Air Conditioning Repair and Maintenance Tips

There’s no doubt about it, we rely on our air conditioning systems to keep our home’s cool and comfortable during the hotter months of the year. Having a functional A/C unit at home will make the summer months more bearable, especially if you’re fond of staying at home. But in order to rely on it, your air conditioning unit requires routine maintenance for it to work properly when you need it most.

Just like your furnace or any other home appliance, it’s expected that you’re A/C unit will experience some wear and tear from being used regularly, which could lead to mechanical problems if left unchecked. Minor A/C problems can worsen over time, making it more challenging and expensive to repair.

That’s why it’s important to do maintenance checks and service your air conditioner regularly to make sure that all of its components are in good working order. Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t only contact and hire professionals whenever you notice that your A/C unit is no longer working properly; you should regularly work with them to check the overall condition of your A/C unit and detect early problems before it gets worse. 

And not only does this keep your air conditioner working properly, it will also save you a lot of money and headaches from your unit breaking down unexpectedly. You don’t want your A/C unit to breakdown in the middle of a hot afternoon during summer, right?

You can find more information about air conditioner service and maintenance at sites like FurnaceUSA.com

Below, we’ll go over a few helpful tips to keep your A/C running at its best.

Why Do Air Conditioners Need Maintenance?

Just like a car needs regular maintenance to function properly, you’re A/C also needs regular care and maintenance to run smoothly. Regular maintenance is essential to ensure that any underlying problems with your A/C unit are identified and resolved fast. You should exert time and effort to regularly check your unit regardless if it’s refurbished unit from reliable brands such as PTAC4Less or bought brand new. 

Routine maintenance can help extend the life of your air conditioner unit, and it can also save you a ton of money from having to pay for expensive repairs and replacement jobs. Better yet, things that are as simple as regularly changing the air filter are known to improve your unit’s efficiency and improve the air quality inside your home.

When your A/C unit is working properly, you can also save money from your energy bills. A functioning A/C unit will keep your home cool after minutes of turning it on, which means that you don’t have to wait for hours before you’ll feel comfortable indoors. 

Here are a few more simple maintenance jobs you can do:

Clean Your A/C’s Condenser

It’s a good idea to regularly clean your unit’s outdoor condenser on yearly basis, which will increase its efficiency, and help protect your unit from breaking down. It is especially important to do this if there are a lot of dandelions growing nearby or if your unit often comes into contact with grass clippings from your lawn mower.

Cleaning the condenser of your A/C is easy as you just have to vacuum away debris, straighten and clean fins, and then clean the indoor unit. Make sure to lubricate the compartment of your condenser so the A/C unit will continue to function properly. 

This is a relatively simple DIY maintenance job, but if you don’t like the idea of cleaning the unit yourself, you can always hire an air conditioner technician to clean it for you.

Level Your A/C Unit

If your A/C unit is not properly levelled, it could potentially fail to function properly and could even cause a refrigerant leak. Levelling your A/C unit is important as this ensures that its compressor is running smoothly and its oil is moving properly. The latter is vital to the overall function of your A/C unit because when the oil is moving properly, the water from your unit drains fast.

For this reason, it’s important to check, at least once a year and make sure that your unit is level, since the ground beneath the unit is constantly settling and changing. But if you’re unsure about how to do this properly, it might be best to speak to a technician first.

Clean Your Evaporator Coil

Cleaning your A/C’s evaporator coils is another relatively easy DIY job to keep your unit working properly.

Your unit’s evaporator coils are what allows it to cool the air in your home. They also help remove the moisture from the air, which can cause a lot of humidity if unchecked. These coils regularly sweat due to condensation, which means that they easily get dirty and can collect dust and debris.

This can prevent your unit from working efficiently and is why it’s important to check them regularly and make sure that they are clean.

Read more about cleaning your A/C condenser unit here.

Regularly Change the Air Filter

Just like the window sills in your home collect dust, so does your A/C’s air filter. And if you never dusted inside your home, just imagine how poor the air quality would eventually become.

Well, that’s exactly what happens inside your air conditioner when you don’t regularly change the unit’s air filter. It’s not pretty, but you’d be amazed at home much dust and dirt can be collected in your air filters in a short period of time.

That’s why it’s important to change your air filters often, which helps your unit run properly and keeps the air inside your home breathable.

Contrary to popular belief, you can easily change the air filter of your A/C unit on your own. You just have to remove the old filter by sliding it out of the slot that holds it in place, and then replace it with new or cleaned filter. Make sure to dispose your old filter properly by placing it in a plastic bag. Old air filters usually have contaminants and leaving it out in the open can cause these contaminants to spread.

Keeping your Air Conditioner Working Properly

As we’ve already mentioned, it’s important to perform routine maintenance on your air conditioner unit, which keeps it running smoothly and efficiently during the hotter months of the year.

But while many of the tips we’ve discussed can easily be done by yourself, there are some issues that may require the attention of a professional A/C technician.

So, if you’re ever unsure about an issue your having, it’s important to contact a local HVAC company to speak with someone who has the knowledge and experience to diagnose your problem.