AC Maintenance and Repair Guide for House Owners

Air conditioner-related tasks should be on your list as soon as spring arrives. Before calling your house AC repair contractor, you must know that there are repair and maintenance items that most homeowners can tackle on their own!

Get your house ready for hot weather with our AC repair and maintenance guide:

A/C maintenance:

There are several benefits of regular maintenance:

1. AC maintenance enhances the performance and efficiency of your air conditioner. This reduces your energy bills while giving you a comfortable temperature indoors.
2. AC maintenance helps to lengthen the life of the system. Keep your machine working for a longer period of time while avoiding any chances of early replacement.
3. Air conditioner maintenance prevents the requirement for AC repairs. When you repair regularly you are less likely to undergo system breakdowns in summers.
4. Hire an a/c technician for performing maintenance every year. This prized service enhances performance, protects pocketbook and prevents repairs.

While it is best to contact an air conditioning technician for performing this service, there are several procedures any house owner can complete on their own for keeping the system in shape.

1. Clean the unit off. Keeping the outer a/c condenser clear and free of obstructions permits air to pass through without any trouble. This removes stress and keeps the unit working in top condition.
2. Clean indoor registers and vents. As air flows through the house, dirt and dust can stick to your registers and vents. This may not just make the house dirtier, but reduce indoor air quality.
3. Change the air filter. Filters should be changed every two months, depending on the kind of filter you use. It’s a good idea to create a regular schedule – mark filter changing dates on a calendar, and make it a point to check the calendar every month.
4. Keep any pests out. When pests get inside an HVAC machine, they can create havoc. Their leftovers and presence have a negative effect on the indoor quality of the air. Pest-proof your air conditioning components to keep critters out!

A/C repair:

Air conditioners can be complicated. If you’re not sure about how they work, it can get very difficult when issues start to occur. A professional repair technician can easily fix system problems. Irrespective of the issue, it is a good idea to run through simple A/C troubleshooting before hiring a technician.

1. Check the power – make sure to check all the switches by the condenser outside or air handler indoors. Also, examine the breaker powering the system at the electrical panel of the house.
2. Thermostat settings – if the air conditioner is blowing hot air, it could be because of the thermostat. Check to see if the thermostat has batteries and is working properly.
3. If your air conditioner begins to ice over, it will not be able to function properly. It is best to call for air conditioning repair.

If you are not confident about performing an air conditioning repair yourself, stay safe and call for professional help!

Service your Air Conditioner, before summer shoots up your bills

The air conditioner is always the hardest working appliance during the summer months. For day-to-day comfort, we always rely on our cooling system be it at home or at the office. For that same reason, it’s imperative to get it serviced before it starts getting warm and humid. You can hire an air conditioning contractor to inspect your HVAC unit and service it regularly for optimum comfort every day. Since it’s a tough piece of equipment, it is engineered to withstand wear and tear but it often leads to instances where you have to maintain it. Like a car, an AC system requires regular tune-ups to run properly and efficiently.

An air conditioner unit loses about 5% of its original efficiency levels during each year of operation without regular and proper maintenance. This actually means that you may have purchased a unit with 12 SEER rating, but without servicing it regularly, it may be functioning only like a unit with 9 SEER rating. Regular servicing will make a system maintain up to 95% of its efficiency and you can also recover most of the lost efficiency if you maintain it religiously. The cost of an annual tune-up can be quickly recovered in the savings on your electricity bills and repair costs. An efficient AC system will also do a good job of dehumidifying your home or office. 

There are a few important reasons to regularly service your air conditioning unit to maintain its efficiency and working life:-

• Greater cooling comfort – Improve your AC’s overall operation by hiring a contractor to do regular service checks. A dormant air conditioner will lose the ability to produce cool air. So for comfortable indoors all summer long, have problems fixed quickly by an HVAC expert.
• Lower cooling costs – Energy costs can sky rocket during the summer months because of using the air conditioner every day. However regular maintenance can reduce energy consumption considerably. Working and cooling efficiency will increase and future problems can also be averted by servicing an AC unit.
• Minimize chance of breakdowns – Inspecting the system for problems regularly and servicing it can reduce the risk of it breaking down. It will enable the HVAC components to last longer and operate properly.
• Avoid costly repairs – Small problems in your AC unit could lead to huge repairs later on. A technician can identify issues in your system beforehand and rectify them before it becomes a major problem. That is why regular servicing is important which will save you a significant amount of energy and money in the long run. It has been estimated that more than half of all air conditioner repair calls arise due to insufficient maintenance on the part of the owner.
• Keep warranties – When having regular maintenance done, it’s mandatory to preserve warranties that come with the AC system. Future problems may not be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, if you allow important service checks to fall by the wayside.
• Check utility bills – You will no longer dread the hot, summer months if you schedule routine maintenance checks. It will help in maintaining the SEER of your HVAC unit, which will result in high efficiency operation and low energy bills.

To sum it up, a complicated equipment like the air conditioner, even if the most reliable will need regular service and maintenance. This way it will benefit in various ways and recover lost efficiency. The unit will also operate efficiently, have a longer life span, increase comfort, avoid break downs and save energy.