Your air conditioner works to protect you from extreme temperatures, ensures a healthy air flow, and filters out particles and allergens from the indoor environment. To ensure it’s always functioning at its’ optimum capacity, you need to do regular maintenance. Neglecting the necessary maintenance will result in a decline in the air conditioning performance, while the energy use steadily rises. By properly maintaining your air conditioner, you will not only ensure a trouble free operation, but you will also save money on energy bills, and extend its’ lifespan. To help you out, we are going to give you the top 5 air conditioner maintenance tips;
1. Clean or Change the Filters
The most important maintenance tip when it comes to air conditioner maintenance is routinely cleaning or replacing its’ filters. The reason why changing the filters is so important is that it actually reduces the burden on your system. Clogged filters can strain your AC unit, forcing it to work much harder and expend more energy than it should. The air flowing through the system may also become dustier, dirtier, and prone to triggering asthma and allergy symptoms for people residing in your home.
The filters should be cleaned on a monthly basis, and should be changed at least two times a year; once before the start of the heating season, and once before the start of the cooling season. If your air conditioner is in constant use, or you reside in a particularly dusty area, you might want to change the filters more often. Remember to always replace the filters with new filters that have the same airflow rating.
2. Clear the Area Around Your A/C Unit
Keep the area around your unit clear of foliage, leaves, dirt, grass clippings, cobwebs, sticks and such other obstacles. You can also trim the plants and shrubs near your unit. Give your A/C unit at least two feet of clear breathing room so as to ensure proper air flow and make its’ work easier.
3. Clean Evaporator and Condenser Coils
The air conditioner’s evaporator and condenser coils tend to collect dirt and debris over time. This dirt and debris reduces airflow and can even insulate the coils, reducing their ability to absorb heat. This can make your system use more energy than it should, and could eventually lead to the system breaking down. To avoid this, check your evaporator and condenser coils at least twice a year, and clean them as necessary. To clean them, you first need to shut off the power to the A/C unit, and then use a hose to carefully wash out all the dirt, starting at the top. Don’t use a power washer, and make sure you take care not to damage or bend the rather delicate fins on the coils. You can also clean them using a brush and, simply spray the components down using a no-rinse coil cleaner.
4. Clear the Ducts and Vents
Ducts and vents also play a key role in improving the air quality. A large amount of dust, debris and dirt can deposit on the vents if you don’t clean them on a regular basis. Therefore, you should always make sure that the ducts and vents are free from any dirt, debris, and dust which could potentially reduce the airflow, making your system work harder than it should.
5. Call for Professional Maintenance
Consider engaging a reputable air conditioning technician so as to maintain the integrity of your air conditioning unit with twice yearly visits; once at the start of winter, and again before the start of summer season. In addition to performing some of the above tasks, the technician can inspect the unit’s condensate drain, refrigerant lines, fan blades, motor, and make the necessary replacements or repairs. The technician can also lubricate and tune any parts to return them to their peak performance. If you are in the Orange County area, check out Tropical’s Air Conditioning repair and maintenance service. Their techs are qualified and equipped to safely inspect your unit and uncover any potential threats to the system.
Conclusion
As aforementioned, maintaining your air conditioner will be of great help in terms of saving energy, saving money, and keeping your household comfortable during the hottest and coldest of days or nights. Regular maintenance can also preserve the life of your unit and help you correct minor problems before they become larger problems.
