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!

Running an Air Conditioner during Thunder Storms

The humid and hot summer conditions can make you want to turn on the air conditioning. However, this season also creates conditions for thunderstorms. Keeping your air conditioner functional during a thunderstorm may cause damage, so it is always a good idea to turn it off when the weather gets bad.

Why should you turn off your A/C during a thunderstorm?

Lightning

Even though lightning strikes on a house are rare, they are certainly possible during a storm. The area where the utility lines connect to your house is an extremely vulnerable area for strikes and if lightning hits here, it may cause a power surge throughout the electrical system of the house. This surge can lead to serious damage to the air conditioner.

This damage can practically render the unit unusable. It can affect the control panel, leading to extensive repair or replacement of the whole unit. The unit’s controls to the cooling and heating system can be corrupted if a lightning strikes when the unit is on.

How can you protect your air conditioner?

Although experts recommend surge protectors, these appliances do not offer the amount of protection required against a surge that is caused due to lightning strike. Therefore, plugging your air conditioner into one will not have the advantages you expect. If you reside in an area known for high occurrence of strikes, you can secure your unit by fitting in a protection system. Use conductors, lightning rods, and ground rods to create an alternate path for lightning so that it does not travel through the electrical system of the house. These units are not 100% effective in preventing surges. Therefore, it is best to keep your A/C off when a thunderstorm pops up.

Can air conditioning be used in rain storms?

Using an air conditioner during rain storm is perfectly safe. Rain will never interrupt with the unit’s capability to function properly. In fact, utilizing your unit on rainy, warm days can keep the house more comfortable — the indoor evaporator coils remove moisture and reduce humidity levels, which helps in improving comfort levels inside the house. However, if the rain storms lead to flooding and you have water logging around your house and unit, you should turn off the system immediately and turn off power at the electrical panel of the house to prevent damage. Make sure you get your unit inspected by a HVAC expert before you start using it again after flooding.

If you are having issues with your air-conditioning after a thunderstorm, make sure you seek advice from a professional on how to get the problem fixed! 

Significance of maintaining the Air Conditioner during winter

The air conditioning is one of the most overused electronic gadgets in any household. Since it starts running from spring, the machine hardly gets any rest throughout the summer and is switched off only when winter approaches. Seldom people bother about its maintenance until an emergency situation arises. This is turn results in additional expenses and hassles too. Rather than waiting for an emergency to happen, it is advisable to take proper care of the air conditioner during winter so as to ensure its peak performance during the spring or summer months. If this explanation doesn’t sound motivating enough then discussed below are few reasons which should encourage you to maintain the AC unit in spite of the freezing weather.

Ø  Utilize the winter month to carry out a thorough inspection of the cooling unit

If last summer you were troubled with exorbitantly high electric bills, then utilize this resting period to take a close look at what is bugging your cooling unit. Is it because of accumulation of too much debris or a clogged filter which is causing the problem? Do you feel any component of the AC unit is damaged or rusted and hence causing over expenditure? Then it is time to give a call to the HVAC unit so that they can do a detailed inspection of the air conditioning system and suggest necessary measures.

Ø  Regular maintenance of the AC unit ensures prolonged life and round-the-year smooth performance

If you have invested thousands of dollars just a year back to purchase the new air conditioning unit, then it is natural that you would like to retain it for few more years and that too in perfect condition. By following a proper maintenance regime, it is possible to ensure a smooth and extended performance of the AC machine. In fact specialists suggest inspection and tuning of the cooling unit by an HVAC professional, at least once or twice in a year. So why not schedule the winter time for yearly inspection thus ensuring the AC runs uninterrupted during peak seasons!

Ø  Make sure that the air conditioning unit looks its best

While you just can’t avoid having an AC condenser which looks large and bulky, the best you can do to improve its look is by keeping it dirt and rust free. Clean and dry it thoroughly and then cover it up properly before the winter sets in. This way you not only protect the machine from extreme weather and critters but also make sure that the unit looks spotlessly clean when you uncover it to use.

Now that you know why you need to winterize the air conditioner, the next thing to decide is how to do so. While some basic cleaning acts or covering the AC unit can be performed at home, for specialized assistance you should get in touch with an Air Conditioning specialist. One good idea is to look for a certified service provider which has all-round expertise in installation and maintenance of cooling units.