The small investment in time that it takes to maintain an air conditioner pays you back in lower energy bills, more comfort, and fewer system breakdowns. Air conditioners work hard for months on end. Without attention from you and a professional HVAC technician, it won’t perform at its best when you need it.
Air Filters
The air filter is a lot more important than it first appears. It affects the energy efficiency of the air conditioner and the quality of indoor air. As the filter gets dirty, the airflow through the air handler slows. Slower airflow increases the length of time the A/C has to run to cool your home.
It’s a good idea to maintain an air conditioner by checking the filter once a month from May through October and changing it when it’s dirty. How often you need to change it depends on the dust load indoors, whether you have pets, how often the A/C runs and your family size.
Some people run their air handler’s fan 24/7 to clean the air better and increase indoor comfort. Filters will trap more particles when the system runs more. If you run the fan 24/7, you’ll need to maintain an air conditioner more often, including filter checks.
Dust can also enter the air handler from an overly dirty filter, which can coat the evaporator coil. This coil carries the cold refrigerant that absorbs the heat from your home. When the coil is too dusty, it can’t absorb as much heat which drives up energy use.
If you don’t maintain an air conditioner at regular intervals, dust builds and the coil will stay too cold and will cause the coil to freeze over. A frozen coil has the capability of burning out the compressor, which is the system’s most expensive part. This situation is largely avoidable when you maintain an air conditioner on a regular basis.
The Outdoor Condenser
Make it a point to maintain an air conditioner by walking by the outdoor condenser throughout the summer to check on its condition. If the condenser coils are dirty of you see other signs that it needs repair, call the professionals at Forrest Anderson.
Professional Maintenance
Even if your system is out of warranty, it will pay off to have Forrest Anderson’s HVAC technicians maintain an air conditioner at least once during the summer. The technician will clean and adjust the parts that require special tools to access or are hard to reach. Deep cleaning the coils will remove all the dirt and grime, which makes the cooling process far more efficient. Such maintenance also reduces the odds of system breakdowns. The HVAC technician will also check the refrigerant level.
Ironically, too little refrigerant could cause the evaporator coil to freeze over. This condition stops the cooling process and put the compressor at risk for failure. The technician will clean the electronic switches and components too. Clean electrical components ensure that they transfer electricity as fast and safely as possible.
We can also look for signs of ductwork leakage and calibrate the thermostat, if necessary. Ductwork leaks not only waste the air you’ve paid to cool, they also degrade indoor air quality. A malfunctioning thermostat will operate your cooling system erratically, which could increase energy costs or create unnecessary discomfort indoors.
It’s so important to maintain an air conditioner throughout the summer and Forrest Anderson has a team of HVAC professionals standing by to help. Do not wait until your AC breaks down, call us today.
Contact Forrest Anderson Today!