noting that air conditioners exported to regions such as the Middle East or Southeast Asia are designed to match high-temperature T3 test conditions, maintaining cooling performance even at higher temperatures.

In fact, for T3, the outdoor temperature criterion for rated performance testing is 24 to 46 degrees, which is higher than T1.

In light of this, some raise questions as to whether manufacturers intend to induce product replacements by releasing new models tailored to T3 later if summer temperatures rise further.

Manufacturer officials explained that producing T1 products domestically is a decision that takes cost into consideration.

T3 products, which must withstand higher temperatures, have larger capacities or higher performance in core components such as compressors and outdoor unit circuit boards (PCBs), ultimately leading to higher product prices.

Both Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics explained, "While cooling performance would improve, selling prices would inevitably rise due to increased component costs," adding, "Rather than installing parts with excessive performance and selling them expensively, we aimed to pursue optimal efficiency tailored to the characteristics of each region."

These companies emphasized that current T1-standard air conditioners have no major problems with cooling up to nearly 50 degrees.

To increase air conditioner efficiency during extreme heatwave situations, a method of spraying water on the outdoor unit is widely shared on SNS.

Some share photos of sprinkler-style spraying devices installed on outdoor units, claiming that their perceived effectiveness of air conditioners improved through this method.

Online shopping malls even sell water spray nozzles for air conditioner outdoor units.

Regarding this, manufacturers stated that theoretically, spraying water lowers the temperature around the outdoor unit, which has the effect of increasing cooling efficiency.

They also added that because outdoor units are manufactured on the premise of outdoor installation, spraying water does not cause major mechanical defects.

However, because long-term water spraying carries a risk of corrosion, they recommended installing units away from direct sunlight rather than spraying water directly, clearing items from around the outdoor unit, or opening ventilation windows.

Manufacturers recommended installing a sunshade over the outdoor unit as one way to increase air conditioner efficiency.

At this time, the rear or sides of the product must not be blocked.

Manufacturers also explained that when installing outdoor units, it is best to avoid locations where surrounding temperatures are likely to rise, such as areas where multiple outdoor units are clustered.

If there is a separate outdoor unit installation space, adjusting the louvers (blades) of the ventilation window as close to horizontal as possible was also recommended.

If dust accumulates on the air conditioner filter, it cannot properly intake or exhaust air, which can degrade performance and increase electricity consumption, so filters must be cleaned regularly.

Lowering humidity through indoor dehumidification is also important.

An official from Samsung Electronics said, "Just as the same temperature feels much cooler when humidity is low, if indoor dehumidification is well-managed and humidity is controlled, cooling efficiency increases further."

They noted that it is also common for cooling to be weak due to incorrectly set operation modes, so it is necessary to check whether the cooling mode has been properly configured.

Additionally, if no cool air is felt at all even after prolonged operation, there is a possibility of a refrigerant leak.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.