If you live in an area with high temperatures during the summer, you don’t want to find yourself suddenly without the use of your home air conditioner. Though there are things that can happen that are out of your control, making sure you perform air conditioning maintenance will help lessen the chances that your air conditioner will break down and leave you with the need for air conditioner repair. Most air conditioners will last 10-15 years or even longer if they are well maintained. Here are some important maintenance tasks to do to help take care of your air conditioner and lessen the chances that it will break down and leave you looking for someone to do air conditioner repair in a pinch.
Your air conditioner will work more efficiently if it has a clean air filter. A dirty air filter can make it harder for your air conditioner to push through cool air, and it will increase the chances of a breakdown. In addition, a dirty filter means the quality of the air circulating in your home will be poor. Replacing the air filter is something you can do yourself. Depending on the type of unit you have, you should replace the filter anywhere from once a year to four times a year. At a minimum, you should change the filter before the cooling season starts.
The part of your air conditioner that sits outside is called the condenser, and keeping it clean is very important. Because it sits outside, it is exposed to all kinds of dirt and debris, and when it is dirty, it can greatly affect the operation of you air conditioner. That’s why you need to clean out your condenser at least a couple of times a year. The process is very easy: All you need to do is take your garden hose and spray it down. Once the water running out of it is clear, you are done.
Doing these personal maintenance tasks for your air conditioner still isn’t quite enough. Once a year, you should have an air conditioning service call done. Having a professional give your air conditioner a once over will help to keep it running smoothly and also will allow small issues to be fixed before they become big ones. Also, statistics show that people who have a professional perform regular maintenance on their air conditioner see it last about 40% longer than average.
It’s clear that taking care of your heating and air conditioning can help avoid the need for air conditioner repair. Performing some simple maintenance and having your unit inspected by a professional once a year will pay dividends.