Maintaining your air conditioner (AC) unit often is essential to ensure it runs efficiently and lasts for a long period. Considering that an AC system can easily cost several thousand dollars, regular maintenance is important to save some money in the long term. Besides saving money, proper maintenance helps you avoid costly repairs and ensures your family stays comfortable during warm months. Read on to learn how you can extend the lifespan and performance of your AC unit with regular maintenance.
For effective AC Installation, first, check if it’s installed correctly or not because poorly installed systems waste energy by up to 30%. Make sure that all the connections are secure so that no refrigerant leaks out from any part of the system. Furthermore, inspect the insulation around any pipes connected to outdoor units for signs of damage or wear and tear.
Maintain Thermostat Settings
It’s important to ensure that thermostats are set at optimal temperatures throughout the seasons to maximize energy efficiency and performance while minimizing utility bills. During the summer season, try to set thermostats at 78°F when you are at home and increase the temperature a few degrees when you are away from home for long periods. Conversely, during the winter season, set thermostats at 68°F when you’re home and lower the temperature a few degrees when you’re away for extended periods.
Change air filters regularly
Air filters should be changed every one to two months, depending on how often they become clogged with dirt particles and on their quality (higher quality filters last longer). A clogged air filter restricts airflow through the indoor vents, which drastically reduces cooling efficiency and leads to overall stress on the entire system, shortening its life and significantly increasing utility bills due to inefficient operation.
Clean condenser coils regularly
Condenser coils become dirty over time, making them less efficient in transferring heat from the inside of the house to the outside environment, leading to inefficient operation mode, resulting in increased electricity bills along with shortened life expectancy of the AC unit itself due to excessive strain on components within the system itself during such situation (dirty condenser coil). To prevent this problem from occurring, clean the condenser coils regularly either with a hose pipe or a soft brush taking extra precautions not to break any fragile parts within it causing further damage to its functionality & effectiveness.
Check refrigerant level regularly
Refrigerant levels need to be checked regularly to ensure they’re working properly; low levels will cause refrigerant to leak, resulting in reduced cooling capacity along with increased power consumption, making the whole system run inefficiently, while high levels can lead to compressor failure due to overpressure on components within the refrigerant circuit, eventually leading to complete breakdown requiring expensive repair work, costing considerable sums of money! Therefore, checking refrigerant levels once a year is a good practice to ensure smooth operation without breaking the bank!
Clean the Evaporator & Drainage System Periodically
Evaporator & Drainage Systems need periodic cleaning every six months to prevent accumulation of dust particles as well as obstruction of normal water flow, causing severe strain on internal components and leading to malfunction scenarios thus greatly reducing cooling efficiency along with significantly increasing electricity bill price wise! In addition, these timely inspections also help to detect minor problems at an early stage, thus preventing potential major problems that arise due to delayed maintenance services leading to complete breakdown scenarios with expensive repair works!
Keep the outdoor unit clear of debris & obstructions
Ensure the outdoor area is free of debris like old branches, fallen leaves etc which might get sucked inside the air intake creating a lot of obstruction hence compromising cooling capabilities significantly making the whole system quite inefficient and draining substantial amounts of electricity wise! In addition, keep distance between bushes surrounding outdoor units at least 3 feet apart providing enough space for clear airflow through it thereby averting unnecessary damage caused by lack of space hindering normal operation!
