Importance of regular maintenance on your home A/C unit

Hopefully, you have never come home on a hot day to a warm house. Emergency repairs or replacement of your air conditioning unit can be expensive, plus may not be able to be scheduled immediately. Regular air conditioning maintenance can help keep this from happening.

Benefits of a regular air conditioning check-up.

Efficiency

The US Department of Energy states on their website that “Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases.”

In other words, if you don’t maintain your A/C unit properly, you will eventually get less cool air and pay more for it. A maintained unit will cool better, cost less and last longer because it is doing less work to cool your home.

Avoids emergencies

Having your air conditioning technician check your A/C unit regularly can avoid those nightmare emergencies, because they can often spot and fix problems that could lead to greater issues down the road. In addition, if you have an older unit, a professional may be able to give you an estimate of how many years (or months) your unit has left in it, giving you time to plan for a replacement. In the meantime, your technician may be able to keep your unit going for one more season.

Peace of Mind

If you have regularly scheduled air conditioning maintenance appointments, you don’t have to think about whether you should have your unit checked or not. And you don’t have to wait for an opening in your technician’s schedule. (Air conditioning professionals get very busy the first hot day of the spring when A/C units are being turned on for the first time since the previous summer.) In addition, you have the confidence that a professional inspected it.

Warranty

Regular check-ups may be part of your system’s warranty requirements. It is also a good time to see if there is any warranty work that needs to be done.

What a professional air conditioning technician may do.

• Check amount of coolant
• Use a leak detector to test for coolant leaks
• Check for duct leaks and seal leaks
• Measure airflow through the evaporator coil
• Inspect electric terminals and clean and tighten connections if needed
• Oil motors and check belts for wear and tightness
• Check the thermostat for accuracy
• Check ducts for debris and clean it out. This keeps debris from getting inside the unit, plus promotes free airflow
• Look for damaged spots on the internal parts of the unit
• Answer any questions you may have

What you can do

Change your air conditioning filters regularly. This is usually every 1-3 months. However, some reusable filters can last 3-12 months (see manufacturer’s instructions). This is especially important if you have pets in the home or have family members who have asthma or are especially sensitive to dust.

Keep the outside part of the unit free from debris (like grass clippings) and vegetation. Anything hampering air flow will put a strain on your system.

Be aware of possible problems to have checked. Are there new or strange sounds coming from your A/C unit? Does your unit seem to be running all the time? Is your electric bill going up unusually? Are some rooms being cooled and others not so much?

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