As the summer heat moves in, keeping your air conditioner in tip top shape becomes even more of a priority. Cooling systems that have not been properly maintained can be costly to repair, although there are some affordable home air conditioning repair options. Maintenance, however, can prevent the need for repair and potentially save home owners thousands.
In fact, you can get a good 12 to 15 years of use out of your heating and cooling systems if you maintain them properly. What exactly is good maintenance? Apart from an annual maintenance visit from heating and cooling services, you can also do little things to help your air conditioner out. Air filters, for example, should be changed every three months or so. Not doing so can result in costly damage and necessitate repairs.
Ensuring that there is proper ventilation can also make a significant difference to a heating and cooling system’s functioning. You can cut energy costs by as much as 10-12% per year if you ensure your attic is properly ventilated. You should also leave at least two feet of clearance around outdoor air conditioning units as well as around heat pumps, and using ceiling fans, box fans or whole house fans can also help your air conditioner to function better and more quickly circulate that cool air around the house. If you are sealing up your home’s registers, ensure that you never block up more than 20% of them as these can place extra strain on your cooling and heating system and result in the need for home air conditioning repair.
If you have left your cooling unit to sit during the winter months, it is likely that you have a clogging problem with all of the dust and dirt from almost a year of non-use having built up in your unit. The part most likely to feel the strain is the condenser, which is the outdoor unit of the system. You should have the condenser cleaned if this is the case. You should also ensure that the coolant level is checked, something that only an air conditioner contractor can do. If you make sure that all of these issues are addressed regularly, you will cut down on the likelihood of damage and therefor of repair, and ensure that your unit remains properly functional for years to come. More.