Maintaining your AC unit is a practical solution that will keep your family cool during summer and warm during winter. Here’s a guide that will teach you how to do that.
Maintaining your air conditioner’s efficiency doesn’t just provide comfort. It’ll also help in keeping your family healthy and safe. Indeed, that makes your HVAC an essential item at home. It’s also popular during the summer seasons since they aid in providing your family with cool air, resulting in a pleasant ambiance while at home. It’ll only cause inconvenience if they malfunction, especially when high humidity levels.
Your AC also helps control humidity. In turn, that will minimize mildew and mold growth, which will protect your respiratory system. If you don’t maintain them properly, they’ll stop working as efficiently as expected and start consuming more energy. It’s where routine maintenance comes in handy. Taking the lead will help you avoid such problems.
Below are maintenance tips that will keep them running as efficiently as possible.
Find a Place Far From Bushes and Plants
Make sure that your air conditioner produces air freely. It’s a sign that your unit is in good working condition. Don’t place your air conditioners near weeds, grasses, flower beds, or bushes because that will obstruct the airflow, pushing the unit to work harder than necessary. Immediately clear away plants growing near your system to ensure it gets sufficient air. It’ll further ensure that your air conditioner efficiently performs its job.
Invest in Your Programmable Thermostat
Many people tend to leave their air conditioners turned on all day to keep empty apartments or homes cool while they’re away. But others don’t program the thermostat before going out, affecting the performance and efficiency of their air conditioner. It’ll also cost you more money than you expect.
Investing in a programmable thermostat is the best decision you could make for your family. Installing one will allow you to program the thermostat for the temperatures you want at different times. You can save money on bills and prolong the unit’s lifespan.
Schedule for Professional Maintenance
Your naked eye might not notice the damage that your air conditioner has to deal with daily. You have to contact an air duct cleaning and maintenance technician so that they can check the different components of your unit, including:
- Duct integrity
- Coolant levels
- Mechanical parts
- Electrical parts
Having your HVAC system maintained twice a year will ensure that it stays efficient as long as possible, saving you large sums of money on utility bills and repairs.
Check Your Air Conditioner’s Drain Lines
Your AC has different functions, and one of them is draining excess moisture from the condensers. That puts the drain lines in danger of algae growth. Maintaining it starts with cleaning the line regularly by using a small amount of bleach. Other owners will only use a cup of bleach. Using a vacuum cleaner will do the trick if mold or algae has nearly blocked the line. It can suck away the obstructions.
Clean Its Air Filters to Limit Pollutants
Your air conditioner has air filters that capture pet hair, dust, and other contaminants, and these filters further prevent those pollutants from interfering with the unit’s normal functions. Over time, those filters can get blocked or clogged up as dirt and dust start to accumulate. Dirty air filters can often result in icing on your air conditioner.
That will push the unit to work harder than necessary. If you want to prevent this issue, make it a habit to replace the air filters monthly.
Clean the Air Conditioner’s Condensers
Your air conditioner produces severe heat to keep your home cool, and the condenser and evaporator coils inside it will require constant airflow to work efficiently. If you don’t clean both parts, it might significantly affect your unit’s performance. Both have an aluminum coating that allows air to pass through freely. Using a vacuum cleaner quickly removes grime, dirt, and dust particles, but you have to keep on detaching a metal case.
It’ll help you clean the fins, but they can bend over time, interrupting airflow. Use a comb to bring these fins back to their original shape quickly.
Inspect the Air Conditioner’s Insulation
Damaged or outdated insulation allows cold air to escape, forcing the air conditioner to work harder than necessary. Installing a foam wrap around the feed lines is essential if the air passes through an unfinished garage, basement, or room. It’ll increase the unit’s efficiency. It’ll help limit energy consumption and ensure cold air doesn’t escape.
Your air conditioners are machines designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and keep working, making maintenance necessary. Maintaining your system will keep your home cool for years to come.